outlook
albanyherald.com
Section D • Sunday, February 21, 2016
Below, Pete Pines, general manager and partner at Sunbelt Ford-Lincoln on North Slappey Boulevard, said that car sales in Albany are the best he’s seen since before the economic slowdown which began in 2008. (Staff Photo: Jim West)
Above, Graham Edwards, owner of Albany Honda on East Oglethorpe, said that depending on a person’s credit standing, terms for auto loans are as liberal as he’s seen them in 15 years. (Staff Photo: Jim West)
By Jim West
New car sales hit record levels
lower price of gasoline. “China has been one of the biggest ALBANY — Buying a new automousers (of gasoline),” Pines said, “and bile is one of the single greatest investnow their use is down because of their ments most people make, second only to economy. In addition to that, OPEC (Orthe purchase of a home. Most everybody ganization of Petroleum Exporting Counloves them, and in rural and semi-rural tries) hasn’t agreed to limit production, sections of the United States, they are a and more oil is produced by fracking and necessary. other means. All this has caused a glut of So how are these glass and metal oil and we don’t see that changing in the icons of the world economy faring these near future.” days, and what’s expected for the future? Pines said this “sea” of available and Certainly the situation is a far cry from inexpensive oil translates to a savings the dark days of the recession when in of more than $200 monthly for many 2009 the federal government began its consumers, especially in rural South bailout of GM and Chrysler to the tune Georgia. In addition, interest rates remain of nearly $80 billion. In fact, according to relatively low. Automotive News, U.S. sales of cars and While some people are afraid the trucks hit an all-time record of 17.471 world will soon be running low on oil, million in 2015. Pines said the idea is a misconception. “Things are really looking bright right “There’s enough oil in the world to now and it’s a great time to buy a new last this country for the next 200 to 250 car,” said Pete Pines, general manager years,” Pines said. “The main reason and partner of Sunbelt Ford-Lincoln, some consumers opt for the newer elec2926 N. Slappey Blvd. in Albany. tric and hybrid vehicles is because of the According to Pines, one big reason ‘green’ movement (in consideration of motor vehicles — especially bigger cars, petroleum emissions).” SUVs and trucks — are hot now is the According to Pines, in 2015, electric
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car sales amounted to just 0.4 percent of the total, with hybrids (combination gas and electric) at 2.2 percent and diesel-powered vehicles coming in at 2.5 percent. “I will say that people tend to be very trendy,” Pines said, “and so when fuel prices are way up we buy much smaller cars, and when gas is down we buy much bigger. Subcompact cars were down 18 percent last year.” This upward tick in automotive sales comes counter to the fact that prices are rising faster than incomes and consumers are keeping cars for longer, said Graham Edwards, owner of Albany Honda, 903 E. Oglethorpe Blvd. To fight the trends, lenders have been offering new deals. “People are definitely financing their vehicles for longer periods,” Edwards said. “Before 2009, the average loan term was 60 months or less. But over the past couple of years consumers are taking on a little more debt by stretching out their financing.” According to Edwards, despite stagnant incomes and the drawing out of terms, in the long run most people have
to have a car or truck, and that helps to keep the market moving. “Eventually it has to happen,” Edwards said. “In some cases you just have to buy a car, especially here in rural South Georgia where you might drive 20,000 miles or more each year.” One upside to the more expensive cars, Edwards said, is that, depending on a person’s credit standing, it’s rarely been easier to be accepted for an auto loan. “Terms during this post-recession period are about as loose as I’ve seen them in 15 years,” Edwards said. “A lot of the lenders have gotten pretty aggressive. They get in a cycle where if they’re not aggressive and someone else is, they feel like they’re losing market share.” And how long will these “glory days” of new car sales endure? Edwards says it’s difficult to gauge. “Some predict moderate growth, some no growth at all, and other say there will be a small decline,” Edwards said. “Interest rates are on the rise a little and we still have fairly weak economic conditions. I wouldn’t be surprised if stays flat in the long term or even pulls back a little.”
Albany officials focus on ‘unseen’ part of the city By Carlton Fletcher
carlton.fletcher@albanyherald.com
ALBANY — For city officials looking to make 2016 a memorable year, the process starts and ends with one word: infrastructure. A large portion of the city’s inner workings — what City Manager Sharon Subadan calls “the part of the city no one sees” — is aging and in dire need of what everyone agrees will be costly upgrades. Since Albany and Dougherty County voters will decide this year whether to continue the 1 percent SPLOST sales tax that has financed tens of millions of dollars in improvements, it’s only fitting that such issues as sewer lines, street resurfacing, alley paving, sidewalk repairs and the like have suddenly become the hot topic of conversation among decision makers. “We don’t have the luxury of putting this off any longer,” Mayor Dorothy Hubbard said. “We’ve got sewer lines that are more than 100 years old, potholes throughout the city, and many of our streets and sidewalks are in rough shape. As we look at the latest SPLOST, we have to focus on infrastructure. Our citizens are counting on us to make the needed repairs and upgrades.”
Shoring up aging infrastructure has been identified as a priority for the Albany City Commission in 2016. The city government includes, from left, Ward I Commissioner Jon Howard, Ward II’s Bobby Coleman, Ward III’s B.J. Fletcher, City Manager Sharon Subadan, Mayor Dorothy Hubbard, City Attorney Nathan Davis, Ward IV’s Roger Marietta, Ward V’s Bob Langstaff and Ward VI’s Tommie Postell. (Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher)
Hubbard, Subadan and the Albany City Commission have vowed to aggressively confront the infrastructure issues facing the city, coming up with a plan of attack that they say will start before the SPLOST vote is even taken. “This process is ongoing, there is no set start date for infrastructure improvements,” Subadan said. “I will be bringing items to the mayor and commission for action throughout the year.” With improvements on everyone’s mind, the next hot item of consideration is paying for them. SPLOST VII, if it is approved, will be the primary source, but Hubbard said actions taken by the commission — particularly with the city’s Utility Board —
could play a large role as well. “We’ve taken action that will allow the Utility Board to expand its services outside the city and county limits,” the mayor said. “We’ve already got projects going on that can have a major impact on our budget, and there are others we’re discussing. I admit I was not even in favor of merging our utilities authority with the city initially, but forward thinking has put us in position to increase revenues in the city. “I also believe the unification of the city/county trail system is going to bring a lot more people into our community, people who will stay here and spend their money here. We have the kinds of projects in place — including the downtown renovations that have
already brought two huge tenants (a microbrewery and a multipurpose residential project) — that have us on the verge of significant positive growth in the city.” With the city already in the midst of making many of the changes Hubbard and Subadan spoke of, members of the City Commission talked about some of their concerns going into the new year. JON HOWARD, Ward I: “If we don’t get some kind of economic development here soon, it’s going to be devastating. We’ve got to push the EDC (Economic Development Commission) to bring jobs here; that’s the only way we’re going to keep our young people. And, of course, (lack of) employment is one of the key components of crime in our city. I think we’re going to have to start thinking — and reaching — outside this region, even to other countries like China, Japan, India, Canada. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m catching hell from the constituents in East Albany because we can’t keep businesses over here. I’m concerned for this generation’s well-being, but I’m even more concerned about those young people who are walking the streets because they can’t find jobs. I’ve started to believe
