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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. MAY 28. 2009 — PAGE 3A
Leaders say in-house
engineer will lead to savings
Madison Co. BOC to meet Monday
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
County leaders agree that it's
cheaper to do it yourself than to hire
a stranger when it comes to engi
neering needs.
Madison County’s industrial
authority recently hired Phil Munro
as its engineer. And county com
missioners approved an intergovern
mental agreement last week with the
IDA for Munro’s services on county
projects. Municipalities in Madison
County may also seek Munro’s ser
vices.
Munro will be paid $40.25 per
hour. The annual pay for IDA and
BOC services will range between
$41,000 and $78,000, depending on
how much he is needed, said BOC
chairman Anthony Dove.
"Right now, when we have to
hire an engineering firm, we hire at
a very high rate,” said Dove, add
ing that the BOC and IDA spent
between $250,000 and $300,000 on
engineering last year. "Every time
we do a road grant or bridge or any
thing, we have to go out and get a
firm to come in and do our work.”
Dove said Munro will be there
when needed, such as when there
are issues with the Environmental
Protection Division. For instance.
Dove pointed out that if a bank
needs to be cut back by a road, it
can’t be done without an environ
mental plan, something that can lead
to holdups.
' ‘Phil has done work for the county
before and been the most reasonable
engineer price-wise,” said Dove. "I
know he's done work that y'all (the
BOC) have asked him to do, and
some of it he's done for free ...
He’s also providing all his computer
software. He’s got liability insur
ance. So it's basically like being a
subcontractor.”
County attorney Mike Pruett said
the contract can be terminated at any
time with 30 days notice.
Commissioner Bruce Scogin said
the county has little option but to
hire its own engineer.
“We’ve been talking about this for
a long time and we’ve known that
this is the way we need to go with
the new DOT requirements and gov
ernment requirements,” said Scogin.
“They (the state) are passing all this
engineering stuff down to us.”
The Madison County Board of
Commissioners will meet at 6:30
p.m., Monday, June 1, in the county
government complex.
Agenda items include:
•Business involving guests,
groups or multiple visitors.
•Chairman’s report (Anthony
Dove).
•Hearings and actions on rezon
ing matters, special use permits, etc.:
(Linda Fortson).
•Carol Jordan for the estate of her
mother Betty Crowe — she requests
to rezone approximately 3.5 acres
from R-R to A-l to combine with
the adjoining property. The property
is located on Map 31 Parcel 11 on
Hwy 29 and Garnett Ward Road in
District 3.
•Carol Jordan's request to rezone
her two acres from R-R to A-l to
combine with the adjoining prop
erty. The property is located on May
31 Parcel 11-01 on Hwy 29 in
District 3.
•Carol Jordan’s request to rezone
.59 ac from B-2 to R-R to combine
with adjoining property. The prop
erty is located on Hwy. 29 on Map
31 Parcel 11-02 in District 3.
•Joe and Betty Guest’s request to
rezone 3.89 ac from A-2 to R-l to
subdivide two existing homes on
the property. The property is located
on Map 93 Parcel 81 on Hwy 1-72
in District 2.
•David Peck’s request an area
variance on 3.60 acres — he can’t
meet his building setback. The prop
erty is located on Map 48 Parcel 65
on Harry Paul Road in District 2.
•Chairman Wayne Douglas,
amendment to the Madison County
Zoning Ordinance: Section 9.12
Outdoor Storage Yards, Section
9.3.1.7 Manufactured mobile units.
•Statements and remarks from
citizens on agenda items.
•Consent agenda: none.
OLD BUSINESS
•Consider proclamation for Gary
Locke (Chairman Dove).
•Consider request from DFCS
for their 2010 budget (Chairman
Dove).
•Consider hiring one to three
employees for the road department
(Tony Mattox).
•Consider amendments to occu
pation tax/business license (Eddie
Pritchett).
•Consider facilities use agreement
for Madison County Little League
and facilities.
•Use agreement for Madison
County Youth Association
(Chairman Dove).
NEW BUSINESS
•Open bids for Cherokee Road
(Chairman Dove).
•Roads update (Chairman Dove).
•Urgent matters.
•Statements and remarks from
citizens.
•Closed session to discuss land
acquisition, personnel matters and/
or potential litigation (if needed).
Schools to make counteroffer on property
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County school
officials will propose a
$32,000 counteroffer in
negotiations to sell .83 of
an acre the system owns in
Danielsville.
The lot is located across
from the Madison County
government complex.
The school system was
offered $20,000 for the
land earlier this month. The
$32,000 counteroffer is based
on a property tax assessment.
Madison County
Superintendent Mitch
McGhee originally thought
$20,000 was a good deal
before receiving a recent
appraisal of $47,000.
