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PAGE 2A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 31. 2009
Madison Co. BOC
to meet Monday
The Madison County Board of
Commissioners will meet at 6:30
p.m., Monday, Jan. 4, in the county
government complex.
Agenda items include:
•Approval of minutes.
•Business involving guests,
groups or multiple visitors.
•Chairman’s report (Chairman
Dove
ZONING
HEARINGS:
•Brenda Meeler request to
rezone 6.7 acres from B-l to B-2.
The property is located on Map 19
Parcel 21 on Hwy. 106 in District
3.
•Zoning board chairman Wayne
Douglas — change to section
7.3.1.4 of the zoning ordinance to
be amended for farm animals in a
RR zone.
•Chairman Douglas — change
to section 14.3.8.2 of the zoning
ordinance to be amended for fail
ure of the applicant to appear at
the board of commissioners’ public
hearing.
•Chairman Douglas - codifica
tion of the Madison County Zoning
Ordinance and the Subdivision
Regulations.
•Statements and remarks from
citizens on agenda items.
OLD BUSINESS:
•Consider replacement of three
(3) vehicles for the sheriff’s depart
ment. (Chairman Dove)
•Discuss 2010 personnel and
general policies. (Donna Sisk)
•Consider bids on Sims Kidd
Road. (Chairman Dove)
•Consider maintenance on Farm
Road. (Commissioner Scogin)
NEW BUSINESS:
•Consider approval of the quali
fying fees for each office up for
election during the 2010 election
cycle. (Probate Judge Cody Cross)
•Roads update.
•Urgent matters.
•Statements and remarks from
citizens.
•Closed session to discuss land
acquisition, personnel matters and/
or potential litigation (if needed).
Industrial authority
issues report to BOC
The Madison County Industrial Development and Building Authority
issued the following report to the Madison County commissioners
Monday:
"Tire Harrison Water Project is coming along despite the wet weather.
We are working on Dove Hill Road to Hwy. 29 to tie to the Franklin County
Water System. Griffin Brothers is filling the lines, pressure testing and chlo
rinating. We should soon have water on Hwy. 281. Cheek Pulliam Road,
Hannah's Creek Church Road, Aaron Brown Road and Okl Harrison
School Road. We plan to add Bud Freeman Road, Faith Valley Church
Road, Hwy: 281 to Osley Drive and part of Dove Drake Road with the grant
funds we have left.
Brewer Phillips Road section is complete. We will be adding service on
this line shortly for Madison County Recreation Park and other customers
on this road.
We plan to add Neese-Diamond Hill Road from Hw y. 29 to Sanders
Road, along with Spratlin Pond Drive and Jackson Sharp Road in the next
60 to 90 days.
Tire Seagraves Mill Dam has siphon pipes installed to meet EPD Safe
Dams temporary requirements. We found the drain pipe needs to be
replaced. Carter Engineering is working with Safe Dams to get the plan
approved to replace this drain pipe. The lake le\’el will need to be kept low
until this can be approved and replace the drain through tire dam.
Tire Hull-Sanford Waste Water Plant is approximately 2 weeks behind
schedule due to rain delays. Tire concrete tanks are in place and plumbing
should start in January. Tire mailt line piping for the drip system has been
installed and the drip field should be completed in early February. We will
be installing the Force Main from Ingles to the plant in the next 60 days."
Cross ...
sure they were a match and that
they were both physically and
mentally prepared for the surgery.
Cody was found to be an “almost-
perfect” candidate to be a living
donor for his dad, and he says now
that it was all worth it to see the
dramatic difference in his dad.
"That’s what it’s all about it,”
Cody said of his gift to his dad.
And Cody said he will never
forget the Christmas Day “dance”
Glenn treated him to as he (Cody)
was preparing to leave the hospital
to go home.
"He just came bouncing into my
room, just a dancing and snapping
his fingers - and I could barely
move,” Cody said chuckling. “It
was wonderful and amazing to
see.”
And Glenn, who followed his
son home on Saturday, said he has
continued to jokingly “mb it in" on
how well he is doing every time
the pair talk.
"He (Cody) said Monday was
the first day he could get out of
bed by himself, and I told him I
could do that the first day,” Glenn
said chuckling. “I’m gonna mb it
in every chance I get. He told me
to stop making him laugh, ‘cause
it hurts.”
cont’d from 1A
Cody surgery required a deeper
incision, Glenn said, since doctors
went in from the front to retrieve
the kidney from near the back.
And all the pair could eat for
several days was several varieties
of broth, Glenn said. There was
chicken broth, vegetable broth and
beef broth - not very appetizing.
But since his release, Glenn said
he’s been told he can eat anything
he wants, but he’s trying to take
it slow.
Cody said he plans to return to
his work as probate judge some
time after Jan. 7, when he will go
back to Piedmont for a follow up
visit.
“It was amazing how nice every
one at the hospital was and how
nice they continue to be,” Glenn
said. Cody agreed. "We met so
many nice folks,” Cody said. He
especially remembers one nice
lady who brings gift bags every
Christmas Day to living donors
at the hospital, telling the story
of how she received a liver trans
plant.
“We just want everyone to know
how much we have appreciated
their prayers for our family and
their love and support,” Glenn said.
“It's been wonderful.”
Dr. Neelagaru, M.D. (Dr. Neel)
Dr. Neel is:
• Associated with Northeast Georgia
Heart Center in Gainesville,
Georgia. He performs all invasive
cardiology procedures at the
Ronnie Green Heart Center at
Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Clinic.
• Affiliated with BJC.
• Accepts most insurances.
Commerce Cardiology Clinic
Call for appointment.
706-335-2000
Decade ... cont’d from 1A
staff in 2004, part of a year
long conflict between the BOC/
chairman’s office and those who
assess and appraise the county's
taxes.
