Brantley County New Recreation Park Starting to Take Shape

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Commission Focuses on Debt and Developing Projects‏

In the regular meeting of the Brantley County Commission last week, the Commissioners tackled a long list of items in almost record time. With the meetings streamlined and properly organized, the Commissioners' ability to focus on policy is beginning to show results.

On the Consent Agenda the Commission voted to:

1. Adopt a resolution to return property to Cheryl Lynch on Waynesville Road that was not needed for Right of Way (ROW), as Scott Lynch has donated property across the road and the road design has been adjusted.
2. Appoint Greg O'Quinn to the Coastal Advisory Council.
3. Re-appoint Chad Scruggs and Pat Evans to the Recreation Advisory Council, leaving only one vacant position that may later be filled by Mr. Hagen of Schlatterville.
4. Re-appoint Michael Hickox and Virginia Barber to the Library Board.
5. Purchase the Volvo road grader that has been test driven for the last few weeks, which was the low bid tractor which met the county specifications. The County Manager was empowered to make application to the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Services (RUS) for a $50,000 and 7 year 4% loan funds for the remainder of the cost of the tractor. This is a real win-win for the County if he is successful obtaining this grant, which was brought to the County by Ms. Reich.
6. Approved entering into an agreement with Ecological Planning Group (who's representative is Courtney Reich) to write grants for the County.
7. Approved Golden Isles Engineering Consultants to provide Engineering Services for the Coastal Incentive Grant process.

On the regular agenda, the Commissioners discussed the following items and took the appropriate action on same:

The County Manager was asked to solicit volunteers from different neighborhoods, churches, and social circles to serve on the "Complete Count Committee" to support the Census Count. Getting this count correct and the associated information is critical for Brantley County as it determines how Brantley ranks when grants are applied for. Mailers will go out twice and if those are not completed and returned, your house will be flagged for a physical visit. They will visit up to 7 times to try and get the information. So, the best thing to do is complete the 10 question form, which takes about 10 minutes, and stick it back in the mail.

The Commissioners agreed to allow Commissioner Summerlin and representatives from the Recreation Board and staff to design a concrete walking track at the Schlatterville park using the funds that are set aside for that park in designated capital account. Those funds have to be used for Schlattervillle as that was assigned by previous Commissioners. Prison labor and local volunteers will be utilized to hold down costs so that the County only has to purchase the concrete, which will not exceed designated funds. Mr. Summerlin vowed to oversee this process personally.

A public rally ordinance & application process was reviewed and approved. This ordinance will assign structure to private groups interested in using County property for peaceful demonstrations with 50 or more people in attendance. This will not impact civic organizations and the like. With this in place, organizations that wish to use Brantley County property after January 1, 2010 will have to complete an application process and provide the County with information so that proper facilities, security, etc, can be planned and acquired.

The Commissioners approved for the County Manager and the Chairman to put together the necessary funds to pay off the $3.1 million TAN loan acquired in early 2010. About 1/3 of these funds were used to operate the County this year. The bank that provided the lowest interest rate required the County to draw down ALL of the $3.1 million, even though it was not needed, costing the County a significant amount of unnecessary interest. So, this was not the cheapest alternative. The good news is that the County still has $2.3 million of that $3.1 million in the bank, and there is only one more payroll and 2 weeks of Accounts Payable to manage. A separate account has been set up for the deposit of next year's tax money so that a proper accounting of how much of next year's tax money is used to pay off this year's debt. This will give the County the measurement of how much of a loan will be required to operate next year. The goal has always been to pay at least $1 million on the debt, hold the millage rate steady and make progress on roads, recreation, etc, using SPLOST dollars. That goal appears to be easily obtainable. But, all departments have been asked to hold all spending to an absolute minimum over the next 3 weeks.

The appointments to the Future Land Use Management Advisory board were made. George Skarpolaza, Richard McKinna, Gary Johns and Amy Schlutze were appointed and Commissioner Summerlin was to contact the Clerk on the following morning with his nominee. This committee will work with a handful of others and various boards and staff to develop the land use outline which was a deliverable in the grant that was acquired through DNR last year. This has to be completed by October 2010.

The Commissioners agreed to renew the contract with the Ware Correctional Institute for inmate labor. With a change in leadership on the prison detail, previous concerns by the Board have been rectified and alternatives were not readily available. The Sheriff is more than willing to work during 2010 to develop our own inmate labor force but since his inmates are "detainees" and not "convicted inmates" the process is different. The Sheriff is using inmate labor to clean up around the current recreation park and jail facility and is more than willing to expand that scope once we are able to work out the details and get that detail properly equipped and staff to manage them. With the savings that the County is seeing from using the Ware inmates for items that were previously expensed, this was a sound financial move.

