Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 20, SEPTEMBER 14, 2009, THE ISLANDER
Matthew J. Permar, Publisher
Pamela Permar Shierling
Editor
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A good time to listen
By Matthew J. Permar
When I joined The Islander in 1990,
one of the first things I covered as a
reporter was the now-defunct Casino
Advisory Board (CAB).
One of the board's big topics back
then, as now, was the perceived park
ing problem in the pier village area on
St. Simons Island.
At the time the county paid maybe
$20,000 for a parking study in which
they learned they needed a multi-story
parking garage on the site of Strother's
Hardware Co.'s lumber yard.
When the consultant reported this to
the CAB, I, knowing a large part of the
Strother's business was from the sale
of lumber, asked, "Has anyone asked
the Strothers if they want a parking
garage on their property?"
The answer was no.
Here we are almost 20 years later
and the comity is still wringing their
hands over the pier village parking
"problem."
Back then I remember asking Bro-
gens owner Forrest Brown what he
thought about the pier parking prob
lem and he said, "Parking problem?!?
The only time I have a parking prob
lem is when there are empty parking
spaces in front of my restaurant."
Brown knew, as many other pier
village merchants know, that even if
people have to park way over on Beach-
view Dr. down near the lighthouse,
they will still walk back to the pier
village businesses where they want to
eat, drink or shop.
Last week, Island Commissioner
Tom Sublett held a town hall meeting
and proposed a parking fee for pier
village parking and the overwhelming
response from the public was, "NO!"
The reasons are simple: it will kill
business, because there are other plac
es on the island to eat, drink and shop
where you don't have to pay to park; it
would be the only parking fee in Glynn
County, which is discriminatory; it is
also discriminatory to put a tax on the
people who work and shop at the pier
in order to raise revenue when no one
else in the county has to pay it; it will
drive tourists away, as well as locals.
Sublett said the county would have
to borrow as much as $5 million to do
the capital projects, including a major
land purchase, that the fee would pay
for. How long is that principal and
interest going to take to pay off?
But, the main reason to scrap this
idea is because island residents are so
strongly opposed to it.
Now, might be a good time to listen...
especially in today's economy. “I
Spay/neuter
discussion
By Pamela Permar Shierling
Retired local veterinarian Dr. Bill
Disque is offering to do a low cost spay/
neuter program for Glynn County.
He will work out of the surgical
room at Glynn County Animal Services
located on Highway 17 north and has
offered his services for an hourly rate.
At the County Finance Committee
meeting last week Disque asked the
County to make a $5,000 investment
which would complete the surgical
room at Animal Services and allow him
to do a high volume of spay/neuters.
High volume spaying and neutering is
how the costs are kept to a minimum.
In his presentation Dr. Disque
showed how the County could make
money with this service.
Currently Glynn County euthanizes
an estimated 67% of its animals. The
answer is not in picking up, warehous
ing, and killing cats and dogs. It never
has been. It is a horrible job and the
people at Animal Services do an incred
ible service for this Comity.
Glynn County has an opportunity to
do the right thing for its pets. Low cost
spay/neuter will go a long way toward
solving the unwanted pet problem. It
will take a while to make a visible dent,
but in the long run spaying and neuter
ing is the answer.
Either in 2008 or earlier in 2009 the
City sponsored a couple of free spay/
neuter days for its citizens. I encourage
the Comity to consider doing this as
well. Spaying and neutering combined
with a continuing education program
will go a long way towards eliminating
the huge number of unwanted pets.
I am asking everyone to let their
County Commissioner know that Dr.
Disque's idea is a good one and that the
Standoff
Continued from Page 1
9 millimeter guns and an M16. One
police officer, who knew Reagin person
ally, knew he owned a high powered
rifle.
According to Doering, Reagin esca
lated the situation by making very
intense statements to the police includ
ing that he could see them in his rifle
scope; that he wasn't coming out except
in a hearse; "I will shoot them in the
throat where they have no protection.";
and asking police, "Is it worth three
lives (police officers) over a $35 fine?"
Reagin also threatened to "camo
up" and began to change from the red
shirt he was wearing into a camouflage
shirt.
"Because he kept saying he could
see us through his scope and kept
threatening police officer's lives over a
period of about two hours, we decided
to take him alive," Doering said.
According to Chief Doering while
Reagin was going in and out of the
house a SWAT officer was able to
County should jump at his offer.
Glynn Comity has an opportunity
to do something that is not being done
anywhere in the state of Georgia.
The Comity also has an opportunity
to move forward with a low cost spay/
neuter program that will address one
of the causes of dog and cat overpopu
lation and not just throw money at a
symptom. □
sneak up to the side of house and taser
Reagin from behind. When Reagin fell
on ground the taser wire broke loose
and he recovered before the officer
could get to him.
Reagin ran in front of house, turned
left and continued to run between the
house and a boat toward a shed behind
the house.
A Glynn Comity police officer saw
him running, saw something in his
hand that he thought was a gun, and
the officer fired his shotgun at him.
This had no apparent effect because
Reagin kept running, through the shed
and back into the house.
At this point, according to Doering,
police fired tear gas and a flash-bang
grenade into house, went in found
Reagin unresponsive. Officers found a
loaded 300 Winchester magnum rifle
on his bed along with several butcher
knives.
County Commissioner Tony Thaw,
who knew Reagin, was on the scene.
Thaw said he blames the incident on
the comity's overzealous enforcement
of the sign ordinance.
"I begged fellow commissioners Don
Hogan and Tom Sublett and county
staff to leave people alone because we
have bigger issues to deal with such as
flooding caused by ditches that haven't
been cleaned out, drugs, and home
invasions," Thaw said."
Doering said the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation will join the Glynn Coun
ty Police Department in the shooting
investigation. □
Specific hands on care
Enjoy life
"Dr.
m
"Many years ago a hammock
crashed to the ground with me
it. Several vertebrae were
crushed, but I
wouldn't let doctors
fuse the discs, and a
chiropractor helped
me get through that
painful time."
"I am a retired
speech therapist,
and during the late
1960s and 1970s, I
taught speech to the
students from Palmer Chiropractic
College which is where Dr. Carlyle
graduated from. I was always
impressed with the students'
dedication to the profession and
207 Edwards Plaza
(next to the Post Office)
St. Simons Island, GA
Carlyle has magic fingers."
Jim Schupp
with their enthusiasm." him."
"About a month ago I woke "Dr. Carlyle got me better
up in the middle of the night pretty quickly. I like his approach
to his work. He works
aggressively but
in the middle of the
with horrible lower
back pain. It was in
the general area that
I had injured years
ago. I went to my
doctor who sent me to
a neurosurgeon who
wanted to fuse the
discs. But again I said
no to the surgery."
"Fortunately, I
remembered the
comment a friend had
made to me about Dr.
Carlyle having magic
fingers so I went to see
Dr. Phillip Carlyle,
Board Certified
Wellness Physician
with assurance. He's
always smiling and
very pleasant to be
around."
"I see Dr. Carlyle
with the full approval
of my medical doctor.
There are just some
things a chiropractor
can do that a medical
doctor does not do."
"I have already sent
a couple of friends to
see Dr. Carlyle."
Specific Minimal Adjustments
by Phillip Carlyle, D.C., C.C.W.R
Brent DeShaw, D.C.
www.carlylechiropractic.com
912-638-5909
A Medicare Provider