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FEB. 7, 2017
Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126
tiftongrapevine.com
TIFTON TWEAKS
SIGN GUIDELINES 

Tifton City Council on Monday tweaked the city's signage guidelines, prompted by an issue last year involving the size of letters on a downtown sign.

Council removed the requirement that individual letters on a sign in historic commercial areas cannot be more than two feet tall. Council members decided that the current maximum signage area of a building's front facade width multiplied by 1.5 feet was sufficient.

This issue arose when Railway Freight was installing a new sign on its Main Street building. That sign met the overall size guidelines but one of its letters was slightly more than two feet tall. Council's action on Monday brings Railway Freight's sign into compliance.

Council also tweaked language clarifying that an awning sign must be "painted, printed or embroidered to the awning surface," prohibiting the tacking of a banner to an awning for signage.

Within historic commercial areas, one banner up to 15 square feet per lot is allowed. Outside the Historic District, two banners, up to 15 square feet per lot, are allowed.

Council amended the city's Land Development Code to address multiple businesses located within one parcel, such as several businesses with different 911 addresses within a building. In such cases, each individual address may now display one advertising banner.

A proposal addressing electronic graphic display signs within the Historic District was tabled for further revision to allow flexibility within the district for such signs but possibly restricting them in some areas, such as in those zoned residential-professional.

LIVING HISTORY ENCAMPMENT
HIGHLIGHTS GEORGIA DAY

Georgia history will come alive on Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Georgia Day Celebration at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Established by the General Assembly in 1909, Georgia Day commemorates the anniversary of the landing of the first colonists in Georgia under James Oglethorpe on Feb. 12, 1733, at the site of modern-day Savannah.  

Museum visitors will help celebrate the history of Georgia's wiregrass region and all those who have made it their home. Guests may visit the Clark Homeplace throughout the day to meet and muster with members of the Georgia Volunteers who will be camped on site looking for new recruits, drilling and defending their Georgia Homeland as they did in 1863.

A military and civilian living history encampment will be provided by Co. A, 2nd Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters, headquartered in North Georgia. The Museum and Historic Village will be open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and the Vulcan No. 5 Steam Train will be running all day.

For information, Stephan Zachariasszacharias@abac.edu

TIFT REGIONAL'S PALLIATIVE CARE OFFERS QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE WITH A SERIOUS ILLNESS

Tift  Regional Health System (TRHS) is now offering a palliative care program which provides specialized care for patients with serious illnesses such as cancer, congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).   
 
"Many people associate palliative care solely with hospice care," said palliative care medical director Marcus Roberts, M.D. "Both palliative care and hospice care provide comfort; but palliative care can begin at diagnosis, and at the same time, as treatment.
"Hospice care begins after treatment of the disease is stopped and when it is clear that the person is not going to survive the illness. Hospice care is usually offered only when the person is expected to live six months or less. Palliative care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided along with curative treatment."
 
Dr. Roberts said palliative care is emerging as an important treatment option in this changing healthcare landscape.

"With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, new healthcare models are being implemented," he said. "Palliative care is recognized as enhancing medical care quality while reducing costs."
 
Palliative care is specialized medical care that utilizes an interdisciplinary team approach to address a patient's physical, emotional and spiritual health. The team includes a physician, nurse practitioner, registered nurses, social workers and chaplains. Dr. Roberts and the palliative care team work together with the patient's physicians to provide an extra layer of support as well as to enhance quality of life and maintain function.
 
"We spend time communicating deeply with patients and family members," said Dr. Roberts.  "We give patients control over their care by truly exploring goals and helping them to understand treatment options. We help patients gain the strength to carry on with daily life and improve quality of life."
 
Dr. Roberts provides outpatient palliative care at Affinity Clinic and is available for inpatient consultations at Tift Regional Medical Center. He also works with Hospice of Tift Area on home visits for hospice patients. 
 
Most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, cover palliative care. "If costs concern a patient, a social worker or financial consultant from the palliative care team can provide assistance," said Dr. Roberts.  
 
