Bids approved at November BOC
News November 21, 2019
ELLIJAY, Ga. – The final months of the year are seeing the Board of Commissioners approving items to begin the new year without seeing delays, from budgets and bids approved to TSPLOST talks, the board is already gearing up for changes and issues to be addressed.
Some of those details came through the county’s November meeting as it approved bids for materials and appointed board members.
Bid requests for the county’s material needs came sparsely as many only received one bid, and one material bid was tabled. Bids were received for stone, propane, emulsion, concrete, and
The BOC voted to approve Vulcan Materials Company for stone, Appalachian Propane for propane fuel, Hudson Materials Company for emulsion, and C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. for Asphalt.
With concrete, however, some confusion came when trying to compare the two bids received, West Block Co Inc. and Wayne Davis Concrete Company. As the board members struggled to compare the two, Attorney David Clark suggested they could hold onto the bids until December’s meeting to utilize the time to better understand the two. In past years, the county had relied on explanations from Public Works Director Jim Smith, who was not available during this month’s meetings.
The second bid item accepted approved Jacob Anderson Company LLC for the demolition of two poultry houses at the Airport.
Also during the meeting, the commissioners voted to appoint Eric Irish to the EMS Region 1 Council and Maria Mullins to the Airport Advisory Board.
Kucera speaks on Public Safety Director position
News, Police & Government March 17, 2019
ELLIJAY, Ga. – A surprise even to him, he says, the Board of Commissioners officially announced Keith Kucera as the Public Safety Director of Gilmer County.
FYN caught up with Kucera to ask him how he felt about moving from his months as Interim into the full-term position.
He called it an honor to serve the citizens of the county in this position and looks forward to the coming months as he builds relations between the county and state and other local agencies. Kucera moves into the full term position alongside Daniel Kauffman as the Fire Chief of Gilmer.
Gilmer County Public Safety Director, Keith Kucera
Kucera retired from military after 25 years of active duty, where he served in the U.S. Coast Guard, and moved to Ellijay where he says he never expected or looked to become a Director, yet when the opening came, he put forth his name and served in the interim. He lives here with his wife, Pamela.
It is a move that many firefighters seem happy with. As reported in “BOC names full time Public Safety Director and Fire Chief,” many members of emergency services showed up at the commissioners meeting to show support for the direction the BOC was taking in their departments, though they didn’t know Kucera was being named as Director, FYN has come to understand that it had been internally announced before the meeting that Daniel Kauffman was taking the position of Fire Chief.
Kucera said the show of support “means the world” to him. Having the support of the men and women of the departments, and his family’s support as well, is “second to none. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and I look forward to many years to come.”
According to Kucera, their support and the support of the Fire Chief is what will allow him to open up more to the duties of a Public Safety Director and allow the fire department to focus on what they do with a chief who can focus on that as well.
This is something Gilmer Commission Chairman Charlie Paris has said before as he wanted to separate, at least, the fire chief position so as to not have one person pulled into too many directions and possibly detracting from the service offered to the department.
Kucera said, “The Public Safety Division is going to be able to branch out to the other agencies within the county and build more of a coalition-type group within the county to serve the public better as a whole.” Kucera went on to note that some other benefits could include a better chance at obtaining and retaining grants from the federal and state governments as well as combining into a consolidated public safety group in times of need.
Besides the day to day work, Kucera said one of his major projects to tackle as the Public Safety Director is building community relations. He stated, “I continue to pledge my service to the community, to the citizens, and I look forward to meeting every single person I possibly can.”
Throughout the entire time speaking with him, Kucera never mentioned how he wanted to lead the department or the type of leadership he wanted to show. Instead, numerous times, he repeated that he was anxious to continue “serving with” the firefighters and emergency response workers of the county.
Replacement doesn’t mean resolution in Fire Department
News March 1, 2019
ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer County is still amid disorder this week as Gilmer County Commission Chairman Charlie Paris confirmed with FYN that the current Gilmer County Interim Fire Chief, Brian Scudder, has left the office.
