Newspaper Page Text
The
www.MadisonJournalTODAY.com
JANUARY 14, 2010
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
Vol. 25 No. 2 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 24 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
EMERGENCY SERVICES
Search is
on for new
EMS head
County launches investigation
on timesheet discrepancies
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
The search is on for a new
county ambulance director
after long-time EMS head
Dwayne Patton unexpect
edly resigned last week. In
the meantime, the county
government has launched
an internal investigation
into “timesheet discrepan
cies.”
“We are going to conduct
an internal investigation
on some issues that have
been brought to our atten
tion,” said BOC chairman
Anthony Dove.
Dove declined to offer
much more on the inves
tigation, noting that
employee interviews will
be conducted regarding the
timesheet discrepancies.
“We have to bring in
more employees to ques
tion,” he said.
Dove said the county will
take “appropriate actions”
once the investigation is
completed.
“We’ll move as quickly
as possible,” said Dove
of the investigation. “We
don’t know all the facts
yet. If there’s anything to
disclose, we’ll disclose it.”
Patton, who served as
Dwayne Patton
“There were some
discrepancies with
the timesheets that
weren’t correct and
weren’t right, but
there wasn’t any
thing done intention
ally. We thought we
were doing things in
the right way to the
best of our knowl
edge to try and take
care of business.”
— Dwayne Patton,
former EMS director
EMS director for the past
10 years, submitted his let
ter of resignation to Dove
Jan. 7.
“It is with a sad heart
that I tender my resignation
— See “Patton” on 2A
High-flyin’ Raiders
Madison County’s Trae Burton takes the ball to the hoop in a 67-60 win over
Winder-Barrow Tuesday night in Danielsville. The Raiders are now 13-3 on the
year. See Page IB for more coverage of Madison County basketball. Ben Munro/staff
CRIME
Armed
robbery
reported
Two armed men report
edly robbed a Hwy.
106 convenience store
Saturday, making off with
more nearly $900 in cash
and a $150 worth of phone
cards.
According to the inci
dent report from the
Madison County Sheriff’s
Department, Deputy Alan
Stratton was dispatched to
a robbery in progress at
Jai’s Country Comer just
before noon.
When he arrived, Stratton
found the front door of
the store locked. When he
called out for the clerk, a
she came to the door, vis
ibly shaken and upset. Two
women also pulled up to
the store about the same
time, saying they were the
ones who called 911.
The clerk told Stratton
that two black males with
hoods over their heads
had entered the store and
grabbed her by the arm.
One of them told her to go
to the rear of the store. She
ran to the back and locked
herself in a room, where
she heard the suspects
going through cabinets and
knocking things over.
One of the suspects
then kicked the door and
ordered her to come out
or they’d “shoot.” When
she did, one of the sub
jects allegedly grabbed her
around the neck and led
— See “Robbery” on 3A
EDUCATION
AREA NEWS
Ila Elem. up for
national honor
Middle school also receives award
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Ila Elementary School
might be in store for some
national acclaim.
The school is one of just
eight schools in Georgia
and one of four elemen
tary schools statewide to
be nominated for National
Blue Ribbon School status.
Madison County
Schools Superintendent
Mitch McGhee made the
— See “Da” on 2A
INSIDE
Index:
News — 1-3A
Opinions — 4-5A
Crime —6A
Schools — 7-9A
Socials — 12A, 12B
Sports — 1-2B
Churches —3B
Obituaries —4B
Legals — 5-8B
Classifieds — 9-11B
Contact:
Phone: 706-795-2567
Fax: 706-795-2765
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, GA, 30633
Web:
MadisonJoumalTODAY.
com
Foreclosures
down in Feb.
Foreclosures advertised
for February in The
Madison County Journal
are down significantly
from January.
— Page 3A
BOE considers
new schedule
for MCHS
The Madison County
Board of Education is
considering a plan to take
Madison County High
School off block schedul
ing, replacing it with a
seven-period day.
— Page 3A
No vote taken on incinerator
Proposed facility would burn up to
1,800 tons of garbage a day about
1.25 miles from Madison Co. line
Inside: Madison Co. BOC chairman offers
thoughts on proposal, Page 2A
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
a d i s o n
County’s
neighbors to
the east are still mulling a
proposed trash incinerator/
electricity-generating facil
ity about 1.25 miles east
of the Madison/Elbert line
that could bum up to 1,800
tons of garbage a day.
On Monday, a crowd
filled all seats in the Elbert
County commissioners’
meeting room in Elberton.
Some people stood. Some
sat on the floor. But per
haps as many, if not more
people, didn’t even get
inside the room.
The overflow crow stood
outside in the hall in govern
ment complex in Elberton,
many of them wearing yel
low and black “No inciner
ator! No Landfill!” stickers
on their shirts.
Inside the packed meet
ing room, Elbert County
commissioners heard from
numerous citizens con
cerned about two sepa
rate solid waste proposals
in Elbert County: Plant
Granite, a potential trash
incinerator and landfill off
Hwy. 72 at Dove’s Creek
Church Road, about three
miles inside Elbert County;
and Sweet City Landfill,
a solid waste landfill pro
posed at Stinchcomb Road
and Sweet City Road about
two miles north of the Plant
Granite site.
Fourteen people spoke
against the proposals, while
one spoke in favor. No com
missioners spoke about the
proposals, though chairman
Tommy Lyon offered com
ments on procedural mat
ters.
Madison County resi
dents who have attended
recent Elbert County meet
ings have been particularly
outspoken about the pro
posed incinerator project,
where an estimated 1,500
— See “Incinerator” on 2A
So what’s proposed?
Information taken from the Northeast Georgia Regional
Commission Development or Regional Impact (DRI)
report available online at vmw.negplanning.org/dri/
search
•Name: Plant Granite, LLC
•Proposed by: GreenFirst LLC (will serve as the per
mitting company; another firm will operate the plant)
•Locale: off Hwy. 72 about 1.25 miles east of Madison
County (access to the project is proposed at the existing
Dove’s Creek Church Drive).
•Completion date: estimated late 2013
•Number of employees: 70
•A description: The renewable energy facility will
accept approximately 1,500 to 1,800 tons per day
of combined municipal solid waste, construction and
demolition (C&D) debris, wood biomass, wastewater
treatment sludge and other permitted fuel stock. The
fuel stocks will then be mixed and incinerated in a
combustion chamber. The heat from the combustion
process will convert water to steam, which is sent to a
turbine generator(s) where it will produce and estimated
35-50 megawatts of electricity. The residue (ash) is then
wetted to prevent dust and will then be hauled via trucks
to an on-site waste landfill, which will be designed in
accordance with Subtitle D-MSW landfill standards.
•Size: The project consists of the construction of
a 39-acre solid waste landfill, a 40,000 square-foot
renewable energy facility and associated support facili
ties on approximately 260 acres.
•Project cost: $335 million
•Annual estimated tax revenue for Elbert Co.:
$350,000
•Traffic estimate: 220 vehicles in and out daily, an
estimated 150 trucks
•Water use: estimated 400,000 gallons/day
•Elbert BOC voting date: unknown
