Your Monday Roundup for Feb. 28, 2022

UPDATE 8 p.m.: fixes typo in stats; prettifies links

by Robin Kemp

A quick editorial note: I have been diagnosed with endometrial cancer. However, it is supposedly Grade 1 and early stage, which means it’s highly treatable. Uterine cancer is the most common gynecological cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note, “In 2018, the latest year for which incidence data are available, in the United States, 58,060 new cases of uterine cancer were reported among women, and 11,238 women died of this cancer. For every 100,000 women, 27 new uterine cancer cases were reported and 5 women died of this cancer.” (By comparison, the rate for breast cancer among women was 130.9 per 100,000 women.) Uterine cancer was the sixth leading cause of death among women in Georgia in 2018, behind lung and bronchus (1st), breast (2nd), and ovarian cancer (5th).

In Clayton County, that’s 29.3 women per 100,000. That means about 100 of us in Clayton County have uterine cancer. And that incidence is on the rise, with about 43 new cases diagnosed each year.

Go and get your checkup if you have any unusual symptoms like heavy bleeding, problems urinating, feeling a mass in your abdomen or pelvic area, or having pain during sex, especially after menopause. There’s no need to be delicate or shy about this. Information is power.

Thank you for your kind messages of support. I expect to be around for quite a long time, raising hell, taking names, and holding the powerful accountable. Meanwhile, The Clayton Crescent’s board is hard at work developing a couple of fundraising events. The site redesign is coming along. And as usual, we have a couple of really innovative collaborations coming up that I cannot wait to share with everyone!

Here’s your Monday Roundup: please email additions/corrections to editor@claytoncrescent.org. Remember: This information is only as useful as you make it. Our job is to let you know what’s going on. Your job is to decide what to do about it.

Mon, 2/28

5 PM: The Clayton County Board of Education holds its work session. On the agenda:

The board will hear from Jada Dawkins about the pre-K marketing campaign. Dr. Angela Horrison-Collier also will have COVID-19 data and vaccine updates. Fewer than 100 students ages 5-11 took advantage of Vaccine Fridays. Middle school students ages 12 and up will be able to get booster shots at school between March 28 and April 1, while high school students can get boosted from April 11 through April 15.

Action agenda items include:

• Policy Series D – Second Read: Revisions on fiscal management, including Land Bank extinguishment and discharge of unpaid ad valorem taxes, interest and penalties; clarification on federal funds policy; a new policy on internal audits; clarifications on the board’s policy on “Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Corruption” and a new policy on “Administrative Leeway (Inclusivity in Purchasing);” assorted changed to the policy on bids and quotations; adding auditing requirements for school activities funds management; clarifications on school properties disposal procedures; a new regulation on Land Bank extinguishment procedures and unpaid taxes/fees/penalties discharges; “a new regulation for the District to address the internal auditing procedures;” and revisions tweaking department titles and policy clarifications soon school properties disposal procedures.
• Policy Series E – Second Read: Adds mandatory state guidelines for  chemical and hazmat safety in labs and classrooms; bring mileage measures in line with state allotment purposes; streamlining language around annual local school wellness policy progress reports; clarifying the minimum 15-minute recess time and adding language “that recess is for in-person instruction, in light of possible challenges of providing recess time in virtual learning environment.”
• GSBA Legislative Positions: Adopting the 2021 Georgia School Boards Association’s legislative positions, which include keeping school board under local control, allowing for virtual meetings under the Open Meetings Act, opposing school vouchers for private or home schools, and backing four-year staggered terms and nonpartisan popular votes by Congressional District for State Board of Education members, among other issues.
• GSBA 2022 Delegate & Alternate Appointment: No information was published on the board’s document site as of 3:17 p.m. Monday.
• GSBA Board Recognition: highlighted items under local Board of Education training requirements: “The Governance Team has established, formally adopted, and abides by written Governance Team Board Norms and Protocols.” Under Recognition Consideration and/or Removal, “If a district is under Cognia special review citing potential irregularities, the governance team is not eligible for board recognition.” Applications for GSBA recognition are due on July 29 and all training must be complete by June 30 for the board to be considered for awards in December.

