About The Islander. (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2019)
THE ^ISLANDER Published by Permar Publications www.theislanderonline.com ssislander@bellsouth.net June 17, 2019 Established in 1972 Vol 47 Issue 24 Second Harvest provides They started lining up at 7:04 a.m. last Friday and by 11:00, when Second Harvest’s Pop Up Farmers Market opened, the line of cars stretched down Emery Dawson Road from the Exchange Club Fair Grounds almost to Altama Avenue. Second Harvest gave away food and milk to about 500 fortunate people. In the photo: Former Brunswick City Manager Roosevelt Harris, who is the Business Community Liaison Coordinator for the Brunswick Job Corps Center, loads a box of vegetables into a car for a local family. Harris and some of his Job Corps student were among the many volunteers who assisted Second Harvest with the market Friday morning. The food was boxes of pork tenderloin, rice, potatoes, flour, apples and oranges, and milk. The Market, organized by Kalista Morton of Second Harvest, ran from 11 to 1 p.m. and was extremely well organized. Jay Wiggins, head of Glynn County’s Emergency Management / Homeland Security Agency, was also there with some of his team helping out. Wiggins commented, “Helping is good practice for me and my department in case of a disaster. The Exchange Club Fair Grounds is going to be a point of distribution for supplies and this gives us practice.” All Glynn’s first responder departments participated in the Market including Glynn County Police, Brunswick Police, County Sheriff’s Dept., Glynn Fire Dept, and the Brunswick Fire Dept, were all on hand to keep traffic and food moving. Islander Staff Photo: Permar Absenteeism: How can you learn when you're not in school? Memorial park project on hold By Matthew J. Permar Construction on Glynn County’s proposed Veteran’s Memorial Park was put on hold last week (Tuesday, June 11) by the County Finance Committee. Three bids for the construc tion of the Veteran’s Memorial Park project were received on May 29 by the Public Works Department. The project consists of grading, drainage, sidewalk and parking amenities, land scaping and irrigation, and in stallation of engraved granite memorial markers to honor armed services branches and our area’s fallen warriors. Public Works Director Dave Austin recommended to the finance committee award ing the contract for memorial park construction to the low est responsive bidder, Alta- maha Building Systems of Turn to Page 9 Memorial Park BOE to adopt 2020 budget June 27 By Pamela Permar Shierlling During their June 4 finance committee meeting Glynn County Board of Education (BOE) members discussed the proposed 2019-2020 budget and will hold a Special Called meeting on June 27 at noon to adopt it. The 2020 general fund bud get assumes a $22.3 million beginning fund balance and $137 million in revenues. The budget reflects a 2.5% property value increase, a 98% collection rate, and a $4.8 mil lion increase in state funding. Total general fund expendi tures are $139.7 million which will reduce the general fund balance by $2.8 million. Turn to Page 4 School budget During their June 4 work session Glynn County Board of Education members discussed student and staff attendance. Of the school system’s 14,000 plus students, 28% were absent 10 or more days during the 2018-2019 school year. The grade breakdown for the 10 plus days absent is: 23% elementary school; By Pamela Permar Shierlling 25% middle school; 38% high school. One to five absences were in the 40% range for elemen tary, middle, and high school. Zero days absent didn’t make it into double digit fig ures: 6.5% elementary; 7.7% middle; 7.4% high school. Certified staff absences were as follows: 32% elemen tary school teachers were out 10 or more days; 24% middle school teachers were absent 10 or more days; 29% high school teachers were absent 10 or more days. The highest 10 plus day absences were recorded for school based staff with 190 day contracts at 42%. Student Support Director Turn to Page 8 Absenteeism Residents file law suit citing property damage due to poor drainage By Pamela Permar Shierlling Nine residents and / or property owners living on St. Simons Island in the area be tween North and South Har rington Roads filed a law suit earlier in June against Old Plantation Group, LLC, Pal metto Building Group LLC, and Mortgage of America Lenders, LLC, citing property damage caused by the de fendants’ land disturbance activities. The plaintiffs, Gayle Baker, Donald J. Brunnelle, Judith A. Brunnelle, Jane Fraser, Burke McCall Harrison, Vicki S. Harrison, Judith C. Phil ips, Robert W. Williamson, III, and Renee J. Williamson, own property adjacent to and Turn to Page 10 Law suit Development Authority reviews property assets By Pamela Permar Shierlling Ryan Moore, President of the Brunswick Glynn Coun ty Development Authority (BGDA), presented a detailed review of the Authority’s prop erty to the board during their June 4 meeting. Moore wanted to discuss getting the Authority’s in dustrial parks ready for development. The Development Author ity owns or partially owns four industrial parks within the county: East Gate Com merce Park; Brunswick Mc Bride Industrial Park; North Glynn Commerce Park; and Gateways Industrial Park. Eastgate is located east of the Brunswick Golden Isles Turn to Page 4 BGDA County-Wide News - Read County-Wide Page 2 - 1st District Congressional Candidate speaks to GIRW Glynn's National Flood rating improves Page 3 - Michael Johnson retires ~ Bart Johnson to head K&P team Page 6 - Carlyle Wellness celebrates 20 years Page 10 - Pew News Page 12 - Backtalk 0 94922 29970 3
