         
 | Stand up for America, stand up for the flag It’s all about respect and basic good manners. Stand Up for America Day is a big deal in Port Wentworth every year. The day-long celebration of our country is meant to give average citizens a chance to show their patriotism and enjoy themselves doing it. Children and adults line the streets to watch the parade, many bringing their own chairs or blankets to sit on. They wave flags and cheer, and last year, we heard many call out "Thank you" when a military unit passed by. After Sept. 11 and the military’s quick response to the national call to arms, we expect a much larger outpouring of appreciation this year. It’s great to see ordinary citizens unabashedly displaying their patriotism. While Port Wentworth and the enthusiastic crowds at Stand Up For America Day have enjoyed this event for decades, too many of us felt a little bashful about showing our love for the USA. Sept. 11 changed all that--at least for awhile. It will be interesting to see if the tidal wave of patriotism which flowed in to fill the gaping hole left by terrorists is still strong. Whether you’re a "closet" patriot or one of those people who can’t make it all the way through the National Anthem without weeping, there is one thing we hope you’ll remember Saturday—and every other day. When you see Old Glory coming, stand up and place your right hand over your heart. I’ll bet few parents and fewer children these days even know that you’re supposed to stand and salute when the flag goes past. Saluting the flag is not something only those in the military do, it is something all US citizens are supposed to do. When was the last time you went to the post office right before closing and noticed, much less stopped and showed the proper respect, as the flag was lowered for the day? Remember how we felt once the first shock wore off last September? Remember that stubborn, defiant outpouring of national pride and unity we saw on every news channel, where all across the continent and even overseas, Americans cheered and chanted. But I suspect even the most vocal crowds didn’t know—or forgot—that Americans are supposed to stand when the flag goes by. Watch while the flag is raised or lowered at a business, school, or organization (please stand while you do so). Sometimes, the flag is allowed to drag on the ground because the person handling the flag doesn’t know it should never, ever touch the ground. Did you know that to fly the flag at half staff, you are supposed to raise it all the way to the top and then bring it halfway down? I’ve seen people raise it halfway and leave it there. Nitpicking? Maybe. But rituals and traditions are strong threads in the fabric of a society, and losing them weakens the whole cloth. But these "rules" are about much more than ritual and tradition. They’re about manners. Decorum. Respect. You dress up for church (oh, you don’t?) out of respect for the institution. You stand for the flag out of respect for what it symbolizes. You say ma’am and sir out of respect for a person’s age or wisdom or station. And you do all those things out of respect for yourself. So come to Port Wentworth Saturday and celebrate the joy of living in the greatest country on the planet. The United States has the strongest body of laws in existence to protect citizens who gripe and complain and criticize their country and one another. Come out and celebrate your freedom. And come out and celebrate the fact that, when things get right down to the real nitty gritty, Americans stand tall and stand together. Just remember to stand tall and stand together when our flag comes by, even if so many flags are on parade you wind up feeling like a kernel in a popcorn machine. After more than 200 years, Old Glory has earned this small demonstration of respect. When carried in a procession, the flag should be to the right of the marchers. When other flags are carried, the flag of the United States may be centered in front of the others or carried to their right. When the flag passes in a procession, or when it is hoisted or lowered, all should face the flag and salute. To salute, all persons come to attention. Those in uniform give the appropriate formal salute. Citizens not in uniform salute by placing their right hand over the heart and men with head cover should remove it and hold it to left shoulder, hand over the heart. Members of organizations in formation salute upon command of the person in charge. The pledge of allegiance should be rendered by standing at attention, facing the flag, and saluting. When the national anthem is played or sung, citizens should stand at attention and salute at the first note and hold the salute through the last note. The salute is directed to the flag, if displayed, otherwise to the music. . |
Commission dumps on proposal to dump money pits
Although it seems as if Chatham County's budget agonies and subsequent lawsuits happened very recently, the next budget will have to be hammered out in less than four months. And the county's financial future is still bleak.
