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PAGE 2A — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JUNE 11.2009
Robbery .cont’dfrom 1A
Jim Fullington. “So far, we haven't
received any other information.
We’re still working on it."
Merchants and Farmers Bank in
Ila was robbed twice last month
— on May 4 and May 22. The
lone masked gunman fit the same
description in both robberies. Fie
was described as a black male,
5’5” to 5'7” and approximately
150-160. He wore a hooded sweat
shirt robbery and carried a small
pistol.
Fullington said the GBI is not
sure what type of car was pictured
in the surveillance photo.
it missed AYP in three categories
this year, down from six last
year.
“Which is progress; were not
there yet," McGhee said.
The high school fell short in
overall math, economically dis
advantaged students in math and
economically disadvantaged stu
dent graduation rate.
McGhee noted that the high
school’s overall graduation —
69.1 percent — meets AYP.
Graduation test re-takes may
bump MCHS up to AYP in over
all math and the economically
disadvantaged student gradua
tion rate.
But the school is 14 percentage
points shy of the AYP mark in
math for the economically disad
vantaged subgroup.
“You can see enough to see that
it’s a compact, small, four-door,
late model sedan, greenish in color,
very similar to a late model Toyota
Corolla,” said Fullington when the
photo was released. “But it could
be a Dodge Neon. There are some
other cars that are similar. The pic
ture is not clear enough to say 100
percent that that’s what it is.”
Anyone with information
regarding the crime is urged to
call the Madison County Sheriff’s
Department at 706-795-6202 or the
Athens post of the Georgia Bureau
of Investigation at 706-542-7901.
McGhee said it’s unlikely
MCHS will close the gap during
summer retests.
“The likelihood of us making it
on that criteria is not very good,”
he said. “So we probably won’t
make AYP at the high school
level. But they’re going to give it
their best shot.”
Schools find difficulty in get
ting some students to retake the
graduation test.
Meeting AYP requires a score
of 516, but a student only needs a
500 to pass.
McGhee said new Madison
County High School princi
pal Chad Stone, who attended
Tuesday night’s meeting, is try
ing to offer incentives for stu
dents in that 500-515 range to
retake the graduation tests.
didn’t want to even get into
that until we get the digest
submitted. I don’t know that
even if I had gotten into it
and discovered that there
was stuff out there, I don’t
think that we would have
had time to do anything
about it this year.”
Baker was hired by the
county commissioners after
the BOC took the search for
a chief appraiser out of the
hands of the board of asses
sors (BOA). The assessors
offered one candidate for
the chief appraiser’s post
over four months. And com
missioners said the delay
in hiring a head apprais
er couldn’t continue. The
BOC subsequently voted to
remove all members of the
board of assessors.
However, the four mem-
King, a rising sophomore at
Piedmont College, majoring in
political science, hopes cam
paigning — and perhaps win
ning — will enhance his studies.
"The first time they put it
up for somebody to mn for it,
nobody did, so I decided it would
be good for my college study,"
King said.
King acknowledged his sur
prise upon discovering another
candidate had qualified.
"I didn’t even expect some
body else to try to mn for it," he
said. “So I thought about it, and
I said, ‘Well, why not? I'll see if
I can get it.’”
Fortson, a firefighter for
Athens-Clarke County, has
grown up with local politics.
His grandfather. Jack Fortson,
was a Madison County sher
iff and county commissioner.
Brandon’s father, Roger, has
served on the Colbert City
Council for 19 years.
The Madison
County Journal
is your source
for local news.
Subscribe
by calling
706-795-2567.
BOE ..cont’dfrom 1A
man Jim Patton said.
The smaller budget is the result of a funding crunch.
Due to less state financial support and a dip in local rev
enue, Madison County Schools face a $1.24 million shortfall for
2009-2010.
“It’s not only lean, it’s getting into bone here and there,” Madison
County Schools Superintendent Mitch McGhee said.
