New Recreation Park Update

The new Recreation Park is well underway, with the individual fields starting to take shape. In the photo below, you can begin to see the clay interior of the fields and the definition of the outfields. Representatives from the Golden Isles Engineering, the firm managing the project for Brantley County, informed the Commissioners this week that, "A light temporary grassing is going in on Monday to hold things together. The sidewalks and fencing will follow and the irrigation system and permanent grassing soon thereafter with Phase IV."

The Commission has made this project a priority, as parking at the old recreation park presents such a hazard. The Recreation Facility can be found off Highway 82, near the Forestry Department. The Georgia Forestry was kind enough to provide us with the updated photo. The goal has always been for children to play ball on these fields this Spring. The constant rain has negatively impacted the schedule, but Commissioners are still hopeful that the fields will be ready for this season. Immediately behind these 4 fields, two football fields will be built to handle football and soccer. For a drawing of the master plan of the recreation park, scroll down the left hand margin and look for the attachment.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

Click on Photo to see larger

Let's Get Back To Normal.......

By 3 pm Saturday, all that was left of this troubling event was the barricades, yellow tape, cones and some bags of "white flour" that some protesters knew better than to throw, given the excellent security that was in place. Everything was back to normal. With the weekend's events behind us, and everyone breathing a sigh of relief, it is time for healing.

Where much of the crowd was from out of town, many of our citizens were curious. As I sat back and watched, I saw many, if not most, leave when the hatred started to spew. While the Klan claimed that this would not be a racially charged rally, the battle cry "white power" over and over made our visitors out to be, as we all expected, untruthful. Congratulations to Sheriff Robert Thomas and the team of GSP, DNR, area county Sheriff's Departments, City police, GBI, Justice Department and other officials, that he put together to control the crowd and make sure there was no loss of life or property. The weeks of planning that went into this consumed an enormous amount of local, State and Federal resources. Information was made available late in the week that, for safety reasons, caused the rally to be moved to the City streets around the Courthouse. The roof construction on the Courthouse scheduled for Saturday was postponed. Sheriff Thomas worked with other agencies to review all alternatives around the City, as the Mayor had invited the Klan to come into the City against the vote of the City Council and advice of City Attorney, Kelly Brooks. The Sheriff's team came up with the plan that was executed. The Mayor and I talked Thursday night and I explained the plan that they had worked out. We had to allow the authorities familiar events like this to define the proceedings so that they could maintain safety for our citizens and our visitors.

While many of us tried to tell the news media that this didn't reflect the views of the majority of our town or County, interviews with people who were, for the most part from other counties, painted a very different picture. When I saw that one truck with the out of town tag and the two rebel flags on the big pole, I somehow knew this would be the focus of many media pictures. You know February is sweeps month so ratings are a big deal to TV anchors right now. I provided a press release to every TV station and news paper of all the positive things going on in our County, but that isn't news. The news stations are as guilty as the first one who called them for the pain, fear and frustration our community has felt these past weeks from national exposure. Had that first call not gone to Fox30, the coverage and crowd would have been a fraction of what it was.

I just wish that the rally had taken place at the Schlatterville Recreation Park, as had been originally negotiated with the Klan,consistent with County ordinances. Where none of us wanted this in our County, there was no legal grounds to prevent it. Having the event at Schlatterville would have eliminated the negative impact on the Nahunta store owners and citizens in the City, eliminated the near misses that took place from people stepping out into traffic and provided an environment much easier to secure. Lord willing, we won't have to go though this again in our lifetime. Praise be to God for helping us get through this without issue. A big thank you to all the law enforcement and first responders that assisted with the event and to our citizens for maintaining their composure. We asked you to stay home, or rise above if you did decide to come and, as usual, you didn't let us down. Now let's pave some roads, build a new recreation park and get back to making positive change for Brantley County.

Thanks,

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

Courthouse Facelift

With a much needed break in the weather, the contract recipient for the Courthouse Roofing Job started replacing the roof today on the addition on the West end of the Brantley County Courthouse. See the pictures below. Other improvements slated for the Courthouse include much needed replacing of the carpet and tile inside, some eve/awning work, repairing the balconies front and back and clock work. The County budgeted $50,000 for improvements, which is only partially used with the roofing and flooring projects. The County has leveraged trustees and Community Service workers to hold down some improvement project costs. The primary concern is safety. With the roof leaking and causing damage inside the courthouse and the carpet serving as a potential trip hazard, these items took priority. Others will be addressed and prioritized as long as budget funds last. County Clerk Dale Halligan was quoted as saying, "This is something that has been needed for a long time and we just simply haven't been able to get it budgeted. This will be a true blessing."