Affinity Clinic, a part of Tift Regional Physician Group, is a multi-specialty practice located in Tifton at 2225 Highway 41 North. Tift Regional Medical Center is located in Tifton at 901 East 18th St. To receive palliative care, a referral from a physician or advanced practice provider is required. Referrals can be made by calling 229-391-4426. Learn more at www.tiftregional.com/palliativecare

S ellers Veazey and Brock Hammond shadowing at the state Capitol with Gov. Nathan Deal.
J. Manry Ford shadows Georgia's Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.





















TIFTAREA ACADEMY 8th GRADERS SHADOW PROFESSIONALS ON GROUNDHOG DAY
John Adam Copeland does mock  knee surgery while shadowing  at  Medtech Southeast.

Tiftarea Academy's eighth graders spent groundhog day doing some shadowing of their own -- job shadowing

Each year, teacher Natalie Rippy requires her eighth-grade students to shadow someone in a field of the student's choice. The annual assignment is held on groundhog day.

This year, students shadowed doctors, lawyers, photographers and hospitality industry leaders, among others. Also, several students spent their day at the state Capitol in Atlanta. J. Manry Ford shadowed Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black

Sellers Veazey and Brock Hammond even met with Gov. Nathan Deal while shadowing at the Capitol in Atlanta

Groundhog Shadowing Day is one of the activities Tiftarea Academy students participate in during February.

Join Us for a Romantic Dinner
with Musical Entertainment by the Jerry Moss Trio


Tuesday, February 14
in the Ballroom
Reservations available 6-9 p.m. 


BJ's at Springhill is OPEN to the PUBLIC
for this Special Evening!
Join us for this romantic adventure:

BJ's at Springhill 
        (Located inside Springhill Country Club)
  
    "Where Everyone is Welcome!"

            5 E. Springhill Road, Tifton

Call BJ for Reservations:  229-392-2913

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING
Mejia Design & Co. Salon
200 W 12th St., Suite B
Tifton
February 3



Church Secretary
Position

Tifton First United 
Methodist Church


The position is responsible for running the church office, handling administrative tasks and functions, and supporting the pastor and staff.

The position also schedules events on the church calendar, manages telephone services, 
prepares all church mailings, organizes and prepares publications and handles correspondence. 

This person serves as the public face of the church and the first line of contact for members of 
the church, visitors and newcomers. This person needs to be a flexible, proficient communicator, be able to work as a team player and be able to use office technology.

This is a full-time position and includes benefits. Salary will be commensurate with education and experience. 
To be considered, submit your application no later than close of business on February 14, 2017.

Please see http://www.tiftonfumc.org/ for information about Tifton First United Methodist Church.

To apply, submit:

1)     a cover letter to include why you are interested in this position;
2)     a current resume; and
3)     contact information for three references.
 
Applications and specific questions related to this position should be addressed to:
  
Tifton First United Methodist Church
Attn:  Lisa Forshee
Lead Church Secretary Search Committee
107 W 12th St.
Tifton, GA 31794


'CONVOY OF CARE' BRINGING SUPPLIES TO AREA 
TORNADO SURVIVORS

A "Convoy of Care" is taking a load of supplies to South Georgia on Sunday, Feb. 12, to aid survivors of last month's deadly tornadoes.

The convoy is a partnership Of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, state law enforcement agencies, WSB-TV in Atlanta, the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, the Georgia Emergency Management andHomeland Security Agency (GEMA) and Caring for Others Inc.

Mt. Zion Baptist Church  in Albany will be accepting the donations and distributing supplies on site. Volunteers from Caring for Others and the law firm Stewart, Seay and Felton will load the tractor trailer truck donated by Holland Inc. which was part of the first Convoy of Care that saw five tractor-trailer
Peanut butter, recently donated by the Georgia Peanut Commission, is loaded for distribution to storm survivors.
trucks go to flood-ravaged Baton Rouge, La., in August last year.

Law enforcement organizations including the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Georgia Sheriffs' Association, along with state agencies; Georgia State Board of Pardons & Paroles, Georgia State Patrol and Georgia Bureau of Investigation have pledged to use their network to raise the awareness of the Convoy of Care online fundraising effort.

