Author Archives: Shelly Berryhill
“I’m from the Government and I am here to help you”
“I’m from the Government and I am here to help you.” If that does not strike you with fear, then you are different from most of us. As a general rule, the government adds layers of bureaucracy and rules and regulations and seldom “helps” us achieve much. Typically we are all better off if we can “help ourselves.”
Our little community of Hawkinsville is celebrating. Madison Conner, a 15 year old runaway, has been found and is safe. While I write this, her parents are on their way to pick up their daughter. And this celebrating has many in our community talking about “What can we do for our young people?” It a discussion that is held often by all segments of our population.
Although I indicated that the government seldom helps, I did want to take a moment to reflect on some ways / ideas / thoughts that are both government and private that involve this concept of “What can we do for our young people?”
GOVERNMENT: The City/County together contribute over $150,000 / year toward our local Recreation program. We have an awesome rec program serving over 300 children in our community. We have great facilities enhanced in recent years through SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) and more facilities being planned and built now. I realize that this program does not and can not serve everyone and the location of the facilities is less than optimum, but it is a resource and it DOES serve hundreds of children in a very positive way.
We also have James Colson Park located off of 6th street. You can drive by most any time and see hundreds of children, youth and adults “hanging out” at Colson Park. The city has recently been awarded a grant that will allow us to add some playground equipment at this park.
We are in the process of applying for state grant funds that will allow us to build a skateboard park in Hawkinsville. We plan on adding this park to some donated land right next to the PHP building on Highway 341 North. Our Youth have recently signed petitions with over 700 names in support of this park. If all goes as planned, 2014 might see this facility built with little or no local tax dollars involved.
The City and County both have recently enhanced their river walk areas. Again, while not devoted to “Youth”, these river walk areas will serve all people while catering to FAMILIES.
Our local 4H club is bustling with activity.
The city is a major supporter of our local Arts Council. While some will argue that the concerts provided are more focused on adults and out of the price range of our youth, I have to mention that efforts ARE made through the Arts Council to bring in events that are youth focused. The Arts Council hosts yearly events that are field trips from the schools dealing with the performing arts. The local Talent Show is held yearly showcasing local and mostly young musical artists. Recently, a country singer (Gannon Adams) was brought in and performed for Free at the school system and then offered a relatively inexpensive concert at the Opera House.
The City helps sponsor local festivals such as the Harness Festival and the Harvest Festival. While only a few times a year, they do add to the mix of “What is there to do in Hawkinsville?”
We have a locally run “Family Connections” office in Hawkinsville. This state grant funded office provides many functions to our families in Pulaski County. From a mentoring program to yearly events such as the upcoming “Reality Check” (a budget and planning real life scenario that all area High School students will attend March 27th.) and “Teen Maze” which helps our youth understand that their decisions will have consequences. Last years Teen Maze was a huge success with over 700 teens going through the maze that was run by over 200 community volunteers. Family Connections also helps with Parenting Seminars and other events all with our TEENS in mind.
Our Police Department for years has sponsored an annual Fishing Rodeo.
The Archway Partnership (a public/private funded entity) that has helped with the local “Hoops League”. This is a basketball league for our youth that focuses on so much more than basketball. Life skills are a priority and this has been extremely well received in our community. Archway is also helping us to investigate the option of having a “Boys and Girls Club” started in our community.
Our local school system allows many clubs and groups to meet and promote within the school. There are enough extra-curricular activities to please most of our youth if they would only choose to participate.
I know there is more. The “Government” is actually trying to help this situation. But it of course takes more than government….
PRIVATE EFFORTS:
PHP (People Helping People) is a private group that is also focusing on our Youth. They have recently purchased a large building out on Highway 341 and have been sponsoring Youth concerts and other youth focused events. This group also purchased the old Hospital and brought us the Haunted Hospital last October. Pool Tables, Foos Ball Tables, Table Tennis and other activities are readily available. An indoor batting cage is even being built there. (and our new skateboard park land is being donated by this group). Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, our community needs to get behind this group and help promote, push, and enhance these efforts.