The state found problems in
appraisal practices but made no
suggestions on personnel issues
that fueled the ongoing tension
between the two county offices.
The GBI was also called in to
investigate after former assessor
chairman John Bellew — who
had resigned — alleged that
someone had tampered with
property tax records. The GBI
determined that no tampering
occurred.
•Tornado strikes Madison
Co.
A tornado ripped through
Madison County in September
2004, leaving significant prop
erty damage and injuries but no
fatalities.
The wreckage included dam
age to the recreation department,
the library, the senior center and
the historic Strickland House.
•County bargains with
major oil company
Years after spilling con
taminants in Madison County,
Colonial Pipeline agreed to pay
for a water line from Madico
Park to the 87-home contami
nant zone in the Colbert Grove
Church Road area.
2003
•Voters approve millions in
SPLOST
Madison County voters over
whelmingly supported two sales
tax renewals — one four county
schools and one for the county
government — in March of
2003 to generate $19 million for
projects over a five-year period.
•School athletic complex
construction begins
The Madison County School
System broke ground on a long-
awaited sport complex across
the road from Madison County
High School in 2003. The com
plex included a football practice
field, a track, a baseball field,
tennis courts and a soccer field.
•Old courthouse reopens
Madison County completed
renovations of its old court
house — vacant since 1997 —
in February 2003, allowing the
county chamber of commerce
to move into the refurbished
downstairs of the building.
2002
•IDA land use purchase
sparks controversy
A government purchase of
land off Hwy. 72 for an indus
trial park sparked controversy
throughout 2002. As the months
passed, the county industrial
authority's focus turned to
the contentious, yet challeng
ing issue of rehabilitating an
old well on the property and
expanding the Hull water sys
tem.
•Animal shelter opens
A 10,000 square-foot animal
shelter opened in December
2002 off Colbert-Danielsville
Road, providing space for stray
animals from both Madison and
Oglethorpe counties. The facil
ity was not built with taxpayer
money, but with private dona
tions instead.
•Jail construction mired in
trouble
The Madison County Board
of Commissioners fired the
original construction crew for
the new Madison County jail
in 2002 after an independent
inspection firm found over a
100 flaws in the building’s con
struction. A new crew took over
in October 2002. The build
ing was eventually completed
in 2003.
2001
•Madison Co., nation
shocked by 9-11
The 9-11 terrorist attacks
on the world trade center in
New York topped all news sto
ries, both local and national, in
September of 2001. Madison
County reeled with the rest of
the nation as two highjacked
planes crashed into the twin
towers, while another hit the
Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Local agencies — law
enforcement, E-911 and the
health department — readied
for the threat of terrorism in
the wake of the attacks, while
Madison County citizens donat
ed blood and money to aid relief
efforts in New York.
•Comer principal resigns
after allegations
Comer Elementary School
principal Mac Almond resigned
in March 2001 amid allegations
of embezzlement. The Almond
controversy came to a close in
2002 with no criminal charges
filed.
•Construction of new jail
begins
Construction of a long-awaited
new Madison County jail began
in 2001. The 60-bed facility on
Hwy. 98 would replace the old
jail, which was one of the most
overcrowded detainment facili
ties in the state. Voters approved
$2.3 million dollars for the con
struction back in 1998.
•Fortson convicted of Benton
murder
The sensational murder trial
and conviction of Tracy Lea
Fortson was the major crime
story of 2001. Forston, a for
mer Oglethorpe County deputy,
was convicted of murdering
ex-boyfriend Doug Benton in
his Colbert home, encasing his
body in cement and hiding it
in a wooded area in Oglethorpe
County. The case attracted
national coverage. The National
Enquirer ran a story over the
murder, while Court TV sought
to provide live coverage of the
trial, but was denied access.
Fortson was later awarded a
new trial but was convicted
again for the murder.
2000
•Madison Co. Schools near
ly broke
Madison County Schools
Superintendent Dennis Moore
resigned in September 2000,
shortly before it was revealed
that the system had a $369 cash
balance. The Madison County
Board of Education took out a
$895,000 loan and approved a
26 percent property tax increase
to help offset a projected $2 mil
lion shortfall. Allen McCannon
was installed as interim super
intendent. Keith Cowne took
over in 2001.
•Nash wins second term
Wesley Nash narrowly defeat
ed distant relative Nelson Nash
in November 2000 to win his
second term as Madison County
Board of Commissioners chair
man.
•Hull-Sanford Elementary
opens
Madison County gained its
fifth elementary school when
Hull-Sanford Elementary
opened its doors in August
2000, drawing its student body
of three of the four existing
elementary schools.
•New Hull water system
dedicated
Madison County installed a
new water system in 2000 to
serve Ingles and Hull-Sanford
Elementary.
Bank... cont’d from 1A
business comes through con
sumer lending. Because of that.
Commercial hasn't suffered the
commercial development and
real estate acquisition develop
ment loan losses that have hin
dered larger banks.
Through the third quarter.
Commercial had posted a net
income of $262,000. It is antici
pating around $500,000 in prof
its this year.
The Comer branch will be a
full-service bank. Those services
will include safety deposit boxes
as long as there’s enough space
in the vault area after the retrofit
ting of tire Windstream building.
Commercial will employ five
to six people at the Comer site
and is interested in hiring local
bankers, Townsend said.
This will Commercial Bank's
third branch. The other two sites
are located in Crawford and
Winterville.
According to a press release.
Commercial has filed applica
tions with the state's Department
of Banking and Finance and
the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation to open tire Comer
branch.
Townsend said in the press
release that Commercial is “con
fident that our regulators will
approve our application and
allow us to branch our strength
and stability within Madison
County.”
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