Spring 2014 - Heart of Georgia Altamaha

HIGHLIGHTS
The Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission Newsletter
Spring 2014
2010 TIA T-SPLOST FIRST YEAR SUCCESSFULLY
COMPLETE
The penny sales tax for transportation improvements within the
Heart of Georgia Altamaha Region,
authorized by the 2010 Transportation
Improvement Act and approved by Region voters in July 2012, has completed
the first of 10 years of collection. The
TIA sales and use tax, commonly referred to as T-SPLOST, collected more
than $27.3 million in funds during 2013
to be exclusively used for transportation
improvements within the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Region. Over $6.8 million
of the 2013 T-SPLOST funds collected
in the Region was returned directly to
SR 130 turn lane in Toombs County
the Region’s local governments in the
form of cash based on the law’s 25 percent local discretionary funds. Every local government in the Region, no matter how small or
whether they nominated local regional projects, received distributions from these local discretionary funds. The smallest municipal
distribution within the Region in 2013 was over $1,300, while the largest was over $137,000. No county government within the Region received less than $150,000 and the largest received over $700,000 in distributions. These local discretionary funds must be
spent on transportation, and should be separately accounted.
On the “Regional” side, over 50 of the Regional Transportation Roundtable approved projects on the Final Project Investment List have now been undertaken within the Region with solely TIA or blended funds. These include projects in 15 separate jurisdictions in 9 counties of the Region. As of December, 2013 and the Citizen’s Review Panel Report for the 2010 TIA status, three of
these projects were listed as complete, although more are now. One of these complete projects, the State Route 130 turn lane in
Toombs County at the Corporate Center at U.S. 1 north of Lyons, was the first TIA project initiated within any of the three Georgia
regions approving the T-SPLOST (Central Savannah River Area and River Valley are the other two) in 2012. Groundbreaking has
also taken place for the first of the 12 truly regional projects approved by the Region’s Transportation Roundtable, the NW Eastman
Bypass/State Route 87 Connector in Dodge County. This project, a blended project of TIA and regular Georgia Department of
Transportation (GDOT) state/federal funds, will provide 2.25 miles of new four-lane construction connecting U.S. 341/S.R. 27 to
U.S. 23/S.R. 87 just north of Eastman. It is scheduled to be complete by Fall 2015.
While some have focused on the fact that T-SPLOST revenues are currently running about 18 percent below initial projections, it should be remembered the $27.3 million already collected, including the $6.8 million distributed to the Region’s local governments, are new sources of additional transportation revenue already making a difference. The SR 130 turn lane in Toombs County
facilitated a $25 million private capital investment by U.S. Pet in a pet food manufacturing facility generating over 100 jobs. At the
NW Eastman Bypass groundbreaking, GDOT State Transportation Board Chair Jay Shaw commented, “The extra transportation
dollars generated are allowing us (GDOT) to put local contractors to work building infrastructure and creating jobs.” Shaw also stated “The Heart of Georgia Altamaha Region is truly going to reap the benefits of a better transportation system, especially with the
increased flow of freight we know is coming soon from the Ports.” Other transportation projects within the Region, such as resurfac(Continued on page 4)
Counties served: Appling, Bleckley, Candler, Dodge, Emanuel, Evans, Jeff Davis, Johnson,
Laurens, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne, Wheeler, and Wilcox
Highlights - Spring 2014
JTU Now Located in the Evans County
Workforce Development Center
The Evans County Workforce Development Center, located on
U.S. 301 North in Claxton and owned by Evans County, was completed in
2002. The Workforce Development Center was constructed with the aid of
a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) obtained with the assistance of the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission (Regional
Development Center at the time). Ogeechee Technical College (OTC) occupied the building from its inception until 2012, when the College consolidated its Evans County operations to its Hagan building originally constructed for truck driving training. OTC had utilized the Workforce Development Center building primarily for adult education and GED programs.
The Workforce Development Center now has a new tenant, but its original purpose of improving workforce skills
remains the same. In August, 2013, Evans County community leaders held a ribbon cutting/open house ceremony to celebrate the relocation of Job Training Unlimited to the Center building. Job Training Unlimited (JTU) is the contracted Administrative Entity for the Heart of Georgia
Altamaha Regional Commission’s Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) program of workforce
development. JTU provides program administration, as well as training, education, and job services for job seekers and other workforce development services to employers. The WIA program
is carried out with federal job training funds under the auspices of the Georgia Governor’s Office of Workforce Development and the Regional
Commission.
Regional Commission staff assisted Evans County with the necessary paperwork with the Georgia Department of
Community Affairs to allow JTU to occupy the building. The Evans County Workforce Development Center has a new tenant, but its mission remains the same, now with an even wider Regional focus.
HOGARC Employees Achieve Certification in FEMA
Hazus-Multi
Hazard Training & Credentialing Program
Gabe Morris and Scott Jackson of the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission have received the certification levels of Hazus Trained Professional and Practitioner through FEMA’s Hazus-Multi Hazard Training and
Credentialing Program.
Hazus is a nationally applicable standardized methodology that contains models for estimating potential losses from earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. Hazus uses Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) technology to estimate physical, economic, and social impacts of disasters. It graphically illustrates the limits of identified high-risk locations due to earthquake, hurricane, and floods. Users can then visualize the spatial relationships between populations and other more permanently fixed geographic assets or resources for the specific hazard being
modeled, a crucial function in the pre-disaster planning process.
