Sinkhole forms on Kelly Road
NEWS
THE HARTWELL SUN
APRIL 23, 2015 3A
No quorum at DDA meeting By Lauren Peeples Staff writer
Kelly Road in northern Hart County was closed last week when water began flowing under one of the pipes under the road, which caused a sinkhole to develop. Work is underway on replacing the pipes and installing sufficient shoulders on either side of the road. (Sunshots by Lauren Peeples and Robert Rider)
Sinkhole forms on Kelly Road By Mark Hynds Editor
Heavy rains and an old pipe are most likely to blame for sinkhole that formed on Kelly Road last week, forcing the road to be closed until repairs can be completed. Hart County administrator Jon Caime said the pipe was at the end of its lifespan, but that the heavy rains may have caused the rusted section of pipe to finally give way. He said once water flows under the pipe, it eroades the dirt around it and a the sinkhole develops. Caime said he has been monitoring the particular creek for awhile. He said when the pipes were put
in originally, they only purchsed enough pipe for the road and not enough to create a shoulder on the road. “Normally we prefer to have a five foot or more shoulder on the edge of the road,” said Caime in an email Wednesday. “This allows traffic to accidentally leave the pavement but not lose control of their vehicle and end up in the creek. The lack of shoulder will be corrected when we replace these pipes.” Caime said repair has begun and it will take about three weeks. After it’s completed, the crossing will be paved and reopened for traffic. Jeff Garner, transpor-
The regular Hartwell Downtown Development Authority meeting scheduled for April 15 was cancelled due a lack of a quorum. Board member Kathy Bryant was the only member in attendance.
Bell
From page 1A
cations has to be advertised for public review for 14 days,” Bell said. “Haralson County has until May 5 to make a decision about whether or not I get the position.” Bell said he has in-
tation director for Hart County schools said there are seven stops on Kelly Road. Driver Virginia Bartlett has contacted the parents and arranged for designated stops on either side of the creek. Garner said all other bus traffic will travel Will Bailey road to begin their routes.
Hart County EMS/ EMA/911 director Terrell Partain said in an email that all parts of Hart County received a minimum of three inches of rain over the past seven days. Some areas of the county, including Goldmine and Vanna, received approximately five inches.
DDA director Henley Cleary blamed inclement weather and tax day for the lack of attendance. Items on the agenda included goals for 2015 for promotions, marketing, education/training and community projects. The next regular meeting is scheduled for noon, May 20.
formed the Hart County Board of Education that he is a finalist for the position. A message left to BOE chairman Stephanie Burton was not returned by press time.
Toccoa Falls College Men’s Choir In Concert Sunday, April 26, 2015 6:00pm Mount Olivet Baptist Church 2973 Mount Olivet Road, Hartwell Everyone Welcome A Love Offering will be received 159848
Authority customers face cutoff More than five dozen accounts were past due and faced service stoppage this week Editor
Work continues on the bad debt situation for the Hart County Water and Sewer Authority. At Monday’s regular monthly meeting, authority director Pat Goran presented a list of customers whose service was cut off last month as well as a list of customers scheduled to be cut off Wednesday. There are 69 past due accounts as of 5:30 p.m. Monday. Eleven of those accounts total under $10 which the board agreed not to cut off this week. While it deviates from the policy, the board agreed to continue that practice, which started last month on a temporary basis. It was initially a recommendation of the ad hoc committee of Holland and Cannady to waive the policy while the authority get’s its bad debt situation under control. Of the 45 past due accounts that were cut off last month, Goran said all but three have paid their accounts up to date. In other business, the authority board voted 4-0 to send a formal offer to
the city of Hartwell for a sewage treatment agreement. The agreement is similar to the one the Authority already has in place with Lavonia. The agreement calls for the city to accept sewage to be treated at no more than 25,000 gallons per day at a rate of $3.85 per gallon. All authority customers who will utilize the city’s service will be subject to the city’s sewer ordinance regarding content and pretreatment. The service area will generally match potable/ drinking water service areas. In some cases, according to the agreement, it may make sense for the city to provide sewer service in a specific portion of of the authority’s delivery area, but in such a case, the authority retains the right to provide the potable/drinking water service. “All it means basically is that if the city runs sewer lines to a customer outside the city limits that we would retain them as a water customer if they are in our water service delivery area,” said Goran on Tuesday. “There are no plans right now to run