McGhee said the school system will be “alright” for a year or two,
but can’t continue to operate on such lean funding.
“It will start hurting the educational system here sooner or later,”
he said. "But it’s the times we’re in and everybody is praying that the
economy is going to turn around here soon.”
He noted that some districts had it worse, pointing that Jackson
County had to cut over 30 positions.
McGhee said everyone in the Madison County system is banding
together in to make a much tighter budget work.
“Everybody understands the situation that we’re in,” McGhee
said.
Both the public hearing and meeting are at the professional learn
ing center located at the board of education office at 800 Madison
Street in Danielsville,
AYP ..cont’dfrom 1A
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Marie is available on Mon. 10 ■ 5,
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Taxes .cont’dfrom 1A
bers of the BOA are fight
ing their dismissal and the
matter will soon go before
Superior Court Judge John
Bailey — no hearing date
has been announced.
Baker, who was hired by
the BOC and must now work
with the BOA on getting the
digest completed, declined
to discuss the ongoing ter
mination battle Monday.
Meanwhile, several peo
ple have contacted The
Journal to point out that
the new chief appraiser is
listed as “non current” on
his required training on
the Georgia Department
of Revenue website. BOA
member Samantha Garland
is also listed as “non cur
rent.”
According to DOR Local
Government Services
Division Director Vicki
Lambert, Baker is “non
current” because he hasn’t
completed 40 hours of train
ing in the last 24 months.
“But in his defense, he
can’t attend training if
he’s not an employee of
the county,” said Lambert.
“You have to be an employ
ee of a county to attend our
training. So, he left Fulton
County, and when he wasn’t
employed with a county he
wasn’t eligible to attend our
training.”
Baker, who spent a year
and a half in private business
before taking the Madison
County job, has a year to
complete the required train
ing and said he plans to
take the required classes in
November.
Lambert said the “non
current” status has no bear
ing on the legitimacy of this
year’s digest.
“That is not one of the
things we look at to accept
the digest,” said Lambert.
“... Only in the event that
the county got down to hav
ing been cited on two sepa
rate reviews for a deficien
cy, and we perhaps got into
a consent order stage, could
we perhaps at that point
require the county to do
something from the staffing
or any other standpoint. It
has to get that deep.”
She also said the “non
current” status is not legiti
mate grounds for any indi
vidual appeal.
“There are specified
grounds for appeal, and
that’s not one of them,” said
Lambert.
Hull ..cont’dfrom 1A
Both his grandfather’s and
father’s political experience
influenced his decision to mn.
"We had a lack of interest in tire
position in the community, and I
just wanted to step up and take
advantage of the opportunity and
get involved in the community
... It’s kind of family tradition, I
guess,” Fortson said.
Fortson is campaigning on no
singular issue.
King, however, outlines both
short-term and long-temr plat
forms.
He wants to begin a trash pick
up campaign and focus on street
maintenance improvements,
initially. His long-range goals
include enlarging Hull’s city lim
its and establishing quiet zones
for trains passing through town,
acknowledging that those proj
ects would require much grant
money.
King's other long-term objec
tives are bringing a Golden
Corral and supermarket to Hull
and building a city park, com
plete with a swimming pool.
King, scheduled to graduate in
2012, has a three-member cam
paign staff, noting that Iris sister
paid for his campaign merchan
dise. The candidate admits cam
paigning is different from what
he’s read in class.
“It’s a whole different thing
when you try to actually go out
there and do it ... especially
when your campaign staff is you
and about three other people,
and you don't have any money,”
King said.
While King plans on making
home visits to dram up support
for Iris campaign, Fortson has
knocked on doors, too, in hopes
of driving people to tire polls.
“Everybody says they’ll vote
for you, but the biggest problem
is getting people to actually go
vote,” Fortson.
Still, Fortson calls the cam
paigning process “exciting” as
tire June 16 election date draws
near.
