Newspaper Page Text
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The
DECEMBER 12,2019
Madison County Journal
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumaITODAY.com
$1.00
Vol. 36 No. 43 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 20 Pages, 2 Section Plus Supplements
AREA NEWS
Franklin Co.
BOC to take
GRP to court
By Shane Scoggins
Franklin County Citizen Leader
Franklin County Com
missioners declared the
Georgia Renewable Pow
er plant near Camesville a
public nuisance Tuesday
and will take its case to
Magistrate Court.
The unanimous vote by
commissioners Tuesday
came after months of com
plaints by neighbors of the
plant about noise and bad
smells and the pollution of a
creek by runoff from water
used to prevent bres in a pile
of wood chips used for the
plant's fuel.
During a special called
meeting Tuesday, Commis
sioner Eddie Wester read
a lengthy motion after de
scribing a series of emails
with fellow commissioners
that began Saturday.
The motion read:
“The Franklin County
Board of Commissioners
finds that the continual and
ongoing noise levels and
chemical emissions pro
duced by the operation of
the Georgia Renewable
Power Plant located in
Franklin County, Georgia,
have created a public emer
gency where the health and
safety of the residents in the
immediate vicinity of the
plant are in imminent dan
ger;
“The Franklin County
Board of Commissioners
finds that an emergency
condition exists where the
dangerous noise levels and
chemical emissions pro
duced by the operation
See Franklin, page 2A
INSIDE:
Index:
News: 1-3A
Opinions: 4-5A
Crime: 6A
Socials: 7-8A
Schools: 9A
Obituaries:10-11A
Sports: 1-2B
Churches: 5B
Legals: 6-7B
Classifieds: 8B
Contact:
Phone: 800-795-2581
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, Ga. 30633
Web: MadisonJoumalTODAY.com
MAILING LABEL
Christmas fun!
Photo by Wesleigh Sagon
Mariah Williams, 7, blew out her flaming marshmallow that she roasted
during Colbert’s Old-Fashioned Christmas celebration. See Page 3B for
more photos.
Photo by Zach Mitcham
Finley and Hadley Segars, 2, Ila enjoy the Comer Christmas Parade Dec.
7. See more photos on Page 4B.
ENVIRONMENT
Citizens’ group
addresses burning
of crossties at
power plant
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
A number of neighboring property owners of the
new power plant in Colbert feel like their health and
quality of life are being negatively impacted by Georgia
Renewable Power’s decision to bum creosote-soaked
railroad ties in its biomass facility. And a large crowd
turned out Dec. 5 in the Madison County High School
cafeteria to hear from a citizens group that is studying
the issue.
The high school cafeteria was nearly full last Thurs
day night as the Madison County Clean Power Coali
tion held its first meeting to acquaint the public with the
mission of the coalition as well as to hear from three lo
cal scientists on the dangers of the chemicals contained
in creosote and what it could mean for the environment,
air and water quality in the county.
“We are not a radical group against the plant,” coali
tion member Drago Tesanovich told the crowd. “It isn’t
our goal to see the plant dismantled or to stand in the
way of the county's economic progress.”
On the other hand. Tesanovich said they believe the
county was “sold a bill of goods.”
“It's up to us to speak out and demand what we were
promised,” he said.
The American Lung Association issued a lengthy
statement opposing the use of biomass combustion by
GRP for electricity production in Madison and Frank
lin counties.
“Burning biomass can emit recognized air pollutants,
including particulate matter (soot) and other carcino
gens. which cause premature deaths and endanger re
spiratory health,” the statement read in part. “Because
of the multiple, ongoing risks to human health, the Lung
Association urges (GRP) to consider clean, renewable
options to fuel its Madison and Franklin County plants,
instead of biomass.”
The statement went on to say that biomass is far from
“clean” and that burning it creates air pollutions that
“cause a sweeping array of health harms, from asthma
attacks to cancer to heart attacks, cardiovascular dis
ease and even death.”
It noted that particulate matter can also cause lung cancer.
