progress edition 2014

INSIDEINTRO & ECONOMICS:INSIDEINTRO & ECONOMICS:

An introduction/Page 2

Forecast indicates state will outpace national average growththis year/Page 2

Community strategic planningenters next phase/Page 3

Middle Georgia RegionalUnemployment analysis/Page 4

Georgia Quick Facts/Page 5

Johnny Grant speaks on the communitysurvey results and the next phase in thestrategic planning process.

Progress 2014www.unionrecorder.com

Welcome to The Union-Recorder’s 2014Progress Edition, a reflective look atgrowth and development in sectors of

Baldwin County. In this installment of our annual publication,

we’ve selected “Blueprint for the Future” as ourtheme. Inside you’ll find highlights of many of thekeys to Baldwin County’s efforts for formulating aneffective blueprint for its future. Our sections pro-vide a glimpse at education, business, industry,health, tourism and local government.

We also share insight on the economic forecaststatewide as well as names and contact informationfor some of the community leaders at the helm.Each section of our Progress Edition 2014 includesfeatures and information that provides an indica-tion on where our community stands, where it’sgoing and what areas are helping to shape BaldwinCounty’s new blueprint.

We hope that our 2014 Progress Edition givesreaders insight into where several Baldwin Countyprojects and programs are in their development,and that it gives you, our readers, a better sense ofthe local economic climate and how it is helping toshape the blueprint of the future.

Natalie DavisNATALIE DAVIS,

MANAGING EDITOR

PublisherKeith Barlow

(478) 453-1441

Managing EditorNatalie Davis

(478) 453-1462

AdvertisingErin Simmons(478) 453-1437

Circulation DirectorMichael Evans(478) 453-1401

A nhi newspaper The Union-Recorder is

published Tuesday morning through Saturday morning byNewspaper Holdings Inc. at 165 Garrett Way in Milledgeville, GA

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Georgia’s oldest continuously published newspaper.

The Southern Recorder, Est. 1820The Federal Union, Est. 1830

The Union-Recorder, Est. 1872

INTRO PROGRESS 2014

A look aheadForecast indicates statewill outpace national average growth this yearIn addition, at 1.3 percent, Georgia’spopulation growth will outperform thenational average of 0.9 percent.

ATHENS —

Buoyed by rising home prices,smart economic policies andnew jobs, Georgia’s economy

will rise more than the national aver-age next year. That was the messagedelivered by Charles B. Knapp, inter-im dean of the Terry College ofBusiness and president emeritus ofthe University of Georgia, at theGeorgia Economic Outlook luncheonheld Dec. 11 in Atlanta.

“Private sector job growth will bewell balanced in 2014, which reducesthe risk of recession becauseGeorgia’s growth will not be depend-ent on the performance of just one ortwo big economic sectors,” Knapp

said. “The fastest job growth willoccur in construction, followed byprofessional and business services,and mining and logging.”

The Economic Outlook series trav-els to 12 cities throughout the region,providing a complete picture of whatthe coming year brings for the local,state and national economies.Sponsored by the University ofGeorgia Terry College of Business,the series relies on the sound reason-ing of the Selig Center for EconomicGrowth. Its goal is to explainGeorgia’s model for growth, trendsshaping the nation’s economic focus

See FORECAST, page 4

Milledgeville-B a l d w i nC o u n t y

Community StrategicPlanning initiativeprogresses toward aconcrete objective asthe process continuesto transition frominformation gather-ing to informationanalysis.

When former statesenator Johnny Grantreceived the title ofchairman for thecommittee, he wasmore than willing toplay his part in fos-tering BaldwinCounty and City ofMilledgeville eco-nomic development.Grant works as thedirector ofC o m m u n i t yEngagement andE c o n o m i cDevelopment forGeorgia College.

“ C o m m u n i t yengagement is at thecore of any communi-ty’s willingness toprogress,” said Grant.

The phases ofstrategic planning foreconomic develop-ment include infor-mation gathering,information analysis,setting goals andaction items theni m p l e m e n t a t i o n ,according to Grant.As of now, the strate-gic planning commit-

tee is in the midst ofthe informationanalysis phase andgradually movingtoward setting goalsto improve the quali-ty of living inMilledgeville andBaldwin County.

“Initially we hopedwe would be at apoint where we com-pleted the visionstatement and startedimplementation bythe end of May, but Idon’t know if we’regoing to meet thattimeframe.”

He added that mostof the committee’stime in the analysisphase is devoted tolooking at feedbackfrom CommunityInput Surveys thatwere offered to thepublic in February.

“It’s better to do itright rather than do itquickly,” said Grant.

An analysis of find-ings from the 1,523survey responsesrevealed a number ofareas in need ofimprovement withinthe community aswell as specificgroups in the countythat are unrepresent-ed.

Common goals thatappeared consistent-ly among severalresponses were theneed for an increased

availability of jobs inthe area as well asresources for a bettereducation system.Grant said he was notsurprised by thisfinding and that edu-cation and employ-ment must progresstogether for betterresults.

“In order to reachsuccess in economicdevelopment you’llhave to simultaneous-ly work on severalcommunity fronts atthe same time,” hesaid.

Because of this pre-dominant factor inthe survey responses,measures to increasethe value of K-12 edu-cation and ways toprepare citizens foremployment will betwo immediate action

Next phaseCommunity strategic planning enters next phase

U-R file photoGrant works as the director of Community Engagement and Economic Development for GeorgiaCollege and is chair of the strategic planning committee.

By FELICIA CUMMINGS

The phases of strategic planning for economic development include information gathering, information analysis, setting goals and actionitems then implementation

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INTROPROGRESS 2014

An analysis of findings fromthe 1,523 survey responsesrevealed a number of areas inneed of improvement withinthe community as well as spe-cific groups in the county thatare unrepresented.

See PLANNING, page 5

and what differentcities across the statecan expect in themonths ahead.

According to the fore-cast, prepared by theSelig Center forEconomic Growth, thestate’s inflation-adjust-ed GDP will grow at 3percent next year, withan influx of 1.8 percentmore jobs. In contrast,the nation’s GDP willsee a 2.3 percent growthrate overall with 1.5percent increase in thejobs.

Last year, the state’sgrowth was more mod-est, with the economygrowing by about 2 per-cent. The changes, duein large part to develop-ment policies like theGeorgia legislature’sdeal closing fund, areset to help Georgiamake up its jobs lost inthe Great Recession bymid-2015.

“One factor behindthe broadening base ofjob growth is the upturnin manufacturing activi-ty, which is noteworthygiven that since the turnof the millennium,Georgia has lost fourout of every 10 manu-facturing jobs,” Knappsaid. “In 2012 and 2013,we’ve seen major proj-ect announcements inaircraft, automobile,construction equip-ment, life sciences andflooring manufactur-ing.”

In addition, at 1.3 per-cent, Georgia’s popula-

tion growth will outper-form the national aver-age of 0.9 percent. Theinflux is due, in part, toheavier migration toGeorgia. In the nextyear, about 61,000 peo-ple will move into thestate, up from 29,000 in2009.

It isn’t all good news,however.

While Georgia’s pri-vate sector will be grow-ing in 2014, the publicsector will drag.Because federal spend-ing makes up a higher-than-average portion ofGeorgia’s GDP at 6.9percent, cuts there will

hurt. Reductions todefense spending willbe especially harmful,as many Georgia com-munities rely on mili-tary bases for their eco-nomic lifeblood.

In addition, Georgiastill lags the nation in K-12 education, witheighth graders ranking40th among states inmath, 34th in reading,31st in science and 27thin writing.

“To fully leverageGeorgia’s newlyrestructured private-sector economy we


INTRO PROGRESS 2014

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Continued from page 2

Forecast

See FORECAST, page 8

items. The survey results

also demonstratedthat certain groupsare not well repre-sented in the find-ings, thus creating amisrepresentation oftheir voice among thecommunity.

