Satilla Church Road Construction Well Under Way‏

Allen Owens Construction has the dirt work portion well under way for Satilla Church Road. The ditches and primary trouble spots are being dealt with first. The residents in that area are very excited about this progress and look forward to being able to get out and get to church this winter when the rains come. The project is coming along nicely.

On a separate note, the County received confirmation this week from the Georgia DOT that the contracts would be coming in next week for Buster Walker Road and a official "notice to proceed" would be in the County's hands within 2 to 3 weeks following the contract. The GaDOT is funding $300,000 of that construction project, standing by its previous commitment to Brantley County. Hats off to Representative Mark Williams and DOT Commissioner Smith for holding those funds until we could get the right of way deeds in place. This official notice will allow that project to be bid so that it can get under way. Granted, this isn't the best time of the year to be starting a construction project, but everyone will just have to work through it knowing that at the end of it, Waynesville and Buster Walker Roads will finally be paved from 110 South to Highway 82.

The County also received word from the Georgia DOT that the contracts would be coming in a couple of weeks for the shorter DOT portion of Mt. Calvary Road between the bridge and the Mt. Calvary Church. The Ga DOT is funding $25,000 for that smaller portion and the County has opted to go ahead and pave the portion between the bridge and High Bluff Rock Road. This portion has cleared engineering and will go to the attorneys next week so that the Right of Way deeds can be acquired. Once those are in place, Mt. Calvary will be put out for bids.

These are certainly exciting times with all of the paving and construction that is under way on Brantley County roads. All of these projects are funded with Georgia DOT and SPLOST dollars. No tax dollars have gone toward the paving of these roads.

Waynesville Road Paving Project Setup Underway‏

Littlefield Construction started this week moving equipment to the Waynesville Road paving project. They will focus on areas where major ridges need to be relocated first so that telephone and power utility companies can relocate their lines. Then they will work strategically to build the road consistent with the specifications as designed by the engineers to the Department of Transportation DOT specifications. This project is being completed with $600,000 in DOT Grant funds and the remainder coming from Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds defined specifically for roads. Those roads that are currently under construction, or will soon be under construction, were chosen because of the cost of maintenance to those roads and the amount of travel on them. Paving these roads will help the road department to be able to focus on other trouble areas when the rains come.

Dude Circle Taking Shape

The Dude Circle paving project is taking shape, with the dirt work nearing completion. In coming weeks the dirt work will be completed, with permanent grassing and eventually paving.

Commission Called Meeting August 18, 2010

Recreation was the centerpiece of the called meeting of the County Commission Wednesday night. The Ccmmission started with review of the bids for the lighting of the new recreation park. Six bids were received. The low bidder was Sadling Electrical Services from Richmond Hill for a $467,198. This included the lights for all four baseball fields, the football and soccer field. It includes installation of poles, mounts, lights and other equipment for a turnkey job. This price also includes a 25 year warranty.

Musco Electrical Services financial arm will finance the lights for 5% at a cost of $62,224 per year. Normal revenues from recreation are budgeted at $28,000. With the new facilities, the Recreation Director and County Manager are confident that an additional $25,000 or more can be raised from tournaments and other events at or through the recreation department. $10,000 is annually budgeted for capital outlay in the recreation department, so this can go toward the lights, making this budget neutral so it causes no increase in taxes.

The next item was the building at the center of the four baseball/softball fields that will provide restrooms, concession stands, some storage and a second floor for scoring and storage. A set of plans to a recently constructed building that is only slightly larger than the footprint needed was provided by Golden Isles Engineering. The plans were drawn by Ussery Architectural Services out of Brunswick. They have offered the plans and all modifications needed for $6500. The Commission voted to purchase the plans and prepare the modifications to be reviewed by the Board, so that they can be approved in the regular meeting in September to go out for bids. County Manager, Parrish Barwick, explained that the goal is to use the remaining Recreation SPLOST dollars (approximately $160,000) to build this building. The building and the lights will put all the fields in a position for play to begin next Spring. Stretching $500,000 so that it builds four baseball fields and two football fields complete with fencing, grassing, irrigation, concession and restrooms has been a difficult task. But, it is nearing completion.

