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PAGE 2A THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008 Commerce officer accused of rape in Banks Investigation continues at BCES BY CHRIS BRIDGES Banks County superintendent Chris Erwin is still awaiting word on lab results which could have an impact on the final decision into an investigation of an incident at Banks County Elementary School last month which left the assistant principal on leave. Erwin said Monday he hopes to have information by the end of next week which will help clear up alle gations that male fifth grade students at the school were allegedly made to BY SHARON HOGAN Members of the Baldwin City Council discussed at its monthly council meeting on Tuesday, May 27, the possibility of the city hold ing a fall festival during the Labor Day weekend. Ken Thurmond, President of the Cornelia Lions Club, came before the council for the second time to discuss a festival event in Baldwin. Thurmond said, “We met here a few weeks ago and talked about a festival here in Baldwin. We are now ready to put a committee together.” Thurmond said, “We can call it a fall festival or a fun festival. If it is O.K. with the council we would like to proceed on this.” Thurmond said he and Betty Harper have been riding around looking for some spots in the city that would be suitable for this event. Thurmond said Fieldale said no due to insurance issues. A spokes man at Hayes Chevrolet, Hwy. 365, BY JUSTIN POOLE The rising cost of gas led the Maysville City Council to hold a called work session last week to look into ways of saving money. Maysville Police Chief Clarence Sullens presented a list of ways to cut costs and conserve fuel in the department, including the fol lowing: •not letting the cars sit idling and turning the engines off when parked. •patrolling on foot between busi nesses in close proximity. •using the motorcycle more fre quently to patrol. The motorcycle averages around 45-55 miles per gallon. •requiring deputies to park in high visibility areas. •switching to 10-hour days, four day a week schedules. •more stationary checks. Sullens also told the council that he was going to speak to the offi cers about changing procedures when chasing a vehicle. “If they just accelerate normally, it won’t use up as much fuel,” said Sullens. Sullens also gave statistics on some of the patrol cars. The 2001 model Crown Victoria patrol car averaged 18 miles per gallon (mpg); the 2003 car averaged 11 mpg; the 2006 car averaged 11.6 mpg; and the car Sgt. Rory Clark uses averaged 11.6 mpg. WATER DEPARTMENT As for the water department, drink from a water fountain from which a substance had been poured into. There is question whether the substance was urine or Gatorade. Assistant principal Lori Rylee, who has been in the Banks County School System for 13 years and an assistant principal for the last two, has been placed on leave pending the investigation. Rylee allegedly made the students drink from the fountain after not been able to determine who poured the substance into it. The incident came to light after said they would be glad to let the city use the field behind their deal ership for this event. Another location that was looked at was the city’s roadside park on Hwy. 441. Thurmond said Lions International does have insurance to cover this event as long as no alco holic drinks are served. The date is tentatively set for Saturday, August 30, during the Labor Day Weekend. “We would like to have citi zens involved on this committee,” Thurmond said. Council member Beverly Holcomb said, “I would like for the citizens to have some input on what the festival is called.” Holcomb said she under stood from some of the old-timers that Baldwin was considered at one time to be peach country, with a lot of peach orchards and packing houses located in the city. “It seems like we could incor porate peach in the title of it,” Ralph Sailors presented the fol lowing ways to conserve fuel: •carpooling when doing repair work. •turning off the vehicle when stopped. •rolling down windows instead of using the air conditioner. •making the detainees walk to the library to work. •parking between houses and walking to each water meter. •purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle. The water department’s older 1996 model pickup averaged 12 mpg and the newer 2001 model pickup averaged 14 mpg. The council members also asked about the possibilities of convert ing to radio controlled meters. Another possibility discussed was the feasibility of a golf cart or ATV for the water department or a small truck like a Ford Ranger. The council discussed purchas ing a 2005 model Ranger with 31,000 miles that costs $9,200. The council decided that the mat ter would be resolved at the next meeting. The city council’s next meeting is June 9 at the library. ACTION ITEMS In other business at the called work session, the council: •heard from Steve Nichols, direc tor of Jackson County Emergency Management Agency, about the Hazard Mitigation Resolution. •reviewed the fire hydrant meter some students told their parents what happened. The students said they were told by the assistant prin cipal if they spoke of the incident then law enforcement as well as offi cials from the Department of Family and Children’s Services would