Between the digitaland paper surveysthat were completed,more than 80 percentof the respondentswere Caucasian.Fourteen percentwere African-American.

In an attempt toreach a larger popu-lation of African-American residents, aseries of focus groupswere set up in localchurches. Accordingto Grant, a communi-ty the size ofMilledgeville andBaldwin County canonly grow if all citi-zens are included inthe action process.

“We wanted to tryand find another waybesides the input sur-veys. We started set-ting up a series offocus groups atchurches in the hopesthat a small groupsetting would bring inmore of the African-American popula-tion,” said Grant.

Another area thatwas lacking inrespondents was theHardwick area ofBaldwin County.Focus groups wereneeded for this mis-representation aswell. Grant saidthrough the focusgroups, “thoughtleaders” have beenrecognized in thecommunity from allareas from Hardwickto Lake Sinclair. Thegoal is to speak withthe thought leadersand have them tellthe committee whatthey see as possibili-ties for BaldwinCounty.

“We do want to haverepresentatives fromdifferent groups,

organizations andparts of the countyinvolved in this ini-tiative. We’re stillworking on that pieceof the big picture butwe’re closer than weonce were.”

Baldwin Countyworking adults andhomeowners alsomade up a majority ofthe respondents.Grant said they arenow looking into waysto reach the

population of the areathat rents.

In an earlier state-ment by Grant, he reit-erated in order forMilledgeville andBaldwin County tocome together, theremust be some kind ofunified direction.

“We need the entirecommunity to getbehind this initiative

in order for things tostart happening.”

Analysis of feedbackwill continue over thenext six months. Hesaid that a vision state-ment and goals is pro-jected by early sum-mer.

“I hope by fall we areready to roll up oursleeves and get someof this work done,”

said Grant. “I think thecommunity has seenenough talk and areready to see action.”

Once action itemshave been identifiedand implemented, amonitoring processwill be created todetermine whetherimprovements arebeing made to the community.


INTROPROGRESS 2014

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Source: Technical College System of Georgia

Georgia Quick Facts• State GDP will grow at 3 percent• Nominal persona income will grow by 5 percent• In-migration will rebound and the birth rate willincrease• Georgia will gain 4,100 manufacturing jobs• Single-family home starts will rise by 36 percent• Job growth will remain at 1.8 percent • The Atlanta metro area will add 57,800 jobs (up2.4 percent)• Unemployment will average 8 percent, 0.5 per-cent lower than 2013• The risk of recession is 30 percent (down fromlast year’s 40 percent)• Job losses will continue in the public sector

U.S. Quick Facts• GDP growth will be 2.3 (up from 1.6 percent)• Wages will grow by 2 percent• Benefits will climb by 4 percent (due to healthinsurance costs)• Existing home prices will rise by 5 percent• New single-family home starts will increase byabout 25 percent• Gain in consumer spending will be 2.2 percent,up from 1.8 percent• Totally nonfarm employment will increase by 1.5percent• Unemployment will drop to 7.2 percent• Private spending for new nonresidential con-struction will increase • Risk of recession stands at 30 percentSource: The University of Georgia’s Terry Collegeof Business


Planning


Milledgeville-Baldwin CountyChamber Profile

CEOApril Bragg

2014 Board of DirectorsLeadership Team

ChairDr. Dale Young, Georgia College

Past ChairTerry Kennedy, Exchange Bank

Chair-ElectDavid Luke, Flipper Chapel AME

Church

SecretaryNatalie Davis, The Union-Recorder

TechnologyTom Glover, Cogentes

DirectorsTommy Cook, Need A Nerd

Carol Goings, Baldwin County Board of Education

Joannah Hollis, Northrim Investments

Natacha Knox, The Market BasketDr. Heather Langston,

Oconee River Greenway Authority Merritt Massey,

State Farm InsuranceBilly Matthews,

Bug House Pest ControlAmit Patel,

Holiday Inn Express & SuitesFrank Pendergast, The Brick

Mandy Petty, Cansino & Petty, LLCClaude Thorn,

Milledgeville Country ClubCourtney Tollison,

Coldwell Banker SSK RealtorsBrian Williams,

Georgia Power CompanyCameron Williams,

Williams Funeral Home

Milledgeville-Baldwin County Development

Authority Profile

Development Authority ExecutiveDirector

Matt Poyner

Board membersPaul Dean

Chat Daniel Henry PopeQuay FullerEd Walker

Cheryl CrumbleyBrad Prosser

Merlin FechnerKaren Rowell


INTRO PROGRESS 2014

HOPE recipients

Source: Technical College System of Georgia.

need to adjust our pri-orities to put muchgreater emphasis oneducational achieve-ment,” Knapp said. “That will be critical interms of improving

Georgia’s competitive-ness, which ultimatelydetermines our stan-dard of living.”

The National ForecastWhile Georgia will

outpace the U.S. econo-my in 2014, the nationwill also see improve-ment, with a 2.3 percentgrowth of GDP (up from1.6 percent last year).

The primary driver ofGDP growth will be pri-vate domestic demand,rather than the fiscalstimulus or net exports.Indeed, sustainedgrowth nationwiderelies on a few factors,including increasedspending on both newand existing homes,thawing credit markets,

higher wages and busi-nesses’ spending onnew equipment andtechnology.

In addition, crude oiland gas prices areexpected to remain at2013 levels through thenew year, and limitedinflation should reas-sure the bond marketsand the Federal

Reserve.In 2014, consumers’

i n f l a t i o n - a d j u s t e dspending for goods willincrease much fasterthan spending for serv-ices, with spending fordurable goods growingmore than twice as fastas spending for non-durables.

While uncertainty will

decline throughout theyear, the risk of endur-ing another recession(30 percent chance) con-tinues to hinge uponfederal fiscal policy, oilprice shocks and finan-cial panic from theEuropean Union.

Source: The Universityof Georgia’s TerryCollege of Business


Forecast

INSIDEEDUCATION:INSIDEEDUCATION:Georgia College Newell Scholar encourages community partnerships/Page 2

Report: Spending associated with CGTC has $95 million impact in region/Page 3

CGTC, GC partnership formed tocreate more post-secondaryoptions close to home/Page 4

Baldwin County BOE continues search for next superintendent/Page 4

GMC moving toward offeringbachelor’s degreeprogram/Page 5

GMC Wellness Center slated forMay opening/Page 6

Georgia College 2014 Newell ScholarLeon Johnson.

The MarthaDaniel NewellV i s i t i n g

Distinguished ScholarProgram was estab-lished in 2011 with anendowment fromGeorgia College alum-na, Martha DanielNewell.

The program isdesigned to strength-en the college’s liber-al arts mission by pro-viding an opportunityfor the college com-munity to work along-side a nationally rec-ognized scholar-in-residence. WhenJohnson first learnedof the Newell Scholar2014 honor, he said hewas “very excitedabout the possibilityof taking art and cre-ating communicationoutside the classroomenvironment.”

He also expressedhis delight in howquickly the communi-ty responded to hiswork.

“I was impressedwith the speed atwhich the relation-ship with communitypartners deepened soquickly,” he said.

Thus far Johnson,who is visiting from

Detroit, Mich., hasprovided the commu-nity with an abun-dance of opportuni-ties to experiment,learn and network inconjunction with hisart.

He set up a field sta-tion at BlackbridgeHall Art Gallerythrough March 28“that offers creativeinvestigations inprogress, exhibitedworks, discussionsand lectures, work-shops in book bindingand a location forresearch and read-ing,” according to aGeorgia College pressrelease.

The gallery featuresan exhibition ofJohnson’s work, curat-ed by art major EmilyStrickland.

Johnson under-stands his role as aNewell Scholar andmakes it his goal toopen the doors of hisclassroom to the community.