CHURCHES in our area provide LOTS of activities for our Youth. From local gatherings to annual mission trips, our churches are a fundamental (and under utilized) source for GOOD for our youth. Our churches also sponsor “5th Quarters” which are gathering events staged after home football games.
COMMERCIAL ENTITIES: Recently Ga WebServices and ComSouth partnered to bring Willie Raines to our community. Willie puts on “Bullying Seminars” and did a live event at the local High School. Our local Businesses are willing to help for worthwhile causes.
PEOPLE: I often hear of a family that “invites everyone in”. They welcome their children and their friends into their homes, thus providing a safe environment in which to “Hang Out.”
CONCLUSION:
I applaud these recent discussions about “What can we do for our youth?”. This post is simply meant to encourage us to not overlook what we already are striving to do. Let’s build on our positives and correct our negatives. Let’s make the focus on the YOUTH and not our individual difference of opinions. It’s not about MY idea winning or YOUR idea winning. It’s about developing locals and activities that will help reach ALL of our community’s youth and keep them safe and entertained. We’ll never have all the answers. We’ll never reach all the youth. But those are never good reasons not to do the best that we can!
What are YOUR thoughts?
Shelly
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Making Citizen Engagement Work
I am currently taking a class sponsored by GMA (Georgia Municipal Association) entitled “Making Citizen Engagement Work”. It is a very good discussion about how to bring all parties to the table. The city council should not be a dictatorship but nor should every decision be a public referendum. We have a representative government. We are elected to take the time to delve into the nitty gritty on issues that the general populace would not have the time or interest to do. Yet, some issues like consolidation, need to go to ALL the people. The challenge is to know WHERE on this spectrum to go with each issue. Which issues does the council just need to handle and which issues should the citizens be more actively involved? And when you choose to engage the population, how do you get everyone at the table? Too often the only ones that want to engage are the C.A.V.E. people (Citizens Against Virtually Everything).
Elected officials are almost universally naturally distrusted. I remember before I was elected, a city resident and myself would find ourselves thrown together about twice a year. We would spend our time together discussing what WE would do if WE were on the city council. After I ran, and was elected, I had been on the commission for only a few months when I ran into this lady at the post office. Before any words were exchanged, she just looked at me and shook her head left and right and said, “well, you are one of them now!”. I was guilty just by association. So the question is, ” how do we engage the citizenship knowing this fundamental level of distrust already exists?”.
People get angry and frustrated and don’t trust elected officials. Elected officials get frustrated by angry people who don’t understand what the limitations are.
There is a spectrum from simply informing the constitutes on one end to fully empowering them to make judgements / actions on the other end. Routine budget matters and day to day operations of the city need to be handled promptly and efficiently. However tax increases and major issues like consolidation need to be decided upon by a large informed audience.
I try to enter this spectrum with this blog. I use my posts to inform. I encourage the readers to post their comments, thoughts and suggestions.
The Archway Project is a shining example of engaging citizens. It all started with hundreds of people meeting and voicing concerns. Those concerns grew into several issue groups that are focusing on these issues. Citizens and general populace constitute these work groups. It works!
What are your ideas? Thoughts? Suggestions?
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Consolidation Update
The consolidation bill passed the House yesterday. As far as I can tell there were no changes to the charter as was presented.
The following link will take you to the House site that describes the actions. Our next step is the Department of Justice.
http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20132014/HB/286
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Warner Robins Air Force Base Update
PRESS RELEASE
February 14, 2013
Air Force releases breakdown of state impacts due to Sequestration
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – As the calendar quickly approaches the Mar. 1 implementation date of the congressional imposed budget cuts known as Sequestration, Air Force leaders are ensuring there is no confusion as to the potential effects to each state in the union.
In an email to legislators on Monday, Vanessa Bolin, an Air Force legislative liaison, provided detailed charts depicting state-by-state breakdowns of civilian employees and their potential loss in pay resulting from the proposed 22 days of furlough. They also provided charts illustrating base-by-base, detailed infrastructure impacts such as the approximate value of Facility Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization (FSRM) and Military Construction (MILCON) projects that are at risk of deferment/cancellation under Sequestration.
