Entries from February 2018

Winder council mulls future of train depot building

Posted by
Administrator
in Top Stories & Breaking News
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
Comments (36)
Winder officials and city councilmen are continuing to weigh the future of the old train depot on Porter Street currently occupied by the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce, and most councilmen agree there should be more efforts made on one or both sides to mend public relations between the two parties.
Last week, at a council finance, administration and benefits committee meeting, councilmen held preliminary discussions about the possibility of selling the building, perhaps even to the chamber.
“We need to start getting away from renting buildings to businesses and organizations and turning it over to them to own and maintain,” councilman Travis Singley said.
But council members agreed the city should first get the building appraised and assess the cost of repairs needed to the building.
In December, council voted 4-1 to end the chamber’s lease at the end of this year. Mayor David Maynard said at the time the city has been exploring other potential uses for the building, while some current and former councilmen have suggested the chamber has not worked in the best interests of the city.
But since then, two new councilmen — Chris Akins and Jimmy Terrell — have come on board since being elected in November and have expressed support for the chamber, which has occupied the building since the 1970s, remaining there.
See more in the Feb. 28 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.

Barrow gets more state school money than expected

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Administrator
in Top Stories & Breaking News
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
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Barrow County schools got nearly $1 million more than expected from the mid-year budget supplement, the county board of education was told Tuesday. as budget work for the fiscal year 2019 officially started.
Jennifer Houston, the Barrow County School System’s assistant superintendent for business services, told the board the district got about $1.4 million from the state’s mid-year adjustment to the budget. The school district budgeted $500,000 for that.
Houston also outlined the budget work for FY19. Work has been under way in the central office since January and public sessions will be held in March and April. The BOE will have a work session on the budget at its March 27 meeting.
Community meetings at Apalachee and Winder-Barrow high schools will be held at 6 p.m. April 16 and 17. A budget planning session will be held with the board at 6 p.m. April 19.
The first budget approvals will come in May. Two public hearings are scheduled for 10 a.m. June 7 and 6 p.m. June 14, both at the central office.
The final budget is expected to be approved at the June 26 called meeting.
For more on Tuesday's meeting, see the Feb. 28 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.

County commissioners hold public hearing on Winder extraterritorial water rates

Posted by
Chris Bridges
in Top Stories & Breaking News
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
Comments (5)
The Barrow County Board of Commissioners, on Tuesday, heard from several individuals who spoke out about the City of Winder extraterritorial water rates during a public hearing at the regular BOC meeting.
Phil Sutton, Sutton Consulting LLC, and Stan Brown gave a presentation on elimination of arbitrary water and sewer rates differentials.
Sutton said the guiding principles for establishing utility rates were base charge related costs, volume rate charge related costs, inside/outside city differentials, rates and transfers out from utility enterprises.
Currently customers outside the City of Winder pay a base rate 1.5 times the rate of inside the city customers for 5/8-3/4-inch meter connections. The volume water rate for customers outside the city is also more - $2.80 per 1,000 gallons for inside vs. $3 per 1,000 gallons for outside.
The sewer rate is much the same — outside customers pay a base rate 1.7 times the rate for inside customers and the volume sewer rate for outside customers is 1.26 times, $1.20 per 1,000 gallons difference – the rate for inside customers.
Sutton said over the past five years the transfer out by the City of Winder from the water and sewer fund to the general fund totaled $15.795 million and “is far beyond” the typical cost of bona fide support services that would be provided by the general fund to the water and sewer fund.
Sutton stated that a study prepared for the city in 2014 recommended no increase in transfers out, but in 2015 the transfers to the city’s general fund increased by $1.5 million.
See more in the Feb. 28 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.

Baseball: Knights open with 4-1 win over four-time defending state champ Piedmont

Posted by
MainStreetNewsSports
in Sports Headlines
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
It was only the first time the Bethlehem Christian Academy baseball team took to the field for an official game in 2018, but a statement may well very been made. The Knights traveled to Monticello Tuesday to face Piedmont Academy, the four-time defending GISA Class AA state champion. When the afternoon was over, BCA returned home with a 4-1 ... [Full Story »] 

Baseball: Facing injuries, illness, Bulldoggs drop 5-0 decision against Greenbrier

