Truck Hit By Train; Crossings Closed

From WSBtv.com:

Train Hits Truck At Railroad Crossing In Douglasville

Truck Was Stuck At Railroad Crossing

 

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — A train plowed into a tractor-trailer loaded with new cars and SUVs after the truck got stuck at a railroad crossing Friday in downtown Douglasville. 

The car carrier got hung up trying to cross the tracks that run alongside Highway 78 through the Douglas County town. 

SLIDESHOW: Stuck Truck Hit By Train

Highway 78 at Rose Avenue 

Highway 78 at 92 

Highway 78 at McCarley

RAW VIDEO: Scene Of Train-Truck Crash
 

The operator of an approaching train saw the stranded truck, but was unable to stop in time, according to Wes Pallon of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. 

The truck driver was able to get out of his truck before the crash and there were no injuries. The impact carried the truck and its load several hundred feet down the tracks. 

Several streets and railroad crossings in Douglasville are closed including: 

Police Scanner

3:38pm Business alarm going off at a gas station.

3:38pm An officer has locked his keys in his patrol car.

3:40pm Code 4 at the gas station (everything’s okay).

3:45pm 10-28 (in state)
3:47pm a truck pulling a trailer is scattering debris from the trailer all over the road on Bankhead Hwy.
3:47pm 10-28 (out of state)

3:49pm Residence alarm in a subdivision off Chapel Hill Rd.

3:50pm 911 hangup.
3:50pm Officer taking juvenile from courthouse to YDC.

3:51pm Officer at Chapel Hill Middle School.

3:51pm Domestic problem or fight at Lee Road Park & Ride.

3:52pm Something about a dispute that started in the county.  Officer asking for a deputy.  Six people involved.

3:53pm 10-27

3:54pm No one really knows what’s happening at park & ride.

3:56pm Sounds like there’s a dispute at a tire shop near the park & ride.

3:57pm 10-28
4:00pm City officer requested to go to gas station regarding the domestic problem that started in the county.

4:01pm 911 hangup from a business.

4:01pm reckless motorcycle on Chapel Hill Road.

4:02pm There was a domestic problem at the park & ride.

4:03pm Something about drag racing and the EMS being needed?  hard to hear.

4:04pm Accident at Hwy 5 & I-20.

4:04pm 10-28 (out of state)

4:05pm 10-28 & 10-29

4:06pm Officer allowing a fire truck to get around traffic on Hwy 92.

4:06pm Someone’s tag is expired.

Downtown Plans

From today’s Sentinel:

Master Plan

Highway 92 big factor in plans for downtown

By Bobby Moore
Staff Writer

Well over 40 city residents braved the weather Tuesday night and joined local officials at the Douglasville Downtown Conference Center for the first public hearing on the Sizemore Group’s proposed Master Plan, which focuses on ways to make the city’s downtown area more attractive and accessible for visitors. The repercussions of the ongoing Highway 92 rerouting was a major point of discussion.

Mayor Mickey Thompson thanked the many city staff members and volunteers who have contributed to the proposed Master Plan.

“Many of you played a role in designing this road map,” Thompson said.

The hearing began with a PowerPoint presentation by James Connelly, the Master Plan project manager.

The presentation used aerial maps and other images to show how a lot of the traffic coming through the downtown area from both Fairburn Road and Dallas Highway will be redirected once the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) completes the ongoing Highway 92 rerouting project.

While Fairburn Road will direct less traffic to the downtown area, Dallas Highway will no longer cross over the railroad tracks, which will effect travelers coming from the north side of the city.

Connelly said that a less congested Fairburn Road could still serve as a gateway to the downtown area if a concrete median and signage are added at Church Street.

Though Highway 92’s effect on the downtown area was a major focus, Councilman John Schildroth said that the city can prepare the downtown area for traffic changes long before the state transportation project is finished.

“Nothing says we can’t do something here first in preparation of 92 being completed,” Schildroth said.

Ways to better utilize downtown parking spaces were also addressed during the presentation.

“Contrary to what we had heard, not every parking lot near the downtown area is full,” Connelly said.

Shared parking with businesses and churches that sometimes have a nearly empty parking lot was suggested.

Connelly also complemented the city’s idea of building a new conference center and parking deck in the parking lot across the street from City Hall.

If a downtown parking deck is built, Connelly suggests that the parking on Broad Street be shifted to where there is parallel parking on both sides of the street.

With parallel parking on the south sides of Broad Street, Connelly said the sidewalk in front of downtown restaurants and businesses could be widened enough that amenities like park benches and pedestrian scaled lighting could be installed.

Connelly also addressed the current site of the Douglas County Jail and Sheriff’s Office facilities.

If the county moves those facilities, Connelly said it would create space West of the Old Courthouse that would be ideal for retail.

Other concepts mentioned by Connelly included the type of housing that may be added on the north side of the tracks near Worthan Park and possible enhancements to the park.

Afterwards, Connelly was joined by Mike Sizemore of the Sizemore Group and City Manager Bill Osborne as they fielded questions from the audience.

Most audience questions and concerns regarded how future changes caused by the Highway 92 relocation project and possible enhancements around Worthan Park will effect businesses and residents on the north side.

City To Vote For General Obligation Debt

From  http://www.ci.douglasville.ga.us/CivicAlerts.asp?aid=25 :

A City-wide Special Election for the City of Douglasville, Georgia will be held on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 for determination of whether general obligation debt shall be issued to fund a facility to house the Douglasville Police Department, Jail and Municipal Courts. The polling places for this special referendum shall be all City polling places: Arbor Station Elementary School located at 9999 Parkway South, The Old Douglas County Courthouse (Church Street entrance) located at 6754 Broad Street, and Stewart Middle School located at 8138 Malone Street, and the hours for voting shall be 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Ward 3 only: Also on this date, in Ward 3 only, a Special Election will be held to fill the vacancy in the office of council member for Ward 3 Post 1. The polling place for this special election shall be Stewart Middle School, located at 8138 Malone Street, Douglasville, Georgia, and the hours for voting shall be 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Advance voting week will be held at the Voter Registrar’s Office, first floor, Douglas County Courthouse, 8700 Hospital Drive, from Monday September 8, 2008 through Friday September 12, 2008 between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm each day.

Attorneys Indicted In Douglasville

From WSBtv.com:

2 Carroll County Lawyers Indicted On Theft Charges

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said two Carroll County lawyers were indicted Thursday by a Douglas County grand jury on charges related to theft from the estate of a murder victim.

 

Candice Rader and Valerie Cooke, attorneys for Debra Post who was charged in September of 2002 with murdering her husband, Jerry Post, were each indicted on six counts of theft by taking and one count of theft by receiving.

 

GBI officials said this is the first known Georgia criminal case where charges were based upon Georgia’s “Slayer’s Statute”, O.C.G.A. 53-1-5, which prohibits a person who kills another from inheriting assets from the murder victim.

 

GBI authorities said Rader and Cooke knowingly took assets which belonged to the estate of Jerry Post as payment for their legal fees associated with their representation of Debra Post. The assets included life insurance proceeds to Debra Post and real property deeded over to Rader and Cooke by Debra Post. The total value of these assets is over $320,000.

 

The case was presented to the grand jury by Special Prosecutor Brown Mosely who will handle the prosecution of the two lawyers.

 

On September 12, 2003, six months after Jerry Post’s assets were turned over to Rader and Cooke, Debra Post pled guilty to felony murder and is now serving a life sentence without parole.

 

Cooke and Rader were arrested late Thursday in Carrollton by GBI agents and taken to the Douglas County Jail.

Another Boundary Waters?

This was in the Rants & Raves section of today’s Sentinel.  There was also a short rave for the proposed library.

“I smell another Boundary Waters.  You remember that beautiful aquatic center that was to be centrally located to serve all Douglas County, but it is so far out it serves more of Fulton County than Douglas and turned into a major white elephant.  Well now they are going to build a state of the art library to serve Fulton and Carroll County instead of the Winston, Bill Arp and Douglasville area.  We the people of Winston, Bill Arp and Douglasville would have been better served by a library built in this area, or even across or near the new schools on Mason Creek Road/Post Road area.  Enjoy your new library, Fulton and Carroll County; you wil be closer to it than us.”

Anyone know where this library is supposed to be located?  Also, did anyone go to the meeting tonight?  It would be nice if the materials made available at this meeting were also available online.

Edit, 10:48pm–From looking at today’s Douglas County Happenings newsletter, the library will be built at the Dog River Reservoir park, which is less than five miles from me.  It’s not TOO out of the way, and it’s far enough away from Hwy 5 traffic.  However, building it on Hwy 166 might cause an increase in traffic on other roads that go to Hwy 166, such as Hwy 5, Big A Road, Chapel Hill Road, West Chapel Hill Road, Capps Ferry Road, and Post Road, to name a few.  Hwy 166 is already a busy road.  Why not build it in the Bill Arp or Winston area so those in Winston won’t have to drive so far?

More About Hwy 5 Wreck

I mentioned either earlier this week or late last week about a wreck on Hwy 5 near Pray’s Mill Baptist Church.  I have confirmed that the driver who caused the accident was drunk.  Police found liquor in his car.  He swerved off the road and ended up hitting another driver head-on.  The other driver and his passenger are fine; the drunk driver, however, is currently at Grady in pretty bad shape.  Apparently the drunk driver also hit a water hydrant.