Bolin stated the information was being provided “In order to keep the lines of communication open and our actions transparent,” but also reinforced that the actions are “by no means final.”
Georgia ranks number three in the nation as to the number of civilian employees that will be impacted by the potential furloughs with approximately 15.5 thousand workers, amounting to approximately $120.9 million in lost pay – the lions share at Robins Air Force Base. They also show a potential loss in FSRM of 4.7 million and MILCON of 15.8 million. Texas leads with 16.4 thousand civilian employees, followed by Oklahoma with 16-thousand.
At a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, some members of Congress suggested Department of Defense leadership shared in the blame for the impending cuts due to their relative silence on the issue until last December.
“You know very well, just as much as anyone, how long it takes Congress to work. …And the silence that was coming out of the Pentagon, the silence that was coming out from the — from the military establishment did not help in actually presenting to the American people what this means,” said Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01).
With the seemingly eminent crippling impacts of Sequestration on our doorstep, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Bob McMahon, President and CEO of the 21st Century Partnership is convinced Robins will fare ok if dealt the crushing blow of Sequestration.
“If I know one thing about the workforce at Robins, they have unmatched perseverance and dedication to duty,” said McMahon. “It won’t be pretty, but I have no doubt our workforce will adapt to the challenges imposed and our community will rally together in support of those impacted.”
Respectfully,
Chrissy
Chrissy Miner
Chief, Operations and Communications
21st Century Partnership
Office: 478-225-9005 Ext. 2
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Consolidation Efforts Move Forward
Consolidation efforts of Hawkinsville and Pulaski County moved forward this week when Rep. Buddy Harden introducted House Bill 286 which asks the state assembly to give it’s blessings of the potential merger. If this Bill passes, the consolidation agreement would then go before the Justice Department for approval. Assuming they approve, the measure would then be placed on a local ballot for our residents to determine if this is their future vision for Hawkinsville / Pulaski County. The measure could hit our local ballot as early as November, 2013. If it passes, the new government would then go into effect on January, 2015.
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Government again out of control
I am on the city council in Hawkinsville, Ga. Hawkinsville is a small city with slightly over 4,000 citizens. We provide garbage and trash pickup for our citizens. Garbage pickup is the household garbage that goes in the outside containers that the city picks up weekly. Trash pickup is the limbs, leaves, and other natural debris that is left on the curb. Garbage is hauled to the landfill in Houston County where we pay them so much per pound to accept our garbage. Trash pickup is carried to our inert landfill. The inert landfill is a 3 to 4 acre plot of land where this debris is dumped. Once it gets enough debris there, we hire a contractor to come and mulch all of the limbs, trees, branches, and leaves into a mulch that the contractor then hauls away. The inert landfill also contains a hole where we dump concrete and asphalt from street and sidewalk repairs. It takes several years to fill up even the smallest holes that we dig – we just don’t have that much concrete that needs to be buried.
We have successfully run our inert landfill in this capacity for many years. It does no harm to our environment and provides a cost effective way for the city to handle the trash pickup for our citizens. Our inert landfill does NOT pollute any groundwater and it does NOT cause the creation of methane gas.
HOWEVER, the state EPD (Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources) is proposing a change to the regulations governing inert landfills. These revisions will cost our citizens and lead to greater illegal dumping by citizens. The regulations will require our little inert landfill to be monitored by professional engineers. The initial cost of meeting these requirements will exceed $150,000 with an annual fee of around $12,000 thereafter.
Now I am all for protecting our environment. And I am all for making sure that people do right. EPD’s argument is that some landfills are violating the rules. Some contractors are burying construction debris and then “lost” the documentation on where and how much they buried. But let’s be reasonable and realistic. Let’s go after the violators rather than punishing those of us that have done it correctly.
