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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
March 30, 2009 Established 1972 Vol 37 Issue 13
The proposed master plan for the new, public park that will be built off Lawrence Rd. on the north end of St. Simons
Island this summer. Labor Day is the target for completion. Lawrence Rd. is at the bottom of the graphic.
Graphic prepared by JB+A Planning & Landscape Architecture - Courtesy of Lamkin and Larrikin Communications, Inc,
New north island park will belong to public
By Matthew J. Permar
City copes with
gang crime
By Matthew J. Permar
Apparently no city is
immune from gang crime,
regardless of size or location
and Brunswick is no excep
tion.
There have been signs of
gang activity in the city and in
Glynn County for a number of
years and the city is working
with a multi law enforcement
agency task force called the
Golden Isles Gang Suppres
sion unit (GIGS) for about two
years to deal with the prob
lem.
In existence since 2006, city
police officer Anthony Maldon-
aldo gave the Brunswick City
Commissioners an update on
the GIGS unit and its five
year plan at their Wednesday,
March 18 meeting.
“Currently there is a
national trend of gangs com
ing into smaller communi
ties,” explained Maldonaldo,
“and the conditions are good
for gangs to get a grip here.
Turn to Page 6
Dealing with gangs
City residents
say ’Time wrong’
for fee increase
By Matthew J. Permar
More than a couple ofBruns-
wick city residents showed up
at the Brunswick City Com
mission meeting earlier this
month to voice their concerns
about and opposition to the
commission's recent garbage
fee increase.
The garbage collection rate
increase was passed during the
February 18 city commission
meeting. In addition to a $2
per month increase, the com
mission agreed to place the fee
on the Glynn County tax bill,
in the form of an annual fee
beginning January 1, 2010.
Commercial garbage collec
tion rates were increased along
with residential rates.
Neil Foster of the informally
organized, 32-member Bruns
wick City Association of Hom
eowners was first to address
the issue.
Turn to Page 5
City garbage fees
St. Simons Island and Glynn
County residents will have a
large, new park on Lawrence
Rd. on the north end of St.
Simons by Labor Day thanks
to the efforts of the Sea Island
Co. and the St. Simons Land
Trust (SSLT).
Accepted by the Glynn
County Commission during
their March 5 meeting, the 20-
acre park will include a botani
cal trail and a 'playfield' com
plex that will be available for
soccer, lacrosse, field hockey,
rugby and other field sports,
according to Land Trust Exec
utive Director Russ Marane.
The park will have plenty of
parking, rest rooms, two shel
ters with electricity, water and
picnic tables, a play area and
a hard surface jogging trail
around the 4-acre playfield.
Marane expects construc
tion to start in April and be
complete by Labor Day.
The land trust has suggest
ed the park be named Fred
erica Park. It will be located on
the west side of Lawrence Rd.
about two miles north of the
Lawrence Rd. - Frederica Rd.
roundabout.
The Sea Island Co. (SIC)
donated the land for the park.
The 20 acres is a portion of the
overall 68-acre regional park
land required to be provided
to the county as part of the
North End rezoning that was
approved in 1998, according
to Glynn Community Develop
ment Director David Hainley.
The park construction was
made possible by a significant
donation by a part-time Sea
Island resident, who, according
to Marane, wishes to remain
anonymous for the time being.
At a later date, the land trust
has suggested that the botani
cal trail be named in honor of
the donor.
The donation, made last
year, is sufficient to cover the
cost of the playfield and all
amenities, as well as the infra
structure for the botanical trail
and garden.
The SSLT will assist the
SIC with the planning, design
and construction of the park.
The park will be turned over
to Glynn Comity immediately
upon completion of construc
tion.
The land trust and SIC will
maintain the park for its first
year, then the county will take
over the maintenance.
Commissioner Bob Coleman
(At Large #2) asked Marane if
a study had been done on the
maintenance cost.
Marane said, "No, but we
will work with the ('county)
recreation department on it.
The basic maintenance will be
mowing four acres of grass and
taking care of the parking lot
and a few buildings."
Island garden clubs are
being asked to participate in
the creation and maintenance
of the botanical trail and pos
sibly a botanical garden.
Marane said, "We hope to
re-introduce native trees and
plants that have disappeared
from this area, with the assis
tance of the local garden clubs.
Hopefully they will help fund
the long term care and help
start a botanical garden."
The proposed park master
plan must still be approved by
the Island Planning Commis
sion through the site plan pro
cess, Hainley told the county
commission in early March.
There is a restriction on
Turn to Page 6
Frederica Park
Playfield
otanical trail
Restroo:
Native Botanical
Garden
Maintenance
building
Multi-use trail
Shelter
Island trail
Sea Island and Land Trust team up on park
Perimeter fence
Frederica
Development
Frederica
Development
Lawrence Road
Frederica Park
Botanical Trail and Playfield