“We just weren’t on the same page about some things,” said Paris on Thursday as he reiterated the changes he is hoping to see come in the Fire Department of Gilmer County. Scudder is still in the Fire Department but is no longer serving as Interim Chief.
Former Public Safety Director Tony Pritchett
These changes began when former Public Safety Director Tony Pritchett resigned from office in early February. Though originally resigning effective on March 15, Paris said he later had decided that Pritchett’s presence was not coordinating with his plans for the future and made an agreement with Pritchett to pay his original agreement out to March 15, but to remove Pritchett from the county immediately.
Chairman Paris originally wanted to separate the position into three positions including Fire Chief, EMA Director, and Public Safety Director. In Paris’ eyes, the Public Safety Director would have been the Department’s head with managerial responsibilities with EMA Director and Fire Chief serving under him in their areas of expertise with the requirements, technicalities, and skills required in those positions.
However, he settled for two positions instead of three and named Brian Scudder to Interim Fire Chief and Keith Kucera to the Interim Public Safety/EMA Director.
However, in the progressing weeks, conflict and turmoil have arisen in the Fire Department resulting in two internal investigations and several changes in the systems make-up.
Paris states he has had enough with the way things have been in the Fire Department. “There is s a significant amount of turmoil in the Fire Department right now,” says Paris.
Soon after naming the two to the position, an incident at Fire Station 1 occurred with one firefighter finding his bed saturated in water. An investigation ensued immediately into the occurrence. Paris openly admitted that while they did not discover exactly who was behind the act, he felt he did send a message to the department about the changes he wants.
However, the Fire Department’s other investigation went much further as Paris states that on a Friday morning he offered Scudder the position of Fire Chief, Kucera was out of town, so Paris waited until Monday morning to offer the Public Safety Director Position. Paris states that at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, he held a meeting with Tony Pritchett to share his appointments with him.
Gilmer County Commission Chairman Charlie Paris
Then, Tuesday morning, Paris received a complaint about Kucera trying to get people to protest the appointment of Scudder to Fire Chief. After meeting with Kucera and interrogating him on the allegations, Paris called in several firefighters that were set to protest the Fire Chief position. Questioning each individually about how and when they found out about Brian Scudder’s appointment which had not been announced yet. The overwhelming response indicated that all but one had learned about the appointments early Monday morning from Tony Pritchett, having found out about the appointments prior to his meeting with Charlie.
Paris tells FYN that the investigation cleared Kucera of any allegations of protest or antagonism in Department. He continued saying that most of the response he has had is positive about Kucera’s appointment.
Moving past the investigations, Paris says he is confident moving forward with his appointment of Keith Kucera to interim Public Safety Director and his new appointment he is announcing of Mike Dempsey to Interim Fire Chief.
At this point, there is still no indication as to who or what is causing instigations in the Fire and EMS, but Paris seemed to indicate that he doesn’t care. He says he is focused on moving forward and buckling down on the departments’ disciplinary actions.
Naming Mike Dempsey as the new interim Fire Chief, Paris says that he has gone about the appointment slightly different as this time, he has taken recommendations from Kucera and references to consider. Part of the consideration Paris had for Dempsey in the interim position is that Dempsey has no consideration or desire for the permanent position.
Fire and Rescue Weekly Status Report 12/23 -12/29
News January 8, 2019
| Structure Fire | Brush Fire | Emergency Med Calls (EMS) | MVC/Vehicle Fires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 97 | 8 |
| Vehicle Fires | Haz. Conditions | Other | Total Calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 19 | 129 |
Substance at vape shop hospitalizes five
News September 14, 2018
Jasper, Ga – Authorities have met a major incident as they executed a search warrant at the local A1 Smoke Shop in Jasper, Georgia.
