February 2019 Page 5A
, orter
ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
by Don Daniel
e
Every Friday, The Street Journal has a sec-
tion rifled Mansion. The section is usually
14 pages and as the title suggests has a listing
of mansions all over the country with a lot of
home and condominium listings. The cheapest, oops,
should say the least expensive, home was out in Utah
for $690,000 with two bedrooms, two baths, compa-
rable to a stick-built in River Forest. There was one
listed in Detroit with three bedrooms and two baths
for $325,000 and at that price must be in the "in the
hood".
The section also lists a lot of condos in downtown
cities such as Miami, others on the coast with ocean
views and on golf courses that start at prices way
above $1 million. Florida has a lot of those type
listings. There are many mansions and condomini-
ums listed in the $5 million-plus prices. Makes you
wonder where the people got the money to build
the houses and who has
enough money to purchase
one.
And then there are the
real estate advertisers in
this newspaper listing a lot
of homes and dirt which
ain't cheap. With over 300
to be hired at Five Below
and the possibility of other
"industrial/warehouse"
companies eyeing the po-
tenrial of Monroe County,
I
the real estate agents are
mining for gold. We have
two county commission-
ers that have their and
house-selling business
licenses and they are very aware of the attractiveness
of Monroe County for growth and investment.
I remember when selling a house was easy: you just
listed in the classified ads. Last week there was only
one house for sale listed in the dassflied and it was for
a school bus converted into a tiny house. There was
only one house for rent.
The reason I bring this up, it is often discussed at
county commission and Forsyth City Council meet-
ings that there is no affordable housing in Monroe
County. We have several upscale subdivisions such
as River Forest. We don't have any condominiums
but several HUD-subsidized apartment complexes.
And we (the county commission) are being sued by
a developer wanting to build an apartment complex
down in Bolingbroke that the county turned down.
I'm getting to where I am going, just hang on. The
other day I decided to try to find out what "afford-
able housing" was/is in Monroe County. I met with
County Commissioner and The Brokery owner
George Emami and later with Connie Ham, owner of
Middle Georgia Realty. I asked both the same ques-
tion: define affordable housing as it applies to Monro
County. More simply asked, what is affordable? I was
just looking for a dollar figure.
As both wanted to get "in the weeds" with a bunch
of justification, I just wanted a simple dollar amount
of what afford.able hous'mg costs in Monroe County.
The answers were just about the same. Connie
an affordable house in Monroe County would be in
the $150,000 price range. George's price range was
a little broader, $100,000 to $130,000. Both agents
agreed an affordable house could be on an acre or less
of land, two bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, den, the
possibility of a one car garage and of course, flout in
the county, septic tank and well and would sell in a
hurry!
Both agreed there are people looking and a demand
for affordable housing in Monroe County. Monroe
County is a "hot property!"
OOPSl ANOTHER computer crash lost the
responses to last week's question and the oldest busi-
ness in Monroe County is Trio Manufacturing. So,
here's The Question for this week: what is the theme
of the art show to be held at T.G. Scott on Monday,
March 25 from 5-7 in the TGS Cafeteria.
First correct answer after 12 noon on Thursday
gets a certificate for a Dairy Queen Blizzard, dozen
Dunkin Donuts, slice of Shoney's strawberry pie,
Whistle Stop fried green tomato appetizer, dessert at
Sweet Tea in Bolingbroke, slice of Jonah's On John-
ston pizza, sandwich, drink and chips at The Pickled
Okra, Forsyth Main Street t-shirt.
I'M GONNA get in trouble for re-posting this from
the Vent bring it on! 'American with Indian DNA
is an American Indian. However, an American with
African DNA is an African American? Sounds back-
wards. Should be American with an African heritage
be an American African.
One more from The Vent: "Dr. Doster definitely
didn't get her doctorate in Economics or math"
HERE'S A teaser for next week's On The Outside
Looking In from the Georgia First Amendment
Foundation: The decision to prosecute in the City of
Atlanta case sends a clear message that public officials
in Georgia who violate the open record laws at their
peril. These are the people's records and the public
deserves access to them ---even if those records are
embarrassing to public officials".