To comment on pending School Board policies, visit https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/Index.aspx?S=4038 and click on the individual policy under “Pending Documents.”

6 P.M.: The Riverdale City Council meets at Town Center. On the agenda:

• Presentations on the fiscal year annual comprehensive report from Mauldin and Jenkins, MARTA, and the Georgia Municipal Association’s benefits program
• Discussions and recommendations on Resolution 11-2-2022 for an emergency warning service. Genasys is offering a three-year contract at $5,200 per year (the cloud-based system relies on SMS and web connectivity); Resolution 9-2-2022 to appoint Angela Rambeau to the Clayton County Land Bank Committee; Cancellation of the March 14 council meeting due to the National League of Cities meeting in Washington, DC; and Resolution 10-2-2022 to dispose of a surplus 2010 Dodge Charger from the Riverdale Police Department.

Tue, 3/1

9:30 a.m.: The Georgia Public Service Commission meets. Watch live or later on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZSMyme2G_zmisHwuQAztFQ

The administrative agenda considers approval of settlements with five utilities totaling $41,000. Of that amount, $34,500 “can be mitigated with attendance at Commission approved damage prevention training,” meaning the state would only collect $6,500 in civil penalties. The utility companies are Cape Fear Utilities, LLC; AB Underground Communications, LLC; LCS & Associates, LLC; Amtech Plumbing and Sewer Service, LLC; and Atlanta Paving and Concrete Construction, Inc.

Other items include SCANA Energy’s sixth request for Universal Service Fund (USF) disbursements, Atlanta Gas Lights petition to modify Tariff Rules 6, 7, 8, and 11; Georgia Power’s Advanced Solar Initiative (ASI) and ASI’s Prime request for proposals for solar photovoltaic generation from Richland Solar Power; Georgia Power’s Renewable Energy Development Initiative (REDI) Custonmer-Sited II program’s request to certify its first group of power purchase agreements.

Proposals for the regular agenda include approval of a request for proposals for a hearing aid distribution program provider; and consideration Atlanta Gas Light Company’s petition to approve Econ-I tariff related to PSC staff recommendation on “the Treutlen County Project.”

The administrative affairs agenda seeks approval for two Natural Gas Unit members to attend the Virtual (IPU) Institute of Public Utilities Advanced Regulatory Accounting and Ratemaking course March 16 through 18 at $795 each, “paid pursuant to the January 28, 2021 Stipulation in Docket No. 42315, therefore leaving no direct cost to the State.”

6:30 PM: The Clayton County Board of Commissioners holds its regular business meeting. Top items on the agenda:

• An agreement with Trees Atlanta to plant 100 container trees along Anvil Block Road
• An agreement with CRS Center LLC (Crossroads South Shopping Center at 747 North Ave., Jonesboro) to provide office space for the Clayton County Police Department
• A special facility use agreement for the Clayton County Humane Society (which is not a county department, but an independent organization) to hold a Walk-A-Thon Mutt Strutt on the trails in International Park on April 30 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (rain date May 14)
• Acceptance of a certified patrol and narcotics K-9 officer from the Hardee County, FL Sheriff’s Office to the Clayton County Police Department
• Authorizing a $5,981.51 grant application by the Clayton County Library System to seek funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Veterans National Forum Grant Program, via Texas A&M University, to enhance library services for veterans
• Amending an agreement with Tivity Health to offer both Silver Sneakers and two other fitness programs for all adults 18 and older
• Consider adding four streetlights on Conley Road between Gilbert Road and the I-285 overpass
• Clayton County Fire and Emergency Services is asking to modify the terms and conditions of its vehicle with 72 Hour LLC dab National Auto Fleet Group through their authorized dealer, Alan Jay Automotive Management, Inc. of Sebring, FL
• Award Ready Fitness, Inc, of Buford $84,970.58 to install fitness equipment at “various parks and recreation locations”
• An emergency purchase of ten Chevy Tahoes for Clayton County Transportation and Development and the Clayton County Police Department, at $42,622.62 each for a total of $426,226 from Bachman Auto Group of Louisville, KY
• Magistrate Court is asking for a total of $66,836.30 for its judges to keep their pay competitive.
• The Solicitor General’s office is asking to delete a senior victims services officer position and add a victim services officer position, making it “a new entry level classification that will provide an opportunity for an employee to learn and grow….[t]the career path for this classification includes Victim Services Officer Senior.”
• Also on the consent agenda: recognizing revenue for additional Veterans Court funding, Veteran of the Month recognition, and assorted small refunds.

