Newspaper Page Text
THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 24. 2009 — PAGE 3A
New Comer storm water system faces first test
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
With $700,000 in grant
funds, the city of Comer
recently installed the down
town storm water control sys
tem, which included curbing,
guttering and sidewalks.
Considering the deluge
of rain this past week, the
changes couldn’t have come
at a better time.
Comer City Clerk Steve
Sorrells said he measured 5.5
inches of rain in six days with
the highest one-day total of
two inches.
“Those amounts are not sig
nificant in relation to what
they had in and around Atlanta
nor amounts that have given
us problems downtown in the
past,” said Sorrells. “It was
enough, however, to give us
an idea as to how the system
downtown would mechani
cally handle the water and
it did very good. There
were no spots where large
puddles of water were left
standing after a heavy rain. I
did not hear anything from
anyone saying a building got
water into it from runoff.”
Sorrells said a deluge like
the kind experienced in the
Atlanta area would likely
have caused problems.
“Understand, of course, we
are still to be tested and that
test will be a subjective opin
ion and I’m not convinced
that we would not have had a
lot of problems if we had got
ten the 10 to 15 inches of rain
in a 24-hour period like they
did in the Douglasville area,”
said Sorrells. “If we had got
ten that we would have had
major problems all over the
area.”
In a separate downtown
improvement project, the city
also replaced outdated down
town fire hydrants and water
lines. The old hydrants, which
dated back to the 1930s or
40s, were upgraded from 2 Vi
inch to 5 l A inch outlets. The
new lines were installed in
front of the post office, run
ning down to B&B Tire, to
Bluebell Gallery, then up to
Center Street and back down
to Merchants and Farmers
Bank.
“It’s sort of a ‘P’ shape,”
said Sorrells of how water
lines are laid out.
Sorrells said the new lines
and hydrants improve fire
protection for the downtown
area.
“The concern we’ve had is
a fire running through the
buildings, and in a situation
like that you need a mas
sive amount of water,” said
Sorrells. “We’re better able to
provide that water if needed
now.”
Sorrells and the Comer
council have asked the state
to allow the city to use left
over state grant funds from
the storm water project for the
water line upgrades, which
the city initially intended
to cover with special pur
pose local option sales tax
(SPLOST) funds. The city
has not gotten a response on
the request. If the transfer is
allowed. Comer could use the
SPLOST funds for other city
upgrades.
SEPTEMBER
MEETING
In the council’s recent
September meeting, Sorrells
reminded the council of a
hydrant flush scheduled for
Sept. 22-23. Royal Oaks
Homeowners Association rep
resentatives noted that a sub
division cleanup was sched
uled for Sept. 19. The council
voted to allow Mike Allen to
reserve only the upper field
for his baseball team, not the
lower field at the city park.
The council agreed to set a
speed limit of 25 mph on
Clover Avenue. The council
discussed the condition of the
alley in back of the Kangaroo
Store and considered placing
the alley on the Department
of Transportation’s Local
Assistance Road Program list
or providing crush n’ run.
Paving by the city will not be
possible at this time.
Madison Co. BOC to meet Monday
The Madison County Board
of Commissioners will meet
at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Sept.
28, in the county government
complex.
Agenda items include:
•Chairman’s report.
(Chairman Anthony Dove)
•Report from IDA. (Marvin
White)
•Statements and remarks
from citizens on agenda
items.
•Annual report of the
Georgia Forestry Commission
for the Elbert/Madison County
unit. (Chief Ranger Wesley
Moss)
•Consider bids for records
management contract for the
sheriff’s department. (Sheriff
Kip Thomas)
•Consider budget amend
ment from 2008 admin
istration for the Sheriff’s
Department. (Sheriff Kip
Thomas)
•Consider appeal of Section
9.1.3.1 of the zoning ordi
nance for Teresa Brooks.
(Linda Fortson)
•Discuss building inspection
software. (Eddie Pritchett)
•Discuss moving Beth
Harmon to a 75-percent
employee. (Donna Sisk)
•Consider two part-time
employees to the call in list
for EMS. (Donna Sisk)
•Consider proclamation for
Rotary Club for 400 th ramp
built. (Chairman Dove)
•Consider adoption
of Spratlin Pond Road.
(Commissioner Mike
Youngblood)
•Consider amending
County Noise Ordinance.
(Commissioner Pete Bond)
•Discuss appointment to
planning and zoning board
for District 1 for next term.
