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theislanderonline.com
Published by
Permar Publications
ssislander@bellsouth.net
October 30, 2023
Established in 1972
Vol 51 Issue 44
Library preps for new exhibit
With a new exhibit on the history of Brunswick’s Georgia-Pacific pulp mill opening this Friday at the
Brunswick Glynn Public Library, Marshes of Glynn Director Geri Lynn Mullis and Assistant Director
Ben Bryson reviewed the exhibit materials last week. Islander Staff Photo - Permar
Georgia-Pacific exhibit celebrates 85 years
in Glynn at Brunswick Library
Legacy Fund to
support Bwk. -
Glynn Library
By Matthew J. Permar
Over the last two decades
the public libraries in Glynn
County, the Brunswick-Glynn
Public Library and the St. Si
mons Island Public Library,
have undergone many, many
changes.
The most recent is the cre
ation of the ‘Legacy Fund,’ a
designated endowment fund
to help sustain the Brunswick-
Glynn Public Library.
Twenty years ago the
Brunswick-Glynn Library
was part of the Three Riv
ers Regional Library System
(TRRLS), supported by Glynn
County, the City of Bruns
wick and the Glynn Board of
Education.
Twenty years ago the St.
Simons Library was an inde
pendent, stand-alone facility
supported in part by Glynn
County and largely by private
donations.
Some time around 2007 or
2008, at the invitation of the
Brunswick-Glynn Library
Board of Trustees, the St. Si
mons Library became an affili
ate and joined the TRRLS and
the Georgia Public Library
Service (GPLS).
Between 2000 and 2012,
with the Brunswick-Glynn Li
brary being the region’s head
quarters library, TRRLS went
through four executive direc
tors and one interim director.
By 2012, with tensions ris
ing between the TRRLS ad
ministration and the Bruns
wick-Glynn Library Board of
Trustees, the local library was
ready to leave TRRLS and
form their own system.
The University System of
Georgia’s Board of Regents,
which oversees the GPLS,
granted permission and on
July 1, 2013 the Marshes of
Glynn Libraries (MOGL) was
formed with the Brunswick
and St. Simons libraries.
Turn to Page 9
Legacy Fund
Georgia-Pacific’s Bruns
wick Cellulose plant is, along
with the Brunswick Ports and
Symrise, one of the few indus
trial employers left in Glynn
County.
Now celebrating 85 years of
operation here, and with the
recent closing of Pinova - the
former Hercules plant - GP
is the oldest continuously op
erating plant in the county,
as well as one of the largest
employers.
To recognize this achieve
ment, GP has put together an
exhibit of the cellulose plant’s
85 year history and it will
be on display at the Bruns
wick Glynn Public Library
on Gloucester St. during the
month of November.
The exhibit will start on Fri
day, November 3 during down
town Brunswick’s ‘First Fri
day’ event, and GP will hand
out ‘goody bags’ to visitors.
There will be a physical
exhibit as well as a digital ex
hibit featuring a breakdown of
the plant’s 85 year timeline.
The exhibit will be on dis
play in the library’s Heritage
Room.
In addition, the Marshes of
Glynn Board of Trustees and
staff thank GP for a $20,000
donation for the library’s Ar
chive Room that is used as a
resource and to preserve all of
Glynn County’s history.
The Archive Room, officially
named the Ga.-Pacific Bruns
wick Cellulose Archive Room
is within the Heritage Room
and is currently being pre
pared for an official opening
early next year.
The Brunswick cellulose
mill got its start in 1936 when
the Mead Corporation and the
Scott Paper Company formed
a joint venture called Bruns
wick Pulp & Paper and began
construction of the mill.
This new mill would be the
first pulp mill located in the
Southeast U.S., and its suc
cess would be dependent on
the newly developed processes
for producing pulp from South
ern pine trees.
Construction of the mill
was completed in late 1937,
and the first shipments of pulp
began in early 1938.
When it first opened, the
plant was designed to pro
duce 150 tons of pulp per day.
It also provided much needed
jobs to nearly 300 individu
als in Brunswick during the
period when our nation was
recovering from the Great
Depression.
The total initial investment
into Brunswick Pulp and Pa
per was $4,128,000.
Performing Arts
Center design
unveiled
By Pamela Permar-
Shierling
Last Thursday (Oct. 26)
supporters of the Performing
Arts Center, to be built on
the College of Coastal Geor
gia campus, were treated to a
sneak peak of the Center’s de
sign. The Center will be fund
ed with $20 million E-SPLOST
funds along with $1.5 million
in private donations.
According to CCGA Presi
dent, Dr. Michelle Johnston,
discussions about a perform
ing arts center began in the
1970s. The center made it on
to the 2009 E-SPLOST vote
as a pay-as-you-go project but
enough funds were not collect
ed to build the center.
The arts center was again
included as a pay-as-you-go
project in the 2015 E-SPLOST
Turn to Page 2
Arts Center
BOE discusses
state of school
system, answers
GOP questions
By Pamela Permar-
Shierling
Last week (Oct. 24) four
members of the Glynn Coun
ty Board of Education (BOE)
spoke to the Glynn County
Republican Party. Chair Ead-
dy Sams, and board members
Audrey Gibbons, Jerry Mancil,
and John Madala discussed
school system priorities and
answered questions from the
GOP members present at the
meeting.
Chairman Sams explained
to the group the three re
sponsibilities of the BOE
is to provide financial and
policy oversight and hire the
superintendent.
“We set the system’s vi
sion and priorities with the
Turn to Page 6
BOE
Surfin’
the
News
County-Wide News - Read County-Wide
Page 10 - Obit - Charley Stewart
Page 11 - Shrimp & Grits kicks off Friday
Page 12 - Back Talk
0 94922 29970 3
Page 3 - Operation Christmas Child
Page 4 - 3 Schools named Distinguished Schools
Page 8 - Symphony launches new GIYO program
