Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PACE 3A
Park Avenue water line project presented
SIGNING OVER EASEMENT
Banks County resident Ray Lewallen (L) signed a document on
Thursday night giving the City of Baldwin an easement on his
property to install water lines as part of the Park Avenue proj
ect. The city plans to install new water lines and widen the road
as part of this project. Also shown are: Harriett Wells (C) and
Greg Bennett, Engineering Management, Inc., the city's engi
neering firm for this project. Photo by Sharon Hogan
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Baldwin City Council held
a meeting on Thursday, June 19,
to present the plans for the Park
Avenue water line project slated
for the city. Several representatives
from Engineering Management
Inc., Lawrenceville, were on hand
to answer any questions the resi
dents might have about the plans.
The city received a $500,000 grant
to fund this project. The city had
$320,000 in Banks County Special
Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
funds that was used as a leverage
to get the grant that will be used on
this project also.
This is primarily a water line
project, but the city has plans to
widen the road while the project is
being done. New fire hydrants will
be installed, the service lines will
be changed over and improvements
will be made to the drainage.
A six-inch line is required for fire
protection and some of the old lines
along this project route are two-
inch lines. Six-inch lines will also
be run down Perry Manor Drive,
Presley Street, Stonepile Street and
Church Street.
Acting mayor Ray Holcomb said
the city would be able to put more
cut-offs on the water lines and in
the event of a problem the whole
city will not have to be without
water. The lines can be isolated and
water cut off in the affected area
only.
Holcomb said when the change
over is made, the residents will
be without water for a very short
time.
Jerry Hood, EMI, said, “We’re an
engineering consulting firm here to
provide engineering, administration
and program management to make
this a smooth project for the city.”
There arc 79 total parcels of land
on this project. Four of these parcels
are located in Habersham County
with the balance being in Banks
County. The city needs 11 perma
nent easements, 51 temporary ease
ments and 22 driveway easements.
EMI engineer Zack Bryan said,
“Any time you work on a nar
row right-of-way that has a lot of
conflicts...we start seeing a need
to encroach on some private prop
erty.”
The temporary easements are
needed just during the time that
the water lines are being installed.
There are some permanent ease
ments needed in areas where there
are drainage facilities, Bryan said.
Angela Steedley, grant writer,
Steedley Hosey & Associates, said
since this project is federally fund
ed the easement acquisition pro
cess will be subject to the Uniform
Relocation Assistance and Real
Property Acquisition Policies Act of
1970. The policy states that the city
must notify the property owner in
writing that they intend to acquire a
temporary or permanent easement.
A brochure by HUD will also be
delivered that gives the rights to
donate or sell an easement.
Steedley said, “Typically, most
city residents don’t charge for
temporary easements. If someone
would like to be paid for a tempo
rary easement, they would need to
get together with the city officials
and the city attorney on this matter.
We’d hope everybody would be a
good neighbor and do this for the
common good and not charge for
those temporary easements.”
Steedley said a total of $12,000
was budgeted into the project for
acquiring easements. “We are deal
ing with a really limited budget,"
Steedley said.
Banks County resident Ray
Lewallen was the first property
owner to sign a form giving the city
a temporary easement on his prop
erty. By the end of the meeting, the
city had five temporary easements
forms signed.
Bryan estimated the project to take
five months to complete once all the
easements have been acquired and
work begins.
In other business, Holcomb asked
everyone to observe a moment
of silence in memory of Mitchell
Gailey, former Baldwin City
Council member, who passed away
on Wednesday morning. Gailey
served on the council for 10 years.
Baldwin approves personnel policy changes
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Baldwin City Council approved
several changes to the city's person
nel policy at the council meeting on
Monday night, June 23.
Council member Jeff Murray
explained several of the changes
to the policy. One change in the
policy is that only a member in
management can contact the council
about a problem. The old policy was
vague about the chain of command
and Murray said employees were
bypassing management and calling
the council members themselves
about problems. The policy also
states that a purchase order must be
pre-approved with the amount of the
purchase before a purchase is made.
As of June 28, no smoking or
tobacco use will be permitted in
any city building or city vehicle.
Murray said this includes cigarettes
and chewing tobacco.
