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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JANUARY 15, 2009 — PAGE 9A
Golf ..cont’dfrom 1A
three's.
Byram noted that some of tire par threes would be over 200 yards long
from the back tees.
“It's not going to be like a pitch-and-putt, it's going to be a sure-
enough executive-level course."
The retirement community would be restricted to those 55-and-older,
but the course would still be open to the public.
“It's not going to be just a retirement community golf course,” he said.
“It will still be open to tire public ... There’s a lot of advantages to keep
it as a golf course.”
If tire project is approved, the land will always stay as either a golf
course or green space.
“It cannot be further developed” Byram said.
Byram bought tire course in 2002. but said it’s been nothing but a
financial burden ever since.
“I’ve been losing money every year on it," Byram said. “It’s been a
long row to hoe.”
Altering Sunrise and incorporating it into an active adult retirement
community is tire only way he sees that tire golf course can survive in
any capacity. Byram said there's a “pent-up” demand for this and feels
this is one of few projects in which developers would feel comfortable
given the current plight of tire housing market.
With 200 residents, he said there’s a good chance the course in this
new incarnation would be successful.
"There are no other retirement communities in North Georgia on a
golf course. None," Byranr said. "This would be the first of its kind.”
If approved, Byranr said there are those who might buy the project
from him. But another denial by BOC means Sunrise's days are over,
he said.
“I’m going to close the golf course immediately," Byram said. “I’nr
not going to keep it open more than a few days if I get turned down.”
Then, he says he’ll sell the land off in chunks.
Byram says he has little choice.
Given the tough economic climate, luxury items like golf are usually
the first to go. In a word, Byranr described business in 2008 as "terrible"
for Sunrise.
“It was maybe two-thirds the play that it was the previous year,” he
said.
Byram also noted that Jennings" Mill’s Golf Course was recently hit
with foreclosure.
But there is a niche, he said, to be served in retirement communities
in North Georgia. Byram explained that Florida, a hotbed for retirees, is
not being developed like it used to.
What's more, he hopes this appeals to University of Georgia alumni
as a second-home community.
"That's a still very active group of retirees that have money,” he said.
Byram said he can't afford to continue losing his own money each
month.
He tried to rezone the course back in 2003 as a regular subdivision,
but was denied by the BOC.
The retirement community is the only other option, Byram said.
“It's tire only tiring that I can do with it other than shut it down and sell
10-15 acre lots for cows,” he said.
Fielding ..cont’dfrom 1A
D.C. He will take an Amtrak train to Washington on Friday and come
back Wednesday.
While at the conference, he will have an opportunity to hear guest
speakers A1 Gore, Lance Armstrong, Colin Powell and others.
“I think it’s wonderful being able to see it in person,” said Fielding.
“The first African-American president, it’s a great statement for our
country, a great step for our country.”
Fielding said that if he has the opportunity to speak with Obama, he
will wish him luck.
“I’d probably ask what it feels like to be in such an important part of
history,” said Fielding. “I’d ask him how he plans to get things back on
track and wish him good luck.”
Fielding said he plans to do some sight-seeing while in the nation’s
capitol, visiting the National WWH Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial
and Arlington National Cemetery.
Fielding is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Andy Fielding, Danielsville, His
grandmother is Sheila Buffington and his great-grandmother is Elsie
Paul, also of Danielsville.
BOC ..cont’dfrom 1A
be in the office and to be accessible to the public.
“He has shown a desire to be here and to do the job and move
the county forward,” said Thomas of Dove.
Other commissioners supported Thomas’ recommendation.
Commissioner Mike Youngblood voiced confidence in Dove’s
ability to handle personnel responsibilities.
“I agree with Stanley,” said Youngblood. “The position this
board was put into (by Nash) shouldn’t have happened, but it
was our only recourse. Your (Thomas’) recommendation is a
good thing.”