"To put it plain and simple, Chatham County needs $11.7 million by July," says Chatham County Commissioner Dean Kicklighter, who has taken some heat over the past few days for his ideas on paring expenses.
"There are a couple of ways to get the money," he says. "Either raise the taxes by 2 mills, or borrow $11.7 million, which doesn't solve the problem--that's just prolonging the problem and increasing the problem. You still have to face next year's budget, in which we'll fall short again. Or, there's a third option, which is the option I choose. That is to make the tough cuts necessary to avoid a tax increase. I'm against the tax increase and I'm trying to do whatever is necessary to keep taxes off the backs of the citizens of Chatham County."
A 2 mill tax increase would bring around $12 million more into the county's coffers. During last year's budget brouhaha, a tax increase was barely considered by the commission. Instead, the commissioners voted to cut departmental budgets, settled lawsuits, and wound up with the present yawning chasm of deficit.
"We have not, to this point, solved any problems," Commissioner Kicklighter says. "This started years ago when the county increased their expenses, steadily reduced taxes, and they used the county's savings to pay for it. They spent millions upon millions of dollars out of the reserves over the past years, and now the county has nothing, but the bills are still due. The expenses are still there, and now it's time to pay the piper. We either have to increase taxes or make the tough cuts.
Commissioner Kicklighter said his proposal would cut $1.5 million per year from the county's budget. It's a start, he says. "Every cut is going to be controversial and I'm going to catch flak. There's going to be people that like every program because every program is a good program, but again, we're talking about saving taxpayers' money. I would rather make the tough cuts than increase taxes. A 2-mill increase is a large tax increase that I will not support. I'm trying to do the right thing and cut the expenses for the people in Chatham County."
First, Commissioner Kicklighter proposed, not for the first time, that the County pay for only one Chatham County Counter Narcotics Team officer from each municipality. "Currently, Chatham County funds 14 police officers for the City of Savannah."
The smaller municipalities each have one CNT officer funded by the county. "It would save the taxpayers of Chatham County approximately $700 thousand if the City of Savannah funded 13 of their 14 officers. Currently, the residents of West Chatham County are paying for crime fighting in the city of Savannah."
He said funding would remain intact for all of the westside municipalities. "I've received support from every west Chatham County mayor, because they believe equal funding on CNT is important, but unfortunately, I did not receive support from my fellow commissioners," Commissioner Kicklighter said.
Commissioner Kicklighter says commissioners "are very good about saying they don't want to raise taxes, but they're not jumping up to the challenge of making the tough cuts."
He proposed, also not for the first time, to unload the Aquatic Center, Weightlifting facility and Tybee Pier by letting the cities the facilities are located in take each one over. Commissioner Kicklighter said facilities should be cut before county jobs.
While he admires the service each facility provides to residents, Commissioner Kicklighter says, "Right now, Chatham County is going bankrupt, and we can't afford those facilities."
He compared the county's financial woes to an ordinary individual's cashflow. "If I'm going bankrupt personally and I have a large house with a beautiful swimming pool and a weightlifting center and a large gazebo out back, I would sell that home before I go bankrupt. That's where we are right now with Chatham County. We either have to cut our expenses or raise the taxes."
From everything his constituents are telling him, Commissioner Kicklighter says, "they do not want a tax increase, so I'm doing everything possible, no matter how tough it is, to keep higher taxes off the backs of Chatham County taxpayers."
The commission chose not to back Commissioner Kicklighter on his plan to have Savannah, which he said receives most of the benefits, pay for all but one of its CNT officers. "The commissioners were afraid that Savannah would break away from CNT and form their own unit, and then there would be overlapping jurisdictions in drug fighting. That's why the commissioners said they voted against (my proposal)," Commissioner Kicklighter said.
"Yet, less than a week later, Savannah announced that they had formed a separate drug team to work in conjunction with the CNT and they would use one of the CNT officers as a liaison to avoid overlapping the services. That is exactly what I proposed before--that we fund one police officer so that if the city of Savannah chose to fight drugs with their own squad, they could use that one officer to go between so they would not overlap the drug fighting effort."
