BOE Meeting

The BOE will hold their meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the board of ed. office. "Said real property is to be acquired for the construction of a public school, providing necessary educational facilities and other educational purposes."
We as parents need to be in attendance to voice our opinions about the safety of our children. This is an experimental plant, how can the board members speculate on the future health of our kids?
I am in favor of building a new school, just not in the proposed building site!

What actually came of the BOE meeting last night?

A phone call just informed me that the board decided to proceed with the plan to build on hwy 29. They will also be using the power of eminent domain to obtain more land adjoining the proposed area. Any suggestions on how to stop this?

Whew! We all need to ban together and find out exactly what is going on with this new school/land situation. Anytime you hear the words "use of power of eminent domain" you had better sit up and pay attention.

Taxpayers in this country are already used and abused by the government. Its not right that a government entity such as a local school board can take a private citizens land for the use of the school system.

All around us "tea parties" are taking place. Its appropriate on this April 15 tax day that us overtaxed citizens start trying to push the Fair Tax plan. Let's do away with the IRS......its an outdated, ridiculous, unfair taxation of American citizens. With the Fair Tax plan, everyone will pay a flat tax of 23% on everything, period, and thats all the tax we will have. It is the fairest plan around. If you haven't heard of it or read about it, please do. You will be amazed. It would revolutionize America; industries would come back here, and jobs would be readily available.

The Fair Tax plan would help us all.

Before you condemn the plant as "experimental" and "dangerous," you should read up on cellulose ethanol production. It's really not dangerous.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulosic_ethan...

I absolutely agree with the fair tax plan...that's why I voted for Mike Huckabee in the primary last year. With the fair tax, everyone would pay their fair share; not just those of us who work or own property.

Before you condemn the plant as "experimental" and "dangerous," you should read up on cellulose ethanol production. It's really not dangerous.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulosic_ethan...

Maybe you need to read up on things. How can you say the plant is not experimental when it will be the first plant of its kind in operation?

"Range Fuels announced a new strategic partnership with Emerson(EMR Quote) that aims to build America's first industrial-scale cellulosic biofuels plant.
The plant will produce ethanol and methanol from non-food biomass such as wood.
If successful, the project will leapfrog the cellulosic project announced just last month by BP(BP Quote) and Verenium(VRNM Quote)."
http://www.thestreet.com/story/10468062/1/ran...

"Methanol is extremely toxic. If ingested, as little as 10ml can cause permanent blindness by destruction of the optic nerve.[3] The usual fatal dose is 100–125 ml (4 fl oz). Toxic effects take hours to start, but effective antidotes can often prevent permanent damage. Firstly, methanol (whether it enters the body by ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through the skin) can be fatal due to its CNS depressant properties in the same manner as ethanol poisoning. Secondly, in a process of toxication, it is metabolised to formic acid (which is present as the formate ion) via formaldehyde in a process initiated by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanol

You guys need new school....go with it...

Plans need to be made for use of the building they are using now before a new school is considered. Would be a shame to have the building they are in now unoccupied.

GO DAWGS Soperton GA wrote:

You guys need new school....go with it...

I have no problem with a new school, but the BOE needs to reconsider the location.

Motown Man wrote:

Plans need to be made for use of the building they are using now before a new school is considered. Would be a shame to have the building they are in now unoccupied.

The old school building is fairly decrepit. As a former student, I have seen how much disrepair the current facility is in. Though it will be a shame to move the school away from the gym/bandroom building as well as all the athletic fields.

Why is the BOE using Emininent Domain to obtain the 15 or so acres of wetlands? This makes no sense to me...

From what I understand the 15 acres the board wants to take is for a buffer between the school and a private landowner. There is already 400 feet between the proposed school and this land owner, but they feel it necessary for the extra. The 15 acres was bought by the landowner with the idea of a buffer for himself. So why does the school need to take it from him while he was doing what they want done with it anyway? With all the issues brought up about the school's location, why was it not considered to use the land behind the elementary school. And are we going to let the new press box and gym at the high school go to waste after all the money we put into fixing it up?

