Monthly Feature
A Letter from the County Manager
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I hope this finds you well and staying safe as the state of Georgia and Dawson County have begun to reopen. The safety of our citizens and employees is my top priority. Since various county facilities closed in mid-March, our departments have been planning how to reopen, not just when, and keeping your wellbeing as our top priority. With that in mind, I am writing to share an update about our reopening approach and the first steps we are taking to welcome you back.
But first, I would like to acknowledge the tireless efforts of the
Dawson County Fire & Emergency Services department (DCFES)
to keep us all healthy and safe. Throughout this pandemic, our community has been able to rely upon the dedication and hard work of EMA Director/Fire Chief Danny Thompson and ALL of his staff, who have continued to run normal calls in addition to handling COVID-19 situations. From the beginning, Director Thompson began working with local physicians and healthcare providers on best practices and how to navigate these unchartered waters. He also worked with Board of Commissioners Chairman Billy Thurmond to ensure citizens were kept up-to-date with video messages as well as social media posts.
One of the first action items put into place was the
Prescription Delivery Program
. A joint effort of the
Parks & Recreation
,
Public Relations
and
Senior Services
departments, this program allows citizens in Dawson County who are classified as high-risk by the CDC in relation to COVID-19 to remain secure and safe at home, yet still get their medications. Their dedication to this community did not stop when COVID-19 continued to throw curveballs. When social distancing was put into place and Easter services were canceled, the men and women of DCFES saw an opportunity to work with local partners,
Dawson County Chamber of Commerce
and
K.A.R.E. for Kids
, to bring some joy to the community. Together, the idea of the Easter egg toss was born. On Saturday, April 11, 2020, firefighters drove fire trucks throughout most of Dawson County with staff from the Chamber of Commerce, K.A.R.E for Kids, and many others tossing Easter egg bags to eagerly awaiting children.
Most recently, Director Thompson worked with the Georgia National Guard and Augusta Health to bring a testing site to Dawson County. This site is located at Rock Creek Park and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Now, onto the phases of reopening county facilities.
The Dawson County Government Center is open to the public. We encourage all visitors to wear masks while inside and meeting with county staff. While county offices in this building are operating under normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday, we ask that you please make an appointment by calling (706) 344-3501 if you need to meet with anyone in Administration, Finance, Human Resources or Planning & Development.
Earlier this week, we released information regarding the phased approach to the reopening of our
Parks & Recreation department
facilities. The dates chosen are consistent with our surrounding counties as well as in compliance with the governor’s orders. You can find this information on the Dawson County Parks & Recreation website.
Many of you have inquired as to when the recycling locations will reopen and, at this time, they remain closed until further notice. The
Dawson County Transfer Station
provides free recycling and is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Saturday.
Senior Services
and
Public Works
continue to operate on staggered shifts with limited staff in the office. More information will be sent out as we begin to reopen these departments. In the meantime, please visit their websites for additional information.
In closing, I encourage you to visit the
CDC’s website
for up-to-date information on how to keep you and your family safe. Meanwhile, Dawson County continues to focus on keeping our staff healthy and our facilities open and clean to serve and support our great community.
David Headley
County Manager
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BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Upcoming and previous meetings.
Dawson County Public Relations YouTube Channel
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(pictured L-R)
Chris Gaines, District 2; Julie Hughes Nix, District 4; Billy Thurmond, Chairman; Sharon Fausett, District 1; Tim Satterfiled, District 3
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ELECTIONS & VOTER REGISTRATION
Vote June 9, 2020 - What You Need to Know
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Are you ready for June 9th? Here's what you need to know about voting this year.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Can I return my unvoted ballot and vote in person if I choose to?
- Yes. Bring your unvoted ballot with you. The outstanding ballot will be cancelled, an affidavit can be signed and the poll worker will allow you to vote.
- If you have not received your ballot or already destroyed your ballot, you will be asked to sign an affidavit, the outstanding ballot will be cancelled and you will be allowed to vote with proper ID.
