Friday, June 23, 2023

Tifton, Georgia

IHeardIt@tiftongrapevine.com ~ 478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

To SUBSCRIBE, Click Here!

Tifton City Council on Tuesday approves a refurbished playground at Fulwood Park that will be handicap-accessible. The new equipment could be installed by October.

CITY OK's NEW PLAYGROUND AT FULWOOD PARK

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

With little comment, Tifton City Council on Tuesday approved plans for a renovated, modern playground at Fulwood Park.

The “inclusive” playground also would be accessible to physically handicapped children. Officials say the project could be completed within three and a half months.

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

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, council voted 3-2 to purchase a fire truck for $480,000, paying the total at once. Councilmen Jack Folk and M. Jay Hall voted against paying the total cost upfront and suggested using a lease agreement through the Georgia Municipal Association.

Folk, the vice mayor, said the lease would cost the city less and would be “a lower interest rate than we are receiving for money in the bank. ... What is the rationale for giving away money? That’s what you’re doing. That is the worse financial decision I have seen in a long time."

Mayor Julie B. Smith said she wasn’t particularly wedded to either leasing or buying the fire truck outright. ”I’m in favor of saving money where we can, but also not accruing any more debt. To pay for it seems plausible to me."

“There’s good debt and there’s bad debt,” Folk responded. “We’re giving away money."

Smith and Councilmen Lester Cromer and Josh Reynolds voted to pay upfront for the truck.

City Council also approved the city’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget. The total budget with enterprise and capital items is $72.9 million, a $19 million increase from the past year.

'GREAT RACE/ROCK THE BLOCK' TO ROCK DOWNTOWN SATURDAY

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

A big weekend is planned in Downtown Tifton as "The Great Race” returns to the Friendly City along with the “Rock the Block” summer celebration.

On Saturday, Tifton hosts the first overnight stop on the 2023 Great Race, the world’s premier old car rally bringing more than 120 antique automobiles to downtown.

The first car is scheduled to roll onto Main Street at 4:45 p.m. Opening ceremonies will begin at 4:30 p.m.

The race starts Saturday in St. Augustine, Fla., and finishes in Colorado Springs, Colo., on July 2. The nine-day, 2,300-mile adventure is not a speed race, but a time-speed-distance rally.

The vehicles, each with a driver and navigator, are given precise instructions each day that detail every move down to the second. They are scored at secret checkpoints along the way and are penalized one second for each second either early or late. As in golf, the lowest score wins.

No GPS, smartphones, or maps are allowed to be used.

“We are thrilled to have the Great Race teams back in Tifton. We were named 'Favorite Overnight Stop' in 2017 when we first hosted this group. We’ve got plans to wow them again with our Southern hospitality,” said event coordinator Angela Elder of the Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association.

Tifton will be the race’s only overnight stop in Georgia.

Along with the Great Race in town, the annual Rock the Block celebration will include live music from the Velcro Pygmies and Kason Layne Band. There will also be kids activities such as bouncy houses, inflatable slides, a foam party along with eight food trucks.

The event is free and lasts until 10 p.m.

The Ashburn-Turner County landmark ‘Big Peanut’ has now been refurbished alongside Interstate 75.

ASHBURN'S 'BIG PEANUT' WELCOMES TRAVELERS ONCE AGAIN

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

For nearly five years, Ashburn’s landmark “Big Peanut” has been missing from its pedestal along Interstate 75.

In October 2018, Hurricane Michael walloped South Georgia, knocking down and damaging the Turner County icon. But through many crowd-sourced donations from local folks and others, the Big Peanut is back bigger and better than ever.

The recreated peanut was recently placed on its base, and a rededication ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 20. The total restoration cost approached $70,000.

The 20-foot tall big peanut, built atop a crown on a brick base in 1975, was named the state’s official peanut monument in 1998. Because of that designation, state Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele, was able to obtain $55,000 from the state, and the remainder was raised with help from the Turner County Young Farmer’s Association, Ag Georgia Farm Credit, the Turner County Arts Council, the Georgia Peanut Commission, and the Ashburn-Turner County Chamber of Commerce.