(Continued on page 7)
Page 2
Highlights - Spring 2014
Dublin Receives CLG Designation and
Preservation Grant
Historic Fred Roberts Hotel in Downtown Dublin
The City of Dublin became the first government in the HOGARC Region,
and the 86th in Georgia, to become a Certified Local Government (CLG) on December 31, 2012. Not to be confused with Georgia’s Qualified Local Government
(QLG) status for compliance with local comprehensive planning requirements, the
CLG Program is a federal historic preservation program which requires a community to have a local historic preservation ordinance and a historic preservation commission that meet minimum standards. Dr. David Crass, Director of the Historic
Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources stated, “The
Certified Local Government program is one of our most important community stabilization and revitalization tools. By becoming a CLG, communities take control of
their own economic destiny and gain access to technical expertise and assistance that
helps them protect those resources which make them unique.”
One of the benefits of CLG designation is eligibility to apply for annual
federal Historic Preservation Fund grants. The City of Dublin applied for and received a $10,800 grant to help fund Phase I of a city-wide historic resources survey.
A team of graduate students from the University of Georgia’s College of Environment and Design conducted the survey in late 2013 as part of the Center for Community Design and Preservation’s Find It! Program, a statewide cultural resources
survey program sponsored by the Georgia Transmission Corporation in partnership
with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division.
They identified more than 300 properties in the downtown commercial area of Dublin and the Bellevue Avenue neighborhood. This survey updates previous historic
resources inventories dating back as far as 1977. The completed written survey report is expected by May, 2014. In addition, all data will be entered into Georgia’s
Natural, Archaeological and Historic Geographic Information System Inventory and
will be available for review at www.gnahrgis.org.
Georgia DCA and
New Commissioner
Gretchen Corbin Establish PlanFirst
Program
New Commissioner Gretchen
Corbin and the Georgia Department of
Community Affairs have established a new
community program called PlanFirst. The
PlanFirst Program is designed to recognize
and reward local governments that clearly
demonstrate success with local comprehensive planning, and in implementing their
comprehensive plan. The program is subtitled “Advancing Georgia Communities from
Good to Great.” PlanFirst designation brings
statewide recognition and rewards incentives, including ability for annual CDBG
applications, bonus points on other DCA
applications, and hands-on DCA staff assistance in plan implementation. Any size
community is eligible to apply, but must
demonstrate a history of public involvement
in plan development, active engagement and
success in plan implementation, and proven
progress in achieving the community’s vision or goals. Communities must formally
apply for the program, and applications
deemed promising by a multi-agency panel
will be formally evaluated during a site visit
to the community. There is one application
round each year with applications due May
15. Successful designation lasts for three
years.
The new PlanFirst Program replaces the old Signature Community Program. It
is an effort to encourage thoughtful, realistic, and utilized community plans with more
measurable, specific community work programs and action items. DCA is also evaluating regional commissions partly on how
well their member local governments implement their local comprehensive plans.
Page 3
Highlights - Spring 2014
Historic Dodge County
Jail Recognized
T-SPLOST
(Continued from front)
ing of state routes, are also visible and continuing through normal
GDOT efforts and regular state and federal transportation funding
sources.
For more information on TIA within Georgia and the
Heart of Georgia Altamaha Region, please see the special GDOT
website ,www.ga-tia.com, “Your Penny, Your Progress.”
The historic Dodge County Jail in Eastman was
listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 22,
2013. A volunteer with the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation prepared the nomination materials, with assistance
from HOGARC Historic Preservation Planner Robin Nail,
following the jail’s designation as one of Georgia’s 10 Places
in Peril by the Georgia Trust in 2010. The Places in Peril program recognizes significant, endangered historic properties to
encourage increased public awareness and preservation.
Initially constructed in 1897 with later additions, the
Dodge County jail was designed by the Atlanta architectural
firm of Golucke and Stewart, which is noted for designing
several Georgia courthouses. The two-story brick building
retains its original plan and materials, including an intact residential section for the sheriff and his family, as well as prefabricated jail works by the Pauly Jail Building Company of
St. Louis, a major jail-design firm. The former jail features
late Victorian and Italianate design elements, such as ornamental pressed metal panels on the arched windows, decorative use of granite detailing, a large one-story front porch, and
a central projecting bay, which originally supported an elaborate bell tower. It served as Dodge County’s only jail from its
construction in 1897 until 1973.
The historic Dodge County Jail is an important, disappearing resource, which has achieved the distinction of
listing in the National Register, the federal government’s official list of historic resources deemed worthy of preservation.
There are only two other National Register-listed jails in the
17-county HOGARC Region (Candler and Telfair counties).
Dodge County currently owns its historic jail structure, but
has no immediate plans for its future use. Contact Robin Nail
in the Baxley office at 912-367-3648 or [email protected]
for more information on the National Register and/or other
historic preservation programs or issues.
NE Park Avenue, Baxley, Georgia
Before
NE Park Avenue, Baxley, Georgia
After
Brumby Street, Reidsville, Georgia
After
Page 4
Highlights - Spring 2014
GIS Important Tool
Available to
Local Government
The Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission’s Geographic Information System (GIS) offers
many possibilities for Local Government Mapping and
Management. GIS integrates, stores, edits, shares, and
displays digital geographic data to assist in more informed
decision making. It is the marriage of spatial data (maps)
and database information, and offers more revealing information then a traditional map. Almost all database information collected by municipal governments can be linked
or associated with a point on the earth's surface. Police
accident reports, crime records, tax assessors' records, water and sewer information, new roads, zoning information,
school location, landmarks, and even hunting property can
all be associated with an address which in turn can be located and mapped via GIS. HOGA RC Mapping Services
maintains a comprehensive spatial data base of our 17
county region.
This data is made
available to local governments
and others for mapping projects
and GIS analysis. This promotes a timely exchange of
updated data between the RC,
state, local governments and
individuals, thereby ensuring
the availability of the most current information. GIS maintains
the ability to become a powerful analysis tool once considered with the U.S. Census Bureau information, parcel maps,
Aerial photography, soil data,
road right of ways, power lines,
etc. This information can all be
combined in our computer, and
then an intelligent map attached to a database of information can be created to illustrate the entire area of interest.
