July10, 2019 Page 7Jk
l ] orter
@
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Commis-
sioners on Tuesday, July 2 hired
Bolingbroke-based Gradwell
Construction Company, Inc.
$376,780 to build a concrete pad,
sidewalks and curb and gutter
as well as to provide parking lot
striping at the yet-to-be-complet-
ed Monroe County Fire Station
headquarters on Juliette Road.
Gradwell Construction was
the lone bidder on the project.
County manager Jim Hedges
said the county has spent just
over $1.1 million on the new fire
station prior to the concrete and
estimated the final project cost at
just over $1.9 million.
Both District I commis-
sioner Larry Evans and District
3 commissioner John Ambrose
said they thought the concrete
cost was too high and suggested
putting asphalt around the fire
station instead. However, District
2 commissioner Eddie Rowland
said he didn't think asphalt would
be strong enough to last with
fire trucks pulling in and out
regularly and instead motioned
to approve Hedges' recommenda-
tion to contract with Gradwell
Construction, which was sec-
onded by commission chairman
Greg Tapley.
Hedges told commissioners
that if the contract with Gradwell
Construction was not approved
at the July 2 meeting, it could set
the fire station project back at
least another month-and-a-half.
After about 15 minutes of
discussion, District 4 commis-
sioner George Emami, who had
been leading a public internet
forum downstairs, joined the
meeting to break the deadlock.
While commissioners waited for
Emami, Ambrose consulted by
phone with former county build-
ing inspector Bentley Cox, who
told Ambrose that revising the
current pad design plan wouldn't
be wise because it could make
the driveway too narrow for
the fire trucks to enter and exit.
After talking with Cox, Ambrose
reversed his position and sup-
ported going ahead with putting
concrete around the building.
Commissioners then approved
by a 3-1 vote to contract with
Gradwell Construction with
Evans the lone dissenter. Emami
abstained, saying he missed the
majority of the debate.
Following the vote, Maynards"
Mill Road resident Fred Dungan
lauded commissioners' decision
saying although there are variet
ies of asphalt capable of doing
job he thinks concrete will hold'
up better in hot weather.
v.
r
.a
-4-
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
About 100 Monroe
County residents interested
in better internet service
learned at a public forum
last Tuesday, July 2 that
"nothing is gonna happen
overnight."
Todd Edwards, Deputy
Legislative Director of the
Association of County
Commissioners of Georgia
(ACCG), told audience
members that two key
Georgia Senate bills will
affect internet expansion.
Georgia Senate Bill 402,
approved during the 2018
legislative session, allows
the Georgia Department
of Transportation (GD OT)
to lease right-of-ways for
deployment of communi-
cations technologies with
a minimum download
speed of 25 megabytes-per-
second as well as enables
the Georgia Department
of Community Affairs
(DCA) to create a map of
"unserved areas" in order
to identify areas eligible
for broadband expan-
sion grants. Also, Georgia
Senate Bill 2, approved
during the 2019 legislative
session, authorizes Electric
Membership Corporations
(EMCs) to provide broad-
band services, including in
electrical easements. Ed-
wards, who encouraged au-
dience members to Google
search "Georgia Broadband
Deployment Initiative"
to see the work the DCA
has done on the mapping
project, said $2 million in
government funding has
already been dedicated
to broadband expansion.
But Edwards cautioned:
"Nothing is gonna happen
overnight."
Herschel Arant, Senior
Vice President of Engineer-
ing and Energy Supply for
Central Georgia EMC, said
Central Georgia EMC is
still fact-finding in terms of
someday providing internet
services, having just gotten
government approval to
join the broadband busi-
ness.
"We want to make sure
we're delivering a quality
product;' Arant said.
Arant encouraged citi-
zens to provide the DCA
A standing room only crowd listens as commission chairman Oreg Tapley dicsusses inter-
net expansion in Monroe County at a forum last Tuesday. (Photo/Richard Dumas)
with accurate information
about broadband service in
the area because it will en-
able Central Georgia EMC
to pursue grant assistance
that could make internet
expansion possible.
Commission chairman
Greg Tapley urged citi-
zens to test their internet
speeds through a new lOS/
Android mobile app called
TestlT provided in part by
the National Association of
Counties (NACo). Tapley
also asked Arant if Central
Georgia EMC has a time-
line for broadband expan-
sion, and Arant replied that
enhancements will depend
upon infrastructure fund-
ing availability.
Erin Cook, Director
of Marketing/Member
Services for Southern Riv-
ers Energy, said that each
power company has to look
at what works best for it in
terms of providing internet
and said what a competitor
finds successful might not
be what's best for Southern
Rivers. Cook said of inter-
net expansion: "There are a
lot of challenges, but there's
opportunity there"
Paul Chambers, Regional
Director for AT&T, said
age home has 13 devices
connected to internet.
Chambers told the audi-
ence that intemet options
are expanding regularly,
citing the availability of hot
spots or fixed 5G wireless
through AT T's AirGig
initiative thalwould run
wireless intemet through
an above ground antenna
system.
Jim Bond, Vice President
of Public Service Com-
munications, said Public
Service Communications,
which bought the for-
mer City of Forsyth cable
system in 2014, now offers
internet speeds up to 100
megabytes-per-second.
Bond said Forsyth Ca-
bleNet is looking to expand
further out into Monroe
County.
"We're just making every
effort we can to serve you
the best we can" Bond said.
Tapley then asked the
cost of bringing broadband
to all currently unserved
or underserved county resi-
dents. Bond estimated the
price tag on such a venture
at over $40 million.
David Reynolds, formerly
of Reynolds Cable and
currently of Zito Media,
added that pole attachment
fees are costly for internet
providers and said it costs
about $46,000 per mile to
run fiberoptic cable.
All five Monroe County
Commissioners, state Sen.
John Kennedy and state
House Reps. Susan Holmes
and Dale Washburn were.
among the contingent
who filled the lobby of the
county administration
building.
Following an hour of
listening to the panel-
ists, audience members
spent another hour asking
questions. Commissioner
George Emami stayed
downstairs to moderate
the Q & A time while the
. -)
other four commissioners
conducted their regular
meeting in the commis-
sioner chamber upstairs.
Commissioners have '
allocated $700,000 in the':
upcoming 2020 Special "
Purpose Local Option Sales
Tax (SPLOST) for interne
expansion.
.i
"Certified Roof Clean,ng",
GET RIF OF:
Black Streaks
@ !
Moss
Algae&Lichens ~]~
Your largest investment is most likely your home,
the roof is a large part of that. So, when it comes to-~
protecting and maintaining it, trust the professionals~
at Gleam Power Washing! Our roof cleaning service;
includes a soft wash treatment that terminates all
infestations and restores the look of your Shingle,
Tile and Metal Roofs!!"
BEFORE
AFTER
;7)
,!
r~
Call or Text Gleam Power Washing todayF
it's evident the Georgia
legislature is making broad-
band expansion a priority.
Chambers, who said AT&T
has invested $5 billion in
Georgia in the past three
years, said one of the big-
gest challenges in broad-
band speed is the number
of devices being hooked up
to internet, saying the aver-
Pastor Aubrey Duncan and Members=
Invite You To Come Celebrate With
Saturday, July 13th, 2019
Sabbath School
9:15 AM- 10:30 AM
Praise and Testimony
10:35 AM- 10:55 AM
Divine Worship Service
11:00 AM- 12:30 PM
281 S. Frontage Road
(Exit 187 off Interstate 75}
Forsyth, GA 31029
For reservation and more information,
call 404:322-5683
1
.A
