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JUNE 1, 2023
Madison County Journal
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumaITODAY.com
Vol. 40 No. 17 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 24 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
$1.00
Four Red Raiders
compete in
powerlifting
championship
— Page 7A
Madison County 4-H
competes in Project
S.A.F.E. events
— Page 9A
MCHS GRADUATION
Jamarion Combs shakes hands with Madison County High School Principal
Johnathan Harris as he crosses the stage to get his diploma Friday night.
Photo by Zach Mitcham
Tassels turned
Class of ‘23 says goodbye to grade school
— See each graduation speech in its entirety on Page 6A
— See photos inside in the B section and a gallery online at MadisonJournalTODAY.com
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
A few did a little dance, some pumped
their fist, and many couldn't help but smile
as their family members cheered from
stands.
Members of the Madison County Class
of 2023 wrapped up their grade school days
Friday night on the high school football
field, with a commencement ceremony that
was moved from Saturday morning due to
expected bad weather.
Kyrsten Watts was recognized as the
class’s "Good Citizenship" award win
ner. Outgoing MCHS Principal Johnathan
Harris felt his neck get heavy with silver
bead necklaces from each graduate. Addie
Mitcham and Mary Kincaid were honored
as the Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the
Class of 2023, and Billy Hallberg and Kate
Bray were featured speakers during the cer
emony, along with Mitcham and Kincaid.
Each speaker addressed the passage of
time.
Hallberg told his classmates that it’s
important to savor life and to be grateful
for the moments they’ve had together in
school.
“No matter who you are, where you are,
or what you are doing, enjoy it," he said.
“If you are getting that new PR (personal
record), embrace it. If you are devouring
a delicious chicken sandwich from Chick-
Fil-A, slow down and savor it. Enjoy every
single moment of your life as if it were
your last. We’ll never be those kids again.
We’ll never have those 2,340 days again,
but we do have those memories that made
them special.”
Mary Kincaid, the salutatorian of the
Class of 2023, urged her peers to seize
opportunities, embrace life’s challenges,
and cherish the lessons from youth.
“Right now, we are all in a time of
potential," she said. “We are graduating
high school, and quite literally, we have
the opportunity to do whatever we want at
this point. If you want to be an astronaut or
a nuclear engineer or a scuba diving pizza
delivery man (real thing by the way), now
is your time to go for it. The choices you
are making at this moment are setting the
stage, and you get to decide what kind of
show your life will be,”
Speaker Kate Bray listed a number of
accomplishments of her classmates in the
Class of 2023 and then had each graduate
stand.
“If you are wearing a cap and gown
today, please stand up," said Bray. “This!
This is why we’re here. This big red gown
and funny looking cap on our heads is an
accomplishment that should never be over
looked. Despite the different paths we may
have each taken, and the different things we
may have each faced along the way, at the
end of the day, look around guys. We are all
standing here today, at the Madison Coun
ty’s Class of 2023 Graduation Ceremony,
receiving our diplomas. Teachers, friends,
and families let's celebrate all of our stand-
See ‘Graduation’ on 2A
In honor of the fallen
The Jackson EMC Neese Office put up this
Memorial Day display in front of its office off
Hwy. 29.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Sammy Haggard
Park may soon
get facelift
By Alison Smith
The county's most used park may be the beneficiary
of the largest renovation since its development nearly
50 years ago.
Recreation Department Director Shelley Parham
and Angela Rouse presented a request to the Board of
Commissioners May 22 that outlined a proposal for
extensive projects within the Sammy Haggard Park
Facility.
The director requested the approval of the board to
apply for a matching $500,000 grant from the Land
and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
LWCF grants have been important in the history of
the park's development. In 1972, a LWCF Grant of
$62,954 was used to develop 17 acres with the base
ball, softball, and football fields. Five years later, a
$20,000 grant allowed for expansion of the park with
the pavilions, playground, tennis and basketball facil
ities. More softball fields were added in 1984, and the
Brewer Phillips Soccer Complex was developed with
the funds in 2003.
