Storms Spare Tiftarea

Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

Bay County, Fla., Sheriff's Office photo

While Tuesday's storms left the Tiftarea relatively unscathed, other areas were not as fortunate. The photo above from outside Panama City, Fla., shows some of the damage from a tornado.

STORMS SPARE TIFTAREA AS SOUTH HIT HARD

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Several tornadoes and severe thunderstorms roared across the South on Tuesday, wreaking havoc in several states but sparing the Tiftarea of any major damage.

"We have not received any reports of property damage. We did have a few calls reporting downed lines or trees. Once again, we were blessed throughout this event," said Joey Fowler, Tift County public safety director.

The City of Tifton reported a downed power line and tree in the 1000 block of Goff Street. The Tifton Fire Department blocked the road from traffic as Georgia Power workers cleared the line.

There were other reports of downed limbs and minor damage around the area. Local schools were closed Tuesday, and many local businesses and offices either closed or operated on a curtailed schedule as the storm passed through.

Scattered power outages were reported throughout the local area but were addressed relatively quickly during the day. WSWG-TV 44 experienced a power outage briefly at its transmitter site Tuesday morning.

While a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch were issued for the Tiftarea, the storm hit harder in other nearby areas. Suspected tornadoes caused damage in Arlington and Nichols, and in other areas in Coffee, Bacon, and Calhoun counties.

There was at least one storm-related death in Georgia; a man was killed when a tree fell on his vehicle during gusty winds on Highway 54 in Jonesboro. Officials say there have been at least three deaths from the storm around the South.

Suspected tornado damage was seen from Louisiana through Florida and into North and South Carolina. Marianna and Panama City Beach, Fla., were hit hard, as was Bamberg, S.C.

NEW CITY COUNCILMAN SEATED IN TIFTON

Michael Franks, left, is surrounded by family members as he takes the oath of office Monday night as a member of Tifton City Council.

Franks represents District 2 and was elected to the seat in November.

He succeeds Jack Folk Jr., who did not seek re-election to City Council.

TIFTON STREET PAVING TO BEGIN BY SUMMER, CITY MANAGER SAYS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Paving of several streets within the City of Tifton should be underway by this summer after infrastructure improvements are completed, Tifton City Council was told Monday.

Water-line replacement work along Central Avenue is "wrapping up in 90 days," said City Manager Emily Beeman.

"We should expect to see some movement by the early summer on the paving of these streets once infrastructure is fixed underneath," she said.

Beeman ticked off a list of streets approved in 2022 to be paved under the state Local Maintenance Improvement Grant (LMIG) program. The city has three years to use the funds for the paving project, and Beeman said the paving was delayed because of infrastructure work below some of the streets.

Among streets scheduled to be paved this year are: 22nd Street, Larkin Avenue, O'Quinn Road, Edgefield Drive, Greenfield Drive, Alder Street, 15th Street, Tift Avenue and Central Avenue (both from Second Street to 12th Street), Murray Avenue, Woodruff Street, Florida Drive, Prince Avenue, 18th Street, 6 1/2 Street, Davis Avenue, Hunt Road, Belleview Circle, Harlan Street, Hargaret Street, and Commerce Way from U.S. Highway 82 to Central Avenue.

Beeman also told City Council that several local projects are proposed in the regional plan under Georgia’s Transportation Investment Act –TIA2 projects to be on the ballot this spring. These projects include paving Tifton Eldorado Road, Kent Road, Eighth Street to Ferry Lake Road, and widening King Road.

The state's TIA program provides a process for regions to fund community-selected transportation infrastructure projects through a voter-approved one-cent sales tax.

Also Monday night, the newly elected and re-elected City Council members were administered the oath of office. Micheal Franks was seated as the District 2 councilman, and Mayor Julie B. Smith and Councilman M. Jay Hall began another term after their re-election in November.

City Council selected Councilman Josh Reynolds to serve as vice mayor, who represents the mayor's office when the mayor is unavailable. Every two years, Council votes for the vice mayor among its own members.

At Monday's meeting, Councilman M. Jay Hall nominated himself for vice mayor.

"I make a motion to appoint M. Jay Hall, District 4, as vice mayor," said Councilman M. Jay Hall.

His motion, however, failed for lack of a second. Councilman Lester Cromer Jr. then moved that Reynolds be appointed vice mayor, and that motion was approved unanimously.

FULWOOD PLAYGROUND EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN 2 WEEKS

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

The playground construction at Fulwood Park should be completed within two weeks, weather permitting, says Tifton City Manager Emily Beeman.

