Voter Deadline Monday

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

NOVEMBER BALLOT HAS CITY COUNCIL, SPECIAL ELECTIONS VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE MONDAY

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The ballot for the Nov. 2 election will include two Tifton City Council seats, a special election on whether to allow package sales of liquor in the city, and a countywide referendum on renewing the one-cent E-SPLOST for local education.

Next Monday, Oct. 4, is the last day to register to vote in the election.

The ballot will be different for voters depending upon where they live. Registered voters in City Council districts 1 and 3 will decide their city representatives, and all voters within the city will decide if Tifton should issue licenses for the packaged sale of distilled spirits.

All voters in Tift County, including the cities of Tifton, Omega, and Ty Ty, will vote on renewing the one-cent Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (E-SPLOST) for capital improvements.

Early voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 12, and continues on weekdays through Oct. 29 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on two Saturdays – Oct. 16 and 23 – at the Tift County Board of Elections Office in Building B at 222 Chesnutt Ave.

On Election Day, Nov. 2, voting will be from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at each voter's home precinct. Any registered voter may apply for a ballot to be mailed to them. To request an application, contact the Tift County Board of Elections at 229-386-7915, or at elections@tiftcounty.org

For voters in Tifton City Council District 1, only one name is on the ballot, Denny Joshua Reynolds, who is seeking the seat being vacated by Wes Ehlers, who is not seeking re-election.

In Council District 3, newcomers Lester L. Cromer Jr. and Sherrod Thompson are seeking the seat currently held by Johnny Terrell Jr., who is running for re-election as a write-in candidate.

Regarding the question of allowing package sales of liquor within the city, City Council has said it is a revenue issue, as Tifton is losing money to nearby communities that allow liquor stores to sell distilled spirits.

Tifton did not allow the sale of liquor by the drink in restaurants until 2004.

The countywide E-SPLOST referendum is to allow the five-year renewal of the special one-cent sales tax for education capital projects. It was last approved in Tift County in 2016.

An affirmative vote will allow the Tift County School District to issue up to $70 million in general obligation bonds for new school buildings and facilities, including a new elementary school and a new middle school facility; the renovation, repair and upgrading of existing school buildings, athletic facilities and other School District property; the acquisition of technology equipment, computer software and hardware, safety and security equipment; repairs and upgrades to school buses and other school vehicles; the purchase of textbooks, instructional resources, band instruments and other musical instruments; and the acquisition of land for the capital projects.

TIFT REPORTS 2 DEATHS,

34 CONFIRMED COVID CASES

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Tift County reported two COVID-19 deaths in the past week with 34 new confirmed cases of the virus, according to data released Tuesday by the Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH).

Cases have continued to decline in Tift County after spiking to an all-time high in August. In the past two weeks, Tift County has seen 98 confirmed cases, representing 240 per 100,000, the DPH said. When rapid Antigen test results are added, Tift had 208 total cases during the period, representing 509 per 100,000.

Tift's testing positivity rate is 11% in the past two weeks, down from 13%. The county has a total of 4,763 confirmed cases with 119 related deaths, the DPH said.

The state has recorded a total of 1,216,039 confirmed cases with 22,228 deaths, the DPH reported.

According to the DPH, Tift County still has a 37% fully vaccinated rate. Statewide, 47% of eligible Georgians have been fully vaccinated.

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SOUTH TIFTON APARTMENTS PART OF REDEVELOPMENT FOR YOUTH CENTER AREA

Redevelopment of South Tifton is continuing with the groundbreaking on Wednesday, Sept. 29, of a 56-unit apartment complex near the site of the city's Youth Center under construction.

The City of Tifton and IDP Properties is celebrating the groundbreaking of Nine Oaks Apartments at 10 a.m. at 310 Old Omega Road.

Nine Oaks will have one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The development will feature a playground, pavilion, community garden, and equipped computer center for the residents' use.

According to the City of Tifton's press release, Nine Oaks Apartments will "provide an affordable and safe environment for families and individuals in need of more than housing but in need of a community that will help them develop and thrive," and bring "high quality, safe and affordable housing to the residents of South Tifton."

The vision of Nine Oaks began with the city and the Tifton Urban Redevelopment Agency’s (URA) South Tifton Redevelopment Assessment and Strategy, which spurred the selection of the site on Old Omega Road. The city and the URA sought proposals and selected Integrity Development Partners (IDP) as the developer.

IDP has partnered with Studio 8 Design and ASA Engineering out of Valdosta to prepare the development plan. Construction will be managed by Fairway Construction Co. Inc. and is scheduled to last 14 months. Once complete, Nine Oaks will be managed by Integrity Management Co. of Valdosta. Pre-leasing will begin in September 2022.

TCHS' HOMECOMING QUEEN

Tift County High School senior Jazyiah Johnson was crowned Homecoming Queen during halftime of the Blue Devils football game Friday night at Brodie Field.

In the photo, Jazyiah poses with TCHS Principal Chad Stone.

The Blue Devils won the homecoming game, 24-14, against the Worth County High Rams. Tift County, 5-1, starts region play this Friday, traveling to Valdosta to face the Wildcats, who are 1-4.

TIFTON

2012 Pineview Ave. Tifton, Ga 31793

COLONY BANK NAMES MIKE DAVIS COMMUNITY BANKING PRESIDENT

J. Mike Davis of Tifton has been promoted to the newly created position of president of community banking for Colony Bank. Davis had been serving as Tifton market president.

