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PAGE 2A-THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JUNE 22, 2023
Park
continued from 1A
really features like them in
Madison County.
The work would be done
in two phases, with phase
two only being the courts
and skate park.
Both phases could be
complete in two or three
years once funding is
ready, Combs said.
The project is slated
to cost just under a mil
lion and the committee
would like for it to be
donation-funded as much
as possible. The city’s
funding gets the project
through the “invisible
groundwork” of design
and survey phases. Plumb
ing, grading and electrical
have already been secured
by in-kind donations.
The committee is also
recruiting members to
help with a variety of so
cial media and fundrais
ing efforts.
For more information
about the project, visit the
Red Canna Park Facebook
page.
Beekeeper
continued from 1A
“Newbee” keepers, as he
calls them.
“My friend treated his
bees, should I do that too,”
one overheard caller is
heard to ask as Tom patient
ly explains that he should
treat them later in the sea
son.
Tom humbly admits that
he doesn’t know everything
about bees, except how to
keep them alive.
For some of the more
specific details, Tom men
tions his fellow-founders.
Stan O’Bannon is build
ing a facility to show bee
keepers how to de-cap and
harvest honey. He and Ted
Adams helped an elderly
woman unable to care for
her bees a few times earlier
this year.
The group is not only
generous with its time, it
has developed resources to
help beekeepers stay suc
cessful.
Tom says most peo
ple he’s encountered start
keeping bees to help with
pollination and for the me
dicinal properties of honey.
Even so, the hobby or small
business takes a little more
than time.
“I didn’t know what to do
when I started, so I learned
myself,” he remembers.
Tom says he was amazed
that the first swarm he
caught went right in the
box.
“I just couldn’t get over
it,” Tom chuckles.
He explains that the basic
equipment for a starter hive
costs about $170. Some
people purchase a hive of
bees at $160-225, but he
suggests catching feral
swarms is an inexpensive
way to start.
The group helps with
the more expensive items
needed to help keep hives
healthy. Those include tools
to treat hives with insecti
cides, which cost several
hundred dollars, and a spin
ner to extract honey.
In fact, Tom says honey
season is near. The next
meeting will feature a pre
sentation on correctly ex
tracting honey.
“It’s been an odd year
for honey but most peo
ple should pull it off next
month,” he says.
Tom says he cares for his
bees like his dogs or cats.
However, the bees are only
part of his hive. Tom cares
for the people who keep
bees, ensuring the groups’
legacy of “Beekeepers
helping Beekeepers” will
continue for years to come.
Beekeepers of Madison
County conducts monthly
meetings at Trinity Baptist
Chmch Fellowship Hall,
2411 US 29, Danielsville
at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth
Monday of the month. For
more information, email
beekeepersofmadisoncoun-
tyclub@gmail.com or join
its Facebook group Bee
keepers of Madison Coun
ty. Monthly meetings are
streamed and recorded via
Facebook Live.
Kennels continued from 1A
Heart’s is one of only three
Georgia dog breeding facil
ities listed in the Humane
Society’s “Horrible Hun
dred” list for 2023.
She said the kennel is
also labeled “urgent risk,”
by the Georgia Department
of Agriculture, meaning
there is a high likelihood
for problems and the state
must inspect it more times
a year.
Inspection reports from
the last year included three
failed inspections and men
tions of two possible stop
orders. Of the nine times
the state inspector tried to
visit the property in the last
year during regular busi
ness hours, six times there
was no one on the property
to let the inspector in.
She also noted that the
high volume and close
quarters likely breed dis
ease which can be commu
nicable to humans.
“I think you should se
riously consider if this is a
business Madison County
wants to make a special ex
ception for and grant a re
zoning to,” Milot said.
The BOC ultimately vot
ed to deny the request for
rezoning.
Also, at the following
June 6 public hearing of the
Planning and Zoning Com
mission, the planners voted
unanimously to recommend
a moratorium on accepting
conditional use applications
for dog kennels due to a
recent influx in kennel re
quests.
The moratorium would
allow time for further re
search and discussion of
guidelines that could be im
plemented to regulate fu
ture kennels. Planners dis
cussed a number of ideas
that nearby Oconee County
has implemented including
a limit on the number of
breeding dogs.
