The City of Danielsville has finally stopped losing money on its water department, according to the town’s newly released 2012 audit report.
“This was the city’s best audit in a long, long time,” mayor Todd Higdon told the council at its regular business meeting June 10.
City attorney Dale Perry agreed.
“The audit shows that the city lost $260,000 over the last four years (prior to 2012), but that it actually made $10,000 on water in 2012,” Perry said.
Higdon and Perry said that raising water and sewer rates last year to rates more comparable with other municipalities in the area was a big reason for the change.
“This was a first measure that was a step in the right direction,” Higdon said.
Adding the board of education on as a paying sewer customer as part of an agreement to upgrade the wastewater pond was also significant, they pointed out.
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Entries by Margie Richards
Dobbs to spend summer in Vanuatu
This weekend, 16-year-old Noel Dobbs will begin the summer adventure of a lifetime, all while helping others she has never met. She’ll also have quite a story to tell when she returns to Madison County High School as a junior in mid-August.
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Danielsville officer seriously injured in one vehicle wreck
Danielsville police officer Henry Hicks, 66, remains hospitalized in serious condition following a one-vehicle wreck on Hwy. 174 on May 30.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, Hicks was driving a 1989 Ford Bronco when it left the roadway and struck a section of wooden fence before overturning. Hicks was transported by Madison County EMS to Athens Regional Medical Center where he was reportedly admitted in critical condition.
Danielsville mayor Todd Higdon said Tuesday evening that Hicks’ condition had been upgraded to “serious but stable.”
Higdon, who said he had spoken to Hicks’ doctors that day said they felt “comfortable that he is on the road to recovery.”
Doctors were at first concerned that he might lose an arm, but Higdon said things were also looking up on that score.
“Doctors are optimistic that with surgeries, they’ll be able to save it,” Higdon noted.
Higdon said blood-thinning medications had caused excessive blood loss after the accident. “He needed 27 pints in just a couple of days,” Higdon noted.
[Full Story »]
According to the Georgia State Patrol, Hicks was driving a 1989 Ford Bronco when it left the roadway and struck a section of wooden fence before overturning. Hicks was transported by Madison County EMS to Athens Regional Medical Center where he was reportedly admitted in critical condition.
Danielsville mayor Todd Higdon said Tuesday evening that Hicks’ condition had been upgraded to “serious but stable.”
Higdon, who said he had spoken to Hicks’ doctors that day said they felt “comfortable that he is on the road to recovery.”
Doctors were at first concerned that he might lose an arm, but Higdon said things were also looking up on that score.
“Doctors are optimistic that with surgeries, they’ll be able to save it,” Higdon noted.
Higdon said blood-thinning medications had caused excessive blood loss after the accident. “He needed 27 pints in just a couple of days,” Higdon noted.
[Full Story »]
Comer man drowns in the Broad River
A Comer man drowned Saturday while swimming in the Broad River off David’s Home Church Road.
Douglas Parham, 42, was pronounced deceased by coroner Julie Phillips at approximately 8:30 p.m. Saturday after paramedics were unable to revive him.
According to the incident report, deputy Lewis Fisher was dispatched to the scene where he met with EMS, who told him a white male had drowned in the river while swimming. A witness at the river stated that Parham came to the river about 6 p.m. and that about 6:30 p.m. her daughter asked Parham if he would go out to “Fred’s Rock” and swim with them.
Once out at the rock, Parham allegedly slipped as he was entering the water and when he came up, he was panicked. Attempts to rescue him were unsuccessful and 9-1-1 was called. Another swimmer reportedly found Parham about 100 yards from where he went in approximately 10 to 15 minutes later. Madison County Rescue brought him to the shoreline, but no vital signs were detected.
Phillips said she pronounced him deceased at the scene. She received the autopsy results from the state crime lab Tuesday, ruling his death an accidental drowning. [Full Story »]
Douglas Parham, 42, was pronounced deceased by coroner Julie Phillips at approximately 8:30 p.m. Saturday after paramedics were unable to revive him.
According to the incident report, deputy Lewis Fisher was dispatched to the scene where he met with EMS, who told him a white male had drowned in the river while swimming. A witness at the river stated that Parham came to the river about 6 p.m. and that about 6:30 p.m. her daughter asked Parham if he would go out to “Fred’s Rock” and swim with them.
