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Our Division 5 Lt. Gov. Lacey Pieczarka traveled over from Bainbridge to officiate the installation of our new officers and directors on September 25.

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Last Monday night, September 25, at the Hilton Garden Inn we installed new officers and directors for the 2017-18 year. Shown from left are David Shivers, president-elect; Jo Ann Wright, treasurer; Tommy Padgett, director; Glenn Dowling, director; Jamie Bertram, director; Jim Bullion, president; Greg Fullerton, immediate past president; Barbi Fisher, director; Gayla Bentley, vice president; and Debbie Blanton, director. (Photo by Kristin Caso)

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Mike Elder, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital’s top cybersecurity official and  a member of Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County spoke to the club on August 7 about his job and and the measures the hospital takes to protect the sensitive health and financial patient information.  (Photo by David Shivers)

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Our July 10 program featured the Albany Symphony Orchestra’s conductor Dr. Clare Fox Hillard, who spoke to us about the orchestra’s mission, goals, and upcoming season. Accompanying him to the meeting was Joelle Fryman, who recently succeeded Mari Wright as the ASO’s executive director. Dr. Hillard is shown speaking with Gayla Bentley, and Joelle Fryman is being greeted by Liz Rich. (Photos by David Shivers)

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Some scenes from the May 8 Art Contest Awards Luncheon,

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TOP PHOTO: Monroe High School Principal Vinson Davis tells Kiwanis of Dougherty members about the progress made at the school over the last four years. (Photos by David Shivers)

BOTTOM: Vinson Davis (left) and Kiwanian Larry Perkins talk following Davis’s presentation.

The Dougherty County School System’s Monroe High School has made great strides forward, the school’s principal said on May 1.

Principal Vinson Davis told the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County that since 2013, when he arrived there as principal after serving eight years as assistant principal and principal at Radium Springs Middle School, school performance and graduation rates have improved  from worst to first in the school district.

“In 2013 we had a dropout rate of about 85 students. Even more significant, about 54 were 9th grade students. What’s really significant about that is that many young people (were) without a path to a quality career, so we had a significant challenge ahead of us,” said Davis.

Fast forward, he said, “to where we are now. Last year we had 29 dropouts with only one of those being a 9thgrade student.”

One key to that is a focus on literacy, he noted. Children who start school at age 5 can already be behind their classmates if they have not been to daycare, pre-school, or even been read to at home.

“In the 9th and 10th grades,” Davis, “if a kid comes in and they’re reading at a 4th grade level, we don’t just say, ‘Okay, do what you can.’ Now we have options available to catch kids up with reading. We do the same thing with math. When you look across the southwest region with priority schools, in 2013 we had the lowest algebra and geometry scores in the region. Monroe is a priority school. Now we have the highest.”

Through a three-year, $3 million School Improvement Grant, a lot of money was spent on teacher quality and training. Cutting-edge technology was also purchased, said the principal.

“Now at Monroe High School we have 911 simulators” similar to what is used in real life at the Dougherty County 911 center. There are also engineering classes including robotics and Autocad and 3D printers for drafting and technology, “so now our kids can take it from print to practice, from screen to reality.

“So not only can we get our kids graduated, we can get them graduated with job skills so they can go right to work. That’s very important, that our kids leave school not just graduated from high school with a diploma, but they have a track, a career option.”

The priority, said Davis, “is two-fold: Number one is to be a good steward of the taxpayers’ dollars. Whether it’s grant funds or local funds, we have to produce the very best we can do at Monroe High School. The second is to make sure our kids land on their feet. We have to position them where they have a job skill or they’re prepared to go to college.”

Currently, about 122 students are participating in “Move on When Ready”, the dual-enrollment option with Albany Tech, Albany State University, or ASU West (formerly Darton College). Completing two years of college credits while still in high school enables students to enter college full-time as juniors.

“It’s really an optimal situation for kids to take advantage of,” said Davis. “We’re really pushing that, hoping that gets a lot of our kids to college early.”

Monroe High’s current enrollment is about 950, Davis said. If Albany High School is closed to students, as is currently being proposed, Monroe is prepared for an influx of additional pupils, he added. Also, a feeder school to Monroe, Southside Middle, is being repurposed as the Commodore Conyers College and Career Academy. Nevertheless, according to the principal, “We’re excited about how we’ll move forward. The main thing is to have the right support system in place.”