- Keep in mind to NOT just throw an unmarked ballot in the trash. Please destroy it or return it to your Registrar's office.
- I've received my absentee ballot and the instructions say place my ballot in the security "envelope." It is a "sleeve" or folded piece of paper. How do I seal that and will my vote be secure or will my vote count?
- We are aware of the instruction difference. Please place your ballot in the "sleeve." You may place a piece of tape on each side to prevent it from slipping out when opened if you wish. However, simply slipping it in the sleeve and into the envelope is sufficient. These will be separated election day one from the other in the presence of a tabulation team (3-4 people) who then put the envelope with your name on it to the side so as not to see whose ballot will be coming out of the security "sleeve." They then will remove the voted ballot from the "sleeve." This secures the privacy of the voted ballot.
- Yes. Your vote will count. All absentee by mail ballots accurately received are counted.
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EMERGENCY SERVICES
COVID-19 Testing Site and Emergency Alerts
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Together with the Georgia National Guard and Augusta Health, the specimen collection site at Rock Creek Park is open everyday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please see below for some of the frequently asked questions. For updates, please follow the
Dawson County Fire & Emergency Services Facebook page.
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Smart911
In an effort to provide more reliable and effective communication with citizens, Dawson County has implemented
Swiftreach Networks, Inc
. as our emergency notification provider.
Register for an account
here
.
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FAMILY CONNECTION
Community Resources
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We have created two directories to help meet this goal:
- Community Resource List
- Substance Abuse Treatment & Recovery
These directories are provided as a service by Family Connection. All information published herein is gathered from sources thought to be reliable and is not a complete list of all resources available to Dawson County citizens. Inclusion in this directory does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by Family Connection. Requests for changes or inclusions in this directory are appreciated and should be sent to
[email protected]
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Human Resources
Online Job Application Now Available!
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Dawson County has been making great strides in updating their technology to improve communication both internally with county employees and externally with our citizens. Communications & Public Affairs Officer Laura Fulcher spearheaded the assembly of the website development team: Alexa Bruce (Public Works), Erica D’Amico (
Human Resources), Harmony Gee (Planning & Development), Buffie Hamil (Parks & Recreation) and Herman Thompson (IT/Facilities), and developed the new Dawson County website that went live on November 1, 2019.
Human Resources Specialist Erica D’Amico started with Dawson County in January 2019. Having recently gone through the application process herself, she wanted to improve the process for prospective employees by creating an
online application. As part of the website development team, she reached out to Indeed to learn how Dawson County could utilize their service and enhance the online experience for job-seekers.
During the website redesign, Erica worked through the process of developing an online application in a format that is compatible with Indeed’s software. As of early May, applicants have the ability to submit their application directly from the job posting listed on the county website. In addition, applicants that use Indeed are now re-directed to the county website to complete their application. These improvements have helped streamline the application process and provide prospective Dawson County employees a better experience.
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PARKS & RECREATION
Movie in the Park, Summer Camps, Swim Lessons and More!
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Summer Camp Registration Information
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Dawson County Cheerleading
2020 Summer Camp
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Creative Movement & Dance
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Lady Tiger Fun-Damental Camp
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PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
Dawson County 400 and SR 53 Corridor Visual Preference Survey
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As Dawson County develops standards for the future of the Georgia 400 and State Route 53 Corridors, we would like to know your opinions on how the corridors might look.
The survey take approximately 20 minutes complete and allows you a chance to provide feedback as to your preferences on the images included.
We welcome feedback regarding the images that have been selected. If you have any images that you would like to share with us on your vision for this project, please
email them to the
Planning & Development department.
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Senior Services
Construction on the New Senior Center and Pavilion
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Progress continues to be made on the Pauline Stephens Ivey Senior Center and the new Pavilion at Veterans Memorial Park. Both projects will be completed in the Fall of 2020.
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Click on any of the images below to view a larger pdf.
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