SEPT. 30, 2016
Tifton, Georgia
478-227-7126
tiftongrapevine.com
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CITY OF TIFTON'S
FIRE PROTECTION
RATING IMPROVES
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MAY LOWER INSURANCE PREMIUMS, CITY SAYS
The City of Tifton's fire protection rating has improved from a Class 4 to a Class 3, which could "directly lead to lower property/casualty insurance premium costs for homeowners and commercial property owners" within city limits, according to a press release from the city.
The rating, which
will be effective Jan. 1, is based on an analysis of the city's structural fire suppression delivery system by ISO, the Insurance Services Office, a third-party independent agency that evaluates fire departments and fire protection systems, rating the results on a national scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the best and highest level. 
"The significance of this reduction is that the ISO Public Protection Classification plays a pivotal role in the underwriting process at virtually all insurance companies within the U.S. which determines coverages and price/cost of residential and commercial property insurance," according to the press release.
The city said it is difficult to determine the exact amount of an insurance reduction because of the differences in underwriting from company to company. But the bottom line is: The lower the rating, the lower the insurance rates, according to
David Doudy, a Colorado-based consultant who works with fire departments across the country to improve their fire protection.
"There is absolutely a price difference when ISO ratings change; it is that important," said Doudy, whose company,
ISO Slayer, is a
consultant to Tifton's fire service improvements.
Tifton requested the ISO as a result of the recent separation of city and county fire services. The City of Tifton provides fulltime fire protection/suppression services with 35 professional firefighters positioned at three fire stations strategically located to provide the most efficient and effective service.
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MAYOR SMITH
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Mayor Julie Smith said "improvements, which led to the city's improved fire classification, were made in an ongoing effort to ensure public safety and enhance the overall quality of life for residents and property owners.
"We all are pleased that the recent fire service reorganization has not negatively impacted the City of Tifton's ISO rating and look forward to continued system improvements," the mayor said.
With the Class 3 designation, the City of Tifton joins the top 18 percent of fire services in Georgia and the top 10 percent of departments nationwide.
Tift County, which formed its
own fire department effective
July 1, has
not yet received its new
ISO rating, County Manager
Jim Carter told the
Tifton Grapevine on
Thursday.
"First, let me offer my congratulations to the city on its new ISO rating of 3. I know that (Fire) Chief (Michael) Coleman and his staff worked very hard and are deserving of much praise.
"To answer your question, the county has not received an updated ISO rating at this time and do not expect to receive one for several months. It is my understanding that due to rural water shuttle formulas, etc., the process is more involved for a department with a rural element compared to an urban-only department," Carter said.
"Please rest assured that the Board of Commissioners will make public the new ISO rating for special tax district fire suppression once it is finalized."
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UGA, state and local officials rededicate the Tift Building in Tifton.
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UGA CELEBRATES
TIFTON RENOVATION
The
94-year-old H.H. Tift Building, getting new life after a
14-month renovation, was
rededicated Tuesday on the
University of Georgia's Tifton Campus.
UGA President Jere W. Morehead led the
ceremony.
"Today, we celebrate more than the
renovation of the
historic Tift Building," Morehead said. "We celebrate the unwavering and
longstanding bond between
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MOREHEAD
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UGA-Tifton and the
many communities it proudly serves all across
South Georgia. Indeed, the strengths and opportunities of this area of the state and the mission of this campus are perfectly aligned."
The renovated Tift Building, funded by $5 million in state support,
is the Tifton campus' original structure. Its renovation, almost a decade after it was vacated, is the first of two major renovation projects being completed at the front of campus alongside Moore Highway.
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WEST
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"We are a campus that thrives on
research and providing an academic home for our
future agricultural leaders," said UGA-Tifton Assistant Dean
Joe West. "This is an important day in our history. President Morehead's presence, along with other administrative leaders, emphasizes the significance not only of the Tift Building but also of our
entire campus."
Sam Pardue, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said that
"UGA's academic, research and extension experts in Tifton ... help to create a vibrant and robust economic engine that sustains not only this corner of the state, but provides food and fiber for Georgia and the world."
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HEY KIDS, LET'S JOIN THE LEAGUE!
The Tiftarea Upward
Basketball & Cheerleading League
(Grades K-6th)
Host Churches
First Methodist, Northside Baptist, First Baptist
JOIN TODAY!
October 1-21
$70 per person
To Register, Call MaraDare Day
at First Methodist
229-382-4644
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Children get hands-on lessons during ABAC's 'Destination Ag' program this week at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic
Village.
DESTINATION: AGRICULTURE!
The Georgia Museum of Agriculture hosted its first "Destination Ag" program this week with 45 first-graders. The program's goal is to educate students about the importance of agriculture and natural resources in our daily lives.
Stations were set up throughout the Historic Village with interactive, farm-related, hands-on lessons. When fully implemented, the program will focus on pre-K through fifth-grade students in Tift, Colquitt, Cook, Berrien, Irwin, Turner, Ben Hill, and Worth counties.