“I’m so excited to see this come together and have an all-inclusive playground,” Beeman told the Tifton Grapevine. “It’s going to be a great start to upgrading Fulwood Park altogether.”

Last June, City Council awarded a $650,000 contract to Bliss Products & Services of Lithia Springs for the playground design and installation. The Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association allocated $250,000 in tourism product development funds for the project with the remainder coming from the city.

Plans include “special-needs features” such as "sensory play items,” ramps, swings, and a merry-go-round that are wheelchair accessible, as well as a short “zip line” with a full harness. The swing set includes a “mom-and-dad” swing next to one for a young child, along with a harness swing and bucket swing.

The surface is poured-in-place rubber that looks like turf, which is not only child-friendly but will alleviate current drainage issues at the site. The refurbished playground will include shaded areas for protection from the South Georgia sun.

Metal pieces from the old playground were sent to recycling, and the plastic was sent to the landfill, Beeman said.

UGA WATER WORK WILL TEMPORARILY CLOSE RAINWATER ROAD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Rainwater Road will be closed to through traffic on Wednesday, Jan. 10, as the University of Georgia Tifton Campus upgrades the water infrastructure on campus.

To facilitate connection with the city water main, Rainwater Road will be closed to through traffic from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. During the scheduled road closure, all vehicular traffic through UGA-Tifton will be diverted around campus on Moore Highway to Davis Road to Thornhill Road.

The work had been planned for Tuesday but was deferred until Wednesday because of weather.

UGA Tifton Assistant Dean Michael Toews said the first phase of the water infrastructure project includes installation of 700 feet of new pipe adjacent to Plant Science Drive from Rainwater Road to Bermuda Drive.

“Crews will be burying a new 10-inch PVC water line to greatly improve fire protection and domestic water delivery on campus,” Toews said.

During the next three years, the entire water delivery system at UGA Tifton will be replaced.

The project's site engineer is Koons Environmental Design Inc. Sheridan Construction is the general contractor, and Zane Grace Construction Inc. is the subcontractor for the project.

The current phase started Dec. 17 and will be completed at the end of January, Toews said.

ANNUAL MLK DAY BREAKFAST

RETURNS JAN. 15

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Once again, PLIGHT Inc. is presenting the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 15, at the Tift County Recreation Department gym on Victory Drive.

Tickets are $15 each or a table may be reserved for $150. Anyone needing to purchase a ticket may contact Clara Love Gray at 229-386-4499, Melissa Hughes at 229-326-0241, or any PLIGHT member.

PLIGHT stands for "Proud Loving Individuals Giving a Hand to Teens." The organization has been sponsoring the Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast in Tifton for more than 30 years.

This year's keynote speaker will be Pastor Ronnie B. Brinson Jr., pastor of Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, “The Mount,” in Sparks and founder of The Mount Church of Tifton, which he established in September. His presentation is entitled “It Starts with Me, Spreading Hope, Courage, and Unity.”

A member of Morning Star Baptist Church in Valdosta, Brinson accepted the call into ministry and was licensed on May 26, 2013. He received a bachelor’s degree from Grand Canyon University and a master’s in elementary education.

He is employed by the Colquitt County Board of Education as a third-grade teacher. He also serves as the worship leader for the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia as well as the youth director for its 11th District.

USDA FARM SERVICE AGENCY HOLDING LOAN INFO SESSIONS IN TIFTON, MOULTRIE

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) is hosting farm loan information sessions locally this month, according to U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton.

At 10 a.m. Jan. 17, state FSA Executive Director Arthur Tripp Jr. will discuss FSA capital assistance options at the Tift County USDA Service Center at 1468 Carpenter Road S.

At 2 p.m. Jan. 18, Tripp will hold another information session at the Colquitt County USDA Service Center, 350 Veterans Parkway N., Building 3, in Moultrie.

To RSVP for one of the sessions or to contact the USDA with questions, email GAOutreach@usda.gov

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

"Confetti" is a real "party animal." This girl can turn any day into a celebration. Come visit Confetti and see other pets available for adoption between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

DAILY TRAIN SERVICE BEGINS

BETWEEN TIFTON AND VALDOSTA

~ JAN. 10, 1916

New train service began on Jan. 10, 1916, between Tifton and Valdosta. The train, known as No. 7, left Tifton at 7 a.m. daily, arriving in Valdosta by 9 a.m. It then would leave Valdosta at 5:15 p.m. and return to Tifton at 6:40 p.m., according to press reports of the time.