sewer lines out into the county for residential purposes.” Talks have been ongoing between board chairman Hugh Holland, board member Jerry Cannady, authority director Pat Goran, city manager David Aldrich and Mayor Brandon Johnson. Officers for the upcoming year were elected. Holland will continue as chairman. Wade Carlton, who was absent from Monday’s meeting for family reasons, was reelected vice chairman and Kathy Breffle will continue to serve as secretary/ treasurer. Engineering Management (EMI) recommended Allsouth Contractors of Covington for the construction of Airline Area Water Tank ConnectorBooster Pump Stations. Allsouth was the low bidder at $247,300. The board accepted EMI’s recommendation. Bids for the Bethany Church Project are due April 28. Goran said five contractors made requests for the bid. EMI reported that engineering work for the Rock Springs project would be completed in three to four weeks. Both
projects are being funded by a 2014 Georgia Environmental Finance Authority Loan totaling $2 million with $500,000 principal forgiveness. Following up last month’s discussions about establishing standing committees, Cannady presented a recommendation to the board that there be one standing committee regarding audits and personnel/compensation. An ad hoc committee of Holland and Cannady was set up back in February to work on the bad debt as a result of the annual audit. The board agreed Monday to continue with the ad hoc committee for now. Also at last month’s meeting, Goran and Breffle were requested to complete a time study to see if an additional employee was needed. After a brief discussion, the board agreed to table the discussion until Carlton returns at next month’s meeting. Finally, Cannady had charged Goran with the task of cleaning up the authority office at last month’s meeting. In his member comments, Cannady said he was pleased with Goran’s progress.
Brighten Her Day
Every day for the rest of her life.
14 N. Forest Avenue Hartwell, GA 30673
706-376-2776 www.tenas.com
159167
By Mark Hynds
• Car Accidents • Work Injuries • Personal Injury • Divorce • Bankruptcy • Child Custody Justin Berelc 706-356-0518 • 5830 West Avenue • Lavonia, GA 30553
Georgia Grounds Inc.
BerelcLawOffice.com [email protected]
Landscape Management
(706) 436 – 3233 Yard Care / Property Maintenance Commercial – Residential Mulch and Pine Straw Delivery and Installation
Yard Care / Commercial Property Grass cutting – Trimming – Edging Fertilization - Landscape Installation 160135
148809
THE HARTWELL SUN
APRIL 23, 2015 3A
No quorum at DDA meeting By Lauren Peeples Staff writer
Kelly Road in northern Hart County was closed last week when water began flowing under one of the pipes under the road, which caused a sinkhole to develop. Work is underway on replacing the pipes and installing sufficient shoulders on either side of the road. (Sunshots by Lauren Peeples and Robert Rider)
Sinkhole forms on Kelly Road By Mark Hynds Editor
Heavy rains and an old pipe are most likely to blame for sinkhole that formed on Kelly Road last week, forcing the road to be closed until repairs can be completed. Hart County administrator Jon Caime said the pipe was at the end of its lifespan, but that the heavy rains may have caused the rusted section of pipe to finally give way. He said once water flows under the pipe, it eroades the dirt around it and a the sinkhole develops. Caime said he has been monitoring the particular creek for awhile. He said when the pipes were put
in originally, they only purchsed enough pipe for the road and not enough to create a shoulder on the road. “Normally we prefer to have a five foot or more shoulder on the edge of the road,” said Caime in an email Wednesday. “This allows traffic to accidentally leave the pavement but not lose control of their vehicle and end up in the creek. The lack of shoulder will be corrected when we replace these pipes.” Caime said repair has begun and it will take about three weeks. After it’s completed, the crossing will be paved and reopened for traffic. Jeff Garner, transpor-
The regular Hartwell Downtown Development Authority meeting scheduled for April 15 was cancelled due a lack of a quorum. Board member Kathy Bryant was the only member in attendance.
Bell
From page 1A
cations has to be advertised for public review for 14 days,” Bell said. “Haralson County has until May 5 to make a decision about whether or not I get the position.” Bell said he has in-
tation director for Hart County schools said there are seven stops on Kelly Road. Driver Virginia Bartlett has contacted the parents and arranged for designated stops on either side of the creek. Garner said all other bus traffic will travel Will Bailey road to begin their routes.
Hart County EMS/ EMA/911 director Terrell Partain said in an email that all parts of Hart County received a minimum of three inches of rain over the past seven days. Some areas of the county, including Goldmine and Vanna, received approximately five inches.
