Newspaper Page Text
THE
^ISLANDER
Published by
Permar Publications
www.theislanderonline.com
ssislander@bellsouth.net
May 20, 2019 Established in 1972 Vol 47 Issue 20
"Best of the best"
During their lunch meeting last week (Tuesday, May 14) the Exchange Club of Brunswick held
their annual Law Enforcement Day awards ceremony honoring the “best of the best” in local
law enforcement. Receiving plaques after being chosen ‘Officer of the Year’ for their respective
departments were: (front row - left to right) Glynn County Schools Resource Officer Brandan
Kennedy, Brunswick City Police Officer Martin Davis, Glynn Sheriff’s Dept. Deputy Sheriff James
Jones, Ga. State Patrol Post 23 Trooper Deidra Stillwagoner, Glynn-Brunswick E-911 Center
Communications Officer Deanna Wright, Dept, of Community Supervision Officer Andre Melville
and Exchange Club member/Ceremony co-host Carl Alexander. (Back row - left to right) Exchange
Club member / Ceremony co-host T.C Cowan, Dept, of Natural Resources Officer Chris Ridley,
Exchange Club President-Elect George Barnhill, Jr., College of Coastal Ga. Officer Daniel Floyd,
Glynn County Police Sargent Eric Koenig, Glynn Sheriff’s Dept. Detention Officer Allen Hatch, U.S.
Federal Probation Officer Scot Riggs, and Exchanger Club President Kevin Higgins.
Islander Staff Photo - Permar
Exchange Club of Brunswick honors local
law enforcement 'Officers of the Year'
By Matthew J. Permar
County okays
SPLOST V
funds for Sea
Palms sewer
• County settles bail
bond suit for $62K
By Matthew J. Permar
During a brief 30 minute
regular meeting last Thurs
day night (May 16), the Glynn
County Board of Commission
ers (BOC) approved an agree
ment between them and the
Brunswick Glynn Joint Wa
ter and Sewer Commission
(JWSC) for use of $561,795 in
Special Purpose Local Option
Sales Tax 5 funds for a long
awaited sewer line rehabilita
tion project in the Sea Palms
neighborhood on St. Simons
Island.
Along with sewer issues,
neighborhood residents have
been asking to have their
roads repaved for a long time.
The hold up as been the need
Turn to Page 11
County Commission
SSI smoke
testing reveals
fixable issues
• Inventory shortage
discussed
By Pamela Permar
Shierling
The smoke testing by the
Brunswick Glynn Joint Wa
ter and Sewer Commission
(JWSC) for storm water inflow
and infiltration (I&I), which
finished on St. Simons last
week, revealed two signifi
cant issues: two cross connec
tions with storm water drains
dumping into the sewer sys
tem including a tidal pond on
St. Andrews Circle in the Re
treat Club which is tied into
the sewer system.
Newly named interim Ex
ecutive Director Andrew Bur
roughs told the JWSC the
good news that both issues
Turn to Page 12
JWSC
“There’s no room for dis
crimination in this world,”
said former Glynn County
Police Chief Carl Alexander
in his comments to the Ex
change Club of Brunswick
last week,
“But T.C. (Cowan) and I are
prejudiced about the group of
people here at this meeting
today,” said Alexander as he
referred to the large group of
local law enforcement officers
who were being honored by
the Club.
The Club was hosting their
Annual Law Enforcement ‘Of
ficers of the Year’ awards cer
emony at their regular Tues
day lunch meeting.
Alexander and Cowan, who
is a former Brunswick City
Police Chief, co-hosted the
event as they do every year.
“If you have a badge, are in
law enforcement or a related
branch,” said Cowan, “you are
heros. And today we celebrate
the best of the best of you.”
Citing recent incidents of
police officers being random
ly shot for no reason, Cowan
said, “It’s a different world
out there today. Be safe and
keep your guard up.”
As they do every year, the
Club awarded ‘Officer of the
Year’ plaques to all the offi
cers who were chosen by their
peers and co-employees in
their respective departments
for the honor.
Each officer was introduced
by their supervisor who took a
moment to share a little about
their department honoree and
why they were chosen ‘Officer
of the Year’ for 2018.
Legislators
and citizens
meet with to
discuss suicide
prevention
By Pamela Permar
Shierling
Recently a group of citizens
met (May 8) with the local
legislative delegation to dis
cuss suicide deaths, particu
larly from the Sidney Lanier
Bridge, how to prevent these
deaths, myths about suicide,
how to prevent suicide and
help those contemplating
suicide.
Members of the citizens
group who attended the meet
ing included Kiera Byrd from
Jekyll Island; Hal Hart from
Brunswick; Barbara Mey
ers, CEO Coastal Community
Health Services; and Cap Fen-
dig of St. Simons Island.
The group met with Rep.
Jeff Jones, Rep. Don Hogan,
Sen. William Ligon, Mayor
Cornell Harvey, and City
Manager Jim Drumm.
The group told the legis
lators and city officials that
their research showed that
there is no accurate reporting
or centralized data base that
records or acknowledges acts
of suicide off Sidney Lanier
Bridge (SLB) or in Glynn
County.
They also said that Glynn
County Coroner Marc Neu
only could confirm three
suicide deaths since 2017.
Turn to Page 6
Suicide prevention
Correction
In the May 13, 2019 Is
lander article regarding the
Glynn County Zoning Board
of Appeals (ZBA) meeting, the
name of the attorney speaking
for the St. Simons Land Trust
was incorrectly stated.The
correct name of the attorney
speaking before the ZBA for
the Land Trust is J.T. Johnson
of Gilbert Harrell Sumerford
& Martin, PC. We apologize
for any inconvenience caused.
County-Wide News - Read County-Wide
Page 2 - Taps at Twilight
Page 3 - SSI Home2Suites receives award
Page 4 - Letters
Page 5 - City names park after Abe Brown
Page 10 - BOE outsources custodial duties
Page 14 - Pew News
Page 15 - Young Poets winners announced
Page 16- Back Talk
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