Next, the Commission discussed the grant for the Public Boat Ramp. Commissioners Edgy and O’Quinn have been working with DNR representative Jennifer Kline to find the right location. Originally a spot that was to be donated by Dr. and Mrs. A. W. (Wade) Strickland was considered, but it didn’t work out. Over the past weeks, the Commissioners have been negotiating for the 10.5 acres North of Highway 82 and West of the Satilla River in Atkinson. Dr. and Mrs. Strickland have graciously agreed to donate $50,000 toward the purchase of the property. The Commission voted tonight to use recreation capital project and/or capital outlay funds to put $15,000 with that generous donation to pay a total of $65,000 for the property. The DNR has hailed this as a great deep water location for a boat ramp. There is ample space for truck and boat trailer parking, camp sites, a large fresh water lake for the annual kids fishing tournament held in the County and much more. The $50,000 grant from DNR will go toward the construction of these additions. The Commission extends a very sincere appreciation to Dr. and Mrs. Wade Strickland for their generous donation. The Commission has never lost sight of the fact that many of our residents don’t use a ball or bat when they are doing what they consider to be recreation. The goal is also to drive some tourism dollars with a nice public boat ramp with campsites and easy access from Highway 82.

VFD Chief Clay Smith came before the Board asking for permission to purchase a 1997 Freightliner Pumping Engine with only 16,400 miles on it that is in excellent condition. The Chief had negotiated the owners down from $95,000 to $75,000. They were asking to use $10,000 of the funds they have in the bank for the down payment and to use the funds that were allocated in the special fire tax for substations toward the purchase of this unit. Chief Smith promised the Commission that this engine, along with other changes that he is currently working on, will reduce Atkinson VFD’s ISO rating from a 9 to at least a 6 and maybe a 5. They have a number of initiatives under way. If this works out, it will greatly benefit all of the homeowners in the Atkinson area with lower insurance premiums. The Commission agreed to the purchase, pending the Chief’s inspection of the unit. The Commissioners voted to have the County manager get interest rates from area banks to find the lowest rate to finance the truck for up to 84 months. Payments will be made from the special fire tax already being levied so this purchase would be budget neutral.

Finally, the Commission approved the purchase of two power lift gurneys for the ambulances. These are available through a special deal at ½ price and Tim Crews, EMS Director was able to move funds from an unused line item (ambulance leasing) to cover the purchase of $4649 each, leaving over $9000 in that line item to be turned back in at year’s end. Having this equipment will reduce back strain and/or injuries with Paramedics and EMTs. Since a new ambulance was acquired through a grant last year and an ambulance was “remounted” this year, the fleet of ambulances is in much better shape that it has been in years.

In other business, a ROW deed was approved on Dude Circle that had to be reworked due to a last minute change in the design of the road. This road is under construction and will be completed in coming months.

BTC Video by Robby Thomas

House to House Garbage is Underway

After a couple of fumbles by the garbage company, things are finally underway. They picked up the dumpsters a week ahead of schedule and dropped the ball with executing work orders to get new cans out to those that were missed in the initial delivery of around 6800 trash cans. With less than 2% of homes missed that should have gotten cans, that hiccup triggered a lot of phone calls. But, 2% is a fairly low percentage for a task as daunting as this. The good news is that there are a lot of folks calling in for garbage cans that were not "on the radar", so to speak. These folks are getting assigned an E911 address and getting set up on the County rolls. This process has helped uncover some holes in our E911 addressing that are also being addressed. Better to find them now, versus having an ambulance or a policeman searching about. One thing that has come to light is that residents don't have their E911 address posted. If residents will post the number on a mail box, mail box post or some other fixture at the edge of the road, it will greatly help first responders and municipal service workers locate that property.

If you still do not have a new trash can, please call 912-462-8228 and speak with Scott Smith at the County office. If you are missed and your garbage isn't picked up, you can call Advanced Disposal directly at 1-800-523-3861 and speak with Donna, who is handling the Brantley County account. Remember to have your can out before 6am on the morning of your pickup day and have your can opening facing the road.

Remember, there will be no bill mailed to your home. The garbage fee is included on the property tax bill or the pre-billed mobile homes tag. So, you pay for the service when you pay your annual tax bill. The dump at Smyrna will still be open Tuesday through Saturday to take yard refuge and household white goods. They do not accept household garbage at the landfill. The old green dumpsters will be taken up throughout this week and those areas cleaned up and decommissioned. Anyone dumping garbage or other debris at those locations moving forward will be considered to be littering and law enforcement will be notified if the offender can be identified.

The Commission and staff would like to thank everyone for their cooperation and all the positive comments throughout this process.