be contacted. A group of parents has request ed that Rylee be terminated from the school system and that system employees receive training on how to handle matters of this nature and how to properly question authority. Holcomb said. Thurmond also said, “We have looked at also having something in the spring.” Thurmond said he was looking to have something for the kids and entertainment at the festivals. Baldwin resident Andrea Harper said, “Festivals are very labor inten sive and very expensive. The cost of advertising exceeds the money you take in.” Harper also said the city will really need a dedicated group of volunteers to work on this event. Harper said she has a contact list the city could use and she also, has a list of free advertisers that are available. Thurmond invited everyone in attendance to the Cornelia Lions Club 50th anniversary celebration on Saturday, June 7. A bar-be-que will be held. The plates will cost $20 per plate. This will include bar-be-que pork, chick en, baked beans and potato salad. rental agreement and discussed adding a line to include the date the meter was returned and inspected. •reviewed the update on the grease trap policy. •discussed terms for Downtown Development Authority members to put on their next agenda. •stated that the solid waste agree ment would be brought up at the next meeting. •discussed implementing a time limit on library computer use. •discussed changing the speed limit in front of the Golden Pantry from 45 to 35 mph. •received information on mag netic locators and decided to get additional bids. •discussed electrical concerns at Veterans Park. •agreed for the mayor to approve bid for repairs to the power pole and receptacles in the park due to safety requirements. •discussed the request for street lights from different areas of the city and the possibility of Georgia Power doing an analysis. •discussed two bids for repairs to the water and sewer lines on an as-need/emergency basis. •discussed the copier renewal lease at $119 per month on a 36 month lease for 2,000 copies. After 2,000 copies, an additional cost of $.01 per copy would apply. •discussed possible dates for a retreat. A decision will be made at the next meeting of the Maysville City Council. An officer of the Commerce Police Department has been put on “admin istrative leave” pending a Georgia Bureau of Investigation allegation that he raped a woman in Banks County. Banks County sheriff Charles Chapman and chief investigator Kyle Bryant confirmed their office was contacted about a rape charge. Since the allegation involved a law enforcement officer, they turned the investigation over to the GBI. BY SHARON HOGAN Baldwin leaders are looking at ways to cut the city’s gasoline expenses. At a meeting last week, council member Jeff Murray gave a report on behalf of Tim Hall, public works director, concerning ways that have been implemented to cut down on gas usage by city vehicles. All city vehicles have been tuned up and the tire pressure is checked every Monday morning. Supervisors have been instructed to plan daily routes to allow employees to ‘buddy’ up. Employees are also are required to ride together to lunch and they must ride in their own vehicle if they are going over one mile. Hall said brush pickup was dropped to once a month from twice a month by the city. Hall also said people are bringing in shrub bushes from outside the city to be picked up by the city to go through the chipper. Grass cutting by the city employees has been dramatically reduced. The city is maintaining just what has to be maintained. All tractors that use diesel that are not driven on the highway and have been switched over to off-road die sel. All meter reading will be done with the small utility trucks, which get an estimated 40 to 50 miles per gallon. The city will surplus off three of the big vehicles. The small utility trucks are also used on water repairs and cut-offs. Hall reported that the heat and air thermostats in the bottom of city hall are set at 72 degrees. The hot water heater at the shop has been turned down to 110 degrees. Gas furnaces have been turned completely off. Some of the light bulbs in the city buildings have been changed out also. OTHER BUSINESS In other business at last week’s meeting: •the council discussed the city’s comprehensive plan update. Council member Beverly Holcomb said Commerce Police Chief John Gaissert confirmed that Cpl. Cameron Boswell was placed on administrative leave May 19. He continues to be paid. “I cannot comment on an allega tion of wrongdoing by an officer or an incident in another jurisdiction,” said Gaissert. “We will evaluate the facts and circumstances of the alle gations pending the conclusion of any investigation.” Boswell, who is the depart- Baldwin will be contracting with MacTec to handle the update. “We didn’t meet the deadline to do ours with Banks County,” Holcomb said. The city has until Jan. 1 to get this done. “We will set up a meeting with MacTec on this,” Holcomb said. Citizen A. Harper told Holcomb the city needs to look at Habersham County’s plan. “They have envi sioned some ideas for Hwy. 365, you need to look at,” Harper said. •the council approved a request from Heath Caudell to build a house on a lot that he is purchasing with an existing house on Park Avenue from Kevin