Overall, there are many uses for GIS and it is
affordable! This valuable resource is available through the
HOGARC at a very reasonable cost which enables all local governments to enjoy this technology and expertise for
much less than it would cost for your local government to
spend on expensive equipment and training! For more
information, please contact Scott Jackson, GIS Planner,
([email protected]) or Brett Manning, Executive Director, ([email protected]), via e-mail or at 478-3744771.
Regional Commission Assists
Local Governments of Three
Counties with Last Preparation
of Short Term Work Programs
In late 2013, the 13 local governments in Candler, Jeff Davis, and Montgomery counties became the last governments in the
Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission to prepare FiveYear Short Term Work Program (STWP) Updates to their comprehensive plans. Local governments in these three counties had previously established October 31, 2013 Qualified Local Government
status deadlines to update their STWPs. STWPs were the listing of
the specific programs, projects, and activities each government
planned to undertake to implement their approved comprehensive
plan, complete with identification of costs, timeframe, responsibility,
and expected funding source. Because of the 2013 transition, each of
these counties’ local governments had the choice to simply update
their STWPs under the
previous Minimum Planning Standards established
by DCA. To do otherwise,
the local government
would have had to prepare
full new plans under the
new DCA Minimum Planning Standards (see story
on page 6). Regional Commission Planning Staff
assisted the 13 governments with development
and processing of the new
STWPs.
While these local
governments had the option of simply updating their STWPs because of their 2013 QLG
deadlines, they were the last governments to be able to do so. Those
local governments with QLG deadlines in 2014 and thereafter have
to prepare full new comprehensive plans. All comprehensive plans
will now have five year updates which entail more than work program updates. Even the term “Short Term Work Program” is replaced by the term “Community Work Program” under the new
planning standards. In practical terms within the Regional Commission, the change will now require the local governments in Laurens
and Toombs counties, which previously only had STWP update
deadlines in 2014, to prepare full new comprehensive plans instead.
The local governments in Evans and Wheeler counties already had
2014 deadlines for full new comprehensive plans.
For more information, please contact Rafael Nail at
[email protected] or (912) 367-3648.
Page 5
Highlights - Spring 2014
New Comprehensive Planning
Standards Bring Changes to
Local Plans
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA)
adopted new Minimum Standards and Procedures for Local Comprehensive Planning late in 2012 with an effective date of January 1,
2013. These new local planning requirements have dramatically
changed the content of local comprehensive plans, the process for
plan preparation, and plan update requirements. The new local comprehensive standards were developed by DCA, with the help of a
statewide task force, in response to legislative and local governments’
efforts to reduce the administrative and financial burdens of state
mandates. The new standards reduce and simplify local planning requirements, while adding flexibility for local governments to truly
develop comprehensive plans more attuned to local needs and better
designed to achieve a locally defined vision and future.
All local comprehensive plans must now, at a minimum,
include three basic elements and depending on local circumstance,
other required elements. Other optional elements can be included at
the local government’s discretion. The three basic elements required
for everyone are Community Goals (a broad vision of the community’s future), Community Needs and Opportunities (a listing of challenges and assets of the community), and a Community Work Program (a to do list to address challenges and achieve the identified
community vision). An Economic Development element is required to
be included in any comprehensive plan of a community included in
Georgia’s Job Tax Credit Tier 1 (most of HOGARC). A Land Use
element is required to be included in the comprehensive plan of any
community with zoning or similar land development regulations, but
is recommended for all. An important content change for the new
plans is that data inclusion, beyond that needed to illustrate challenges
or assets, is discouraged by the new standards. The new standards also
require that the planning process consult the Regional Water Plan and
address the Department of Natural Resources Part V Environmental
Standards.
Important process changes include the substitution of a certification letter for the no longer required submittal resolution, and the
elimination of the 60 day waiting period after submittal before adoption. A comprehensive plan can now be immediately adopted (by resolution) upon DCA approval.
Another significant change of the
new standards is the plan update requirements. Essentially, the changes require a
new plan update by the affected local governments every five years. Although some
elements may only require reconsideration
at local discretion, several necessitate update every five years. These include the
Community Needs and Opportunities, Community Work Program (similar to the old
2013 AFG/SAFER
AWARDS
The Heart of
Georgia Altamaha Regional
Commission has assisted in
helping acquire FY13 Assistance to Firefighters Grant
and Staffing for Adequate
Fire & Emergency Response Grants for the following Fire Departments
totaling $1,408,334.
Assistance for Firefighters Grant (AFG):
 Cochran-Bleckley Fire Department received a
grant for $42,500 for 16 complete sets of Turnout Gear.
 Dodge County Fire Association received a grant
for $102,144 for Communication Equipment.
 Johnson County (Scott VFD) received a grant
for $435,575 for 30 complete sets of Turnout
Gear and 70 Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBAs).
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER):
 Laurens County Rural Fire Department received
a grant for $358,904 for Hiring 4 Full Time
Firefighters.
 Laurens County Rural Fire Department received
a grant for $435,575 for Recruitment and Retention of Firefighters
The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant is to meet the firefighting and emergency
response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated
emergency medical service organizations. Since 2001,
AFG has helped firefighters and other first responders
to obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear,
emergency vehicles, training, and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from
fire and related hazards.
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants was created to provide funding
directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter
interest organizations to help them increase or maintain
the number of trained, "front line" firefighters available
in their communities. The goal of SAFER is to enhance
the local fire departments' abilities to comply with
staffing, response and operational standards established
by the NFPA (NFPA 1710 and/or NFPA 1720).