During the execution of the search warrant today, September 14, members of the Drug Task Force, Pickens Sheriff’s Office, and Jasper City Police were exposed to an unidentified substance that immediately brought down one detective. Others also became exposed in attempts to help treat the detective. According to an official release by Sgt. Jody Weaver, Administrative Services Division of the Pickens Sheriff’s Office, “As of this release, two Detectives, a DTF Agent and two EMS personnel are being treated now for symptoms.”
Photos courtesy of the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office
Unconfirmed reports indicate the substance may have been made airborne during the search, but reports at this time indicate the exposure is not life-threatening.
According to their official release, “The Cherokee County Hazardous Materials Team has dispatched to the scene to assist, along with all surrounding public safety agencies including the Pickens Fire & EMS and City of Jasper Fire.”
Additionally, authorities have closed businesses in close proximity to the location and evacuated citizens from the area for safety.
With Haz-Mat teams investigating the substances, authorities are declining to release certain details of the active investigation, but indicate that they will be releasing more information about the incident later.
With the recent rise of vaping devices being used to inhale drugs ranging from Methamphetamines to THC Oil to Synthetic Marijuana, it is likely this warrant could be part of an official response to the trend in our schools, though no official statement identifies why they were executing a search warrant. The District Attorney’s office is currently undertaking a series of assemblies at the middle and high schools of Pickens, Fannin, and Gilmer.
At this point, it is actually quite common to find controlled substances in vape devices across America, especially in schools as reports continue to flood the media about students falling unconscious or having severe reactions, even seizures because of what they may or may not know they are inhaling.
See the full media release below:
“Pickens County law enforcement have encountered a suspected unknown powder substance during execution of a search warrant – Deputies and other public safety adversely affected.”
On the morning of Friday, September 14, 2018, the Drug Task Force, along with the Pickens Sheriff’s Office and the City of Jasper Police Department executed a search warrant at the A-1 Smoke Shop located at 684 West Church Street in Jasper, Georgia. During the search of the premises, a Detective with the Pickens Sheriff’s Office came in contact with an unknown substance which immediately resulted in the Detective experiencing adverse health conditions and symptoms. The affected Detective was transported to the local hospital for immediate treatment. Public safety personnel who were exposed while treating the affected Detective also began experiencing similar reactions. As of this release, two Detectives, a DTF Agent and two EMS personnel are being treated now for symptoms.
The Cherokee County Hazardous Materials Team has dispatched to the scene to assist, along with all surrounding public safety agencies including the Pickens Fire & EMS and City of Jasper Fire. Businesses in close proximity to the location have been evacuated as a safety precaution, and Haz-Mat teams are preparing to enter the premises to thoroughly investigate and identify the cause of the health issues with our public safety personnel.
As this is an active investigation, more information will be provided as it becomes available.
Gilmer Budget Sessions for 2018
News, Police & Government November 4, 2017
ELLIJAY, GA – The Gilmer County Board of Commissioners held the budget review sessions in preparation for the 2018 Budget.
The videos below document the departments with which the Commissioners spoke. Citizens can attend the Budget Finalization Meeting on Monday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. or stay with Fetch Your News for updates after the meeting.
Voter Registrar
Health Department
Probate Court, Elections
Magistrate Court
District Attorney
Library
Code & Regulatory Compliance
Whitepath Golf Course
Tax Assessor, Board of Assessors
Public Defender
Road Department, Solid Waste, Maintenance Shop, Airport
Planning & Zoning
Clerk of Superior Court, Board of Equalization
Park & Recreation
Hotel/Motel
Sheriff, Detention Cener, E-911
Fire & EMS, EMA
Courthouse & Facilities
Animal Control
Tax Commissioner
911 Call Released for September 28 Dog Attack
News September 30, 2017
CHERRY LOG, GA – FYN has obtained the 911 call from the passerby who attempted to stop and help the 61-year-old Kathy Nichelson who was injured and later died from the dog attack.