Go to this page and read the guide for school site selection in Georgia. Please explain to me why we are putting a school in a location that is not ideal according to our own state guidelines...

http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/_documents/schools/f...

If any one or more of the following hazards is located on or near (up to a three mile radius) a
proposed school site, a Risk/Hazard Analysis shall be required in addition to the Phase I –
Environmental Site Assessment:
(1) Electrical transmission lines rated at 115KV or higher;
(2) Oil or petroleum products transmission lines and storage facilities;
(3) Hazardous chemical pipelines;
(4) Natural gas transmission and distribution lines larger than ten inches in diameter with a
pressure of 200 psi or more;
(5) Propane storage facilities;
(6) Railroads;
(7) Major highways;
(8) Airport approach or departure paths;
(9) Industrial/manufacturing facilities:
(a) Using or storing hazardous substances as defined under Title 40 CFR 262;
(b) Emitting hazardous air pollutants as defined under the “Clean Air Act” and/or
(c) 1990 “Clean Air Act Amendment”– Risk Management Plan Sec. 112(r)
(10) Lakes, rivers, dams, reservoirs, or other bodies of water;
(11) Potential flooding because the property is located within the 100 year flood plain or
damn breach zone;
(12) Nuclear waste storage facilities;
(13) Munitions or explosives storage or manufacturing.
A Risk/Hazard Analysis must be completed by a registered, professional engineer licensed
to do business in the State of Georgia and shall include the following information at a
minimum:
(1) Identification of each hazard;
(2) An evaluation of each hazard;
(3) Options for mitigating each identified hazard (if appropriate);
(4) A statement from the engineer based on his or her professional judgment and the
findings of the Risk/Hazard Analysis regarding the suitability of the site for a school.
The Department of Education reserves the right to request information in addition to that
provided in the Phase I-Environmental Site Assessment and/or the Risk/Hazard Analysis.
Additional information may be needed prior to reaching a decision regarding the appropriateness

I went to school in that building you are presently using 35 years ago...it is time!!!! stop fighting about it and get on with it..Your students need a new school worse than any school in the state of Georgia. Look around you, almost everyone around you have new schools except Treutlen County. You will never find the perfect piece of property But give you kids something to be proud of. Look at the list above then look around and see if you can find a place that meets all thes needs....NO look at where West Laurens High School is building there new school, well some jack-leg is going down the road and building a store that will sell beer and cigs...and they thought they had the perfect place....MOVE ON...

No location is going to be perfect by every citizens standards, but some are better than others. And when our government on any level says they can take your land because they will use it better, I AM AGAINST IT!!! Every citizen should be outraged by that alone. If you want to know why our government is taxing us to death and spending TRILLIONS of dollars of YOUR money on whatever they want, It is because we as a people have "let-it-all-go". We might not be able to stop large government, but we should be able to run our county by what is best for the people.

What if the 15 acres was just a way to make a little money? The landowner's known for some time that this was where the new school would most likely go. Why not buy the 15 acres knowing the BOE would have to use it's power of eminent domain to take the land, in which case they will pay more than it's worth to ensure the least amount of legal problems. Sounds like an easy way to make a little profit. Purely hypothetical of course.

That would be a good theory if the landowner was agreeable to the purchase. However the use of eminent domain suggests that he does not want to sell.

I believe the owner of the 15 acres bought it approx. 6 years ago. The school board should realize that wetlands are just that...and let the land owner keep his land. It seems that Treutlen County always has to make things hard when it comes to change. Someone mentioned the land at the Elem. School...there is also a lot of wide open space in front of the current middle/high school....seems like the new school could be built there and then it would still adjoin the new gym, baseball field, football field, etc.

The problems seems to me is you folks should do a better job of educating your kids at home rather than worrying about where they are putting the new schools. This cat named REE must think you should build a schools in the desert. You tell me where you can find a approprite place anywhere that fits the guidelines he has stated. Most of the kids that goes to school today are raise by crack-head pot smoking parents that rather have another joint of a six-pack rather that caring about there kids.
So come on folks and lets do something positive for a change in Treutlen Co.