By Becky Holland
The intersection of Seventh Avenue and Pine Street is set to become a four-way stop. The Eastman City Council approved the proposal made by councilman Buddy Pittman on Monday night at its regular meeting.
According to Pittman, “I had been approached by several members of First Baptist Church about the fast traffic near the new education complex…with the children coming and going, they were worried about a kid getting hurt.”
Pittman explained there were already two stop signs, but it didn’t seem to do anything to stop the situation. “I asked Jason (Eastman City Manager Jason Cobb) to look into the issue, about the possibility of putting two more stop signs, and making that intersection a four-way stop,” said Pittman.
“We just felt like this would stop and slow down that traffic,” he added. A motion was heard, and council approved making the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Pine Street a four-way stop.
City manager Jason Cobb assured the council, “We would take the necessary steps in notifying the public of the change…we would run a public notice in the paper and advertise on our social media that the intersection would become a four-way stop before we put the signs out there.”
Other agenda items discussed and approved Monday night included:
Council corrected and re-approved the agenda and the minutes of the August 14, 2017 meeting. After the agenda items were approved, an error was noted on item number six. The item involved the listing of the above-mentioned intersection to become a four-way as Sixth Avenue and Pine Street.
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Top Stories - Topics from August, 2017
County sells scrap metal
By Becky Holland
A large amount of scrap metal that has ended up in Dodge County at the landfill will be moved soon thanks to Johnson’s Recycling at four cents per pound.
The Dodge County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday night at their regular monthly meeting, to award Johnson’s with the contract to get rid of the scrap metal.
Bobby Peacock, county manager, explained that a large amount of scrap metal, consisting of old appliances, pipe and other scrap, had accumulated at the landfill. According to Peacock, he approached some individuals to see what the cost would be to get rid of the sheet metal.
After that, bids were accepted. “Telfair Metal said they would take care of disposing of it for two and one-half cents a pound. Johnson’s Recycling said they would do it for fours cent a pound,” Peacock said. Johnson’s would also remove the scrap from the area.
“Do we know how much metal is out there?” commissioner Karen Cheek asked.
Peacock said, “I have no idea, but it is not 200 tons.”
Commissioner Terry Niblett asked Peacock if Johnson’s would remove the metal. “Yes, they said they would,” Peacock replied.
With that, Niblett made a motion to accept the higher bid, since Johnson’s would move the scrap from the property. After a second was made, the unanimous vote was taken.
Frank Erwin, a local certified public accountant, presented to the board, the 2016 Dodge County Audit. While hitting some high points of the lengthy audit, Erwin pointed out that in his independent audit report opinion, the county, as a whole, received a “good, clean opinion.”
“I didn’t find the county to be out of compliance,” Erwin stated. The board approved the audit so that Erwin could present the audit to the state on behalf of Dodge County.
[Full Story »]
A large amount of scrap metal that has ended up in Dodge County at the landfill will be moved soon thanks to Johnson’s Recycling at four cents per pound.
The Dodge County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday night at their regular monthly meeting, to award Johnson’s with the contract to get rid of the scrap metal.
Bobby Peacock, county manager, explained that a large amount of scrap metal, consisting of old appliances, pipe and other scrap, had accumulated at the landfill. According to Peacock, he approached some individuals to see what the cost would be to get rid of the sheet metal.
After that, bids were accepted. “Telfair Metal said they would take care of disposing of it for two and one-half cents a pound. Johnson’s Recycling said they would do it for fours cent a pound,” Peacock said. Johnson’s would also remove the scrap from the area.
“Do we know how much metal is out there?” commissioner Karen Cheek asked.
Peacock said, “I have no idea, but it is not 200 tons.”
Commissioner Terry Niblett asked Peacock if Johnson’s would remove the metal. “Yes, they said they would,” Peacock replied.
With that, Niblett made a motion to accept the higher bid, since Johnson’s would move the scrap from the property. After a second was made, the unanimous vote was taken.
Frank Erwin, a local certified public accountant, presented to the board, the 2016 Dodge County Audit. While hitting some high points of the lengthy audit, Erwin pointed out that in his independent audit report opinion, the county, as a whole, received a “good, clean opinion.”
“I didn’t find the county to be out of compliance,” Erwin stated. The board approved the audit so that Erwin could present the audit to the state on behalf of Dodge County.
[Full Story »]
Eastman council will fund grant program
By Taelor Rye
Given the reported success of the Downtown Development Authority’s (DDA) façade grant program, the Eastman City Council has approved a transfer of $10,000.00 to the DDA in the form of a resolution.
Funds will be transferred from a budgeted line item for downtown development activities, which reserves $15,000.00. After the transfer, $5,000.00 will remain allotted for that purpose.
The façade grant program encourages improvements to downtown businesses’ storefronts by having the city match up to $1,500.00 toward renovations. Concerning the program, city manager Jason Cobb explained, “We have seen an overwhelming support from those in the downtown area.”
City council member Buddy Pittman added that the DDA has already matched funds for four businesses downtown and that the DDA already has funding for three more approved businesses. The total for those seven businesses is $8,985.00.
As of the DDA’s most recent meeting last Thursday, five more businesses have been approved, pending funding. The $10,000.00 transfer will fund those five businesses, with $2,500.00 to go toward other businesses that are approved in the future.
Cobb noted that the program has encouraged business owners to make improvements far beyond the $1,500.00 matched by the city, and he said that a total of 12 businesses have committed to participating.