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

Stronger Together Meeting

Please Join Us For

STRONGER TOGETHER: a view of Georgia’s lower coastal region and the nonprofits that serve it

We are pleased to present to the community a report on the combined research conducted by a leading consortia of community partners. This report will summarize the combined findings of surveys conducted in Brantley and surrounding counties examining the public’s opinion of their strengths and challenges. We will also present the findings of a survey conducted among nonprofit organizations examining their sector’s impact and challenges.

Nonprofits seeking to better understand the issues confronting their county, and respond to their organization’s challenges in meeting community needs will benefit from this conversation.

When: February 24, 2010 8:30 AM – Network and Coffee
9:00 – 11 AM – Presentation and Community Conversation

Where: Brantley County Courthouse, 117 Brantley Street, Nahunta, GA

Research and Sponsoring Partners: University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson and Fanning Institutes, in cooperation with the Archway Partnership, Brantley County Family Connection, Brantley Chamber of Commerce, Brantley Board of Commissioners, Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation, Georgia Center for Nonprofits.

Ijeoma Mba
Program Coordinator
Georgia Center for Nonprofits
207 Rose Drive, Brunswick, GA 31520
(912) 262-6503
Preferred Contact Number (cell): (404) 917-6907
www.gcn.org

Board Discusses USDA equipment loan and Courthouse Renovations

The Commission held a public hearing to announce that the Board intends to borrow $163,500,less a $50,000 grant, for the purpose of purchasing a road grader. While at a Federal Funding Seminar last fall in Savannah, the County Manager and Chairman Ham met with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). That led to an application being filed inhouse, with the Commission Staff working together, without the use of a grant writer. The terms for the loan are to be settled at closing, but interest rate will be ½ what the County has been paying. The term could go as long as 7 years, but the Board will likely keep the fleet on a 5-year rotation. This is a real win–win for the County.

In the Regular Meeting, the Board handled four items on the Consent Agenda.
• These included appointing Commissioner Herrin to the Southern Commission on Aging,
• Approving the memorandum of understanding between Brantley County and the UGA Cooperative Extension Service,
• Adopting a resolution authorizing Constitutional Officers to Deposit funds in the Heritage Bank and Southeastern Bank.
• Authorizing Ray Richard, County Engineer, to contact DOT and perform analysis on a potential center turn lane at the end of new proposed turn lane at Post Road. This is to improve traffic in the Sunny Brooks Farm–Post Road area of Waynesville.

On the Regular agenda, Board of Education (BOE) attorney Bruce Walker presented the resolution that the BOE needed the Commission to approve. This allows the school to sell the bonds that are needed to fund the 9th grade complex that is being built at the High School. Mr. Walker explained that the greatest need for room at the moment was the High School, and the 9th grade annex will go a long way toward relieving space problems. The Commission voted to approve the resolution, after some explanation about the payback procedures. The Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPOLST) that was passed last year is being leveraged to pay back the bond purchase, which was made available to the Board at a rate of 1.92%. The BOE borrowed $2.2 million on this bond issue.

County Manager, Parrish Barwick, presented the quotes for replacing the flooring in the courtroom and offices. The carpet is old and starting to tear and roll up, causing trip hazards. With $50,000 budgeted for Courthouse repairs, and the new roof coming in around $26,000, the Board approved a motion for the County Manager to negotiate with Dan Spires Flooring, the low bidder. Their bid was $18,827, with them moving all furniture. The employees will be responsible for moving all personal items, which includes computers and other personal effects. The County is also going after a $99,000 grant to help with Courthouse renovations. The roofing crews should move in next week to start staging equipment and materials, barring more bad weather.

The Board next discussed a potential Special Event Ordinance/Permit process. During the work session, the Board discussed if there may be a need for the County to know ahead of time when and where these events were going to take place, as thousands of people come to some of these events. There was also a discussion about the County recouping expenses incurred at special events. Where the crowds do stop and spend significant revenues at local stores and businesses, most of them do not collect sales tax inside their facilities, which significantly reduces the SPLOST revenue the County would receive. In a conversation with the Sheriff, he explained that his off duty officers, as well as off duty officers from other counties, are utilized and usually funded by the event organizers. The bigger issue is safety and preparedness. With a proper Application and Permit process, the County would be able to prepare for what can turn into traffic problems, etc. when people get backed up. The Board opted to ask County Attorney, Tom Lee, to review what other counties do for these events.