Our taxpayers, locally, state-wide, and federally, are paying all that they can. We certainly don’t need more government bureaucracy causing an additional tax burden that serves absolutely no purpose. Fine the offenders. Regulate the private landfills. Waive these regulations for the small municipal governments that have always operated correctly and will continue to operate correctly. Don’t punish all of us for the faults of a few!
The Natural Resources Board is scheduled to vote on the proposed rule change at its August meeting. The public can file written comments with the agency until June 21st! You may file comments to:
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Environmental Protection Division
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Suite 1152, East Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334
What is YOUR opinion?
UPDATE: 2/27/13: The EPD did NOT vote in our favor and this rule changed passed the entire board. Rep. Buddy Harden and City Manager Jerry Murkerson both spoke on our behalf but they were not interested in hearing us. However, Rep. Harden has introduced legislation that would exempt cities such as ours. The legislation HAS passed the house and is now in committee. THANK YOU Rep. Harden for your efforts on our behalf…
HB 320, Regulation of Inert Landfills, by Rep. Buddy Harden (R-Cordele), passed the House on Tuesday, February 26, and is now awaiting committee assignment in the Senate. GMA supports this legislation
Shelly
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SpaceX’s success and privatization. A connection?
Elon Musk’s SpaceX did it’s job. The company’s SpaceX capsule successfully docked with the international space station this week. This is HUGE. History was made with the docking of its Dragon capsule to the international space station, the most impressive feat yet in turning routine spaceflight over to the commercial sector.
It marked the first time a business enterprise delivered a supply ship to the space station. Privatization on a massive scale.
I was a huge fan of the Space Shuttle Program. I did a project on it when I was a senior in High School. I went to Cape Canaveral to watch a launch. I spent DAYS in front of the TV when the Challenger exploded. So, I was a little dismayed when I heard the program was ending, but in truth, it is probably for the best. The private sector can do most things immensely better than the public sector. Competition brings costs down and innovation up.
The privatization of this program should show us that we need to explore other ways to get Government out of our way. People like Mr. Musk will always step up to the plate and fill the voids. Of course, the opposite is true also. I personally believe that if our churches and non-profits would truly fulfill their missions, Welfare and possibly even Social Security would not be needed. But when the private fails to do it, government steps in. It is a balancing act. The Government certainly has a role to play, but far too often they step over the limit.
Bob Dole made a huge campaign commitment to state’s rights. And although I totally agreed with him, I knew he could not win an election on this point. Dole was too much of a moderate to win. (personally, I think the same is true of Romney).
Moving power and control away from the federal government back to the states is a good thing. Moving power and control away from the states and back to the local level is even a better thing. Should the Fed & State have some guidelines and requirements? Of course. But the best person to make decisions for me is – well, ME! The best people to make decisions for my community are my friends and neighbors – aka – the community itself.
While the SpaceX accomplishment is historical on so many levels, I think a huge statement being proclaimed is that the private sector can handle areas formerly reserved for the government. Do away with DOE? Yes. Do away with the IRS? Yes (a national sales tax is the answer). Do away with other agencies and regulations? Yes.
This is my blog – this is my opinion. I would love to hear your thoughts…….
Shelly
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Mission Trip to Kenya, Africa
You go on a mission trip with the proposed purpose of making a difference in someone else’s life. You come back with the profound knowledge that it’s your life that has been changed. My recent mission trip to Kenya proved this to me – again. In 1999, I went with a group to Honduras and that trip resulted just the same. Yes, we did some good, (building homes in Honduras and helping a church to grow in Kenya). But it is the personal changes that a mission trip creates that validates us going.
As I preparing for this trip, I honestly had mixed feelings. The total cost for 14 of us going on this trip was pretty high between airfare, lodging, vehicle rentals, food, and the donations to the church and orphanage while there. I was calculating this cost and thinking – could not that money be spent here in Hawkinsville? Was this a glorified vacation with a “mission” theme so that we could all rationalize the expense in our own minds? I was leaving behind a fellow that I had just met that had not eaten in two days – would not helping him be better than me taking this trip?