Once out at the rock, Parham allegedly slipped as he was entering the water and when he came up, he was panicked. Attempts to rescue him were unsuccessful and 9-1-1 was called. Another swimmer reportedly found Parham about 100 yards from where he went in approximately 10 to 15 minutes later. Madison County Rescue brought him to the shoreline, but no vital signs were detected.
Phillips said she pronounced him deceased at the scene. She received the autopsy results from the state crime lab Tuesday, ruling his death an accidental drowning. [Full Story »]
‘War-time memories’: Ford Carey, 95, reflects on life, WWII service
Army veteran and Purple Heart receipient Ford Carey still dreams about the time he spent fighting in Italy during World War II.
“I dream sometimes I’m over there and I don’t know my way back home,” he said. “And I study about it sometimes at night before I go to sleep.”
Though he’s never forgotten the war, it wasn’t something he talked about much for many years, being raised in an age where one often kept their feelings and thoughts to themselves.
His niece, Lillian Chandler, remembers the Memorial Day years ago when she and her sister, Susan Young, took carnations around to veterans in the area.
“That was the first day Uncle Ford opened up about some of his experiences during the war,” Chandler said. “It was something he’d just never talked about much. It was fascinating.”
Chandler also remembers reading letters Carey sent her mother (his sister), Hester Sartain, during the war.
He was a married 24-year old man with an 18-month old son when Army draft papers arrived on his farm in Shiloh with orders for him to report to Fort McPherson in East Point. From there he sent by train to Fort Hancock in New Jersey for training.
“When we left (Georgia) on that train and then got off in New Jersey, it was snowing and cold and some of those 18-year old young boys were squalling like babies,” Carey remembers.
[Full Story »]
“I dream sometimes I’m over there and I don’t know my way back home,” he said. “And I study about it sometimes at night before I go to sleep.”
Though he’s never forgotten the war, it wasn’t something he talked about much for many years, being raised in an age where one often kept their feelings and thoughts to themselves.
His niece, Lillian Chandler, remembers the Memorial Day years ago when she and her sister, Susan Young, took carnations around to veterans in the area.
“That was the first day Uncle Ford opened up about some of his experiences during the war,” Chandler said. “It was something he’d just never talked about much. It was fascinating.”
Chandler also remembers reading letters Carey sent her mother (his sister), Hester Sartain, during the war.
He was a married 24-year old man with an 18-month old son when Army draft papers arrived on his farm in Shiloh with orders for him to report to Fort McPherson in East Point. From there he sent by train to Fort Hancock in New Jersey for training.
“When we left (Georgia) on that train and then got off in New Jersey, it was snowing and cold and some of those 18-year old young boys were squalling like babies,” Carey remembers.
[Full Story »]
MCHS class of 2013 to graduate Friday
Valedictorian Caitlin Felt will say goodbye to her alma mater Friday night, along with approximately 277 of her fellow classmates, and set her sights on the University of Georgia this fall, where she will study international affairs with a pre-law concentration.
She will live in the pre-law community on campus. Felt said she hopes to one day work with the United Nations as an International Human Rights lawyer.
Felt is the daughter of Andy and Shannon Felt and she has one brother, Drew, who will be a freshman at Madison County High School this fall.
Salutatorian Emily Pace will also begin the next phase of her life, which will take her to the campus of Georgia State University in Atlanta this fall, where she will major in nutrition, with a possible minor in food science. She says this is something she has always been interested in and she hopes to have a career as a nutritionist. She is the daughter of Randy Pace and Lynn Duke.
Felt and Pace will speak at Friday’s ceremony along with fellow classmates Kevin Jones and Justin Granados. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m.
[Full Story »]
She will live in the pre-law community on campus. Felt said she hopes to one day work with the United Nations as an International Human Rights lawyer.
Felt is the daughter of Andy and Shannon Felt and she has one brother, Drew, who will be a freshman at Madison County High School this fall.
Salutatorian Emily Pace will also begin the next phase of her life, which will take her to the campus of Georgia State University in Atlanta this fall, where she will major in nutrition, with a possible minor in food science. She says this is something she has always been interested in and she hopes to have a career as a nutritionist. She is the daughter of Randy Pace and Lynn Duke.
Felt and Pace will speak at Friday’s ceremony along with fellow classmates Kevin Jones and Justin Granados. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m.