If Savannah and Chatham County police departments merge, the existing municipalities would not be affected, he said. Commissioner Kicklighter is opposed to the merger.
The Aquatic Center costs Chatham County taxpayers $888 thousand per year. It earns $330 thousand per year in revenues, leaving the county holding the bag for $558 thousand.
The Weightlifting Center costs $215 thousand per year and until patrons recently began paying a $10 fee, the center had no income at all.
The pier at Tybee brings in $27 thousand per year in revenue, but costs $58 thousand per year for operation and maintenance. Taxpayer dollars currently make up the $31 thousand per year deficit.
Commissioner Kicklighter said selling the facilities for a token fee to the cities in which they're located saves $1.5 million more than any other commissioner's suggestions.
"More people will be hurt by raising taxes than by selling facilities," he said. "Every now and then, you have to pick a side of the fence and jump. Too many on the commission are walking that fence. Come July, that fence is going to run into a wall and they're going to have to jump to one side or another."
If the cities decline to buy the facilities, Commissioner Kicklighter's proposal nominates non-profit organizations like the YMCA for the chance. As a very last resort, he said, the facilities could be sold to private industry.
 Garden City residents steamed about low water pressure Garden City built a $700-thousand water tower on Chatham Parkway to relieve an overworked well pump and stabilize water pressure. Since the tower went online Feb. 18, dozens of unhappy citizens have complained to City Hall. Some say residents are spoiled by decades of water pressure higher than it should be. They say the benefits of the expensive new water tower are like the Emperor's new clothes--nothing is there. Adequately supplied, the city says. Undersupplied, residents say. The elevated tank was built to alleviate the strain on a city well which officials say has been running continuously for many years to supply residents with water. The 120-foot tower was built on Chatham Parkway, an area which the city formerly did not provide with water and sewage services. Since the area first began experiencing a boom in construction, the city has installed one set of lines to provide services in the area of Savannah Christian, which is very close to the water tank. An additional $200-thousand was used for water line improvements in that area, according to City Administrator Tom Gates. Environmental Director Roy Lynn said in an interview several months ago that elevated water tanks provide better pressure, and that the new tank will also improve fire protection in the area around Woodlawn. The tank services the entire western portion of the city and "positions the city to expand to areas that are currently unserved," Mr. Gates said. Currently, the water tank provides water pressure of 50-60 psi, Mr. Gates said. "That's well within normal operating range for a municipal water system." The problem, according to the city, is that residents in the area are used to having 80-90 psi. "It's significantly less than residents are used to," Mr. Gates said, but "consistent with what everyone else receives. It shouldn't be characterized as low water pressure." But "low water pressure" is the kindest way many residents describe their water these days, and more than 40 residents have complained to City Hall. They say the promised benefits of the new tank not only didn't materialize, but, they say, the tank made everything worse. Alan Flanders of Talmadge Avenue went to a Council meeting to complain about his water pressure. Mr. Gates said then that the psi in the area serviced by the tank was a little over 40 psi. He said the remainder of the city has 50-60 psi, and added that there is no requirement for the city to do more than that. Like most of the residents we talked to, William and Stella Earnsdorff of Godbee Avenue are frustrated with the change in their water pressure, and unhappy with the city's insistence that nothing is wrong. Mr. Earnsdorff said he used to be able to hose leaves off the roof of his single-story home. "Now, the water won't reach that high," he said. "I don't know what they've got to do to get the pressure back up," Mrs. Earnsdorff said. The couple built their home in 1968 and say the water pressure has had fluctuation problems and short-term pressure drops over the years, but nothing this severe. Vivian Hall, who lives at