May 1, 2019 Page 5A
RepOrter
ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
by Don Daniel
is an adage that is very suitable now for
Monroe County Hospital: it is easier to have a
need rather than finding a need. Thank goodness
it is beginning to look like our hospital is going
to do what it has been intended to do: provide medical
services and emergency care for us. The turbulent past of
the hospital is slowly becoming the past and beginning to
provide what we need in medi-
cal care. Learning from the past,
we are moving forward. :
Up in Dahlonega, Lurnpkin
County, Chestatee Regional
Hospital dosed its doors in
2018 having found itself in a
similar situation to our hospital,
trying to over-provide services
that could be found in Macon,
Thomaston, Gritfin and even
McDonough.
Because of the Dahlonega hos-
pital's location just miles away
from major full service medi-
cal facilities, patients who were
going to Gainesville, Cumming
and Dawsonville for medical
care, the hospital shut the doors and the emergency room.
Under a reorganization effort and community involve-
ment, the hospital is going to re-open get ready for
sounding familiar providing emergency room re-
sponse, and providing only six hospital beds for inpatient
services and observation. Now that we have a new compa-
ny managing our hospital and updating building renova-
tions, our hospital is becoming what we need instead of
creating a need.
One final observation: as you are aware, we have a
county hospital authority which is working with Navicent.
Yes, we voted the hospital a lot of money and it is obvious
Navicent and our hospital are working together finally.
Now flour county commissioners will cease trying to
micro-manage what the hospital authority and Navicent
are attempting to accomplish, we will have the hospital we
deserve.
Uh Uh: one more final note: we have a new member of
the hospital authority, Kerri Swearingen, who is a local real
estate agent, former nurse and Chairman of the Forsyth
Convention and Visitors Bureau. She comes on board be-
ing appointed when Henry Davis resigned. And then, we
have a new chairman selected by the board, Mac Brown.
Under the new leadership, management and barring
the county commissioners attempting to micro-manage
the hospital, our hospital will be serving us. But hey, the
county commission chairman is part-owner of an ambu-
lance service with Forsyth's mayor.
THERE IS a lot of growth taking place all over Monroe
County. Head down Hwy. 41, just below Bolingbroke,
there is a huge parcel being cleared. Wonder if that is
where the apartment complex was going to be built before
the zoning board and commissioners put a paper shredder
to the proposed complex?
I think we are all waiting for a super announcement from
the Development Authority of Monroe County as to when
the concrete plant going to start hiring. Now that we have
had some spring weather without the rain, some dirt is be-
ing moved around in Forsyth with the new CheW dealer-
ship and the Zaxby's site are back to constructing.
Here's a question for you to think about and ask our
commissioners, city council, development authorities:
what incentives should we give to a prospective developer
to locate in Monroe County? What about tax breaks, free
flushing, free water, free electricity? Think about it.
I WAS with Six Flags Over Georgia which had a park
in Arlington, Texas, Six Flags Over Texas. I traveled quite
a bit between the two, met a lot of Texans who thought
President Lyndon Baines Johnson was a typical cowboy
Texan, rough shod and ready to draw a gun.
Then there was Richard Milhous Nixon who until the
day he died would never admit he was a crook.
The White House rumors pegged President Ford as a
puppet of all his former House colleagues and fell out of
grace when he pardoned "I am not a crook."
I'm gorma save Jimmy Carter until next week and you
will find out why when you read this column next week.
KUDOS TO the Forsyth City Council, Mayor and City
Manager for "back pedaling" on the ultra-modem design
of the proposed city hall. Obviously their ears got bent and
a member of Monroe County Historical Society bent some
ears.
NO CORRECT answers to last week's The Question so
here's a new question: How much are we taxpayers putting
out for the former zoning offer in severance pay? First cor-
rect answer after 12 noon Thursday gets a certificate for a
slice of Jonah's pizza, Dairy Queen Blizzard, dozen Dunkin
Donuts, fried green tomato appetizer at the Whistle Stop
Car6, dessert at Bolingbroke's The Sweet Tea, slice of
Shoney's strawberry pie, Forsyth Main Street t-shirt, from
The Pickled Okra a sandwich, chips and &ink.
ONE OF my pet peeves is when I have to press "1" for
English. Did America move?
HERE'S ANOTHER question for you: if you were
elected to the school board, would you become adamant
that the Lord's Prayer" and The Pledge of Allegiance" are
recited at home room, beginning of the school day?
Also, would you be an advocate of letting speakers spon-
taneously address the board without having to give prior
notice, provide rank, serial number just t o be recognized.
Hey, the chairman has a gavel and needs to learn how to
use it if a speaker gets out of whack. Well, the mayor and
chairman of the commission have gavel power.
Donald Daniel is the founder and former publisher of The
Monroe County Reporter. Email him at mediadr@bellsouth.
net.
LETTERS TO THE
To the Editor:
all of the new
changes coming to
Forsyth, why doesn't
the city and county
work together and fix the city park?
We added a skate park and a splash
pad, which is cool don't get me
wrong. We use them both. But the
driveway could be paved better, the
pavilions could be painted a nicer
color other than prison tan, and it
wouldn't hurt to add another swing-
set/slide combo. Just a thought.
Robbie Gibson
Forsyth
Editor's note: As has been reported,
Forsyth hired TSW landscape ar-
chitects to design a master plan for
improvements and additions at all six
city parks. TSW has been asking for
input from citizens about what they
want in the parks and held a &hour
public information session at Alder-
man Hall on April 16--only about
15people dropped by to see all the
possible designs for the parks, fill out
the brief surveys of what they want
and talk to two of the architects. Send
your input to bbell@tsw-design.com
or contact City Manager ]anice Hall
to learn about the dog parks, soccer
fields, amphitheater, new entrance,
etc. planned at the city's biggest park.
e
e
To the Editor:
Iwas catching up on reading last
weeks edition of the Monroe
County Reporter and read in
Don Daniels column about him
wondering what birds were chirping
during the Masters.