(Commissioner Stanley
Thomas)
•Discuss purchasing policy
change. (Chairman Dove)
•Roads update. (Chairman
Dove)
•Urgent matters. (Chairman
Dove)
•Review October 5. 2009
agenda for business meeting.
•Statements and remarks
from citizens.
•Closed session to discuss
land acquisition, personnel
matters and/or potential liti
gation (if needed).
Hull’s charter ‘woefully’ out-dated, attorney says
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Hull attorney Pat Graham said
the city's charter — some of
which dates back to 1906 —
is antiquated and needs to be
rewritten.
Graham gave council members
copies of the charter last month,
most of which could be disre
garded, he said.
"You might as well ‘X’ through
about two-thirds of it.” he told
the Hull City Council Monday.
“Because if you read it, you're
going to realize that most of it is
irrelevant."
For instance, guidelines regard
ing elections and anything relat
ing to how taxation is handled
are no longer in effect. Those
items fall under state law now.
“My suggestion is that you
read that for historical uses only.”
Graham said of the charter.
He suggested a complete re
write of the charter within the
next 12 months and said that
the regional development com
mittee (RDC) can help with the
re-draft.
A new charter needs to be sub
mitted by legislative delegation
by January 2011. Graham said.
“Get you a good charter,
because this thing is woefully
out of date," he said.
The charter does include some
interesting historical tid-bits,
however.
For instance, the first mayor and
council in 1906 were appointed,
mayor Paul Elkins pointed out.
An election was later held on
a Saturday that December, he
said.
"They probably had less turn
out than we do,” Elkins said.
Hull does have a current code
of ordinances, which has updated
some of the older data in the
charter.
"But I think y’all might want
to consider writing a new char
ter.” Graham reiterated.
City of Hull holding food drive Sunday
The City of Hull will hold
a food drive Sunday, Sept.
27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
at its city hall complex to
benefit the hungry.
Councilman Paul Cook is
coordinating the event and
will be assisted by council
man Wayne Melton.
“I want to set up a box
and canned food drive
and inform our neighbors,
friends and the churches
that we may attend,” Cook
said.
The city is accepting food
at the bay area of the city
hall building.
Hull plans to collect the
food and send it to ACTION
Inc., which coordinates
the Madison County food
N -A
ATTENTION: VFW MEMBERS
POST 8377 • Danielsville
We will meet September 26 • 10:00 a.m.
at the VFW Baseball Field
Hwy. 29 • North of Danielsville
We welcome any Vets interested in joining
our post so join us!
l a
Our 34th Year -
Atlanta
September
Camping &
RVSHOW
ATLANTA EXPOSITION CENTER SOUTH
1-285 EXIT 55 • JONESBORO RD.
THE ULTIMATE
no frills SUPER SAVINGS event
the biggest savings in our
34 years of hosting the
Atlanta Camping & RU Show
For more information and discounts, go to
www.atlantaRVshow.com
bank.
“It’s certainly a worth
while project,” Hull mayor
Paul Elkins said.
This may lead to Hull set
ting up its own food pantry,
open on the weekends.
"To set up our own, I’d
like to see how it turns out
the first time,” Cook said.
"To see what kind of turn
out we can have."
JAIL BREAKS BY
CLASSIC CITY BONDING, INC.
706-354-8655
24/7/365 Fast & Friendly Service
Now Serving; Madison & Jackson Counties!
Also Clarke, Jackson, Oconee, Oglethorpe & Barrow Counties
Email: jailbreaks@classiccitybonding.com
Web: classiccitybonding.com
50% OFFre,ail prices
ALL CONTAINER PLANTS
and all Pre-dug* balled & burlapped
trees and shrubs
•they are already dug from the field and sitting ready for purchase
Lots of sasanquas and camellias left. Filled with
buds! Will be blooming soon. Japanese Maples
at incredible prices. Lots of them, all sizes.
OUR LIQUIDATION SALE CONTINUES
WE ARE RESUMING THE SALE NOW THAT THE WEATHER IS MORE
TOLERABLE FOR US AND THE PLANTS
NO CREDIT CARDS • NO CREDIT CARDS
We have TREES!!!! red maples, sugar maples, oaks,
cryptomeria, leyland cypress, hollies, dogwoods, elms, Japanese
maples, ginkgo, redbuds, magnolias, birches, cherries, arborvitae,
zelcova, etc. etc F RUIT TREES & BLUEBERRIES
Not part of the sale.
