The preservation of Douglas County’s history is not considered a priority with the advent of continuous growth and infrastructure problems being ever more prevalent. Certainly there have been successes in the past to ensure the longevity of historical sites like New Manchester Mill at Sweetwater Creek State Park and the architecture of downtown Douglasville, however recommendations in two historical resource surveys have yet to see light.

Earlier this month Losing Georgia plotted over 700 of the historical resources in Google Earth that were originally recorded in Douglas County between 1999 and 2000. Since that time only the John Thomas Carnes Family Log House and the 1956 Douglas County Courthouse have been listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Oddly enough both sites were not part of the recommendations made by the survey.

The County portion of the survey conducted in 1999 lists a possible eligibility of 22 separate structures for the National Register, with 5 being in Lithia Springs and 17 in unincorporated areas of the county. Included are popularly known places like Beulah Baptist Church, Stockmar Goldmine, Ezekial Banks House and Fouts’ Mill.

Of the 22 resources, a priority list of seven were recommended to be listed on the National Register, yet none have been and are likely to remain unlisted based on inactions of the past eight years. This article takes a brief look at the seven priority historical resources for preservation.

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COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA
SEPTEMBER 4, 2007
10:00 A.M. – CITIZENS’ HALL

INVOCATION

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

CITIZENS’ INPUT

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. Regular Commission Meeting of August 21, 2007

PUBLIC HEARING
2. Metropolitan River Protection Act Certificate – Paul Favors at 6007 South River Road.

CONSENT AGENDA
3. The Sheriff Enforcement Department received $5,596 in donations for the Emergency Response Team’s equipment and Meth Task Force. Amend the budget by increasing Donations and Sheriff’s enforcement by $5,596.

4. The Parks & Recreation Director requests $10,000 in order to complete various programs for Parks & Recreation for the remainder of the year. These programs generate revenue. Amend the budget by increasing Parks & Recreation revenues and expenditures by $10,000.

5. Additional funds are needed in Emergency Management to cover the retirement of an employee (vacation pay-out & sick-leave retirement incentive). Amend the budget by transferring $35,600 from General Appropriations to Emergency Management.

6. The District Attorney is contributing $175,000 to assist in the renovation of the cafeteria for office space. A $136,905 check has been received and the District Attorney is paying for the architectural services out of the Asset Forfeiture Fund up to $38,095. Amend the General Fund budget by increasing Transfers In and General Appropriations by $175,000. Also amend the District Attorney’s Asset Forfeiture Fund budget by increasing Revenue, Funds Generated by Fund Balance and Transfers Out by a total of $125,000.

7. Acceptance of sponsorships for September Saturdays Celebration Festival and donation to the Department of Communications & Community Relations and amend the budget to accept and expend the funds.

8. Authorize the solicitation for bids for Tyree Road grading and paving.

9. Authorization to declare items as surplus, advertise a county-wide auction, invite the participation of other entities and engage the services of an auctioneer.

10. Approval of Change Order #15 for Boundary Waters Sports Complex to Hogan Construction Group for a total cost of $29,257.

11. Approval of Purchase Agreement with Wayne C. Rickert for the Flagview Village Mobile Home Park subject to legal review and final approval of environmental and other testing.

12. Approval of the Right of Way Easement for GreyStone Power Company for Fire Station No. 8.

13. Authorization for Comcast to access Sheriff’s Department to install wiring for red light cameras.

14. Renewal of Hartford Life Insurance Policy for 12/01/07 through 12/01/09.

15. Authorization to go out of bid for employee health benefits.

16. Appointment of Commissioner Michael Mulcare as the County’s voting delegate to the ACCG Fall Policy Conference.

BUSINESS

17. Approval or rejection of tax refund/credit and digest correction requests:

• Claims #1-3: These involve tax-exempt entities that did not file their exemption paperwork by the Board of Tax Assessors administrative deadline;
• Claims #4-15: These are mistakes that are on the digest, but that do not involve refunds; and
• Claims #16-18: These claims do not seem to involve any mistake that needs to be corrected.

NEW BUSINESS
18. Approval of asset management agreement for Flagview Mobile Home Park with Bulloch Mannelly Partners Property Management, Inc., approval of associated budget plan and authorize Chairman to sign all associated documents.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS

RECESS

The Douglas County Sentinel is reporting today that Sweetwater Creek State Park is one of two recipients of a solar-powered ATV donated by BP America. The ATV, really its a golf-cart on steroids with a solar panel on the roog, will allow the interpretive ranger to drive around the park in a cleaner manner. “DNR chose Sweetwater Creek and the Little White House for the vehicle locations because both parks are models of environmental sustainability, according to a news release from Gov. Sonny Perdue.”

The Douglas County Sentinel is reporting today that absentee ballots are finally available. The wait is blamed on the length of the ballot language and delay from the Justice Department for approving the ballot.

A reliable source has reported to Losing Georgia that the Section 8 federally funded housing at the Douglas Village Apartments complex in north Douglasville is under independent investigation by the Fox 5 I-Team and the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Problems include mold, caved-in stairways, and gas leaks. Neither news organization has released an article to date. The apartment is located near Davis Park, which was renovated by 2002 SPLOST monies.

The Douglas Neighbor is reporting today that the City of Douglasville has more annexations on the upcoming City Council Special Meeting and the County is not too happy about it. Chairman Worthan is requesting a ladder truck be purchased by the City of Douglasville if a five-story hotel and conference center is approved. The stipulation here is that the County provides a majority of public safety, including fire station districts in the confines of Douglasville, while the City Council continually increasing the residential density yet does not aid the County in fire or EMS.

Another situation brewing is the annexation of the Bright Star Road Connector which was originally designed to relieve traffic congestion. Now it seems the City Council wants to commercialize the area, and possibly add townhomes, which will effectively negate the purpose of the new road project. The Bright Star Connector is one of the major projects listed on the 2007 SPLOST referendum with the City and County providing $1 million each. Voting for SPLOST will held on September 18th.

The Douglas Neighbor is reporting today about how much money the mayors in the local area earn for a part-time job. Not only is there the base salary, but for each meeting, public hearing, and committee meeting attended there is an added bonus. Mayor Thompson wants to run for a third term and take on the job as a full-time position, rather than part-time.

The Douglas County Sentinel is reporting today that the Dog River Reservoir has reached its lowest level ever and demand is higher than supply, even with purchasing water from the Cobb-Marietta Water Authority. As the water supply shrinks, aesthetic problems like odor and taste will ensue.

The Douglas County Sentinel is reporting today that the original Bill Arp Elementary School on Highway 5 is being converted into office space, storage for records, and a training facility for teachers. The school has been active since 1906 and has been expanded many times to keep up with the increase in student population.

Some commentors on the article would like to see the school be listed on the National Register of Historical Places. This is not likely to happen since recommendations made in two separate Historic Resource Surveys have not been fully complied with, including the historic designation of the Georgia Western Cotton Mill, which has national historic significance.

Elizabeth originally reported about Bill Arp Elementary turning into office space and storage.

The Douglas County Sentinel is reporting today that SAT scores in the Douglas County School System dropped an average of 30 points due to the “new format” of the tests. The state of Georgia ranks 47 out of 50 states on SAT scores.