Gaddis. Caudell said the plat shows one one-acre parcel in the City of Baldwin. Caudell said he has a hand-drawn survey showing the land as lots 5 and 6 on a 1960s sur vey. Caudell said, “I would like to get some clarification on is this two lots? If it is two lots, I would like to get this split back into two one-half acre lots and would like to build a house on lot 6.” The house that is there now is on lot 5. Caudell also said the hand-drawn survey is regis tered in Habersham County and the property is now in Banks County. The property is currently zoned R-1. Syfan checked the code book and the lot size for R-1 is 15,000 square feet. “A half-acre lot for each is large enough for R-1 zoning,” Syfan said. Syfan said the clearest thing is to allow him to subdivide the prop erty into two one-half acre lots. “A subdivision is not a rezoning and you wouldn’t have to jump through all the hoops for a rezoning,” Syfan said. The new house must meet all the set-back requirements the city has in place and Caudell was instructed about the fees that would need to be paid. •police Chief Daren Osborn pre sented the council with a quote on a software program he would like for the police department to use. “We’ve paid $7,500 (July 1-April 30) so far this year for software, and it’s not worth it,” he said. Management Data ment’s drug dog handler, has not been arrested. He resides in Banks County. Without Boswell, the depart ment cannot use its drug dog, since the dogs are used strictly by their assigned handlers, according to Gaissert. However, other local juris dictions have drug dogs if the need arises. “We have some alternate resourc es,” Gaissert commented. “Jackson County has a drug dog and Banks System (MDS), Statesboro, would cost the city $4,750 for the system and training. This is a cost of $2,100 for one year, plus set-up fee and license fee. “Up front, it’s a little bit of money, over the long run we will save about $5,000-$6,000 per year,” Osborn said. The software also has the capability to do programs to go to the state. Osborn said the software also has the capability of in-car printing of citations, however, this is not realistic right now because it requires laptops and printers in the cars. The council unanimously approved the purchase of the soft ware from MDS. •Murray gave the council a report on the fire department’s Boot Drive that was held on Friday, Saturday and Monday, over Memorial Day weekend. The fire department held the boot drive to raise money to buy an all terrain vehicle (ATV) to be use in rescue operations because people who get hurt in the woods need to be carried out. Murray said last year the fire department did a gun raffle and held a softball tournament and raised $2,100. The boot drive raised a total of $7,200. Murray said, “We had the fire department vehicles set ting out for everyone to see during the boot drive. The department pur chased the ATV today and was able to purchase a trailer to haul it on. We will have it painted fire department red and lettered up.” •the council heard from Baldwin resident, Victoria Kelley, concern ing the ordinance for ATVs on city streets. Osborn said, “All four- wheelers are banned from the city streets. Some dirt bikes are allowed if you can purchase a tag for it.” Kelley said she lives on Scenic Falls Road and people ride ATVs up and down this road. Osborn said she had recently stopped some youths in that area for riding ATVs in the street. •the council met in closed session for one hour to discuss personnel and real estate issues. No action was taken. Voters encouraged to obtain absentee ballots Registered voters, including those in Banks County, may request an absentee ballot from their county reg istrar by completing an application available on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website. The website is: www.sos.ga.gov/elections/ ElectionCenter08.htm. Voters may then submit the form to their county regis trar by mail or fax. Contact information for county registrars is available at www.sos.ga.gov/elections/ElectionCenter08.htm. Absentee ballots will also be available at the registrar’s office beginning June 2. Voters will be allowed to cast an absentee ballot without giving a reason for wanting to vote early. “We will likely see high turnout in this year’s general primary and general election. That could mean extended wait times at some precincts,” secretary of state Karen Handel said. “Absentee voting is a convenient way for voters to exercise their civic duty without having to visit a polling place on election day.” Read Banks County Legal Notices Every Week in The Banks County News Baldwin officials discuss holding fall festival Maysville officials discuss future fuel conservation Baldwin aims to trim fuel costs TOLBERTiUi'iBRADFORD Attorneys at law STOP Foreclosures STOP Repossessions STOP Garnishments STOP Tax Levies STOP Creditor Harassment Chapter 13 Repayment (Pay only Filing Fees to Start) Chapter 7 Get a Fresh Start Free Initial Consultation Athens • 706-549-8545 • 320 E. Clayton Street, Suite 514 • Athens, GA 30601 Jefferson • 706-367-5290 • 62 Washington Street • Jefferson, Georgia 30549 The Banks County News Get the local school, church, sports and other community news delivered to your home each week! 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