That appraisal was based
prices of similar land in the
county, including an $84,000
lot located at the comer of
Hwy. 98 and Hwy. 29 —
the possible site of a grocery
store.
McGhee said that value
might have skewed the
appraisal a bit high, but he
still thinks the school system
can attract more than $20,000
for the land.
He and the Madison
County Board of Education
(BOE) agreed that the tax
appraisal price — $32,000
— was more suitable for a
counteroffer.
Water .cont’dfrom 1A
County commissioner John
Pethel asked White if the IDA
has had any residents sign up
for the Harrison water services.
“We haven’t yet,” said White.
“WeTl probably put out a flyer
where they can sign up if they
want to sign up. And then we
will sometime go door-to-door
when we’re getting ready to
work on the project and get
those connected up as the con
tractors are in the area.”
The Harrison area water
system installation loan was
approved by the Georgia
Environmental Facilities
Authority (GEFA) May 19 for
$2.3 million — $1.6 million
forgivable and $690,000 at
three-percent interest over 20
years.
Pethel said a Harrison water
system will be a great thing.
“Some of the people don't
know or realize what benefit
we’ll get out of this,” said Pethel,
noting that home insurance pre
miums in the area should drop,
thanks to improved ISO rat
ings.
In a separate matter, White
said the IDA will install two
siphon pipes in the dam at the
Seagraves Mill dam. The state
threatened to have Seagraves
Lake drained if corrective
measures for the dam weren’t
taken.
White noted Natural
Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) is working on a couple
of dams in Madison County,
including one directiy behind
Seagraves Mill.
“They’re retrofitting that
dam,” said White. “So, I think
when that’s done, water will
flow out of it into Seagraves
Lake. And that will be a help
in providing a water supply
there.”
White noted that two grants
were up before the One
Georgia board this past week,
a $500,000 grant for the Hull-
Sanford wastewater treatment
plant and a $500,000 grant for
a road for the Columbia Farms
feed mill.
After receiving bids that were
deemed too high for the Hull-
Sanford sewage system, the
IDA agreed to re-bid the proj
ect. Those bids are due in late
June or the first of July, White
said.
“Hopefully we’ll get that proj
ect going,” said White. “We've
done a lot of meeting and a
lot of work trying to get the
price down where it’s within the
budget. The engineering plans
were probably not as good as
they should have been, which
caused some of the contractors
to put a lot of extra money into
take care of unforeseen things.
And I think we’re getting that
worked out.”
County leaders see the estab
lishment of a sewer system in
Hull as a crucial step in boosting
the county’s commercial base.
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A portion of proceeds benefit Camp Sunshine. Sorry no pets or coolers allowed in the grandstands.
School system switching to
centralized registration
Parents won't be able to reg
ister or enroll children at any of
the school campus offices after
June 18.
Centralized registration starts
July 20 at the Madison County
Board of Education Office at 800
Madison Street in Danielsville.
The central office is closed
from June 19 to July 19.
Anything related to registra
tion will be conducted at the
central office, including enroll
ment or re-enrollment of a child,
submitting a change of address
or transferring a child from one
elementary school in the system
to another.
Registration requires the fol
lowing documents:
•a completed enrollment form.
•proof of residence (chose one
of four: utility bill with service
address and landline telephone
number; lease or purchase agree
ment for property in Madison
County; proof of homeowners’
insurance; or a notarized resi
dence affidavit).
•current photo ID of register
ing parent/guardian.
•birth certificate.
•social security card,
•permission waiver for social
security number use.
•current immunization record
(Georgia Form 3231).
•custody papers if applicable,
•authorization to release
records (faxed to previous
school).
•migrant form.
•student language form,
•free/reduced lunch applica
tion.
•network user agreement.
These additional items are
required for students grades
6-12.
•withdrawal from previous
school.
•previous school transcripts or
report cards.
•previous discipline transcripts
or report cards.
A kindergarten questionnaire
is required for kindergarten reg
istration.
' 'These documents are required,
and you will not be allowed to
register without them,” school
system leaders say.
Forms for enrollment, per
mission for use of social secu
rity numbers, authorization to
release records, migrants, stu
dent language, free and reduced
lunch applications, network user
agreements and kindergarten
questionnaire can be accessed
at www.madison.kl2.ga.us after
June 1.
Central office registration
hours from July 20 to Aug.
14 are 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Hours are
extended to 7 p.m. on July 28,
Aug. 4 and Aug. 6. Early morn
ing registration, stalling at 7:30
a.m., is available Aug. 6-7 and
Aug. 10.
The Madison County Journal is your
source for local news. Subscribe by
calling 706-795-2567.
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