Board appointments still open include three slots on the Ethics Board (Karen Sullivan for the Chamber of Commerce, Samuel Dixon for Clayton State University, and Tiffany Jones for the Clayton County NAACP, all since Feb. 2), and one each on the Veterans Advisory Board (the late Paul Winfrey, since December), Behavioral Health and Development Board (Meia Ballinger, who resigned to run for District 4), Library Board (Deetra Poindexter, who resigned), and Land Bank Board (Tonya Lane, who moved out of Clayton County).

Wed, 3/2

4:30 PM: The Jonesboro Design Review Commission meets. On the agenda:

• a staff recommendation to deny The Cigar Parlour (171 N. Main Street) a front deck. The city says the deck “may hinder further parking in the front and maneuverability on the future side drive.” In addition, “Outdoor activities associated with the sale and use of tobacco products is prohibited. Will the deck encourage prohibited outdoor smoking? There is already a back deck being built.”
• The commission also will consider approving a new exterior color for 234 S. Main Street: “234 South Main Street has served as the location for several businesses through the years, most recently the Treasure Seekers thrift store. The property fronts both South Main Street and Batiste Park Road. The most recent owner, Mr. Estrada, purchased the property a couple of years ago and intended to put a restaurant there prior to Covid. He submitted formal plans for the restaurant, including a rendering of the exterior which showed a significant renovation in the shape and materials of the building. Now, the restaurant plans have fallen through, and he desires to ‘white box’ the building for sale to another owner for a future use. One of his proposals for improving the exterior of the building is to repair the existing wood siding and to repaint the entire exterior a slightly different color. The property is zoned C-1 (Neighborhood Commercial) and is now located in the recently adopted Gateway South Overlay District, with its own specific architectural standards for certain types of buildings.”

5 PM: Clayton County Parks and Recreation is hosting A Dr. Seuss Reading Party at Jim Huie Recreation Center, 9045 Tara Blvd., Jonesboro. Call (678) 479-5136 or visit www.claytonparks.com for more information. A person’s a person, no matter how small.

Thu, 3/3

6 PM: The Jonesboro Downtown Development Authority holds its regular meeting at Jonesboro City Hall, 124 North Ave. No agenda was available as of press time. Check http://jonesboroga.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=2206 for updates.

Fri, 3/4

TBA

Sat, 3/5

1 PM: Join Flint River Community Center for its First Anniversary Bash at 153 Flint River Road, Riverdale. The party lasts from 1 PM to 4 PM. and includes the Comcast Lift Zone, Fresh the Clownsss, live entertainment, a Kids Fun Zone, prizes, vendors, and refreshments. For details, call Flint River Community Center at (770) 347-0370.

3 PM: The March Madness Voter Registration Drive takes place at Lake Spivey Recreation Center, 2300 Walt Stephens Road, Jonesboro. Tour the facility, enjoy free food, and get information on the county’s voting process. The event is sponsored by the Clayton County Democratic Party, Clayton County Federation of Democratic Women, and District 4 Commissioner DeMont Davis. Check your voter registration status online at mvp.sos.ga.gov .