Thomas also proposed that three positions in the BOC office
— the county clerk, deputy clerk and possibly an administrative
assistant — serve as “at will” employees under Dove. An “at
will” employee is different than other workers in that he or she
does not have any rights to appeal following a dismissal. Thomas
said that those employees in the BOC office represent the chair
man in his absence and that he needs control over that staff,
similar to the power the sheriff has over his staff.
Thomas’ proposals came during talk of renewing Madison
County policies for 2009. Youngblood also had a suggestion —
that the BOC not allow a clerk into closed sessions to take min
utes. He said the county attorney can take minutes if necessary.
County attorney Mike Pruett noted that Georgia law does not
require the recording of minutes during closed meetings.
Madison County commissioners talked at length about how to
implement the suggested changes in the county policy. Dove said
county policies are far too complex, taking a “Philadelphia law
yer” to parse through some of the provisions. He said he’d like
the commissioners to take action to simplify county codes.
New commissioner Dewitt “Pete” Bond II made a motion to
scrap the county policy and start over. But that measure failed.
Thomas said he wants to see the changes he and Youngblood
proposed implemented quickly, rather than waiting five or six
months for the entire policy to be re-written. He noted that people
applying for the current county clerk’s vacancy need to know
whether they will serve as an “at will” employee or one with
normal due process rights of appeal.
The board agreed to have Pruett draft changes to the coun
ty policies, reflecting the proposals made by Thomas and
Youngblood. The BOC members will consider those revisions
at their next meeting and may talk more about simplifying the
entire county policy.
HAB ..cont’dfrom 1A
Madison Comity’s Holman Autry Band (L to R: Josh Walker,
Casey King, Brandon Myers, Brodye Brooks and Daniel
Sartain) stands next to Brooks’ 1971 Chevy Nova.
Photo courtesy of the Holman Autry Band
... I was like, ‘Are you
freaking kidding me?"’ said
Holman Autry Band lead
singer/bassist Casey King.
In the tradition of Lynyrd
Skynyrd calling out Neil
Young for his portrayal of
the South, Madison County’s
Holman Autry Band has fired
back melodically to those
comments.
The song, “Sweet Southern
Wind,” tells the other side of
the story, the band said. It is
the title track and the first cut
off the local southern rockers’
sophomore album, due out in
March.
“We want everyone to know
we’re from Madison County,
and we’re (dang) proud of
it,” drummer Brandon Myers
said.
The band, which has built
a strong local following since
its first show in 2006, will
hold its CD release party
March 7 at the Georgia
Theatre, a venue the group
has already sold out multiple
times.
With “Sweet Southern
Wind” playing in the back
ground, the band sat down
Friday at its head quarters
located on — where else? —
Holman Autry Road, south of
Danielsville, to talk about the
new song, album of the same
name and life as a band.
The Holman Autry Band —
now a five-piece after bassist
Nathan Myers parted amica
bly — said it took it as a chal
lenge to rebut the unfavorable
characterization attributed to
Madison County.
“We wrote that song to
answer that,” King said.
“It’s to answer the criticism
for someone’s ignorance,”
rhythm guitarist Daniel
Sartain added.
Gathering around the kitch
en table where they do much
of their songwriting, King
called attention to the lyric
playing over the speakers:
The further I get from that
little hour, the more I start
thinking about red canna
flowers and the Fourth of July
Colbert parade.
“For me, out of all the
songs on this CD, I spent the
most time on this one,” King
explained. “Because I wanted
to make sure that, you know,
the message was heard.”
The song "Sweet Southern
Wind” not only allowed HAB
(Holman Autry Band) to
respond to invectives aimed at
Madison County, but offered a
coming-of-age experience for
a young band.
Through its connection with
Athens musician extraordi
naire Davis Causey — who’s
become something of a
mentor to the band — HAB
shared the studio with Chuck
Leavell, a one-time member
of the Allman Brothers’ Band
and later a keyboardist for the
Rolling Stones.
“We were working on a
song and Davis was like, ‘I’m
hearing some keys,’” lead
guitarist Brodye Brooks said.
