/R orter
By Diane Glidewell over $9,000 one month, gallons of water the next At that time the balance on been cut off. Goolsby agreed member Mike Dodd.
news@mymc r.net Howell said he fixed some month. She said she had the bill was $17,274.04. that was reasonable and Wilson said that Hall has
smaller leaks but then main talked to Howell about pay- Reviewing the billing re- suggested billing Howell the the authority to make pay-
Mike Howell requested lines broke that dumped ing the bill over six months, cord for Park Place, Council $8,099.43 due in March plus ment arrangements with
relief from Forsyth on a water ",rata the woods where but had advised him to ap- member Greg Goolsby said an average bill for April, May customers but does not
city water bill that exceeds it wasnt seen. peal to council when he said that the bill in December was an, d June. have the authority to waive
$25,000 at the July 16 City manager Janice Hall that he would not be able $160, then the account was will set a precedent any portion of a bill. Hall
council meeting. The bill said that the Water Depart- to pay the $25,000 bill even posted for cutoffin March with whatever we do. Ms. said that she did not have
is for water service at Park mentb records reflect that the over six months, when it reached $8,000 due. Hall gets calls every day [ask- a phone number to notify
Place Mobile Home Park off Park Place meter shows 1.6 Hall said that when a leak It was probably not cut off ing to delay utility cut off], anyone about the Park Place
and I get some of them, said bill and there was not an of-
Montpelier Road. Howell is million gallons of water in causes a large increase in a because a $500 payment was rice at the mobile home park
now managing the Park that May and 1.2 million gallons bill, she usually subtracts made.
was previously managed by of water June. Hall said the charge for sewerage. "Cutoff was not done as should have re ,a zed where dty workers could put
his father-in-law, who has city water officials said that it However, the dty does not it should have been, said sometlain was .wrong, said a notice on a door knob.
passed awa): was conceivable that much provide sewerage service for Goolsby. The reason we Goolsby. We didr/t catch it Council directed Hall to
The large bill resulted water could have flowed Park Place', so she is not able have a cutoff is to keep these for six months. We have to get good contact informa-
from leaks in the water lines, through the meter. Mayor to reduce the bill this problems from happening, do our job In February tion from Howell, review
Before January water bills for Eric Wilson described it as a Hall said water service at $25,000 is absurd: when the bill jumped $3,000 his bills for 12 months to
Park Place averaged about day's worth of water for the Park Place was scheduled for Wilson said that Howell we should have noticed determine average use before
$400-600 per month. In whole city. cutoff on May 4 and she did should be charged for the something? the leak and bill him for
Januar) the bill jumped to Hall said that after the wa- not know why it was not cut average bill before the leak "There is negligence on our the outstanding balance in
$1,500 and in April it was ter line breaks were repaired, off then instead of allowed to for each month that he had part because it should have March plus tl ee months of
$8,000 and afterwards went Park Place used only 8,900 keep nmning with the leak. service, even if it should have been cut off,' said Council average use.
City renews
If cou
onfracf for
three years
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymccnet
Forsyth renewed its agreement with
the Forsyth Country Club to manage
the golf course at the city's Country
Club Park for another 36 months effec-
tive Aug. 2. For several years, the front
nine holes and the clubhouse of the
golf course were privately owned by an
incorporated group of local golfers while
the city owned the back nine holes. Last
year the city bought the rest of the course
and contracted with the former owners
to manage the course and the clubhouse
for the six months from February until
Aug. 2.
With that contract running out,
representatives of the Forsyth Country
Club board of directors, including Lamar
Russell, Rick Schulz and Sam Freeman,
brought a new contract to city council
on July 16. Time was of the essence for
the group because it is in the process of
hiring a new individual to maintain the
course and because its four-year lease on
golf carts is up for renewal. It needed a
contract of an least 36 months with the
city to facilitate both pending commit-
ments.
Council agreed unanimously to extend
its management agreement with For-
syria Country Club, Inc. for another
36 months and to discuss the changes
requested in the agreement. Russell said
the Club is on track for more rounds
of golf played this year than last year in
spite of all the rainy weather. Last year
there were 15,200 rounds; this year there
were 8,000 rounds by June, which is on
pace for 17,000 rounds for the year. One
reason is the closures of Barrington Hall
and Bowden Golf Courses in Macon,
which has brought golfers to Forsyth.
Russell said that he is confident the
Forsyth course will look good when the
new man they want to hire gets on the
job. He is in Iowa but is from this area.
He sprayed the greens with fertilizer this
weekend.
A lot of work is being done on the
Forsy Country aub
course; a tree struck by lightning near
Hole 18 was deaned up on July 16. Work
is in process to replace steps to some of
the tee boxes. Some handrails on the
backside are being replaced. A small
bridge is being closed so that carts will
not drive over it until it is repaired. The
practice area is being deaned up and
netting and posts are being taken down.
The city is helping replace electric poles
so that there will be five instead of three.
Fifty new golf carts will arrive in Decem-
ber on a new four-year lease agreement.
The six-month management agree-
ment called for city council to put one
of its members on the golf course board
of directors. It has not done so, and no
one accepted the position at the council
meeting. Council member Julius Stroud
asked if council members could rotate on
the golf course board and was told that
they could.
One issue to be discussed at a later time .
was whether the city will fumish utilities
to the golf course at a discounted rate
or no cost since it owns the course. The
agreement says it will' provide' utili-
ties for the course but does not define
'provide: The club has tanks for gasoline
and diesel fuel that hold 500 gallons each
if the city agreed to fill them.