that the consolidation of Darton and Albany State University is actually going to have a positive impact on our economy, but we need some instant relief. My focus this year is going to be simple: jobs, jobs, jobs.” BOBBY COLEMAN, Ward II: “I think we’ve put ourselves in a position where we have fences to mend. A lot of commissioners don’t like what took place with our police department (a restructuring that cost Deputy Chiefs Nathaniel Clark and Mark Scott their jobs). You just don’t take a man’s job and tell him it wasn’t because of his performance. The loss of these two experienced officers — both of whom had been chiefs — is little more than a political hit. “I’ve put this behind me because we have to continue working together on behalf of our citizens. But I think one of the things we’re going to have to do this year is take a close look at the processes we have in place. We have to take a look at our charter, see if we need to make changes. I want to make it clear that I can accept people not seeing things the way I see them. My problem is when people go into their respective corners and See city, Page 5D
2D • Sunday, February 21, 2016
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outlook 2016 Rashelle Beasley, director of the Albany Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that putting “heads on hotel beds” creates more than 2,000 jobs in Dougherty County and saves each household an average of $369. (Staff Photo: Jim West)
Tourism saves big dollars for Dougherty residents By Jim West
for us because our area is known for some great musicians, like Luke Bryan, ALBANY — From Phillip Phillips, Harry marathons to movie tours, James and Ray Stevens.” music shows to motor One really big attraction coaches, tourist dollars are is the Ray Charles sculpa big deal for the Albany ture on Front Street across economy, and folks at the from the Hilton Inn. A lot Albany Convention and of people don’t realize he Visitors Bureau are eager was born here. Not only to make 2016 a banner that, we have the Freedom year for putting “heads on Singers and a lot of lesser hotel beds.” known talent.” To accomplish their The Snickers Marathon goal, CVB Director and half marathon are right Rashelle Beasley and her around the corner, with staff of three full-time more runners signing up and six part-time employ- each year. The race is an ees are expanding on the official qualifier for the proven things they’ve done Boston Marathon, so that in past years, as well polassures its popularity. But ishing the way the public Beasley says it’s more than sees the agency. that. “We plan to concentrate “Runners say they love even more on the water the mostly flat terrain with aspect of Albany, which, of just the right degree of course, includes the Flint rolling hills,” Beasley said. RiverQuarium, Chehaw “It’s not so bad on their and Radium Springs,” feet and they can keep Beasley said. “We want to their pace without getting get people out to and on too exhausted. the Flint River. We’ve gone “But where we really kind of gently into this get the kudos is our hospialready and it’s worked tality. Our volunteers are really well, so now’s the just way beyond what they time to dive right in.” experience at any other And with the new year marathon. We organize comes a new promotional 1,800 volunteers that theme — both for the Alweekend and we couldn’t bany area and for the state. do it without them.” “The big thing last year Beasley said the marawas food,” Beasley said. thon serves as a great “This year, the focus is lead-in to the Southeast on music in the state of Regional Series cycling Georgia and, of course, competition in May. Georit makes sense for us in gia is the representing state Albany to go along with for the region, which also that. The state’s promoincludes Florida, Tennestional budget is so much see and South Carolina. bigger and they’ll have While the big events micro-sites for each do their part in generatregion, including Albany. ing heads on beds, the That works out really well CVB finds plenty to do on
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a daily basis, such making sure the city gets its piece of the convention and group meetings pie. According to Beasley, CVB Sales Manager Katie Corley spends a lot of time in research of and meeting with professional “meeting planners” to make certain the city’s on their radar. “We go out and meet with the planners,” Beasley said. We show them what we have to offer, but we also have to be sure their meeting is going to fit within the design and capacity we have. “It’s like speed dating, where we have five minutes to make a pitch. Sometimes we meet with 30 or 35 planners. Katie knows in advance who she’s meeting with. She’s researched each individual planner and knows about their needs.” According to Beasley, the CVB continues to enhance its current offering of tours, including those showcasing historic churches and homes, the African American Heritage Tour, the Sherwood Movie Tour and the Paula Deen Hometown Tour with 12 locations, including the church where she was married and the high school she attended. Many of the tours originate with family reunions or motor coach groups en route to other destinations, who, with encouragement from the Albany CVB, plan a stopover in the Good Life City. “A lot of the time, Albany is a natural place for a stopover,” Beasley
said. “A single bus driver can only go for so long. If they spend the night, the passengers can get some tours in while they’re here. Albany is also a great destination for religious meetings, like Jehovah’s Witnesses. That’s one we’ve had for several years.” While no new tours are planned for 2016, Beasley said she’s intrigued with the concept of a historic tour of Riverside Cemetery, with many of its graves and markers dating back more that 150 years. “We’ve been out there and taken inventory, if you will,” Beasley said. “There’s a lot of cool history there. The Nelson Tift family is there, and a lot of beautiful stones. Confederate soldiers are buried there, but, unfortunately for us, most of the graves are really far apart from each other.” CVB officials say the agency operates from an 8 percent hotel/motel tax charged to every rented room in Dougherty County. The fee is in addition to the standard 7 percent sales tax. According to Beasley, the CVB receives the first $725,000 of that revenue and the city gets the rest, with a great part of the income used for upkeep on the Albany Civic Center and Municipal Auditorium. “The more heads on hotel beds we generate, the greater the tax relief for our citizens,” Beasley said. The CVB is the Visitor Information Center for the Plantation Trace Region,
one of nine such regions in the state, agency officials say, and includes Valdosta, Tifton, Thomasville and Bainbridge. In 2014, the latest year for which figures are available, Dougherty County generated more than $221 million in direct travel spending. According to the CVB, that tourist income translates to the support of 2,034 jobs and the generation of $6.6 million in local tax revenues. As a further breakdown, an average Dougherty County household in 2014 received around $369 in tax relief attributable to tourist dollars. Turning to specific area attractions, Chehaw Park continues to promote its well-known zoo, and a variety of traditional and innovative activities throughout the year. In March the popular Lou Thomson Memorial Trail Ride is planned, with public interest in horseback riding growing steadily. Former Chehaw director Doug Porter, who retired at the end of 2015, said last year that one of his goals for Chehaw was to make horseback riding as common at the park as bicycles were. The annual Catfish Rodeo takes place in April, said Chehaw Public Relations Manager Morgan Burnette, as well as the ever-popular Native American Cultural Festival, the Cheetah Chase Run and Party for the Planet, where people have cake and park animals enjoy special treats.
Later in the year comes the Through the Zoo Run, Walk on the Wild Side, Festival of Lights and more. According to Burnette, park enhancements in 2016 will include the reopening and improvement of the flamingo exhibit, featuring not only the popular pink birds, but other avian species, and a summer concert series in the middle of the park. Also in the summer will come Camp Chehaw, a “sleep-a-way” park experience for children. “Kids will sleep overnight in tepees and visit the zoo every day,” Burnette said. “There’s archery as well, and a lot of other outdoor activities.” Life is going swimmingly at the Flint RiverQuarium, according to Marketing Director Wendy Bellacomo, especially with the new “touch tank” of tide pool habitat installed last year in the main lobby of the building. Also added in 2015 was an educational gardening and composting project on the grounds at the rear of the facility. Bellacomo said she anticipates the announcement of a new smart phone audio tour of the RiverQuarium when the final hurtle of Internet accessibility is somehow solved. “It’s a technical issue we’ll need to find a solution to,” Bellacomo said. “The walls of the RiverQuarium are of thick stone construction, so transmission is more difficult, but we’re confident we’ll find a solution.”