“I’m not going into it blindly,
because I’ve got my dad to talk
to and everything and my grand
father,” Fortson said. “They’ve
got a lot of insight on stuff and
what I need to do. I’m not feeling
my way, but it is pretty interest
ing going through it myself the
first tune.”
Eight residents cast ballots
May 26, tire first day of early
voting. Hull held two other early
voting dates — June 2 and June
9.
While tire city is excited to
finally hold an election, mayor
Paul Elkins noted the drain that
early and advanced voting has on
a tiny municipality's resources.
“It’s crippling expensive to
mn an early vote for a small
town,” mayor Paul Elkins said
last week. "GMA (Georgia
Municipal Association) is work
ing on the problem, but they have
no earthly idea what to do. It’s
mandated."
k sj
BID ADVERTISEMENT
The City of Comer, 70 Highway 72 East, Comer, Georgia 30629, seeks
competitive proposals, under seal, from general contractors with special
experience and qualifications in rehabilitation of historic properties for the
rehabilitation of the historic structure to become the Comer Travel Museum &
Welcome Center located adjacent to 70 Highway 72 East, Comer, Georgia,
30629. Proposals will be accepted by the Owner before 11:00 am local
prevailing time on the 8th day of July, 2009 for the Comer Travel Museum &
Welcome Center.
All bidders are required to submit qualifications to the requirements described
in the Instructions to Bidders, Section 00200 of the specifications.
Project Description: The scope of improvements for the rehabilitation of the
masonry load bearing historic structure include roofing replacement,
installation of new exterior doors and windows, masonry repointing and
replacement, interior wall construction, mechanical electrical and plumbing
systems, interior finishes and painting.
Bid Documents may be obtained by Licensed General Contractors and
Subcontractors, in electronic format, from the office of the Architect. Only full
sets of Bid Documents, in electronic format, will be issued by the Architect. To
obtain Bid Documents, in electronic format, provide written request for Bid
Documents to the office of the Architect, Lord Aeck Sargent Architecture, 1201
Peachtree Street NE, Suite 300, Atlanta, Georgia 30361, Attention: Courtney B.
Swann. The written request may also be submitted via email to
cswann@lasarchitect.com or via fax (404)253-6784 and must contain the
following information: Contractor's Company Name, Contractor's Company
Address, Contractor's Company Phone & Fax Numbers, Contact Name and
Email address, if available.
Upon receipt of the written request and after confirmation of information
provided, the Architect will place the Bidder on the Official List of Plan
Holders and send the Bidder a CD with bid documents. Bidder is solely
responsible for making arrangements and payment for printing of Bid
Documents. All drawings are in 11" x 17" format and specifications are in 8
1/2" x 11" format.
Bid Documents are on display at the following construction plan rooms:
McGraw-Hill Dodge Room, 1750 Enterprise Way, Suite 103, Marietta, GA
30067; Reed Construction Data, 30 Technology Parkway South, Suite 500,
Norcross, GA 30092; AGC Builders Exchange, 1940 The Exchange
Southeast, Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30339.
A Pre-bid meeting will be held at the site on June 17, 2009 at 1:30 pm.
Bidders will be required to provide Bid security in the form of a Bid Bond of a
sum no less than 5 percent of the Bid Amount. Bidders will be required to
provide a Performance Bond in an amount equal to 100% of the contract price
and a Payment Bond in an amount equal to 110% of the contract price. Refer
to other bidding requirements described in Section 00200 of the specifications.
Offers are to be submitted on the Bid Form provided. Offers will be required
to be submitted under a condition of irrevocability for a period of 60 days
after submission.
The Owner reserves the right to accept or reject any or all offers.
GDOT Standard Specifications Construction of Transportation Systems, 2001
Edition, apply to the Contract. GDOT has established a DBE Goal for this
project of 10%. Bidders must document all attempts to meet this goal and
submit with bids. Bidders submitting bids in excess of $2,000,000.00 must be
prequalified with GDOT.
City of Comer, Georgia
William E. Burroughs, Mayor