The Commissioners discussed the "Dangerous Dog Ordinance" which defines the process that should be followed if a dog attacks a human being. Mr. Peter Bugalino Sr. was appointed as the dog control officer, but all calls should go through 911 or the Sheriff's office if a dog bites a human being and assistance is needed. Calls should NOT go directly to the dog control officer. Possible modifications to the ordinance are being considered to modernize it. The County Manager and Clerk were empowered to purchase the necessary equipment for this agent. The Chairman discussed with the Sheriff the possibility of a dog holding facility being built at the jail so that inmate labor could be used to feed and manage any dog that attacked a human being and was acquired by the dog control officer. He was fine with that and discussions are under way to define the requirements for such a facility (based on code sections) and exactly where the Sheriff could put such a facility within his compound. This is a very economical approach to what is hoped to be a rare occasion.

The Commissioners agreed to apply for a DNR grant with Ms. Jennifer Kline of DNR to provide public access to the river. There are some properties that have already been offered for donation to the County and an evaluation would have to be completed by DNR to see if they are suitable. If this works, out they could serve as part of the County "match" for the grant. The goal is to acquire Right of Way and river access for a project that would include the installation of a public boat ramp. This would be completed with grant funds and will not impact local tax dollars.

The County Manager gave an update on several items. One was a bid for the collection of garbage using our existing dumpster system. Advanced Disposal was the low bidder and received that award. The County Manager was asked to get the contract over to the County Attorney for review. All new dumpsters will be installed and this contract includes their cleaning up the dump sites at least one time each weekly. Their bid was $498,288, which is somewhat less than the amount the County is currently paying, and significantly lower than the second place bidder.

Modifications to the hours of operation at the landfill at Smyrna were discussed. Effective February 1st 2010, the landfill hours of operation will be changed. Look for the new hours of operation as they will be posted in the newspaper over the next two months. The manpower currently assigned to the second shift at the landfill will be reassigned within the road department.

Beginning immediately, the Recreation department will only be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8 hours a day. This is only a change in the hours, reducing them from 10 to 8 hours. The extra hours will be spent ensuring that recreation department staff is on-site at concession stands and gates to ensure the proper accountability of funds that come through the recreation department.

Members of the Atkinson Volunteer Fire Department had asked if they could take over the maintenance and upkeep of the voting building that is located on the property there. The goal is to use it for some of their meetings and for some of the civic meetings like Cub Scouts, etc. that meet in the area. The Commission agreed with this, but asked the County Manager to discuss this with the Voter Registrar and her Board prior to making a commitment to the fire department.

Bids were opened for the A/C for the new records building (the old Chamber of Commerce Building) that is needed to complete that project. Baker Heating and Air won that bid. Hopefully this project will be completed and the hall of the Courthouse will be cleaned out starting the first of the year.

The Brantley County Commission meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 4 p.m. at the County Office building for their work session, where the agenda for the regular session is developed, and on the second Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. at the Brantley County Courthouse for their regular meeting. For more information, monitor this web site, attend one of these sessions or review the video that is provided compliments of BTC Communications.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

BTC Video by Robby Thomas

Road Construction Meeting

The Road Construction meeting was held last night and updates were given by engineers, surveyors, contractors, utility providers and County Manager, Parrish Barwick.

The Waynesville Road Project is underway with right of way (ROW) clearing underway. This will take 45-60 days depending on weather and due to the Christmas break. Phase II under development and all utility contractors (EMC and BTC) are involved with these updates. The County received the "okay" from the State to go across 121 to Waynesville West and pave in front of the new Atkinson Upper Elementary School. This will help the buses, parents and teachers that are driving on the dirt road in and out every day. The ROW for this section is being secured from the school and two land owners across from the school. The State also allowed some subset of the $300,000 that was allocated to Waynesville West to be applied to Waynesville East and maybe even Buster Walker. If this actually happens, it will be a real blessing.

Buster Walker ROW continues to be a challenge. The team is down to a hand full of negotiations over items that will come to closure but the biggest issue is land owners from out of town that are failing to respond to any communication attempt. They may lead the County to the condemnation process that is lengthy and expensive. Some new approaches are being attempted that will hopefully bring a good result. No
progress can be made on Buster Walker until a "certificate of
authentication of ROW" can be issued by the attorney.

The attorney has letters ready to be mailed for Satilla Church Road ROW and Boots Harrison ROW. These will be mailed out by the end of December, according to updates given at the meeting. Once all right of way is acquired, bids will be let for phase 1 of these two projects. Meetings with key property owners on Satilla Church and Boots Harrison road have already taken place.