229.432.7916 312351-1
911 W. Oglethorpe Blvd. • Albany, GA 31701 Billy and Karen Lillis ~ Owners
Sunday, February 21, 2016 • 3D
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outlook 2016
MCLB-Albany moving toward ‘net zero’ jennifer.parks @albanyherald.com
MCLB-ALBANY — While other projects are on the slate at Marine Corps Logistics BaseAlbany, the focus remains on the energy-efficiency efforts that are expected to ultimately pull the installation into “net zero” status sometime next year. MCLB-Albany officials say plans are continuing for investments in energy projects meant to benefit the community and the environment, and promote a commitment to excellence. Such projects include a solar farm, energy-efficiency upgrades to existing infrastructure and a biomass facility in collaboration with Procter & Gamble. The latter will allow the base to fully operate on renewable energy by 2017, putting MCLB in the position of being the first zero-energy installation within the Marine Corps and the Department of the Navy — considered by MCLB officials to be “a significant national achievement and point of pride for our community.” “Being net zero means you produce just as much renewable energy as you use in a year,” said MCLB-Albany Installation and Environment Division Installation Energy Manager Eddie Hunt. It’s the biggest energy-efficiency project planned for the base this year, and will be managed by Constellation upon completion. It will operate by products, such as timber remnants and peanut shells that would otherwise go to waste, being turned into energy. Pressurized steam created
during the boiling process will be used by P&G in the company’s production of paper products. “It provides a lot of stability with the base and the community,” said Mike Henderson, public works supervisor for the MCLB Installations and Environment Division. The natural resources in Southwest Georgia, Hunt says, make the region a “sweet spot for biomass.” “By June, we will be able to award Constellation (with the contract) and start construction,” said Ski Smigelski, deputy director for the base’s Installation and Environment Division. The contract has been two years in the making, a timeline that is not uncommon for a project like this. “It has to guarantee (energy) savings, or there won’t be a project,” Smigelski said. There is also some benefit to others involved in the project. “Constellation is working with Procter & Gamble on a 50-megawatt biomass cogeneration plant at P&G’s paper manufacturing facility in Albany,” said Kelly Biemer, manager of external communications for Constellation. “Constellation will own and operate the $200 million plant, which will use scrap wood to supply 100 percent steam that P&G needs to make Bounty paper towels and Charmin toilet tissue at its facility and generate electricity for the local utility, Georgia Power. “P&G will purchase the steam generated by the system under a 20-year Steam Supply Agreement with Constella-
tion. Georgia Power will purchase the electricity generated under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with Constellation. What’s more, the incoming biomass will provide up to 70 percent of the overall energy needed by the Albany site. When it opens in 2017, the biomass plant will significantly increase P&G’s use of renewable energy and move the company closer to its goal of obtaining 30 percent of its total energy from renewable sources by 2020.” A partnership with Georgia Power is in the works to install a 30-megawatt solar farm in a 150-acre corner of the base visible from Mock Road. The future site of the farm, which will have 100 fixed panels per acre facing the southwest, is now filled with trees that will be coming down — and the timber from those trees will be sold, Henderson said. “We should have no recurring bill after 2017 from Georgia Power,” he said. The contract was awarded in December, and the “kick-off meeting” was expected to take place this month so the farm could be operating by the end of the year at no cost to the taxpayer. The base also continues to install renewable energy system heating and air conditioning systems. Ground source heat pumps (GSHP) with Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) use the earth to store energy and transfer the heat or cold from the ground to air conditioning systems with 6-inch piping going down 200 feet. The system is designed
to reduce the operational cost of heating or cooling by 30 percent and is a renewable energy source. A ribbon-cutting on a BTES was held last year that covers the Marine Corps Logistics Command (LOGCOM) headquarters building, and that BTES has reportedly allowed LOGCOM to better carry out its missions due to increased reliability in the new system. “In eight-and-a half years, the investment pays for itself,” Henderson said. This year, MCLBAlbany is scheduled to install three GSHP fields, replacing 300 tons of heating and air conditioning systems in 11 buildings throughout the base
as part of a $7 million investment. Meanwhile, a welding shop at the production plant grounds is planned to bring together its 30 separate welding shops into one place — a $22 million investment that will likely be completed by 2018. An industrial waste water treatment plant, meant to purify the water impacted by metal flakes coming from the plant, is expected to undergo a renovation at a price tag of $4 million, Henderson said. Ground was broken late last year on a $13 million, 100,000-square- foot weapons storage facility that is expected to be complete by November, and is anticipated to
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include automatic sorting and be climate controlled. “We have a warehouse for storage that will be turned into a regular warehouse when the new building opens,” Henderson said. Beyond that, there will be about $5 million put into smaller projects — mainly repairs — during the year, Henderson said. Henderson added that the sidewalks are being redone around Covella Pond with surplus funding, more concrete is being put around the base’s main gate for security and the efforts are nearing completion to restore the water and gas infrastructure on the installation that was ongoing last year.
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By Jennifer Parks
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229-931-0500 or 1-800-555-1660 1257 Hooks Mill Rd. Americus, GA
4D • Sunday, February 21, 2016
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outlook 2016
SPLOST, consolidation key Dougherty issues By Carlton Fletcher
carlton.fletcher@albanyherald. com
ALBANY — Residents of Dougherty County can expect a bit of the old and the new during 2016 as the Dougherty County Commission considers issues that will impact those residents’ quality of life as well as their pocketbooks. The city-county SpecialPurpose Local-Option Sales Tax VII will be on the ballot this year as citizens determine whether they want to continue paying a 1 percent tax that has resulted in millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements and enhanced services since it was signed into law by the state Legislature in 1985. The county must also negotiate a series of service agreements with Albany officials to determine which governing body provides which essential services to citizens throughout the city and county and at what cost to the government not providing the services. “These agreements have been vital to the county and the city for a long time,” County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas said. “Our city and county governments are at the forefront with regard to service delivery agreements to the extent that a large majority of services provided to our citizens are already consolidated. “Fortunately, I believe (Albany Mayor) Dorothy Hubbard, (City Manager) Sharon Subadan, (County Administrator) Richard Crowdis and myself will come up with collaborative agreements to present to our boards that make the best business sense.” It may be a touch of irony that led Cohilas to mention the C-word (consolidation) in describing city and county
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Renewing service delivery agreements with the city of Albany and SPLOST VII will be vital issues for Dougherty County commissioners in 2016. The county board includes, from left, District 2 Commissioner John Hayes, District 3’s Clinton Johnson, County Administrator Richard Crowdis, Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas, County Attorney Spencer Lee, District 4’s Ewell Lyle, District 5’s Harry James and District 6’s Anthony Jones. District 1 Commissioner Lamar Hudgins is not shown. (Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher)
services, because the commission chairman admitted moments later that consolidation of the city and county governments will most likely resurface in the coming year. “Like any good business, organization or government charged with the duty of self-evaluation, one of the things we as a group need to evaluate is whether consolidation of our governments would bring benefits to the citizens of Albany and Dougherty County and whether they have the right to vote for how they’re governed,” Cohilas said. “To me, this is a voting rights issue, and I believe citizens have the right to determine the way they’re governed. “Our forefathers fought for civil rights, women’s rights and the right for every citizen of this country to vote. We owe it to our citizens to gather as much information about the negatives and positives (of consolidation) as possible and present it to them. I think we have to take a close, collaborative look at this issue and provide opportunities for communitywide discussion.” With the county’s annual retreat looming, a gathering during which commissioners discuss issues of concern and formulate a plan to address them, commissioners talked about some of their priority concerns in 2016.