the opposite end of the same street, says she's had no real problem with the water pressure, though she did notice the drop. Over on Spivey Avenue, Johnny Spahos and Jason Neal say their water pressure is "good sometimes, but it's not good always. A couple of the spigots are doing better. The water pressure is different at different parts of the day." Jan Jones, who has lived on Spivey for 10 years, is more vehement in voicing her displeasure and less than impressed by the city's claims that her side of town enjoyed twice the water pressure it should have had before the tower was installed. "It's terrible," she said flatly. "We've had ongoing pressure problems for years and we had been reading that this would be the end of the pressure problems. The mayor said the tower meets EPA requirements and it would be all right once we got used to it. It's disgusting." Ms. Jones, who conserves water and adheres strictly to watering guidelines issued by the city, said her garden would take "all day" to water now. She said she's stopped using conditioner on her hair because the water pressure is too low to rinse it out properly. "You pay for the water," she said. "You'd like to be able to use it." Ray Robbins agrees wholeheartedly. Like Ms. Jones, he isn't interested in what the city says about the water pressure, nor does he care that the city's gauges and meters allegedly say pressure is sufficient. This year, he said, he isn't going to plant as much garden as he normally does. There is no point, he says, when he will be unable to water the plants properly. "It's not like it ought to be," he said. "Last year, if you caught it right, you could take a good shower. You just don't have the water pressure you ought to have now. They claimed it was going to be so much better, but it isn't." Most residents mentioned that washing clothes now takes longer because the machine takes longer to fill with water. "It takes about 30 minutes to fill my washer," said Blanche Evans of Old Louisville Road. "It takes a considerable amount of time to fill my bathtub, and I can't even get bubbles in my kitchen sink when I want to wash dishes." The extended time it takes to do her laundry is more than a simple inconvenience, she said. With the washer taking twice as much time per load, her electricity bill has nowhere to go but up. The city recently raised garbage fees, and Ms. Evans said that the extra electricity usage for washing clothes and running a slow-to-fill hot water heater makes even more impact on her utility bills. "I had a lot better water pressure before," she said, though even that fluctuated frequently and wasn't high enough, she feels, to equal the 80-90 psi the city says it used to be. But even if the pressure was at 80-90 psi before, pressure was merely adequate and nothing more. "I think they should have notified us on our water bills that there was going to be such a drastic change," she said. Celebratin' Centenarian Garden City Councilman Tennyson Holder reported last week that the 100th birthday party for Mr. Charlie Ormston "was really, really great. The day of the party, 181 Bibles had already been bought in his honor." The goal was to buy 100 Bibles for the Gideons, one Bible for each year of Mr. Ormston's life. The number of Bibles bought has currently topped 200, Councilman Holder said. Mr. Ormston turned 100 on March 23.
|
Stolen car recovered Garden City Traffic Officer Blair Jeffcoat got to see parts of Savannah he's never seen before, thanks to a stolen car driven by a man who thought--wrongly--that he could escape capture if he fled through enough side streets. Officer Jeffcoat was on Highway 21 in Garden City when the car went past with no lights on in the middle of the night. He turned on his blue lights, but the driver of the car refused to stop, taking the Bay Street exit and racing down side roads. Near Hudson Hill, the driver abandoned the car and fled on foot. Officer Jeffcoat gave chase and called for the Savannah Police Department K-9 unit. The man appeared suddenly about 50 yards away from the K-9 unit, but he immediately fled again. Garden City Police Sgt. Gilbert Ballard spotted the suspect a few minutes later and Officer Phillip Shoals found him in a tent behind a house on Tuten Street. The suspect was arrested without further incident and charged with driving with no headlights and fleeing to elude. He denied any wrongdoing. The car was ultimately determined to be so freshly stolen that the owner had not yet reported the theft.