(Continued on page 12)
Page 6
Highlights - Spring 2014
Regional Plan Nears Completion
“Green with Greener Days
Ahead”
Green with Greener Days Ahead
is the main title of the Heart of Georgia
Altamaha Regional Commission’s Regional Plan currently being prepared as required by the rules of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the Georgia Planning Act of 1989. The title quickly
captures the essence of the Regional Plan.
The Heart of Georgia Altamaha Region is
a rural region whose landscape is dominated by many green fields and evergreen
forests of yellow pine, but also one with
many assets and opportunities for exciting
future growth and development.
Regional Commission Planning
Staff are currently working with a Regional Council appointed Regional Planning
Advisory Committee, comprised of a representative from every Regional County, to develop the final component of the Regional Plan, the Regional Agenda.
The Regional Agenda is being prepared with many opportunities for regional
input from identified stakeholders, various agencies, and the general public. The
Regional Agenda will delineate a Regional Vision, Guiding Principles, a Regional Commission Work Program, and other strategies for Region entities to move
forward with improvement of the Region and methods to positively address
identified issues and opportunities. The Regional Agenda, by mandate, also includes minimum and excellent performance standards for local government planning to help achieve the Regional Vision, address the Region’s issues and opportunities, and overall improve the Region as a place to live, work, plan, or even
visit.
The regional planning process began with preparation of the Regional
Resource Plan in 2012. This informative and very readable plan proved the Heart
of Georgia Altamaha Region as one steeped in much natural beauty, outstanding
biological import, and long, incredible history. The outstanding, and even globally important, natural and cultural resources of the Region have much unrealized
potential for the regional economy. The second component of the regional planning process, the Regional Assessment, prepared in 2013 again showed the Region as one with much diversity, promise, and potential, despite having some
obvious problems and obstacles. The Region continues to suffer from high unemployment and low incomes. The Region is Georgia’s most unserved and underserved by broadband telecommunications capability. However, the Region’s
location, infrastructure, available resources, and existing economic structure offer much potential and opportunities. The Heart of Georgia Altamaha Region
truly is “Green with Greener Days Ahead.”
HOGARC Employees
Achieve Certification in
FEMA Hazus-Multi
Hazard Training &
Credentialing Program
(Continued from page 2)
Hazus is used for mitigation and recovery as well as preparedness and response. Government planners, GIS specialists, and emergency managers use Hazus to determine losses and
the most beneficial mitigation approaches to
take to minimize them. Hazus can be used in
the assessment step in the mitigation planning
process, which is the foundation for a community's long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. Being ready
will aid in recovery after a natural disaster.
Increasingly, Hazus is being used by
states and communities in support of risk assessments to perform economic loss scenarios
for certain natural hazards and rapid needs assessments during hurricane response. Other
communities are using Hazus to increase hazard
awareness. Successful uses of Hazus are profiled under Mitigation and Recovery and Preparedness and Response. Emergency managers
have also found these map templates helpful to
support rapid impact assessment and disaster
response.
Within the Region, the Regional Commission is assisting Laurens County in implementing the Hazus program. Laurens County
was one of five counties to be chosen in Georgia’s Hazus Pilot Project. This pilot project
takes WinGap Assessors “Improvement” data
for the County and incorporates it into the Comprehensive Data Management System (CDMS)
in the Hazus Program. This data will allow for
a more complete and updated Hazus analysis of
county data for identifying those inventory elements that have the most impact on the estimation of losses for flood, earthquake, and hurricane events.
For more information on the Regional Plan, go to the HOGARC website, www.hogarc.org, or contact the Regional Commission at
[email protected] or [email protected].
Page 7
Highlights - Spring 2014
Regional Commission Assisting
with Hazard Mitigation Plan
Updates
The Regional Commission is
currently assisting nine counties in the
Region with the updating of their 2012
Hazard Mitigation plans (Appling, Bleckley, Dodge, Jeff Davis, Telfair, Toombs
and Wilcox) and two counties (Emanuel
and Treutlen) with updating their 2015
Hazard Mitigation Plans. The Bleckley
County Hazard Mitigation Plan update is
awaiting approval by FEMA; plans for Appling, Dodge, Jeff Davis, Telfair,
Toombs and Wilcox are awaiting GEMA approval. Emanuel and Treutlen
County Hazard Mitigation Plans are currently in the meeting phase.
FEMA defines Hazard Mitigation as "any sustained action taken to
reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazard events." This can involve a variety of actions, including improving
storm drainage waterways to reduce flooding and updating building codes
to reduce damage from thunderstorms. The Hazard Mitigation Plan serves
as a detailed guide for local governments in their efforts to implement mitigation actions. FEMA requires the plans to be updated every five years in
order for the county to be eligible for hazard mitigation grant and disaster
relief funds.
The plan update process involves a series of meetings with a local
committee of involved local public and private agencies, such as public
safety, emergency, Georgia Forestry, American Red Cross, and others. The
meetings are open to the public, and are designed to review, update, and
revise the original plan as necessary. Public participation is encouraged.
Steps in the planning process include integrating new hazard event data,
updating housing information, identifying critical facilities, and adding additional mitigation goals. Staff from the Regional Commission work with
the county Emergency Management Directors to organize and facilitate the
meetings, and to guide the plan’s update. Local knowledge and involvement
help to insure the development of a more appropriate, accurate and thorough plan to better address local needs, and aid in plan deployment and
implementation. Regional Commission staff are responsible for compiling
information from the meetings, drafting the plan according to guidelines for
review by GEMA, and enabling final update and submission to FEMA.
Once complete and approved by FEMA, the updated plan must be made
available to the public, and must also be approved by the county and each
municipality.