DDA director Henley Cleary blamed inclement weather and tax day for the lack of attendance. Items on the agenda included goals for 2015 for promotions, marketing, education/training and community projects. The next regular meeting is scheduled for noon, May 20.
formed the Hart County Board of Education that he is a finalist for the position. A message left to BOE chairman Stephanie Burton was not returned by press time.
Toccoa Falls College Men’s Choir In Concert Sunday, April 26, 2015 6:00pm Mount Olivet Baptist Church 2973 Mount Olivet Road, Hartwell Everyone Welcome A Love Offering will be received 159848
Authority customers face cutoff More than five dozen accounts were past due and faced service stoppage this week Editor
Work continues on the bad debt situation for the Hart County Water and Sewer Authority. At Monday’s regular monthly meeting, authority director Pat Goran presented a list of customers whose service was cut off last month as well as a list of customers scheduled to be cut off Wednesday. There are 69 past due accounts as of 5:30 p.m. Monday. Eleven of those accounts total under $10 which the board agreed not to cut off this week. While it deviates from the policy, the board agreed to continue that practice, which started last month on a temporary basis. It was initially a recommendation of the ad hoc committee of Holland and Cannady to waive the policy while the authority get’s its bad debt situation under control. Of the 45 past due accounts that were cut off last month, Goran said all but three have paid their accounts up to date. In other business, the authority board voted 4-0 to send a formal offer to
the city of Hartwell for a sewage treatment agreement. The agreement is similar to the one the Authority already has in place with Lavonia. The agreement calls for the city to accept sewage to be treated at no more than 25,000 gallons per day at a rate of $3.85 per gallon. All authority customers who will utilize the city’s service will be subject to the city’s sewer ordinance regarding content and pretreatment. The service area will generally match potable/ drinking water service areas. In some cases, according to the agreement, it may make sense for the city to provide sewer service in a specific portion of of the authority’s delivery area, but in such a case, the authority retains the right to provide the potable/drinking water service. “All it means basically is that if the city runs sewer lines to a customer outside the city limits that we would retain them as a water customer if they are in our water service delivery area,” said Goran on Tuesday. “There are no plans right now to run
sewer lines out into the county for residential purposes.” Talks have been ongoing between board chairman Hugh Holland, board member Jerry Cannady, authority director Pat Goran, city manager David Aldrich and Mayor Brandon Johnson. Officers for the upcoming year were elected. Holland will continue as chairman. Wade Carlton, who was absent from Monday’s meeting for family reasons, was reelected vice chairman and Kathy Breffle will continue to serve as secretary/ treasurer. Engineering Management (EMI) recommended Allsouth Contractors of Covington for the construction of Airline Area Water Tank ConnectorBooster Pump Stations. Allsouth was the low bidder at $247,300. The board accepted EMI’s recommendation. Bids for the Bethany Church Project are due April 28. Goran said five contractors made requests for the bid. EMI reported that engineering work for the Rock Springs project would be completed in three to four weeks. Both
projects are being funded by a 2014 Georgia Environmental Finance Authority Loan totaling $2 million with $500,000 principal forgiveness. Following up last month’s discussions about establishing standing committees, Cannady presented a recommendation to the board that there be one standing committee regarding audits and personnel/compensation. An ad hoc committee of Holland and Cannady was set up back in February to work on the bad debt as a result of the annual audit. The board agreed Monday to continue with the ad hoc committee for now. Also at last month’s meeting, Goran and Breffle were requested to complete a time study to see if an additional employee was needed. After a brief discussion, the board agreed to table the discussion until Carlton returns at next month’s meeting. Finally, Cannady had charged Goran with the task of cleaning up the authority office at last month’s meeting. In his member comments, Cannady said he was pleased with Goran’s progress.
Brighten Her Day
Every day for the rest of her life.
14 N. Forest Avenue Hartwell, GA 30673
706-376-2776 www.tenas.com
159167
By Mark Hynds
• Car Accidents • Work Injuries • Personal Injury • Divorce • Bankruptcy • Child Custody Justin Berelc 706-356-0518 • 5830 West Avenue • Lavonia, GA 30553
Georgia Grounds Inc.
BerelcLawOffice.com [email protected]
Landscape Management
(706) 436 – 3233 Yard Care / Property Maintenance Commercial – Residential Mulch and Pine Straw Delivery and Installation
Yard Care / Commercial Property Grass cutting – Trimming – Edging Fertilization - Landscape Installation 160135
148809