| Green is for St. Paddy--and for speeding and for drunk driving… Dozens of St. Patrick's Day revelers too intent on starting the party last Friday to pay attention to speed limits were given a warm--and expensive--welcome by Pooler and Chatham County police. Using the Pro-Laser II, six officers set up at Pooler Parkway and I-16, stopping eastbound drivers exceeding the speed limit by 15 mph or more. For about three hours, Chatham County Police Sergeant Sexton stationed himself atop the viaduct overlooking I-16, and clocked vehicles on the interstate. Pooler Police Major David M. Burke and Corporal Powell Harrelson, along with CCPD Advanced Police Officers Sylvester, Allen and Chaplin took turns stopping and citing the worst of the speeding drivers. Sgt. Sexton's position made him visible for well over the 500 feet required by law, Cpl. Harrelson said, though that didn't stop unhappy drivers from griping about their speeding tickets. In about three hours Friday, police issued about 65 citations for speeding, expired tags and other violations. On Saturday, they gave drivers heading westbound an equally friendly sendoff, issuing another 50 or so citations. More than 2500 celebrants and other drivers plying the roads in west Chatham County during the St. Patrick's Day weekend were asked to show off their lovely driver's license photos and current insurance documents. Those who celebrated a little too much received a tour of the Albany Police Department's BATmobile, which is outfitted with all the latest technology for checking driver's backgrounds and testing for intoxication. The BATmobile, manned by Sgt. Bell and Lt. Harris, even has a small holding cell police can use to stash detainees. Ricky Rich, deputy director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, attended the checkpoints set up Friday and Saturday nights at two major intersections. Southeast Traffic Enforcement Network coordinator Major Burke and assistant coordinator Cpl. Harrelson were also there. They supplied floodlights, traffic cones and other materials to augment Garden City's equipment. Tommy Thompson of Tommy's Quick Stop on Highway 80 in Garden City provided refreshments for the officers at both checkpoints, and Sapp's Wrecker Service provided drivers and trucks to remove impounded vehicles. Port Wentworth Police Sgt. Larry Rawlins, along with Cpl. John Etzle and Officers Ray Lopez and David Rathbone joined Garden City police for Saturday night's checkpoint on Highway 21. Sgt. Rawlins brought his K-9 partner, Missy, to check suspicious vehicles for drugs and,
Southside Fire Department's K-9 unit--Lt. John Frank and Morgan, Chief Doug Sahlberg and Molly, and Navigator Jason Berrang--also assisted. Missy caught the scent of drugs several times, resulting in 9 arrests by Port Wentworth police, who also arrested 3 persons for DUI and issued 11 citations for driver's license violations or insurance violations. Two Florida men were arrested after counterfeit money was found in their car. This year's checkpoints were smaller than last year's, but in addition to Port Wentworth's arrests, Garden City police took 8 suspected drunk drivers off the road, effectively eliminating them as a hazard to other motorists. Six were arrested for possession of drugs, and Garden City Police Detective Steve Stratman discovered the $650 in counterfeit money while helping Port Wentworth officers search a vehicle. The driver of the car was charged with forgery in the second degree and the case was referred to the Secret Service. Other citations were issued for no proof of insurance, no license on person, and other miscellaneous offenses. Garden City arrested 7 young people for underage drinking and four for driving while their license was suspended. Staff Sergeant Wayne Daniels of the Garden City Police Department's Traffic Unit and Major Burke coordinated the checkpoints again this year. Sgt. Al Jelinski and Officers Benji Selph, Blair Jeffcoat, Phillip Green, Anthony Hazel, Mark Gunnoe, James Griner, Barbara O'Neal and John Murphy, all of the Garden City Police Department, also participated in the checkpoints..  |
The Garden City Police Department received a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to pay for equipment and police officers for a 2-month program to monitor and enforce seatbelt and child safety seat laws.
Police held a series of 15 safety checks in different parts of the city during the two-month program. Hundreds of vehicles were checked, resulting in 49 citations for failure to wear a seatbelt and 15 citations for child safety seat violations.
One driver was arrested for DUI during a safety check and nine others were found to have suspended licenses. Police issued 40 tickets to uninsured motorists and 69 miscellaneous citations, and discovered one vehicle with a stolen tag.