“Railroad ties, like other wood products, can con-
See Citizens, page 2A
FUNDS
COUNTY SEAT
IDA denies information
request on GRP’s debts
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
County industrial authority (IDA)
members discussed in November that
the Georgia Renewable Power Plant
(GRP) was behind on its bills in the
amount of $379,000, which included
$206,500 in construction costs and an
other $173,000 in past due water bills
(including $64,000 in past due fees).
The IDA received a check the fol
lowing morning after the meeting in the
amount of $103,000 on its water bill.
And though the topic of GRP debts
didn’t come up at the IDA’s Dec. 4
meeting. The Journal followed up with a
request to know how much, if anything,
GRP still owes the county. However,
IDA director Frank Ginn said he “could
not give this information at this time.”
GRP is seen as a major revenue source
for Madison County through water bill
ing and property taxes. The company
has a tax bill due Dec. 20 to Madison
County for $1,658 million, which will
be split between the county government,
schools and industrial authority.
In other IDA business, the authority
postponed a decision for the second time
on another water line project recom
mended by Ginn. The proposal involves
issuing a change order to the IDA's cur
rent contract with Griffin Brothers engi
neers to engage in a proposed $461,000
project using Georgia Environmental
Finance Authority (GEFA) loan funding
to incorporate a well on the site of the
Columbia feed mill on Hwy. 72 between
Carlton and Comer. The well, which re
portedly pumps 150 gallons per minute,
would then be used as an added water
source for the county water system. The
project would also include extending
those water lines across the rail line from
the well and into the City of Comer, with
Comer paying to connect the new water
line to their water system.
Ginn had recommended they move
forward with the project at the author
ity's November meeting, arguing that
the move would build the county's water
supply in its industrial area, give “redun
dancy” to the Columbia feed mill’s water
supply and add an interconnection with
the City of Comer. He also expressed
concern at the November meeting about
having enough water for the Georgia Re
newable Power (GRP) plant.
While Ginn listed this as his immediate
recommendation, he said he is exploring
other options to provide additional wa
ter sources to the county. This includes
working with Jackson County to devel
op a tie-in to the neighboring county’s
water system from Lloyd Nelms Road.
Ginn said he is also looking at the
costs of installing a booster pump station
at the Franklin County line.
“My biggest fear is to make sure we
have enough to service our water obliga
tions,” Ginn said, adding that he'd love
to see redundancy in the water system to
avoid the situation of having more de
mand for water than they have the ca
pacity to meet.
He said other water source expansion
plans include looking at agreements with
See IDA, page 3A
DVille mayor says
farewell to council
Higdon stepping down after 8years
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Two-term Danielsville Mayor Todd Higdon bid
his farewells at the city council table Monday night,
telling the group he was proud of them for what they
have accomplished over the past eight years.
“It’s been a pleasure to serve with y'all,” Higdon
told the council and city employees during his last
meeting as mayor.
The outgoing mayor added that “running a city is
a tough deal.” But he said he felt the group accom
plished a lot with little money. He said the council
was able to accomplish things because it wasn’t ham
pered by any gnashing of teeth or ill will. Higdon,
who will be replaced by Michael Wideman in Janu
ary, said he felt the group had been a “good steward
of people’s money” over the past eight years.
The mayor said the city pushed for the roundabout
at Hwy. 29 and Hwy. 98, adding that he felt it was
a great move. He said the council did a good job
addressing infrastructure needs and improving re
dundancy in electrical services, securing $200,000
worth of generators through grants. He noted that the
city added a 100,000-gallon water tower to provide
adequate water and fire protection. He said the city
cleaned up town ordinances that were in disarray
and that business licenses in the town nearly doubled
over the past eight years.
“It’s been a very good term,” he said. “I feel like
we can tell our grandkids one day, we done that.”
Higdon said he feels disappointed that there’s not
more unity between the cities and the county. He
urged Danielsville council members to reach out to
the county commissioners, the school board and in
dustrial authority members. He said better communi
cation in the county is much needed.
"Maybe you can re-establish whatever olive branch I
See D’ville, page 3A
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