But by then, the plans were made, the money was paid, and the tickets were bought. So I went. And I can conclusively say – I am glad I did! I believe the change, the focus, in me has been permanently altered. A mission trip forces you to get out of your day to day life with your day to day perceptions. We see the same thing everyday. We talk the same politics everyday. We see the same needs everyday, and we become oblivious to them all.
Let me tell you of the trip:
Tea Village
We arrived in Kenya, got settled in, and then immediately went to Pastor Shaddrack’s Tea Village Church. This particular Tea Village is owned by one of the tea company plantations. They provide housing (a block house with no running water) to the family for helping to harvest tea. There were several hundred houses in this village. This church is a new church and we were going to help “disciple” the 30-40 members so that the church could grow deeper in it’s knowledge of Christian ideals. Personally, I was assigned to teach a two hour lesson on Prayer.
We also planned on teaching many Bible lessons to the children of the community. The children are the key to getting the adults to show up. On the first day, dozens of children arrived and probably 6 or 7 adults. We taught Bible stories to the children. We played with the children. And we taught our discipleship lessons to the older youth and adults that showed up. Then in the afternoon, we went to help with an orphanage that serviced 54 children. Most all of these children were orphaned due to the Aids epidemic that is in the land. BesAnn, a young 24 year old woman, cares daily for these children providing 3 meals and Bible lessons. She is a remarkable lady. Her only help is from a lady who helps cook and also some help from Pastor Shaddrack and his wife.
Both the tea village and the orphanage screamed poverty. The children had next to nothing. Some had shoes, others did not. Some had decent clothes, others had ragged garments. For the most part, they seemed happy (especially with all of us strange white people there, they kept wanting to see under our shirt sleeves to see if we were really this color everywhere!). We saw poverty, we saw situations that are unthinkable – yet they exist. It changes you. It makes you thankful, grateful, and humble at your life experience compared to theirs. It shows you what the courage, faith, and willingness of one 24 year old can do – it can change lives. Am I changing lives? Am I making a difference? A Mission trip FORCES you to ask yourself these questions.
We even witnessed a miracle We had bought 10 bags of 20 snicker’s bars each. (that’s 200 snickers bars for you mathmatically challenged). We gave out 161 at the tea village. A diabetic team member ate one. That left, to our counting, 38 snickers bars that should be in our bag. There were 54 children at the orphanage + two children visiting from the nearby village. We knew we had nowhere near 56 snickers bars. But someone suggested that we count. So we poured them all out on the floor of the van. And, you guessed it. There were not 55 candy bars. There were not 57 candy bars. There were exactly 56 candy bars. You could not help but think about Jesus and the feeding of the 5,000. All I can say is that God provided and taught us that HE is sufficient and provides for His children!
Snickers
By the third day of visiting the church and the orphanage, interest in the community had grown. The children were showing off their Burger King crowns 
(we talked of sexual purity and explained that they were all princes and princesses of THE KING). We told other Bible stories. The children would go home and tell the others in their household. More children came daily. The adult participation grew. On day three, the day I was supposed to teach on Prayer, about 40-50 adults had arrvied. The pastor was excited, but said, “for the most part, these are not people of my church, they are un-churched, please do a lesson on salvation instead of prayer!”. I almost panicked. I had not prepared a lesson on salvation, I had prepared a lesson on Prayer. I was also thinking, “There are 3 full time preachers on this trip – Let them do it!”. But deep down, I knew. I knew that THIS was why I came. I knew that GOD was in control and my job was to obey! (I did grab one preacher to go with me though). So, I began sharing in a small 16 x 20 room, about Christ. About how he changed my life. About how he loves me. About how he loves each one in that room. I shared about God sending his Son to take the penalty for my choice of disobedience. Of God sending His Son so that I could have fellowship with a Just and Holy God. I shared the story of Salvation! In this church, they don’t “walk the saw dust trail” as revivals of years gone by. But many, many did raise their hand to indicate they understood and that they desired and asked Jesus to be Lord of their life. It was an awesome moment in my life that I will never forget.