[Full Story »]
Retiring educators recognized
Thirty retiring members of the Madison County School System were honored at a reception and recognition ceremony during May’s board of education meeting Tuesday night. The person retiring with the longest tenure at the school system was human resources director Bob Harrison, who began his career in 1971.
Those recognized included Sara Bridges, Kathy Cribb, Karen Gordon, Jodie Cronic, Lynn Clark, Joan Cross, Wanda Royal, Brenda Smith, Steven Osborne, Rebecca Braswell, Willie Lou Stoyle, Shirley Whitlock, Brenda Arrendale, Mark Cronic, James Beall, Barbara Coile, Edna Coley, Denise Cooper, Allison Owen, Sylvia Shiflet, Kathryn Willingham, Shirley Aaron, Dottie Coile, Robert (Bob) Harrison and Donald Mitchell Meadow, Jane Fitzpatrick, Susan McCormick, Walter Craig, Phil Benson and June Martin.
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Those recognized included Sara Bridges, Kathy Cribb, Karen Gordon, Jodie Cronic, Lynn Clark, Joan Cross, Wanda Royal, Brenda Smith, Steven Osborne, Rebecca Braswell, Willie Lou Stoyle, Shirley Whitlock, Brenda Arrendale, Mark Cronic, James Beall, Barbara Coile, Edna Coley, Denise Cooper, Allison Owen, Sylvia Shiflet, Kathryn Willingham, Shirley Aaron, Dottie Coile, Robert (Bob) Harrison and Donald Mitchell Meadow, Jane Fitzpatrick, Susan McCormick, Walter Craig, Phil Benson and June Martin.
[Full Story »]
Danielsville police chief resigns
The city of Danielsville is without a police chief.
Officer Matt Pilkington resigned from his position as the Danielsville chief Monday, May 13.
The city council accepted his resignation at its regular business meeting Monday night following a closed-door session to discuss personnel. In a copy of his resignation letter provided by Pilkington to the Journal, he thanked the council for the opportunity to serve as police chief, but said he was resigning “due to the low pay and benefits” and accepting a job that would “better support his family.”
The council wished him well. Mayor Todd Higdon said officer Henry Hicks will continue on the job and the council will post a position for police chief “immediately.”
He added, however, that choosing a replacement for Pilkington would most likely be a slow process to ensure they select the right candidate.
Also May 13, the council announced that they have hired a new full-time assistant clerk who will also serve as court clerk. Karen Dudley began work on Monday, May 6.
In other business, construction on the roundabout to replace the city’s lone red light has encountered some setbacks and will not begin when school lets out for the summer later this month, as originally planned.
Higdon said the D.O.T. is still working on land acquisitions at this time and that Georgia Power has encountered a delay in getting the power poles needed to replace the ones that will be taken down during construction.
[Full Story »]
Officer Matt Pilkington resigned from his position as the Danielsville chief Monday, May 13.
The city council accepted his resignation at its regular business meeting Monday night following a closed-door session to discuss personnel. In a copy of his resignation letter provided by Pilkington to the Journal, he thanked the council for the opportunity to serve as police chief, but said he was resigning “due to the low pay and benefits” and accepting a job that would “better support his family.”
The council wished him well. Mayor Todd Higdon said officer Henry Hicks will continue on the job and the council will post a position for police chief “immediately.”
He added, however, that choosing a replacement for Pilkington would most likely be a slow process to ensure they select the right candidate.
Also May 13, the council announced that they have hired a new full-time assistant clerk who will also serve as court clerk. Karen Dudley began work on Monday, May 6.
In other business, construction on the roundabout to replace the city’s lone red light has encountered some setbacks and will not begin when school lets out for the summer later this month, as originally planned.
Higdon said the D.O.T. is still working on land acquisitions at this time and that Georgia Power has encountered a delay in getting the power poles needed to replace the ones that will be taken down during construction.
[Full Story »]
Madison Co.’s 15th Relay held
Mildred Strickland was diagnosed with cancer more than a quarter century ago.
And Friday night, at 91, she stood on the stage at the recreation department track during the 15th annual Madison County Relay for Life and talked about what it was like to be a survivor, and how grateful she and others like her are for the fundraising efforts of the Relay for Life.
Strickland was named honorary chair for this year’s Relay and presented with a plaque and a bouquet of flowers by co-chairman Ramona Booth.