The new Recreation Park was discussed. The County Manager was concerned that the County is spending money on grassing two infields, when we are not installing the irrigation necessary to keep that grass healthy. The discussion centered on either paying the $2300 per field for the irrigation or not grassing the infields at this time. The Board voted to not grass any infields until appropriate irrigation can be installed at a later date. The supply lines will be installed so that tie-ins can be made later.

Angela Hicks and Christine Parker were reappointed to the Tax Assessor’s Board and Mr. Hagin was appointed to the Recreation Board.

The County Manager reported on the potential purchase of rock from the large parking lot next to the race track. The negotiations had come to $250 per dump truck load, with the County having to haul the rock and the seller wanting it all gone. With just two trucks, this would mean renting or contracting with a trucking agency, which pushed the per load price out of the “good deal” range. The County Manager was to make one more contact but this is likely a “no go”.

The County Manager reported that Morris Franklin had been chosen as the new Road Department Superintendent. Morris comes with 25+ years of experience in road construction. He will be working with the County Manager and Ray Griffin to acclimate into the department and the community over the next 90 days.

The County Manager also reported on the other open positions. There were 16 applicants for the Recreation Director position, 8 for the code enforcement position and 26 for the heavy equipment operator position. Mr. Barwick will start with the Recreation Director and has asked the Recreation Board be involved in this process, as they will need to work seamlessly with the new Director. Interviews are being set up with applicants for the Code Enforcement position as well. The Board expects to hire a candidate with all of the necessary certifications such that they can legally inspect all facets of development.

The Paloma Court Speed bump issue came before the Board again. A petition with several names was given to the Board after the last work session. The Commissioners and the County Manager reviewed all the information. All of the calls that came into the office or to Commissioners were asking that this NOT take place. The Board decided to turn this issue over to the City Police and Sheriff’s office. If there is an issue with people violating the speed limit on that road, then the appropriate agencies need to be notified and need to get involved. From a policy perspective, the Commission took no action.

The Commission tabled a discussion on section 801.1 of Subdivision ordinance, as some of the Commissioners wanted an opportunity to compare it to the existing ordinance. Some also wanted to review the new language with the County Engineer. This change affected the definition of a major and minor subdivision.

Mary Gibson introduced Mr. Joe Mayes of Croy Engineering, the new airport engineering firm. During the interviews, their group really stood out to the Airport Authority members. The Board approved the contract with Croy, pending a review by the County Attorney.

Finally, some modifications to the dirt portion of Broome Street were discussed. The Ambulances are traveling in and out of that dirt road, which is in bad need of some work. The Commission instructed the County Manager to get with Ray Griffin and the City of Nahunta and put together a plan to build up this road. Since the 301 resurfacing project that the State of Georgia is performing is about to get underway, there may be an opportunity to use the milled asphalt to cap that road and reduce the wear and tear on the ambulances.

The Board went into executive session for personnel. Upon returning, they took no action.

BTC Video by Robby Thomas

Commission Work Session Yields Update from Tax Assessor

In this month’s Commission Work Session a baker’s dozen of items were reviewed and assigned to the February Regular Meeting agenda.

The highlight was an update from Brantley County Chief Tax Appraiser, Doug Miles, where he reviewed the current GIS mapping project status, current Tax Appeal log and status and the timeline for the 2010 Tax Digest.

The Chief Appraiser explained that there were about 4,383 tax parcels that needed to be mapped. The contractor has worked through about ½ of the 1,144 “split” tracks. There are 3,239 subdivision lots that need to be mapped that will be started on soon. Since AutoCad files are available for many of the larger subdivisions, Billy Lee, Tax Assessor Board Member, felt that these plats would move more quickly than the splits.

The Chief Appraiser presented the Commission with an itemized backlog of 191 Tax Appeals that are yet to be handled. This list can be found on the left margin of this page under the heading “Outstanding Tax Appeals”. If you have an appeal and it is not scheduled, please call the Tax Assessor’s office and make an appointment. The number and email address can be found on the right hand margin of this page.
Mr. Miles also outlined the timeline for the 2010 digest. The information provided puts the delivery of the digest on or before July 1, 2010 to the Brantley County Tax Commissioner.

Other items covered in the meeting included the Board of Education – Assessment and Collection of Tax for School Bond Purposes. This is routine for the County to approve the School Bond. Board of Education attorney, Bruce Walker, will attend the Regular Meeting next Tuesday to review this with the Commission. A copy of all the paperwork has already been delivered to the County Attorney.