The Mt. Calvary project is in the initial design phase. Since the original DOT scope was to only connect the two pieces of pavement on that road, this is a very small project. In fact it is less that 0.2 miles. It will be very difficult to get a crew to seriously consider this small of a job. The team felt that extending this pavement so that it connects to High Bluff Rock Road would be work investigating. The engineer will review the topographical design and water flows and the surveyor will canvas the area and see how many property owners there are and how much ROW might be needed for this phase of the project.

The Dude Circle project was discussed. The surveyors have completed field work and will deliver their findings to the engineers so that they can begin work. There is only one land owner involved. which is one of the timber companies. They will regain ownership of the old road in exchange for the ROW on the new road. The Dude Circle Road will be straightened so that there is only one gentle curve that aligns with the existing paving on Burton Street. Many of you may remember the fiasco
that took place when CSX closed the rail crossing earlier this year. With no paved bypass, this created a nightmare in a very short time frame. For this reason this is being given a priority. The team is considering a similar approach to the crossing in Hortense as 32 was equally impacted. In fact, it may have been worse as the detour was longer and in less desirable condition.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

Commissioners Begin to Wind Down the Year

In the Work Session Tuesday night the Commissioners covered a wide variety of items from roads to reindeer.

Ferrell Malone from the Census Bureau came by and made a presentation to the Board on the upcoming census. The County needs to appoint a "Complete County Committee" to help ensure that a complete and accurate count of Brantley County folks. The Census Bureau will be sending out mailers with only 10 questions that take 10 minutes to complete and return. Completing this information will really help the County when they apply for grants and other assistance if we have an accurate count. If you don't fill out the mailer and return it, a second one will be mailed. If you fail to send that one in, then they will send out people to knock on your door. This item was placed on the regular agenda.

An update on the Road Construction projects was next. The Baker Creek Road project has had the flowcrete and cap material installed. Once the compaction is tested and the weather cooperates, paving will begin. The Right of Way clearing contracts for Waynesville Road have been approved by the attorney and will be executed tomorrow. They will start work on the road in 2 to 3 weeks. The Right of Way acquisition on Buster Walker Road is still under way. The Right of Way and design work on Boots Harrison is almost complete. Right of Way acquisition and design work is under way for Satilla Church Road in Hortense. Survey work is being complete on Mt Calvary Road and the Dude Circle Connector. When the CSX crossing on 82 was closed last summer and all the rains came, the increased traffic around Dude Circle demonstrated a real need to manage this traffic better. By connecting the pavement at Dude Circle with the pavement near the housing projects, the County will create a bypass that can be used in the event of another issue at this primary crossing on 82. The survey work and pre-engineering are under way for Mt. Calvary Road and the Twin Oaks Park entrance.

The Recreation Park construction project, Phase I is nearing completion. Immediately, Phase II will begin where the infields and outfields will be completed with irrigation and drainage. County Manager, Parrish Barwick, reported that conversations with Plum Creek on the additional irrigation pond/property is ongoing. The lake is about 8 acres and will provide enough irrigation that the additional irrigation wells will not be necessary. A simple crossover pipe will be installed between the two ponds and a sump pump used to irrigate the new ball fields or manage levels between the pond. The really good news is that there is DNR grant money for the purchase of the property and the installation of a "nature trail" for educational purpose. The challenge is going to be how the County finds the money for the lights for the new fields. The Okefenoke REMC has offered to install the light poles if we choose poles consistent with their equipment. Golden Isles Engineering is completing an illumination study based on the field designs, which will define the number and power of lights that are needed at the desired elevation.

The Board discussed bids for the walking track at the Schlatterville Recreation Park. One Commissioner desired to have the County employees prepare the surface and base material and limit the purchase to only paving. The County Manager is going back to the drawing board for another solution. There is capital outlay money available for the Schlatterville Park in the amount of approximately $9000. This item was placed on the regular agenda.

The Commission discussed a public Rally Ordinance that would define the application and permit process as well as the other requirements to use public property for Rallies. This item was placed on the regular agenda.

The payment of the Operating TAN loan was discussed. The County Manager is getting payoffs and procedures for payment and will have them at the regular meeting. The County still expects to be able to pay $1 million or more on the $3.1 million in operating capital that was borrowed in March. Tax payers are encouraged to pay their taxes by the end of the year to allow the County to generate enough money to pay off the Tax Anticipation Note (TAN). The County still has over $2 million in the General Fund but we have to operate through the month of December. The revenues from back taxes and unanticipated revenues will derive how much the County will be able to pay on the debt. The ENTIRE debt must be paid by December 31st. Then the County will have to anticipate how much money will be needed to operate in 2010 and secure those funds. These items were placed on the regular agenda.