LAMAR HUDGINS, District 1: “Of course, with SPLOST VII coming up, we’ve got to start developing a list of projects to determine which ones to present to our constituents. When you talk about making infrastructure improvements and buying equipment for our various departments, SPLOST has allowed us to do so many things we never could have done without it. I’d be scared to think about where Albany and Dougherty County would be without SPLOST. “We also have some important discussions we’ve got to have with our counterparts in the city. We’ve got to determine the split of the SPLOST collections, and there are several service agreements that we have to work out. I believe this commission, which is a relatively new one with three newer members, has gelled together really well. We’re working together, I think, to do what’s best for our citizens. We have to take that same collaborative spirit into our discussions with the city.” JOHN HAYES, District 2: “Jobs have to remain at the forefront of virtually every discussion we have this year. Hand-in-hand with that has to be education. In the past, government leaders have kind of passed the buck and said, ‘That’s not
what we do.’ But education is something we all must must address. I plan to start a door-to-door campaign to talk with our citizens and see what needs to happen to get them engaged in the process. “The county has an obligation to become full partners in this process. We know jobs are our primary concern, but it is our duty to make sure we have a wellprepared, well-educated work force ready to fill those jobs. And our economic development leaders have got to reach beyond their comfort zone to find those jobs. .” CLINTON JOHNSON, District 3: “When you look at the state of Georgia, Albany is the last of the major cities that doesn’t have a consolidated city-county government. Even if we never get to the point that a referendum is presented to the citizens to vote on the matter, we have to send a message to the capital that we don’t have to have something like that for our governments to work together. We’ve shown a willingness to work with the city on issues that benefit our citizens. “Economic development is always a concern, and I think the wheels are starting to turn more in a positive direction in our diverse community. SPLOST and
infrastructure improvements, like sidewalks and lighting, are going to come up during this year, but I think the key for improving our community is for everyone to just remember what’s important and focus on that. That’s going to be vital in our getting behind the issues that impact us. That’s how we’ll move the needle forward.” EWELL LYLE, District 4: “Maybe I’m an eternal optimist, but I believe we’ve set the stage to accomplish some good things in our community this year. We have a lot of work to do in the next seven or eight months to put together a SPLOST projects list that addresses the really important needs of our community, and I think there is a bit of pressure on us to work collaboratively with city officials to make sure real needs are addressed. “And while I don’t think the county’s in dire straits right now as far as our infrastructure concerns, I do believe we have to work to get more SPLOST and LMIG (state DOT-funded Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant) funding for street repairs. I also think we need to take a close look at committee appointments for the new year, and we need to do everything we can to go back to the first two or three SPLOSTs and
complete all the projects we can so that we can close out those funds.” HARRY JAMES, District 5: “One of the things I will push for this year is a local (small and minority business) participation program so that we can get our businesses involved more in local projects and keep our tax money at home. That’s something I’m working hard with State Rep. (Winfred) Dukes and State Sen. (Freddie Powell) Sims on. And one of the things that’s encouraging is that the new state Transportation bill offers small businesses opportunities to bid on projects through an easy-to-navigate (online) marketplace. “One of my primary objectives this year will be to work with my colleagues to move this county forward. We’ve got to join hands and fight the same fight, tackle these issues together, if we’re going to bring new industry — and jobs — into our community.” ANTHONY JONES, District 6: “I think we’ve seen through the efforts we’ve made to improve our library system that we can turn things around in this community. Two years ago we had to close down two of our branches, and our system was on the brink of collapse. We’re about to reopen the second of those two branches, and once the Southside branch is up and running, I want to really start thinking about the possibility of putting a branch in the southeastern part of the county. It may take time, but it’s not impossible. “I’m proud that we were able to give our hardworking employees a pay increase this past year, and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure we continue to reward them for their hard work.
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Sunday, February 21, 2016 •D5D
outlook 2016
Albany has been ‘great’ to Newsome, Albany Air By Brad McEwen
many of the commercial and retail business that were among the first to begin installing air conditioning in their buildings during the 1950s and early 1960s. And even though the bulk of the company’s business today is still commercial, following the population boom that Albany and the rest of the South experienced throughout the 1960s, the company eventually started providing residential sales and service. “Residential service, residential replacement and new houses is about 35 percent of our business today,” said Newsome’s son, Clint Newsome, who within the next five years will have majority ownership of the company. “Out of that 35 percent, I’d say maybe 30 percent would be service and 65 percent is residential replacement. The bulk of our business is still commercial.” “We do the gamut of stuff,” Ed Newsome said. “We basically do everything that’s associated with air conditioning and heating at every level, except we don’t do window units.” “(Anyone) can buy a window unit and put that in,” the younger Newsome adds. While that gamut of things that Albany Air (as it’s commonly known) provides for its customers includes quite a bit, there is one thing that the company provides to everyone it does business
with: customer service. While the company might have once been, along with Rhodes Heating and Cooling,one of the only game sin town, a quick Google search or glance through the local Yellow Pages reveals there’s now more than a dozen such companies operating in the area, a fact that is not lost on the Newsomes. Although Albany Air still has the power of being a Carrier Factory Certified Dealer that sells only Carrier equipment, the company invests heavily in training its associates to ensure that it continues to expand its customer base. “There is continual training that we go through,” Ed Newsome said. “We spend a lot of money on not only technical training, but household training.” In fact, in today’s world, “household” training is one of the most important types of training the company provides its associates, as customer service has become one of the primary things that customers are most concerned about, especially in a place like Albany. “We want to maintain our customer base,” Ed Newsome said. “It’s customer service. We go through a lot of pains, which we didn’t do before, to give good service. You know, we’d track mud through the house 25 years
ago and wouldn’t think anything of it. And neither would the customer, really. They were just glad you were out there. Today’s it’s a different ball game. If you track mud in the customer’s house today, you’re going to have to get Bishop Clean Care out there to clean the carpet. “Now, if we walk in a house, we’ve got on fresh booties, like operating room booties. And we’re very, very careful. People are a lot more savvy nowadays, and they expect more out of you. I’m not saying we didn’t do a good job back then, we just didn’t know what we needed to do then. We know what we’re doing now.” Newsome said the focus on customer service to help generate business even factors into the way the company does residential business in general and the way the company approaches advertising. As part of its service contract, a company representative will visit a residence twice a year and inspect the unit or units at those residences. If the service technician comes across any issues, that technician can bring the situation to the attention of the homeowner. “We check everything,” Newsome said. “We have a full 20-point checklist. It’s a really in-depth checklist that we go through.” Using the analogy of today’s television industry, Newsome explains that most of the time it’s easier, and more cost effective, to replace a unit than to repair one. “What’s happened in our industry is that we’ve become a disposable industry,” he said. “If you’ve got an eight-year-old unit, 25 years ago you’d have never thought about changing it out. But today, with the modern, more efficient equipment, you almost always change it out as opposed to repairing it. It’s kind of like your TV. “Air conditioning has sim-