Regional Commission
Prepares Local
Comprehensive Plans Under
New Standards, including
First Approved in State
Heart
of
Georgia
Altamaha
Regional Commission
Planning Staff assisted
all local governments
in Johnson, Tattnall,
and Wilcox counties
with preparation of
new comprehensive
plans. The plans were
prepared under the
Georgia Department
of Community Affairs’ new Minimum
Planning Standards and Procedures, effective January 1, 2013, designed to simplify plan components;
provide more local flexibility; and generate more
local ownership and pride in plan development. The
three counties all had Qualified Local Government
(QLG) status deadlines of October 31, 2013 to prepare new full plans. During the transition period of
2013, DCA provided local governments with the
option to prepare comprehensive plans under the old
or new minimum planning standards. With the advice and assistance of the Regional Commission, the
local governments in the three counties decided to
utilize the flexibility and clarity of the new standards.
Assisted by Regional Commission Planning
Staff, all the local governments in each of the three
counties put together a broad-based steering committee of local stakeholders to guide the planning process to be more attentive to individual local needs,
challenges and desires. Much effort was put forth to
cultivate community interest and local ownership.
The resulting new plans are much more succinct than
previous plans. They truly are locally driven guides
to future growth and development which express
local pride and optimism, while remaining practical
and pragmatic in moving each community forward to
a brighter future. Even the titles of the new comprehensive plans were locally determined and designed to expressly summarize
each community’s aspirations and the plan’s objectives, and to elicit local pride and ownership. The Joint Johnson County Comprehensive Plan has as its main title, “From Wiggle and Twist to Hospitality and Opportunity.” The Tattnall County comprehensive plan is titled, “Growing Progress,” while the Wilcox County joint plan is titled “Wonderful Wilcox: Farm, Family, and Future.” All three plans were approved by DCA without major findings. The Johnson County joint comprehensive plan actually
achieved the distinction of being the first comprehensive plan in Georgia to be approved by DCA under the new Minimum Planning Standards. These new comprehensive plans are available for viewing on the Regional Commission website, www.hogarc.org,
and the DCA planning website, www.georgiaplanning.com.
Page 8
Highlights - Spring 2014
Regional Commission Now Offers GIS Interactive Mapping
The Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission (HOGARC) is pleased to announce a new program for Geographic
Information Systems (GIS)—ArcGIS for Server. This program allows HOGARC GIS
staff the ability to provide reliable GIS services to every web, mobile, and desktop application in your organization. With ArcGIS Server we can share your GIS resources across the
web. GIS resources are the maps, geodatabases, and tools that you want to share with others. You share these resources by first hosting them on our ArcGIS Server system, and then
allowing client applications to use and interact with the resources. The main advantages of
sharing your GIS resources on a GIS server are the same as sharing any data through any
kind of server technology: the data is centrally managed, supports multiple users, provides
clients with the most up-to-date information and provides internet mapping applications.
Additional functionality is available to enable remote editing of map data using only an
Internet connection and a web browser. To find out what maps are available, or can be produced for your organization, please contact the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission GIS Planner Scott Jackson, [email protected] or at 478-374-4771. For a sampling of the capabilities of this tool, please check out our Interactive Web Mapping
site at http://www.hogarcmaps.org/ for our current Interactive Web Maps.
Senator Jack Hill Honored
Senator Jack Hill of
Reidsville, long time
Senator from Georgia
Senate District 4 and
Senate Appropriations
Committee Chairman,
and true champion of
rural Georgia and the
Heart of Georgia
Altamaha Region, was
honored with a special
reception and recognition ceremony at Little Ocmulgee State Park on December 3, 2013. The reception was sponsored by the Region 9 Workforce Investment Board, Job
Training Unlimited, and the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission. Thank you Senator Hill for all you do!
Page 9
Highlights - Spring 2014
Regional Commission’s Area
Workforce Investment Act
Agency on Aging’s 2013 “Stars”
Continues to Assist
The Heart of Georgia Altamaha Region’s population aged
Region’s Employers and
65 and over was 13.5 percent as measured by the 2010 Census as
compared to 10.7 percent in Georgia as a whole. Over one-fourth of
Workers
the Region’s population was aged 55 and older. This growing percentage of elderly population, as well as others with a disability, is
well served by the Regional Commission’s Area Agency on Aging
(AAA) and its dedicated staff, local government support, many subcontractors, and numerous volunteers. Each year, the AAA tries to
give recognition to the many contributions and people who help
make the program and its services a success. This is accomplished
through an awards recognition program named “Stars.” The 2013
“Stars” winners were honored during a summer program held at Little Ocmulgee State Park. Recipients of 2013 “Star” awards were:
Perfect Attendance Advisory Committee Members – Harvey
Wynne, Johnny Jarrell, Talmadge Mason, Judy Powell, Sue Livingston, Roger Livingston, Roy Mosley, Evelyn Gay
Outstanding Providers – Rescare, GeorgiaCares, Long Term Care
Ombudsmen
Senior Center Director of the Year – Sue Crosby
CDSMP Qualified Lay Leaders – Almaree Miller, Sue Crosby,
Linda Clements
First CDSMP Partner Agency – Heart of Georgia Community
Action Agency
First CDSMP Lay Leader Team – Jennifer Conley, Bimbry
Pritchett
Advocating for Positive Change Award – Olivia Linder
Family Caregiver of the Year – Flonnie Nails
Volunteer Caregiver of the Year – Keli Peebles
Para-Professional Caregiver of the Year – Nina Steward
Powerful Tools for Caregivers Class Leader Conducting the Most
Workshops – Adail Treharn
Powerful Tools for Caregivers Master Trainer – Ken Brooks
In closing the “Stars” awards ceremony, Gail Thompson,
RC AAA Director, stated, “We hope that you have enjoyed today’s
awards banquet as much as we have enjoyed recognizing our STARS
for this year. All of you that work with us to serve the elderly in our
region are STARS and deserve a hand of appreciation. Thank you for
what you do, for your dedication to helping others, and for partnering
with the Area Agency on Aging. We all need each other to best
serve our clients, and it is only when we work together for the good
of those we serve that we accomplish our mission.”
