WGAA 1340AM Cedartown

A one car accident shut down traffic on Mountain Home Road, Thursday morning.

According to reports, the driver of  a black Honda Civic apparently fell asleep at the wheel and veered off the road, striking several trees before finally coming to a stop.

The driver did not suffer any major injuries. Only minor cuts to the face were reported.

The Georgia State Patrol worked the scene, and reported that traffic was shut down for a little over 30 minutes.

       The Polk School Board of Education has made some last minute modifications to the dress code before students return to school on January 3^rd.

       At the monthly meeting last Tuesday, Chairman Grady McCrickard made a move to rescind the entire dress code. The chairman said, “From the very concept, I have been opposed to this.”

       McCrickard’s motion failed 5-4, and was followed by a move to approve the dress code with the strikethroughs made by the school board attorney.

       That motion passed 6-2, with Holbrooks, Sproull, Berry, Turner, Fairel, and Thaxton voting for, and McCrickard and Sanders voting against. Tara O’Neal abstained from the vote.

       Changes regarding graphics, designer logos, and patches are among the modification. A complete format of the dress code can be found on the Polk School District website.

       In an interview, Superintendent Marvin Williams stated “This board has listened and is willing to do what is best for the students and parents. Therefore, this is the dress code policy. We will enforce it.”

       Director of Student Services Greg Teems said, “We want to come back on January 3^rd and focus on learning.”

       Although an agreement has been reached, there are many questions needing answers regarding the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) between Polk Medical Center Incorporated and Floyd Medical Center.

       George Anderson, from the Ethics in Government Group, asked Cedartown City Commissioners Monday night “Who is representing the citizens of Cedartown?”

       According to Anderson, there is a conflict of interest because the same attorney is representing both sides of the agreement.

       In a phone interview, Anderson also noted that the structure of the PILOT is such that if FMC backs out, then only PMCI can take them to court. However, PMCI is a creation of FMC.

       At this point, city of Cedartown is expected to provide utilities for the hospital, and that could cost over $2 million. The city of Cedartown has made clear that they can not handle such a burden.

       George Anderson also stated at Monday’s meeting that utility replacements will have to come from local government, and he called on local governments to “lock in the PILOT.”

       At this time, there is only one PILOT agreement in the State of Georgia.

       Polk County citizens will go to the polls on March 6, 2012 to vote on Sunday alcohol sales, but they will also be voting on an extension to the pre-existing 1% sales tax, better known as SPLOST.  

       According to Ward, over 140 counties in Georgia have the SPLOST. The tax allows local governments to make investments in roads, bridges, facilities, and staff.

       Around $30 million is expected to be taken in over the next six years. The commissioner said that without the tax needed repairs would be seriously delayed.

       The Board also gives $1 million in SPLOST money to recreation departments within the county.

       Without the money, the investments would come to a halt, the county would go in debt to pay for such things, or the citizens would have to pay more taxes.

       Commissioner Ward said that the two biggest SPLOST payouts for Polk County are road improvement and recreation, but future projects are in line, such as a firing range for county police and required repairs to the airport in Polk County.

The City Commission meets in the commission chamber at City Hall. (Blake Dodd/ wgaaradio.com)

Just days after the Polk County Board of Commissioners voted to put “Sunday alcohol sales” on the voting ballot, the Cedartown City Commission followed suit by also unanimously deciding to add the vote to the city ballot in March of next year.

        The vote for Sunday sales will coincide with the presidential preference primary on March 6, 2012.

        Citizens will be voting for Sunday sales by the package and Sunday sales by the drink. Package sales will take place between the hours of 12:30 pm and 11:30 pm.

        Local legislators have the flexibility to choose the time frame for sales by the drink, but the allotted time for package sales is predetermined by Georgia state law.

        Commissioner Dale Tuck noted that voting will be held in the Nathan Dean Center at Northwest Park on Lynton Drive in Cedartown.

        Tuck pointed to the poor conditions of the Goodyear Center as the reason for the change in location. 

        Commissioner Scotty Tillery was adamant about making sure that voters are informed of the time frame that the board plans to enact for Sunday sales by the drink.