The caller was bitten in his attempt to aid Nichelson. However, he did manage to get away from the dog and back to his car before dialing 911, according to authorities.
The call is short but the caller does say the lady was bit on her throat, while he was bit on the chin. Further details are not available at this time, but stay with FYN as further updates become available.
Details Reveal Victims of Dog Attack
News September 29, 2017
CHERRY LOG, GA – Updates are coming now for the woman found dead in Cherry Log yesterday, September 28.
According to the Gilmer Sheriff’s Office, Kathy Sue Nichelson died from an attack by a pit bull on Goose Island Road. It is now confirmed that a second person was attacked when trying to help Nichelson, but did not receive serious injuries.
Deputies were forced to fire upon the animal, according to the Sheriff’s Press Release, killing it.
Officials are not releasing details at this time on the dog or its owner, but are assuring citizens that the investigation is continuing.
The official press release from the Gilmer Sheriff states:
A-61-year old woman died after being attacked by a Pit Bull Thursday, Sept. 28th, at 890 Goose Island Rd. The woman, identified as Kathy Sue Nichelson, was attacked shortly after arriving at the residence. A passerby saw Ms. Nichelson on the ground and stopped to render aid. The dog attacked him as well, and he escaped to his vehicle where he was able to call 911. He received non life-threatening injuries.
Law enforcement and EMS arrived soon after. Law enforcement attempted to keep the animal at bay while EMS tried to treat Nichelson. During this time, the animal came towards public safety personnel aggressively, and the animal was put down by deputies.
An investigation into the animal’s behavior and its owner are ongoing. More information may be available once the investigation is completed.
Gilmer Fire & Rescue Weekly Status Report
Police & Government September 28, 2017
| Dates | Structure Fires | Brush Fires | Fire Alarms | Emergency Med Calls (EMS) | MVC (Vehicle Accidents | Vehicle Fires | Haz. Conditions |
| 9/17/17-9/23/17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 85 | 9 | 1 | 6 |
| Air Transports | Search/Tech. Rescue | Other | Total Calls | ||||
| 9/17/17-9/23/17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 109 | |||
Approvals and Failures Set Commissioners October Meeting
News October 17, 2016
Several items are setting the path for the Commissioners to move through the end of the year and even to already begin looking into next year in the county.
Even what some call minor items like the Commissioner’s Memorandum of Understanding to allow the Gilmer County Boys and Girls Club to start processes for attaining the County’s Lease Agreement to expand their facilities at the Civic Center show that the Board is looking forward to the process. While Chairman Paris mentioned at the meeting that this is not a full resolution for the agreement, it is a type of agreement to say they will offer the lease in an effort for the Club to begin fund-raising for the project and processes before the County sits down to formally enter an agreement with the Club. This process also allows the early processes for the Club to begin such as designs. Basically, a “pre-agreement” allows these situations to develop with the understanding that the lease will be offered at the correct time. The Commissioners also set the Memorandum of Understanding to include that the Boys and Girls Club will follow Building Code Regulations and regulations on the Flood Zone as they look to construct a new building next to the Civic Center. This agreement has been discussed over the last severl Commissioner Workshops and will continue as the process develops into rest of this year and on into 2017.
Another item many citizens were paying attention to may have surprised many. A failure to motion may actually be considered by citizens as a type of Approval. Indeed, the Board allowed an item to fail at the meeting with a specific reason. As consideration was held for an ordinance to allow registration and use of UTVs (Utility Task Vehicles, otherwise known as “Side-by-Sides”) on the County Roads, Commission Chairman Charlie Paris stated, “We don’t find anything prohibiting this and we see no need for a county ordinance specifically allowing it.” The Commissioners then moved to take no action on the item, however, the statement seems to allow the usage of these vehicles as there is no restriction against it currently.
