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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 8. 2009 — PAGE 3A
County program wants your shoes
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Beware. The Keep Madison
County Beautiful program is
after your soles.
The local community better
ment organization requests the
donation of lightly-used shoes
that might be taking up closet
space in an effort to collect
footwear for the needy.
“We’re asking people to get
a box — maybe churches can
have their own collection —
and then just get them to us at
the recycling center by the end
of November,” KMCB direc
tor Sandra Webb said.
Webb is asking for those
gently worn, good-condition
shoes. County residents can
dropoff these unwanted shoes
from Oct. 12 to Nov. 30.
The drive is actually part of
a regional effort — “Soles 4
Souls” — to collect 250,000
pairs of shoes. Other counties
participating include Oconee
County and Clarke County.
“We’re all working together
on this,” Webb said.
Donated footwear should be
bound together by shoestrings
or rubber bands.
Webb hopes the word
spreads to local organizations
and institutions about this
event.
“I’m hoping the schools will
get involved and start collect
ing them and the churches and
the businesses,” she said.
Webb believes the surplus
is out there, noting that she
sees several pairs of salvage
able shoes thrown away at
the Madison County transfer
station.
In fact, she said she ran
across a pair one day that was
still in the box.
“You wouldn’t believe some
of the shoes that come through
here that are just perfect,” she
said.
KMCB hosting shredder
Saturday; river clean-up
runs all month
Those needing to rid them
selves of top-secret documents
can safely dispose of them
at Saturday’s “Super Shredder
Event” at the Madison County
Government Complex from
10 a.m. to noon.
Webb said county residents
can bring “any sensitive docu
ments they want destroyed.”
“They can bring up to two
boxes, kind of the size of copy
paper boxes, per vehicle,”
Webb explained.
This is the first time the
shredder has come to Madison
County, though a regional
shredding event was held
recently in Athens.
Documents will be shredded
on a truck supplied by The
Lindsay Group, an agent of
Mayflower Transit.
“You can watch by camera
as they shred your papers,”
Webb said.
The shreds will be recycled.
Meanwhile, KMCB attempts
to tidy up the Broad River this
month.
The organization is asking
for volunteers to pick up trash
along the riverbanks.
"We’re asking people to get
their friends and family and
go out on the river and find
a location and do clean ups,”
Webb said.
Several are already chipping
in. Webb said several MCHS
students looking for com
munity service projects have
already signed up.
“I’ve had some students
come and find their own
cleanup location .... I thought
that was great, the teenag
ers getting involved in this
and motivating their friends
to come out and help,” Webb
said.
Madison Animal Hospital to hold grand opening
Madison Animal Hospital
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Madison Animal Hospital
in Danielsville will hold a
grand opening Saturday,
Oct. 17, to correspond
with the festivities of the
Danielsville Fall Festival
across the road in Madison
County Memorial Park. The
grand opening will be held
from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and
includes a chance to win
a number of door prizes,
such as dinner at the Tanner
House restaurant next door,
a free spay or neuter, free
grooming, heartworm pre
ventative or Frontline flea
protection.
Teddy bear surgery will
also be performed and there
will be lots of treats for the
kids.
The clinic opened its
doors in its new location in
the historic Griffeth House
(circa 1925) in May, though
the business, and veteri
narian/owner Dr. Allene
Phillips, are not new to the
county.
Dr. Phillips first opened
her clinic on Moriah Church
Road north of Danielsville
in the fall of 2002.
“I always wanted to be
in town (Danielsville) and
I always loved this house,”
Dr. Phillips said of the
move.
In addition to Dr. Phillips,
Dr. Heather Fields is also
on staff part-time. Together,
both doctors treat small ani
mals (dogs and cats), as well
as exotics, such as birds and
reptiles.
“The response to our
being here has been over
whelming and we’re glad to
be part of the community,”
Mary Anderson, business
manager for the clinic said.