THANK YOU for reading this column and listen-
ing to The Reporter On The Radio on Majic 100 on
Sunday mornings at seven or anytime by clicking on
the radio tab at mymcr.net and watch us on Forsyth
Cablevision. Been trying to get into on when the
Show is aired on Forsyth Cable. Will keep trying and
letyou know.
Donald Daniel is the founder and former publisher of
The Monroe County Reporter. Contact him at tullay-
bear@ bellsouth, net.
LETTERS TO THE
e
To the Editor:
Shame on those commission-
ers that voted nay on the rodeo
arena! Those same commission-
ers who tout ,themselves to be
for Monroe Countys growth. They in
effect managed to shut down a very
large future economic impact with
the help of the 'Not in my backyard'
crowd.
Let's look at it by the numbers:
Commercial property is generally
taxed higher than agricultur al land
according to the use-value assessment
(UVA)--This would bring additional
income for the county.
Hotel/Motel weekend stays would
increase during those few times a year
the rodeo was here, bringing with it
more money in the form of our 'bed
tax"
Visitors eating out, buying fuel and
visiting our local shops spending their
money.
Consider the 30 full-time and 80-100
part-time employment opportunities
that would be lost. This could help
families pay electric bills to our local
EMC, buy food for their families at
our local markets, buy fuel at our local
stations all while paying additional
taxes and adding to our economy.
Every concern that was addressed,
i.e lights, parking, entrances/exits,
roadwork, would be taken care of or
paid for by the Tafollas. They want to
make this a fun, family-friendly envi-
ronment that everyone will enjoy.
How can the commissioners say they
support our schools but in turn deny
countless youth opportunities, includ-
ing Future Business Leaders of Ameri-
ca (FBLA), Future Farmers of America
(FFA), internships and a special needs
equine assisted hippotherapy?
According to the 2014 Georgia
Agricultural Commodity Commission
for Equine the industry is anything but
a pony show--it has a $2.5 billion an-
nual impact of the state's economy. Just
having a small part of that in Monroe
County would hold untold benefits.
Further, horses are the No. 9 com-
modity in the state with a value of
more than $333 million, or about
$279.8 million more than our famous
Georgia peaches. That's according
to the 2014 Farm Gate Value Report
from University of Georgia.There are
more than 74,000 horses in Georgia
and more than $750 million is gener-
ated in their breeding and care accord-
hag to Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Property taxes and land costs are
causing breeders and competitors to
move south of Atlanta. With all those
high quality horses, trainers, grooms
and equine facilities it bodes well for
us to welcome them and their money.
Monroe County should embrace the
change and move forward on support-
hag a local agricultural business.
Our family has been involved in
horses and the equine industry for
more than 45 years. We would be so
happy to see a REAL arena in our area
and would be more than willing to buy
tickets to the numerous events. I also
know several able-bodied individuals
with horse sense that would love to
work there!
No offense but our county arena
at the rec center is a joke. No one,
maintains it on a regular basis. The
only parking is ALL overflow (on the
grass). There are no equine facilities
available, short of tying your horse
to your trailer. The arena itself is not
regulation size for a major event. The
only events we have seen there are goat
shows, high school rodeos and a de-
spooking clinic.
To quote Danny Letson, "The Tafol-
las' property improvements are the
best thing that's happened to the area
in 50 years." I genuinely hope the com-
missioners reconsider this endeavor
and give the rodeo a "yeah" vote and
move Monroe County forward!
Linda Thomson
Monroe County
To the Editor:
n a recent trip to Macon I heard a well-known
and highly successful Macon business person
exclaim "Forsyth is booming!" Though some
might say her opinion is slightly ahead of reality,
it's evident that both Forsyth and Monroe County are expe-
riencing and managing a very positive future.
Many of our advantages are well known: proximity to ex-
cellent transportation, an excellent school system, forward
thinking development agencies, and a location in the center
of a growing state.