“My main objectiveis to stimulate andcreate communityinvolvement outsidethe school curricu-lum,” said Johnson. “Ihope to create a

chorus of informationamong both studentsand the community asopposed to individualvoices of the academy.”

Johnson is an educa-tor as well as a mediaartist whose workincludes painting,sculpture, installa-tion, performance,food events, printmedia, video, photog-raphy, bookmakingand curatorial prac-tices. His workdemonstrates how thetwo titles work handin hand.

“As an educator andan artist, the two rolesmust work collabora-tively in order for boththe teacher and thestudent to be successful,” he said.

He is the type ofteacher who worksalongside his

students, giving thema chance to witnessthe process of creatingand an opportunity tolearn from their mistakes.

“I love the potentialfor my process to parallel their process,

failures and all,” hesaid.

His seminars aredesigned to engagethe community at-large.

“With open seminarsyou never know whowill show up. It could

be students, wood-workers, farmers, orjust someone interest-ed in the buzz of theevent.

“I try to deliver con-tent so that it res-

Page 2 Progress 2014www.unionrecorder.com

EDUCATION PROGRESS 2014

Campus & CommunityGeorgia College Newell Scholar encourages community par tnerships

GC CommunicationsAbove: Newell Scholar Leon Johnson prepares food for an event at Andalusia. Below: Johnson servesfood at the Brown-Stetson-Sanford House event.

See PROGRAM, page 6

By FELICIA CUMMINGS

The Newell Scholar for 2014, Leon Johnson, has been working consistently to bring community involvement to Georgia College students as well as promote partnerships within the Baldwin County community.

The Newell Scholar program is designed to strengthen the college’s liberal arts mission byproviding an opportunity for thecollege community to work along-side a nationally recognizedscholar-in-residence.

According toDr. Jeffrey M.Humphreys ,

director of the SeligCenter for EconomicGrowth at theUniversity ofGeorgia’s TerryCollege of Business,the $95.5 million rep-resents the combinedtotal economic impactof both MiddleGeorgia TechnicalCollege (MGTC) andthe former CentralGeorgia TechnicalCollege (CGTC).

The new CentralGeorgia TechnicalCollege was formed bythe merger of thesetwo colleges in July2013.

The economicimpact is in a newreport fromHumphreys thatdetails his analysis ofeconomic data fromthe Technical CollegeSystem of Georgia(TCSG) for the 2012fiscal year, the yearprior to the merger ofCGTC and MGTC.

The study alsofound that the col-lege’s spendingresults in a combined1,285 public and pri-vate sector jobs.Humphreys reportedthat statewide, foreach job created on aTCSG college campus,one off-campus jobexists because of col-lege-related expendi-tures. One in every264 non-farm jobs inGeorgia, he said,occurs because ofspending associatedwith a TCSG college.

"The fundamentalfinding is that each ofthe TCSG colleges,including CentralGeorgia TechnicalCollege, creates

substantial economicimpact in terms ofoutput, value added,labor income andemployment. Theseeconomic impactsdemonstrate that con-tinued emphasis ontechnical colleges asan enduring pillar ofthe regional economytranslates into jobs,higher incomes, andgreater production ofgoods and services forlocal households andbusinesses,” saidHumphreys.

The TCSG commis-sioned Humphreys tocalculate the impor-tance that spending

connected to thestate’s technical col-leges has for theirservice deliveryareas, which range insize from two to 11counties. CGTC hasone of the largestservice delivery areasin the system, serving11 counties includingBaldwin, Bibb,Crawford, Dooly,Houston, Jones,Monroe, Peach,Pulaski, Putnam andTwiggs. Several cate-gories of collegeexpenditures werereviewed for thestudy, including per-sonnel salaries and

fringe benefits, col-lege operations, capi-tal construction proj-ects, and studentspending, to name afew.

The result, put inthe context of the tax-payer investment,indicated that the$20.8 million stateappropriation forboth MGTC and CGTCin 2012 supported theenrollment of 14,639students, generated$95.5 million in localspending, and helpedto sustain almost 1,300college-related jobs.

“As our campusesand programs expand,

we expect to have aneven more significanteconomic impact onthe middle Georgiaregion by educating awell-qualified work-force that will, in-turn, lead to an evenmore successful androbust economy.” saidDr. Ivan Allen, presi-dent of CentralGeorgia TechnicalCollege.

Statewide, the $315million state appro-priation for the TCSGin 2012 helped to trainalmost 153,000 techni-cal college students,contributed to $1.2billion in direct and

indirect spending incommunities through-out Georgia, and was afactor in almost 15,000public and privatesector jobs.

“The spending fac-tor alone is a sizablereturn on the state’sinvestment in theTCSG, and it would besignificantly higher ifwe were to add theeconomic value thatour graduates createonce they leave col-lege and meet employ-ers’ needs for askilled workforce,”said Ron Jackson,commissioner of theTCSG.

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Progress 2014 Page 3www.unionrecorder.com

EDUCATIONPROGRESS 2014

U-R file photoCGTC students in the new health sciences facility work in class in this file photo.

From staff reports

Economic impactRepor t: Spending associated with CGTC has$95 million impact in regionCentral Georgia Technical College’s economic impact within its 11-countyservice area results in $95.5 millionannually, according to a recent study.


Officials fromC e n t r a lG e o r g i a

Technical Collegeand Georgia Collegesigned off on a formalagreement to explorenew avenues for stu-dents to transitionfrom one school tothe other more seam-lessly as they pursuetheir education.

CGTC President Dr.Ivan Allen and GCPresident Dr. SteveDorman were joinedon the local CGTCcampus by RonJackson, TechnicalCollege System ofGeorgia commission-er, in making theannouncement.

Jackson said thelocal agreement andsimilar plans acrossthe state are off-shoots of Gov. NathanDeal’s ambitiousdirective to add

250,000 additionalcollege graduatesover current levels toGeorgia’s populationby 2020.

To see the gover-nor’s goal come tofruition, Georgiaschools must stream-

line the process andmove studentsthrough higher edu-cation systems morequickly, he said.

By generatingavenues for studentsto obtain creditsfaster, they won’thave to repeat cours-es when they transi-tion from a technicalcollege to a four-yearschool or vice versa.

Associate degree programs from CGTCwill soon more easilytransition into four-year programs likethose at GC or anyother universityaround the state.

Jackson and

University System ofGeorgia (USG)Chancellor HankHuckaby and theirrespective boards areworking on fosteringsimilar partnershipsbetween otherschools.

The technical col-lege system awarded35,000 college cre-dentials in 2012 andhas produced 28,000

graduates thus farthis year.

Already, 27 core

technical collegecourses, available atall but two TCSG

schools, are transfer-able to any four-yearschool in the state.


Partnership in placeCGTC, GC partnership formed to createmore post-secondary options close to homeA partnership solidified late last yearaims to create more post-secondaryopportunities for local students.

From staff reports

U-R file photoGC President Dr. Steve Dorman, CGTC President Dr. Ivan Allen and TechnicalCollege System of Georgia Commissioner Ron Jackson sign off on the agree-ment forming the GC-CGTC partnership.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal aimsto add 250,000 additional col-

lege graduates over current lev-

els to Georgia’s population by

2020.

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Dana Davis assumed thevice president of satel-lite operations position

at Milledgeville’s CentralGeorgia Technical College cam-pus in February. The positionwas formerly held by HankGriffeth since 2007. Griffeth tookon a new role as the director ofoperations for the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber ofCommerce and the DevelopmentAuthority in early March.

“I’m extremely excited aboutmy new opportunity to serve ourstudents and CGTC in a differentcapacity,” she said. “This posi-tion provides leadership for thecollege’s operations in Baldwin,Jones, Putnam, Monroe and

Crawford counties.”Davis has worked in the

Technical College System ofGeorgia for 22 years. She beganher career at Ogeechee TechnicalInstitute in 1991 as an accountinginstructor before serving in vari-ous positions, including depart-ment chair for the businessdepartment, director of financialaid, vice president of administra-tive services and executive direc-tor of facilities management.