“He said we might be able to
get Chuck Leavell. Our jaws
kind of dropped.”
Said Myers: “Here we are
basically kids in the indus
try and here comes Chuck
Leavell from the Rolling
Stones.”
The band described the
sessions with Leavell as
business-like, and Leavell can
be heard playing on the song
“Sweet Southern Wind” as
well as two other tracks.
“We’re hoping with a name
like Chuck Leavell people
will want to buy it (the CD),”
Sartain said.
Nearing its third year of
existence, the group has been
called "black label country”
or “Hank-tallica,” a sound
formed, in part, by its aver
sion to pop-country dreck.
“Basically, they’re all show
and no soul,” rhythm guitarist
Josh Walker said of the state
of today’s country acts.
With its second album com
plete, HAB said its sound is
true to its roots, but tighter
and more focused.
The hope is that “Sweet
Southern Wind” broadens
the band’s fan base beyond
Georgia’s borders.
But, of course, song no. 1
on the record carries a home-
spun message.
"This song is our gift to the
people of Madison County,"
King said, “to tell them thank
you.”
NOTES: The first 1,000
prints of the Holman Autry
Band’s album “Sweet
Southern Wind" will be for
sale at the CD release party
March 7 at the Georgia
Theatre,
Cross .cont’dfrom 1A
in November, after long
time Judge Donald “Hoppy”
Royston announced his
retirement.
But Judge Cross is a famil
iar face to many already in
Madison County, since he
grew up here and he has
worked as a law enforcement
officer for many years.
He began working as a jail
dispatcher during the pre-911
days in January 1993. In 1996,
he was promoted by former
Sheriff Jack Fortson to road
deputy, then promoted again,
this time to investigator, by
former Sheriff Clayton Lowe
in January 1999.
He and his wife, Christy,
have three children; Caylin,
Courtney and Chet and
his parents are long time
Danielsville mayor Glenn
Cross and his wife, Joan.
Cross said he’s been think
ing of running for the probate
spot for several years, but
didn’t really want to take
on a long-time fixture like
Royston.
As for the office, he said
there really hasn’t been much
time to make a lot of changes
to the way things are done.
“It’s been almost non-stop
since I took office,” Cross
said, adding that he’s grateful
for the help and expertise of
his experienced staff.
Cross kept all four office
employees from Judge
Royston’s administration;
Sandi Stillwell, Gina Allen,
Tiffany Treadway and Linda
Huffstetler.
“I knew from day one I’d
be keeping them all on,”
Cross said, adding that he’d
gotten to know them from his
visits to the probate office
on law enforcement matters
and knew them to be good
employees for the office.
For their part, each of
the staff say they're happy
to welcome Cross to the
office. “He's a joy to
work with," Stillwell said.
“We’re very fortunate to
have this opportunity.”
Allen agreed. “He's the
nicest, most courteous
person," she said.
“Nice” is a word heard a
lot about Cross, it seems.
Asked about that. Cross
smiles quietly. “I just try
to treat everyone the same
and be fair,” he said. “But
I do have my buttons.”
He said seeing some of
the same officers, as well
as others he's worked or
dealt with over the years,
is pretty much the same, “I
just try my best to be fair
and even-handed with every
body,” he said. Being from
law enforcement, he knows
how hard officers work and
how they feel when they
bring charges against some
one - such as for a DUI or
speeding. But, on the flip
side, he also sees how the per
son feels, he says, especially
when dealing with the par
ents of children who’ve had
some charge against them.
“I'm a dad too," he said. “I
just have to try to work it out
as I go and be as even-handed
as possible.” Something he
knows he’ll learn more about
as he becomes more experi
enced.
He knows he needs time to
become acquainted with all
aspects of the probate office.
“I want to be able to perform
any duty that’s required - any
duty that my staff can do,” he
said. “It's my intention that
we all work together.”
“I’m just honored to have
the privilege to be here,”
Cross said.
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