Hoboken Fire Station Under Construction‏

Construction at the Hoboken VFD is under way. Varn's Timber was kind enough to donate the new property just South of 82, behind the Hoboken Building Supply. The new building will serve as the primary facility for the West End EMS station, as well bringing them more central to the west end population. Once the Hoboken VFD is able to move into the new station, improvements can be made to their storage and display procedures, which will help drive down their ISO rating, helping homeowners lower their insurance costs. The High Bluff VFD substation property, donated by City of Nahunta Police Chief Robert Johns, is still being cleared of timber. Many property owners have experienced hundreds of dollars in reduced homeowner insurance due to lowered ISO ratings. If you haven't checked, see your volunteer fire chief and discuss the
improved ISO ratings that are being experienced around the County.

Satilla Church Road Construction Continues Plus Oak Grove Resurfacing‏

Allen Construction continues with earth work and pipe installation on Satilla Church Road, while Satilla EMC installs new (and fairly expensive) power poles to make way for the widening of the road. Things are going well in Hortense. Meanwhile Littlefield construction is installing the double surface treatment on Oak Grove/Knox Street. The black surface that has been there for some weeks was merely the leveling process. Today they are installing the tar and rocks to top that off. Citizens on this road should drive slowly as the loose rocks are an issue during this process. Safety first!! Once the rock top has been installed the striping will be completed.

These projects are funded 100% through Road Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funding or Georgia DOT road maintenance grants.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission.

Commission August 2010 Regular Meeting

During Public Participation, Mary Bailey came forward to discuss managing the growing populations of free roaming animals in the City and County. She wanted to seek support from the County with her researching grants and donations to start a spayed-aid program. She has gotten some donations and will seek grants from State agencies and private animal groups. She reported that Atkinson Grocery had already agreed to donate animal food. The Commission directed Ms. Bailey to the RDC and other agencies that help with grants and asked her to feel free to come back with what she finds out.

The minutes for the July regular meeting were read and approved with one correction.

On the consent agenda the Commission approved:

*the amended cable television franchise between Brantley Telephone Company and the County, which changed the service area to include all of the unincorporated area of the County;

*the amended Noise Control Ordinance limiting loud noises from 11pm to 7am throughout the County;

*placing the Bethlehem Bridge on the State’s Priority list;

*approved the adoption of the Resolution for Phase II-Wireless Charge / Service on Cell Phones which increased that fee from $1 to $1.50;

*funding of $40,455 to perform the final leveling, install the irrigation system and grassing at the new football and soccer fields at the new recreation park. This will be paid for out of SPLOST and capital outlay dollars;

*the minor repairs on Dogwood Trail in Raybon, filling holes and installing material so that the road won’t wash out with every small shower. The entire public access easement will be opened up to connect Church and Herrin Lake Road so that the postal service, school bus and trash trucks do not have to.

An update on the airport was next. Mary Gibson, airport authority director, explained that surveyors were on the airport today gathering information for the construction team. Littlefield Construction, the engineering firm and airport authority will have a preconstruction meeting this week and construction will start as soon as Littlefield can mobilize. The Commission approved Task Orders 2 and 3 as presented and approved Task Order #4, pending the attorney’s approval of the final wording. The Ga DOT will provide inspection services.

The Future Land Use Technical Advisory Committee (FLUTAC) Report was discussed. The requested modifications were completed and the Commission placed the report on the September Work Session agenda. The document will need to be approved at that meeting in order to meet the time line of the grant. This classification of property throughout all of Brantley County will serve as the launch pad for the first wave of zoning in Brantley County.

The new Recreation Park being funded through SPLOST and Capital Outlay dollars was discussed next. The Lighting Proposals are due in August 17th and a meeting will be called to review those proposals. Three different sets of plans have been reviewed. A plan final selection will be provided to the Commission in the called meeting after the lighting proposals are in for their approval. The well and electrical components have been installed and the well will be online in days. The irrigation for the softball / baseball fields is being installed. That same vendor will also be contracted to install irrigation at the football and soccer fields. They will also be contracted to complete final grading at the football and soccer fields. A local contractor will complete the sprigging of the football and soccer fields and areas around those fields. The goal is to have all of these improvements completed in the next 4 to 6 weeks.

The bids that were returned to Golden Isles Engineering for the GaDOT approved Road Striping projects for Caney Bay, Riverside, Raybon West and old 259. The low bidder, Peak Paving, was awarded the bid for $148,362.60. The roads were selected by GaDOT as one of the last LARP projects which has now been replaced by Local Maintenance & Improvement Grant (LMIG) Program. GaDOT provided the specifications; Golden Isles Engineering floated the specifications, acquired the bid tabulations and provided those results for consideration to the County Commission.

