About The Islander. (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 2008)
500 JSLflND€R_ • Dave Barry - 8 • Editorial Back Talk - 20 • Health -14 • Movie Review TV-12 • Pew News -18 • Sports - 9 Surfin’ the News Published by Permar Publications • P.O. Box 20539 • St. Simons Island, Ga. 31522 • 912-265-9654 • ssislander@bellsouth.net October 27, 2008 Established 1972 Vol 36 Issue 43 Old school gets new life The Glynn County Rec reation Dept, staff took a moment last week for a photo in front of their newly renovated office in the old Ballard school library building on Old Jesup Rd. Left to right are: Vance Wayne, Steve Mel- linger, Danny Baxter, Jerry 1oore, Director Wesley Davis, Dot Harrison, Cristee Kinstle, George Grovner and Alysha Grafford. Islander Staff Photo County renovates Recreation Dept ■- ■ ■■ Ballard school buildings for and UGA Extension office Island skateboard park could be done by Christmas By Matthew J. Permar When he was 12 years old David Fendig stood before the Glynn Comity Commission and asked them to build a skateboard park on St. Simons Island. At the time, Mark Bedner, Jeff Chapman and David’s father Cap Fendig were all freshman comity commission ers - the year was 2000. David is now in his senior year at the Georgia Institute of Techonology in Atlanta and last month the county commis sion gave the go ahead for the construction of the first of two public skateboard parks. The first park will be built in Demere Park on St. Simons Island, with the second to fol low, most likely next year at the North Glynn Recreation Complex. Construction on the Demere Park skateboard park, which will be done in two phases, is set to being on Monday, Nov. 3. County Recreation Direc tor Wesley Davis expects it be complete by Christmas bar ring any unforeseen interrup- Turn to Page 5 Island skateboard park Beach sweep volunteers needed for Ga/Fla weekend The Glynn County 4- H Advisory Council and Keep Brunswick-Golden Isles Beautiful are looking for volunteers, individuals and organizations, to assist with beach cleanups on St. Simons over the Georgia / Florida football game week end November 1—2. Trash bags and gloves will be provided. Join the efforts of commu nity volunteers who strive to keep our beaches and water ways clean. Volunteers can meet at the Coast Guard Station Beach parking lot at 8:00 a.m. either day or call KBGIB at 279-1490 to sign up or for further information. □ Confiscated pot growing gear put to good use • Police grant provides $250K for traffic control By Matthew J. Permar It's rare that anything good comes from illegal drug use, but thanks to the Glynn Coun ty Police department and its forward thinking chief, Matt Doering, a little bit of good has come out of a drug raid on two local houses. During the raid, local police confiscated what appears to be two full sets of indoor, hydro ponic plant growing equip ment that was being used to grow marijuana. "The equipment itself is per fectly legal," Chief Doering told The Islander last week, "so, it's not contraband. But its use, growing pot, was illegal, so we seized it." Instead of just disposing of the equipment, which Chief Doering said is "almost brand new," he had the department's evidence technician contact Dr. Ralph Gornto, the Director of Technology-Career Education for the Glynn County school system. Since Dr. Gornto oversees a high school horticultural and agricultural program, that will be located in the new Golden Isles Career Academy, Chief Doering thought he might be able to use the hydroponic equipment. Doering said, "The court ordered us to dispose of the equipment in accordance with state law section 17-5-54, which allows the police depart ment to retain, sell or discard the property." "In this case," Doering con tinued, "we retained the equip ment to enhance the depart ment's public relations in the areas of drug awareness and education." "The police department has met all conditions of Georgia state law and the Court Order concerning this equipment and its donation to the school system," explained the Chief, Turn to Page 6 Pot growing gear In early September the Glynn County Recreation Dept, moved in to their new headquarters offices in a build ing that was built in 1915 and was the library for the original Ballard Elementary School on the Old Jesup Rd. The local Board of Educa tion turned the entire, dilapi dated Ballard facility over to the county several years ago. The county commission decided to demolish a couple of buildings that were beyond repair and renovate the two that were still in serviceable condition. As part of an ongoing pro gram of renovating its build ings, Glynn County spent By Matthew J. Permar $208,000 of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax 5 (SPLOST) funds on the Bal lard library renovation. The majority of the reno vation, which took close to a year, was performed by prison ers from the Georgia Dept, of Corrections' Mobile Construc tion Crew out of Waycross, according to Assistant County Administrator Paul Christian, who oversees many of the county's renovation projects. "Using prison labor saved us a lot of money," Christian told The Islander last week. "We estimated this job would have cost us about twice as much if we had contracted it out," Christian explained. Christian added that some of the work, such as electrical and HV/AC, had to be subbed out to certified contractors. In addition, the county is continuing with the renovation of one of the Ballard classroom buildings located right behind the new recreation department office. The classroom was built in 1937 and is about 10,500 sq. ft. In about a year, at a cost of $550,000 in SPLOST funds, this building will be new home of Glynn County's University of Georgia Extension office including the Glynn County 4-H program and some com munity meeting rooms. □
