About The Banks County news. (Homer, Banks County, Ga.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2023)
o o $1.00 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2023 Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 12 Pages, 1 Section Plus Supplements Vol.57 No. 48 Democrats to meet Nov. 16 The Banks County Dem ocrats will meet Thursday. November 16, at Homer City Hall at 6 p.m. The speaker will be Kelsey Barnes, the new Elections Supervisor for Banks County. She will speak on the issue of paper ballots and why they are not a safe and accurate way to cast a vote. “This is a non-partisan position and the program will be of interest to all vot ers as we build trust in fair elections,” organizers state. “All are welcome to the meeting.” Board of registrars to meet The Banks County Board of Registrars Office will hold a called meeting from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Nov. 17. STUDENTS VOLUNTEER Kylie Ballenger is cleaning up at Hebron Historical So ciety as part of a project for Interact Club students. See page 12 for story and more photos. MAILING LABEL Jay Reid steps down as BCHS football coach Banks County High School head football coach Jay Reid has resigned from his coaching position. “For the last six years, I have been blessed to call Banks County home and have been blessed by a tre mendous football family,” Reid said in his announce ment. “It is with a sorrow ful heart that I step down as head football coach.” He added, “To all of my players and coaches that I have worked with over the years, I will miss you dear ly and want you all to know that I am always a phone call away if you need me. To the Banks County com munity and administration, thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead this pro gram and taking my fam ily and I in as one of your own.” Photo by Hannah Caudell Head Coach Jay Reid leads his players to the end of the field to make their introductions before the beginning of a game this past season. New Public Works Bldg, to be constructed in Baldwin The City of Baldwin host ed a groundbreaking for the new Public Works Building at on Wednesday, Novem ber 15 at 201 Industrial Park Road,, Baldwin. In attendance will be the City of Baldwin’s Public Works Department, Engi neering Management Inc. and Baldwin City Council. The building has an es timated completion date of August 2024. The Baldwin City Coun cil approved the project in November 2021. Mayor-elect Stephanie Almagno stated, “As the city grows, so does the need for services. The Public Works Department is cur rently housed in an older building, one which is not ideal for the health and safety of our staff. Nor will the current space accommo date the department’s future growth as Baldwin’s needs expand.” The new mayor adds, “The new Public Works Building will simultane ously allow for the depart ment’s growth and offer our staff a safe and clean facil ity so they can continue to do good work on behalf of our residents.” Second Dollar General store now open in Homer A new Dollar General store at 2702 Sample Scales Road in Homer is now open. Normal hours of operation may be found through the Dollar General app. “DG stores are proud to provide area residents with an affordable and conve nient store location to pur chase household essentials including food, cleaning supplies, paper products, over-the-counter medicines, hygiene products, baby items and more through its mission of serving others,” states Matthew Simonsen, Dollar Generals senior vice president of real es tate and store development. “In addition to the national and private branded prod ucts customers trust Dollar General to carry, the new Homer location includes the company’s new stylish, on-trend home decor and an expanded party preparation selection. The new store also fea tures a curated assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables including lettuce, tomatoes, onions, apples, strawberries, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lemons, limes, salad mix es, and more. The produce set offers the top 20 items typically sold in traditional grocery stores and covers approximately 80 percent of produce categories most grocery stores carry. “At Dollar General, we believe the addition of each new store provides positive economic growth for the communities we proudly serve, and the addition of our new Homer store high lights our commitment to deliver a pleasant shopping experience that includes great prices on quality prod ucts in a convenient loca tion, ” said Simonsen. “We look forward to welcoming customers to our new store and hope they will enjoy shopping at our new loca tion.” Furthermore, DG strives to be a good neighbor and is committed to the commu nities it proudly calls home, evidenced by unwavering support of literacy and ed ucation initiatives through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The addition of the Homer store opens the opportunity for schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of the store to apply for Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants. Since its inception in 1993, the Dol lar General Literacy Foun dation has awarded more than $238 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 19.6 mil lion individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its grant programs, visit www.dglit- eracy.com. Dollar General plans to create new jobs in the Ho mer community as the store is expected to employ ap proximately six to 10 peo ple, depending on the indi vidual needs of the store. Maysville DDA meets on first Monday 4 8 7 9 1 4 1 4 3 1 111 3 The Maysville Down town Development Author ity will meet at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of each month. “City Council meetings are also on the same Mon days at 7 p.m., so plan to attend both,” organizers state. “All are encouraged to attend and share your thoughts and opinions re garding what you’d like to see happen in Maysville.” Meetings are held at 8 Homer St. Maysville, (The Soundboard). The next meeting will be held on Monday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m. For more information on the organization, contact maysvillegadda@gmail. com. Planners to hear request to expand county business The Banks County Planning Commission will hear a re quest at its Nov. 21 meeting that would lead to an expan sion at a county business. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the County An nex, located at 150 Hudson Ridge, Homer. An application has been submitted by Orr, LLC to re zone two parcels totaling 7.2 acres located at 125 Hwy. 164, from ARR to C2 to be used for the expansion of 441 Diesel & Automotive, an auto/truck repair business. Also at the Nov. 21 meeting, the planning commission will hear a request from Philip Nation for a 2.33-acre lot located at 214 Stevens Road to be conditionally used as a home occupation (Smiley’s Welding & Repair) operating in an accessory structure. The above applications are on file in the Banks Coun ty Planning and Development Office and are available for public review. The office is located at the Banks County Courthouse Annex at 150 Hudson Ridge in Homer. The Banks County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing to consider the recommendations from the planning commission on these matters on Tuesday, No vember 28, at 6:30 p.m. in the board room at the Banks County Courthouse Annex at 150 Hudson Ridge in Ho mer. Any and all persons interested are invited to appear and comment. Shown are Pioneer Resa Executive Director Tim Cochran, Superintendent Dr. Ann Hopkins and Pioneer in Education Award Recipient Carolyn Murray. Carolyn Murray receives Pioneer in Education award Carolyn Murray has received the Pioneer in Education award. Murray was celebrated for her dedication and service with the Pioneers in Education Award at Pioneer RESA’s annual banquet held at The Venue at Cenita Vineyards. The award is given to educators who go above and beyond daily to support students and staff. Whether the service is to provide exceptional instruction, to create or strengthen community support, or to lend a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on when students and families need help, these individuals stand out in their efforts to make a difference. Mrs. Murray has been a part of the Banks County School System for over 26 years, serving as an administrative as sistant at the board of education. First meeting her in June 2003, Georgia State Represen tative and former Banks County Schools Superintendent Chris Erwin recalled the warm welcome and the immediate briefing on the staffing needs. Described as a “working warrior,” Murray has consis tently always gone beyond the call of duty, school leaders state. Murray’s versatility is evident in her ability to wear many hats gracefully and effectively. From coordinating bus schedules over the radio each morning to facing each new challenge with her famous saying, “We got this,” she instills confidence in those around her, said Erwin of Mur ray. Her day extends before and after the typical working hours, demonstrating her relentless commitment to ensur ing that “it gets done.” To Murray, her role is more than a job; it is about nurturing relationships and embracing every opportunity to assist others. Current Superintendent. Dr. Ann Hopkins states, “To be a pioneer in education is not to strive to be the best in the world, but to strive to be what is best for the world.. Caro lyn Murray’s dedication to this school system and its em ployees demonstrates this very example.”