All County Commissioners will must bring their nominations for the Future Land Use Technical Advisory Committee to the Regular Meeting.

The County's contract with Ware Correctional Institute for inmate work was discussed. The County Manager is discussing using our local inmates with the Sheriff. The challenge is in the reduced pool of inmates to pull from at the local facility and the fact that many of these are detainees and are less likely to volunteer for this work detail. If an insufficient number of inmates were available, work would go undone. The County Manager will prepare the alternatives and bring them to the Board. Ware County is pushing for a contract, as the previous contract ended this summer. This was placed on the regular agenda.

A Dangerous Dog Control Officer was the next topic. Mike Edgy had approached an individual from his area who was willing to consider the role, but needed more information. Mike will provide the candidate with more information and the Chairman will discuss detention alternatives for any dogs that land in County custody with the Sheriff. This item was placed on the regular agenda.

Commissioner Q'Quinn was nominated to serve on the Coastal Advisory Council, where former Commissioner Hunter had served. This item was placed on the Consent Agenda.

Recreation Advisory Committee members Pat Evans and Chad Scruggs asked to be reappointed to the committee. This item was placed on the Consent Agenda. Scott Studstill resigned from the Recreation Advisory Committee. Dick Hagen came to the meeting to list his qualifications and interest in potentially serving. But, he asked for the opportunity to attend one of the committee meetings. So, the filling of the position was placed on the January Work Session.

Michael Hickox and Virgina Barber agreed to serve another term on the Library Board. This item was placed on the Consent Agenda.

The County Manager gave a very thorough update on a variety of items listed below:

1. The Volvo road grader is performing well. The County put the purchase of this item on the Consent agenda.
2. The RFPs for dumpster garbage collection were opened at 2pm today and more review was needed. The County Manager will bring a recommendation to the regular meeting. This was placed on the regular agenda.
3. The EMS updated included that they will move to their new facility once EMA has completed their transition to the new facility. Issues with the ATT telephone lines and new telephone equipment have stalled the migration to the new building and system, which is now slated for 8:30 Monday, December 7th. The new ambulance that was purchased with Grant funds will be delivered and placed into service in the next two weeks. Specifications for the new Substation in Schlatterville for EMS are being reviewed so that alternatives can be reviewed with the County Manager and the board in January and February. The completion of this process will be a lengthy process, so some data gathering is already under way. EMS is now transferring old debt to the collection agency that won the County's service. 2006 debt has been turned over, 2007 and 2008 will be close behind. Moving forward, after 4 attempts to collect EMS debt are unsuccessful, the debt will be turned over to collection. So, no debt older than 6 months should be on the County's books moving forward.
4. Landfill hours of operation were discussed, as we are staying open after dark now to receive trees and limbs (inert material) which is all that our landfill can receive. The County Manager will discuss this with the employees and bring some alternatives to the regular meeting. This item was placed on the regular agenda.
5. The hours of operation for the Recreation department were also discussed. With our working 10 hours days now and closed on Wednesday, we aren't properly utilizing Recreation Department employees. With opportunities to reduce the number of hours of part time employees, this seemed like a good area for analysis. The County Manager had some suggestions that he will formalize and bring to the Commission at the regular meeting. This was placed on the regular agenda.
6. Brantley has the opportunity to pursue multiple grants for everything from Courthouse renovation to new road graders, trash trucks, dump trucks/equipment, office space, etc. A specification for the renovation of the Courthouse Roof was delivered by Golden Isles Engineering and reviewed by the Board. The development of this grant list and the approval of the Courthouse Roof Spec was placed on the regular agenda. The spec for the roof, if approved will be floated in the remainder of December and January, with contracts let in January and work completed during the month of February prior to the Spring rains. This item was placed on a regular agenda.
7. A Master Services Agreement with Ecological Planning Group (Courtney Reich and company) was placed on the Consent Agenda. His work with the USDA has already put the County in line for hundreds of thousands of grants and low interest loans to purchase equipment or complete a number of projects that are on the County's radar screen.
8. A quote for services from Golden Isles Engineering to participate in the Coastal Incentive Grant project was placed on the Consent Agenda. Their services are required, based on the definition of the grant.

Mary Gibson gave a report on the airport. The dirt work is complete and the County surveyor is double checking the elevations. She expects work to be wrapping up down there soon. Jeannie Boland has lined up a possible candidate who is interested in utilizing space at the airport for business purposes. A meeting is being held next week for her to hand off this lead to the airport authority.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission