Schley Community Park a great investment

One of the greatest investments for parents, grandparents, churches, civic organizations as well as local business and industry in Schley Co. is the new Schley Community Park. The project will provide a group of training and fitness exercise equipment and a playground structure in the center of the Schley Co. Recreation Complex for children to use for fun and exercise.

It’s hard to believe, but there is no public playground in Schley County other than Black/Edwards Park and the one at the elementary school. Although Schley Co. has a great school system with the Elementary School ranking number one in the state and the high school ranking number ten in the state, there is no centrally located community park for families and children to enjoy.

With a population of almost 5,500 people and about 1,500 students in the Schley Co. School System, Schley County needs a fully functional recreation complex with a playground that is accessible for families and children. With your help, the Schley Community Park will provide our children with both exercise and creative play.

The Schley Co. Community Foundation and The Schley Co. Recreation Authority are teaming up together to raise funds to construct the park in two phases. Phase 1 will provide a group of strength, training and exercise equipment. The materials for this first phase will be purchased by a grant from the Schley County Community Foundation. Local craftsman will build a chin-up bar, horizontal and vertical ladders, a push up and sit up bench, a spring-up bar and parallel bars. Coaches will use the equipment to give strength training to kids playing on various sports teams. Adults and teens can use the equipment as part of an exercise program.

Phase 2 will be a playground structure in the center of the recreation complex for children to use for fun and exercise. The playground equipment will be designed for children ages 6 to 12 with some equipment for even younger children.

This is where your investment in our children is needed. You can make a tax free contribution to build the new Schley Community Park by calling the Schley Co. Community Foundation, a 501 C(3) organization, at 937-5708 or by mailing your contribution to P.O. Box 606, Ellaville, GA 31806. he foundation will also have a booth set up at Springtime Ellaville on March 28. The foundation will give you a receipt for your tax records.

Please contribute to this great investment to make the new Schley Community Park a success. Our children’s success depends on you and our community’s support.

John T. Greene

Coordinator, Schley Co. Family Connection

Ellaville

Responds to Tom Johnson’s letter

I wrote this letter to defend Jacob Battle, Sr. and his February 6, 2015 letter, which appeared in the Americus Times-Recorder. Also, I wrote it to challenge the opinions, as well as, question the motives of Tom Johnson, who wrote a letter in response to Mr. Battle’s letter. Finally, I uphold the perfectness of the Word of God, including this right and pertinent view of homosexuality, as a sin.

Please note Mr. Battle’s genuine concern that people know and live in accordance with the Holy Bible. This is evident throughout his letter, especially in his inclusion of scripture references. The chapters and verses that he cites are important to know, in the proper raising of children. It appears that he cites them, in order, to help others. Furthermore, his references to homosexuals and homosexuality contrast both good and evil, in a well meaning way. (Yes, it is a sin.)

On the other hand, Mr. Johnson falsely accuses Mr. Battle of degrading and belittling “others who are different.” (To what extent do your believe that those, who Tom thinks are different, are wrong in their differences with God?) Also, he falsely accuses Mr. Battle of persecuting “those of a minority sexual orientation.”

A clear reading of Mr. Battle’s letter will convince anyone open-minded to the truth, and wary of the opposite, that he had the best of intentions and a positive effect. Any notion to the contrary is basically wrong.

Continuing, please, ask yourself, “Is Tom Johnson attempting to deceive us?” Whether he is aware of it or not, he attempts to do so in his unjustified criticism of Jacob Battle, Sr. I emphasize that Mr. Battle did not degrade, belittle or persecute anyone.

Furthermore, please note these ideas. First, God is perfect in His way (Psalm 18:30), He is His Word (John 1:1), therefore the Word of God is perfect. Second, in the perfect Holy Bible, we are told that homosexuality is sin, meaning that it is wrong. Please, see Leviticus 18:22, I Kings 14:24, Leviticus 20:13, and Romans 1:24, 26, and 27.

