Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Tifton, Georgia
GrapeNew
GOLF CARTS SOMETIMES DRIVEN ILLEGALLY IN CITY
MORE FINES, EDUCATION NEEDED, CITY COUNCIL SAYS
Underage kids are frequently driving golf carts on city streets , which is illegal and dangerous , Tifton City Council said Monday .

Police Chief Buddy Dowdy told council of a recent accident involving 13- and 14-year-olds on a golf cart and resulting in a head injury . Dowdy said the accident occurred at Fulwood Road and Central Avenue as the young teens were turning off a walking path onto Central Avenue .

Tifton is a golf-cart friendly community, but the police chief and City Attorney Rob Wilmot noted that the city ordinance requires that anyone driving a golf cart "on the authorized streets and parking areas of the city" must have a valid motor vehicle driver's license .

Also, a golf cart must be registered with and inspected by the Tifton Police Department before it may used on city streets .

For a first offense , the city may levy a fine of up to $50 . The police department often just gives a warning because many residents do not know the law governing golf carts on Tifton's streets , Dowdy said.

City Council members suggested that the fines may need to be increased . They also said more education is needed so that golf-cart owners understand all requirements .
UGA TIFTON 'RECREATES' A NEW 'CENTENNIAL GARDEN'
Construction is underway recreating a two-acre garden on the University of Georgia Tifton campus for its upcoming centennial celebration.

The Centennial Garden celebrates the campus' history says Assistant Dean Joe West. The garden, behind the Tift Building at the center of campus, replicates one that existed when the campus was the Coastal Plain Experiment Station .

The new garden is slated for completion by May 3 , when it will be dedicated as the community formally celebrates UGA Tifton’s centennial .

“It just seemed very appropriate to recreate the garden at this time. It’s part of our history ,” West said.

The original garden was symmetrical with beautiful plants, but as the automotive age kicked into gear the garden took a backseat.

“There’s an old song that says, ‘They paved paradise and put up a parking lot ,’ which is exactly what happened ,” West said. He stumbled onto records of the original garden and thought, “It would be really cool if we recreated that.”

The completed formal garden will contain 100 percent UGA-generated genetic plant releases. October Glory maple, Pink Damsel serviceberry, Sweet Frost tangerine and Green Shadow magnolia trees will be planted within the garden . Oaks and magnolias will frame the outer areas, and flowers and fruits comprise the garden’s interior .
SEWER LINE WORK BEGINS
IN NORTHWEST TIFTON
Beginning Wednesday morning, April 3 , Southeast Pipe Survey , hired by the City of Tifton , will be cleaning and inspecting sewer lines in the northwest Tifton area.

The work will determine the condition of sewer lines and locate points of inflow and/or infiltration from groundwater or storm drainage .

At approximately 8 a.m. , work will start at 26th Street and Ridge Avenue and move west toward Emmett Drive . Cleaning and inspection will then move northbound from 26th Street and Ridge Avenue toward 30th Street . Minimal interruption is expected.
 
Because of high-pressure cleaning of the pipes in the road, customers may experience gurgling noises in their sinks and drains , the city says. Customers may also experience rerouting and/or detours because of work vehicles along the roadway.
 
For questions , contact the Tifton city utilities office at 229-391-3949
UGA HONORS TIFTON AGRONOMIST WITH HIGHEST PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
Dr. Stanley Culpepper , a professor and extension service agronomist at the University of Georgia's Tifton campus , was recognized Monday with UGA's highest award in public service and outreach.

Culpepper was one of eight faculty and staff members honored for outstanding service  to the state and to UGA at the 28th annual Public Service and Outreach Meeting and Awards Luncheon in Athens .

Culpepper received the Walter Barnard Hill Fellow Award , which is comparable to a distinguished professorship . Culpepper, with UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences , came to UGA in 1999 and is said to be on the cutting edge of agriculture, research and extension .
 
He conducts more than 100 research experiments each year dedicated to developing solutions for challenges in crops , such as weed control and pesticide usage .
  
One challenge facing farmers is glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth , the most devastating weed in the history of U.S. agriculture . Culpepper was the first to confirm the pest in Georgia and find ways to effectively control it. Today, nearly all of Georgia’s cotton management programs have stemmed from Culpepper’s research .
CHILD ABUSE COUNCIL HOLDS PINWHEEL CEREMONY WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL 3
The Tift County Council on Child Abuse will hold its annual Pinwheel Ceremony, "A Voice for All Children," at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 3 , at the Special Programs Building of Tift County Recreation Department , the building in front of the pool.

The address is 202 Baldwin Drive .

"Everyone is encouraged to attend to show support for the well-being of Tift County children," said Lillie McEntyre , executive director of the Tift County Commission on Children and Youth.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month , and every pinwheel represents a reported case of child abuse in the county in the past year
Jeanene Rainey, left, and Sheila Hobbs with the Barnhill Quilt being raffled.
'BARNHILL QUILT' BEING RAFFLED
FOR TIFTAREA HOUSE OF HOPE
David Barnhill cared deeply about a lot of things, including God, family, education and Boy Scouts. Underlining almost all was his love of style . Barnhill cut quite a path through the world, and those who knew him well knew how loved to look his best .

Whether walking into First Baptist Church of Tifton , through the halls of Tift County High School or onto the football fields , Barnhill dressed for success . While his colorful jackets and pants were legendary, it is his shirts that are going to live on through a quilt being raffled by the Tiftarea House of Hope Women’s Shelter .

Barnhill loved his shirts . He bought wisely but spared no expense. He purchased shirts that were so well made that he regularly purchased separate cuffs and collars to keep them looking sharp. Hiring a seamstress to replace cuffs and collars on a shirt was a testament to his style and attention to detail.

Now those details are available in a quilt being raffled for a cause. Jeanene Rainey and Sheila Hobbs from Turner County took on the task of preserving Barnhill’s shirts by using the material in a quilt . Rainey prepared them for cutting into squares for the quilt. Hobbs designed the quilt pattern, did the quilting and helped Rainey with piecing the queen-sized top.

The Barnhill quilt can be seen at the American Legacy Quilt Show at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture on April 5-6 sponsored by the Wiregrass Quilters’ Guild . Raffle tickets for the Barnhill quilt will be on sale at the quilt show and may be purchased from House of Hope volunteers or Becky Lagenfeld . Tickets are $1 each or six tickets for $5 .

The drawing for the quilt will be held May 10 .
TIFTAREA'S MASSEY SIGNS WITH GA TECH
Tiftarea Academy' s athletic standout Spence Massey last week signed with Georgia Tech to play football .

Spence , the son of Robert and Heidi Massey of Tifton , seen in the photo, is a 14-year student of Tiftarea Academy in Chula .
Tifton Grapevine
e-published every Tuesday and Friday

Frank Sayles Jr.
Editor & Publisher
Bonnie Sayles
Managing Editor
A Service of Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC , Tifton, Georgia