A
$250,000 gift from the
Harley Langdale Jr. Foundation to the
ABAC Foundation is enhancing agriculture and natural resources community programming at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. ABAC operates the agriculture museum and village.
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DOWNTOWN TIFTON'S UNIQUE ADDRESS
HISTORIC
UNION DEPOT APARTMENTS
Unique 1 Bedroom/
1 Bath Apartment @$850
& 2 Bedroom/ 2 Bath
Loft Apartment @ $950
Now Available!
Both with Marble Countertops;
Custom-made Cabinets;
Walk-in Closets; Hardwood Floors;
All Appliances, including Washer & Dryer; Secure Entry; and Ample Parking
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TIFT HIGH NORTHEAST CAMPUS
EARNS FUNDS FOR READING
Aleta Larger, right, a school liaison with the
Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence, presents a check to
Assistant Principal Wendy Soles of Tift County High's Northeast Campus for the
Accelerated Reader points earned this past summer at the foundation's
Summer Reading Center.
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A 'BLUE DEVIL BEACH PARTY'
TIFT HOMECOMING PARADE SHOWS SPIRIT
Tift County High School had its
Homecoming Parade Thursday evening with a
beach party theme.
The
Blue Devils hope to have a
"Hurricane" party tonight but the
Fitzgerald High Purple Hurricanes have their own ideas and plan to
storm into Brodie Field. Game time is
7:30 p.m.
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GUITARIST NEXT ARTIST FOR 'ABAC PRESENTS!'
Critically acclaimed guitarist
Shaun Hopper performs at
7 p.m. Oct. 13 in
Howard Auditorium on the campus of
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College as part of the
ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series.
An
Adel native,
Hopper picked up his first guitar at
age 12 after hearing a local street musician
fingerpick a
Nirvana song. Within weeks, family friend
Dan Madock presented Hopper with his first instrument, an
Ibanez six-string.
A series of influential teachers soon followed, broadening Hopper's exposure.
Subsequent years of honing his craft led him to the Winfield National Fingerpicking Championship, where he won Best Instrumental Song (2007) for his seminal piece, "Autumn of Any Year."
Later that year, he won second place in the singer-songwriter competition at Atlanta's famed Eddie's Attic Shootout Competition without singing a single note, the first and only instrumentalist ever to achieve such recognition. Reviewers with the Atlanta Journal Constitution gave Hopper the title of "Best Musician on the Rise."
Now Hopper is a master of "fingerstyle" guitar. Weaving in humorous tales from his small-town Georgia roots and sharing an occasional glimpse into his "backwoods" childhood, he stirs his audience with both laughter and introspection.
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"Best-Selling Truck for 39 Straight Years"
511 West 7th Street
(229) 382-1300
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JAPANESE VISIT OCILLA FARM
Approximately 25 Japanese buyers were touring the Tiftarea earlier this week. Among their stops was a visit to the Ocilla farm of Georgia Peanut Commission Chairman Armond Morris in order to learn about the peanut harvest.
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Tifton's Locally Owned Electronic Newspaper!
It's Free!
e-published every Tuesday & Friday / to Advertise, call
478-227-7126
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YOUR WEEKEND
.
..at a Glance
FRIDAY, SEPT. 30
- Tift County High Blue Devils football vs. Fitzgerald High Purple Hurricanes, 7:30 p.m., Brodie Field, Tifton
- Tiftarea Academy Panthers football @ Brookwood, 7:30 p.m., Thomasville
SATURDAY, OCT. 1
- Hunter Education Field Day, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Tift County Agriculture Services Building, Carpenter Road, Tifton
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SEPT. 22
Doyle "Stanley" Bloodworth, 72, Omega
Peggy Reinhardt Harris, Ashburn
Cora Lee Suggs Howard, 90,
Fitzgerald
SEPT. 23
Joseph Leroy "Joe" Bridges, 76,
Guin, Ala.
Shirley Phillips Powell, 55, Sylvester
Linda "Maga" Exum, 64, Nashville
SEPT. 25
Elizabeth Quellanette Strickland, 74, Fitzgerald
Ricky Calvin Reynolds Sr., 62, Fitzgerald
Pauline Fletcher Duckworth, 92, Ocilla
John P. Titchen, 51, Longmont, Colo.
Doyle Page III, 65, Sycamore
SEPT. 26
Arthur Lee Manning, 76,
Jonesboro
SEPT. 27
Paul Randall McLemore, 72,
Tifton
Geraldine Nutt Beggs, 92,
Tifton
Joseph "Joe" Henderson McKellar II, 78, Tifton
Aline Hiam, 69, Ray City
SEPT. 28
Franklin Eugene "Gene" Mainor, 82, Brookfield
Mary Alice Donaldson, 73, Nashville
Hubert Huston Hancock, 79, Nashville
John Hageman, 90, Fitzgerald
SEPT. 29
Tinna Diane Webb, 37, Tifton
Leroy Glynn Jordan, Chula
Betty Eloise Brown, 87, Nashville
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www.tiftongrapevine.com
FRANK SAYLES JR.
Editor & Publisher
A Service of Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
478-227-7126
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