Funny that he should wonder
that because as I was watching the
tournament I too noticed one bird in
particular chirping and singing quite
loudly. The bird I bdieve you may be
referring to is known as the Summer
Tanager. I have attached to this e-
mail a photo of the Summer Tanager
taken by my stepfather, Phil Hardy.
Phil is a world-traveling birder,
member of the Ocmulgee Audubon
Society, and guest columnist for
his local newspaper, the Americus
Times Recorder, writing about birds
once a month.
He has taught me a great deal
about birds! I immediately rec-
ognized the chirping in the back-
ground of the Masters mainly
because when the weather warms I
know our resident Summer Tanager
will return to our neck of the woods
in Juliette. I enjoy their song and
brilliant beauty so much!
Summer Tanagers tend to stay high
atop the trees and are very vocal as
you heard. In fact, I've noticed that
along with the Northern Cardinal,
the Summer Tanager is one of the
last birds chirping towards dusk at
our house. Maybe you'll get lucky
and spot one in your yard this
year! For some light reading, I've
also attached my stepfather's most
recent article from the Americus
Times Recorder. It's not about the
Summer Tanager but about the
Greater Roadrunner. It's a fun and
educational read. I also attached a
Reader Cara Barnes says this bird,
the Summer Tanager, may be the one
you hear during The Masters.
photo of"Roadie" for reference.
Happy reading and happy bird
watching!
Cara W. Barnes
Juliette
e
To the Editor:
I would like to know what has happened to our
County Commissioners? Monroe County finally
gets a man that knows how to run a shelter and even
says he is doing a good job and county administra-
tor Jim Hedges is pleased with himl Next thing y'all do
an about face, and take sides with a grumbling citizen!
For once can't you people have a heart for our fur babies,
who were being cared for like they should be? Ty was do-
ing an amazing job! My commissioner is about as useless
as it gets! It seems to me all of them are in it for their own
personal gain! That's just my opinion from what I see
being done! I wish someone would run for this position
with the attitude of"how can I help make my County a
better place to live?" Ty Oppelt did not deserve what you
did! May God help you!
Mary Mullis
Forsyth
City mi
to
k
To the Editor: T
T am disappointed that members of Council have
i
,rejected the exterior designs of Clark Nexsen for our ~:~!~
| new city hall.
JL. As I wrote last year to members of City Council
when they were planning to place the new building
on an obscure lot on East Chambers Street, they have
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build something
distinctive in Forsyth. I fear that they are now being
tempted to retreat from the challenge.
In one respect, they have done a positive thing. They
have secured a prominent place for construction. Now
they need to build a city hall that reflects our time and
not pusillanimously fall back on an antiquated design
that evokes the ideas of another period.
rhen at the end of the 19th century, the County Com-
missioner:" :;elected Bruce and Morgan as architects of
the courthouse, they sought designers who could project
the spirit of the age. We need now in Forsyth a design
that reflects our spirit and aesthetics at the beginning
of the 21 st century. Using the jejune designs of the past
strongly suggests that we could not come up with a de-
sign that reflects the vibrancy of Forsyth in 2019.
I implore members of City Council to accept the
original guidance of their professional architects and
construct a town hall that reflects the spirit of today's
Forsyth, which, although on the cusp of its 200th birth-
day, looks forward.
Ralph Bass
Forsyth
To the Editor: danger, and your own, because you
SA: The 40 foot banana does think your time is more valuable
stop on a dime. than 40 peoples' lives.
There are fewer than 20This includes pulling out in
school days left, and I'm beg- front of busses, passing busses in a
ging the people of this county to use no-passing zone (yes you Mr.-Red-
some common sense, show a little Toyota-Corolla-Every-Morning-On-
patience, and let us finish out the Hwy.-18-who-is-in-such-a-hurry-to-
school year safely, get-to-the-Circle-K), trying to ride
Quit putting the kids' lives in in the back seat of the bus (the peo-
ple that like to be so far up on your
rear they can tell you if the left bank
of the motor is running lean cause of
the exhaust fumes they are inhaling
straight from the tail pipe), and any
other things that people with a little
sense would deem unsafe.
The life you save could be your
own or a loved one.
Rae Dozer Knight
Forsyth
IIs
To the Editor: around High Falls State Park and its lands.
T% been a 20-year resident who moved here for the Oddly, if one were to study the trimmed areas to pro-
|quiet of a country setting on High Falls Lake to recu- tect drivers when going off the road, it appears 80% of
|perate from a lingering disease, the cutting is uphill from the expressway and not even a
possible threat to life. As a double whammy; I m sure the
Ive watched, and am still watching, the deforestation southbound side wont get trimmed due to lack of funding,
along 1-75 North.
The volume of noise from the expressway is now audible
through dosed windows with insulated glass. It's not just a
distant hum we can hear trucks and bikes upshifting and
downshifting, even the ripple ofvehicles as they pass over
the Buck Creek bridge. Now you cannot have a conversa-
tion anywhere outside without raising your voice. It's hor-
rible. While I applaud the state taking action to save lives
from drivers hitting trees as they go off the mad, one would
have thought that there would have been a buffer zone
whereby amplifying the noise to the state preserve on the
other side.
I'm wondering who profited from the harvest, and why
in a more sensitive area around the state park, why guard
rails weren't installed instead? I'm too poor and too old to
move.
Russell Brissette
High Falls
