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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. MARCH 19. 2009 — PAGE 3A
County ag center plans forge ahead
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Grading of the site and fundrais
ing efforts are forging ahead for
the county’s new agricultural cen
ter. young farmer adviser Cindy
Jones told a gathering of county,
school system and agricultural
officials during a breakfast at
the local Farm Bureau office in
Danielsville last week.
Jones said construction of Phase
I, which includes the education
center and show bam, should be
under way by this summer. Jones
said more than $730,000 has been
raised for the project so far.
County commission chairman
Anthony Dove discussed traffic
plans under consideration around
the ag center such as reducing
the speed limit on Hwy. 98 near
Hope Thompson Lane and per
haps returning Hope Thompson
Lane, the road which will access
the ag center, to a two-lane road,
instead of the current one-way cut
through.
Superintendent Mitch McGhee
said that Hope Thompson Lane
would also be "more convenient"
to the schools as a two-lane road.
Ag center committee members
also gave an oveiview and slide-
show of agricultural education
programs under way in county
schools.
"We’re well aware of the budget
crunch,” Farm Bureau vice presi
dent Russ Moon said. “But we
want you to know we're here to
promote ag education."
McGhee told the audience that
any cuts that come to agriculture
education in the school system
will come from the state, not from
local cuts.
"If the state doesn’t fund it (ag
programs), locally we’re going
to have a hard time funding it,"
McGhee noted.
"We're here to support the
county and definitely here to sup
port agriculture," Moon empha
sized.
Farm Bureau members thanked
chairman Dove for the county's
recent assistance to farmers during
the snowstorm and its aftermath.
"You all go above and beyond
in your service to the community,"
Moon said.
Dove said the county had stayed
in contact with school officials
throughout the storm’s after-
math and that he considered it
an “incredible feat” that schools
were able to re-open by Thursday,
considering the condition of the
county immediately following the
snowstorm March 1.
Significance of stimulus to schools unclear
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
This much is certain: Madison
County Schools will receive stim
ulus money.
How much stimulation that will
mean is uncertain, however.
“We ought to find out exactly
what we’re going to get within
three to four weeks, hopefully
sooner,” Superintendent Mitch
McGhee said.
The amount of freedom the
school system will have with the
unknown sum of money also
remains a major question mark.
A large portion of the stimulus
money will arrive in the form
of Title 1 funds, dollars that are
handed down with restrictions.
Title I money can’t be used to
fund anything a school system
paid for with local or state money
last year.
School leaders hoped some
of those restrictions would be
waived, but none have been lifted
yet.
“Right now, all those restric
tions are still in place, which is
going to make it tougher on us,”
McGhee said.
Meaning it will be harder to
avoid some of the cuts in Madison
County's $2.5 million spending
reduction plan.
McGhee has asked each of the
seven schools in the system to cut
$102,000 in spending as part of
that plan.
Relaxing the restriction rule
would free up money to save
several clerical, paraprofessional
and even classified positions that
were proposed to be cut.
But if the school system has
less of a say in how that money
is spent, it may be harder to save
jobs with stimulus dollars.
“What we may have to do is
kind of create some new positions
and put some old people in them,”
McGhee said.
Madison County originally
hoped to receive $514,000 in
stimulus money, but that amount
was trimmed.
“That had some construction
money in it, and they (congress)
took all the construction money
in it when it was finally passed,”
McGhee said.
Now, Madison County is look
ing for at least $220,000, which
may or may not be subject to
restrictions.
Unsure of a dollar amount and
the specifics behind it, Madison
County school leaders are prepar
ing for many scenarios.
“We’re just kind of making all
kind of different plans on what we
can use that money for, and then
when we get a dollar amount we
can start plugging it in,” McGhee
said.
The superintendent said he’s
sure of one thing, though.
“We’re certainly going to spend
all that they send us, and we are
going to use it to save and create
jobs,” McGhee said. “We may
just be a little creative with that.”
IDA has ‘shovel-ready’ projects for water expansion
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
The Madison County Industrial
Development Authority has two
“shovel-ready” plans for county
water expansion and will hold a
public hearing April 14 at 10 a.m.
to hear from the public about
these plans.
According to IDA execu
tive director Marvin White, the
first plan calls for a $2.8 million
water line project for tire Han'ison
District that includes interconnec
tions to Royston and Franklin
County water systems. An appli
cation has already been submit
ted to tire Georgia Environmental
Facilities Association (GEFA) for
funding assistance.
A $13 million secondary plan
covers a large portion of the
county including: Commerce
water mains currently in Madison
County (the contract with
Conmrerce ends in 2011), and
an elevated tank; a water main
along Hwy. 98 west of Ila; a
water main south along Hwy. 106
from Ha to Fortson Store Road
at Hull-Sanford Elementary; a
water main along Rogers Mill
Road and a possible connection
BOC approves new
benefits package
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County commissioners approved a new health insur
ance plan with MSI Benefits last week, a move that officials
estimate will trim county expenses by an estimated $114,000 and
save county employees $37,651.
BOC chairman Anthony Dove said the cheaper plan won't mean
reduced benefits for county employees.
"No, actually the benefits were better (than last year)," said
Dove. "We’re getting a little less cost and better benefits.”
Dove said county government employees had a relatively
healthy year, which helped keep this year’s rates low.
"We had a good year in our claims,” he said. "And that benefited
us.”
Madison County provides health insurance for county employ
ees, but those employees must cover the cost of family members
on the plan as well as additional coverage, like dental insurance.
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to Elbert County’s water system
from Madison County northeast
along Hwy. 172 to the Broad
River.