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MainStreetNewsSports
in Sports Headlines
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
The Winder-Barrow High School baseball team is still not at full strength but long-time Diamond Doggs coach Brian Smith is hoping for a silver lining to emerge. Smith said, after Tuesday’s 5-0 home loss to a quality Greenbrier team, the experience being gained by his players will hopefully pay off in the long run. “We’ve got to get ... [Full Story »] 

Baseball: Wildcats run win streak to five, move to 6-1

Posted by
MainStreetNewsSports
in Sports Headlines
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
Through the first couple weeks of the season, the Apalachee High School baseball team is doing all the little things right, and it’s showing on the scoreboard. The Wildcats picked up another pair of wins Saturday at Hebron Christian — 3-2 over Chattahoochee in eight innings and 7-3 over Hebron as part of the Gwinnett County Invitational — ... [Full Story »] 

Football: Apalachee RB Stephenson signs on to play with Jacksonville University

Posted by
MainStreetNewsSports
in Sports Headlines
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
Apalachee High School senior football player Lorenzo Stephenson, pictured with his family, signed with Jacksonville University on Feb. 21. Stephenson, a running back, rushed for 900 yards on 197 carries and scored 10 touchdowns in 10 games last fall, earning an all-GHSA Region 8-AAAAAA selection. Jacksonville competes in the Pioneer Football ... [Full Story »] 

Track and Field: Apalachee’s Barnett, Wiggins win events, WBHS teams also compete at Parkview High School meet

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MainStreetNewsSports
in Sports Headlines
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
Apalachee’s Samira Barnett and Malik Wiggins won events as the Wildcat track and field teams competed at the Parkview High School Invitational on Saturday. Barnett tied for first in the high jump (4 feet, 10 inches) and was part of the 4x100-meter relay (joined by Sierra Barnett, Kelsey Knox and Joanna Gross) and 4x400-meter relay (Sierra ... [Full Story »] 

Companies picked for renovations at three Barrow County schools

Posted by
Administrator
in Education Archives
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
Comments (0)
The Barrow County Board of Education likely will hire two companies Tuesday to produce plans for the renovation at three schools.
Joe Perno, assistant superintendent for system operations, recommended Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart and Stewart for renovation plans at Yargo Elementary School and Westside Middle School and Hussey Gay Bell for work at Apalachee High School.
The board will vote on the recommendations at its Tuesday meeting.
Perno told the board construction will not start soon, but the projects are “in line” after construction on a new high school starts.
Design plans for the renovations will be paid from money generated by SPLOST V.
The fee for the firms will be 5 percent of the total construction cost.
Perno explained that the recommended firms were number 2 and 3 on the 11 architectural companies that made presentations on the new high school.
The board also will get an updated five-year local facilities plan in March.
Perno said a state group will be in the county in March to inspect the plan. He said it is revised each year.
See more in the Feb. 28 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.

Jug Tavern Festival postponed for 2018 as park renovations planned

Posted by
Administrator
in Top Stories & Breaking News
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
Comments (0)
The City of Winder has canceled its annual Jug Tavern Festival for 2018 as the city plans to begin construction on several upgrades to the event’s site, Jug Tavern Park, this fall.
The festival, which started in 2009 and had been scheduled this year for Sept. 7-8, typically includes live music performances, games, food and craft vendors and other activities.
But the city has been working with landscape architects and design firms to develop upgrades to the park, including a permanent stage, restroom facilities and other features, as well as the installation of a stormwater retention pond and passive walking trails on property across the street.
The improvements to the park area are part of an overall effort by city officials to improve connectivity between downtown and surrounding areas and make downtown more pedestrian-friendly.
Some of that work will be bid out by the city, and full park renovation details are set to be released to the public by early summer, city administrator Donald Toms said.
Postponing continuation of the festival until 2019 in favor of the park upgrade efforts “will give us the opportunity to put that stage up and give us the opportunity to make sure the festival is presented as the same high level it has been in previous years,” Toms said last week at a City Council finance, administration and benefits committee meeting.
Council members were generally on board with the postponement, though councilmen Chris Akins and Jimmy Terrell expressed reservations that putting it off a year could disrupt momentum in relaunching.
“My concern is stopping it would be like trying to get a stopped train started again. It would take some time,” Akins said.
As for other city events, the city will continue on with its annual Halloween “Spooktacular” festival Oct. 26 and will seek to beef up its summer concert series May-July. The 70th annual Christmas Parade will be held again in December.
Council members and Toms agreed the city would explore other potential events, perhaps a beer festival or a miniature version of the Jug Tavern Festival.
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