“I started working closer withstudents early in my career whenI taught accounting,” she said.“I’m enjoying the idea of comingback to work closely with stu-dents and our program offerings.”

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EDUCATIONPROGRESS 2014

GMC moving toward offeringbachelor’s degree programHB 763 opens door for four-year bachelor’s degrees at GMC

From staff reports

Four-yearprogram

Davis is new VP of satellite operations at Central Ga. TechTook the helm in February in new role

From staff reports

U-R file photoDavis has worked in the Technical College System of Georgia for 22 years.

Caldwell leads GMC as 21st president

U-R file photoLt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV officially retired from active duty in the U.S.Army and was inducted as Georgia Military College’s 21st president duringa public ceremony held last November. During the ceremony Caldwell washonored as the first-ever Army recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal.He received this award for his work as the Commanding General of U.S.Army North (5th Army), U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Force LandComponent Command and Army Service Component Command, Joint BaseSan Antonio, Texas from December 2011 to August 2013. Caldwell officiallybegan work as GMC’s president on Nov. 1. He succeeds Maj. Gen. PeterBoylan (Ret.) who retired last summer and now serves as GMC’s presidentemeritus.

Recent legislation passed inthe 2014 Georgia GeneralAssembly session helps lay

the foundation for Georgia MilitaryCollege to offer a four-year degree program.

House Bill 763 will allow the two-year college to offer a bachelor’s degree.

In October 2012, Central GeorgiaTechnical College President Dr. IvanAllen allowed GMC to survey CGTCstudents in order to determine if therewas an interest in the bachelor ofapplied science degree program. Of the587 respondents, 385 students indicat-ed an interest in pursuing the four-yeardegree at GMC.

The bachelor of applied sciencedegree program will assist graduates ofinstitutions under the TechnicalCollege System of Georgia attainingfour-year bachelor’s degrees.

The college must now get permissionfrom the Commission on Colleges of

the Southern Association of Collegesand Schools (SACS) and submit aprospectus to increase its offerings,according to Dr. Mike Holmes, vicepresident of academic affairs at GMC.

School officials and state leadershave all indicated that they do not fore-see issues with the process. HB 763 willnow travel to Gov. Nathan Deal’s deskfor final approval.

“It could take up to six months or upto a year to get approval from ouraccrediting agency,” Holmes said.“We’re currently working on our fiscalyear 2015 budget and there’s nothingincluded in the budget now for thebachelor’s degree program. I antici-pate to have it entered in the FY16budget so we can hopefully implementthe program in fall 2015. We will needto hire more faculty with a doctorate inbusiness management. We have one atthe Milledgeville campus, and I willprobably utilize her when we developthe program.”

onates with everyone in the hopesthat the conversation will moveoutside the seminar and bringthese different groups together.”

His projects and classroomwork take students through thehistory and culture ofMilledgeville.

“We’re only halfway throughand we’ve done an extraordinaryamount of work already.” Theshow, titled “The Deposits:Vestigial Enclaves,” features aseries of photographs of peoplewithin the community. In thesephotos, Johnson said he aimed todemonstrate a spectrum of differ-ent emotions while using the bodyas a landscape.

His seminar titled “TakenAback” has students participatingin field research that exploresmysteries and history ofMilledgeville.

He said he hopes that his semi-nars and classroom work willmake conversations among theMilledgeville community just alittle richer than before.

He will also host three open

presentations where students andthe Milledgeville community canlearn more about his work as anartist.

Upcoming presentations datesare slated for April 4 and May 2,coinciding with the First Fridayevents in downtown. The presenta-tions have taken the form of din-ners and working with local farmers and cooks.

Johnson said so far his expecta-tions have been exceeded and he ishighly impressed by both collegefaculty and members of theMilledgeville community.

“The community has proven to bevery powerful and positive allies inthis entire experience,” he said.

Johnson is not alone in hisendeavors to bring a diverse mix ofculture and art to the community.Jonathan Kung, a Hong Kong cheffrom Detroit, visited the campus towork with Johnson in a one-night-only pop up restaurant event.Future events will include MeganO’Connell, Johnson’s partner of Salt& Cedar letterpress studio inDetroit and Iain Kerr, MaineUniversity professor, an interna-tionally recognized artist andwriter and founder of Spurse, anexperimental consultation service.

The new Georgia MilitaryCollege Health andWellness Center is slated

for completion in May. The new state-of-the-art facility

will provide appropriate space toeducate GMC preparatory and

college students on health, nutri-tion and fitness once complete inearly May.

The facility adds 55,000 squarefeet on three levels on the northside of the Cordell Events Centerand is integrated into the existing

building. It features two multi-purpose

courts, an elevated walking andrunning track, classrooms, weightand cardio training spaces, athlet-ic storage facilities, staff officesand locker rooms.



Health & WellnessGMC Wellness Center slated for May opening

State-of-the-art facility adds 55,000 squarefeet to Cordell Events Center space

From staff reports

Baldwin CountyEducation Profile

Sinclair Christian Academy102 Airport Rd.Milledgeville, GA 31061478-452-4242www.sinclairconnect.com/sca/

John Milledge Academy197 Log Cabin Rd NEMilledgeville, GA 31061478-452-5570Head of School: Mark Hopkinswww.johnmilledge.org/

Georgia Military College Prep201 E. Greene St. Milledgeville, GA 31061478-387-4900Principal: John Thorntonwww.prep.gmc.cc.ga.us/

Baldwin High School155 GA Highway 49 WestMilledgeville, GA 31061478-453-6429Principal: Dr. Jessica Swainwww.baldwinhighschool.net/index.html

Oak Hill Middle School356 Blandy Road, NWMilledgeville, GA 31061478-457-3370Principal: Dr. Linda Ramseywww.baldwin2.oak.schooldesk.net

Blandy Hills Elementary375 Blandy RoadMilledgeville, GA 30161478-457-2495Principal: Charlene A. Thorpewww.baldwin2.blandy.schooldesk.net/

Creekside Elementary 372 Blandy RoadMilledgeville, GA 31061478-457-3301Principal: Tracy Clarkwww.baldwin2.creekside.schooldesk.net/

Eagle Ridge Elementary220 N. ABC StreetMilledgeville, GA 31061478-457-2967478-457-2478Principal: Jeanette Scottwww.baldwin2.eagle.schooldesk.net/

Midway Elementary101 Carl Vinson RoadMilledgeville, GA 31061478-457-2440Principal: Antonio Ingramwww.baldwin2.midway.schooldesk.net/

Early Learning Center100 N. ABC St.Milledgeville, GA 31061478-457-2461Director: Blanche Lambwww.baldwin2.elc.schooldesk.net/

New facility open

U-R file photoLocal and state dignitaries, educators, students and community partners gather in this April 2013 file phototo celebrate the opening of Central Georgia Technical College’s new Center for Health Sciences facility. The$17 million building enabled the satellite campus to expand its course offerings and provide more programsof study to local students.

CASHIN A

HURRYCash for Graduation,Summer Vacation,

Pay off High Interest Title Loans

Cash Advances$100 to $1,500

158539

NORTHSIDE LOANS943 N. Columbia Street

478-453-3771

LEE LOANS998 N. Jefferson St.

478-452-5591

HARDWICK FINANCE100 S. Wayne St.478-452-0518

Baldwin County BOE continues search fornext superintendentOnce candidates go through the interviewprocess, GSBA recommends for the schoolboard to select three finalists to be publicly announced.