        Sunday alcohol sales has been a hot button issue in Georgia and local communities, as Rockmart also voted recently to put it in the hands of the voters.

       Polk County citizens will have an opportunity to make a statement on an issue that has taken the state of Georgia by storm this past year.

       In the December meeting, the Board of County Commissioners voted and passed a resolution that calls for “an election to authorize the county commission to permit and regulate Sunday sales of malt beverage.”

       Sales would be permitted between the hours of 12:30 pm and 11:30 pm.

       The election will take place on March 6 of next year. If passed, the permit will go into effect on April 1, 2012.

       According to Commissioner Cleve Hartley, the resolution was made especially for businesses that are “just outside the county.”

       He pointed out that, with Rockmart passing a similar resolution, businesses located just outside of city limits will be put at a major disadvantage.

       When asked why the board decided not to wait until November, the commissioner said that the sooner the issue was taken care of, the better off the county would be.

       He also believes that if it is an important issue for people, then they will get out and vote.

       Commissioner Hartley stated, “This is a decision that needs to be made by the citizens of Polk County. Let the voters decide.”

       The Cedartown City Commission met on Tuesday night, in special session, to consider classifying a designated area in south Cedartown as an enterprise zone.

        According to City Commissioner Dale Tuck, the enterprise zone will include areas from south of Canal Street, East of Cedar Creek, and West of South Main Street.

        Tuck stated, “This encourages people to buy homes and renovate property.”

        According to the Department of Community Affairs, an area must meet certain qualifications (pervasive property, underdevelopment, and high unemployment rate) to be designated as an enterprise zone.

        This designation will provide incentive such as property tax exemption and abatement or reduction in occupation taxes, regulatory fees, building inspection fees, and other fees that might otherwise be imposed.

       The first and second 7-AAA All-Region teams have been named, and Cedartown is not short on representatives.

        A trio of Bulldogs were elected to the first team squad: Quarterback Zach Chubb, Running back Nick Chubb, and Defensive End Marquis Thomas.

        Zach Chubb, a senior for Cedartown, led the bulldog’s offensive attack as a dual-threat quarterback. Chubb had 1,281 yards rushing with eleven touchdowns on the ground. He also had 261 yards through the air and four passing touchdowns.

        Sophomore running back Nick Chubb led the team in rushing with 1,579 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also had four receptions for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns.

        Marquis Thomas had over 50 tackles on the year, 11 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks on the season. Thomas was also a key offensive contributor at wide receiver.

        Taylor McGriff, Cody Mesta, and Delandrian Battle were also named to the 7-AAA All Region second team.

        Cedartown Head Coach Scott Hendrix was honored as Region 7-AAA’s Coach of the Year award.

        In his second season, the Dawgs doubled their win total and finished second in the sub-region, ending the year with a trip to the playoffs.

        Hendrix has now won 12 games in his first two seasons, more than the total games won in the previous four, before his arrival.

        No doubt the head coach has already left his mark on the program, and it is clear to see that the future is bright for Cedartown football.

       A recent survey that was conducted by the City of Cedartown has yielded results, showing where Cedartown citizens are pleased and where they want to see improvement.

        According to Director of Redevelopment Tommy Engram, 600 surveys were sent out to citizens in Cedartown and the city received back 160 completed surveys. There were four answers to each question: Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor.

        Engram said that is a 27% response, and he said “that is good for the first time.” Engram also said that there is a plus or minus 5.9 percentage rate on the results of the survey, meaning that the numbers could vary either way by that much.

        The survey showed that 74% of responders consider the overall quality of life in Cedartown to be excellent or good. 72% thought Cedartown was a good place to raise children, but only 37% found it to be a good place to work.

        56% approved of the overall appearance of Cedartown, 25% were content with the shopping opportunities, but only 7% were satisfied with Cedartown’s job opportunities.

        Survey takers considered Cedartown to be a safe place, with 77% saying they felt protected from violent crime, and 91% saying they felt safe from fires.

        The three biggest problems indentified were drugs, unemployment, and a lack of growth. The survey showed that citizens are most satisfied with fire, EMS, and public library services. However, there is displeasure with transit services, service to low-income people, and code enforcement.