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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA1 JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 10. 2009 — PAGE 3A
Smith honored by BOC
Pamela G. Smith, who has served as Madison County’s nurse manager at the
health department for the past six years, has accepted a promotion to the dis
trict health office. She was recognized Monday by county commissioners, who
noted Smith’s exemplary work both “at the clinic and outside the clinic.” Smith
received a standing ovation from the audience. She is pictured with BOC chair
man Anthony Dove (left) and District 1 commissioner Stanley Thomas (right),
who read a proclamation in honor of Smith.
BOC eases age restriction on mobile
homes in medical hardship cases
BUDGET MEETINGS
•BOC 2010 budget hearing, 6:30 p.m., Thursday,
Dec. 10, county gov’t complex
•BOC 2010 budget approval, 6:30 p.m., Thursday,
Dec. 17, county gov’t complex
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County com
missioners agreed Monday
to relax age restrictions on
mobile homes moved into
the county in cases of medi
cal hardship. But once the
medical hardship is over,
the mobile home must be
moved.
The county does not allow
mobile homes over 12 years
old to be moved into the
county. However, a woman
recently appeared before
commissioners to ask per
mission to move her mobile
home, which is over 12 years
old, to the county so that she
can live next to her ailing
mother.
BOC members said they
wanted to help the woman,
but they didn’t want to open
the door for misuse of the
medical hardship exemption.
For example, if a person is
allowed to move a mobile
home that does not meet the
age requirement, what hap
pens when the medical hard
ship is over? If the home
stays, can the owner then
use the trailer as rental prop
erty?
The woman who sought to
move the trailer may eventu
ally be able to rezone a sepa
rate lot to bring her home
into compliance with county
zoning regulations.
However, commissioners
said they didn’t want to open
up a backdoor way for rental
homes to be placed in the
county.
“You want to help peo
ple, but you don’t want
it to be misused to estab
lish rental properties,” said
Commissioner Stanley
Thomas.
Under current county
guidelines, mobile homes
over 12 years old that are
moved into the county in
cases of medical hardship
should be moved within 60
days of the medical hardship
ending.
In a separate zoning matter
Monday, the board agreed
to clarify its stream and
river setback requirements.
Stream setbacks are now
set at 50 feet in Madison
County. River setbacks
— for the Hudson, Broad
and South Fork of the Broad
rivers — are 100 feet.
The board also unani
mously approved a request
by Danny Vaughn for his
daughter Toni Vaughn to
rezone 8.492 acres on Sailors
Road from A-2 to R-R to
subdivide the property into
three parcels.
In other matters Monday,
commissioners renewed
beer and wine licenses for
the following businesses:
Adams Clover Farm, Apex
Express, Boutier Winery,
CVS Pharmacy, Diamond
Hill Grocery, Food Mart,
Golden Pantry #37, Ingles
Markets, Inc. #450, Jai’s
Country Comer, Kwik Chek,
Paoli Junction, Poci Grocery,
QuickPick, Strickland’sFood
Center, Tiny Town Minute
Mart, Country Superette and
Neese Grocery.
The group discussed
financing options for a
new pumper track for the
Danielsville Volunteer Fire
Department. The board also
met in closed session to dis
cuss litigation.
Road report submitted to BOC
The following report was
submitted to county com
missioners by the Madison
County Road Department
Monday, recapping depart
ment activities from Nov.
1-Dec. 4:
1. ) Motorgraders were in
the Carlton, Broad River,
Comer, Harrison, Booger
Hill, Ila, Danielsville,
Rogers, Shiloh, Sanford,
Russell Drive, Cooper Road,
Jot ‘em Down Road, Blacks
Creek, Red Hill Road areas.
Some roads were repaired
after heavy rains.
2. ) The grade crew was
scraping, cutting limbs,
repairing George Washington
Avenue, repairing Russell
Drive and Cooper Road and
repairing Moriah Church
Road.
3. ) The backhoe crew was
busy with pipe installation,
pipes cleaned all over, bury
ing 10 cows, one horse and
six deer carcuses.
4. The sidearm trimmer
was in the Rogers Mill to
Chambers Road and back to
Rogers area.
5. Bushhogs were in
Harrison, Old Wildcat
Bridge Road, Bluestone,
Shiloh Fort Lamar. Crews
helped with erosion control,
bushhogs serviced and went
back to Shiloh.
6. The patching machine is
staying busy on Sims Kidd
Road repairing for the Local
Assistance Road Program
(LARP). Strickland Circle
was also repaired. Other
roads were worked also.
7. Signs checked and name
signs finished installing. A
few more that are missing
will be ordered.
8. Building and grounds
personnel and prisoners
worked on road department
shelters with new roofing.
9. Allied Paving paved
Reggie Ingram and
McGinnis Chandler Roads
on Nov. 5-6.
10. Rain was heavy on
Nov. 10,11,18,19,22 and
Dec. 2.
11. The department had
to close roads twice due to
high water.