New action came for the EMS and Ambulance Transport Fees Ordinance as a Public Hearing and First Reading for the Ordinance were held Thursday, October 13. No citizens came to speak at the Hearing, and the Commissioners approved the First Reader. However, there is still time to contact Chairman Paris at the Board of Commissioners office or to attend November’s Commissioner Meeting to voice any questions citizens may have. If the second reading is approved, Gilmer County could see these Fees implemented as early as December 1st, pending the actual language in the Approval. As they are collected, these fees will be put into the General Fund of the County, credited as revenue generated from Emergency Medical Services for Budget purposes.
Financially, the Commissioners also made moves to support future services in the County by awarding a bid to Pictometry as part of a proposal for Ortho and Oblique Imagery Deliverables. This is a part of the Counties recent moves toward updating the aerial photography for the County. Another item discussed over several months, this item began with an initial proposal from Pictometry, but was later put to Bid as required by County Ordinance. The project comes on the heels of a previous Consent Order to the County, but also as the County looks forward to using this in Planning and Zoning to verify information as well as other possible County departments including a potential Law Enforcement usage once discussed in specific situations requiring an area view including buildings. While Pictometry was not the lowest bid offered, Chairman Paris offered a description stating the two received bids were not actually an “Apples-to-Apples” comparison. Meaning the other bid did not include all wanted options in its base bid. After adding in all desired options put in the Bid Requests, Pictometry became the lowest bid.
The Road Department is also receiving budget amendments as they seek to move forward on projects. One such project was approved up to $25,000 to cover repairs to the Parks Road Bridge. The Bridge was primarily damaged in the early December floods of last year, but has continued slowly degrading in the proceeding months as continued use and heavy trucks wore on the damage.
The second approval covered up to $40,000 for the cost of a Paving Roller to continue maintenance of Gilmer’s Roads. The County’s previous Roller’s bearings were damaged. Due to the age and difficulty to find parts, Chairman Paris has said it is a question of reliability and cost-effectiveness of continuing to repair the current Roller, and instead the Board has decided to began looking for a newer used Roller for usage.
For more information about these stories or to follow the Commissioners process through both its Work Session and Regular Meeting, check out FYN’s videos of the Meetings below.
https://youtu.be/FMVIJ9QMZ4Q
https://youtu.be/bd1meNY5u0Q
New ‘No-Transport’ Fees Coming to Gilmer EMS
News October 4, 2016
Though not fully approved yet, the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners are considering an addition to the County’s EMS Services, specifically in the Ambulance Fees.
The new fee would encompass Ambulance calls to people who then refuse transport to the hospital. Originally presented to the Commissioners by Tony Pritchett, the new fee is said to be an answer to repeated calls by individuals who will then refuse transport in order to avoid paying for the medical care rendered.
One example offered at a Commissioners work session involved a person requiring services and an ambulance rushes out and administers Epinephrine to the patient. The patient then refuses transport to the hospital for follow-up care. Pritchett states that EMS then has no way to recoup the cost of medicines for the service.
While originally seemingly hesitant to begin applying a fee on all non-transport calls, the Commissioners are currently considering the following structure including a “zero-cost” for first time non-transport calls, but a $100 fee for repeated calls to help recover costs.
AMBULANCE FEES
- “Fire chief” shall mean the Fire Chief of Gilmer County Fire and Emergency Services, Gilmer County, Georgia.
- Fees.
The following is the schedule of fees that shall be charged by the fire chief for ambulance and transport services rendered by the Gilmer County Fire and Emergency Services:
- Advanced Life Support Transport …..$550.00
- ALS LVL2 Transport …..$750.00
- Advanced Life Support Emergent …..$650.00
- Basic Life Support …..$400.00
- Basic Life Support Emergent …..$500.00
- Specialty Care Transport …..$850.00
- Non-transport …..$0.00 for the first non-transport, each successive non-transport $100.00
- Mileage (ALS and BLS), per mile …..$15.00
Mileage shall include the distance between the patient’s point of pickup and the receiving facility. This charge shall be applied for both in and out of county transports.