The last week in February, police throughout Chatham County also participated in another Governor's Office of Highway Safety program that focuses on occupant safety, "Click It or Ticket."
Garden City police held 11 safety checks Feb. 18-24, including the joint safety checkpoint Feb. 22 at the intersection of Highways 80 and 307. Chatham County and Savannah police participated in that checkpoint. Sapp's Wrecker Service provided vehicle towing services, and Badger Rentals, Rental Service Company and Sunbelt Rentals donated several lights to enhance safety in the intersection.
The Garden City Traffic Unit arrested one person for DUI during the joint checkpoint Feb. 22, and another for driving on a suspended license. Six citations were issued for failure to wear a seatbelt, one for failing to use child restraints, seven for uninsured motorist, and six tickets were handed out for a variety of traffic offenses.
For the entire week of Click It or Ticket, Garden City police gave 46 vehicle occupants tickets for failure to wear a seatbelt and issued another 7 citations for lack of proper child restraints. In all, 268 people received citations.
Of 45 arrests made, nine were for felonies, nine for drugs, 13 for DUI and 14 for suspended licenses. One driver was charged with reckless driving.
Students at the Secondary Technical School in Garden City are gaining experience and providing an invaluable service to the community at the same time.
Bernard Clarke, instructor for the Collision Repair Technology class at the school, said, "They have learned most of the skills, but they are sharpening them as they go. They've all been with me for at least one semester."
Chatham Emergency Management Agency is currently adding to and upgrading the county outdoor warning system using funds made available through the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
Part of this project includes installing outdoor warning sirens in areas that have previously gone without outdoor warning. In addition to installing new sirens, many of the older existing sirens are being taking down and refurbished.
Rather than spend a lot of money to replace the old sirens, Mr. Stowers gathered quotes for repairing them. "Most of the quotes were well over $2000," Mr. Stowers said. "I approached Mr. Clarke from Secondary Tech."
Mr. Clarke and Tim Melvin, principal of the school, agreed to refurbish the siren for just the cost of the resurfacing materials, which will save the county over $1500. The students were enthusiastic about participating in the project.
Work on the siren began about three weeks ago, Mr. Clarke said, and the students expect to be finished Monday.
"This is the first one," said Dan Stowers, Deputy Director of Chatham Emergency Management Agency. "These sirens should have several more good years left in them."
Students in the collision repair technology course come from different high schools in Chatham County. They attend either morning or afternoon half-day sessions at the school, which is across from Groves High School.
"They are learning employment skills and will be employable at the end of the course," Mr. Clarke said. The students learn minor auto body repairs, plastic, fiberglass and metal fabrication.
Mr. Clarke said the 33 students participating in the program at the school are schooled in all aspects of auto body repairs, from preparation and sanding work all the way to painting the finished product. These skills are being put to good use on the siren.
"We have stabilized it by welding," Mr. Clarke said, pointing to several areas of severe deterioration as student Matt Dorsey of Johnson High School applied the fiberglass paste. Metal rods reinforced severely damaged seams between the bells of the siren before welding.
"Actually, it's going to be better than it was when it was new, to be honest with you," Mr. Clarke said.
Students attached a series of fiberglass patches, which help weatherproof the 15-year-old siren. "This is the same fabrication you would do on a Corvette car," Mr. Clarke explained.
The siren looks like a giant yellow flower of many blooms, with the central mechanism surrounded by rows of megaphone-like individual sirens which rotate when the siren is activated, sending the tones outward in all directions.
The entire mechanism is so large that Marlon Arkwright of Beach High School, and Savannah High students Deandre Fulcher and David McClain were all able to work on different areas simultaneously without getting in one another's way.
Once the students finish repairing and painting the siren, it will be taken to a specialized service for a tuneup and complete electrical check before it is placed into service. The refurbished siren will be located in an area of Chatham County that currently has no civil defense siren.
The siren was originally located in the Windsor Forest area, and has been replaced by a newer siren.
view my guestbook | sign my guestbook | get your free guestbook