Jeff Davis County Job Fair
Despite ongoing financial constraints from the
economic downturn and federal budget cutbacks, the
Heart of Georgia Altamaha Region’s employers and
workers continue to be well served by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Program of workforce development.
The program is managed under the auspices of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development by the Heart of
Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission as grant recipient. The HOGARC Regional Council, acting as the WIA
Chief Elected Officials Board, appoints the Workforce
Investment Board. HOGARC contracts with Job Training
Unlimited (JTU), Inc. of Claxton as the program’s administrative entity.
The Region’s WIA Program is served by two
comprehensive One-Stop Workforce Centers (Dublin and
Jesup), which provide both job seekers and employers
with a wide range of services. A unique and defining aspect of WIA services in the Heart of Georgia Altamaha
Region is the location of a non-comprehensive One-Stop
Center in each county, with professional staffing at least
part-time. While actual formal program enrollment services to job seekers are subject to eligibility requirements,
anyone can receive job search and related services. WIA
services, while many, can be separated into core, intensive, and training services. Basic core services, like information and job search assistance, are available to all
through one-stop computers, the program’s website, and
staff guidance. Intensive services to those eligible can
include comprehensive assessments, career planning, and
short-term prevocational services. Training services can
be offered to employers and eligible job seekers, and can
involve educational or on-the-job training. JTU and Regional Commission staff are always willing to talk to
workers, employers, chambers of commerce, or others
about available programs and services.
(Continued on page 13)
Page 10
Highlights - Spring 2014
Twin City Historic District Listed in National Register
The historic core of Twin City, located in eastern Emanuel County approximately 12 miles from Swainsboro, was listed as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places on February 8, 2014 at the
local level of significance. The Twin City Historic District encompasses
historic residential, commercial, and community landmark resources associated with the development of two late 19th century towns, Summit and
Graymont, which were incorporated as one in 1921, hence the name Twin
City. Community landmarks includes a number of churches, a former city
hall/jail (circa 1900), the Emanuel County Institute (ECI) school campus
(1954), a Boy Scout hut (1945), and a water tower (1937).
Photo courtesy of The Forest-Blade
The Twin City Historic District derives its local historic significance from its excellent examples of architecture commonly found
throughout Georgia from the late 1800s through the mid 20th century, as well as for its
community planning and development as railroad strip-type towns with the main
street running parallel to the railroad tracks through the center of town. The district is
also important in the area of commerce because the two historic central business districts represent the typical stores and businesses found in small rural communities in
Georgia during the period.
Higgenbotham House
Local resident, Eileen Dudley, prepared the nomination materials with guidance and assistance from, Robin Nail, HOGARC’s Historic Preservation Planner, as
part of Twin City’s economic revitalization and heritage tourism efforts. There are historic rehabilitation tax incentives available on the state and federal levels, as well as
local property tax abatements to assist with qualified projects. For more information,
contact Robin Nail at 912-367-3648 or [email protected].
Photo courtesy of The Forest-Blade
Summit Bank Building
New Staff Members
Jason Cobb joined the Regional
Commission as a Community Development Planner in August. He
and his wife, Callie, are currently
residing in Eastman. They have one
daughter, Emily Katherine who is 3
years old. Jason graduated in May
of 2004 with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Management from Georgia College
& State University in Milledgeville, GA. He is currently pursuing
his Masters in Public Administration. Jason’s prior professional
experience includes previous grant administration and also working
for the family business owning and managing Stuckey’s stores.
James Pope joined the Regional Commission as a Community Development
Planner in October. He is a native of
Waycross, Georgia and resides in Lyons.
James graduated in December of 2011
with a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Georgia Southern University. He also graduated in 2009 with a
Bachelor's Degree in Justice Studies from
Georgia Southern University. James'
previous professional experience includes conducting grant funded research for multiple professors at GSU, an internship with the Lowndes
County Board of Commissioners, and managing his family's business,
Pope Concrete Pools of Waycross.
Dustin Peebles came on board with the Regional Commission as a Regional Planner
near the beginning of October. He is a native of Kite, Georgia and currently resides
in a rural area near Adrian in Emanuel County. Dustin graduated in May 2010 with a
Bachelors of Business Administration from Georgia College & State University, as
well as a Masters Degree in Public Administration from GCSU in May 2013. Dustin’s previous professional experience includes being an accountant, a counselor, and
a city finance officer.
Page 11
Highlights - Spring 2014
Ocmulgee Water Trail Partnership Organized
The Ocmulgee Water Trail Partnership (OWTP) has been officially organized, after several
years of discussion and planning, to encourage and promote increased nature-based tourism and
compatible river corridor economic development, as well as environmental education. Using the successful multi-regional Altamaha River Partnership (ARP) as a model, OWTP consists of the 11 counties bordering the Ocmulgee River between Bibb County/Macon and the confluence with the Oconee
River to form the Altamaha River at Telfair and Jeff Davis counties. Heart of Georgia Altamaha RC
Region counties participating include Bleckley, Dodge, Wilcox, Telfair, and Jeff Davis, along with
Ben Hill, Bibb, Coffee, Houston, Pulaski, and Twiggs counties. Numerous additional partners have
provided assistance and support, such as the Heart of Georgia Altamaha, Middle Georgia, and Southern Georgia RCs; the National Park Service; Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative; Georgia Department of Economic Development Regional Tourism Division; Georgia River Network; Georgia Canoeing Association;
Altamaha River Partnership; and the Cochran/Bleckley and Hawkinsville/Pulaski chambers of commerce.