In conclusion, it is both uncivil and wrong, hence it can not be a civil right. We should not have laws, rules, or regulations, in favor of what is wrong, only what is right. Hopefully, you agree.

Jeryl Pinnell Jr.

Americus

Potential solution must deal with concern for fellow man

On January 30 of this year, I was on the way from my home in Southern Webster County (the Centerpoint Community) to Americus when I was stopped by the police in the town of Plains, at approximately 11:30 AM. The purpose of my trip was to pick up my grandson from school.

I had approached US 280, which runs east and west through the town, from the south, on GA highway 45. It was necessary that I stop at US 280 before making a right hand turn into that highway. The weather was clear and there was no traffic light at this intersection. I don’t think there were any automobiles immediately behind me, and there were no automobiles near on US 280 to the east or west. Neither were there any automobiles on GA highway 45 immediately across US 280. Across the street, parked, and facing the way I was approaching, was a police car (in an unoccupied lot) with an officer inside.

After “apparently” making what is often referred to as a “rolling stop”, I turned to the right toward Americus. Immediately, the policeperson came out, followed me and turned on the blue light. I stopped and she, after apparently taking some time to follow “procedure”, came and asked me if I knew “why” she had stopped me. There was only one possible explanation, and I said something to the effect that maybe I had not stopped sufficiently. She replied that I had not stopped.

Maybe she has a picture of what happened. I do not know. The fact that her police automobile is new suggests to me that maybe she had a camera in the automobile which could have recorded what happened. Anyway, I had no ability to contest the charge and I have paid the fine. In these kinds of situations, “innocent until proven guilty” is generally reversed. The only thing of which I am sure is that I did not simply disregard the fact that I was supposed to stop at that intersection.

Later, I started thinking about my situation in view of some of the recent news events in our country. I am referring to the situations in Missouri and New York. I watched these two events on the news with interest, but with no emotional or immediate concern. This is often the case, at least with me. If I am not personally involved, I tend to think that the proper authorities will handle the situation and it will be over. In this case—the one in which I encountered an officer of the law—I was immediately and personally involved, so I began to think about the purpose of the law, the people who enforce it, and the people called “law breakers”, into which category I fall for this situation.

The purpose of the law, it seems to me, is to protect the public, and the purpose of law enforcement is, therefore, to protect the public. Our legislators make laws intended to protect the public, and people are employed to enforce them—–always with the background purpose in mind—-that the public be protected. In observing this process, I have over the years (I am 78 years old) noted that some law enforcement officers feel they must strictly adhere to the “letter of the law.” To do this, one needs little judgment. An automatic camera can do the same thing at an intersection. A second way that the law is enforced has one using what most of us would call “common sense”.

Some law enforcement officials (not just policepersons, but in all categories) seem to feel that that they are not called to use good judgment, or common sense. They feel that they are to “religiously” follow the “letter of the law” and let the judicial branch make any judgments necessary. This attitude can result in many more “cases” but it can also result in more taxes for all of us, and unfortunately, it can cause a bad “taste in the mouth” for much of the public.

It seems unfortunate, to me, that law enforcement in our country is no longer the picture of a person known to most of the people as someone having their welfare in mind but rather some remote person, sitting in an automobile, or in an office surrounded by paper, or sitting in front of a computer, seeking to find a person having broken some statue, either major or minor.

I am not a person with knowledge of how this situation can or will be remedied, but I am a person with the feeling that this is a problem for which our country desperately needs to find a solution. I do not think, however, that the solution is to be found in the legislative branch of our government. Neither new laws nor more law enforcement personnel can remedy the problem. My inclination is to think that any potential solution must deal with our concern for, and personal relationships, with our fellow man.

As a personal issue, it is not necessary for me to travel through Plains on my way to Americus. There is an alternative way which is approximately the same mileage. In the future, I will likely use this alternative way.

D.S. (Sanford) Wills

Preston