A sometimes-overlooked factor in business decisions re-
garding location is quality of life. One advantage of Forsyth
and Monroe County is our ability to successfully manage
the futJre while at the same time respecting the past. The
constriction of the new Five Below is a result of selective
and erergetic efforts to attract business and will serve as
an example to others that we're a good place tb locate. The
Department of Corrections' preservation and respect for
the Tiff College Campus as well as the new County Com-
mission offices which integrate a modern structure with the
old location are visible indications of community pride.
The Macon business person was clearly aware of the many
visible examples of preservarion and adaptive reuse in For-
syth's historic downtown but less obvious is the repair and
restoration of many olderhouses. We now have an oppor-
tunity to let the world beyond Monroe County see another
facet of our quality of life.
In early June a group of 200 or more members of the
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation will be visiting
Forsyth to get a feel for the community and our respect
for our history; both our commercial and residential areas
are asked to show positive examples of preservation with
modernization.
Those who volunteer their homes incur no obligation
other than hospitality. It's an important opportthaity to send
a message of who we are and why businesses and their
employees are welcome. I urge all who have beenasked to
volunteer their homes or businesses to send the message of
welcome from Forsyth and Monroe County. Let's get the
word out!
Vince Williams
Forsyth
To the Editor:
Afew weeks ago you put in
the Reporter the obituaries
of the notable people that
passed this past year. Yes,
they were probably notables. I have
no problem with that. My problem is
that in God's eyes we are all notables.
Therefore, when my son Wade and
others were left out I was very hurt.
I feel that I am probably not the only
one that feels this wa)
If you had attended Wades service
you could have seen how many people
were there. That says a lot about some-
one. To his family and friends he was
very notable.
I write this with hurtful feelings, not
only for my family but for others that
feel this way also.
By the way, when mother turned
104 two years ago, her birthday artide
was on the back of the sports page. It
should have been a front page article,
to me, instead of a banana pudding
recipe. I'm sorry if this offends that
person. It wasn't their fault.
Pat Redd
Aonroe County
e
To the Editor:
S loan Oliver went furthbr than
just talking about a problem.
He went out and did something
about it by doing a roadside
dean-up on Pate Road. This shamed
me into realizing that I had not picked
up the trash lately on the northern
two-thirds of New Forsyth Road and
I went out this morning to get a start
on it. Yes,I played hooky from church,
but I think the Lord will give me a pass
this time.
I started out at Pate Road and went
southward, because this half-mile has
historically been the worst stretch.
After two hours, I had 9 of the mulch
bags that I save for this purpose
completely full. I will be back out there
on Monday and should be able to get
a full mile picked up because the lit-
ter is not as bad as the area closest to
Pate Road was. I can only guess, but
it seems, from the concentration ofli-
quor bottles, beer cans, and those little
Fireball bottles, that people drink on
the way home in the afternoon and get
rid of the evidence as they are slowing
down in a wooded area where they
can't be easily seen.
A big 'Thank You" needs to go to
another litter warrior that quietly goes
about his work on the southern end of
New Forsyth Road. Gary is out there,
rain or shine, every Sunday morning.
He picks up litter from Cross Creek
all the way past the fire station in Bibb
County. Yes, he literally goes the extra
mile to insure that this area does not
look like a third-world country. I won't
say his last name because he does not
do this for recognition, he does it out
of concern for this area and civic pride.
Everyone in this area knows who he is
and is very appreciative of his tireless
efforts.
Sloan, thank you for reminding us
all that we are responsible for our own
well-being and if we want to improve
our lot in life, we can get offofour tails
and get moving. So, everybody save
their mulch bags after sprucing up
around your yard this Spring and put
them to good use by taking just a little
bit of the road near your home as your
own little contribution to the common
good.
John Ricketson
South Monroe County
Small
other
out
To
the Editor:
eave it to us to travel all the
way to Big Sky, Montana only
to meet fellow Forsythians on
lift! As we were riding up
the Swiffcurrent lift, we began chatting
with our fellow passengers. To all of
our surprise we were all from Forsyth!
We met Dr. Hickman's office manager
and a couple who live on Lassiter
Road. I jokingly said, "We will prob-
ably never see you again!"
Wendy Shurlsck
Forsyth
