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Vol. 24 No. 29 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 28 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements ROADS ECONOMY Hwy. 98 resurfacing project to begin Monday The Georgia Department of Transportation will begin resur facing State Hwy. 98 from U.S. Hwy. 29 in Danielsville to State Hwy. 72 in Comer on Monday, July 27. The resurfacing work will include 7.4 miles (from the red light in Danielsville, to the red light in Comer) and work will be done from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. A pilot car and flagger will lead motorists through the area during those times. Media representative Terri Pope said the $788,000 project is being funded by federal stimulus funds, and is the only such road project in the county. The project is expected to take six weeks to complete. INFRASTRUCTURE IDA approves Hull sewer contract By Zach Mitcham zach@mainstreetnews.com Madison County leaders approved a contract Monday for the construction of a long- awaited commercial sewer system in the Hull area. The county industrial authority unanimously approved a contract with Driver Construction Company for $ 1,995,545, which was the lowest of five bids submitted for the project. The IDA hopes to have the sewer system in place by the end of the year. A commercial sewer system has been a goal for local lead ers for years. They note that the sewer services are need ed before many businesses, particularly restaurants, will locate in Madison County’s — See ‘I I ).V on 2A DOT Open house on Hwy. 29 project set for July 30 By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews.com The DOT is taking input July 30 at Madison County High School on its proposal to widen 10.8 miles of Hwy. 29 — including a 6.5-mile bypass of Danielsville on the western edge. Including right-of-way purchases, the project would cost $126 million. “We’re talking over 10 miles of four-lane divided highway here,’’ Georgia DOT spokesperson Teri Pope said. The open house is sched uled for 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the MCHS cafeteria. Georgia DOT engineers will be avail able to discuss the proposed project, but no formal pre sentation is planned. The project is divided into two phases, but Pope said that both are considered “long-range.” Neither has funding attached. “Both projects don’t have money or years allocated to them,” Pope said. The Hwy. 29 widening in Madison County would start where the four-lane sec tion now ends — near the intersection of Fortson Store Road — and extend north of Danielsville to the inter section of Wildcat Bridge Road. The first segment, a4.3-mile four-lane widening from the intersection of Fortson Store Road to Diamond Hill, will follow the existing roadway, but construction will “cor rect geometry” on the hilly, — See ‘Hwy. 29’ on 2A INSIDE Index: News — 1-3A Opinions — 4-5A Crime — 6A Socials — 10-12A Classifieds — 13-15A Schools — 16A 2B Sports— 1-2B Obituaries — 3B Churches — 4B Legate— 5-12B Contact: Phone: 706-795-2567 Fax: 706-795-2765 Mail: P.O. Box 658, Danielsville, GA, 30633 Web: MadisonJoumalTODAY. com State title hunt The Madison County Little League 11-12-year- old all star softball team won its first game in the state tournament, then fell to Warner Robins. The squad is aiming for a rematch with Robins Thursday. —PagelB Jobless rate climbs County’s first-time unemployment claims jump 23 percent in June SERVICES Social workers face strains during economic downturn Madison County’s first- time unemployment claims jumped 23 percent between May and June. Three hundred ninety five people in Madison County filed for unemployment insurance for the first time in June, up from 319 in May. That number is up 206 per cent from June 2008, when 129 people filed first-time unemployment claims. Meanwhile, the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) reported that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 10.1 percent in June, the highest rate ever recorded in Georgia. The jobless rate was up five-tenths of a per centage point from a revised 9.6 percent in May. “Georgia is in the midst of a deepening economic crisis,” said State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. Last month, 483,394 unemployed Georgians were looking for work, an increase of 65 percent from June of 2008. Of that num ber, 160,249, or 33 percent, are receiving state unem ployment insurance benefits, while approximately 93,000 — See ‘Jobs’ on 2A By Zach Mitcham zach@mainstreetnews.com With the economic downturn, social service organizations across the state are feeling the strain of increased calls for help coupled with decreased funding for staff. And Madison County’s Department of Family and Children’s Services is not immune to that pressure. County DFCS director Lisa Plank noted that food stamp and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cases have increased dramati cally over the past couple of years. — See ‘Services’ on 2A Cruisin’ in to Madison County A large crowd turned out Saturday at Madison Memorial Park in Danielsville for the Madison County Cruisers’ car show. Pictured (above) is Bill Brown, Baldwin, with his 1935 Chevy Coupe that he assembled. (Left) Betty Seymour, Bowman, is pic tured with her 1966 Mustang. Zach Mitcham/Staff CITY NEWS Hull leaders question town’s population estimates By Margie Richards margie@mainstreetnews.com At least one Hull council member thinks the town’s population estimates may be off - maybe by as much as 50 percent. Councilman Wayne Melton told fellow coun cil members Monday night that he thinks population figures for Hull, gleaned from the 2000 census and other estimates, are too low. Hull’s population is esti mated at 161, but Melton said he thinks it could be double that, or more. Melton pointed out that the subdivision of Hidden Falls on Glenn Carrie Road, which lies within the city limits, contains approxi mately 30 homes. “If you multiply that by a family of four in each house, that’s nearly the whole cur rent population there,” he said. And Melton pointed out that the subdivision, which is still fairly new, is not on the city’s current tax maps. Melton said he feels every effort should be taken to make sure the population in the city is counted accu rately, since that is what so much of the town’s revenue is based on for local option sales taxes, grants and other funding. Mayor Paul Elkins agreed, saying that the coun cil should do all it can to encourage participation in the upcoming 2010 census. “We need to cooper ate with the census - it’s money in (our) pocket,” Elkins noted. Elkins and his wife Becky, who also serves on the council, recently returned from the annual Georgia Municipal Convention in Savannah, where the upcoming census was also discussed. “There will be a big push to get it done,” the mayor said. County commission — See ‘Hull’ on 2A