Newspaper Page Text
500
THE
ytSLANDER
www.theislanderonline.com •
December 6, 2010 Established 1972
Published by
Permar Publications
ssislander@bellsouth.net
Vol 38 Issue 49
Looking to the next 100 years
On the cusp of celebrating the Brunswick rosin plant's 100th anniversary next year, are
Pinova, Inc's, management team, (left to right) Rhonda Pickren, Director of Finance
and Control; Jon Weaver, Process Manager; Nancy Mick, Environmental Health and
Safety Manager; Cedric King, Human Resources Manager and Safety Support; Pat
Grozier, Director of Operations; and Bob Johannsen, Derivatives Operations Manager.
After two previous ownership changes in two years, Pinova, which stands for 'pine ino
vations,' bought the former Hercules rosin plant this year. It is the company's corporate
headquarters. Islander Staff Photo - Shierling
Pinova: 'in it for the long haul'
By Matthew J. Permar
Delegations speak
to City Commission
Two citizen delegations
spoke to the Brunswick City
Commission at the Wednes
day, December 1 meeting.
Wes Gruenke, President
of the Windsor Park Neigh
borhood Watch Association,
told commissioners that dur
ing each weekday afternoon,
after Glynn Academy lets out,
his neighborhood becomes a
"speedway."
He asked that the Commis
sion consider installing speed
bumps at the Windsor Park
entrances.
He said that when the teen
drivers arrive at the park
circle that includes Elm St.,
Sycamore Ave., Palmetto Ave.,
and Oak Circle, the drivers go
different ways and race to see
who gets to Highway 17 first.
He also asked commission
ers to consider repaving some
of the streets in Windsor Park.
"It is a hodge podge of different
levels of paving," he said.
Gruenke also asked for
Turn to Page 7
Delegations
City to start
search for Chief
The Brunswick City Com
mission is planning to start its
search for a new Police Chief
in earnest after the first of the
year, according to Mayor Brian
Thompson.
In a telephone interview
with The Islander on Thurs
day, Dec. 2, Thompson said, "In
January we're going to adver
tise the chiefs position. It will
be an open search, meaning
city police officers can apply
along with any law enforce
ment officials who are not cur
rently employed by the city."
Former City Police Chief
Edna Johnson stepped down
from the position back in Sep
tember amidst controversy sur
rounding one of her officers and
a prostitute.
At the time of Johnson’s res
ignation, City Manager Roos
evelt Harris named Tobe Green
as interim chief. □
In his excellent book about
the 1964 Glynn Academy State
Championship football team,
The Red Terrors, author Jesse
Tullos writes,
“In Glynn County, football
seasons past are sealed in the
memories of those who played
or followed the game through a
portal of the senses. There was
a pungent, almost-sweet smell
belching from the smokestacks
of the Hercules Powder Com
pany, the huge industrial plant
across the street from where
the Red Terrors played their
football games in 1964. That
smell hovered in the humid
night air and was as much a
part of high school football as
were the cheers from fans in
the home bleachers.”
After changing hands three
times in the last two years
that “huge industrial plant” to
which Tullos referred is now a
stand alone facility, the only
rosin plant of its type in the
world and is now owned by
Pinova, Inc.® who purchased
the plant earlier this year.
According to company Exec
utive Director David Book
binder, Pinova understands
the plant’s unique connection
to this community and plans
to do nothing to diminish it’s
legacy.
Instead, Bookbinder says
Pinova is is it for the long haul.
They are going to grow the
plant through financial invest
ment and foster the company’s
relationship with Brunswick
and Glynn.
“We’ll be celebrating the
plant’s 100th anniversay next
year and we want it to still be
here 100 years from now,” said
Bookbinder.
From 1920 to 2008 the large
industrial rosin plant on High
way 17 in Brunswick near the
intersection of the F.J. Torras
Causeway was known as Her
cules Power Co. and in latter
years, Hercules, Inc.
Built in 1911 by Homer
Yaryan, the facility started life
as the Yaryan Naval Stores
plant.
It was built on 70 acres of
land, 40 of which was provided
by the Brunswick Advance
ment Association, the forerun
ner of the local Chamber of
Commerce, with another 20
Turn to Page 7
Pinova
JWSC reconsiders
tap fee charges
By Pamela Permar
Shierling
The Brunswick/Glynn Joint
Water and Sewer Commission
voted to cut tap fees in for six
months.
The Commission had previ
ously decided to suspend tap in
fees altogether for six months.
However at the December 2
meeting they decided to cut the
tap in fee in half for both com
mercial/industrial and residen
tial for a six month period.
After the 10 day public notice
period, another public hearing
will be held at the December
16 meeting. Provided there
are no further changes and a
majority of the commissioners
approve the collection of one
half tap fees for six months,
the tap fee reduction will go
into effect immediately after
the December 16 vote.
Tap in fees are how the
Turn to Page 5
JWSC
Technicality sends
Bennie's zoning
back to planners
By Matthew J. Permar
After deliberating and lis
tening to public comments for
approximately eight hours over
the course of three meetings,
Glynn County's Island Plan
ning Commission (IPC) will
have to sit through one more
meeting and take another vote
on Don Gentile's application to
amend his Planned Develop
ment Zoning Text.
The amendment, which has
caused considerable controver
sy among St. Simons Island
residents, particularly on the
north end, was sent to the
Glynn Comity Commission for
final action on Thursday, Dec.
2.
Moving the item to the top
of the agenda, Chairman How
ard Lynn (Dist. 4) asked Com
munity Development Director
Turn to Page 6
Gentile property
?????
Community News
- Pg 2
County-Wide News - Read County-Wide
Football Contest
Feature Section
- Pg 8 & Pg 9
The Kids Are
Alright
Movie Review
-Pg 12
Back Talk
Editorial Column
-Pg 20
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