That and an 8 percent drop in the birthrate has hit our K4 (pre-K) through second ALBANY — With capital grade enrollment hard. Our improvements such as the board decided to reduce the new Graham Lowe FitK4 tuition by $5,000, which ness Center behind them, is a cut of 30 to 35 percent.” Deerfield-Windsor School Davies added that the upofficials anticipate numerper grades would probably ous new initiatives and the raise tuition by 4 percent, expansion of some faciliwhich he said would be the ties and programs opened lowest increase in the past in 2015-16. The school is 10 years. also taking a hard look at Information on tuition remedying the school’s fall- rates is available on the ing enrollment in its lower school’s website. grades. Davies said thanks to a Tuition at the lowest grade grant, the middle/upper levels has been significantly school campus recently reduced for 2016-17 to enopened a design lab. This able more families to afford flexible learning space a Deerfield education for features movable, modular their children. furniture, multiple forms “Over the past five years, of technology, and a green enrollment at our upper screen to accommodate campus has been at record the broadcast journalism levels,” Deerfield Headelective. master Dave Davies said. Broadcast journalism stu“Enrollment at the lower dents have already produced campus has been dropping a testimonial video on Joe since the recession of 2008- Farris, the “St. Jude Santa,” 09 as the economy suffered. and a promotional lower
school video. DWS recently renovated the library/media center to accommodate collaborative learning and more computers for student use. Davies said members of the baseball team will travel to the Dominican Republic this spring to engage in international outreach and service through baseball. The team will work on several construction projects and compete against teams from the Dominican Republic. The administration and faculty is currently engaged in a major study of time use and scheduling and expects to make significant changes to benefit student wellness and optimize learning. The school is working with the University System of Georgia to maintain its HOPE Scholarship retention rate, currently more than 90 percent. Middle school students will find an expanded list of exploratory courses in the
fall. Courses are still in the design phase, but offerings may include robotics, gardening, science fiction, theater and coding/computer programming. The middle and upper school advisory program will be expanded and improved. Each student from grades 6-12 has an advisor who meets regularly with his/her advisory to discuss various topics of concern, monitors student progress and serves as a communication point with parents. The lower school continues to expand its use of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Room, a dedicated room for students to explore these areas of learning. Fifth-grade students produce a weekly news program about school events that is available to parents electronically. Sherwood Christian Academy Sherwood is also coming off an ambitious capital
brad.mcewen @albanyherald.com
ALBANY — Although Albany Air Conditioning and Heating Co. owner Ed Newsome will soon cede control of the business his parents started nearly 60 years ago to his son, Clint, he’s still as busy as he ever was, working tirelessly to make the company and the Good Life City it calls home the best they can be. Not only is Newsome the owner of one of Albany’s most well-respected businesses, he is a fixture around town, attending new business ribbon cuttings and numerous other civic functions as part of his involvement with the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, where he currently serves as the chairman of the executive board of directors. Doing double duty as a driving force in the community and leading a small business that employs 65 people and generated $8 million in sales last year might seem daunting to some, but Newsome says it’s all part of a greater plan to make sure that Albany Air Conditioning and Albany, Ga., continue to have the relationship that has made both successful. “Albany has been absolutely good for me,” Newsome says when given an opportunity share his feelings about his hometown. “It’s been good to me, and I owe a lot back to Albany because of it. Now that’s not to say that we haven’t been good to Albany, too. It has been a relationship.” It’s a relationship that started when Newsome’s father, Edward C. Newsome, and mother, Wildred Newsome, moved to Albany in 1949 to start Albany Air Conditioning and Heating, which at the time was one of only two heating and cooling businesses in town. Newsome says the family business saw success early on through his parents building relationships with
Ed Newsome, right, and his son, Clint Newsome, represent the second and third generations of Albany Air Conditioning and Heating Co. owners who have seen the company become a fixture in the community. (Staff Photo: Brad McEwen)
ilarly evolved. A lot of units have 10-year warranties. So we’ll service them and keep them going for 10 years, but then after the warranty goes out and something happens, they’re replacing it. I just talked to somebody that had a repair of about $2,500 on an 8-year-old unit, and they can buy a new one for a little over $4,200.” Because of that shift in dynamics, service contracts have become important to Albany Air and other companies in what Newsome calls the “comfort” industry. As Newsome sees it, if a customer has a service contract with Albany Air and the company takes good care of that customer, when the time comes for their unit to be replaced they will do that through Albany Air as well. “Generally speaking, it’s not one of these competition things,” Newsome said. “You’ve earned their respect and you’ve earned the business from the customer that you’ve had for a long time. It’s a constant push for us. We just want to keep our customers.” Wanting to be a positive force in the community is also something that motivates the Newsomes on a personal level. For Ed Newsome, it’s imperative that he not only run a good business, but that he stay involved in the community and is a good community partner. “I want to be solid in the community and try to do good things,” he said. “Like I’ve said, Albany has been good to me, which is why I feel I need to pay it back by serving on the chamber. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t really like doing, like standing in front of a new business early in the morning in the middle of winter for a ribboncutting, but you do it to help the community move forward.” By moving the community forward, Newsome said he feels like he can help create an Albany like the one
he grew up in, a city that was a thriving environment for large and small businesses alike. “A lot of the things we do, we do for selfish reasons,” Newsome said. “We just want to build a better life for us and our families, and the only way you’re going to do that is to roll your sleeves up and be passionate about what you do. I want to be able to give people pathways to be able to come in, open up a small business, do the right things and be successful. That’s the kind of community we want. That’s the reason I do a lot for the chamber. It’s important to me, and to this business here, and for the businesses that are out there and for the people that are out there. “We want to maintain a quality of life, the quality of life that I grew up with, the quality of life that Clint grew up with. Now that I’m older, I don’t worry too much about me anymore. I worry about my grandkids. It’s fortunate for us to have been here this long. I’m a second generation and he’s a third generation, and I’m very, very fortunate to have that legacy behind me. It’s important that I give back.” Even though it can sometimes be hard work, at the end of the day, Newsome says he’s proud to call Albany home and proud that he and his family have laid down roots there. When he takes the long view toward the future, he sees a bright one, a view not unlike one of his local favorites. “There’s all kinds of things that could happen here,” he says. “Albany’s a super good town. We’ve got some of the best natural resources in the world. We’ve got the Flint River right there. Have you ever been in that Bridge House downtown, up on the second floor where the meeting room is? Well, if you look out the window at the Flint, it’s one of the most beautiful views you’ll ever see.”
project which saw the lower campus absorbed into the upper school on Old Pretoria Road. “Following an 18-month construction project that added 30,000 square feet of new instructional space and renovated another 60,000 square feet of existing space, we are focusing on curriculum, science instruction and technology to enhance our instruction,” Sherwood Headmaster Brian Dougherty said. “We have as a goal to have student devices (Chromebooks) in place in grades 6-12 in the next couple of years to create a completely digital classroom experience. “We are currently working on a plan for the infrastructure to set the stage for this change. Not only would it change the instructional environment, it would allow us to go to e-textbooks and to move toward paperless.” Dougherty noted the
school is working on ways to develop its curriculum “We are working with a state-of-the-art curriculum development program called Curriculum Trak to finish our online curriculum guide that is being completely aligned with state and national standards,” he said. “This work is a key initiative to enhance our academic program for teachers, students and parents. The school is also adding additional equipment and technology to improve its science instruction in the secondary school and just finished a complete renovation of its secondary science lab. “We want to be sure it is equipped with the latest equipment and technology for our students in grades 6-12,” Dougherty said. “We are committed to having a rigorous, relevant, hands-on science experience for our students.”
red tape get in the way of stuff getting done, and I think we as a commission must have the same mindset. When you have projects like the so-called multimodal (transportation) hub that has sat for years and years because of political differences, it becomes harder to move things forward. That’s why I think we need to take an aggressive approach to addressing things like street resurfacing and other infrastructure improvements.” TOMMIE POSTELL, Ward VI: “The infrastructure improvements like providing better roads for our citizens is one of the key issues we need to address. Things like potholes not only impact our quality of life, they make the streets unsafe for our citizens. When you address
infrastructure needs, you’re maintaining the city’s equilibrium, you’re doing the things that have to be done to improve the city. “We also have to start thinking about our youth, the next generation that’s coming up. We’ve got to provide opportunities for that group by working to bring jobs into the community. That also means we have to be careful what kind of projects we finance with our taxpayer funds. A lot of people are looking back to the way things have been done in the past, but we can’t afford to do that. We have to look forward. We have to put a plan in place that allows us to address the issues that are most important to the people of Albany. It’s our job to take care of this city.”
Private schools look to boost technology in classrooms By Terry Lewis
terry.lewis@albanyherald.com
•From Page 1D let their egos take over. That’s what I have issues with.” B.J. FLETCHER, Ward III: “When you look at our city, SPLOST, blighted properties and infrastructure concerns are very important issues going into 2016. But overriding all of them is our economy. One of the things I’d like for the commission to do is revisit the 50-50 split of hotel-motel taxes. We’re getting retail in our city but no new industry. In fact, I think our No. 1 industry now is tourism. I think we ought to look at giving the Convention and Visitors Bureau more of the hotelmotel taxes to promote tourism. “I believe our CVB is
City already doing a good job for the city, but how much better could they do if we increased the dollars that they’re working with? All the box stores that come in here improve our property tax base, but those stores aren’t going to support local businesses. In fact, they make it harder on local mom-and-pop stores who don’t have the luxury of writing off losses like national chains. I think we need to help agencies like the CVB better tell our story.” ROGER MARIETTA, Ward IV: “One of the things I think we have to pay more attention to is the decrease in activity at the Marine base now that we’re not actively involved in military operations. We’ve got to take into account
how that will impact jobs in the region, and we’ve got to find jobs to replace ones that might be lost. Getting the brewery downtown is exciting, and we’re hoping to see progress with the group planning to bring manufactured housing jobs here. “We’ve got some good things going on in the city, and it’s important that we take advantage of (expected) SPLOST funds to make the infrastructure improvements we’ve talked about. It is worth looking into reworking the agreement with the CVB to get them more funding, and I think we’ve got to take advantage of low-hanging fruit like having the (Flint) river running through our community. I also believe the merger of Albany State
and Darton is going to give us opportunities to tap into funds that will make the new university an even bigger economic engine in the community.” BOB LANGSTAFF, Ward V: “I believe Sharon (Subadan) has primed the pump already for a renewed focus on infrastructure, and I believe SPLOST as well as the state mechanism in place for additional transportation funding will allow us to make a number of needed improvements throughout the community. We have to prioritize these needs, though, and start addressing them while the funding is available. There are always a lot of hands out asking for money when it’s available, so we have to be smart with allocations. “Sharon is not one to let
6D • Sunday, February 21, 2016
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outlook 2016
Resource expansion, a new look in health care By Jennifer Parks jennifer.parks @albanyherald.com
ALBANY — While plans remain ongoing to bring a medical student housing complex into the downtown Albany area, the patients of Phoebe Putney Health System will see a new brand — while entities such as Albany Area Primary Health Care (AAPHC) continue to expand their presence. Because of high demand, an AAPHC psychiatry services clinic opened in East Albany last month with the expectation that more will soon follow. AAPHC, as a community health center, has sought to close the gap on primary care needs through the utilization of more than a dozen clinic sites in Southwest Georgia. As the need for behavioral health services became more apparent, officials have been searching for ways to provide more opportunities for access. “In recent years, there has been a collaboration between behavioral health and primary care, and we have worked for ways to integrate the two,” AAPHC CEO Shelley Spires said in a recent interview with The Albany Herald. Dr. Wanda Gobin was brought in last year, and she worked with two nurse practitioners at various AAPHC sites ahead of the clinic’s opening at an AAPHC annex at 1712 E. Broad Ave. on Jan. 14. It will serve as a central location while care will still be provided at other sites. The staff of three provides medication management, crisis intervention and supportive therapy. Social workers see some patients for regular therapy,
An annex building at 1712 E. Broad Ave. is the site of a central clinic recently opened by Albany Area Primary Health Care for psychiatric care. (Albany Herald File Photo)
and those patients later see the providers for additional services, which are available to patients throughout the AAPHC coverage area. AAPHC has opened school-based clinic operations at Turner Elementary School and Alice Coachman Elementary School, with another coming to Albany Middle School. Spires said at a recent Dougherty County Rotary Club meeting that similar clinics will be opening in Dooly, Crisp and Terrell counties in March, offering the students at those schools services similar to what they might get in a pediatrician’s office. Joel Wernick, president and CEO of the Phoebe health system, said the effort would continue on improving access — which includes maintaining partnerships that bring in medical education opportunities and building on chances to pull in more advanced resources. In April, officials are expecting to have a groundbreaking for the medical housing complex, a project with a budget of more than $5 million set to be built at the corner of West Fourth Avenue and North Jackson Street. The goal for the complex
is to break down a barrier for students doing medical rotations, which sometimes last just six weeks, or medical residencies in the area in need of housing. The hoped-for result, Phoebe officials have said, will be the attraction of those students to Southwest Georgia so the region’s physician shortage gap can be narrowed by the students choosing to stay. “Fifty to 60 percent of the project is being funded through giving,” Wernick said. Students are expected to move into the complex in summer 2017. Another development impacting the potential Southwest Georgia physician population is the consolidation currently under way between Albany State University and Darton State College — specifically how the merger will impact the health care education programs at both institutions, including nursing. “That is the possible piece of the puzzle when it comes to manpower,” Wernick said. Radiation Oncology Associates at Phoebe Cancer Center is bringing in two new linear accelerator, or LINAC, machines. One machine is already
A building at 417 W. Fourth Ave. will open by the end of the month as a community clinic with the goal of enabling Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital’s emergency center to focus on the most critical cases. (Staff Photo: Jennifer Parks)
in place, with a second machine expected to be put in later this year. The machines each carry a price tag of $2.5 million, Wernick said. A non-medical asset for Phoebe is its two Starbucks locations, both of which have been undergoing changes. The one at the Meredyth complex had a ribbon-cutting earlier in the month to celebrate its reopening after renovations brought in updated seating and decor as well as a warming station to offer patrons a variety of breakfast and lunch sandwiches to choose from in addition to their classic pastries. Wernick added that officials are in the later stages of bringing in growth to its surgical robotic program by the addition of a second robot to help with the high patient volume. Across from the emergency center at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital is a building that will soon be opened up to serve as a community care clinic. The intent will be to draw in non-emergent cases so the emergency center can focus on more urgent cases and ease emergency resources to embrace that new focus.
