Beth Alston: It's good to be back

Beth Alston
The Americus Times-Recorder

AMERICUS November 07, 2009 08:11 pm

— It’s great to be back
Alright already! I’m sorry this column has been missing for a couple of weeks, but there’s much to get accomplished. After hearing from several people that they missed it, I knew I had to make the time for it.
First of all, this week’s biggest news is the official groundbreaking event for the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center to be constructed on U.S. Highway 280 West. The new health care facility will feature a four-story, 76-bed hospital. Three free-standing medical office buildings will also be constructed, which will house oncology, surgery, women and children’s health services, wellness and orthopedics. The 40-acre construction site will also feature a running/walking track. Construction is exepcted to be complete by 2011.
And during the ground breaking ceremony, at which former President Jimmy Carter spoke, the announcement was made that Keith Petersen, who has been serving as interim CEO, has been named president/CEO of the new health care facility. We welcome him and his wife to our community and hope this is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with the Petersens, and we anxiously anticipate the completion of the new, first-class, Phoebe Sumter Medical Center. The new health care facility will not only provide the newest, state of the art medical care for people in the region, but will also help to attract business and industry to our area. The building site itself should help to grow the west side of Americus. The Perry Brothers Oil Co. complex has already started that trend.
And now, on to other pecan groves ....
Koinonia Farm has its own publication. Although it’s in its second year, we had never seen it until recently. Koinonia Farm Chronicle has information on the Koinonia community, its tenets, mission, history, programs and activities. The kids page is precious (never thought I’d use that word in a business column) and much of the copy is directly from the words of Clarence Jordan, the late founder of Koinonia and mentor to the late Millard Fuller.
Koinonia Farmalso has an online newsletter — Koinonia Briefly — which is available free www.news@koinoniapartners.com. Check it out. It’s informative.
The entire Koinonia community is excited that Clarence Jordan has been selected to the City of Americus’ Walk of Fame. That shows how far we have come from the dark days of the late 1950s when the fine leaders of Americus and Sumter County asked Jordan and his followers to just go away. The Walk of Fame event — which also will honor J. Frank Myers, Roy Lee and Susan Smith, Luther Story and Dr. William B. King — will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov.14 at the Rylander Theatre, and is open to the public. Admission is free.
Other upcoming events include the Fuller Center for Housing’s fish fry fundraiser from 6-9 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Sumter County Fairgrounds; the annual Madrigal Dinner Nov. 13 and 14 at the Windsor (great food, beautiful atmosphere, divine music), and of course, the annual Downtown Holiday Open House from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 19.
Speaking of websites, I somehow got on an email list to receive St. Mary’s Scoop, a weekly scoop supporting and promoting business in St. Mary’s, the charming town on the east coast of Georgia, on the way to Cumberland Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service), where Fred and Debbie Boyles are now living. Here’s the link; it’s worth checking out how they do it (www.info@stmarysdda.com).
If you know of something going on in the local business world, please contact me at beth.alston@gaflnews.com or 924-2751, ext. 1529, so I can include it in this column which publishes on Sundays. It could be a new business, an employee promotion or recognition, a relocation or addition, a special marketing promotion, most anything related to enterprise.

Beth Alston, an award-winning journalist, is executive editor of the Americus Times-Recorder.