The IDA voted Monday night
to submit an application to GEFA
for the $13 million plan. White
said the county should be eligible
for a 70/30 loan through fed
eral stimulus monies (American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act)
for rural counties for this project.
This would include a 70 per
cent subsidy and a three-percent
loan for the remaining 30 percent
spread over a 20-year period.
In another matter, the authority
will open bids for Phase I work
on the Hull-Sanford sewer project
April 7 at 2 p.m. in the Chamber
of Commerce boardroom.
The IDA also plans to apply to
GEFA under the "Green Project”
for possible federal stimulus
funding of Phase II of the project,
which also would include a 70
percent subsidy and a 30 percent
payback at three percent over 20
years.
White said despite delays, tire
IDA hopes to have the sewer sys
tem on line by tire end of August.
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DEVELOPMENT & BUILDING AUTHORITY
ADVERTISEMENT FOR A
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Farm Family of Year
Jeff Smith, of Smith Dairy Farms, Inc., of Comer and Rayle
was named Georgia Farm Family of the Year at the 39 th
annual Georgia Young Farmer Convention in Columbus.
Smith farms with his brother, Stephen, and their parents,
Dr. Jack and Geraldine Smith. They farm 1,836 acres
with 2,750 head of cattle, according to a press release.
Contestants were judged on their farming operations,
growth and expansion, computerization and implementa
tion of new technology and involvement in the industry,
the release stated. Jeff serves as vice-president of the board
of directors of Georgia Milk Producers, Inc, as a board
member of the American Dairy Association of Georgia,
director of the Southeast Dairy Cooperative Association
board and secretary of the Southeast Area Council of DFA
(Dairy Farmers of America). Pictured (L-R) are: Eric Holton
(Wilkes County young farmer teacher), Harry Compton
(Georgia Young Farmers Association), Jeff Smith, daugh
ter Jessica Smith, wife Kerith Smith and David Skinner
(Georgia Development Authority).
Historic Colbert race
headed for runoff; Croya
takes Danielsville post
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Colbert enjoyed a historic
election night in more than one
respect.
Evelyn Patton Power gar
nered 25 votes and Ellyn Trinrud
received 20 in a three-way race for
Colbert’s vacated city council seat.
That means the two will meet in an
April 14 runoff.
"In the 40 years that I’ve been
mayor, we’ve never had a runoff,”
Colbert mayor John Waggoner
said.
In Danielsville, Phillip Croya
edged Kathy Stamps 35-27 to fill
the seat vacated by Roger Watson.
Two women advancing to a run
off guarantees a first in Colbert’s
history.
"This will be the first lady on the
council — ever," Waggoner said.
The third candidate, Dennis
Moon, received 13 votes.
Colbert has been minus one
Colbert
Evelyn Patton Power 25
Ellyn Trinrud 20
Dennis Moon 13
Danielsville
Phillip Croya 35
Kathy Stamps 27
council member ever since Jeff
Roberts resigned his post in
October.
With three candidates vying for
the position, this is the most inter
est Colbert has generated for a city
council position in recent history.
The city hasn’t held an election
since 1996. The norm has been for
only one candidate qualify, negat
ing the need for an election.
“So it’s good to see people
at least interested in running,”
Waggoner said.
Elsewhere, Hull hopes to hold
a special election June 16 for its
vacated city council seat. It wanted
to hold a special election Tuesday,
but no one attempted to qualify.
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meeting time, place and date in...
• The Jackson Herald • The Commerce Tien
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•The Madison County Journal
PER MONTH,
SROUP'S MEETINGS!
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St. Catherine Laboure
Catholic Mission
Mass Schedule: Sat. 4:00 p.m., Sun. 11:00 a.m.,
Wed. 12:10 p.m.
Parish Council meetings: 2nd Sunday of the month
after 11:00 mass
Stations of the Cross Wednesdays
after Mass during Lent
First Friday Adoration 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Website; www.stcatherinelabourega.org
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BANKS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
meets first Monday each month
7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial
Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441
North in Homer pd.-07/09
Citizens Organized for
Pipeline Safety
investigating the health risks to citizens from
underground pipelines and booster stations in
Madison Co. Meetings 6:30 p.m. at the Colbert
Grove Baptist Church the 2nd Thurs. of each
month. 706-783-4702. Pd.04/09
JEFFERSON
Ip AMERICAN LEGION
Albert Gordon Post 56
Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Harvie Lance, Commander
Phone (706) 654-1274 3io
BANKS COUNTY
fj§ AMERICAN LEGION
Post 215
Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 Pd.cwov
HI VETERANS OF
W FOREIGN WARS
Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr.
Each 4th Tuesdasy, 7:00 p.m.
Lamar Langston, Commander
Phone 706-652-2627 ret
JEFFERSON EIONS CEUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
Jefferson City Clubhouse
6:30 p.m.-(706) 387-1156
Mack Cates, President
542
A UNITY LODGE
F & A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Dwayne Potts • 706-367-4449
Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260
JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB
Meets Tuesdays
Jefferson City Clubhouse
12:30 p.m. *(706) 367-7696
Gina Mitsdarffer, President
547
BANKS COUNTY
®j§ AMERICAN LEGION
Riders Club Post 215
Meets each 2nd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 paor/io
Georgia Real Estate Investors
Association, Inc. - Athens
Meets the third Thursday each month
6:30 pm at the UGA Conferen ce Center
1197 South Lumpkin Street,
Athens, GA 30601
Tom Hewlett - Chapter President
thewlettl@charter.net Pd. 12/09