Other changes in the personnel pol
icy dealt with: 1) all resumes coming
in to a department will now go to
Betty Harper, Human Resources; 2)
the first six months of employment
will be a probationary work test
period. The employee may accrue
personal leave during this time, but
they may not use the personal leave
without recommendation from a
department head or the city council;
3) pay upon separation; 4) employ
ees must record their time worked on
a daily basis at the end of each shift;
5) personal leave; 6) leave without
pay; 7) hazardous weather pay; and
8) compensation time. A complete
copy of the changes approved is
available at city hall.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the council:
•held a public hearing on the pro
posed 2008-09 general fund bud
get. Baldwin Financial Officer
Betty Harper presented a proposed
budget total of $1.7 million. This
total will give all employees a three-
percent raise. However, it cuts out
any Christmas bonus for employees.
Harper said it will take a one mill
tax increase to cover this budget. The
council will vote on this proposal at
a meeting to be held at 7 p.m. on
Tuesday, July 1, in the courtroom at
the police department.
•heard from Baldwin resident
Andrea Harper concerning several
items on the proposed budget. She
suggested that the city take $3,000
that is proposed for Christmas dec
orations and apply it somewhere
else. “Ya'll already have some great
Christmas decorations,” she said.
Harper suggested that the city look at
merit raises and not across the board
raises for city employees. “It might
be an incentive for them to work
extra hard,” she said. Acting Mayor
Ray Holcomb said, “The problem
with that is you get into the good old
boy problem.”
•heard from Baldwin property
owner Phyllis Marshall concerning
the proposed three-percent raise for
all city employees. Marshall said,
“I don’t see an across the board
raise for everyone. Can’t you look
at the salaries and decide who needs
a raise. Not everyone has to have
a raise.” Marshall suggested that
if someone is making too much
the city should bring those salaries
down. “I think they would under
stand,” she said. Marshall asked the
council to consider maybe a one or
two percent across the board. “If
you have a nice home over here, you
are going to be paying a lot of taxes
here in Baldwin,” Marshall said. R.
Holcomb said, “We have looked at
a lot of options and we have cut a
lot of items.” Good employees are
an asset to the city and we feel like
we need to try to keep them, he said.
“We have cut out the Christmas
bonus and we have cut some of the
sick leave. The employees have to
live also,” Holcomb said.
•approved spending $10,000 in
Habersham County Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax 4 revenue
to install 175 new water meters as
Phase 1 of the project. The city plans
to replace a total of 700 meters at a
cost of $32,500. This project will be
done in four phases. The city's water
crew will be doing the work.
•heard from Baldwin resident
Linda Caudell on code enforcement
issues. Caudell said that she is con
cerned with some of the buildings
that are sitting in the city that are
probably condemned. Caudell said
she has been instructed that the city
might check with the state on possi
ble grants to help pay to move some
of these dilapidated houses in the
area. Caudell said, “These houses
bring the property values in the area
down.” Caudell asked, “Don’t we
have an ordinance on yard sales?”
Council member Beverly Holcomb
said, “You are allowed to have three
yard sales per year, this can be done
three days in a row or on three sepa
rate days.” Caudell also said there
were homes in the city that still have
old cars sitting around in the yard.
“When I ride around town, I see
these things. I know we have a code
enforcement officer and I'm sure
he's doing his job, but I see them
over and over,” Caudell said.
•heard from A. Harper concerning
trees that were taken down by a city
crew and left on her property. Harper
said the sewer easement on her prop
erty was cleared and the trees were
just pushed over to the side and left.
Harper brought in a plastic bag with
trash that was left on her property
by the crew. Harper said, “One of
the trees that was taken down was
85 feet tall. I don’t understand why
they took down the 85-foot tree.”
Murray called Public Work Director
Tim Hall during the meeting and
Hall said he would see that the area
was cleaned up on Tuesday morning
first thing. Murray said, “Tim said he
guessed that was his fault, he didn't
go down and check on it himself.”
•heard from Harper that the
Concerned Citizens of Baldwin group
were planning a meeting on Tuesday
night, June 24, at her house. Harper
said the group is concerned with sev
eral code enforcement issues.
•received a letter from the
Environmental Protection Division
stating that an inspection was per
formed at the city’s water plant on
June 10 and the facility had substan
tial compliance.
•met in closed session for 45 min
utes to discuss personnel. No action
was taken.
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Re-Elect
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Na*vcy Schaefer
State Senate
Nancy...
A legacy of Public Service
Nancy...
A life dedicated to
helping families
Nancy...
A love for God and Country
Nancy...
A lifetime of leadership
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Vote Naney Sohoofor
Republican Primary July 1S*
\A Champion for Northeast Georaia
Paid for by the candidate
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