THUMBS UP to our Habersham County and municipal fire personnel, who have consistently shown their ability to be on the scene quickly when danger arises.
Our fire stations are largely understaffed, particularly in unincorporated areas of the county, but the first responders we have serving us have proven time and again they are top notch.
In the last month, fires at Magnolia Hills assisted living facility in Demorest and The Orchard golf club have threatened those businesses, but firefighters in both cases arrived before the blaze could spread dangerously and cause loss of life or irreparable damage.
Habersham County applied for the SAFER grant again this year, hopefully to get more staff in our fire stations, because the dangers of one person working a fire engine are well-documented. That scenario is far too common in our county in recent years, as volunteer participation has dropped.
We hope the federal government will recognize our need and grant us the funds to bring on 18 more firefighters, but as we have learned from the process of hiring more School Resource Officers, it’s people who make the difference.
You can’t just hire anyone to fight fires or protect our kids. It has to be someone with a heart for service. Finding the right people and having the resources to pay them a solid wage are major goals as we go forward into fiscal year 2023-24.
THUMBS DOWN to Baldwin for dropping its commitment to Partnership Habersham for assistance with economic development.
The city’s motto states that Baldwin is “The Hub of Development in Northeast Georgia,” but one wonders how they claim that title without being a willing partner with those around them.
Demorest sees the value of the partnership, as their city recently approved the $5,000, and their city has plenty of expenses coming in the next year, with several mandated utility moves as part of Department of Transportation projects. And yet, they found funds to invest to continue that relationship.
Baldwin cannot be a lone ranger when it comes to development in this county. They are positioned in the southern end of the county from which the growth is marching, and they are about to see a huge boom in residential population in the next few years.
But in order to balance that growth with industrial and business prosperity, we need all our resources pulling in the same direction.
THUMBS UP to moms. Hug your mom this weekend and let her know how much you love and appreciate her for giving you life and raising you right.