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PACE 2A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2008
Water topic of discussion at Chamber meeting
Baldwin approves water
meter for J. Warren Road
BY SHARON HOGAN
n 50 years. Banks
County will need five
times the amount of
water it currently has. This is
the prediction of Brent Dykes,
Executive Director, Georgia
Soil & Water Conservation
Commission (GSWCC), who
spoke at the Banks County
Chamber of Commerce's
monthly breakfast meeting on
Thursday, Sept. 11.
Dykes said this is the pro
jection based on the growth
in Banks County's population
over the next 50 years. Dykes
said it has recently been deter
mined that Banks County
has two good sites for water
sources located in the north
ern part of the county.
Dykes said the questions that
have to be answered concern
ing the water issues are: 1)
How much water do we have?
2) Where is it? 3) Where do
we need it? 4) How will we
get it there?
“It’s not a gloomy future for
Georgia," Dykes said.
Banks County has two repre
sentatives, Dennis Brown and
Carol Hodgkins, on the Broad
River Soil & Water District.
Dykes said the GSWCC was
created in 1937 and is cur
rently housed in Athens.
Also at Thursday’s meet
ing, Teresa Shiflett, Manager/
Small Business Ombudsman,
SHIFLETT
SPEAKS
Teresa Shiflett, Man
ager/Small Business
Ombudsman, Georgia
Department of Natural
Resources Environmen
tal Protection Division,
spoke to the Banks
County Chamber of
Commerce members at
the monthly breakfast
meeting last week.
Photo by Sharon Hogan
Georgia Department of Natural
Resources Environmental
Protection Division, discussed
the potential economic impact
of the new water quality cri
teria standards for the coastal
DYKES
SPEAKS
Brent L. Dykes, Execu
tive Director, Georgia
Soil and Water Conser
vation Commission,
said Banks County has
a couple of good loca
tions for water sources
in the northern part of
the county. Dykes spoke
during the monthly
Chamber breakfast.
Photo by Sharon Hogan
fishing waters of the Savannah
River on businesses in Banks
County.
Shiflett said the members
could get additional informa
tion on this from the website
ftp.planetwater.com.
Shiflett said her program
provides free and confiden
tial environmental regulatory
and compliance assistance to
Georgia small businesses hav
ing less than 100 employees.
“As an ombudsman, I advo
cate for small businesses,"
Shiflett said. “We provide
help with rule development,
permit fee determinations and
the enforcement process for
small businesses.”
The organization provides
technical assistance with site
environmental compliance
evaluations, preparation/
review of permit applications
and training initiatives.
For more information, small
business owners can log on to
www.gasmallbiz.org, Shiflett
said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at
Thursday’s meeting:
•Tara Fulcher, chamber
executive director, welcomed
Fastenal as a new member.
•Annette Raymond
announced October as
Domestic Violence Awareness
Month. Raymond said a can
dlelight vigil is being planned
to remember victims of
domestic violence.
The next regularly sched
uled breakfast meeting will
be held at 8 a.m. on Thursday,
Oct. 9, at First Georgia Bank.
BY SHARON HOGAN
After a brief discussion at
Monday’s council meeting,
the Baldwin City Council ap
proved the purchase of a new
water meter for the J. Warren
Road site.
Baldwin will split the total
cost of $6,685 for the new me
ter with the City of Demorest.
“We’ve been talking with
Demorest about doing up
grades on our meters, the J.
Warren Road meter and the
water plant meter,” council
member Jeff Murray said. “...
Everyone is in agreement that
the J. Warren meter needs to be
changed out.”
Two quotes were received
on this. A price of $5,435 was
received for one eight-inch
Neptune turbo meter with
strainer. Sensus Metering Sys
tem issued a bid of $5,269 for
one eight-inch turbine meter.
The flanges, fittings and parts
to put the meter together are
additional, making up the
$6,685 total. Murray said De
morest will share the labor to
help with the installation once
council approves this item.
“They’ll schedule it so it
won’t conflict because it is the
meter that meters the water we
sell to the City of Demorest,”
Murray said.
Demorest has agreed to go
ahead and order the meter and
Baldwin will work out a plan
to pay its part of the total cost,
Murray said. He said Baldwin
Public Works Director Tim
Hall recommended changing
out the meter to the Sensus
turbine meter.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Mon
day’s meeting, the council:
•unanimously approved the
purchase of a 1999 Chevrolet
Tahoe Sport Utility Vehicle
(SUV) for use by the fire de
partment when responding to
light rescue calls. The vehicle
will be purchased from Hayes
Chevrolet at a cost of $7,100.
Holcomb said the money used
for this purchase comes from
the sale recently of a dually
truck and some other equip
ment at the fire department.
This is $200 less than what
was received from the sale of
the items on govdeals.com.
•approved the first reading
of the annexation ordinance
for the Taylor Corporation or
Navitor, the business that is
located in the former location
of Regency Thermographers,
Hwy. 365, Baldwin. The Tay
lor Corporation is requesting
the annexation of 19.81 acres.
•unanimously approved
the first reading of the Taylor
Corporation zoning ordinance.
Syfan said, “When annex
ing property it moves out of
the county zoning and has to
be zoned under the city ordi
nance.” The zoning will be
light industrial without condi
tions.
•approved the first reading
of the Baldwin Police Pow
ers II Ordinance. Syfan said at
the request of Baldwin Police
Chief Daren Osborn the city
is enacting an ordinance that
will prohibit theft by shoplift
ing and an ordinance that will
make it unlawful to commit
the offense of criminal tres
pass. The ordinance will allow
the police department to cite
somebody with an ordinance
violation for shoplifting and
criminal trespassing.
ProThrow baseball clinic for pitchers set in Banks Co.
A baseball clinic for pitchers ages
14-19 will be held Saturday, Oct. 11, at
the Banks County Parks and Recreation
Department Complex in Homer.
The ProThrow event will be offered in
two sessions at a cost of $75 per session.
The first session will be from 9 a.m. until
noon with the second being from 1:30 un
til 4:30 p.m. Registration will be held 30
minutes before the camp.
The staff camp will include Jeremy
Loftice, a Major League Baseball scout
and certified strength and conditioning
specialist; Jason Johnson, a former Divi
sion I pitching coach and recruiting coor
dinator and Trey Hodges, a former Atlanta
Brave now pitching in the Texas Rangers
organization. For additional information
call 770-316-4110 or pick up an applica
tion at Hibbet Sports at Banks Crossing.
Entry deadline is Oct. 8.
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