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"County-Wide News Read County-Wide JSIAND€R_ Surfin’ the News • Dave Barry - 8 • Editorial Back Talk - 20 • Football Contest 14 & 15 • Health - 7 • Movie Review (500) Days of Summer -12 • Pew News -18 Published by Permar Publications • P.O. Box 20539 • St. Simons Island, Ga. 31522 • 912-265-9654 • www.theislanderonline.com • ssislander@bellsouth.net September 14, 2009 Established 1972 Vol 37 Issue 37 St. Simons Man dies after three hour standoff A man identified as Marty Reagin died Thursday night after a three hour standoff with Glynn County police on St. Simons Island. Witnesses said the incident began when a Glynn County Code Enforcement officer tried to remove illegal signs from Reagin's yard at 1141 Ocean Blvd. According to Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering one of the two code enforcement officers on the scene said the suspect opened the front win dow of house and pointed a long gun in their direction and threatened to shoot them. At that point code enforcement called 911. The county, which has not strenuously enforced their sign ordinance in the past, held a meeting with realtors and res taurant owners in August to inform them that they were going to start cracking down on sign ordinance violators, although they would try to work with people on the issue. Reagin reportedly had two real estate signs in his yard that were permitted under the ordinance. The one Code Enforcement was concerned about was an advertisement for Reagin's online auction business. The county ordinance does not allow advertising for commer cial businesses in residential areas. Two Glynn County police officers arrived separately, and Reagin, explicitly threatened to kill them, Doering said. Reagin could be seen holding a rifle or shotgun inside the house. He was pacing back and forth rapidly. This went on for two hours, according to Doering. Reagin would lay the gun down, step outside, use vulgar language go back inside, then step outside onto the porch with a scoped rifle. He did this numerous times Doering said. During a phone conversa tion with a negotiator Reagin told the negotiator he had two Turn to Page 20 Standoff Islanders speak out Admonishing Glynn County Commissioner lorn Sublet! not to turn St. Simons Island into a "cash cow" for the rest of the county, pier village business owner Joyce Matthews (center) voiced very strong opposition to a proposed parking fee along Mallery St. during last week's town hall meeting. Islander Staff Photo Opposition to island parking fees fierce When asked what they thought about a fee to park their car in St. Simons Island’s pier village area, St. Simons residents’ and merchants’ answer was loud and clear, “Absolutely not.” Glynn County Commis sioner Tom Sublett (Dist. 2), who represents the majority of St. Simons, sponsored two town hall meetings last week, one Wednesday morning and one Thursday evening, to get public feedback on whether the county commission should enact parking fees in the pier village area. Also on the table was a pro posal for a parking fee at the Massengale and Coast Guard Station beach parking lots. While islanders were strong ly opposed to the parking fee at the pier village, they had less to say about the beach park ing fees. A few folks said they wouldn’t mind fees at the beach if the money is keep for the beaches and spent to maintain the beach parking By Matthew J. Permar lots, bathrooms and to clean the beach. They did not want it put in the General Fund and used to pay for things in other county districts. They liked the idea of hav ing a way for tourists who use the beach to help pay for its upkeep. Assistant County Admin istrator Becky Rowell spent the first part of the Thursday, Sept. 10 town hall meeting making a brief presentation on what the parking fee proposal includes. The Plan • Why are we proposing the parking fees? “Just like everyone else,” said Rowell, “we too are suf fering from declining revenue. The sales tax (Local Option Sales Tax) and the Bed Tax are down 20 to 30% from last year.” The people want clean and safe beaches. And they want the pier village area main tained. “This will allow visitors and tourists to help pay for these amenities,” said Rowell, “This has been suggested by several people. We also have day trippers who come to the beach and the pier to fish but don’t spend the night or eat in island restaurants. This will allow them to pay for some of the costs.” “The operation and main tenance costs would not be entirely borne by local citizens. That’s not fair,” said Rowell. “The fee will also allow the county to acquire property for additional parking and to improve the existing parking sites,” Rowell said. • Capital Improvements Capital improvements that would be funded with a esti mated $5 million bond issue include: land acquisition (six parcels are being considered); Coast Guard parking lot improvements; Massengale Park improvements; pier vil lage drainage improvements; Turn to Page 6 Parking fees BOE considers benefit cuts By Matthew J. Permar With the economy still in the doldrums, the Glynn County Board of Education (BOE) is considering more ways to cut the budget and save money. During the BOE's Finance Committee meeting last week, the board members discussed the possibility of either modi fying or eliminating their employees’ short and long dis ability insurance. With the school system’s current Short Term Disabil ity (STD) and Long Term Dis ability (LTD) coverage due to expire at the end of this month, Assistant Superintendent for Finances Andrea Preston pre sented a report on the bids for renewal to the finance com mittee. After her report came dis cussion based on the fact that Preston said that cutting the STD and or the LTD coverage would be a possible place to Turn to Page 5 BOE benefits Gateway seeks $5 million revenue bond from County By Pamela Permar Shierling During their Tuesday, September 8 meeting the Glynn County Finance Com mittee heard a request from the Brunswick/Glynn County Development Authority to issue $5 million in revenue bonds to facilitate financing of Gateway Behavioral Health Services project adjacent to Center Drive and Goodbread Road in Brunswick. In 2007 Glynn Comity pur chased two tracts of land total ing 20 acres off Goodbread Road. One of the proposed uses of the property was for development of a facility for Gateway Behavioral Health Services which is a community service board. In 2008 the county agreed to sell the 12.393 acre tract to Gateway. The agreement was amended and the tract Turn to Page 5 Gateway Services bond