"We're all one Georgia, and we want to continue to demonstrate how law enforcement serves the very communities we are sworn to protect," said Clarence  Cox, NOBLE's national vice president.

Funds being collected through Caring for Others will be disbursed directly to "Long-Term Recovery Committees" being established in Berrien, Cook, Crisp, Dougherty, Thomas, Turner, Wilcox and Worth counties in coordination with GEMA.

Many other storm-assistance efforts are underway in the region. The  Georgia Peanut Commission recently donated  10,080 jars of  peanut butter  to Second Harvest of South Georgia and disaster relief efforts in Cook and Turner counties.

"Peanut butter is the perfect food in disaster relief efforts since it does not have to be refrigerated, does not require cooking and delivers a nutritional punch that is life-sustaining." said  Armond Morris, chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission.


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511 West 7th Street
(229) 382-1300
AGRICULTURE MUSEUM 'ICON'
STILL WORKING AT AGE 100

Special to the Tifton Grapevine

Not many people can say they're an icon, but Ferol Cosper is one at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College; she celebrated her 100th birthday Oct. 21 and her 40th anniversary of working at the museum this past July. 

"The highlight of my life is working," said Cosper. "I plan on working until I can either no longer drive or see."

In her 40 years of museum service, Cosper has interacted with close to 1 million visitors, many of them
Ferol Cosper, right, enjoys a moment at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture with Karen Zacharias.
children. She has had an impact on generations of children, who later bring their own children or grandchildren to see her.

Cosper has worked at the museum since its opening July 4,1976, when it was the Agrirama. She needed a job and saw an ad promoting positions for seniors.

"My nephew, Ford Spinks, started the Agrirama," Cosper said. "When I put my application in, I didn't tell them that we were related or use him as a reference. He didn't even know I was working here until months later."

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter gave the keynote address the day the Agrirama opened, and since then Cosper has met both Mrs. Carter and President Jimmy Carter on numerous occasions at the museum. In fact, President Carter was in the audience when Cosper played the piano at the funeral for Spinks earlier this year.

Cosper says her favorite part of the job is working with the children who visit the museum on school trips and with their families.

"I love the children," said Cosper. "When I would teach them about housework in the 1800s, they always found beating the dust out of the feathered mattress the strangest and most interesting thing."

Born in the nearby Excelsior Community, Cosper remembers plowing fields with her father as a girl because all her brothers were out of the house.  "There was no one else to help," said Cosper. "I would drive the mule behind my father and plant the crops."

Cosper's prowess for agriculture snagged her a marriage proposal.  "My husband, Glen , saw me working in the cotton fields and said that I was the type of girl he wanted to marry because I could make him money," said Cosper with a smile.

The Cospers were married for 51 years; Glen died in 1985.

Before working at the museum, she and Glen were sharecroppers and owners of a general store. Cosper also spent 50 years teaching piano and still plays occasionally.  "I have been very blessed that I don't have arthritis in my hands and can still play," she said.

She enjoys playing the piano at Salem Baptist Church and spending time with her family, including her two children, seven grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

Museum visitors love her stories; after all, she has experienced 100 years of history and loves to talk about it.


SEN PERDUE'S STAFF HOLDING OFFICE HOURS IN TIFTON

U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., is bringing his mobile office to Tifton from  10 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, at the Tift County Farm Bureau, 1618 Whiddon Mill Road.
PERDUE

Residents will get an opportunity to meet with Perdue staffers at that time.

"My team and I want to help all Georgians that may not otherwise be able to visit our Atlanta office location. We have field representatives based in each region of the state, and we are excited for the opportunity to extend the reach of our constituent services in the coming months."

To reach his constituent services office in Atlanta, call 404-865-0087.



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465 N Mattie Ave., Sycamore, GA
MLS # 127001

PRICED TO SELL: 3 BR, 2 BA home, 1,710 square feet in Turner County.
Double French doors lead to deck. Shop/garage in back yard.

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