From staff reports


Program

Baldwin County SchoolsSuperintendent Geneva Brazielannounced her resignation to theboard of education last fall. Sincethen the board has worked to solidfya timeline for theprocess of hiring anew superintend-ent.

Braziel served twoterms as superin-tendent for theschool district. Hercurrent three-yearcontract ends Nov. 1,2014. Her resigna-tion is effective June30. � In December,

the school boardsigned an agree-ment with theGeorgia SchoolBoards Association(GSBA) to allowGSBA to conduct theinitial search andevaluation for a newschool superintend-ent. GSBA’s contractstates that it willpromptly and pro-fessionally conducta search for a newsuperintendent forthe district, involv-ing the advertisingand solicitation of applications, pro-cessing applications, screening can-didates, receiving recommendationsand evaluations of candidates, per-forming evaluations of candidates,and submitting a report to the school

district with candidates determinedto be appropriate for consideration.� In January the board launched

an online survey for parents andother members of the community to

relay input on whatqualities they’d liketo see the nextschool superintend-ent possess. Theysurvey submissiondeadline was earli-er this month. Asummary of the sur-vey results will begiven to the schoolboard for its use asthe applications arereviewed and selectcandidates areinterviewed.� In March the

school board con-ducted a publicforum facilitated bya GSBA representa-tive where atten-dees were given theopportunity toexpress theirdesires withregards to thesuperintendent’spost. � Once candi-

dates go throughthe interview

process, GSBA recommends for theschool board to select three finaliststo be publicly announced. The boardanticipates having a new superin-tendent in place by the start of the2014-2015 school year.

Baldwin CountyBoard of Education

ProfileDistrict 1

Gloria Wicker(478) 457-6413

[email protected]

District 2Harold B. Simmons

(478) [email protected]

District 3Lyn Chandler


District 4John Noah Jackson


District 5 Wes Cummings(478) 456-0755

[email protected]

INSIDEGOVERNMENTINSIDEGOVERNMENT:CSHLRA finalizes plans after legislative initiatives/Page 2

Correctional health care companycloses on CSH property/Page 3

Tax abatement schedule aims tospur capital investment/Page 4

GMC bill, Georgia College fundingpart of local items approved/Page 4

State, city and county leaders join CSHLRA leaders for theBostick State Prison sale announcement.

The CentralState HospitalL o c a l

R e d e v e l o p m e n tAuthority (CSHLRA)is moving forwardwith the sale of cam-pus land thanks tomajor legislative ini-tiatives passed inAtlanta.

The CSHLRA’s mainobjective is to makethe Central StateHospital (CSH) cam-pus the “economicengine that it trulycan be,” saidExecutive DirectorMike Couch.

He added that itsmission is to developlong term strategiesfor the CSH campuswith a focus on jobcreation and educa-tion.

With the passing oftwo key bills, HB 495

and SR 788, CSHLRAis on its way toachieving its goal.

House Bill 495allows only state dele-gates that have specif-ic property in theirdistrict to veto a stateproperty transaction.This bill will cutapproximately 400days off the transac-tion time, accordingto Couch.

“The whole proce-dure of transferringstate-owned propertyto private usuallytakes about 520 daysto close. In order toget our propertiesready for sale weneed to start workingon the process sooner,and this bill willallow us to do justthat.”

Senate Resolution788, also referred to

as the State PropertyOmnibus legislation,covers anticipatedproperty transfersbetween the 2014 and2015 Georgia legisla-tive sessions. The billwill be used todeclare the proper-ties surplus to thecurrent missions ofthe GeorgiaDepartment ofCorrections andDepartment ofBehavioral Healthand DevelopmentalDisabilities (DBHDD)at CSH.

The CSHLRA isanticipating the billsto allow faster accessto properties for pri-vatization of stagnanthospital real estatetotaling more than2,100 acres.

“I have to give fullcredit to our state andlocal politicians,”said Couch. “Withouttheir leadership andsupport, we wouldn’tbe moving ahead asefficiently as we aretoday.”

The Central StateHospital LegislativeInitiative committee,which started as agrassroots joint Cityof Milledgeville andCSHLRA effort, looksforward to the possi-bilities of marketingCSH land.

Couch said that thegoal of the CSHLegislative Initiativeis “to have legalprocess that makes

the CSH campus mar-ket-ready to facilitatejob creation whileprotecting an asset ofall Georgia taxpayers.”

As the CSHLRAmoves forward afterlegislative bills havepassed, the first saleof land at the formerstate hospital closedMarch 6. It includesthe former Bostickbuilding site and 16

acres of land fordevelopment byCorrectHealth LLP,an Atlanta-based company.

“The negotiationsfor CorrectHealth aregoing to amount to abig event for thedevelopment authori-ty,” said Couch.

CorrectHealth isphysician-owned andoperated, specializingin correctional healthcare.

Couch said the saleis significant for theCSHLRA because itwill result in the firstprivate ownership ofany site at CSH.

“The Bostick build-ing in its current con-dition had no futuremarket value orpotential for reuse,”said Couch.

C o r r e c t H e a l t hplans to demolish theexisting building andconstruct a state-of-the-art geriatric carefacility valued at

Moving forwardCSHLRA finalizes plans after legislative initiatives

U-R file photoCity, state and county leaders join CSHLRA board members for a recent announcement in this filephoto. With the passing of two key bills, HB 495 and SR 788, CSHLRA is on its way to achieving itsgoal to make the Central State Hospital (CSH) campus the ‘economic engine that it truly can be.’

See CSHLRA, page 3

By FELICIA CUMMINGS

The Central State Hospital Legislative Initiative committee, which started as a grassroots jointCity of Milledgeville and CSHLRA effort, looks forward to the possibilities of marketing CSH land.

What are BH 495 and SR 788?

Two key pieces of recently approvedGeorgia General Assembly legislationwill soon have a major impact on theCSH campus. HB 495 allows the Central StateHospital Local RedevelopmentAuthority to work directly with theState Properties Commission (SPC)for any properties valued under$500,000. HB 495 allows only statedelegates that have specific propertyin their district to veto a state proper-ty transaction. This bill will cut approx-imately 400 days off the transactiontime for properties.The State Property Omnibus Bill(SR788) will be used to declare theproperties surplus to the current mis-sions of Georgia Department ofCorrections (DOC) and Department ofBehavioral Health and DevelopmentalDisabilities (DBHDD) at the CSH.


GOVERNMENT PROGRESS 2014

Central State Hospital Local Redevelopment

Authority ProfileMike Couch, CSHLRA Executive Director

Quay Hurt Fuller, ChairDudley Rowe, Vice Chair

Dr. John Ferguson, TreasurerDr. George Martinez

Bruce VaughnDr. Nolan Stephens

Russ WaldenDr. Stanley (Stas) Preczewski

Johnny GrantJeanette Walden, Ex OfficioHenry R. Craig, Ex Officio

CorrectHealthLLP, anAtlanta based

correctional healthcare company, willcreate a continuinggeriatric care facilityfor a large paroleepopulation not cur-rently served byGeorgia prisons in theformer Bostick StatePrison facility on theCentral State Hospitalcampus.

The new facility istabbed for a late 2015o p e n i n g .CorrectHealth willdemolish the existingbuilding and con-struct a “state of theart” geriatric carefacility valued atmore than $20 millionwhen completed. Thenew building willhave 280 beds.

The state acceptedC o r r e c t H e a l t h ' s$50,000 bid for the for-mer Bostick StatePrison facility lastOctober.

The StateP r o p e r t i e sCommission (SPC)completed the deedfor execution on Jan.9. At that time,involved parties real-ized CSH has to estab-lish a public easementin and out of the 16-acre Bostick parcel.

The new BostickNursing Center willhire more than 200permanent staff mem-bers offering a

tremendous boost toMilledgeville's localeconomy not to men-tion construction jobs.