OWTP has already made much progress. Members adopted by-laws and elected the following officers in January, 2014:
President Karen Bailey and Vice-President Lee Slade, both from Pulaski County; Secretary Jimmy Joines, Dodge County; and
Treasurer Robert Hendricks, Telfair County. The organization’s Vision Statement is “The 200 mile Ocmulgee River Water Trail
will be a premier destination for paddlers and river enthusiasts that will provide a variety of recreational activities and promote
local and regional economic improvements.” OWTP now has a logo, website with map (http://ocmulgeewatertrail.com), and copy
for a brochure to be printed when funds are available.
Charlotte Gillis with the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program in their Atlanta office
has been instrumental in development of the OWTP. She provided guidance beginning in 2010 to Bleckley, Houston, Twiggs, and
Pulaski counties and the City of Hawkinsville for their cooperative Ocmulgee Blueway project effort, which formed the basis for
expansion into the present OWTP.
Organization of the OWTP was recommended in the Heart of Georgia Altamaha RC’s Multi-Regional River Corridor
Feasibility Study (2012) as an important implementation step in supporting increased use of the Region’s underutilized rivers for
nature-based tourism and other compatible economic development efforts. The Heart of Georgia Altamaha’s Regionally Important
Resource Plan (2012) further advocates recognition and protection of the Region’s rivers, including the Ocmulgee, for their natural, cultural, and historic significance, as well as greater sensitive usage to aid in their protection, and provide additional economic
benefit.
New Comp Planning Standards Bring Changes to
Local Plans
(Continued from page 6)
Short Term Work Program (STWP), and Land Use elements. The net result, rather than a STWP update at five years and
full plan update at ten years, is one required update of the community’s comprehensive plan every five years.
Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission planning staff will continue to assist our local governments with
the required new plan updates, if the local governments so wish. HOGARC assistance in local plan preparation, because of
the changes and DCA’s contract, is available at reduced costs compared to the past. While the Regional Commission does
not charge for plan preparation of the three basic elements provided it adheres to DCA’s schedule, there are charges for
assisting in preparing optional elements, Service Delivery Strategy updates, and solid waste management plans.
Page 12
Highlights - Spring 2014
Funding Cuts Result in
Significant Loss of Meals and
Other Services to Region’s
Vulnerable Senior Citizens
During SFY 2014, the Heart of Georgia Altamaha
Regional Commission’s Area Agency on Aging has suffered
enormous reductions in aging program funding. The unprecedented funding reductions were caused by a change in the
Georgia Division of Aging Service’s distribution formula utilizing 2010 Census numbers and two separate rounds of federal sequestration. The total impact to the HOGARC Region
from SFY 2013 funding to SY 2015 planning allocation is a
loss of nearly a million dollars ($904,779), or about one-sixth
of the total aging program budget.
These cuts have had significant impacts on the Region, both in services and in human terms. In real terms, over
40,000 fewer congregate meals can now be served in the Region’s Senior Centers over the next year through program
funding, and more than 50,000 fewer meals can be delivered to
home-bound elderly. (See Table on page 16.) Deciding how to
implement these reductions has led to difficult decisions. Read
how Roseann E. Ramos-Brock, Wheeler County Senior Center
Director, describes the dilemma:
“How do we choose who to cut, each has their
own story, each is a part of my life. My oldest
congregate client is 89 years old and she comes
with her 75 year old widowed caregiver. I have 2
clients that are turning 82 years old this month,
the gentleman who became a widower 10 days
ago; and the lady who is severely disabled with
arthritis, uses a walker, and rides the transit every
day to be here instead of being alone. I have a
married couple who are the legal guardians of
their 11 year old great-grandson, and a woman
who just had a breast removed 2 weeks ago, and
will be undergoing chemo in the upcoming weeks,
come every day. She was back attending five days
after the surgery. Everyone contributes something
back to each other, and we all get through another
day, and look forward to the next. Our oldest
client will be 103 on the 29th. Her son-in-law,
who is 88, and her 76 year old daughter, are all
clients. The daughter is the caregiver for them.
We also have a 102 year old who lives with her 85
year old husband, and we take meals to them every day. These are the clients who are at risk to
lose the services!”
To soften the terrible human impacts of the funding
cuts, a number of measures have been employed. The AAA
WIA Continues to Assist
Region’s Employers and
Workers
(Continued from page 10)
In addition to the One-Stop Centers in each
county, JTU and the Regional Commission offer job fairs/
career expos in each county of the Region at least once
every year or so. These job fairs include both counselors
from agencies providing job seeker and related services,
and most often, recruiters from government and private
employers. In January 2014, WIA participated in a large
Jeff Davis County Job Fair and Job Readiness Event designed principally to identify workers and take applications for the EP American Footwear, LLC Plant that will
employ about 250 workers to construct shoes for Walmart
which were previously made in China.
Other 2014 Region Job Fairs Career Expos conducted or planned are:
January 14, 2014
February 25, 2014
February 27, 2014
March 26, 2014
March 27, 2014
April – June, 2014
Jeff Davis County
Johnson County
Dodge County
Treutlen County
Evans County
Appling County, Wilcox
County, Toombs County,
Laurens County, Montgomery
County
For more information on WIA programs, please
visit the Region website, www.region9wib.org, or the
Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, workforce.georgia.gov.
Check out our website
www.hogarc.org
(Continued on page 16)
Page 13
Highlights - Spring 2014
RC Assists with CDBG Awards
The State CDBG program allows local governments to compete for resources that can be used to assist public-private partnerships that leverage private investment and benefit low and moderate-income persons through economic development, public
facilities, public infrastructure and neighborhood revitalization projects. RC staff have been very successful in securing these important funds for our Region’s local governments. It is a win-win proposition. Not only do the funds improve Region infrastructure, quality of life, and economic development, but the CDBG administration funds received by the RC allow for additional services to the Region’s local governments without additional dues.
