Newspaper Page Text
JULY 16, 2015
Madison County Journal
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumalTODAY.com
50<
Vol. 30 No. 28 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 20 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
BUSINESS
Power plant planned
58-megawatt biomass facility expected to open in Colbert in May 2017
The old Weyerhaeuser/Trus Joist wood plant off Hwy. 72 is the site of a planned 58-megawatt biomass power
plant by Georgia Renewable Engery LLC. Zach Mitcham/staff
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
A power plant is
being planned in the old
Weyerhaeuser/Trus Joist
wood facility off Hwy. 72
in Colbert.
The business, which
will be called the
“GRP - Madison Renew
able Energy Facility.’' is
expected to be operational
in May 2017.
Dennis Carroll, the own
er’s consultant for Georgia
Renewable Power, LLC
(formerly Greenfuels), said
that the company plans
to use the old plant as a
multi-purpose energy facil
ity. which will include stor
age for Georgia Renewable
Power equipment as well
as a 58-megawatt biomass
facility that uses shredded
forestry products to pro
duce energy that will be
sold to Georgia Power,
along with “other potential
environmental operations.”
The plant, which will
operate 24/7, is expected to
employ 26 people full time.
“That does not include
support for fuel suppli
ers, maintenance, etc..” said
Carroll regarding the num
ber of workers.
Carroll said the facili
ty will be valued at about
$100 million. State Senator
Frank Ginn, who has been
in contact with Carroll
about the plan, said a facil
ity of that size will be a
big boost to the Madison
County tax base.
“That’s 1,000 $100,000
homes,” Ginn noted.
“Madison County needs
business and industry to
build the tax base.”
According to county
chief tax appraiser Robin
Baker, a $ 100-million facil
ity would generate rough
ly $1.2 million in property
taxes for the county.
Ginn said the plant is a
good way to recycle con
struction material as a
power source in a clean
manner.
“I see a lot of plus in it.”
he said.
Carroll said the plant
doesn’t plan to use the rail
way that runs adjacent to
Hwy. 72 near the plant, but
tracks will bring in “clean
C and D (construction and
demolition) forested prod
uct.” He estimated that 60
tracks a day will transport
material to the facility.
“If you are building a
house and you have cut
off two by fours that aren’t
chemically treated, that’s
the kind of construction
debris we’ll use,” he said.
Asked if any materials
besides wood could be
used, Carroll replied: “No,
under the definition of
‘woody biomass,’ we can
not process other fuels.”
He also said the excess
debris from the facility is
“only ash, which due to its
nature can be landfilled or
recycled.”
Georgia Renewable
Power is in the process of
obtaining both air emissions
and storm water runoff
permits from the Georgia
Environmental Protection
Division. Asked if there
were any specific emis
sions estimates that could
be provided, Carroll didn’t
offer numbers but said the
company will fall under the
allowable threshold.
“Our application refer
ences ‘less than’ a specific
criteria the state has estab
lished for emissions limits,”
said Carroll.
Carroll said the type of
power facility Georgia
Renewable Power will open
is significantly cleaner than
coal-powered plants.
“We understand the
importance of being good
neighbors and being part
of the community.” said
Carroll.
Eric Cornwell, manager
of the Stationary Source
Permitting Program Air
Protection Branch of
the EPD, said Georgia
Renewable Power’s air-per
mit application does include
specific emissions figures.
“Yes, the application (No.
23292) contains emissions
estimates.” wrote Cornwell
in response to The Journal’s
request for numbers. “The
application is in paper
format, so it is not avail
able on-line. The applica
tion is publicly available
for viewing and copying at
EPD’s Air Branch office in
Atlanta.”
Cornwell said the time
for public comment on the
facility has already passed.
He said the EPD posted
an announcement for its air
permit subscribers in June.
“The public advisory for
GRP was emailed to sub
scribers Wednesday, June
10.” wrote Cornwell.