Local craftsmen from a Turner County company, Sercer Machine & Fabrication of Rebecca, replicated the peanut, retaining its shape and making it just a bit bigger atop its existing base.

“The City of Ashburn and Turner County worked together to make this happen, along with the community – the Chamber of Commerce, Young Farmers, and other organizations,” Sen. Summers previously told the Tifton Grapevine.

“This just shows what can happen when a city and county and all the players come together for a common cause,” Summers said.

TIFTAREA UNEMPLOYMENT INCREASES DURING MAY

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The unemployment rate rose during May throughout the Tiftarea, echoing a trend across the state.

Tift County recorded a 3.2% jobless rate in May, up from 2.4% during April, the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) reported Thursday. All area counties also saw significant increases in joblessness.

Tift County’s labor force – the number of people who are employed or are unemployed and seeking employment – was at 20,809 during the month, which is 512 lower than last year, according to GDOL data.

May's jobless rates in area counties versus the previous month's rates were: Turner, 4.6% vs. 3.9%; Worth, 3.4% vs. 2.7%; Irwin, 4.0% vs. 3.2%; Cook, 3.4% vs. 2.6%; Berrien, 3.6% vs. 2.8%; and Ben Hill, 4.6% vs. 3.9%.

The statewide unemployment rate in May was 3.2%, up one-tenth from a revised 3.1% in April, the GDOL reported. The national jobless rate was 3.7%.

"Despite a slight uptick in Georgia’s unemployment rate, claims were down over the month with jobs hitting another all-time high," said state Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson.

"While it is too early to tell if we are on the verge of an economic correction, my administration will closely monitor our state's unemployment numbers for any emerging trends."

Jobs statewide were up by 14,600 (0.3%) over the month and up by 118,100 (2.5%) over last year to 4,908,500, an all-time high. Job numbers were at an all-time high in private education and health services, 661,800; leisure and hospitality, 521,100; and financial activities, 281,600, the GDOL said.

HESTER

MILLER

THOMAS

SRTC NAMES ACADEMIC DEANS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Southern Regional Technical College recently named three new deans for academic affairs.

Bobbie Hester of Adel is the new dean for Nursing, Mason Miller of Cairo is the new interim dean for the School of Industrial Technology, and Adriane Thomas of Albany is the new dean for the School of Business.

In their new roles, the deans are responsible for both administrative and instructional tasks, as well as planning, evaluation, and supervision for all programs within their respective areas.

Tifton’s Locally Owned Digital Newspaper

To Subscribe, Click Here!

Your free subscription allows you to receive our MidWeek and Weekender editions in your in-box, along with occasional Sponsored Editions.

Your subscription is free because of the support of local advertisers.

Please support the businesses and organizations who make this possible.

To Contact Us, Call 478-227-7126

COVID-19 data released from the

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of June 21:

TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 6,948 ..................................... TOTAL TIFT DEATHS: 177

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 8 ....................................... DEATHS - Past week: 0

CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 28

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 69

_______________________________________________________________

GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,366,598.

GEORGIA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 1 week: 1,402

TOTAL GA DEATHS: 35,453 ....................................................... GA DEATHS - 1 week: 9

YOUR GUIDE TO ACTIVITIES THIS WEEKEND IN

THE TIFTAREA

Sunday, June 25, is Global Beatles Day, celebrating the “Fab Four” who changed popular music as well as culture in the 1960s.

On June 25, 1967, The Beatles performed a new song, "All You Need Is Love," to 400 million people via the first live, global TV link. The broadcast reached 26 countries simultaneously.

SATURDAY, JUNE 24

Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-noon, Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
Great Race/Rock the Block, 4-10 p.m., Downtown Tifton

ADVERTISE

YOUR

YARD SALE HERE!

TO ADVERTISE YOUR

RESIDENTIAL YARD SALE,

yardsales@tiftongrapevine.com

or 478-227-7126

Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S DOG OF THE WEEK

“Skylar,” a female pooch, is ready for a new home. To adopt Skylar and to see other pets available for adoption, visit the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South, open between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For additional information, call 229-382-PETS (7387).