BOC Agenda

Here are some of the items on the agenda.  The first of which is kind of shocking.

The BOC will make a presentation to the Sheriff’s Office because they were awarded 2nd place in the NATION for Traffic Safety by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.  I guess that’s for traffic safety after all the wrecks and hit and run accidents.

There are three resolutions on the agenda:
1.  Resolution supporting the use of prescribed fire in Georgia.
Editor’s Note:  Here’s a page that tells more about prescribed fire:
http://www.gfc.state.ga.us/ForestFire/PrescribedBurning.cfm

2.  Resolution to conduct an Election for the City of Douglasville.

3.  Resolution requesting support of the Homestead Tax Relief Grant for Douglas County Homeowners.

And of course, there’s lots of business.

1.  Approval of Jailer II position in Department #281 as an Inmate Road Crew Guard for the City of Douglasvile.

2.  Authorization to amend the budget by increasing State Grants and Fire & EMS by $3,000.

3.  Approval or rejection of tax refund/credit and digest correction requests.

4.  Authorization to exercise renewal option of the lease with W.T. Thornton Family Limited Partnership 1 for Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Lithia Springs Precinct.

5.  Authorization to bid financing of ten 15-passenger vans.

6.  Authorization for the Solid Waste Department to apply for a Scrap Tire Grant from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority.

7.  Approval of Change Order #1 for screened topsoil for the infield area of the Winston Park ball fields to ASTRA Group in the amount of $72,137.
Editor’s note: I looked up screened topsoil and apparently the going price is around $40 for a yard.  Don’t know how many yards are in an infield, but surely not that much.  Why is the county paying so much for DIRT?

8.  Authorization to amend the Douglas County Hazard Mitigation Plan.

9.  Authorization to submit cross-jurisdictional support letter for Premium Transit along the US 78/278 corridor to the Transit Planning Board for inclusion in the Concept 3 Regional Transit Plan and authorize the Chairman to sign and submit the letter on behalf of Douglas County.

Editor’s Note:  According to their plan, which can be found at http://www.commuterclub.com/concept-3-regional-transit-plan.html, they want to extend heavy rail service to Fulton Industrial, as well as light rail to Fulton Industrial, and commuter rail to Douglasville.  They also want to employ arterial rapid bus service to Douglasville, which they describe as a “frequent service with expanded hours.”  The entire thing would cost $54 BILLION dollars.  How are they going to get this?  They want to add anywhere from a 1% to a 1/4% sales tax in all 13 metro area counties.  But get this–it won’t be finished until 2030.  Twenty-two more years.  Another option for funding?  A statewide gas tax.  You can see the entire PDF presentation at the website listed above.

10.  Authorization to accept a check from Industrial Developments International, Inc. (IDI, Inc.) in the amount of $53,500 to fulfill the zoning condition for the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Rockhouse Road and Riverside Parkway when all warrants have been met and amend the budget by increasing Miscellaneous Revenue and line item 101-152-511-03-65 (New Traffic Signals) by $53,500.

11.  Authorization to submit priority list of anticipated resurfacing needs to the Georgia DOT Local Assistance Road Program.

12.  Authorization to add a new HMO plan option and a multi-tiered rate structure, the ASO Blue View Vision plan, and a 13-month renewal contract to return the plan year to the calendar year.

There will also be an executive session behind closed doors that will involve personnel, litigation, and land acquisition.

Douglas County Varience Hearing Agenda

August 19, 2008

 

  Call to Order – Zoning Board of Appeals

 

 APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

 July 15, 2008

 

AGENDA:

V2008-09                                                                                                                  [TAB 1]    

Levi Wilson – Request for a Variance to reduce the 15’ side setback to 10’ for the placement of a workshop at the property located at 3020 East County Line Road:  Land Lot(s) 894, District 18, Section 2, Parcel(s) 1.  Lot size:  3.510 Acres.

TABLED AT THE 07/15/2008 MEETING

 

 

V2008-12                                                                                                                  [TAB 2]    

David Latham (for Central Baptist Church) – Request for a Variance to increase the maximum sign size to allow a 16’ cross on the cemetery located at the property located at 5784 Central Church Road:  Land Lot(s) 97, District 2, Section 5, Parcel(s) 190.  Lot size:  1.5 Acres.

 

ADJOURN

Accident

There was a car accident somewhere between the Exxon Station and Pray’s Mill Baptist Church on Hwy 5 sometime between 8:45pm and 9:15pm.  One person was lifeflighted and another was taken to the hospital.  Not sure how many were injured.  Two police units were at the corner of Hwy 5 and Big A Road directing traffic.  Southbound traffic was diverted through the Exxon station.