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Lakisha Bryant Bruce of United Way spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County on April 10 about how United Way works in Albany and Southwest Georgia through various nonprofit organizations and the four "building blocks for life" that undergird its mission: health, education, basic needs, and financial stability. Member organizations must meet criteria for one or more of those categories and must show demonstrable proof of a "return on investment," or how United Way's contributions are being spent "It's not about giving to the have-nots," said Bruce. "It's about helping people to get the skills they need to stand on their own." United Way is also continuing to help people connect with assistance following the devastating January storms and maintaining connection with city and county governments to ensure the voice of nonprofits is being heard at that level, she added. Also pictured, Bruce and Boys & Girls Clubs executive director Marvin Laster visit after the meeting. The Boys & Girls Clubs is just one of the many entities supported by United Way. (Photos by David Shivers)

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Albany State University President Dr. Art Dunning (top photo) and construction project manager Robert Ward (center photo) spoke to our club on March 27 about the construction and functional mission of the university’s new Fine Arts Center, set to open by fall of this year.The center house facilities for all aspects of art, from performance of song or music to visual arts including a range of media from painting and sculpture to ceramics, welding, and woodworking. In the bottom photo, Larry Price welcomes Dr. Dunning following the meeting.

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Paula Williams (top photo), executive director of the Albany Museum of Art, spoke to our club on Feb. 20 about the damage to the museum from the winds and tornado of Jan. 2 and 22. While a heavy toll was taken on the museum, she said the art collection and works on loan escaped irreparable damage, but the building may require up to a year before reopening to the public. ln the bottom photo, club member Kent McClure, an architect, discusses building issues with Williams. (Photos by David Shivers).

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The Southwest Georgia Home School Association Key Club was the recipient on January 30 of $1,500 gift from Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County. Darlene Butler, Key Club liaison, accepted the check from our club president, Greg Fullerton.

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PHOTOS

TOP: Invision Technologies’ Jay Carpenter displays a model of security camera that is becoming more and more popular with homeowners. (Photos by David Shivers)

BOTTOM: Carpenter and Kiwanis DoCo member Jamie Bertram talk after the meeting’s conclusion.

In our era of ever-increasing technology, video surveillance has become nearly ubiquitous as security cameras cast a silent eye over homes, businesses, and public areas. In fact, according to Jay Carpenter of Invision Technologies, law enforcement has come to regard it as a necessary tool for successful arrests and prosecutions.

Carpenter spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County on December 5 and related a conversation he had with Lee County Sheriff Reggie Rachals. Carpenter said he asked the veteran law officer, “’How important is video surveillance to law enforcement?’ He said it’s imperative. It kind of holds true to the saying ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ And we’re seeing that more and more and more today. It’s getting to the point where prosecution is becoming difficult, to prosecute a potential thief or burglar without video evidence.”

Full surveillance systems are not just for businesses any more, Carpenter indicated. Initially primarily used in the military, evolving technology and volume of technology have made them more affordable.

“It’s come to the point where people are actually putting full surveillance systems around their house,” he said. “Even in the short time, the 20 years I’ve been in the security industry (Carpenter was formerly with ADT), to see the evolution from what security cameras started with to where they are today, it’s astounding.”

Security cameras used to record footage on VHS tapes; now everything is digital and images are saved to a hard drive. There are two types of surveillance systems, said Carpenter: cloud-based storage and on-premises storage. Cloud-based means the recorded footage is transmitted to a storage server off site. Premise-based footage is saved to a hard drive or DVR (digital video recorder) on the actual premises.

In an aside, Carpenter noted that Amazon’s cloud storage system “is so secure, the CIA contracts with them Kind of a neat little fact. So that’s all a cloud is, it’s a remote storage area.”

Both types of system “do a great job,” said Carpenter. The main asset of the cloud is its ability to record up-to-30-second video clips, as well as take still images, that can be accessed by cellphone or computer. “It is dependent on Wi-Fi. It’s got to have that secure connection.”

To avoid recording all of the time and slowing down an internet upload with too much information, the cameras can have a sensor triggered by motion, said Carpenter, such as an interface with doors or a built-in motion detector.

Carpenter displayed a camera model he has at his own house. “I have it aimed at my pickup truck. Why? What’s one of the most frequent things we hear about in Albany? Vehicle break-ins.” The cameras are good because they don’t have to be wired in; they can communicate wirelessly.

“These are really, really good applications for residential use,” he added.