Appling County
Appling County was awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $500,000 from the Georgia
Department of Community Affairs (DCA) with the assistance of Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission staff.
The purpose for the grant is the
construction of a new 13,417 square foot
joint facility that will house the Senior Center and the Head Start Center. The new facility will be located on a portion of the old junior high school property located between
East Allen Street and Sursson Street on Junior High Drive.
The grant award was presented to
the County by Commissioner Gretchen
Corbin and was accepted on behalf of the
County by County Commission Chairman
Lewis Parker, County Commissioner Theodore Wilkerson, County Commissioner Sarah Boatright, County Commissioner Ronnie Rentz, Baxley City Council Member Dr. Esco Hall, County Manager Lee Lewis, and Gabriel
Morris, Community Development Planner with the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission in a ceremony conducted by the
Georgia Department of Community Affairs at The Hyatt Regency in Savannah, Georgia on September 6, 2013.
City of Eastman
The City of Eastman has received a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $500,000 from the Georgia
Department of Community Affairs (DCA) with the assistance of Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission staff.
The purpose for the grant is street
and drainage improvements in the Bacon
Heights neighborhood located in the southeast
area of the city. The streets included in this
project are: Beulah Avenue, Forest Avenue,
Bacon Avenue, Russell Avenue, Karen Drive,
Harrison Street and Ward Street.
The grant award was presented to
the City by Commissioner Gretchen Corbin
and was accepted on behalf of the City by
City Council Chairman Bobby Slye, City
Councilman Raymond Mullis, City Councilman Prince Dawson, City Councilman Buddy
Pittman, City Manager Bea Edge, and Gabriel
Morris, Community Development Planner
with the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional
Commission in a ceremony conducted by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs at The Hyatt Regency in Savannah, Georgia on
September 6, 2013.
Page 14
Highlights - Spring 2014
RC Assists with CDBG Awards
(Continued from page 14)
City of Glenwood
The City of Glenwood has received a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $500,000 from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) with the assistance of Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission staff.
The purpose for the grant is to alleviate
sewage system problems currently being experienced
by the citizens of Glenwood. The project consists of
repairing the sewer lines running under various portions of the city. Additionally, a pump station near
West 2nd Avenue will be replaced.
The grant award was presented to the City
by Commissioner Gretchen Corbin and was accepted
on behalf of the City by Mayor G. M. Joiner Jr., Director of Community and Economic Development
Katy Morton and Community Development Planners
Gabriel Morris and Jason Cobb with the Heart of
Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission in a ceremony conducted by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs at The Hyatt Regency in Savannah, Georgia on September 6, 2013.
City of Helena
The City of Helena was awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $500,000 from the Georgia
Department of Community Affairs (DCA) with the assistance of Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission staff.
The purpose for the grant is the construction of a new 200,000 gallon elevated water tank
located at the corner of South Kingston Avenue
and Seventh Street and repairs to City Well No. 1.
The new water tank and well improvements will
provide additional water pressure for threequarters of the city and will ensure adequate fire
protection for the same area.
The grant award was presented to the
City by Commissioner Gretchen Corbin and was
accepted on behalf of the City by Mayor Mike
Young, City Clerk Heather Livingston, City Manager Janeen Tokar, and Gabriel Morris, Community Development Planner with the Heart of Georgia
Altamaha Regional Commission in a ceremony
conducted by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs at The Hyatt Regency in Savannah, Georgia on September 6, 2013.
Page 15
Highlights - Spring 2014
Funding Cuts Result in
Significant Loss of Meals and Other Services to Region’s
Vulnerable Senior Citizens
(Continued from page 13)
has requested waivers from the Georgia Division of Aging Services to reduce the required number of serving days from 250 per
year to allow some Senior Centers to be closed on Fridays and/or to reduce the required minimum of 20 congregate meals per
site. A number of counties have agreed to provide local funding supplements to purchase meals for those who would have been
terminated due to loss of state funding. In other cases, United Way or other civic groups have increased funding support, and
Senior Center Directors have sought out local restaurants to donate meals, especially on Fridays. The Regional Commission and
its AAA appreciate, and are very grateful for, this outpouring of support.
There have been other impacts to services, as
well. McDaniel Vending and Food Service of Jesup,
which has provided meals to the Region’s Senior Centers for over 36 years, terminated its contract on
12/31/13, in part due to the huge reduction in meals
funding. Internally, the Regional Commission had to
reduce one staff position to a contract status. The Material Aid, Kinship Care, and Out of Home Extended Respite programs were completely eliminated.
These unprecedented funding reductions and
heart-wrenching impacts may not be finished. If federal
Evans County Senior Center
sequestration continues for the next seven years as
planned, Georgia will lose approximately $9 million in aging program funding. Because of a quirk in federal distribution, Georgia, despite being a high growth state with a significantly increasing elderly population, continues to suffer some of the deepest
federal funding reductions in the nation. Georgia has already lost 13.76 percent of funding compared to a national state average
of 7.2 percent.
For more information, or for ideas how you may help, please contact Gail Thompson, HOGARC AAA Director, at
[email protected], or at (912) 367-3648.
Reductions from SFY 2013 to planned SFY 2015
Number of Congregate (at center) meals reduced: 41,141
Number of Home Delivered meals reduced: 50,736
Number of Respite Units reduced: 4,072
Number of Homemaker Units reduced: 2,250
Number of Personal Care Units reduced: 832
Azaleas and Dogwoods
Source: allthingsquilty.blogspot.com
Guido Gardens
Source: Magnolia Midlands, Georgia Tourist Guide
Page 16