Tyson Road was added to the agenda at the meeting. Since Waynesville has received over 8 inches of from Friday to Sunday night, Tyson, Cooper and a couple of other roads were impassable this weekend. The Ccunty manager actually had County employees on Waynesville Road Saturday to make repairs. Unfortunately more rain Saturday night caused more damage. Crews were out Monday and Tuesday making repairs in this area. New pipes have been installed and more work will be completed to put these roads in a similar condition as Boots Harrison and Albert Gibson, which received similar rainfall but had no travel issues. There was some edge erosion, which is expected given that much rainfall.

The Commission discussed road rights of way and their maintenance next. The ramps located on County right of way need to be properly maintained by the County, as these are on County property. As issues arise, the road department will address them. The County, earlier in the year, returned to the practice of the County installing culvert pipes for a fee for new residents.

BTC Video by Robby Thomas

Work Restarts at Brantley County Airport

The stalled airport project, which is funded through a One Georgia Air Georgia grant, got back under way today. Survey crews were on site, defining the baselines and establishing the current elevation. A preconstruction meeting is being held at noon with Littlefield Construction and agents from the engineering company, secured by the bonding company, to complete the project. There are still a few forms to be returned from GaDot but this work can be completed prior to that. Littlefield will take between 90 and 120 days to complete the project, based on the weather and GaDot's ability to certify the soil cement mixture rates prior to the base and paving being installed once the earth work is complete.

Everyone should be excited to see this project completed and the airport back open for business. It has taken an all out concerted effort from many in the County and at various State agencies to get this project moving again. Hats off to all involved.

Dude Circle Construction Begins

The Dude Circle Road Construction project is underway. Littlefield Construction was the winning bidder and started clearing and grubbing this week since all permits were now active. This project was put together by the County Commission because when CSX closes the 82 rail crossing, all traffic has to be diverted through Dude Circle. The dirt road simply can't support that kind of traffic. This project will connect the two paved portions of this road. Littlefield's earth moving crews will move into Waynesville Road in a couple of weeks, as the clearing and grubbing has already been done on Waynesville Road. All of the proceeds for these projects are coming from Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax (SPLOST) dollars for roads or Georgia Department of Transportation (GaDOT) funds. GaDOT provided $600,000 toward the total $950,000+ Waynesville road project. The Dude Circle project is $97,000+ and is funded totally from SPLOST dollars.

The proposed work on Dogwood Trail has been confused in the legal organ. The goal of the Commission, as proposed by the County manager and discussed in the meeting, is to put dirt in the holes and maybe some rock or crushed concrete so that they don't wash out the next time it rains. Few if any trees will be removed or trimmed. The Commission wants to open up the complete "public access easement" and connect the two roads so that the school bus, mail carrier, trash truck and tax payers can travel the road without having to turn around in the yard at the end of the current partial opening. This is not considered a major project and this is not private property. The County attorney explained that his review of the tax records produced no owner of record. There will be NO BILL sent to adjacent property owners. That was discussed in the meeting, but it was not placed on the consent agenda.

Ronald E Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

Boots Harrison Road Project

The clearing and grubbing portion of the Boots Harrison Road project is well under way. This portion is being completed in-house by Brantley County Road crews, led by Morris Franklin, Road Superintendent and head of special projects. They are currently working with the utility companies to move telephone and power lines once the Right of Way is cleared. The Commission voted last month for the clearing and grubbing to be completed with all dirt work and piping. The project would then be turned over to engineering for bids on surface treatment or paving. The goal was to have this project completed by year's end, which is very achievable at this point if the weather cooperates.

August Called Meeting and Work Session

Shortly before the August Work Session, the County Commission assembled in a called session to review some developments in the airport project. Airport Authority Director, Mary Gibson, reported that they were making great progress with the bonding company and that workers should be back at the airport within 10 days and hopefully next week.

Along those same lines, the Airport Authority is working with Croy Engineering to take over the “oversight” role that was formerly performed by LPA Engineering. Where the draft agreement has a scope and cost that exceeded those needed, the Commission recognized the County needing someone on site to represent the County’s interest. The Commission approved a motion in the called meeting to allow the Airport Authority Director, County Attorney, Authority Attorney and the Chairman to work out the details of the agreement and execute it so that work can begin as soon as possible with the appropriate oversight. Everyone wants to see the airport project brought to a close so that DOT and One Georgia funds are not put at risk. At this point, the funding sources are standing fast behind Brantley County’s project.

Immediately following the called meeting, the Board went into the Work Session where they developed the agenda for the August Regular meeting. There were no additions to the agenda as the Commission started to work.