He said citizens can sign
up to subscribe to such
postings at http://www.
georgiaair.org/airpermit/
html/subscriptions.htm
“When EPD received this
application, we posted a
public advisory announcing
this project and allowed the
public to comment for 30
days (this public comment
— See “Power plant”
on 2A
RELIGION
CITY NEWS
INSIDE
Index:
News — 1-3 A
Opinions —4-6A
Crime — 7A
Socials — 8A, 10A, 12A
Obituaries — 11A
Sports — 1-2B
Churches — 9A
Classifieds —4-5B
Legals — 6-7B
Contact:
Phone: 800-795-2581
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, Ga. 30633
Web:
MadisonJournalTODAY.
com
Mailing
Label Below
‘Faith and
Carlton Baptist to celebrate 215th
family’
anniversary in August
Several longtime members of Carlton Baptist Church, along with their pastor,
met to talk about the church’s long and varied history since it was established
in January 1800. A number of prominent county citizens helped to establish the
church and contributed to its history. Pictured (L-R) is Rev. Lee Adams with
parishioners John House, Pauline Drew, Mary Jo Simmons, Alex Faulkner and
Ronnie Faulkner. Margie Richards/staff
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Walking into Carlton
Baptist Church's century-
old sanctuary is like taking
a step back in time.
It’s one-of-a-kind stained
glass windows, dedicated
to the memory of former
church and community
leaders such as the Moore,
Eberhardt, Powers and
Hobbs families, along with
the intricate hand-carved
woodwork and unique
sanctuary design gives one
a feeling of reverence and
of history.
Rev. Lee Adams, who
took over as pastor at the
historic church last fall,
says he feels those same
things every time he climbs
the steps to the podium to
lead a service,
“I am just in awe and
so humbled to be able to
worship here,” Adams said.
‘To walk in these doors
and see an image of (for
example) Jacob Eberhardt
(on a stained glass window)
just brings history to life.”
And though Adams has
been pastor for less than a
year, his knowledge of the
history of the church, and
the Carlton community in
general, is impressive,
Adams grew up on the
other side of Madison
County in the Neese
Community but he has
family ties to the church and
is a history and genealogy
buff to boot, so he finds
the church’s long and
varied history intriguing,
as well as the history of
the families who started
the church, many of whose
descendants still continue
to worship there.
“This church is about faith
and family,” lifelong church
member Ronnie Faulkner,
himself a father of nine,
said. '“When I was little, my
grandma would just put me
in the car and bring me here
to this church. This is where
I grew up.”
Other members say that
nowadays when Faulkner’s
entire family, including his
ten grandchildren, come
to church they fill a large
section of pews just by
themselves.
Faulkner's oldest son
Alex, another regular
attendee, is also a history
buff, having graduated with
a degree in history from
UGA in 2013. He’ll teach
Georgia history at the
middle school this fall. He
says growing up in such
a historical setting piqued
— See “Church” on 3A
The stained-glass win
dows at Carlton Baptist
Church are dedicated to
former church and com
munity leaders.
Danielsville
roundabout
project dead
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
For now at least, the
roundabout project at the
red light in Danielsville is
officially “dead.”
Mayor Todd Higdon
told council members
Monday night that plans
for the project, which
began in 2012. expired
Saturday July 11 and that
there are no plans on the
table to replace it.
Higdon said despite
diligent work on the
project on the part of
the city and county,
prices kept increasing
constantly, along with
the price to have utilities
removed from the rights-
of-way.
“It came down to just
how much was the city
willing to spend to fix
what is a state problem,”
Higdon said, pointing out
that both Hwy. 29 (State
Hwy. 8) and Hwy. 98 are
state highways.
Higdon said he is
meeting this week with
D.O.T. officials to discuss
projects for Danielsville
and that the state officials
are aware of the town’s
issues. Higdon also
encouraged those who
travel through the red
light to talk with their
state leaders about how
— See “D’ville” on 3A