CorrectHealth isphysician owned andoperated and pro-vides cost-effective,comprehensive highquality health careservices to correction-al facilities.

The company cur-rently oversees thecorrectional healthcare to nearly 15,000inmates in more than40 facilities in thesoutheastern UnitedStates and is thelargest private

provider of correc-tional health care inthe state.

The GeorgiaDepartment ofCorrections (DOC)closed the 700-bedBostick State Prisoneffective May 1, 2010to save on DOC opera-tional costs.

Bostick is an old1950s dorm that wasconverted to a prisonin 1987.

The facility was con-sidered a “non-endur-ing” infrastructurebecause it lacks thesafety features ofother state prisons

and required morestaff to secure. Theprison previouslyhoused medium secu-rity inmates, as wellas those with specialneeds.

The prison sits atthe end of LawrenceRoad.

From staff reports

Bostick dealCorrectional health care company closes on CSH propertyState accepted CorrectHealth's $50,000 bid for theformer Bostick State Prison facility last October.

U-R file photoCorrectHealth LLP, an Atlanta based correctional health care company, willcreate a continuing geriatric care facility for a large parolee population notcurrently served by Georgia prisons in the former Bostick State Prison facil-ity on the Central State Hospital campus.

GOVERNMENTPROGRESS 2014

00158225


CASHIN A

HURRYCash for Graduation,Summer Vacation,

Pay off High Interest Title Loans

Cash Advances$100 to $1,500

158539

NORTHSIDE LOANS943 N. Columbia Street

478-453-3771

LEE LOANS998 N. Jefferson St.

478-452-5591

HARDWICK FINANCE100 S. Wayne St.478-452-0518

Milledgeville City CouncilProfile

Mayor Richard Bentley478-452-5158

[email protected]

District 1Dr. Collinda J. Lee

[email protected]

District 2Jeanette H. Walden

[email protected]

District 3Denese Shinholster

[email protected]

District 4Walter Reynolds478-363-3684

[email protected]

District 5Richard Mullins Jr.

[email protected]

District 6Stephen Chambers

[email protected]

State ProfileState House of RepresentativesHouse District 145Rep. Rusty Kidd478-452-1354 [email protected]

State SenateSenate District 25Sen. Burt Jones770-775-4880 [email protected]

**US CongressDistrict 12Rep. Paul Broun706-549-9588

***US SenateSaxby Chambliss(478) 741-1417

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson 770-661-0999

**Broun is seeking a U.S. Senate seat and will notseek another term in Congress’ District 12. ***Chambliss is not seeking another term.

more than $20 million when com-pleted in the projected year of 2015.

The project will bring jobs toMilledgeville’s local economy. Oncecompleted, the 280-bed facility willemploy more than 200 permanentstaff members.

Besides the CorrectHealth landsale, the CSHLRA is still active inother projects as well. These cur-rent projects include EmployeeEducation Assistance, film projectsin partnership with the

Milledgeville Convention & VisitorsBureau, intern programs withGeorgia College, Solar InitiativeSubmission to Georgia Power, aswell as additional state agency andfederal funding projects.

The CSHLRA was created in 2012by Georgia HB 815 with the specificmission of planning for and execut-ing the redevelopment of the CSHcampus and they intend on continu-ing this effort.

“The five original doctors whocreated central state created it onhope,” Couch said. “CSH is still aplace of hope and we’re workinghard to play our part in creatingnew industry in this community.”


CSHLRA

Th eMilledgeville-B a l d w i n

County Development

Authority created asimple, yet enterpris-ing industrial taxabatement scheduleearlier this year toencourage capitalinvestment.

In partnership withlegal counsel andGeorgia Power, theD e v e l o p m e n tAuthority draftedthree different sched-ules for tax incentivepurposes. The taxabatement schedulescover five, 10 and 15years.

The measure hasgone before local bod-ies and has beenapproved by city,county and schoolboard officials.

The governmentgranted action

encourages capitalinvestment by reduc-ing or exempting acertain entity fromtaxes for a specifiedperiod.

The schedule is acompetitive economicdevelopment toolother communitiesuse exclusively.

Baldwin Countymust establish one tostay with the times,according toD e v e l o p m e n tAuthority ExecutiveDirector Matt Poyner.

Milledgeville andBaldwin County com-pete within the state,region and globally forthese big buck compa-nies.

For example, incom-ing companies with 25

jobs and $10 millioninvestment wouldqualify for the five-year, 50 jobs and up to$100 million makesthe 10-year incentiveschedule and at least100 jobs with morethan $100 millionspent clicks the proj-ect into the 15-yearabatement slot. Biginvestment with lowjob yield doesn’t applywith the schedule.

“We have to havethese abatements inplace to be competi-tive in MiddleGeorgia,” Poyner said.“This gives me the lee-way to make thesepropositions to compa-nies instead of havingto come to the board toask for approval.”

158386


Legislative rewindGMC bill, Georgia College funding part of local items approved

Tax abatement schedule aims to spur capital investment

Local members of the delegation have also continued working outthe details relating to the 215-mile Fall Line Freeway (FLF) project.

In partnership with legal counsel and Georgia Power, the DevelopmentAuthority drafted three different schedules for tax incentive purposes.The tax abatement schedules cover five, 10 and 15 years.

GOVERNMENT PROGRESS 2014

The Senate adjourned SineDie on Thursday, March 20,but not before we made

numerous steps in the right directionfor Baldwin County and District 25.This year, I was lucky to collaboratewith members of the Baldwin Countydelegation to pass initiatives thatwill boost and solidify future eco-nomic measures within and aroundthe county.

To account for the rise in enroll-ment at Georgia College, we wereable to secure $3.9 million for therepurposing of Mayfair andMcIntosh Hall. Mayfair Hall willhouse all student recruitment func-tions while McIntosh Hall will serveas additional academic space in thecore of campus. In addition, theschool will receive $1 million infunds will go to the school for pur-poses deemed necessary by theadministration.

In another moveto help our colleges,we passed HouseBill 763, which willallow GeorgiaMilitary College(GMC) the ability tooffer students afour-year Bachelorof Applied Sciencedegree. Currently,GMC operates on atwo-year system and only offers asso-ciates degrees; HB 763 will allow stu-dents more educational opportuni-ties and will provide companies witha skilled, technical work force.

In an attempt to bring about morerepurposing of buildings and antici-pate real estate transactions for theupcoming year, the GeneralAssembly passed Senate Resolution788, which authorizes the con-veyance of certain state owned real

property located in Baldwin andWilkinson counties. In line with SR788, we passed House Bill 495, whichexpedites the sale of state propertyby removing the General Assemblyfrom the conveyance process forproperty appraised under $500,000.This will allow for a majority of sur-plus materials to be available forredeveloping, for example CentralState Hospital.

Also, local members of the delega-tion have continued working out thedetails relating to the 215-mile FallLine Freeway (FLF) project.Through meetings with the jointauthorities of Baldwin andWilkinson counties, we were able tonegotiate a deal that will make prop-erty at the four corners located at theintersection of the FLF and USHighway 141 affordable for futuredevelopment.

Although it was a fairly quick leg-

islative session, I had the privilege towelcome and speak with studentsfrom Baldwin Leadership. It wasgreat to meet with these promisingstudents and served as a reminder ofhow bright Georgia’s future is.Thank you for visiting the Capitoland I wish you the best of luck andcontinued successes.

With a prestigious educationalinstitution on the rise and land readyfor development, we are continuingto move in the right direction forBaldwin County. I look forward tocontinuing initiatives on your behalf,if there are any issues you wish tohave addressed, I would love to hearfrom you. Please do not hesitate tocontact my office at 404-656-0082 orvia email [email protected].

State Sen. Burt Jones represents the25th District of Georgia.