In their new larger
4,000-square-foot location
(their old clinic was 1,800
square feet), they are also
able to “spread out” to offer
expanded services such as
boarding and grooming.
Lisa Andrews, an expe
rienced groomer from K-9
Kutz of Commerce, is on
hand Monday through
Friday to provide grooming
services by appointment.
Both Dr. Phillips and Dr.
Fields are Madison County
residents with an investment
in the community, Anderson
said, and each complements
the other in the practice.
“We believe in individual
pet care, we don’t just treat
our patients all the same,”
Dr. Phillips said. “As the pet
population grows and ages,
the need for pain control
and geriatric care is going
to increase and we want to
provide that to our clients.”
And Dr. Phillips stresses
that veterinary care is not
just about the animals they
treat, but is also about pub
lic health for citizens.
“We want every client
made aware of what diseas
es can pass between owners
and their pets,” Dr. Phillips
said.
As for the historic Griffeth
House, the staff considers it
a landmark and has worked
to preserve and bring out
the charm of the old home.
“It’s a matter of blend
ing the old with the new,”
Dr. Phillips said. “We’re
preserving this old historic
home, and at the same time
bringing in to it new, inno
vative veterinary care and
technology.”
Comer to keep tax rate steady
By Frank Gillispie
frankgillispie67 l@msn.com
Comer will take in eight-
percent less property tax
revenue for 2009 than the
previous year.
The city council will
approve its millage rate at
2 p.m., Oct. 22, at city hall.
The tax rate will remain at
4.4 mills, which will gener
ate an estimated $103,537
in property tax revenue
for this year, down from
$112,516 for 2008.
The city had seen a steady
growth in its property val
ues between 2004 and
2007, with the city digest
growing from 17.76 mil
lion in 2004 to $24.77 mil
lion in 2007, an $8 million
or 45 percent increase.
But the digest dipped this
year by $521,000 or two
percent, which meant that
city property tax revenues
would drop without a tax
rate increase.
Comer’s city council
held its regular monthly
meeting Monday night,
with mayor pro tern Kevin
Booth presiding over the
meeting, since Mayor Billy
Burroughs was unable to
attend. Booth noted that the
city’s tax rate will be set
Oct. 22.
In other matters, the
council received a request
for clarification of the
brush and limb pickup
dates from the Royal Oaks
Homeowners Association.
Booth responded that no
exact date has been set, but
with the reduced mowing
schedule due to the onset of
cooler weather, city crews
will have more time for
debris pickup. But he was
unable to name a specific
date for the service.
A petition from residents
on Laurel Avenue request
ed speed bumps. The city
has looked at bumps in the
past and found that rules
have made them too expen
sive for the city to build at
this time. Council mem
bers suggested that the city
police department should
increase patrols in the area
with the purpose of sup
pressing speeders.
The Nov. 2 meeting of the
council has been moved up
to 1 p.m. from the regularly
scheduled 6 p.m.
Sanford Men’s Club to
sponsor forum Oct. 20
The Sanford Men’s Club is sponsoring a forum with Madison
County commissioner chairman Anthony Dove on Tuesday, Oct.
20, at 7 p.m. The forum is being held to discuss and answer ques
tions about issues facing the county and the Sanford Community,
organizers said.
The forum will begin at 7 p.m. in the Sanford Community
Center. Everyone is invited, club members said.
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(next door to Danielsville Methodist Church)
Colbert to save
homeowners small cost
City passes $514,000 budget
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Colbert approved a
$514,110 budget Monday
night, including enough
money to cover dollars lost
through the state cutting the
homeowners’ relief grant.
Colbert collected $43,765
in ad valorem taxes last year,
$4,500 of which came via
the state’s homeowners tax
exemption program. That
amounted to about $35 per
household in Colbert.
That state money is gone
now, but Colbert leaders
felt the city’s finances were
strong enough to save city
residents that cost.