Existing kennels would
be grandfathered in under
current ordinances so any
new regulations would not
affect them, county attor
ney Mike Pruett added.
“I do think we should
take a hard look at putting
some additional require
ments because we are al
ready going to become a
dog park, or become the
county they all run to,”
Scott said.
The BOC is set to discuss
the moratorium recommen
dation at its June 26 meet
ing.
Ossoff backing bill to increase
military housing allowance
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
Junior enlisted military
personnel would receive a
higher housing allowance
under bipartisan legisla
tion introduced in Con
gress this week by U.S.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.
Ossoff led an eight-
month investigation last
year that called attention
to the poor condition of
privatized housing at the
Army’s Fort Gordon near
Augusta. During that time,
he said he heard from
many military families
about the challenges of
finding affordable housing
in their communities.
“Military families make
immense sacrifices in our
national defense,” Os
soff told reporters Friday
during a news conference.
“Junior uniformed person
nel are not well paid. Their
housing allowance is too
low. This bipartisan legis
lation will modernize the
formula the Department of
Defense uses.”
Currently, the military
is not permitted to take
local housing costs into
account in determining
the housing allowance for
junior enlisted personnel.
The bill he and Sen. Thom
Tillis, R-N.C., are spon
soring would replace a
“rigid and antiquated” for
mula with a more flexible
housing allowance, Ossoff
said.
Ossoff said he will push
to get the bill included as
part of the annual Defense
Authorization Act Con
gress will take up later this
year.
Madison County Food Bank
Invites you to Join them in showcasing their new space.
Open House for addition to their Facility
Friday June 30,2023
Drop in from 7:00 am - 12:00 pm
Ribbon cutting will be held at 11:30 am
1547 Highway 98 W. Danielsville, GA 30633
Please join us for our open house for our new space and getting to
know your State and Local leaders as well as our volunteers.
BOC to hold FY24 budget work
sessions on June 26 and July 17
The Madison County July 17. held at 4 p.m. at the county
Board of Commissioners The July 17 meeting will government complex lo-
will hold two budget work include a public hearing. cated at 91 Albany Ave.,
sessions on June 26 and Both meetings will be Danielsville.
Georgia Legal Services Program
available to low-income clients
Free legal services are case type and financial eli- For an appointment, call
available to low-income gibility. The Georgia Legal 1-800-745-5717 between
clients. Services Program does not 9 a.m. and 11a.m., Mon-
Services are based on handle criminal cases. day through Friday.
BOE making plans for next year
By Alison Smith
The last school bell for
the year may have rung for
the summer, but the Board
of Education has already
moved forward with plans
for next year with action at
its June 12 meeting.
The Board approved its
fiscal year 2024 budget,
with District 2 representa
tive Dan Lampe casting the
lone dissenting vote. The
approved budget makes a
few changes to the tenta
tive budget that had been
already passed. It accounts
for increased revenues
from a new agreement with
Foothills Academy, JROTC
and proceeds from a par
tial interest of a surplus
property in Athens-Clarke
County. That property was
previously utilized by the
Regional Educational Ser
vice Agency (RESA) and
the total increased revenue
to the budget totals almost
$800,000.
The Board also increased
expenditures in the budget
by creating the new posi
tion of behavior specialist
with a salary of $73,000.
This hire will assist in
managing student behavior
in classrooms and is slated
to work within all schools
in the district.
Cindy Nash, who recent
ly attended the Georgia
School Boards Association
summer conference, men
tioned items facing public
education. Mental health
problems and student safe
ty are two increasingly
negative issues districts
within the state are work
ing to combat.
In his report, super
intendent Michael Wil
liams said the schools are
working to improve safety
within the system. It has
recently updated its safe
ty crisis planning and is
waiting for approval from
the Sheriff. Likewise, the
school resource officers
will complete training in
the next week. Finally, he
announced an active shoot
er simulation will be con
ducted at Ila Elementary on
June 27 at 11 a.m. Observ
ers are welcome to come
watch the exercise.