It’s a move that could potentially be a stepping stone in the Albany hospital becoming an official trauma center. “One of the goals we have had is to try and segment emergent or near emergent services so the community has an appropriate access point,” Wernick said. It has been almost a year since a battle with the Federal Trade Commission ended in a settlement allowing the Hospital Authority of Albany-Dougherty County to keep Phoebe North. Since then, evaluation has been taking place to determine the long-term plans for Phoebe North. “A final recommendation (will come) later in the spring (regarding the future) use of that facility,” Wernick said. Over the last several months, there have been some service lines shifted around between Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and Phoebe North. Surgical services at Phoebe North were closed down and moved to its Albany sister campus, a move officials said was to ensure a good stewardship of resources after it was shown activ-
ity in the Phoebe North operating rooms was not enough to justify keeping them open. As the future of the hospital begins to fall into place, a need may present itself to open up surgical services at Phoebe North again. “We are looking to bring that back,” Wernick said. The Phoebe CEO said consolidation of critical care and attention to women’s and children’s services are among the options on the table. A new procedure was recently added at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital known as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, a form of valve replacement surgery in which entry is made with a transcatheter in the femoral artery instead of straight through the chest. It is currently available to those with aortic stenosis who would not have a good prognosis with open chest surgery, and it is a procedure that not many hospitals are currently doing. “Only the advanced cardiac programs are doing this,” Wernick said. The new brand for Phoebe, which has been in development over the course of several months, is expected to soon be revealed. The brand it has had is from the day the health system consisted of one Albany hospital. Now that the system is connected to multiple facilities throughout Southwest Georgia, officials have indicated that a new brand would be more reflective of that progress. “We were evaluating the system and how we do things. … Phoebe hasn’t had a comprehensive brand evaluation in a while,” Wernick said.
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8D • Sunday, February 21, 2016
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outlook 2016
Albany and Dougherty County ripe with attractive assets By Brad McEwen brad.mcewen @albanyherald.com
ALBANY — It’s no secret that for a community to thrive it must have industry of all types, companies that help generate important tax dollars for the area, and provide jobs for the community’s citizens. Thanks to an abundance of available property, good infrastructure and a recruitment team, Albany and Dougherty has all of the key ingredients needed to draw those entities into the area. One of those groups dedicated to finding industries and guiding them to Albany is the Albany Dougherty Economic Development Commission, a joint authority of the city and the county, that spearheads the efforts to make sure new industries decide to set up shop in the hub of Southwest Georgia. As ADEDC President and CEO, Justin Strickland is on the front lines of those recruitment efforts and there’s nothing he loves more than telling Albany’s industry-friendly story to those who need to hear it. “Albany has a lot of things working in its favor,” says Strickland. “It’s a great place to do business and we have many of the things that site consultant and project managers are looking for when they are looking for a place for an industry to locate or expand.” One of those key things, according to Strickland, is the community having a good inventory of commercial land and buildings available for potential new clients. Currently Albany and Dougherty County own more than 400 acres of available real estate in three different industrial parks, including the Albany Dougherty Industrial Park, the Pecan Grove Corporate Park and the Parkway Industrial Centre. All three of those locations, Strickland says, are part of the community’s inventory of “shovel ready” sites, where companies can locate, set up and begin operations fairly quickly, which is a key component of attracting industry. “Having an available inventory of land and buildings is the best marketing we can do in terms of attracting new industrial development,” Strickland says. “Having community-controlled land and buildings allows us to move quickly in striking a deal with a prospect.” Currently all 225 acres of the Albany Dougherty Industrial Park are available, 170 of the 175 acres of the Pecan Grove Corporate Park are available and 10 of the 200 acres of the Parkway Industrial Centre are available, meaning that Albany and Dougherty County have plenty of parcels to show to prospects. Almost as important as having the available space, though, is having available space that has the proper infrastructure in place to ensure virtually every conceivable industry type could begin operations not long after deciding on a location. “A shovel-ready site with infrastructure is very important,” Strickland says. “We have that at the Pecan Grove Corporate Park, we have that at the Parkway Industrial Centre and we have that in progress at Albany Dougherty Industrial Park. The sewer lines are in place and we continue to finish out that park. So, it’s having the right inventory, having available land and buildings and then marketing that to the right people.” In fact, marketing what Albany has to offer to the right people is where Strickland and his team spend most of their time.
The Pecan Grove Corporate Park across from the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport on Newton Road is one of two industrial parks the Albany Dougherty Economic Development Commission markets to companies looking to locate in the area. (Staff Photo: Brad McEwen)
Albany Dougherty Economic Development President Justin Strickland says Albany and Dougherty County are well prepared to attract industry to the area thanks to an abundance of industrial property and a recruitment team that works diligently to keep the community top of mind with state and corporate project managers. (Herald File Photo)
Strickland says that while the EDC and its allies spread the word about Albany on all fronts, likely the most important marketing activity they engage in is building relationships with the people who can bring prospects to the table — site consultants and projects managers. Although the EDC deals with independent consultants and project managers and those who work for large companies committed to helping draw industry to Georgia communities, the group that Strickland says is most important when it comes to industrial development is project managers and site consultants that work for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Strickland says it’s imperative to have good relationships with those project managers so that when industry is looking at Georgia as a potential place to do business, Albany is among the list of potential areas where those industries might locate. “It’s going to take the project manager having been here, being familiar with the inventory we have, being familiar with the community and what it has to offer,” says Strickland. “And a project manager who has a comfort level with us. And that we’re going to know how to talk to a prospect and show them Albany. And both of those take time. That relationship is built over time. “It’s built by your economic development team having years of experience working with the state and with site consultants and working with the right project managers, who have been here, who know us and know the community and are going to be confident in Albany and Dougherty County and are going to recommend them to their end user client who is looking for a new site. That’s what it takes.” Strickland says he feels as though the current Albany Dougherty Economic Development team has built those strong relationships and it appears those relationships are bearing fruit. Examples would be last year’s news that the community saw $225 million in new investment and the creation of nearly 400 hundred jobs thanks to new companies like Webstaurant Store and existing businesses like Thrush expanding. Existing industry has played a huge role in the community’s ability to attract industry, as there is no better example of how successful a company can be when located in Albany and Dougherty County, than to look at the many thriving companies that call Albany home and the many area residents that make them successful. “To show them the other successful business, to show them the large, international companies like Procter & Gamble and Pfizer, and MillerCoors and Mars Chocolate North America that are here and are operational and successful and are
expanding is important,” says Strickland. “That’s part of any site visit, letting them know some of the good people that are here and have lived all over the world and worked for some of those companies. That’s huge.” Partnering with existing industries is something the development commission has done diligently over the past few years, culminating with the creation of the industry round table, made up of employees from local companies that meet on a regular basis and are readily available to help each other and the community. “Working with our existing industries is vitally important to working with our new industries because when new industries come here they want to know the resources that our existing industries have already tapped into,” says Strickland. “And we’ve been able to do that through our industry round table by allowing new companies to contact members of that round table to ask them, ‘How are you conditioning space in your warehouse,’ or ‘What engineering firms have you worked with locally?’ The best testimonials come from our existing industries that are already here in Albany employing our people and building products to ship all over the world.” Albany Dougherty Development Commission Vice President Barbara Rivera Holmes, who spearheads the commission’s efforts to support existing industry, says the relationships the economic development team has built with existing industries is not only good for helping attract new industry to the community, it’s also good for those industries that have agreed to be a part of the round table. “A lot of (the industry round table participants) want to give back to the community, but don’t know the right approaches or the needs,” says Holmes. “So, collectively, they can do more than individually and through the round table they are really able to identify what the needs are, and how they can best participate.” And much like the development commission’s relationships with state project managers, Holmes points out that the round table’s foundation is built on trust. “It all goes back to a lot of trust,” says Holmes. “You can’t just pull in industry and say, ‘Come show up for a meeting.’ These are very busy people running global operations, most of them. They have to trust that you’re pulling them in for the right reasons. And so it takes a lot of relationship building from our side and through the community’s side to make sure that they understand that we want what is best for them. They have to have the trust in us that what we’re asking of them will have long-term benefits for them as an industry or for the community.” And while available
property, proper infrastructure, strong relationships with state project managers and existing industries are all crucial, at the end of the day, drawing an industry to the area requires that a prospect is able to see everything the community can offer. As far as Holmes and Strickland are concerned, Albany and Dougherty County have plenty of things going for it that make it a desirable place for new industries. “We have a lot of things that are attractive,” says Strickland. “Most importantly our people and the knowledge our people have. Then the great educational institutions that we have in our two colleges that are merging into one, and in our technical college. And soon we’ll have the college and career academy bolstering that too. And we’ve got a good public school system that is continuing to improve. We’ve got world class health care and health care delivery.
