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Surfin’
the News
Published by Permar Publications • P.O. Box 20539 • St. Simons Island, Ga. 31522 • 912-265-9654 • ssislander@bellsouth.net
November 17, 2008 Established 1972 Vol 36 Issue 46
Changing of the
Guard at Three
Rivers System
By Matthew J. Permar
Worst Week is a popular
new TV sit-com about a guy
with an incredible run of bad
luck in the week leading up to
his wedding.
But if you want to hear
about a bad week... just ask
Joe Shinnick.
In his first week as Director
of the Three Rivers Regional
Library System, Shinnick had
a bomb scare on Tuesday and
then on Friday the FBI threat
ened to throw him in jail if he
didn’t turn over the records of
one of the library’s patrons.
The bomb scare occurred
when an unknown person left
a briefcase in the book stacks.
The library was evacuated,
including a local judge doing
research in the law library,
while the local police and fire
departments had a bomb sniff
ing dog brought in from Kings
Bay and a bomb removal robot
sent from Savannah. The
briefcase was blown up, but as
it turned out contained noth
ing but the owner’s personal
effects.
Then, three days later, Shin
nick got a call from a “hysteri
cal” manager at the Charlton
County Library, which is part
of the Three Rivers system,
who told him the FBI was at
the door and wanted one of
their patron’s records.
“We can’t do that with
out a court order,” Shinnick
explained in an interview last
week, “But the FBI agent still
threatened to take a Charlton
library board member to jail.”
“The agent got pretty ugly
on the phone,” said Shinnick,
“He threatened to throw me
in jail too and close the Charl
ton library. Finally, they got
a court order from a federal
judge in Savannah to see the
patron’s records. Turned out
they had the wrong person
anyway.”
All that happened in 2005,
but looking farther back Joe
Shinnick was actually the first
person through the doors of
the Brunswick Glynn County
Public Library when it opened
Turn to Page 2
Change at Library
New Henri C.
Woodman
Clinic opens
By The Islander
Because of the vision of late
County Commissioner Henri
Woodman the concept of free
health care for uninsured
people in Camden, Glynn
and McIntosh Counties was
introduced. From that idea
and through Mrs. Woodman's
efforts CMAP (Coastal Medical
Access Project) was born.
Since CMAP became a real
ity in 2002 its volunteers have
worked toward the acquisi
tion of a larger clinic building.
The dream was realized last
Wednesday with the opening
of the Henri C. Woodman Clin
ic on Parkwood Drive.
The effort to find a new
space started with Congress
man Jack Kingston's sponsor
ship of a grant to renovate a
building for the clinic. The five
year search led to the South
east Georgia Health System's
purchase of a medical office on
Turn to Page 2
New CMAP clinic
County has zero
tolerance for
intrusion on
beach access
By Matthew J. Permar
Tommy Sanders is a local,
bom and raised and like a lot
of guys who grew up on St.
Simons Island he loves to fish
and knows just where to catch
them.
So it was with more than
a little concern that Tommy
called me last Monday after
noon on my way back from the
printer in Jesup and said, “Hey
Permar, somebody’s building a
driveway and planting land
scaping across the public beach
access at 16th East Beach. Any
suggestions?”
The first thing I asked was,
“Are you sure it’s public beach
access?”
“Of course,” said Sanders,
“Gould’s Inlet is one of my
favorite places to fish and we
need to keep all the park
ing parking we can. Besides,
Turn to Page 9
Beach access
Coming to a Family Zone near you
Above: An overhead shot,
taken from the top of the
St. Simons lighthouse, of
construction on the new
Casino swimming pool next
to Neptune Park on the
south end of St. Simons
Island. The round form in
the center will be the water
park feature. The shallow,
walk-in entrance to the
swimming pool is to the top
left of the water park and
will lead in to the children's
play area. Next to that is
the water aerobics area
and finally, the long rectangle at the bottom of the photo is the lap swim lanes with
the deep end to the right. Bottom: local architect Robert Ussery (left), who designed
the facility's bath house-concession stand and County Commissioner Uli Keller (Dist.2),
who has been a primary supporter of the Neptune Park renovation, checked on pool
construction last week. Islander Staff Photos
New Casino swimming pool construction underway
While it hasn't been without
its share of controversy, the
new Casino swimming pool is
under construction and will
be the focal point, along with
the new miniature golf course,
of the Neptune Park Master
Plan's Family Zone.
The pool and Family Zone,
which make up Phase 1 of the
park renovation project, should
be complete and ready for the
summer season next year,
according to Comity Commis
sioner Uli Keller (Dist. 2), who
has been a major supporter of
By Matthew J. Permar
the overall park project.
"People said they wanted
a swimming pool and we lis
tened," said Keller, "Some
folks wanted us to keep the old
pool, but the key is, this pool is
multi-functional. Kids can play
in the shallow end at the same
time adults take aqua aerobics
in the middle at the same time
other people swim laps in the
lap swim area. And with the
water park feature, the pool
has something for everyone."
Architect Robert Ussery,
who designed the facility's
bath house-concession stand
agreed. Ussery, pointing at the
St. Simons Sound and Jekyll
Island, said, "There will be a
deck along this side of the pool
overlooking the Sound. There
is probably no other public pool
facility like this on the eastern
seaboard, not with this kind of
view."
Keller added, "This will be
a premier attraction on St.
Simons for residents and tour
ists. And, the project is on time
and under budget." □