Jones

Baldwin County Commission Profile

District 1

Emily C. Davis

478-451-7105

[email protected]

District 2

Tommy L. French

478-288-1172

[email protected]

District 3

Sammy Hall

478-932-5662

[email protected]

District 4

Henry R. Craig

478-452-2531

[email protected]

District 5

John H. Westmoreland

478-387-5315

[email protected]

From staff reports

INSIDEBUSINESS:INSIDEBUSINESS:BOOST business incentive program growing in support and success/Page 2

Downtown farmer’s market getsnew pavilion just in time for newseason/Page 3

Film industry growinglocally/Page 3

New orthopedic surgeon comes to Milledgeville/Page 4

New businesses, relocationsspring forth/Page 6

Movement begins at Kroger outparcel sites/Page 8

New owners celebrate the ribbon cuttingfor The Antebellum Inn.

Every busi-ness, whetherbig or small,

can benefit from anextra boost, especial-ly when it comes inthe form of financialgain.

BOOST, an incen-tive created by theD o w n t o w nD e v e l o p m e n tAuthority (DDA) andMilledgeville MainStreet continues toprovide support andadditional financialsupport to downtownbusinesses inMilledgeville.

According to DDAand Main StreetDirector CarleeSchulte, the pro-gram’s main objectiveis to support smalllocal businesses andentrepreneurs withfunding opportuni-ties.

“Small businessesare the backbone ofour community,” shesaid.

The program waslaunched in July 2013coinciding with recog-nition of Georgia’sSmall Business week.

“We thought itwould be a great pro-gram to not only helpcelebrate our smallbusinesses but also asa way to give them afinancial boost,” shesaid.

She added thatBOOST also encour-ages dialogue and col-laboration betweenbusiness owners andthe community.

The incentive pro-gram started withroughly 30 chartermembers but hasquickly expanded toclose to 50. There isno set limit to thenumber of investors.The grant amountsrange from $100 up to$1,000. Only a $200per year commitmentis expected frominvestors.

These charter mem-bers also referred toas BOOSTERS donate

$200 to the programper year. The invest-ment group is incharge of choosingthe most deservingcandidates. They alsodetermine the specif-ic amount of each

grant to be awarded. “Being an investor

doesn’t take up muchtime and membershave the option of vot-ing by email if theycan’t attend a meet-ing,” she said.

Investors only meetquarterly to readthrough applications,agree upon a dollaramount and cast theirvote.

The first set ofgrants was awardedin August 2013. Therecipients were AmiciItalian Café, Hair Barand Blossoms Florist.Each small businessreceived $1,000 fromthe incentive pro-gram.

“We received nineapplications duringthe first round and itwas a close one whenit came down to pick-ing candidates,” saidSchulte.

Business ownersare only eligible forthe grant once peryear.

By the secondround, the applica-tions increased to 13.

“I was so excited to

Money For ASummer Vacation?College Fund?Graduation?Home Repairs? Need to Pay Off High Interest Loans?

We Can Help.The Sooner,The Better

NORTHSIDE LOANS943 N. Columbia St.

Milledgeville, GA478-453-3771

158542


BUSINESS PROGRESS 2014

Loal business boostBOOST business incentive programgrowing in support and success

U-R file photoMain Street Director Carlee Schulte leads the way to present a check to BOOST recipient MetropolisCafe in this March file photo.

See BOOST, page 3

By FELICIA CUMMINGS

Program objective is to support small local businesses and entrepreneurs with funding opportunities.

see that the program had gainedmomentum,” said Schulte.

Three businesses received$1,000 dollar grants each the sec-ond go around with BOOST aswell. Owners of Need-a-Nerd,Chandler Brothers Ace Hardwareand The Milledgeville FilmFestival were pleased to receivean extra boost from the DDA.

The BOOST program is current-ly in its second year of operation.

According to a press release,during 2014 the BOOST programwill give away $8,000 worth ofgrants with $2,000 being awardedeach quarter to two business whoare chosen as candidates.

Similar to the first round, nineapplications were received

during the third round of BOOST.The winners were The Lemon Treeand Metropolis Café.

Initially, the thought processbehind the idea was to focus ondowntown businesses, but basedon the progress of the program, theDDA is considering expanding itsfocus.

“BOOST is a great way to encour-age local investments into the com-munity and we hope to look intodifferent ways in which we cancontinue to help the economy inMilledgeville,” said Schulte.

Round four BOOST applicationsare due by May 28. Anyone inter-ested in applying or has questionsabout becoming an investor cancall Carlee Schulte atMilledgeville Main Street at 478-414-4014.

Visit the program’s website atwww.boostmilledgeville.com.


BUSINESSPROGRESS 2014

Downtown farmer’s market gets newpavilion just in time for new seasonThe Market Park Pavilion, located downtown, serves as the new home for theMilledgeville Marketplace Farmer’s Market.

Market ready

Film industry growing locally

U-R file photoPictured is a scene from production on the film, ‘Crimes & Mr. Meanors’which was shot at Milledgeville locations last fall. The movie is one of astring of film opportunities brought recently to Milledgeville and BaldwinCounty. The CW network series ‘The Originals’ filmed an episode at CSH inJanuary. Statewide, more than 140 video productions utilized the state ofGeorgia last year resulting in $933 million spent and an economic impact of$3.3 billion. The recent CW network episode brought a $313,000 economicimpact to the area, according to a recent Eggs & Issues presentation.

The long awaited moment hasfinally arrived.

The City of Milledgeville Farmer’sMarket is not only celebrating itssixth season, but there’s also a newPark Pavilion, ready for farmers andlocal produce vendors to utilize andresidents to enjoy.

The Market Park Pavilion, locateddowntown, serves as the new homefor the Milledgeville MarketplaceFarmer’s Market.

“We think it’ll be a benefit to thecommunity in many ways,” said MainStreet Director Carlee Schulte.

The new market pavilion’s begin-nings go all the way back to the ini-tial idea of having a farmer’s marketin the city.

Before 2009, area farmers and ven-dors traveled to neighboring commu-nities to sell their locally-grown pro-duce at markets due to a lack of afarmer’s market in Milledgeville.Milledgeville Main Street set out tochange that.

According to Schulte, the MainStreet committee felt that by bring-ing a farmer’s market to the commu-nity it was a great way to give resi-dents an opportunity to find freshgrown items within walking distance.

After a consensus for a farmer’smarket was reached, next came thedecision on a location.

“The farmer’s market started in aparking lot originally, but we wantedto move it off of the hot asphalt andonto a grassy area for more comfort,”said Schulte.

The downtown farmer’s marketmoved to a new location on thegrassy area next to the GoldenPantry during 2012, but a few issuesfor shoppers still existed.

Summer temperatures as well asunpredictable weather conditionscreated minor discomfort for bothfarmers and buyers. Also, the nearestrestrooms were located at theGolden Pantry.


BOOST

See MARKET, page 5

By FELICIA CUMMINGS

U-R file photoHair Bar owners celebrate as one of the first batch of BOOST recipients.

Oc o n e eOrthopedicsrecently wel-

comed a new orthope-dic surgeon to itsstaff. Joining Dr.Steven Niergarth isDr. James H. Extine.Extine brings morethan 16 years of expe-rience to the compa-ny, specializing in hipand total jointreplacement, foot,ankle, hand, pediatricorthopedics, orthope-dic trauma and sportsmedicine.

Extine comes toMilledgeville fromWinchester, Tenn.where he previouslyworked as an orthope-dic surgeon.

The decision tocome to Milledgevillecame down to threeessential factors,according to Extine.

“My wife and I werelooking to relocate toa community thatneeded a surgeon but

was also a place thatoffered good schoolsand at the same timewould allow me tospend time with myfamily. Milledgevilleseemed to fit all threecriteria.”

He has been mar-ried for 14 years andhas five children. Hisyoungest, Elijah, 11,started attendingJohn MilledgeAcademy a week aftertheir move to the com-munity.