In his new role, Davis will be responsible for managing the overall sales efforts of lending, deposit, and other related business lines within Colony Bank’s community markets. His responsibilities will also include business development, customer retention, and market share growth as well as recruiting, personnel management, and other key leadership duties. He will serve as a member of both the Colony Bank Operating Committee and the Executive Loan Committee.

“Mike was an ideal choice to step into this important leadership role, which will provide additional resources and support to our ever-growing team of dedicated community bankers. Mike has over 20 years of banking experience, extensive industry knowledge, and, as a local-born, third-generation banker, deep roots in our community,” said Eddie Hoyle, chief banking officer.

Davis began his banking career in 1996 at Colony Bank, serving the Sylvester community and assumed increasing levels of responsibilities with another financial institution, serving as commercial lender, senior lender, and eventually president and chief executive officer.

An Air Force veteran, Davis graduated from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and Georgia Southwestern State University, and has studied at the University of Georgia School of Banking. He is a past chairman of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce and of the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence. He also has served as president of the Rotary Club of Tifton, the Tifton Sertoma Club, and the Tift County High School Athletic Booster Club.

ABAC, UGA VETERINARY GRANT PROMOTES VET STUDENTS IN REGION

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has been awarded a three-year $297,000 collaborative grant with the University of Georgia Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory to encourage more veterinary medicine students to practice in rural South Georgia.

Activities will center around student recruitment, retention, and experiential learning at the UGA diagnostic lab aimed at increasing the number of under-represented and rural undergraduate students qualified to apply to veterinary medicine programs.

Dr. Matthew Anderson, dean of the ABAC School of Arts and Sciences, serves as project director.

“ABAC students will benefit tremendously from the experiences this grant will support, and it will help them be more competitive when applying to vet school,” Anderson said. “Our hope is that they are successful in applying to vet school, and that they return to serve the region following their veterinary training.”

He said the goal is for a minimum 10% increase in students being admitted into veterinary or graduate school.

Co-directors are Dr. Jennifer Harper, ABAC biology professor, and Dr. Hemant Naikare, associate professor of infectious diseases at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the veterinary lab.

“The hands-on experiential learning opportunities in a disease diagnostics and surveillance testing facility will be excellent for the ABAC students,” Naikare said.

During the three years of the grant, ABAC students will be recruited to attend monthly seminars and participate in day-long workshops. Students who demonstrate interest and aptitude will be candidates for research experiences, diagnostic specific courses, and paid internships utilizing the lab facilities.

GPB, PEANUT COMMISSION JOIN TO EDUCATE STUDENTS ABOUT PEANUTS

GPB Education has partnered with the Georgia Peanut Commission, based in Tifton, to launch "Georgia Peanuts, A Virtual Learning Journey" for school students to explore the impact peanuts have on Georgia and beyond.

“We are excited to partner with GPB Education in development of this new virtual educational resource,” said Tim Burch, chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission's Education and Information Committee.

“The resource targeted for teachers and students provides an overview of the value of the peanut industry to the state of Georgia and captures the many career opportunities available within the peanut industry.”

Georgia Public Broadcasting produces educational content for teachers and students through GPB Education.

Aligned to the Georgia Standards of Excellence, "Georgia Peanuts Virtual Learning Journey" targets learners in third through eighth grades. In the journey, concepts are divided into four main sections: History and Origins; Cultivation and Uses; Technology and Economy; and Working with Peanuts.

“This Georgia Peanuts Virtual Learning Journey will allow students from all over the state to learn about Georgia’s state crop and the importance it plays in our history, economy, and even diets,” said Laura Evans, GPB Education director.

“As Georgia’s leading provider of digital learning resources, we appreciate the opportunity to work with new partners like Georgia Peanut Commission to add great new resources to our library of content."

In addition to the launch of the virtual learning journey, GPB Education is producing a live exploration of Georgia's peanuts airing at 10 a.m. Sept. 30. Viewers can watch live online at gpb.org/peanuts-live or on their local GPB-TV channel.

LECTURE TO FOCUS ON FORMER

ABAC PRESIDENT

ABAC faculty member Dr. Sandra Giles will explore the life of one of the most popular presidents in Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College's history when she opens the new Jess Usher Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 in Howard Auditorium.

Entitled “Mr. Pete and the Baldwin Story,” the lecture focuses on George P. Donaldson and his time at ABAC as an English professor beginning in 1933 through his 14-year tenure as president from 1947-1961.

“He built a platform as a speaker, entertainer, and educator that allowed him to address some of the most pressing higher education issues in rural South Georgia, including segregation and the plight of agriculture,” said Giles, a professor of English and communication.

Donaldson took educational leave in 1936 from his position at ABAC to earn a master’s degree in rural sociology at Ohio State University.

“He returned to ABAC to better the recreational and educational opportunities for rural students,” Giles said. “To Mr. Pete, ‘recreation’ included a heavy emphasis on the arts.”

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

"Whiskers," a female kitty, is ready for a good home. To adopt "Whiskers" and to see other pets available for adoption, visit the Tift County Animal Shelter from 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

Pets of the Week are sponsored by:

Branch's Veterinary Clinic

205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055

TIFTON SCHOOL DISTRICT BUYS SITE

– SEPT. 30, 1927

The block between 10th and 12th streets west of Wilson Avenue was purchased on Sept. 30, 1927, to be the site of a new building for the Tifton Consolidated School District.