No major additions or renovations have utilized the
funds since that time.
Expanding services and aging facilities necessitate
the renovations.
“Sammy Haggard Park has been loved to death,”
Rouse explained in her presentations of photos within
the park.
Parham’s proposal divides the grant funds into three
overall projects with the goal to minimize disruptions
in service and still produce an end result that will meet
future needs of county citizens.
The first phase of the projects include a master
design to plan the projects in the most efficient man
ner. Drainage of storm water continues to be an issue
in the park. Many culverts are broken or too small for
See ‘Rec’ on 2A
INDUSTRIAL AUTHORITY
IDA talks sewer services with Waffle House
By Zach Mitcham
zach @ mainstreetnews.com
EDUCATION
BOE holds
hearing
on ’23-’24
budget
By Hannah Barron
hannah@ mainstreetnews.com
The Madison Coun
ty Board of Education’s
budget is expected to total
$66.1 million this upcom
ing fiscal year, up from
$59.7 million.
The budget includes a
10% increase in revenue
from local taxes for a sec
ond year, but that increase
had some residents ques
tioning the numbers at the
BOE’s May 9 budget hear
ing.
“Enrollment is marginal
at best as far as growth,”
resident William Smith
said. “I’m not saying we
may not see it, I don't
know, but we're talking
about a 10% increase again
this year."
“We’re sitting on $18
million dollars and we’re
going to take more from the
citizens," he added. "I know
once again we're the larg
est employer in the county,
but where does stewardship
come into play here with
this? That's my ultimate
concern.'’
Another resident made
similar comments, ques
tioning if anything in the
budget could be cut.
Board chairman Robert
Hooper said the board is
working hard to be good
stewards of county tax dol
lars.
“I believe we’ve been
very good stewards of the
fund," he continued.
Hooper noted that the
roughly $18 million in the
unassigned fund balance
is federal Elementary and
Secondary School Emer
gency Relief (ESSER)
funds with specific criteria
See ‘BOE’ on 2A
Index:
News — 1-2A
Crime — 3A
Opinions — 4A
Church — 7 A
Sports — 7A
School — 8A
Social — 9A
Obituaries — 10-11A
Classifieds — 12A
Legals — 13-15A
Contact:
Phone: 706-367-5233
Web: MadisonJournal
TODAY.com
News submissions:
zach@
mainstreetnews.com
8 ■■0 4879 14144* o
Madison County may have a
Waffle House some time in 2024
off Hwy. 29 in Hull.
“Waffle House is in looking
into acquiring the old Truist Bank
property in hopes of putting a
new restaurant on that site.” said
industrial authority chairman Ben
Morris at the authority’s May 24
meeting.
Morris and the IDA met with
two Waffle House representatives
at that meeting to discuss tying the
restaurant to the authority’s Hull
sewer system. A connection will
involve boring a sewer line under
Hwy. 29 to hook up to the existing
line on the Ingles side of the road.
County commission chairman
Todd Higdon suggested that the
county cover the cost of running
the line under the road, since the
line can be used by the coun
ty to serve more businesses than
just Waffle House, which will tear
down the existing bank building
and construct a restaurant.
“I feel the bore under Hwy. 29
and then the 200 feet to get us to
that manhole needs to be the coun
ty’s responsibility,” said Higdon.
‘Anything future will be traveling
that line. By us owning that (the
line under Hwy. 29) anything in
the future that wants to tap to it,
we have a right because it belongs
to us and not Waffle House or any
private individual."
The restaurant will be responsi
ble for installing sewer infrastruc
ture on its own property and mak
ing sure it complies with county
regulations. This includes putting
a sewer lift station — which is
used to move wastewater from
lower to higher elevation — on
the back of its property. County
leaders would like the lift station
to have the capacity to serve other
businesses, not just Waffle House.
The size of the lift station is still
being negotiated. When complet
ed. the lift station will be deeded to
the county, which will maintain it.
Waffle House representative Ken
See ‘IDA’ on 2A