Strickland, who has attended every one of the 15 county Relays, said she has enjoyed coming and being a part of this Madison County tradition.
“It’s a time to see old friends, and I’ve made new some new friends,” she said. “We’ve cried together, and we’ve laughed. It’s like a part of my family.”
She was escorted by her two daughters, Betty Sartain and Jean Ginn.
There were 12 teams at this year’s Relay – down slightly from years past, but those present made up for it in spirit and determination.
The evening was cool, but pleasant, and Booth noted it was a lot different from the cold and windy weather that held sway during the first Relay in 1999.
Boy Scout Troop 318 and Cub Scout Troop 377 served as honor guards during the opening ceremonies and Tommy Hall sang the national anthem.
Probate judge Cody Cross served as co-chair with Booth and he thanked the crowd for coming out to support the Relay.
There were numerous activities for children and many teams prepared food as part of their fundraising efforts.
As usual, hundreds of luminaries lined the track at the recreation department, waiting to be lit at sundown to honor survivors and to remember those who succumbed to the disease of cancer.
And Friday night, at 91, she stood on the stage at the recreation department track during the 15th annual Madison County Relay for Life and talked about what it was like to be a survivor, and how grateful she and others like her are for the fundraising efforts of the Relay for Life.
Strickland was named honorary chair for this year’s Relay and presented with a plaque and a bouquet of flowers by co-chairman Ramona Booth.
Strickland, who has attended every one of the 15 county Relays, said she has enjoyed coming and being a part of this Madison County tradition.
“It’s a time to see old friends, and I’ve made new some new friends,” she said. “We’ve cried together, and we’ve laughed. It’s like a part of my family.”
She was escorted by her two daughters, Betty Sartain and Jean Ginn.
There were 12 teams at this year’s Relay – down slightly from years past, but those present made up for it in spirit and determination.
The evening was cool, but pleasant, and Booth noted it was a lot different from the cold and windy weather that held sway during the first Relay in 1999.
Boy Scout Troop 318 and Cub Scout Troop 377 served as honor guards during the opening ceremonies and Tommy Hall sang the national anthem.
Probate judge Cody Cross served as co-chair with Booth and he thanked the crowd for coming out to support the Relay.
There were numerous activities for children and many teams prepared food as part of their fundraising efforts.
As usual, hundreds of luminaries lined the track at the recreation department, waiting to be lit at sundown to honor survivors and to remember those who succumbed to the disease of cancer.
How should Madison Co. look?
Members of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce’s economic development committee met recently with board of commission members, Senator Frank Ginn and others to discuss the county’s economic future.
Economic development committee member Bruce Azevedo, who also chairs the Industrial Development Authority board, said he hoped this was the first of continued meetings between county leaders.
“In the absence of a county economic development committee, we want to step up and pull all of us together as one community,” he said. “We need to make sure we’re all going in the same direction so we’ll be ready when an opportunity (for growth) comes along.”
The committee identified some basic issues holding back growth – citing primarily infrastructure, such as water treatment facilities, and the lack of easy access to a main travel corridor, such as I-85.
The group discussed the upcoming continuation of the four-laning of Hwy. 72. They also discussed that four-laning Hwy. 98 to connect with Hwy. 441 and I-85 are also future possibilities, increasing the county’s viability for commercial and agricultural businesses.
“We are looking for an anchor industry to support sewer infrastructure (on Hwy. 72),” economic development committee chair Phil Munro said.
[Full Story »]
Economic development committee member Bruce Azevedo, who also chairs the Industrial Development Authority board, said he hoped this was the first of continued meetings between county leaders.
“In the absence of a county economic development committee, we want to step up and pull all of us together as one community,” he said. “We need to make sure we’re all going in the same direction so we’ll be ready when an opportunity (for growth) comes along.”
The committee identified some basic issues holding back growth – citing primarily infrastructure, such as water treatment facilities, and the lack of easy access to a main travel corridor, such as I-85.
The group discussed the upcoming continuation of the four-laning of Hwy. 72. They also discussed that four-laning Hwy. 98 to connect with Hwy. 441 and I-85 are also future possibilities, increasing the county’s viability for commercial and agricultural businesses.
“We are looking for an anchor industry to support sewer infrastructure (on Hwy. 72),” economic development committee chair Phil Munro said.
[Full Story »]
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