“It’s really been a very good program,” Cobb added.
The city has also released applications for participation in the first quarterly downtown yard sale, allowing yard sale vendors and food vendors the opportunity to reserve 10-by-10 foot slots along Main Street.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 9, 2017. Booths must be set up by 8:30 a.m. and taken down by 5:30 p.m.
Pittman clarified that, on the day of the yard sale, Main Street will still be open to traffic, so as not to impede access to downtown businesses that are open on Saturdays.
[Full Story »]
Given the reported success of the Downtown Development Authority’s (DDA) façade grant program, the Eastman City Council has approved a transfer of $10,000.00 to the DDA in the form of a resolution.
Funds will be transferred from a budgeted line item for downtown development activities, which reserves $15,000.00. After the transfer, $5,000.00 will remain allotted for that purpose.
The façade grant program encourages improvements to downtown businesses’ storefronts by having the city match up to $1,500.00 toward renovations. Concerning the program, city manager Jason Cobb explained, “We have seen an overwhelming support from those in the downtown area.”
City council member Buddy Pittman added that the DDA has already matched funds for four businesses downtown and that the DDA already has funding for three more approved businesses. The total for those seven businesses is $8,985.00.
As of the DDA’s most recent meeting last Thursday, five more businesses have been approved, pending funding. The $10,000.00 transfer will fund those five businesses, with $2,500.00 to go toward other businesses that are approved in the future.
Cobb noted that the program has encouraged business owners to make improvements far beyond the $1,500.00 matched by the city, and he said that a total of 12 businesses have committed to participating.
“It’s really been a very good program,” Cobb added.
The city has also released applications for participation in the first quarterly downtown yard sale, allowing yard sale vendors and food vendors the opportunity to reserve 10-by-10 foot slots along Main Street.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 9, 2017. Booths must be set up by 8:30 a.m. and taken down by 5:30 p.m.
Pittman clarified that, on the day of the yard sale, Main Street will still be open to traffic, so as not to impede access to downtown businesses that are open on Saturdays.
[Full Story »]
Accident takes life of young woman
A 20 year old Eastman woman lost her life in a one vehicle accident on the Antioch Church Road at approximately 2:09 a.m. on Saturday, August 5.
Ashley Nicole (Nikki) Graham died from injures she sustained in the accident. According to the Georgia State Patrol report, Graham was driving north on the Antioch Church Road. She apparently lost control of the 2008 Honda Civic EX she was driving, ran off the east shoulder of the roadway and overcorrected. The car went back into the northbound lane of the roadway.
Graham then apparently overcorrected again causing the vehicle to begin to rotate clockwise and go off the east shoulder of the road. Once the vehicle ran off the road, it traveled 47 feet on the grass shoulder when the driver’s side of the Honda struck the passenger’s corner of a parked 18 wheel log truck at 1384 Antioch Church Road. Graham was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
She was approximately 1/4 mile from her home.
Ashley Nicole (Nikki) Graham died from injures she sustained in the accident. According to the Georgia State Patrol report, Graham was driving north on the Antioch Church Road. She apparently lost control of the 2008 Honda Civic EX she was driving, ran off the east shoulder of the roadway and overcorrected. The car went back into the northbound lane of the roadway.
Graham then apparently overcorrected again causing the vehicle to begin to rotate clockwise and go off the east shoulder of the road. Once the vehicle ran off the road, it traveled 47 feet on the grass shoulder when the driver’s side of the Honda struck the passenger’s corner of a parked 18 wheel log truck at 1384 Antioch Church Road. Graham was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
She was approximately 1/4 mile from her home.
Pedestrian found dead in roadway
A 27-year old Eastman man is dead after he was hit by a vehicle on the Cochran Highway (Georgia 87).
A call came in to the Dodge/Wilcox 911 Center at approximately 3:07 a.m. on Tuesday morning, August 1, from a woman who passed by and saw a body lying in the roadway. She did not stop at the scene.
Dodge deputies were dispatched to the scene and when they arrived, they found that a Swift 18 wheel tractor trailer, that was headed north, had hit the body in the roadway. The driver of the truck told authorities that he saw the body and swerved, but could not avoid hitting it. The truck hit the body after the call to 911 was placed and the lady had left the scene.
Jahquil Dyshea Sudler, age 27, who lived about a half mile from the scene at 11 Barnett Court, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The body will be sent to the Georgia State Crime Lab for an autopsy to try and determine the cause of death. It was not clear at the scene if the man was killed by the tractor-trailer, another vehicle or by some other means.
A call came in to the Dodge/Wilcox 911 Center at approximately 3:07 a.m. on Tuesday morning, August 1, from a woman who passed by and saw a body lying in the roadway. She did not stop at the scene.
Dodge deputies were dispatched to the scene and when they arrived, they found that a Swift 18 wheel tractor trailer, that was headed north, had hit the body in the roadway. The driver of the truck told authorities that he saw the body and swerved, but could not avoid hitting it. The truck hit the body after the call to 911 was placed and the lady had left the scene.
Jahquil Dyshea Sudler, age 27, who lived about a half mile from the scene at 11 Barnett Court, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The body will be sent to the Georgia State Crime Lab for an autopsy to try and determine the cause of death. It was not clear at the scene if the man was killed by the tractor-trailer, another vehicle or by some other means.
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