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o o JULY 27, 2023 Merged with The Corner News and The Daniclsvillc Monitor, 2006 4 MadisonJoumalTODAY.com Vol. 40 No. 25* Publication No. 1074-987* Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. *16 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements $1.00 SEWER DANIELSVILLE Comp plan follow-up: planned growth and sewer By Alison Smith The final draft of the county’s five year com prehensive plan update is approved and now govern ment officials are working to implement its sugges tions and action items. Utilities are a major component of the over all plan for the county in its growth and quality of life for current residents. Throughout the process, citizens identified broad band internet service as a necessary expansion priori ty. Water is another piece to the utilities puzzle that the county is exploring with a proposed restructuring of the Industrial Development & Building Authority to re move the utilities function from the authority’s duties. However, the cost and intergovernmental agree ments needed to expand sewer may make it a more complicated endeavor than water and broadband. At this point the county has three disconnected sewer systems and two are owned and maintained by cities in Danielsville and Comer. The other is located in Hull and serves few customers. County commission chairman Todd Higdon says the recently autho rized water and sewer feasibility study from the Appalachian Regional See Sewer, page 2A Index News — 1-3Aand 7A Opinions — 4A Crime — 6A Socials — 5A, 8A and 3B Schools — 8B Churches — 3B Obituaries — 5B Sports — 1-2B Classifieds — 6B Legals — 7B The home on Holloway Rd. is destroyed after last Thursday’s storm. Photos submitted Family seeking support after home gets destroyed By Hannah Barron hannah@mainstreetnews. com A family has turned to the com munity for help after last Thursday’s storm destroyed their home on Hol loway Rd. in the Shiloh community of Danielsville. Jenny Benton took to Facebook and GoFundMe after the storm blew two trees onto her mother’s home. She reported that her mother, Mary Ann Strickland Bridges, and two brothers, Noah Fowler and Brace Benton, were inside at the time but came away mostly un scathed with only cuts and braises. Since her husband passed away in 2012, Bridges has been on a fixed in come from disability and can’t afford home insurance. “She cannot work,” Benton said. “[Both brothers] work, but Noah’s money goes towards his two chil dren and fiancee, who are living with her mom for now. Brace’s money mostly goes to child support for his son, but he was saving some money to get a place. Unfortunately, he had to spend the little bit he had saved on an old used car for work.” Everything of monetary value was also destroyed in the storm, so there is no option to sell or make money. Bridges and one of the brothers are living in an old camper, while the other brother stays at his father’s home. The family has lost everything and need clothes and other necessities, though currently have nowhere to store them. They also cannot cook or shower properly. They have been using a generator for power, but it has been expensive to keep gas in it, Benton added. As of July 25, the community has raised $881 on GoFundMe to help the family find a new home. Benton also plans to put donation jars out at some local stores. Those wishing to donate via Go FundMe may do so at https://gofund. me/3d04f5fl. Benton can also be contacted at benton.jennyc@gmail.com for fur ther information. Hr g-x,, I m m\ hm 11 Damage from the trees is pictured. Contact Phone: 706-367-5233 Email: hannah@mainstreet news, com Web: MadisonJoumalTODAYcom MAILING LABEL SCHOOL ‘Welcome back:’ School bells to ring again August 4 By Hannah Barron hannah@mainstreet news. com School bells will ring Friday, August 4, and the district is prepar ing for students to enter the halls once again. Included in the preparation is getting school supplies ready for students. Supplies will be provided by the district for the second year in a row. Each student will receive a kit of school supplies at the first day of school. Parents will only need to provide a bookbag, refillable water bottle and optional lunchbox. “We’re able to provide [supplies] this year for our students and we’re glad to do that,” superintendent Mi chael Williams shared. “Hopefully that will help all of our families this year moving forward.” In other back-to-school news, Williams shared that there will be another Pre-K class this year, mak ing it a total of eight Pre-K classes for the class of 2037. Williams also extended a wel come to the Class of 2037 and a “welcome back” to everyone else, saying he and the school system are excited for the new year. “We have some new administra tors that we’re excited about, new teachers, new staff members,” Wil liams said. “As a school system, it’s a little different from other jobs, per se, as we get to start off fresh in August and have a new group See School, page 2A COMER Comer moving toward becoming a “Tree City USA” By Alison Smith Four years in the making, Comer is officially moving toward mark ing the perseverance and beauty of its trees. City councilmember Michael Wilder presented the steps to ap plying to become a Tree City USA next year at the council’s regular meeting on Monday. Mayor Jimmy Yarbrough told the audience that the initiative has been the work and special project of several residents. According to its website, the Ar bor Day Foundation established the Tree City USA program in 1976 to encourage a greener, healthier America and inspire change in the nation. In order to become eligible for Tree City USA designation, a city must meet four criteria. First, the city must maintain a tree board or department. The City Council selected volunteers Kalen Young Nash, Jennifer Berry and utilities superintendent Scott Porter at its meeting Monday to create that board. Second, the city must have a community tree ordinance. Wild er presented a sample ordinance to the council but it took no action on Monday. The city currently meets the third requirement to spend at least $2 per capita on urban forest ry. Finally, the city must celebrate Arbor Day, which is typically cel ebrated on the last Friday in April. Since applications do not open until September, the council will work in the next couple months to finalize plans for its application, due in December. OTHER UPDATES Yarbrough and Porter also shared reports on sewer system rehabilita tion and improvements. The coun cil approved a bid of $626,845 for the rehab of 3500 ft. of sewer lines and three or four manholes. The project is funded by ARPA funds and a matching grant from the state and will come in at or just under the budgeted amount. The work on the sewer lines is set to begin this fall. While the rehab project is going well, a project to upgrade the exist ing sewer plant and pond is suffer ing budgeting problems. The city must update its system to comply See Comer, page 2A