Newspaper Page Text
o
O
The
DECEMBER 5,2019
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumaITODAY.com
$1.00
Vol. 36 No. 42 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 16 Pages, 1 Section Plus Supplements
WRECK
Two men die within a
day in separate wrecks
at Hwy. 72 intersection
Two Colbert men were
killed in separate acci
dents over the Thanksgiv
ing holiday at the same
intersection on Hwy. 72.
Randy Keith Woodruff
Sr.. 64, Colbert, died in
a two-vehicle accident at
approximately 7:08 p.m.,
Thursday, Nov. 28 on
Thanksgiving night when
he drove a 1998 Mitsubi
shi from Foote McClellan
Road onto Hwy. 72 and
into the path of a Chevro
let Suburban occupied by
three people, who were
treated for minor inju
ries, according to Madi
son County Coroner Julie
Harrison.
Another accident hap
pened less than 24 hours
later at the same inter
section on the Hardman
Morris side of Hwy. 72.
Thomas Lamar Palmer,
59, Colbert, was killed
when he pulled his 1990
Chevrolet pickup into the
path of a teenage driv
er traveling on Hwy. 72.
That accident happened
at 5:49 p.m., Nov. 29.
The teenager suffered
non-life-threatening inju
ries in the incident.
Harrison said that both
men who died in the
wrecks were not wearing
seat belts.
RUNOFF
Minish wins Comer
council runoff
Laura Minish is the new Comer District 3 city council
member. She defeated Tommy R. Appling in a Dec. 3
runoff by a 28-25 vote.
Minish also led the way in the three-person Nov. 5
election, but failed to get over 50 percent of the votes.
She tallied 31 votes (49.2 percent). Appling was second
with 26 votes (41.3 percent), while incumbent Howard
Threlkeld received five votes (7.9 percent).
INSIDE:
library announces
December events
See what’s happening
this month at the Madi
son County Library.
— Page 7A
Index:
News: 1-3A
Opinions: 4-5A
Crime: 6A
Socials: 7A
Schools: 8-9A
Churches: 9A
Legals: 10A
Obituaries: 11A
Sports: 12-13A
Classifieds: 14-15A
Contact:
Phone: 800-795-2581
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, Ga. 30633
Web: MadisonJoumalTO-
MAILING LABEL
ENVIRONMENT
Clean Power
Coalition to
meet Dec. 5
The Madison County
Clean Power Coalition
has announced plans for
a public informational
meeting on the possible
risks of burning used
railroad ties by Georgia
Renewable Power’s bio
mass power plant in Col
bert.
The meeting will be
held today (Thursday)
Dec. 5 at the Madison
County High School
from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The Clean Power
Coalition was recently
formed by local resi
dents who are upset by
the change in fuel be
ing burned at the power
plant to include used rail
road ties. According to
Colbert resident Cheryl
Adams, “The smell and
smoke seeps into my
house, causes my eyes,
throat, and lungs to burn,
and gives me disorienting
headaches.”
Health hazards now
top the list of concerns
for residents and they are
concerned about creosote
runoff from the stacked
ties. The Georgia Envi
ronmental Department
published notice of the
proposed change in The
Atlanta Journal Con
stitution but not in the
newspaper of record for
Madison County, The
Madison County Jour
nal. Local residents were
unaware of the proposal
until after the comment
See Clean Power, page
FESTIVITIES
‘Tis the season
Christmas events set for this weekend in Colbert, Comer
It’s time for the annual Colbert
“Old-fashioned Christmas” Friday
and the “Christmas in Comer” Sat
urday and Sunday Dec. 3.
The cities of Ila and Huh held fes
tivities Dec. 3.
Here are details of upcoming
Christmas events in Madison Coun
ty to help get residents in the holiday
spirit:
•Colbert’s “Old-fashioned
Christmas” is set for Friday, Dec.
6. The City of Colbert invites the
public to visit the town from 6:30
to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. to en
joy “a fun-filled night of celebrat
ing the beginning of the Christmas
season.” Colbert Baptist Church will
sponsor a live Nativity in the Me
morial Garden. “Join us at the Pa
vilion for the reading of the Christ
mas Story,” officials said. “Enjoy
face-painting, hayrides, cake walks,
marshmallow roast, tour of the polar
express, a visit with Santa and Mrs.