In the agreement, the Club is respon-
sible for all grounds and landscaping
maintenance of the course, parking lots
and buildings; sets fees for play and
rental of carts and other equipment;
sells golf-related items; provides instruc-
tions by a PGA-certified instructor
and provides insurance for Clubhouse
furnishings. The city provides the course,
clubhouse, a facility for housing carts
and other equipment, utilities and liabil-
ity insurance.
The Club asked that the city also agree
to maintain a good quality road at the
entrance to the parking lot, provide nor-
mal quality drinking water, assist with
correcting any potential liability issues
on the course and with beautification
of the course and help locate state and
federal grants.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
As it plans its new City
Hall on property adjoining
its Public Safety Complex
on Kimball Street, Forsyth's
city council has expressed
concern that the city's water
tank that towers over the
site from the city cem-
etery be painted so that it
complements the new City
Hall. Council members had
asked if they can change
the color of the water
tower, and Brad McConnell
of American Tank Mainte-
nance attended the July 16
council meeting to answer
questions.
American Tank Mainte-
nance has a contract with
Forsyth to maintain its four
water towers: the cemetery
tower, River Forest, Bibb
Mill and Industrial Park.
The four towers are differ-
ent styles; both the Bibb
Mill and cemetery tank are
aluminum. Paint colors
available for aluminum are
gold, green and mist blue.
McConnell said that
aluminum paint adheres
best to aluminum. To ap-
ply other paint, American
Tank would need to put a
coating on the aluminum
tank. The cost of a coating
on the top of the tower only
would be about $10,000.
To prime the whole tank
would be about $30,000.
To change the color on a
whole non-aluminum tank
would be about $25-30,000,
and a full tank blast and
containment runs about
$200,000.
Presently the cemetery
water tower prodaims
"Home of Mary Persons
Bulldogs" and has a large
logo of a bulldog head.
McConneU said the cost to
trace around and repaint
the existing design would
City council wants to paint its water tower near the city
cemetery so that it matches the new city hall it is building
nearby. Council is deciding whether it will keep the Mary
Persons bulldog logo on the water tower.
be much less than to create color to blend in with the
a new logo of the same building; it doesn't matter
size. He said there is a lot of to me what color as long as
detail in the bulldog, and a it blends in with the build-
new design of that cam- ing,' said Council member
plexity would cost $10,000- Mike Dodd. "That signage
$12,000. The cemetery should fit in with the color."
water tower is not far from McConneU said that
the Mary Persons campus. American Tank can pro-
"I like that we pay ham- vide a rendering within 30
age to the football team" days of how the tank will
said Council member look. Mayor Eric Wilson
Julius Stroud. "Other teams asked him to provide the
see it when they come in, rendering and said he
and former players see it." would ask the architects for
"It will probably hurt City Hall to advise council
some feelings if we take / on color and design for
that away,' said Council the cemetery water tank
member John Howard. that will blend with colors
"The new building will planned for the new City
be right below. I want the Hall.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.nef
Monroe County Schools
Sex Education Commit-
tee is recommending the
school system continue
using the abstinence-based
Choosing the Best program
but with some changes,
such as adding more infor-
mation about STD's (Sexu-
ally Transmitted Diseases)
and adding more days with
specific content for high
school students.
Superintendent Dr. Mike
Hickman reported the
Committee's recommenda-
tions to the Board of Educa-
tion at its July 17 meeting.
He said the 16-member
committee, which met on
June 14, induded two stu-
dents who have been in the
Choosing the Best program,
school principals, medi-
cal personnel, the Forsyth
mayor, parents and other
members from the commu-
nity. Representatives from
the Health Department and
from Houston County pro-
vided information for the
committee. Hickman said
an effort was made to put
people on the committee
who were not prejudiced
for or against Choosing the
Best.
Hickman said the cam-
mittee was given the state
health standards for grades
7-12 and decided that
Choosing the Best aligns
with both the health stan-
dards and the prevailing
values in Monroe County.
The committee divided into
three groups to provide
recommendations, and
some of the recommenda-
tions were the same from
each group.
Statistics showed that
Rick Cantrell
478-992-7042
LAND CLEARING / FORESTRY MULCHING
BRUSH MOWING / RIGHT OF WAYS / BOUNDARY LINES
NO DEBRIS TO HAUL OFF / NO BURNING / ECO FRIENDLY
HOPIGNS
~4ff~ ASSOCIATES
Certified Public Accountants
68 North Jackson Street Forsyth
(p) 478-994-1820 (f) 478-994-3102
www.hopkinscpaga.com
Serving Forsyth for more than 40years~
although Mo oe County
has a low rate of teenage
births before the age of high
school graduation, there
is a spike in births by 18-
and 19-year-old mothers.
That led to suggestions for
more programs at the high
school level and a need
for supports in place for
those out of high school.
It was suggested that more
content specific to STDs
and pregnancy prevention
be added in the high school
classes. One suggestion was
to partner with the health
department to use nurses as
instructors for some Choos-
ing the Best segments.
Hickman said that some
suggestions, like stretching
the program through the
year instead of running it
on consecutive days, may
not be possible because of
scheduling. The students
said they prefer having vol-
unteers teach the program
but like to have regular
teachers present during
the dasses. Committee
members were generally
pleased with the Choos-
ing the Best program for
middle school and had few
suggestions for changes at
that level. Hickman said the
suggestions from the Sex
Education Committee were
shared with The Pregnancy
Center of Monroe County,
which coordinates the local
program.
Hickman said he thought
it would be worthwhile to
have a Sex Education Cam-i
mittee meet each summer
to review feedback on the
program. The board voted
unanimously to support the
committee's recommenda-
tions.
!J