12. Gunnells Construction
installed a 108-inch diameter
pipe in Moon Guest Road
Creek Nov. 16. The road
was opened Nov. 20. The
area was hydroseeded Nov.
30. The afternoon of Dec. 2,
the pipe was damaged with
a six-inch rain and the road
was closed.
Waggoner presides over
final Colbert meeting
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
With a heartfelt thank
you, John Waggoner qui
etly ended his 40-year
run as mayor of Colbert
Monday night.
Waggoner is step
ping down after serving
Colbert since 1969, end
ing one of the longest
mayoral tenures - if not
the longest - in the state.
“I’ve been blessed,”
Waggoner said before
adjourning Monday
night’s meeting. “I thank
the Lord for blessing us
and me the way he has
over the last 40 years.”
The city held a recep
tion for Waggoner at its
already-decorated-for-
Christmas depot follow
ing the meeting.
Councilman Chris Peck,
who ran unopposed for
Waggoner’s vacated may
or’s seat, will take over in
January.
Waggoner, who’s
worked in the hard
ware business in Athens
since the 1950s, leaves
after having never been
opposed in an election.
Waggoner won’t go far,
John Waggoner
File photo
however. He’ll stay on in
an advisory role to the
council and Peck to aid in
the transition.
The money for this
position has already been
approved in the budget.
“I’ll be hanging around
to do whatever you want
me to do,” Waggoner
said.
WATER
AGREEMENT STILL
ON THE TABLE
Waggoner leaves office
while at work the city’s
contract renewal with
Piedmont Water.
He’s currently look
ing at $500,000 worth of
water system upgrades.
Re-signing with
Piedmont would allow
Colbert to earn a higher
percentage of the water
revenue or negotiate for
the $500,000 worth of
water system improve
ments.
Waggoner has told the
council in previous meet
ings that the city should
look into the upgrades.
At Monday’s meeting,
the mayor supplied the
council with a map from
Piedmont which laid
out potential water line
replacements throughout
the city.
Piedmont, however,
proposes that all engi
neering and design costs
be covered by the city,
a stipulation with which
Waggoner disagrees.
“I think they need to
pay for that,” he said.
Waggoner offered to
help the city in the the
water contract negotia
tions as he moves into his
advisory role.
“Y’all need to look
through that and study
that,” he said. “I’ll help
you in anyway that you
want me to.”
Colbert park upgrades
complete, pavilion discussed
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
The Colbert ball field
renovations have been
completed, with a few
dollars to spare.
The city recently fin
ished its long-awaited,
$11,000 upgrade of the
bathroom facilities at the
complex with a $855 sur
plus.
“That job over there is
complete as far as I know,”
Mayor John Waggoner
said. “The bills have been
paid.”
The recreation depart
ment, which leases the
ball fields from Colbert,
coordinated the bathroom
upgrade, while the city
paid for it using commu
nity funds.
Waggoner said there’s
also a $2,200 donation
earmarked for the park,
which means that Colbert
may have around $3,000
to apply toward possibly
adding a pavilion at the
facility.
Colbert leaders original
ly discussed the pavilion
option back in June when
they approved the renova
tions of the restrooms.
The city allotted money
collected through a now-
defunct community park
committee to fund the
project. The committee
disbanded about a decade
ago, leaving the city
$11,653 for city park use
on projects like the bath
room improvements.
Santa’s return to
Colbert draws
crowd of 500
Colbert’s bringing back
of Santa Claus this past
Friday earned rave reviews
from city officials.
This was the first time
Colbert has hosted a St.
Nick meet-and-greet for
children in years, and the
event drew an estimated
500 people at one point.
“I think it went very
well,” Peck said. “It was
very well received.”
Waggoner thanked all
involved, including Ellyn
Trinrud, who came up
with the idea and spear
headed the project.
“Ellyn just took the bull
by the horns and got it
done,” Waggoner said.
Trinrud said a committee
should meet again soon to
hash out ideas for next
year’s event.
Asbestos discovered in
old Colbert school
Colbert will pay a $4,578
removal fee after asbestos
was discovered in an area
of the old Colbert school-
house being repaired.
The city is fixing dam
aged flooring in three
rooms of the old building
and the ceiling in another
- which will cost $21,500
— but can’t move forth
with those plans until the
asbestos is gone.
Asbestos could be in
other parts of the building,
as well, meaning the city
may have to repeat the
process when working on
any other sections of the
former schoolhouse.
In other news, the city
again discussed plans
to plant trees around
town. Councilman Roger
Forston’s son, Brandon,
will draft plans for city
to review. The council
discussed appointing a
committee to determine a
location to plant a city
Christmas tree, as well.
The city also received
two prices for a new
Colbert sign on its eastern
border on Hwy. 72. The
estimates were $1,500
and $2,600. Colbert lost
its east entrance sign ear
lier in the decade when
it was broken during the
widening of Hwy. 72.
The company supposedly
responsible for breaking
the sign denies doing so,
but recently paid the city
$500 for the damages.
The Madison
County Journal
is your source
for local news.
Call 706-795-
2567 to
subscribe.
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