In addition to the train
ing and planning measures,
each school in the district
will have buzz-in camera
Headmaster’s
Corner
Steve Cummings
-mk'm
ANNIVERSARY MONTH
- Happy Anniversary to all of
you who are celebrating anni
versaries this month!
Athens Christian will be
celebrating 54 years in Chris
tian education this year. The
School was started with a vi
sion to provide a quality educa
tion in a Christian atmosphere
to families in Northeast Geor
gia. Christian education may
be more important now than it
ever has been.
As we look back on how we
have been uniquely blessed
over five decades, we look for
ward with great anticipation to
what the future holds. If you
are not familiar with ACS, we
hope you will pay us a visit.
The Lord is truly doing great
things here, and we are glad.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
1 Affordable Qualify Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
w w w.athenschristianschool .org
systems installed this sum
mer.
The Board presented sev
eral new policies, which
are to be approved at its
July meeting:
adopt rules of conduct
and participation for speak
ers during meetings.
increase reimbursement
rates for employees and
require prior approval for
excess amounts.
change purchasing policy
to allow the Superintendent
to approve purchases up to
$25,000 without competi
tive quotations.
change qualifications for
personal and emergency
leave.
change procedures for
student absences and tru
ancy.
The full text of the new
policies may be found on
the Madison County Char
ter School System website
at https://simbli.eboard-
solutions.com/SB_Meet-
ings/ViewMeeting.aspx-
?S=4109&MID=110067.
The BOE also recognized
a number of students who
placed at FCA and FCCLA
state conferences. See the
photos on page 7A.
PERSONNEL
MATTERS
The BOE also approved
the following personnel ac
tions at its June 13 meeting:
Shannon Felt: transfer
from MCHS to the tech
nology department/central
registration.
Tiffany Hogan: leave
without pay.
Ansley Maddox: hire as
a teacher for Colbert Ele
mentary.
Amanda Cate Moore:
hire as a teacher for Colbert
Elementary.
Loren “Jamie” Bray: hire
as a paraprofessional for
Comer Elementary.
Andrea Collier: leave
without pay, Comer Ele
mentary.
Melanie Ingram: leave
without pay, Comer Ele
mentary.
Addie Sanders: hire as
an after school worker for
Danielsville Elementary.
Tanya Bancroft: leave
without pay, Early Learn
ing Center.
Cornelia Reagin: leave
without pay, Early Learn
ing Center.
Patricia Akin: leave with
out pay, Hull-Sanford Ele
mentary.
Kaylan Marlow: leave
without pay, Hull-Sanford
Elementary.
Heather Robinson:
transfer from MCMS to
Hull-Sanford Elementary
as a teacher.
Laura Weber: hire as
a school bookkeeper for
Hull-Sanford Elementary.
Lisa Bond: move from
100% to 50%, Hull-San
ford Elementary.
Molly Greene: move
from 50% to 100%,
Hull-Sanford Elementary.
Nicole Burhalter: hire
pending release from con
tract as a teacher for Ila El
ementary.
Ashley Brewer: hire as
an after school worker for
Ila Elementary.
Keishia Duncan: hire as
after school worker for Ila
Elementary
Sydney Forrester: leave
without pay.
Sarah Hawks: leave with
out pay.
Jana Mitcham: hire as a
speech language patholo
gist for Ila Elementary.
Ashley Osborne: leave
without pay.
Angie Anglin: leave
without pay, MCHS.
Kayla Argo: hire pending
certification as a School
Counselor, MCHS.
Christy Chandler: leave
without pay.
Jennie Dyer: leave with
out pay.
Mindy Epps: leave with
out pay.
Charity Faith Greene:
leave without pay.
Amanda Manley: hire as
a guidance secretary for
MCHS.
Kimberly Myers: leave
without pay.
Haley Patterson: con
tract, MCHS.
Kimberly Crawford:
leave without pay, MCMS.
Cody Dyer: leave with
out pay.
Tammy McHale: leave
without pay.
Kandace Smith: leave
without pay.
Is it the right time
for you to Buy or
Sell a home?
Let us help you to make an informed decision.
GEMSTONE REALTY, INC.
770-883-4527
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