After only a week inMilledgeville the doc-tor said he is enjoyingthe community.

It may be Extine’sfirst time living inBaldwin County, butit’s not his first timesettling down inGeorgia. With hisfather being part ofthe military, Extineand his family havelived all over theUnited States.

“I lived in Georgia

before I startedschool then we movedback after elementaryschool. A couple ofyears later we weremoving again,” hesaid.

Sports medicine hasalways fascinatedExtine and he consid-ers himself a sportsfanatic. He has per-formed as an athletein several differentsports fields. He saidalthough he has com-peted in football,wrestling, baseballand basketball, hisdrive to become adoctor outweighed hisdesire to play sportsonce he reached col-lege.

Extine received hisdoctorate of osteo-pathic medicine andsurgery from WestVirginia School ofOsteopathic Medicineand completed hisorthopedic surgeryresidency at Michigan

State University. He compares the

road he traveled tobecoming an orthope-dic surgeon to com-peting in a sport. Hesaid that the mainobjective for both isto stay focused bykeeping the mind onthe goal ahead.

As an athlete, heunderstands what hispatients go throughduring an injury.

“I think most people

view surgeons asbeing detached fromtheir patients, but Iremember how it feltwhen I had surgery onboth knees so it’s eas-ier for me to putmyself in theirshoes.”

Dr. Extine officiallybegan seeing patientsat OconeeOrthopedics March24.

“I’m looking for-ward to working here

and becoming part ofthe community,” hesaid.

Oconee Orthopedicsis located at 1201Columbia Drive. Thestaff includes twoboard certified physi-cians and a nursepractitioner who isalso a certified athlet-ic trainer.

For more informa-tion or to make anappointment call 478-451-0040.

Our Mission:The staff at Georgia War Veterans Home is committed to providing the highest quality care to veterans with skilled nursing care needs while seeking to improve their quality of life. This includes providing support to the Veterans in all activities of daily living in a setting that is as home-like as possible.

2249 Vinson Highway • Milledgeville, GA 31061

• Around the clock skilled nursing service

• Routine therapy • Leisure activities

• Medical services • Dental services

• Psychological services • Nutritional counseling

• Nutritious meals and snacks • Therapeutic recreation

• Recreation center • Outdoor pavilion

• Miniature golf course • Bus and two vans

• Large library with free internet access

Contact:

The Admissions CoordinatorOffice: (478) 445-4295 • Fax (478) 445-5583

Email: [email protected]



Ortho careNew orthopedic surgeon comes to MilledgevilleOconee Regional MedicalCenter welcomes Dr. James H.Extine to Oconee Orthopedics

By FELICIA CUMMINGS

U-R file photoExtine received his doctorate of osteopathic medicine and surgery fromWest Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his orthope-dic surgery residency at Michigan State University.

Terry Ho’s Hibachi Express opensTerry Ho’s HibachiExpress officiallyopened for business inApril in the formerLong John Silver’s andA&W All AmericanFood restaurant build-ing next to Pizza Huton North ColumbiaStreet. The Japanesefast-food eatery servesup Asian-inspiredfoods, including eggrolls, salads, wraps,hibachi meats, noodles,fried rice and grilledvegetables with TerryHo’s famous yum yumsauce.

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Based on suggestionsfrom the community,Schulte said she decid-ed to pursue the task ofproviding a pavilion forthe marketplace.

“I didn’t really knowif anything would comeout of it, but I figured itwouldn’t hurt to at leasttry and see,” she said.

She said she knewthat most farmers mar-

kets were held in pavil-ions so she began herresearch to bring one toMilledgeville.

Through her dili-gence the pavilionbecame more than justa pipe dream.

The new pavilion hasbeen designed to beattractive to patrons,providing shelter fromthe weather and shadefrom the heat, saidSchulte. The pavilionalso comes equippedwith restrooms.

She added that have

a building for the farm-ers’ market also givesthe vendors a sense ofownership and helpsthem feel welcomedand wanted in the com-munity.

“Having a permanentstructure rather than adesignated area givesthem more of an own-ership of that loca-tion,” she said.

The pavilion was cre-ated through a $42,000Rural BusinessEnterprise Grant fromthe United States

Department ofAgriculture. The grantwas received in 2012followed by papers tosign, documents todraw up, and rules toadhere to from theUSDA.

Construction on thebuilding began in 2013causing the market-place to return to itsprevious parking lotl o c a t i o n .Milledgeville City

Council approved acontract with DryerConstruction for thenew structure.

“It’s been a longroad just gettingthings done but it’sexciting to finally seeit up after so muchtime and energy wentinto it,” said Schulte.

Space within thepavilion will also beavailable for rent forcommunity activities

and events. Beginning Saturday,

April 5, the GreenFarmer’s Market willbe held at the newMarket Park Pavilionfrom 9 a.m to noon.

“The pavilion is notonly a great additionto the farmers’ mar-ket, but it’s also awonderful new attrac-tion that Main Streetis very proud of,” saidSchulte.

157868

140 East Andrews StreetMilledgeville, GA 31061478-452-5523 or 800-659-6763www.southsideequip.com


BUSINESSPROGRESS 2014


Market

Felicia Cummings/The Union-RecorderThe pavilion was created through a $42,000 Rural Business Enterprise Grantfrom the United States Department of Agriculture. The grant was receivedin 2012 followed by papers to sign, documents to draw up, and rules toadhere to from the USDA.

Hobby Lobby opens to eager area customers

The ceremonial firstribbon was officiallycut on the newestHobby Lobby store inOctober. TheMilledgeville locationmarked the arts andcrafts retail chain’s26th store in Georgia.Hobby Lobby is locat-ed in the HeritageWalk ShoppingCenter’s former Krogerlocation. Departmentsinclude floral, fabric,needle art, customframing, baskets,home accents, wear-able art, arts andcrafts, jewelry andscrapbooking andpaper crafting sup-plies.

U-R file photo

FOR QUALITYSERVICE & NAMEBRAND TIRES

YOU CAN TRUSTSEE US FIRST!

FREE Rotate With Any Tire Purchase

Complete Auto Service • Free Safety InspectionTires • Brakes • Shocks • Alignment • Oil Change

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(478) 452-2621 • www.iveystire.com



New businesses, relocations spring forth

U-R file photosThe past year has brought forth several new retail businesses for Baldwin County. Pictured clockwise (from top): Milledgeville Counseling Center;Antebellum Inn; and Wells Fargo celebrating its relocation to 3008 Heritage Road NE.

Construction kicked of inMarch at the outparcelareas at Milledgeville’s

Kroger location. An OconeeRegional Medical Center pri-mary care center, a Great Clipsand a restuarant have committedas tenants in the shopping cen-ter, while the fourth tenant isstill in the negotiating stage.Kroger sold three outparcelsadjacent to the building to TheSofran Group last year for thepurpose of building a shopspace.

Founded in 1980 in Canada,The Sofran Group has expandedits operations to current officeslocated in Atlanta and Florida.The company has developedmore than 8 million square feetof commercial property across 10states, according to the Sofranwebsite.

Since 1990, RW Smith Companyhas specialized in retail andoffice construction throughoutthe southeast as a general con-tracting firm. Retail experienceincludes Borders, CVS, Ingles,Kohl’s, Kroger, MellowMushroom, Office Max, Staples,Starbucks, Subway, T.J. Maxx andWalgreens.

157683Page 8 Progress 2014www.unionrecorder.com


Breaking groundMovement begins at Kroger outparcel sitesDirt moving at retail, office, restaurantspace two years after Kroger relocation

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Work began earlier this year at the Kroger outparcel locations.

From staff reports

progress edition 2014

Documents

economic forecaststatewide

georgiaspopulation growth

intro progress

fastest job growth

national economies

ortwo big economic sectors

federal union

private sector job growth