A Public Event Permit Ordinance was discussed. The Commission reviewed some neighboring ordinances that allow for a permit/event fee that would provide a vehicle for the County to recover expenses that come about as a result of some of the larger events that take place in the County. When large events take place that bring hundreds or thousands of patrons to a location, the County has to assign EMS, Fire, Police, etc to the event to ensure the safety of the patrons. Plus, many times after the event, the road department is called in to make repairs. Both an event fee and a per ticket alternative were discussed. The document provided will be reviewed and discussed at the Regular Meeting.

The name of Matt Williams was presented to fill the vacancy on the Recreation Board. Mr. Hagin from the West end had previously expressed interest, but wanted to meet with the existing Recreation Board. The Board was unsure if that has taken place or not. The County Manager will attempt to contact Mr. Hagin and find out his interest and make a recommendation at the Regular Meeting.

The Board agreed to put the Annual Memorandum of Understanding between Brantley County and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service on the consent agenda. The discussion of Agent Bob Boland pursued. The Chairman explained that Brantley County had always supplemented the County Agent’s salary by $1000 per month. When he retired last year, the County budgeted to continue supplementing his salary and have the County Agent support the farmers part time, three days per week.

The reappointment of Angela Hicks and Christine Proctor to the Tax Assessor’s Board was placed on the Regular Agenda.

The Walking Track at the Schlatterville Recreation Park was discussed. The County Manager will take over this project and work with County Engineer, Ray Richard, to attempt to complete this process. The Board had already approved the use of the $9000 that is in the Capital Account designated specifically for the Schlatterville Park.

In the County Manager’s Update the following items were discussed:
1. The Record Building (former Chamber Building) is almost complete and some records are already being stored there. The goal is to clean out the hall in the Courthouse.
2. Bids are being acquired for the carpet replacement in the courtroom, as there is a serious trip hazard in a couple of places. More will be available at the Regular Meeting.
3. The open positions that the County has are closing on the 8th of February. Any interested party should stop by the County Office and fill out an application and leave a resume on or before that date.
4. The Warner’s Landing road project is on hold, as the road is under water. Once the water recedes, the County will see where the road is failing and use the fabric, surge stone and other materials that are standing by to make these repairs. With these improvements, the road will either not fail, or fail in a different location the next time the river comes up.
5. The County has been approved for a $50,000 grant toward the price of the new road grader. The balance will be financed with better terms than the County has seen in the past. There will be a public hearing next week, prior to the Regular Meeting, to advertise the fact that the County will be using USDA.
6. The Commission was notified that Sheriff Robert Thomas brought in $59,000 in January for jail boarding fees. It was asked if this included multiple months and the answer was that $6000-$7000 might have been for December, but that was all. This is a real blessing.

The Commission placed an item on the Consent Agenda to ask engineer Ray Richard to review the cost of a turn lane on Highway 82 in Waynesville. When Commissioners Ham and Edgy met with DOT Commissioner Vance Smith last fall, this was one of the items discussed. With the business growth on Highway 82 on the east side of Waynesville, there is increased traffic in this area that is enticing individuals to drive through the median, creating an unsafe condition. For this reason, the County would like to review the possibility of working with the State to install a turn lane between Bennett’s Pharmacy and Bare Butts BBQ.

Commission Called Meeting for Recreation Park

In the public participation section of the meeting, Airport Authority Leader Mary Gibson reported the group had advertised and interviewed for a new Engineering firm. They have settled on the Croy Engineering group out of Atlanta. The LPA group and Bonding agent are dedicated to work through the issues and complete the airport.

The primary reason for the meeting was to review the bids for Phase IIIA and IIIB of the Recreation Park Project. Phase IIIA includes concrete work for sidewalks, handicap parking spots, etc. Golden Isles Engineering was in attendance to review the bid specifications and the results. The low bidder, TRH Construction Company, was awarded the bid for $86,982. The contracts will be drawn up and approved by legal prior to execution. Phase IIIB includes fencing for the fields with heavy gauge fence, proper grounding and realignment of the existing entrance to align it with the center line of the parking lot. Perimeter Fence and Deck was awarded the bid as the low bidder at $83,020. All funds for this will be paid from the Recreation SPLOST. County Manager, Parrish Barwick, gave a report on existing funds in the Recreation SPLOST account. There is currently $283,005 in that account. With approximately $6,000 coming in each month, there will be sufficient funds to complete these phases of the Recreation Park as they are completed.

In this meeting the Commission also approved presented Right of Way documents for Buster Walker Road.