Once surveillance cameras are installed, Carpenter recommended, there should be due diligence in changing the username and password. Some people stick with username “ABCD” and a password “1-2-3-4“. “When we install cameras, we encourage the password be changed,” he said.

The higher the resolution a camera provides, the sharper the image it records.

“Every image you have is made up of megapixels,” said Carpenter. “When you hear the term 10ADP, that’s made up of horizontal line resolutions, or pixels. As you go higher and higher in megapixels that’s more information.”

But, “As we go up in size, we put more and more information in that video program, and it requires more storage space on a hard drive,” so suppliers have been increasing that. “A terabyte is a thousand gigabytes. That’s the (kind of) growth you’re now seeing.” And network speeds are getting faster and faster to transfer large, high-resolution photos or video files.

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PHOTOS

TOP: Nicole Williams, executive director of the Albany Area Arts Council, talks to Kiwanis of Dougherty members about the importance of culture to the local community. (Photos by David Shivers)

BOTTOM: Nicole Williams and Dr. Price Corr discuss the Albany arts scene after the Kiwanis of Dougherty program.

A large portion of the Albany-Dougherty County community is unaware of the opportunities available here for cultural activities, according to Albany Area Arts Council Executive Director Nicole Williams.

Williams told the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County on November 28 that many people “have no idea of all the things they could go and do and see and be a part of, so I have made it my mission to do whatever I could to get the message out about what people can do here in our hometown.”

The Arts Council is actually an umbrella organization comprised of several cultural entities: the Albany Civil Rights Institute, the Albany Museum of Art, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the Albany Chorale, the Georgia Artists Guild of Albany, Theatre Albany, and Thronateeska Heritage Center.

Williams, a Blakely native who came to work for the arts council in 2014 and is married to Albany State University visual arts professor Charles “Chaz” Williams, said, “As director of the arts council it is my duty to advance our mission by any suitable means. I’ve found that acting as public relations investor to the arts council and as liaison to the council’s member organizations is the best way I can serve our community at large.”

Williams offered a brief preview of upcoming events for the  various organizations: the Arts Council, Dougherty County elementary schools art exhibition, on display now through January; Albany Civil Rights Institute Community Night, Dec. 22, 6:30 p.m., featuring special guest Sen. Freddie Powell-Sims; the Albany Museum of Art monthly children’s art activities and current Howard Finster folk art exhibit (through February 25); the Albany Symphony Orchestra’s next concert, “A Romantic Evening”, is set for Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Albany Municipal Auditorium; the Albany Chorale will perform “Holiday Favorites” on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. at First United Methodist Church; and Theatre Albany’s production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” will debut December 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the theatre on Pine Avenue.

As for Thronateeska Heritage Center, Williams said, “They have a ton of stuff going on. I couldn’t even begin to tell you all the programs that they have,” including the museum, the Wetherbee Planetarium, and the Flint Riverquarium.

Williams said, “Personally, I am very interested in the arts and their impact on the human brain, especially education and the impact on critical thinking.” When the arts council hosts local and regional at its headquarters in the former Carnegie Library on North Jackson Street, “We try to make sure those exhibitions have an emphasis on educational relevance. Our college art exhibition features works from Albany State University, Darton State College, and Valdosta State University. We’re constantly trying to involve art education (outlets) through our gallery exhibitions.”

In a funding campaign letter to local arts patrons, then-AAAC president J.D. Sumner wrote, “It’s been shown that arts programs and organizations in communities improve the quality of life of its citizens; they help build relationships across age ranges, cultural identities, and socio-economic levels. In children, exposure to the arts stimulates parts of the brain that improve other academic areas like language and math.”

The number of visitors to the arts council building continues to grow, according to Williams. In the first quarter of 2015, 750 visitors were recorded. The same period in 2016 saw 945 guests come through door.

“We’re definitely getting more people in and increasing the amount of people we’re reaching,” Williams said.

Part of the outreach efforts is the AAAC’s Text Market Club, an effort to reach a younger audience. Texts, said Williams, “are easier to share, so the member organizations of the arts council have come together to create a text marketing campaign.” It serves as an avenue to send out event reminders and raise awareness in people. Anyone interested can sign up by texting #AAAC to 51660.

The arts council has a goal to assist as it can in downtown redevelopment efforts. “The building location provides a nice opportunity for partnership with the city of Albany,” said Williams. “The arts council is well-placed to help with that.”

