PAGE 2, JUNE 22, 2009, THE ISLANDER
Page 2 N
GICA board approves new board member
Ballard renovation
Continued from Page 1
After the reception a group rode out
to Ballard to tour the school library
building, which is finished and the
classroom building to the rear, which
will house the Glynn Comity Univer
sity of Georgia (UGA) Extension Office
when it is completed in mid August.
August 15 is the target date accord
ing to Comity Commissioner Don
Hogan.
The Ballard library building was
built in 1950, while the classroom dates
back to 1937.
Along with the County Extension
office, the former classroom building
will house three activity rooms for
public use, storage for recreation equip
ment and a room to outfit kids with the
proper equipment for comity recreation
department sports programs.
Comity Extension Coordinator Robi
Gray is very pleased to be moving in to
the new facility.
"Our current office, upstairs in the
Office Park building is somewhat of
a rabbit warren," said Gray, "This
new space is almost exactly the same
square footage as our old office, but it
is laid out in a manner that will give
us a much better, more efficient use of
the space."
Old with office space, the Extension
office will still have a kitchen area
where Food and Nutrition Specialist
Sheila Jackson will have cooking class
es for teenaged mothers.
There is also a large room where
4-H'ers will be able to work on various
projects.
Gray is also hoping the county com
mission will give them the go ahead
for a proposed community garden to
the side of the school building near the
Ballard gymnasium.
"What we proposed," explained
Gray, "is a 100 ft. by 200 ft. community
garden. It will have raise beds that are
handicapped accessible and hopefully a
composting area. Also, we are propos
ing a rain harvest barrel by the gym
building. It has been estimated that
as much as 600,000 gallons of water a
year drain off the gym roof. That would
be very helpful for the garden."
Gray explained that the garden,
along with being available to 4-H par
ticipants, would be available to the
public on a first come, first served,
sign-up basis similar to the community
garden on St. Simons Island.
Attending the reception and tom'
with Owens were DOC Director of
Engineering and Construction Services
Bob Plemons and Director of Public
Affairs Joan Heath.
Plemons told The Islander, "We have
33 inmate construction crews working
across the state on government build
ings. That is a requirement, that the
projects are for either state, county or
municipal entities. Typically, a govern
ment can save 30 to 35% of the project
cost using inmate labor."
"But we couldn't do this without peo
ple like (Representative) Jerry Keen
and others in the General Assembly
who give this program a lot of support,"
explained Plemons, "It allows inmates
to give back and after all, the taxpayers
are paying to house them in jail."
Asked how the inmates are chosen
for the program, Plemons explained,
"When an inmate comes in to mini
mum security, we get to interview
them first to see if they have a trade or
skill or if they want to learn one. If they
do, they are given the opportunity to
join the program. If they want to learn
a trade they are teamed with an expert
they can work with and learn from.
They can do it if they want, but they
don't have to."
Plemons stressed that only mini
mum security inmates are allowed in
the program and that it not mandatory
for inmates.
"One of our goals at DOC," said
Plemons, "is to prepare the inmates for
when they get out. If they work and
learn through this program they have
a better chance at employment when
they are released." □
Ham radio operators
Continued from Page 1
During the weekend the public will
have a chance to meet and talk with
Glynn County ham radio operators and
see for themselves what the Amateur
Radio Service is about. Showing the
newest digital and satellite capabilities,
voice communications and even histori
cal Morse code, hams from across the
USA will hold public demonstrations of
emergency communications abilities.
This annual event, called "Field
Day" is the climax of the week long
"Amateur Radio Week" sponsored by
the ARRL, the national association for
Amateur Radio. Using only emergency
power supplies, ham operators will
construct emergency stations in parks,
shopping malls, schools and back yards
around the country.
Their slogan, "Ham radio works
when other systems don't!" is more
than just words to the hams as they
At their Thursday, June 18 meet
ing the Golden Isles Career Academy
(GICA) Board of Directors approved
Dr. Ron Shafer's nomination as the
Altamaha Technical College's (ATC)
representative to the Board. Dr. Shafer
is Dean of Instruction at ATC.
The State Board of Education also
approved the GICA Charter amend
ment which increases the number of
board members from seven to nine. Dr.
Shafer is the eighth board member and
Andy Lundell, GICA's CEO, will pres
ent his recommendations for the ninth,
at-large member to the Board at their
July 9 meeting.
According to the Charter the at-
large member is appointed by the CEO.
Lundell said he has asked for board
member recommendations and also
will ask Woody Woodside, President
of the Brunswick/Golden Isles Cham
ber of Commerce, and Nathan Sparks,
Executive Director of the Brunswick/
Glynn Comity Economic Development
prove they can send messages in many
forms without the use of phone sys
tems, internet or any other infrastruc
ture that can be compromised in a
crisis. More than 30,000 amateur radio
operators across the country partici
pated in last year's event.
"We hope that people will come and
see for themselves, this is not your
grandfather's radio anymore," said
Authority, for their recommendations.
The Board is still reviewing a Memo
randum of Understanding (MOU) out
lining CEO financial obligations which
will be divided among the GICA Board,
ATC and the Glynn County Board of
Education.
The Board is looking for a board
attorney. Members will notify board
chair Tom Connolly of their recommen
dations, and Connolly will bring those
recommendations to the full board on
July 9.
Members agreed to pursue licensing
a campus radio station in the board's
name. According to Lundell, the cur
rent low power radio station is located
at Brunswick High School but there is
no one available to sponsor or operate
the station.
"We hope to incorporate the radio
station into our broadcast video pro
gram and get our students involved in
directing the programming," Lundell
said. □
Allen Pitts of the ARRL. "The com
munications that ham radio people
can quickly create have saved many
lives when other systems failed or were
overloaded. And besides that — it’s
fun!”
In the Glynn Comity area, the Glynn
Amateur Radio Association (GARA)
Turn to Page 6
Ham radio operators
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