2010 Holds Many Good Memories

A look through the pages of The Monticello News for 2010 reveals a good number of positive things happening in this community, in spite of those bad things that always make the news—such as fires, automobile accidents, bickering politicians, and the like.

One big plus for this community that came alive this year is the Jasper County Community Food Bank. This is a new resource to help those families or individuals in need of good nourishing food.

Currently there is a monthly distribution, with plans afoot to stock a food pantry to help as soon as the help is needed.

Several churches in the community have pledged monthly support to the food bank, and volunteers man it. Juanita Davis is volunteer coordinator, and has worked wonders organizing the volunteers, the finances and helping those in need.

As the community has worked together to bring this vision to fruition, another vision is forming. A community health clinic is planned, and could be part of the news of 2011.

Other exciting events in Jasper County included the local private school Piedmont Academy’s football team winning the state championship. Fall in the south is defined by football, and the Cougars went undefeated throughout the regular season and then the playoffs to become state champions, a first in the school’s 40+ year history.

And Jasper County showed out in more than one sport. The youth recreation team Dixie Belles went to the national championship playoffs during the summer. They did not win, but it was great to see the community rally around them to make them able to go and enjoy the experience.
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Other local school teams also excelled at various sports as reported in these pages. The Jasper County All-Stars basketball teams, led by Rufus Whitlock, excelled as did other teams.

Also of particular note in 2010 was the election of one of our own as state representative. Susan Holmes, former mayor of Monticello, was elected to fill the seat vacated by Jim Cole of Forsyth. As Republicans took over political offices across the country, Jasper had two local ladies vying for the post, with Mrs. Holmes winning the Republican nomination then defeating Democratic nominee David Gault in the general election.

The Jasper County Mentor Program showed up on the pages of The Monticello News every few weeks as mentors visited with children to make their lives more fulfilling. The program had a change in facilitator, with Jehan El-Jourbagy taking over, and she continues to seek volunteers to serve as mentors for these children.

Children were also the focus of the newspaper numerous times as Girl Scout and Boy Scout news was reported frequently, and one Boy Scout, Will Wade, even achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Long-time Scout Leader Billy Phillips was also recognized for his time and dedication, earning the Silver Beaver award. In addition, Steve Jordan was awarded the Golden Eagle for his support of Scouting.
People throughout the county joined together to achieve a more accurate census count, with leaders from many agencies and different walks of life taking part in gathering the census numbers, and encouraging everyone to be counted.

It even helped the local unemployment rate briefly as a number of jobless individuals were able to work a few weeks with the census.
Readers of The Monticello News were delighted to view the nature photography works submitted by amateur photographers throughout the county. The first annual nature photography contest, sponsored by Jordan Funeral Home and The Monticello News, attracted much interest, making the judges’ decisions very hard. The second contest is currently under way.

The Deer Capital LLC group that began in 2009 saw its presence grow with new members and more interest in heritage, conservation and education, as its motto says. The group recognizes Jasper County already has the genetics and the basis for some of the best deer for miles around, and wants to encourage hunters, landowners and others to manage their property and crops, as well as their hunting, to grow more trophy deer, making Jasper County a destination for many hunters, thereby bringing tourist dollars into the county.

Another tourist attraction was the My Cousin Vinny skit that was performed for a busload of tourists from out of state. A few tourists and more than a few local also enjoyed concerts by a group of volunteers who have joined together to form the Monticello Community Band. Those musicians entertained at a spring concert, the Fourth of July, and for Christmas.

Many groups in the local schools excelled, with members of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competing at the national level. Both Piedmont Academy and Jasper County High School continue to excel in literary events.

Trevor Wilson, a student at Piedmont Academy was named the county’s STAR student, and Christopher Kelly, a student at Jasper County High School chose to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The public school saw many new faces this year that will lead the system through any trials, and hopefully make this system the best around. Dr. Mike Newton was hired as school superintendent and Eric Arena came aboard as assistant superintendent. In addition, Shawne Holder is now the principal at Washington Park Elementary School.

All three already called Jasper County home before they were employed in their new positions.

Former Washington Park Principal Tony Tanner now serves as headmaster at Piedmont Academy.

Also, voters approved an extension of the current sales tax to pay off bonds used to build the new high school that was completed in 2007.

In addition, former Piedmont Academy coach Kenny Roberts took the reins at a new school in the county—Shiloh Christian Academy. Associated with Shiloh Baptist Church, the school has begun small, but is expected to grow, just like recreation programs at the church have.

The schools were not the only places that new faces showed up. Jasper County saw one county manager, Dennis Recker, come and go, and is now working with a new county manager, Greg Wood, at the helm.

The county also hired an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) director, Jeff Bratcher, a recreation director, Wes Chester, and a new Public Works Department (PWD) director, Will Brown. And this week Jasperites will see the end of a familiar face in the county, long-time County Clerk Betty Moon will retire effective the end of the year.

The county celebrated when Marty Brownlee of Turtle Cove came home after being wounded in Afghanistan. A patriotic celebration was held in his honor last winter, then another patriotic celebration took place on Flag Day. In addition, Jasper County native Nathan Stone was awarded the Bronze Star for his efforts in the conflict in Afghanistan.

It wasn’t all good news of course, with Jasper experiencing its share of heartache and tragedy.

Too many lives were lost in automobile accidents in the county this year—one on a snowy winter night in February, another on Jackson Lake Road with some discussion as to the condition of the road being partially to blame, and two more on a clear night in November. Those lives, and others, along with many, injuries should serve to remind us how dangerous an automobile can be, and encourage us to drive with care at all times. Jasper seems to have a disproportionate number of wrecks for a county its size.

In addition an agent with the U.S. Forest Service lost his life when he was mistaken for wildlife and shot and killed at an area in the national forest.

A small plane crashed in October at the Garvey airstrip near Hwy. 212 west of Monticello, killing the pilot and his son.
An elderly woman died in a fire at her home, causing heartbreak to her family. They were encouraged though by the outpouring of care from friends and neighbors in cleaning up from the catastrophe and taking care of those left behind.

With the local economy suffering like that nationwide, the county commissioners spent a lot of time discussing budget. They began the year without a balanced budget, and just approved a balanced budget for 2011 earlier this month.

The city of Monticello struggled with finances, and made the decision to do away with the Monticello Police Department. That action caused some consternation between the city and the county, with the city saying it was the county’s job to patrol the city, and the county saying no, it must be paid.

The debate went on, and the police force was shortened immensely. Then the sheriff gave a price tag to the city for the county to take over, and the city decided to keep its police force, albeit smaller than it had been previously.

The weather made news several times, with the year beginning with snow and extreme low temperatures, then December seeing temperatures drop into the teens before winter officially began. In February it was rains, not freezing temperatures that caused property damage and made many roads impassable. And those rains were followed by snow.

People in Monticello did not only face the dilemma of its police force being taken away, many saw record high utility bills. The extreme cold weather caused many people to see bills higher than ever. The council agreed not to raise electric rates although money was needed to balance the budget. The city is currently in the process of changing out old meters to new ones that can be read electronically, again causing residents concern.