On a day to day basis, Williams said, “When I’m not greeting people who come in or visiting with patrons, I manage the business of the arts council, which includes everything from banking and account management to activity and event planning, fundraising and program development,” as well as building management needs.

Fundraising is a major and necessary component to the arts council’s operations. “Fundraising is a big part of what we do,” said Williams. “What you’re doing is helping us support culture in our community inn all of these capacities that I mentioned. We try to be really careful about how we spend money and make it go as far as possible.” The council’s annual joint fundraiser with the Sowega Council on Aging is coming up on January 18, featuring pottery created by local artisans.

In addition to hosting arts council events, the former Carnegie Library is available for rent for special occasions, with a capacity of about 100 for receptions or 50 or so for a sit-down dinner, said Williams.

Williams encouraged active involvement in the local cultural scene. “We are always looking for board members, active people who want to be part of shaping the culture in our community.” Anyone interested in getting involved can give Williams a call or talk to a board member.

“We’re always open to suggestions,” she stated.

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PHOTOS

TOP: Angie Barber of the Phoebe Network of Trust speaks to the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County about the network’s mission. (Photo by David Shivers)

BOTTOM: Angie Barber (center) poses with Reba Stewart and Alan Greer after her Kiwanis presentation. (Photo by David Shivers)

The Phoebe Network of Trust school health program was begun more than 20 years, ago when Albany was rated as having one of the highest incidences of teen pregnancies in the United States.

In 2009, the program received an award from the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy for its efforts to decrease the teen pregnancy rate in Southwest Georgia. This followed recognition in 1998 that awarded Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital the American Hospital Association’s NOVA award for creative solution to community health challenges.

Recently, the network’s director, Angie Barber, told the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County that while preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and promoting healthy babies and mothers remain a focus, the mission has evolved into introducing young people to an overall healthy lifestyle, from nutritious diet choices and school gardening to good dental habits and regular hand-washing to maintain health.

There has been a significant decrease in teen pregnancies in the region in the last 20 years, according to Barber, “and that’s borne by national research and not just because I say so.”

In her introduction, Kiwanis DoCo immediate past president Kristin Caso described Barber as “just a really valuable member of our community.”

The Network of Trust, funded in part by Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, works in partnerships with school systems in Calhoun, Dougherty, Lee, Terrell, and Worth counties as well as Albany State University, Albany Technical College, local OB/GYN and pediatric offices, Family Literacy Connection, and the Dougherty County Health Department, among others.

The Phoebe Network of Trust also partners with the Kohls Cares program, by which sales proceeds from certain items at Kohls stores are donated to kids’ health and education initiatives. Since 2011, said Barber, more than $60,000 has been gifted to Phoebe.

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PHOTOS

Top: Dr. Meredith Koomson speaks to Kiwanis of Dougherty member about the role of the primary care physician in overall health care. (Photos by David Shivers)

Middle: Dr. Koomson and Irma Whitten have a conversation after the program’s conclusion.

Bottom: Dr. Doug Lorber and Dr. Koomson discuss medical care topics.

Our program on Monday, November14, was brought by Dr. Meredith Koomson, who moved to Albany in July and is a practicing internist at Tower Medical Group of Phoebe Putney Health System.

Dr. Koomson spoke about the importance of having a primary care physician as an entry point to the health care system. Primary care physicians can refer to specialists if needed but also have the ability to provide ongoing care for chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and others.

“Your primary care physician really can manage a lot of these conditions,” she said. He or she “can actually know what’s going on with you, as opposed to the random person walking into an emergency unit or an urgent care center.”

The primary care physician can track your health progress or issues on an ongoing basis as well as provide a central base for prescription records. They are also involved in preventive care efforts and education.

As a patient ages the primary care physician can also advise on medical procedures or vaccinations that may become appropriate.

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PHOTO CAPTIONS

Top: Chris Hatcher gives highlights of the Commodore Conyers College & Career Academy to Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County members. (Photos by David Shivers)

Middle: CCCCA CEO Chris Hatcher and Dr. Price Corr discuss the academy after the Kiwanis of Dougherty County meeting. (Photos by David Shivers)

Bottom: Sammi Harewood presents the children’s book of the week to Chris Hatcher for his autograph.

The Commodore Conyers College and Career Academy is on the cusp of starting Phase I renovation construction at the former Southside Middle School and hopes to have students in the building by the the beginning of the 2017 school year, according to CCCCA CEO Chris Hatcher.