“I think we can afford to
absorb that $4,500 if y’all
so desire,” mayor John
Waggoner told the council
before approving the budget.
“Because we’re all going to
get hit hard by the county.
It’s going to cost about $235
each.”
To make that happen, the
city intends to lower its mill-
age rate to 3.5 from 3.95.
Colbert can’t set its millage
rate until next month.
“I say we try to absorb it
if we can and give the hom
eowners as much help as we
can,” councilman Chris Peck
said.
This year’s budget package
also includes $18,000 to add
1,300 feet of sidewalks on
Second Avenue and a five-
percent increase for employ
ee salaries.
Colbert also budgeted
$69,600 in SPLOST money
this budget year. The city des
ignated $20,000 of that go to
water projects, $20,000 to old
school building and $29,600
be saved in a reserve fund.
As for water projects,
Waggoner noted that the city
needed to apply SPLOST
money to replace substan
dard waterlines with six-inch
water lines along a section of
Second Avenue.
“That would take care of
all of our substandard lines
in Colbert,” Waggoner said.
“That’s where I think we
need to probably spend that
$20,000.”
New cemetery
lot prices OK’d
Colbert will charge $850
for four-grave lots and $500
for two-grave lots that have
been created with the expan
sion of the city cemetery.
The city has already cleared
and surveyed a new 2.5-acre
portion of the cemetery, cre
ating 257 new lots.
It also added 18 two-grave
lots to extra space at the old
section of the cemetery.
The city will now advertise
for bids to grade 450 feet of
streets in the cemetery.
In other news, Colbert
has hired an engineer to
fix a drainage problem in
Crystal Creek subdivision.
Meanwhile, Waggoner said
the city needs to hire a car
penter to perform repairs to
some dilapidated floor areas
of the city’s old school build
ing.
Those upgrades can be
funded through the $20,000
the city set aside in SPLOST
for that facility.
Danielsville police
officer resigns
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Danielsville is losing one
of its two-member police
force.
The council accepted a let
ter of resignation from police
man Henry Hicks Monday
night. Hicks’ resignation is
effective Oct. 18, the day
after the town’s fall festival.
The council agreed to
hire officer Steve Gary as
a temporary replacement for
Hicks, who primarily works
night-shift patrol. Gary is
a former deputy with the
Madison County Sheriff’s
Office. Gary will start the
week Hicks leaves and will
be paid $14 per hour.
The council agreed to
advertise for the position for
the next three weeks and dis
cuss applicants for the job at
their next council meeting on
Nov. 2.
In other business, the coun
cil voted to have county engi
neer Phil Munro go ahead
with an engineering study for
the Madison Street sewer lift
station. The council previ
ously signed an intergovern
mental agreement with the
county industrial authority
to utilize Munro’s services
/ \
THANK YOU
I want to thank each person
who made a financial
contribution to my son, Stan
Graham. Also, especially for
your prayers, visits, calls,
and cards. He spent 3
months in the hospital with
many health problems. His
place of employment closed,
so had no income or
insurance. He is home now
and much better, looking
forward to getting his leg
prosthesis. Thank you Rotary
Club for building the ramp
for him. God bless!
Sincerely,
Bea Graham
Comer, GA
V J
when needed.
The council also agreed to
hold a budget work session
Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m.
The council discussed that it
may have to raise the millage
rate this year. Councilwoman
Junne Temple said she wants
the council to participate in
the budget “work up” and
that she is concerned that the
millage rate may need to be
raised.
The council amended the
agenda to hire Fanita Johnson
to serve as a poll worker dur
ing early voting for the may
or’s election, which will be
held Oct. 13-30 (Monday -
Friday) from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Police chief Rodney
Christian reported that he and
officer Hicks have stepped
up patrols in the Northridge
Drive/ Crawford W. Long
area and have issued several
tickets for speeding. Christian
said they will continue to
monitor the area in the morn
ings and afternoons.
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It is always good to see our
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their children at ACS. We
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helping with their training and
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