Northeast Georgia 's largest nursery open to the public
Growing Since 1981
www.PinebushNursery.com
3332 Hwy. 106 between Neese & lla • Madison County
Check our Web site for directions & limited hours
OPEN Sept 24 & 25, 9-6; Sept 26, 10-3 • 706-789-2344
School system may
revisit facility upgrade talks
next year if economy rebounds
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
County school leaders
haven’t forgotten about pos
sible SPLOST-funded facil
ity upgrades, but won’t revisit
those discussions anytime
soon.
“The plan right now is
to revisit (that) a year from
now, in the fall of 2010,”
Madison County Schools
Superintendent Mitch McGhee
said. “And really, it’s totally
dependent upon the economy
and tax revenue and that kind
of stuff.”
The Madison County Board
of Education looked at poten
tial SPLOST improvements
earlier this year, including a
major overhaul of the high
school. But it suspended those
talks after having to make
large general budget cuts for
2009-2010.
Though SPLOST can’t be
used to aid general operating
expenses, the school board
thought considering facilities
upgrades while funding to
other parts of the school sys
tem was very lean would be
unpopular.
The hope is to be in better
shape come next fall.
“Around a year from now
we’re going to take a look at
what the economy is like, and
if everything is clicking a long
nice, then we would probably
look at trying to take some
thing to the voters in the spring
of 2011,” McGhee said.
But he added, “I’m not real
optimistic right now. But we’ll
see.”
McGhee said he doesn’t
see the school system’s needs
really changing between now
and next fall.
“Our needs are going to be
about the same as they are
right now, it’s just trying to fig
ure out how to get the money,”
he said.
COUNTY SCHOOLS
STABLE THROUGH
HEAVY RAINS
Madison County Schools
seem to have weathered the
storm, literally.
Though schools in metro
Atlanta and some in north
Georgia experienced major
rain-related issues, the recent
monsoon of storms didn’t
interrupt the day-to-day busi
ness at schools within the
county.
“We haven’t had any flood
ing issues,” superintendent
Mitch McGhee said.
There were minor problems
for buses on dirt road routes,
but McGhee that’s the case
during any heavy rain.
“So it’s not really unique to
this event we’re having right
now,” he said.
There was also no major
water damage reported at any
of the school campuses.
Contested municipal races
ahead in Madison County
Contested races for local municipal seats on Nov. 3 include:
•Glenn Cross (incumbent) and Philip Croya for mayor of
Danielsville.
•Billy Burroughs (incumbent) and David McMickle for
mayor of Comer.
•Ellyn Trinrud, Timothy Wyatt and Reginald A. Hunter for a
Colbert City Council post.
•Paul Cook (incumbent) and Paige Phillips for a Hull City
Council post.
Fair
• • • continued from page 1A
course, there’s a wide range of
rides, from the kiddie variety to
the lose-your-lunch, high-speed
spinners.
Cannon said attendance at last
year’s fair was down, due in large
part to the $4-a-gallon gas at tire
time.
"We hope people will make it
out this year,” he said.
Gates open nightly at 6 p.m.,
with a Saturday matinee sched
uled from noon to 4 p.m.
Unlimited rides cost $15 on
Tuesday and Thursday and
$18 on Wednesday, Friday and
Saturday.
Here’s a schedule of events:
•Tuesday, Sept. 29, From tire
Heart of Dixie, Little Roy Lewis
and Lizzie Long (performances at
7 and 9 p.m.); pig show, 7 p.m.
•Wednesday, Sept. 30, Big
Daddy’s Band, 7 p.m.; Jr. 4-H and
FFA beef cattle show, 7 p.m.
•Thursday. Oct. 1, Bobby
Compton Band, 7 p.m.; Jr. 4-H
and FFA beef cattle show, 7 p.m.
•Friday, Oct. 2, Soul Connection,
7 p.m.; goat show. 6 p.m.; local
kids cattle show, 7 p.m.
•Saturday, Oct. 3. The New
Dixie Stomi, 7 p.m.; open cattle
show, noon.
Now Accepting Children
TARTTUA'C
PLAYROOM CHILDCARE
6744 Hwy. 106 • Hull, GA 30646
706-353-6231
• Licensed/CDA Certified • Curriculum Age 2-5
• Ages 6 Weeks -11 Years Old
We Custom Build on Your Land!
Tomorrow’s
Homes, Inc.
New Location:
1960 Main Street (Just off Hivy. 72)
Comer, GA 30629
tomorrowshomes.com