Hatcher spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County on November 1 to offer highlights of the academy’s mission and how it will be accomplished. He said, “A college and career academy is a specialized charter school established by a partnership which demonstrates a collaboration between business, industry, education and community stakeholders” in a workforce development initiative.

Talk of a college and career academy actually started in 2011, said Hatcher, “but for a variety of reasons the timing wasn’t right. But in the last couple of months we were successful in getting our charter and grant from the state, and we have been authorized since July of this year.” The charter was granted by the Georgia Department of Education and funding of $3.3 million – “a grant that is not insignificant,” Hatcher said - for start-up and design came from the Technical College System of Georgia.

The CCCCA is governed by an 11-member board of directors that includes business representation from the areas of manufacturing, healthcare, defense, agriculture, the Economic Development Commission and the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce. Also included are ex-officio representatives from the Dougherty school system, Albany Technical College, Albany State University (including Darton College) and school superintendents from Baker, Calhoun, and Terrell counties.

The stated goals of the CCCCA  are four-fold: to meet workforce needs of current and future employers through placements; increase the number of students in work-based learning; reduce the dropout rate and improve graduation rates; and increase the number of “Move on When Ready” courses taken at the local colleges. The approach, according to Hatcher, will likewise be multi-faceted: to listen to clients, local business, and industry to determine which programs are needed and which skills are required; work with education partners to develop programs and the skills that meet the needs of business and industry; and combine flexibility as a charter school with the benefits of the “Move on When Ready” program to prepare students for the workforce.

The academy will  be structured so that half the students attend high school classes in the morning an the academy courses in the afternoon, while the other half  go to the academy in the morning and then school after lunch.

“That way we can serve twice the number of what the school capacity is,” said Hatcher.

Hatcher said, “We’ve got folks leaving our community, young folks leaving, and (we have) an aging workforce, so it really comes down to a supply-and-demand issue.” The Georgia Chamber of Commerce has projected by 2030 the state will gain 1.9 million more residents and over one million new jobs. Southwest Georgia, however, is expected to lose 8-10 percent in population and suffer a decrease in workers, with 38 percent more senior citizens and a 14 percent drop in Generation Xers.

A major focus of the academy will be on the development of “soft skills” – work ethic, communication and problem-solving skills, and teamwork. Twenty-five percent of students’ grades will be based on soft-skill achievement.

“I want to be clear about this,” said Hatcher, “This is not an Albany phenomenon, this is everywhere.” He added, “You’re going to end up training your employees on what you need them to do,” Hatcher said. “What you don’t want to do is to have to spend a lot of time in this soft-skills area…things you don’t want or can afford to spend a lot of time on. We’re going to come down on soft skills in every program we’re offering” starting with 9th grade students.

Hatcher observed, “Most of us learned our soft skills at home. What I’ve learned in my short time in the Dougherty County School System is that (the home environment) is fractured. We’ve got kids raising kids, grandparents raising kids. I think if we do our job here, really provide those folks with an understanding why soft skills are important in the world, we not  only will help them succeed in school but also help succeed in the workplace, succeed in their family, in ways the kind of family (many of us) grew up in.”

While the CCCCA hopes to grow to 1,000 students in five years, Hatcher said, “I really think it will be much quicker than that. We’re in the process now of surveying our students in our high schools and middle schools to determine interest.” At a certain point, demand will probably exceed capacity and the academy will likely move to a lottery-style system to determine admissions, he indicated.

Hatcher concluded by urging local businesses to “invest” in the academy by providing “input on our programs. In order for us to be successful we’ve got to place students in our local  businesses and industry. Understanding your needs is important. We’re also going to need internships and apprenticeships for these students.”

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Barbara Rivera-Holmes, President/CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, was a special guest at the October 17 meeting of Kiwanis of Dougherty County. She took the occasion to briefly champion passage of the renewal of the SPLOST for Albany and Dougherty County. The one-cent tax is not a new one but simply a continuation of the SPLOST that has been in place for many years, and will fund capital improvements in the city and county. (Photo by David Shivers)

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PHOTOS

TOP: Dougherty County Schools facilities director Bob Fowler, Jr., tells Kiwanis of Dougherty members what will be implemented if E-SPLOST V is approved by voters. (Photo by David Shivers)

BOTTOM: Bob Fletcher, Jr. (right) speaks with Dr. Gray Fountain after the Kiwanis DoCo program. (Photo by David Shivers)

A major question on the November 8 ballot for Albany-Dougherty County voters is the request for approval of continuation of the education special  local option sales tax for capital improvements to the county school system.

