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Ashley Biles

Associate Editor

Nine parking spaces have been designated for senior adults in the Upson County Senior Center parking lot, allowing closer access to the door. Upson County Commission Chairman Rusty Blackston brought the issue up at last week’s Board of Commission meeting, stating that the board wanted to show respect and courtesy to those who “rocked the cradle and brought us to where we are today.”

Blackston also noted that the signs have drawn some criticism from a person who works out of the Government Complex, although he did not name who, but that the board decided it would be beneficial to those who attend the Senior Center to move forward with the erecting of the signs. Commissioner Frank Spraggins agreed that the signs were needed and he wished they would be able to designate more because there have been instances of young adults and those perfectly capable of walking a few steps further taking the spaces, leaving a 90-year-old citizen to park at the end of the parking lot.

Spraggins continued, stating there also needed to be a way to police the area so that only those allowed are parking in the spots and cars parked illegally should be towed and have to pay a fine. County Manager Jim Wheeless noted that Senior Center Director Donna Auth is working on getting parking permits for members of the center so their cars may be easily distinguished from the others.

Also during the meeting, the board unanimously approved Upson County joining the formation of the West Central Georgia Broadband Joint Development Authority, which will help with the acquisition of grant funding for expanding broadband to the area. Upson County IT Director Robert Haney stated that partnering with the surrounding areas will make the region appear to have a larger footprint and more impact than it would working alone. Upson has already been working with Heard, Troup and Meriwether Counties for a broadband feasibility study and will continue to work with the counties on the joint development authority.

County Attorney Ed Trice told the board that the authority will be made up of a five-member board, with one member from each county and one member at large. The board appointees for Meriwether and Heard counties will begin by serving a four-year term; the member at large will serve three years and Troup and Upson county members will serve two years. After the initial term is up, each member will serve a four-year term. Trice explained that the terms are staggered so that there is not a completely new board when one term expires.

Wayne Sandefur was named as the new financial director for Upson County. His start date is April 1.

In other business, the commissioners approved a bid of $1,000 with Casey Thompson Enterprise in LaGrange, Georgia for the removal of the water tank located on West Moores Crossing and a bid of $500 from James Greg Williams for a tract of land in Yatesville which the county had acquired through a tax foreclosure sale.