From time to time, upon the recommendation of the Chief of Gilmer County Fire Services, the above ambulance and transport fees may be revised as deemed necessary by resolution of the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners.
Collection of fees.
The fire chief shall issue invoices for such services as set forth in this chapter and shall collect such fees on behalf of Gilmer County.
Citizens are invited to offer their opinions on the change at a Public Hearing next Thursday, October 13, at 5:00 pm. The Commissioners are also holding their Regular Meeting following that hearing to vote on the First Reader of the change before a second-and-final reading would be held in November’s meeting.
Agreements, Proposals, and Approvals in the Gilmer BOC
News August 17, 2016
The Gilmer County Board of Commissioners debated new proposals during their meetings on Wednesday the 10th and Thursday the 11th.
One major proposal would change the county’s EMS services. Though no formal approval has been made, consideration is underway for the Gilmer County Emergency Medical Services Division to begin charging a fee for repeated EMS calls to locations. EMA Director Tony Pritchett stated the need for fees were due to some citizens of the county continually calling 911 to receive certain medications without going to a doctor’s office.
The structure of these fees were discussed for several different possibilities, but the more probable structure may look somewhat like the following when citizens are calling 911 repeatedly for the same issue every time:
1st Call: No charge
2nd Call: a $75 Fee
3rd Call: a $100 Fee
Further Occurrences would also generate $100 fees and could be investigated for 911 Abuse
While citizens questioned the fees, Director Pritchett assured the citizens that they would not be liable as a 3rd party caller, or “Good Samaritan” situations, where they call 911 because they witness or come upon someone in need. The fees also seem to only be charged on repeat calls that do not result in Ambulance transportation as the effort is to recoup financial expenditures for the medications used.
In addition to the EMS Proposal, the Commissioners also heard a proposal from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Gilmer County. Requesting a lease property, Bill Slaughter, Treasurer, and Michelle Bracken, Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Georgia, represented the organization and its effort to expand the Gilmer County branch due to a lack of space to support the increasing number of enrollments.
Currently, they have 125 children enrolled with an average daily attendance of 83. Bracken also stated the Club has had to turn away prospective students due to the limited space. The proposed solution is the construction of a new 4,000 square foot building across from the clubs current location. They would then remodel the current facility to house the enrolled teens. The building would be constructed by the Boys & Girls Club Board and only needs the County to lease the space for them.
When asked about the continued growth for the club, Bracken assured the citizens the proposal is set to cover the current needs under a two-year-plan. However, “We won’t abandon the building.” Bracken did not speak to a specific future plan, but did say that consideration to add on to the new facility later could be a possibility.
Another proposal before the Board on Wednesday came from Gilmer ARTS. President of Gilmer ARTS, Sharon Watkins came before the Board speaking of security in the their future. Many will recall that former President John Rathbone, also in attendance, has spoken with the Commissioners before about establishing a formal agreement with the County to include support in both public and financial forms. Watkins said the agreement would provide sought after security and “a better platform” as they requested Grants and Donations by allowing others to see the County officially in support of the arts in the community.
While Gilmer ARTS has been included in the County’s budget before, there has been no formal agreement between the two for the support. Watkins’ proposal did include financial support in the form of a proceed from the hotel-motel taxes, though discussion was raised if the county could allocate those funds to the Association.
Currently, the Board of Commissioners indicated they would support some form of agreement and are consulting with Gilmer ARTS and the County Attorney David Clark to formalize the agreement before officially voting on it.
Two final proposals were approved by the Commissioners to abandon a portion of River Hill Road where the bridge washed away and to close a 100 ft section of Kells Ridge Drive due to the December 2015 flood. Director of Public Works and the Road Department for Gilmer County, Jim Smith suggested closing the road instead of repairing due to estimations for repairs ranging into several hundreds of thousands.
To watch the two meetings click on the videos below for the Commissioner’s Work Session and Regular Meeting.