By the time I finished (probably 20 minutes), another 40 or 50 had arrived. There were over 90 people in that small room. I asked the preacher that came with me, Robert Doughtery, (preacher at Antioch Baptist) to give his version of the salvation story. He did and assuredly more came to know Christ. Well, I thought it was over and I was through – but God had other plans. The pastor then asked us to “Tell them how to grow in Christ…”. So Robert and I each gave a 20 minute lesson on growing in Christ. Then the pastor said, “Question and Answer Time”. And all of this was through an interpretor – what an experience!
The interesting thing was that the questions that they ask are the same questions that we ask. “Do you HAVE to go to church?” “How does one KNOW they are saved?” “Is it a sin to get mad at my favorite football team?” “What about all the different denominations and different religions?”. We answered these and more the best that we could. Probably not 100% correct, but I believe that God honored the effort. Hopefully lives were changed, I know mine was. We TALK of missions. We send MONEY to missions. But it is so life changing to be an actual PART of missions.
At the Nairobi airport, as we prepared to come home, I met a young lady 22 years old. (the same age as my daughter). She was going home to Colorado after spending 4 months in Africa – all by herself. I talked with her for an hour and a half. She was a changed person. Her trip was not a christian mission trip, she was volunteering to teach English. But the trip had changed her as well. I asked her if she knew my Jesus, and she did. So while I did not get to share Christ with her, it was an accomplishment for me that I tried!
I tell you all this not to boast in any way. If any good was done on that trip, it was all God’s doing. Hopefully, I did not get in the way too much. But I tell you this story to encourage you. GO on a mission trip when you get the opportunity. Our own Paul Williams in this community has lead many mission trips through the Methodist Church. Dennis Phillips of the Pulaski-Bleckley Baptist Association leads yearly trips. Speak to your pastor, there ARE opportunities.
You go thinking you might change the world. But it’s YOUR world that gets changed. It’s your perspectives that are altered. It’s your attitude that is modified. It is your pre-conceived notions that get shattered. People around the world all want the same things; to be loved; to be accepted; to survive and even thrive. People attempt to fill those wants with everything imaginable, yet, only God can truly fulfill.
Hopefully all 14 of us will never be the same. Possibly it took traveling half way around the world, attempting to change their lives, that will result in us being willing to change lives back home. When asked, GO. If not asked, then ask your Pastor, and then GO.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:7-9
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Wilson Credle
Hawkinsville lost a fine guy this week. I served with Wilson for several years on the Hawkinsville City Commission. A lot of our progress can be attributed to him. He was an extremely intelligent man that cared about this community. We often differed on the “approach” to a challenge, but we seldom differed on the end goal. Wilson’s approach was full steam ahead, don’t worry about the collateral damage. Sometimes – that was what was needed. That approached was not liked by some and it probably cost him the last election, but at times, it was the approach that got the most accomplished.
Hawkinsville has made great strides in the blighted housing category, and much of that success was due to Wilson. He spearheaded the Opportunity Zone. He would take the time to analyze an issue and would often find a stone that we had not overturned.
Wilson was also the best storyteller. His trip to back from Atlanta in a wrecker is one of the funniest stories I have ever heard. And he could tell a joke as good as any standup I have ever seen.
I watched Wilson put his family first. He was willing to make some tough decisions out of love. He didn’t just take the easy route. His love for his children, his grandchildren and Jane was ever visible and present. He admired and complimented Jane at every mention.
Wilson is the reason that we have the PCCLC (Pulaski County Christian Learning Center). He saw the success of that program in another community and challenged Pulaski County to make it happen here. This may prove to be his best legacy in our town. It is already making a difference in people’s lives.
I will miss Wilson. He was a friend. He challenged me not to accept the status quo. I enjoyed discussing ideas and goals with him. I enjoyed our disagreements, because he never took them personally with me. Yeah, he made me mad sometimes, yeah, we disagreed sometimes – but that what friends do. Iron sharpens iron.
Hawkinsville is a better community because of Wilson. How many of us will be able to say that when our time comes?
Shelly Berryhill 