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MORE WINTER OR
AN EARLY SPRING?
Will Banks County see six more weeks
of winter or an early spring? Above, Ermain Corona, 6, colored
a groundhog and glued it to its shadow to ensure an early spring.
Ermain learned about Groundhog Day in Dana San U's kindergarten
class at Banks County Primary School this week.
Photo by Sherry Lewis
White chosen as
superintendent
BOE decides against conducting a search
The Banks County Board of Education has
declared that acting superintendent Deborah White is the best
person for the job and decided not to conduct a search for a
superintendent.
In a called meeting Tuesday afternoon, the BOE unanimously approved
a motion to negotiate a contract with White. Before making the
decision, they met in closed session for almost an hour.
"I move that the BOE declare that Deborah White is the best
qualified person to be the next superintendent of the Banks County
School System and that the board proceed to attempt to negotiate
a contract of employment with her for that position," was
the motion approved by member Len Dalton, seconded by Ron Gardiner
and approved by Don Shubert, Herbert "Bo" Garrison
Jr. and Neal Brown.
The BOE must wait 14 days to take a final vote on the matter.
In other action, the BOE voted not to conduct a search to fill
the superintendent's position by a 3-2 vote. Gardiner, Dalton
and Garrison voted not to conduct the search. Brown and Shubert
voted against this motion.
White has served as acting superintendent since Dock Sisk resigned
late last year. She has worked in the Banks County School System
for 25 years. She has been a language arts teacher, gifted teacher
and was named curriculum director in 1978. That title was later
changed to assistant superintendent.
White has an education specialist degree in administration and
supervision, a masters in education-administration and supervision
and a bachelor's degree in language arts all from the University
of Georgia. She has served on numerous educational committees
during her years in education.
She is state president of the Georgia Association of Curriculum
and Instructional Supervisors. She serves on the State Commission
for Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the
Regional Committee for Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
White has served on the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders
board of directors for three years. She also serves on the Piedmont
Regional board of directors.
She was named Distinguished Curriculum Director by the State
Curriculum Association in 1988, the region in 1987; and was named
"Volunteer of the Year" by the American Red Cross in
1988.
White is a Banks County native. She is the daughter of Lila Duckett
and the late Young Duckett. She is married to Tommy White and
they have one son, Jason, 16, a junior at Banks County High School.
Baldwin under EPD
deadline to start work on waste water plant
BY SHERRY LEWIS
Baldwin officials have got to act quickly to begin work on a
proposed $1.4 million waste water treatment plant before the
state permit expires.
The city is under a deadline by the Georgia Environmental Protection
Division to complete a "significant" amount of work
on the project by March 1 or the permit will lapse. If the project
is not under way, the city must go through the permitting process
again, costing an estimated $60,000, according to city attorney
David Syfan.
Contractor Sonny McNeil estimates it will take $100,000 to show
significant work at the site during February. The problem is
that the city has yet to obtain financing for the proposed project.
The city will most likely use private revenue bonds for financing,
which will take 90 days, Syfan continued. In the meantime, he
suggests the city look at short-term financing.
"The city will be taking a bath, so to speak, if we have
to start the permitting process again," Syfan said. "That
should be enough work to vest the permit."
Financial consultant Howard Hutchinson said he has a verbal agreement
to secure at least $100,000 to get the project under way or possibly
for the entire project, according to Syfan.
"It makes economic sense to borrow the money to get man
and machine out there working," he said. "You will
come out ahead to pay a little bit of interest to avoid paying
the permit expense again."
McNeil has made a commitment to get the project started, said
Syfan.
"He is taking a leap of faith to get men, material and machine
ready in expectation the city will tell him to get started on
something in February," said Syfan. "If you don't get
financing in place, he stands to lose a fair amount of money."
Syfan said it could be necessary to call a special meeting later
this month to approve the short-term financing.
Baldwin mayor breaks
leg in ice storm
Baldwin Mayor Mark Reed is resting at
home this week after breaking his leg while helping public safety
workers during the ice storm early Sunday morning.
A police car had slid off the road and other city vehicles were
being used to get the car out of the ditch. Reed was assisting
when he slid on the ice and broke his leg in two places. Reed
had to be taken from the site off Hwy. 23 by a four-wheeler to
meet an ambulance, where he was transported to Habersham County
Medical Center.
Banks jobless rate
remains at 2.9
The latest figures from the Georgia Department
of Labor put the Banks County jobless rate at 2.9 percent for
December, the same as it was during November.
For the same month, the Athens Metropolitan Statistical Area
hit a record low of 2.0 percent. The unemployment rate for the
United States was 4.1 percent and for Georgia it was 3.2.
Other area counties and their unemployment rates for December
include Jackson, down to 2.3 percent from 2.6 percent; Barrow,
up to 2.6 percent from 2.4 percent; Athens-Clarke, 2.0 percent,
the same as in November; Franklin, 2.3 percent, down from 2.6;
Gwinnett, 2.1 percent, down from 2.3; Hall, 1.7 percent, down
from 1.8; and Madison, 2.7 percent, down from 3.2 percent in
November.
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