Jan. 8, 2019
Tifton, Georgia
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TIFTONITE NAMED GA'S PUBLIC LIBRARIAN OF YEAR
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Sandy Hester,
director of the
Coastal Plain Regional Library
headquartered in
Tifton
, has been named
Georgia's Public Librarian of the Year
.
The
Georgia Public Library Service
made the announcement, also naming
DeKalb County Public Library
as Georgia’s
Public Library of the Year,
and selecting
Dan Aldridge,
president of
Friends of Georgia Libraries
, as
Library Champion of the Year
.
This year’s
recipients
will be
recognized
at a ceremony during the Georgia Council for Public Libraries’ annual
Public Library Day
at the
Capitol
on
Feb. 13
.
Hester
will also be
celebrated
at
5:30 p.m. Jan. 30
at the
Coastal Plain Regional Library
headquarters in
Tifton
.
The
state library service
applauded
Hester
for
successfully merging
two
library systems
in a way that benefited everyone. In early
2018
, she served as
interim director
in both the
Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Library
and in the
Coastal Plain Regional Library systems
.
During this time, the
Fitzgerald-Ben Hill
Board of Trustees decided to
join
the neighboring Coastal Plain Regional Library.
“
Sandy Hester
considered the
needs
of the
communities
involved by speaking with elected officials, board members and many other stakeholders,” said State Librarian
Julie Walker
. “This was no small feat to
negotiate
between these
two library systems
. Sandy
genuinely cares
for the patrons who use the libraries, and she led with
integrity
and
innovative thinking
.”
Hester
has worked in
public libraries
for
25
years and grew up in
Tifton
.
“Georgia’s public library world is filled with
dedicated individuals
who strive to provide
excellent service
to their
communities
every day,”
Hester
said. “I am
deeply honored
that my
friends
and
colleagues
felt me worthy of this award. I am
fortunate
to work with a
brilliant staff
, fully
engaged library boards
and
passionate community members
who love libraries as much as I do.”
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INTERIM DDA/MAIN STREET MANAGER
FORMER MANAGER BRUCE GREEN RETURNS TO TIFTON
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The
City of Tifton
has named
Bruce Green
as
interim
Downtown Development Authority
(DDA) and
Main Street
manager. He assumed the temporary duties on
Monday
.
Green
will serve as interim until the
positions
are
filled
, which the city anticipates could take
three
months.
“
Green
will provide
professional oversight
to the
Main Street
office, provide
guidance
to the
DDA board
, assist with
pending projects
and further establish our
relationships
at the
state
level for
continued growth
in the
downtown
area,” said City Manager
Pete Pyrzenski
.
A
Valdosta
native,
Green
previously served as
Tifton's Main Street manager
in the
1980s/early '90s
, coordinating a
successful revitalization
program for more than
eight
years that eventually led to
Tifton
being recognized as one of the
Best Small Towns in America.
Green
then moved to
Atlanta
as
director
of the Office of
Downtown Development
with the
Georgia Municipal Association
. Following his GMA work, he served as the director of communications, research and rural development with the
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
. He then created a
consulting
company,
Bruce Green & Associates.
Now
retired
, Green most
recently
served as
director
of
Tourism Product Development
with the
Georgia Department of Economic Development
, where he worked with communities, private corporations and non-profits across Georgia to increase investment in and development of new
tourism
initiatives.
He has a bachelor of science degree in biology from
Valdosta State
and did master's work in secondary education. At
25
, Green served as a
councilman
in the
City of Remerton
in
Lowndes County
.
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TIFT FARMER RENOMINATED TO GEORGIA PEANUT BOARD
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Three
Georgia Peanut Commission
board members, including
Armond Morris
of
Tift County
, were recently
renominated
without opposition to the commission’s
board of directors.
The
Georgia Farm Bureau Federation
conducted the nomination meetings for three of the commission’s districts.
Morris
is the
District 2
commissioner;
District 4
Commissioner
Rodney Dawson
,
Pulaski County
; and District 5 Commissioner
Donald Chase
,
Macon County
, all previously held the seat for their respective districts.
Officials said since only
one person
was
nominated
for each district,
no election
is
required
, and the nominated person automatically becomes a member of the Peanut Commission board. They will serve Georgia
peanut farmers
on the board for the next
three
years.
The
Georgia Peanut Commission
represents more than
4,500
peanut farm families and
conducts programs
in the areas of research, promotion and education.
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HOMETOWN HOLIDAY CELEBRATION
WON'T BE RESCHEDULED
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The
20th Annual Tifton Hometown Holiday Christmas Celebration
, originally scheduled
Dec. 1
, but
postponed
for
inclement weather
, will
not be rescheduled
.
Sponsorship
funding
will be
used
for the
21st Annual Hometown Holiday
event set for
Dec. 7
this year.
In a
press release
, the city said the
event committee's decision
"was
not made lightly
. There were several
factors
that went
into the decision, including
vendor
and
entertainment availability
and the
proximity
of time until the
Rhythm and Ribs Festival
held at
Fulwood Park
.
"The
committee
would like to
thank
all the
vendors
and
sponsors
for their continued support over the last 20 years of the
Hometown Holiday Christmas Celebration
. We are already
looking forward
to the event (in
December
) and hope the
community
will
rally behind
the
decision
we were tasked with making."
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TIFTON FIREFIGHTERS COMPETE
IN TRAINING CHALLENGE
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Placing
first
in the
training challenge
was firefighter
Jacob Carter
; second
place was firefighter
Jonathon Pereze
; and third place,
Jason Demos
.
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GA GETS PRESCHOOL
DEVELOPMENT GRANT
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Georgia
has been awarded a
$2.9 million
federal
Preschool Development Grant
to help ensure that
children
from
birth
to
age five
have access to high-quality
early childhood care
and
education
.
The U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
and the U.S.
Department of Education
awarded the grant, says the
Ga. Development of Early Care and Learning
(DECAL).
DECAL
will serve as the lead agency in carrying out the grant's initiatives. The grant will benefit all children and families in
Georgia
and will focus on the needs of
children
and
families
living in
poverty
, experiencing
homelessness
, living in
foster care
, living in
rural areas
and living with
disabilities
.
The grant initially covers
one year
. Later in
2019
, the
states
that received grants will be eligible to
compete
for
additional funding
of up to
$45 million
over
three years
.
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GOT A WEEKEND YARD SALE? LET US KNOW!
The
Tifton Grapevine
is now publishing
yard sales
in
Friday editions
. The
yard sales
are
text
only,
no photos
, and is part of a
list
linked from the
Grapevine
edition to our
web page
.
The
cost
is
$1 per word
, and
yard sales
must be
paid in advance
via
credit card
or
PayPal
.
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Tifton Grapevine
e-published every Tuesday and Friday
Frank Sayles Jr.
Editor & Publisher
Bonnie Sayles
Managing Editor
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A Service of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
, Tifton, Georgia
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