Bulloch County Clerk of the Board Maggie Fitzgerald was honored on February 6, 2012, in Athens, Georgia, for completing the Georgia Certification Program for County Clerks. The program is sponsored by the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, Georgia County Clerks Association, and the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

To receive the certification, Clerks must complete 101 hours of instruction in general management, successfully complete written assessments, serve two years in a local government administrative position, and be a current member of the Georgia County Clerks Association.

Ms. Fitzgerald has worked for Bulloch County as Clerk of the Board and Executive Assistant to the County Manager for three and a half years, earned a Masters of Public Administration degree from Georgia Southern University, and is currently working to obtain a certification for the Masters Education Management Development Program for Clerks.

• Steve Brown, Aquatics Division Manager, was recently awarded the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association’s (GRPA) Aquatics Section Distinguished Professional of the Year during the association’s 2011 State Conference. Steve was nominated by members of the Aquatics Section for his extensive work in Aquatics Programming—not only at Splash in the Boro—but also in assisting other facilities and programmers across the state. Steve has been supervisor of Splash in the Boro since it’s opening in 2004.
• The Statesboro-Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Department (SBCPRD) announces that three of it’s AfterSchool Program (ASP) sites have been accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA). Brooklet Elementary, Julia P Bryant Elementary, and Sallie Z Elementary School’s  After School Programs received the accredited status after months of reviewing and analyzing the operations and service-delivery  practices of these sites and measuring them against national standards of best practice.These are the three newest program sites to be accredited. Nevils Elementary School AfterSchool Program received their accreditation in November 2010.  SBCPRD has offered afterschool programming since 1989.  For over 20 years they have served a variety of families.  What  began in 4 schools with less than 75 children has now evolved into 9 schools with 10 sites (including one at the Brooklet Rec. Center) and over 600 children and families. In addition to recognizing the After School Program for it’s high performance standards, the Accreditation Site Team expressed delight over  the impressive collaboration between SBCPRD and the Bulloch County Board Of Education (BOE). This collaboration is one of the best and most productive in the State of Georgia—not only for the After School Program—but for  Summer Day Camps, Athletic Programs, Facility Usage and more.
• The Statesboro-Bulloch County Parks and Recreation was awarded the Georgia Recreation & Parks Association District 1’s Sportsmanship Award at it’s annual Awards Banquet in 2011.
• Splashy’s Youth Triathlon, held each year at Splash in the Boro, was awarded the New and Innovative Program Award by the Georgia Recreation & Parks and Association District 1.
• Joy Deal, AfterSchool Program Supervisor, was awarded the SBCPRD Distinguished Professional of the Year. This award recognizes an  individual each year who has made outstanding and lasting contributions to the recreation profession.
• Molly Durden, Business Office Manager, recently accepted the SBCPRD S.T.A.R. (Service That Achieves Results) Award, which recognizes an employee who has enhanced or provided new services within the department.
• Jeff Owens, Maintenance Technician, was awarded the SBCPRD Emmitt Scott Award for his work in keeping Mill Creek Regional Park the most beautiful park in Southeast Georgia.
• Mike Rollins, Director of SBCPRD, was awarded a 25-Year Service Award in 2011 for 25 years of service to SBCPRD and to the recreation profession. Others to receive service awards included: 20-Year, Joy Deal; 20-Year, Molly Durden; 15-Year, Darryl Hopkins; 10-Year, Tony Morgan; 10-Year, Harry Campbell; 5-Year, Melissa Petitjean; and 5-year, Robby Sewell.

Bulloch County Public Safety is in the process of remapping the county.  This is being done in order to assure that all residences and businesses within the county are on the 911 maps.  As we are mapping each street and road, there are times when we find addresses that are either marked incorrectly or addressed wrong.

We encourage you to make every effort to mark your residence so it can be seen both day and night by emergency personnel.  In the event your residence or business is found to be incorrectly addressed, we will take the necessary measures to readdress your property correctly.  Properly addressed and marked residences and businesses make it much easier for emergency personnel to locate your property in the event you should require assistance for any type of emergency.

If your address has to be changed, the following information may be helpful in the change-over process:

• Post your new address on your home or business as well as by the road, within the first 30 days.
• Correct your home/business number with your local phone company, if applicable.
• Contact each Utility Company, Publisher, etc and have your address changed to the new address.This can also be done by filling out the change of address section of your bills. You will have up to one year to change everything over; however, it is recommended that you begin after you post your new numbers.
• Notify Family and Friends of your new address.

This is an ongoing project for Bulloch County Public Safety and will likely take a some time to complete. We understand this is not an easy process and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions, please feel free to call at 911 addressing at (912) 764-0189. Thank you for your Cooperation.

Sincerely,
911 Addressing

The Bulloch County website has been updated to provide a resource for those searching for employment. The website includes links to the employment opportunities available at many of the major employers in the County. The website is located at http://bullochcounty.net/area-jobs/

The Task Force established to study the feasibility of development of the I16 – US 301 interchange met for the second time on September 13, 2011. The purpose of the meeting was to present and receive feedback regarding the market assessment performed by the consultant. The presentation included discussion regarding key national and regional trends to be considered, including:

1. Increasing effect of globalization
2. Lingering effects of the Great Recession
3. Georgia’s  rapid growth
4. Emergence of a powerhouse SE United States “global portal” combining Port of Savannah and Hartsfield-Jackson Internation Airport
5. Importance of interstates as the “connective tissue” of the economy

The Market Assessment examined the following: demographics, employment profile, site competitive assessment, industrial potential and recommendations, retail potential and recommendations, and resident recommendations.

Market Assessment Powerpoint

The public is invited to a public hearing of the Planning and Zoning Commission at 6:00PM, September 8 in the County Commissioner meeting room. The following items will be heard:

1. Conditional use for multiple business submitted by TJLS Properties located at 8699 Hwy 67

2. Sketch plan submitted by Annie Dell Rawls located at 1183 Old Happy Road

3. Variance submitted by Tim Kintzinger located at 1023 Hunters Pointe Drive

4. Sketch plan submitted by Doris Thompson located on Old Groveland Road

5. Sketch Plan submitted by Stephen and Roxanne deal located at 481 Brannen Hodges Road

6. Conditional use for multiple businesses submitted by Daniels Properties located at 22204 Hwy 80 East

7. Conditional use for an  inert landfill submitted by Denise Wilson Burnsed located on Zell Miller Blvd.

Bulloch County received a $500,000 Employment Incentive Program grant for economic development purposes. The grant will be used to acquire storm drainage improvements to benefit Great Dane Limited Partnership’s new facility. The project is located in Phase II of the Gateway Industrial Park located on US 301 and expects to employee 243 new permanent jobs within twenty-four months.

The Task Force organized to study the future development of the I-16 / US 301 area met on August 16, 2011. The Task Force is made of a number of key stakeholders from the community. The first meeting introduced the Task Force members to the consultants hired by the County to study the project feasibility and to develop a master plan for the interchange. The meeting focused on the following questions:

• What types of development would benefit Bulloch County?
• Why is the intersection important to the County?
• What are the regional challenges and opportunities?
• What would the business park look like?
• How would the park be positioned?
• How would the park benefit Bulloch County?

Kickoff Meeting PowerPoint