“We also have the infrastructure that our city forefathers have worked very smartly to develop, where we have capacity on our water and sewer systems to be able to handle new industry. And (we have) the transportation infrastructure. A lot of times people complain that we’re not on the interstate, but we do have interstate quality road systems that lead in and out of Albany.” In addition to the high quality road systems, Strickland also pointed out that Albany and Dougherty County have a tremendous rail service which helps connect the community to the larger world. “We’ve got great rail access,” Strickland says. “We’ve got a lot of trackage in Dougherty County where product can be shipped by rail out anywhere. And we have dual-rail service, where we have both a short line and a main line rail running through here.” As if all of those things weren’t enough, Strickland also mentions several other factors when showcasing the strengths of the community. “Then on top of all of that, from an industrial
standpoint, we have access to the most prolific underground aquifer system probably anywhere in the world, which provides for agriculture, and provides for industry,” says Strickland. “Another good selling point for Albany is the weather. We’re never really going to have weather loss days like some companies have up North. There may be an ice day every four or five years in January or February where school buses can’t run one morning, but very infrequently do we have any shutdowns due to weather.” At the end of the day, though, Strickland always goes back to what he feels is the greatest asset the community has to offer— its people. “We’ve got great people here,” says Strickland. “We’ve got a community that wants new growth. People in Albany get very excited about a new restaurant. They get very excited about new employment opportunities and new places to shop. So, we try to turn some of that excitement into recruitment factors to bring in these entities that provide large-scale employment. Albany is truly a great place to do business.”
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10D • Sunday, February 21, 2016
albanyherald.com
outlook 2016 College and Career Academy a top priority in 2016 By Terry Lewis
terry.lewis@albanyherald.com
ALBANY — The Dougherty County School System and Superintendent Butch Mosely have a lot on their plate in 2016. Here are some of the issues and initiatives to watch for this year: Approved in January by the State Board of Education, the 2016 focus for the Commodore Conyers College and Career Academy will be on both getting the building and the academic component ready for launch by the start of the 2016-17 school year. Board meetings are being organized, a CEO search will commence and renovations will start in earnest in the coming weeks. The new facility will be located at Southside Middle School. The Georgia Department of Education will likely approve the system’s application to become a charter system at some point during the spring. “Training for the local school governance teams and the principals has already started,” Mosely said. “Each school in the system will have a ninemember LSGT. The new charter system designation will give community members more of a say in how their schools operate and will promote innovation and creativity among teachers.” Mosely said the system will continue to focus on recent academic successes. “Building on momentum gained in the 2015 and 2016 school years, we will continue to push schools and administrators to improve academic
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Getting the county’s new Commodore Conyers College and Career Academy up and running it a top priority of Dougherty County School System Superintendent Butch Mosely. (File Photo)
Lee County School System Superintendent Jason Miller said one of the system’s top goals for 2016 is to push more technology into the district’s classrooms. (Staff Photo: Terry Lewis)
performance, increase graduation rates, improve student attendance and lower disciplinary referrals,” he said. The system is forging ahead with its 1-to-1 Technology Phase II. More than 14,000 stu-
dents now have computer tablets or laptops in hand. “The kids love (the tablets and laptops),” DCSS Finance Director Ken Dyer said. “Now the emphasis is being placed on professional development for teachers and staff to
encourage creativity and differentiated instruction in the classroom. A 1-to-1 Technology seminar is currently being planned for the summer for teachers to learn best practices for using the devices in the classroom.”
Lee County School System looking to boost technology LEESBURG — As he closes in on a year on the job as Lee County School System superintendent, Jason Miller says he has enjoyed his time as the system’s new chief. He’s also learned that being the superintendent is more difficult than being a school principal. “I’ve enjoyed it very much so far; we have great leaders, outstanding people and they make up the heartbeat of who we are,” said Miller, who replaced Larry Walters as superintendent in July of last year. “We’re building on the foundation of Dr. (Robert) Clay and Dr. Walters who have built a strong foundation for learning in this community.” Looking ahead to the new year, Miller said the system is in the process of putting together a new five-year strategic plan that will steer the district into the future. “We are currently renewing our five-year strategic plan that is expiring this spring,” he said. “We are working with a consultant to cast a vision in regard to what we want to accomplish and what steps we need to take to get where we are going. “I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel, because we have a strong strategic plan already. What we need to do is build on our past successes. But there are definitely areas where we can improve in academic performance. We just want to make sure we are providing the best possible education for our students.” Miller said one of the areas the six-school sys-
tem will look to improve upon is the delivery of technological services to the classroom. “We’ve gotten some federal funding to create positions for two instructional technology specialists,” he said. “Those individuals have really helped build capacity for our teachers in the areas of technology and instruction. We believe that is an important part of teaching and learning, both now and in the future. “Our students are digital natives. They have grown up in that environment. Right now our classrooms can handle about 30 devices. We are going to double that and see improvement in our bandwidth. We hope that will handle the BYOT (bring your own technology) the kids are bringing to school while also boosting our own capacity.” The superintendent added he’d like to see the system’s CCRPI (college and career readiness performance index) scores improve. “We’d like to do better with those scores,” he said. “One of the things we’d like to work on is to continue to do the good things that were begun under Dr. Walters’ leadership.” In the area of capital improvements, Miller said the LCSS is in the process of completing a new multipurpose building at Lee County High School, which is going to be on the back side of the school next to the football stadium. The new 60,000-squarefoot facility will include locker rooms, a lecture hall, classroom spaces, a forensics lab, a cheer gym and a weight room.