The Future Land Use Plan provided by the Future Land Use Technical Advisory Committee (FLUTAC) was placed on the regular agenda as modified. The County Manager was asked to contact Courtney Reich and have her deliver the latest draft of the document to the County office prior to the weekend so the Commissioners had sufficient time over the weekend to review it. There haven’t been significant changes to the document.

Clayton Smith of the Atkinson VFD gave a report that they were still looking for a fire truck and property on 259 at College Circle to build their substation next year (2011). Discussions on alternatives for purchasing the truck were discussed and tabled until an appropriate vehicle was located.

The County placed a modification to the Cable Television Franchise between the County and Brantley Telephone Company on the consent agenda. In the initial agreement from July of 2007, the attachment “A” which defined the boundary of the franchise, the definition was erroneously limited to all of the unincorporated properties to the West of Highway 301. BTC Communications was requesting a modification to the agreement, including all of the unincorporated areas of Brantley County, which was the original intent of the agreement.

The County attorney had made some significant improvements to the noise control ordinance. This will provide law enforcement with more tools to quiet a wide variety of events throughout the County that are disturbing neighbors and neighborhoods after 11pm at night. This item was placed on the consent agenda.

The bridge on Bethlehem Road was discussed next. The County engineer explained in great detail how unsafe the bridge was and how it was a wise move that the DOT closed the bridge. Based on the report, it was obvious that the bridge would have to be completely replaced, not repaired. All of the Commissioners agreed that the bridge needs to be placed on the DOT priority list. A letter will be prepared for all Commissioners to sign, bringing this to the attention of the State DOT. This was placed on the consent agenda.

The Resolution proclaiming Brantley County E911 Phase II compliant so that the additional $0.50 per cell phone can be collected, was placed on the consent agenda. A discussion took place on how those funds are collected now and how they are used. The Commissioners, once the County is in a more solid financial standing, would like to see the E911 facilities improved. The Commission explained that the equipment that had to be purchased for E911 cost the County approximately $125,000 per year now. One potential path forward is to use those funds to provide a building for EMA & 911 once that equipment loan is paid off. This could be accomplished without increasing the budget, allowing this department to continue to operate near budget neutral.

A list of Coastal Advisory Council Grants that the County can apply for was provided for the Commission. Jennifer Kline was in attendance to answer any questions. The County is working to acquire the property for a public boat ramp which was funded through a DNR grant last year in an effort lead by Ms. Kline.

Finally, the County discussed Dogwood Trail. The County manager has researched the plats provided by the County surveyor from the Clerk of Courts office and the ROW for that road is public access. The County surveyor surveyed the property to simply define that property. The County placed an item on the consent agenda to simply repair that road “as is”, but to extend the road all the way through the ROW access. The goal is to remove no trees if possible and to not cause any utilities or residential fences or fixtures to be relocated. The County would simply fill in the holes, apply whatever rocks or crushed concrete are available and to tie the road into the connecting road so that the school bus and mail carrier don’t have to turn around in the residence’s yard. This also keeps school children from having to walk out to Raybon Rock Road West when Dogwood gets too bad.

The County manager gave an update on the new Recreation Park. The irrigation is being installed at the baseball fields and surrounding areas. The sprigging of grass will start shortly behind its completion. The well is in place. The electrical panel will be in place this week so that the pump and tank can be installed next week. The lighting proposals are still out and are due in by August the 17th. An additional meeting will be called to deal with those proposals and get that part of the park started. The County engineer has located one set of plans for a concession/restroom/scoring building that sits at the center of the 4 fields and the Recreation Director is acquiring some other alternatives. The Commission will have some alternatives at next week’s meeting to review. A set of plans and an architect need to be selected so that proposals for that building can be requested. Once those proposals are in and the County takes action on the building, this will put the finishing touches on the new recreation park. The County did approve an addendum for the irrigation contractor to install the irrigation to the football and soccer fields for $40,454. This and all other facets of the park are paid for with recreation SPLOST dollars and capital outlay funds set aside specifically for recreation.

There was an item on the agenda that was brought up by a local resident in regard to any plan the County may have for an animal shelter. Some research was done. With buildings and equipment in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and operating budgets nearly as much, the County is simply not in the financial shape to implement such a facility at this time. It is something that the Commission would like to eventually undertake and everyone recognizes that the stray dogs and cats are a challenge. But, at this time, the Commission feels it is simply not financially feasible to take on such a challenge. The County attorney did provide ordinances that several surrounding counties use and the fee structures that they use to help overcome the costs. No information on grants for such a facility had been located as of the meeting. No action was taken on this item.