Claus at the log cabin, and lots of
See Christmas, page 2A
ZONING
Poultry houses OK’d
Farm at Madison/Jackson line off Hwy. 98
can increase production from 12 to 18 houses
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Six more chicken houses can be
placed on property adjoining 12
existing poultry units just off Hwy.
98 at the Madison/Jackson county
line.
County commissioners voted
3-2 Monday, Dec. 2 to approve a
request by Minish Girls LLC to
rezone a 40.44-acre parcel from
A-2 to A-l on Loop Road. The
land will be sold to an adjacent
property owner who already oper
ates 12 poultry houses and plans to
put six new poultry houses and a
stack house on the 40-acre proper
ty. There is no timeframe on when
those houses will be constructed,
but the chicken farmer now has the
go ahead to proceed when ready.
Commissioners Tripp Strickland,
Brian Kirk and Derek Doster vot
ed in favor of the rezoning, while
board members Lee Allen and The
resa Bettis opposed the change.
The planning commission recently
recommended approval of the re
quest by a 4-3 vote.
Allen said the first thing motor
ists encounter as they travel east
into Madison County on Hwy. 98
is the smell of chicken houses. He
noted that there are already 700
chicken houses in the county.
“Now the smell will be even
more chicken houses,” he said.
Bettis agreed with Allen, saying
that she couldn’t approve more
chicken houses next to residents
already dealing with the smell of a
dozen houses.
Kirk said he grew up in Madison
County with poultry farming in his
life since childhood. He said it’s a
way of life for much of the county.
“Madison County is an ag county
and that’s not going to change,” he
said.
Doster said that the farmer’s will
ingness to have a 500-foot vegeta
tive buffer factored into his vote in
favor of the request, adding that he
felt the location was appropriate.
Strickland said he’s sympathetic
to those objecting to the rezoning,
but he said the land is in a high-in-
tensity farming area.
Kirk said the property is suited
for more chicken houses, adding
that there’s really no other option
for the land. That was a primary
point of attorney Victor Johnson,
who represents three sisters who
inherited the land but have not had
a viable use for it.
“It’s the only feasible economic
use of the property,” said Johnson.
The attorney noted that the poul
try farmer has agreed to 500-foot
setbacks, which is greater than
See Zoning, page 2A
COUNTY GOV’T
Madison County commissioners met Dec. 2. Pictured (L-R) are county clerk Rhonda Wooten, Lee Allen,
Tripp Strickland, county attorney Mike Pruett, chairman John Scarborough, Theresa Bettis, Brian Kirk
and Derek Doster.
BOC to consider employee pay at Dec. 16 meeting
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County commissioners set
aside $320,000 in the 2020 county bud
get to address employee pay.
They’ll talk about how they will dis
tribute that at their upcoming Dec. 16
meeting at 6 p.m. in the county govern
ment complex.
The group briefly discussed the mat
ter Monday, Dec. 2 during their month
ly agenda-setting meeting. County
commission John Scarborough said
that a three-percent cost-of-living-sal
ary increase is being considered for all
full-time and regularly scheduled part-
rime employees. If approved, those
across-the-board pay raises would leave
about $110,000-to-$120,000 out of the
$320,000 for individual pay increases
for employees in multiple departments.
The board didn’t discuss any particular
jobs at Monday’s meeting.
Tax commissioner Lamar Dalton
and probate judge Cody Cross both ap
proached the board Monday in support
of the cost-of-living raises, noting that
the county has a lot of good workers.
They also asked for consideration of
increases for employees in their depart
ments.
The board will consider several other
matters Dec. 16, including the re-ap-
pointment of Conolus Scott and Terry
Chandler to the planning commission,
the renewal of beer and wine licenses
for several county businesses and the se
lection of a BOC vice chairman.
Also Monday, the board discussed the
recent fatal accidents on Hwy. 72 and
agreed to ask the state to do something
about improving safety on the state
highway. Scarborough said several in
tersections in the county need attention
in terms of safety. Commissioner Derek
Doster said he would like to see crash
data for dangerous intersections.
In another matter, Doster said he has
been receiving a lot of input from citi
zens upset about the new biomass power
plant in Colbert. He said county officials
need to reach out to state and federal
officials to educate themselves on the
matter as much as possible. Scarbor
ough reminded board members that a
citizens group has scheduled a meeting
for Dec. 5 at the high school cafeteria
See BOC, page 2A
14 14 4
