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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
May 11, 2009 Established 1972 Vol 37 Issue 19
Golden Rule Award winners
Glynn County Golden Rule Character Award winners include Eliza Harrell (left to right),
Glenda Mosely, Deandre Kitchen, Luke Donohue and Tejar Aranha.
Photo by Jim Weidhaas, APR, Public Information Director, Glynn County Schools
Katz-Whittle Foundation and Glynn School System
recognize Golden Rule Award students
City takes garbage
fee off tax bill
By Matthew J, Permar
The Brunswick City Com
mission has decided that,
under current economic condi
tions, now is not the time to
be making changes to their
garbage fee structures.
Last February, in addition
to increasing their residential
and commercial garbage col
lection fees, the commission
took action to have the fee put
on residents’ annual property
tax bills as of 2010, in lieu of
the existing monthly billing.
After a number of citizens
protested, the commission
agreed, during their May 6
meeting, to postpone putting
the garbage collection on the
tax bill for a year or two.
The rate increase will stay
in place.
The commission consensus
was that the issue had not
been given enough study.
Mayor Brian Thompson
said, "We have heard some
good points from citizens on
this; points I wish staff had
foreseen ahead of time." □
JWSC ’non’ meeting
By Pamela Permar
Shierling
The Brunswick Glynn
County Joint Water and
Sewer Commission (JWSC)
met Thursday May 7, but were
unable to conduct a business
meeting because neither of
the Brunswick City Commis
sion members, James Brooks
or Mayor Bryan Thompson,
attended the meeting.
Pressing business included
bid selection for the Creekside
Oaks sewer project. "We can't
get started on this project until
we select a contractor," said
Tony Sammons, JWSC Chair.
"And to approve a bid we need
a quorum."
While a quorum is nor
mally one more than half the
membership of an organiza
tion, for the JWSC a quorum
must include at least one city
commissioner and one county
commissioner, so both govern
ments are represented.
Creekside Oaks is a subdi
vision located off Highway 341
Turn to Page 2
JWSC
The Glynn Comity School
System and the Katz-Ray &
Helen Whittle, Jr. Memorial
Foundation recently honored
113 students who were select
ed as Golden Rule Character
Award winners during the
school year.
Recognized as Golden Rule
Character Award Students of
the Year for the 2008-09 school
year were Iyaha Grace, Glyn-
dale Elementary School; Eliza
Harrell, Jane Macon Middle
School; and Glenda Mosley,
Brunswick High School. Select
ed as Senior Students of the
Year were Deandre Kitchen of
Brunswick High School, Luke
Donohue of Glynn Academy
and Tejar Aranha of Southside
Performance Learning Center.
Jason Vaughn, math
teacher at the Risley Learn
ing Center's Success Academy,
received the Paragon Award
that is presented to the school
system educator who did the
most exemplary job of teach
ing, encouraging, nurturing
and living the Golden Rule. C.
B. Greer Elementary received
a cash grant from the founda
tion for its efforts throughout
the year to encourage students
to live by the Golden Rule.
The Golden Rule Character
Award program in the Glynn
County Schools was the dream
of the late Helen Whittle Katz,
founder of the Katz-Ray &
Helen Whittle, Jr. Memorial
Foundation.
Since its beginning during
the 1999-2000 school year, the
program has been an integral
component of Glynn County's
state-mandated Character
Education curriculum. The
program is designed to have
a good influence on the char
acter of children and youth
by promoting the Golden Rule
Character Law, "Do unto oth
ers as you would have them do
unto you."
During the six months of
September through November,
and January through March, a
Golden Rule Character Stu
dent of the Month is recognized
in each of the 19 Glynn Comity
public schools. All 19 winners
receive a $50 gift certificate,
a t-shirt and a certificate of
accomplishment. In addition,
the winner's name is inscribed
on a permanent plaque dis
played in the entrance hall of
the school.
Monthly winners from each
school are then invited to the
awards celebration in April.
During the ceremony, each
student walks across the stage,
is introduced to the audience
and receives a certificate of
accomplishment and a $100
savings bond.
Prior to the awards cere
mony, a Foundation Selection
Committee chooses one yearly
winner from each of the three
school divisions of elementary,
middle and high school.
These young people are rec
ognized as Golden Rule Char
acter Students of the Year
and each receives a $500 sav
ings bond. Finally, one senior
from each of the three public
high schools in the comity is
recognized as a Golden Rule
Character Award Senior of the
Year and receives a $3,000
cash grant. □
Callaway holds
off on Altamaha
Park evictions
• County cites lack of
compliance with lease
agreement
By Matthew J. Permar
A large of crowd of people
who lease lots for their vaca
tion cabins at the Glynn Comi
ty owned Altamaha Regional
Park showed up at the Glynn
County Commission meeting
last week most likely to voice
objections to Commissioner
Amy Callaway's proposal that
they remove their cabins from
comity property by September
30.
But they came for naught,
as on Wednesday, May 6,
the day before the commis
sion meeting, the item was
removed from the agenda by
Com. Callaway.
According to the e-mail
that was sent to the media,
Com. Callaway removed the
item "To allow for additional
research and dialogue," on the
issue.
"Com. Callaway," the e-mail
continued, "may include this
item on an agenda at a later
date."
The issue, which was
included on the agenda for the
Thursday, May 7 commission
meeting, was first reported in
the news the week before when
Com. Callaway questioned
why citizens were allowed to
lease lots in the regional park
and build cabins or put trailers
on the property.
It was reported that Cal
laway wanted letters sent to
the lease holders telling them
that their leases would expire
on Sept. 30, 2009 and not be
renewed; that no new leases
would be granted at this time;
and that all permanent struc
tures, including mobile homes
and trailers had to be removed
by the Sept. 30 deadline.
According to the current 10-
year lease agreement, which
has been in place since August
21, 2003, the lease holders pay
$50 a month for their lots.
The leases raise approximately
$27,400 a year.
The park, which is oper-
Turn to Page 5
Altamaha Park