Robert “Bob” Fowler, Jr., director of facilities for the Dougherty County School System, spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County on October 17 about the referendum. He stressed that if the measure passes, it will not mean another extra cent of sales tax – “You won’t be paying any more than you are paying now” – but simply continuing the sales tax that has been collected for education facility projects since the first issue was passed in 1997.

The SPLOST for education question has been approved by voters four times now, and Fowler went into some detail explaining what was accomplished with funding raised during each of those five-year collection periods.

Under SPLOST I, Albany and Robert Cross middle schools were built; four high-school athletic complexes were constructed; there were eight school renovations; 16 school re-roofing projects; paving and landscaping; technology upgrades; and miscellaneous projects including FEMA/GEMA construction support, new vehicles, and communication equipment.

SPLOST II, approved in 2002, included construction of four new schools - Jackson Heights (now Robert Harvey) and Live Oak elementary schools, Lincoln Elementary Magnet School, and Radium Springs Middle School; a major addition to Monroe High School Phase I)

SPLOST III funds, passed in 2007, went to renovations, additions, and/or modifications at first-phase renovations at Turner and Lake Park elementary schools and Albany and Westover high schools; technology upgrades, and safety and security enhancements across the system.

SPLOST IV got the go-ahead in 2012 for renovations, additions, modifications, and new construction of Dougherty High School phases I and II; Albany High kitchen/cafeteria; Monroe High phase II; additional upgrades in technology and safety/security; and purchases of vehicles and equipment. Among the projects were security storefronts (which allow visitors no access to any school without first passing through the school office), cafeteria revitalization, demolition projects, flooring replacement, school-based health/dental clinics, site drainage improvements, an audio enhancement pilot project, and HVAC upgrades.

The audio enhancement project is especially noteworthy, Fowler indicated. It allows teachers to record themselves for their own review or to pass a special project on for use by other teachers.

“(The teacher) can record what they do every day, and parents can actually go online” and learn how their child is being taught, according to Fowler. Also, teachers can wear a mike that amplifies their voice for better hearing at the back of a classroom. Additionally, there is a safety button a teacher can push that connects them to the school office and even the system police department in case of a classroom disturbance, Fowler said.

SPLOST V, if approved, is projected to collect up to $100 million in  funding over the next five years; it would expire in 2022. Up to $40 million in bonds will be issued in connection with the sales tax vote so that work on projects can start immediately. Four areas of improvement targeted for the fifth E-SPLOST are priority renovations for instructional and operational improvement, technology, safety and security, and vehicle and equipment replacement.

Among the specific projects listed in SPLOST V presented by Fowler are the Commodore Conyers College & Career Academy at the former Southside Middle School campus, phase II renovations at Turner, Lake Park, and Northside elementary and  Westover High schools, the Magnolia Early Childhood Education Center in the former Magnolia Elementary School, the new GNETS (Georgia Network for Education and Therapeutic Support) facility, athletic facilities at the middle and high schools, the Walter Judge Academy (formerly the Isabella Elementary School) and a new transportation complex. Safety/security and miscellaneous projects include the Audio Enhancement Project, safety communication equipment including radios and intercom systems, security and access control system upgrades, flooring  replacement in schools and other buildings, energy savings upgrades, HVAC upgrades, building acquisition/land purchases, and miscellaneous office repairs and modifications.

Fowler said the SPLOST funds can only be used to reduce debt and pay for school-system capital improvement projects; they cannot be used for operational costs of the school system. He also noted that 40 percent of the annual local sales tax revenue is generated from visitors who come from outside Dougherty County.

Fowler noted that registered voters can do early voting weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. until November 4 in Room 220 at the City/County Government Building, 222 Pine Avenue downtown. There will also be a Sunday early voting opportunity on October 30 from 1-5 p.m. at the Government Center. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, and all polling precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The E-SPLOST question will appear on the ballot as a separate question from the city/county SPLOST renewal that is also up for approval.

Fowler emphasized, “The SPLOST is very important to my work as maintenance director and also for the capital expansion of our schools. The majority of our schools were built in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Our schools are really old and there’s a lot of renovation going on through the sales tax.”

Anyone seeking additional information about E-SPLOST V, said Fowler, can go online to www.docoschools.org, hover over “Home”, and then click on “E-SPLOST.”