To the Editor:

Last Saturday morning's Earth Day Community Shred began with a almost continual procession of cars bringing hard to recycle items and lots of personal papers. Gleaned from attics, closets and previously bulging file cabinets, the outdated personal documents of Morgan County citizens were stuffed into boxes and bags and transported to Town Park on Saturday morning. Their destination was the parked shredding truck, complements of Cintas Document Management, who once again have provided this helpful, free service to our community. Cintas driver, Steven Carter was prompt, personable and patient, and helped everything run smoothly.  Kudos to Officer Kenny Stewart of the Morgan County Sheriff's Office who provided safe and earth-friendly disposal of expired and unused household pharmaceuticals. The Morgan County and Solid Waste Transfer Station personnel need to be thanked for an after-hours weekend pick up of all the recycled cardboard boxes and hard to recycle items. Our volunteers were tireless and hardworking in helping unload all these items– a big thank you to Mamie Hillsman and Mary McGill. This year marks the fifth year that the City of Madison has hosted this Earth Day event– how's that for municipal vision and an excellent track record of sustainability?
 I need to mention one last thing: This "Thank You for Recycling" message is not complete without thanking the Madison and Morgan County public for celebrating Earth Day with personal action!

Linda Thoman, community volunteer
Buckhead
Via e-mail

Printed in the April 25, 2013 edition

To the Editor:

I found the announcement in the paper stating we had finally settled with the county for $12,000 for bridge work on Davis Academy Road. It would be great to receive this amount to splurge.
Instead, we had to hire an attorney to deal with the county for taking our land. On top of that, our nice mortgage company sent us a letter stating that they would sue us for selling the land out from under them and we would pay for their attorney to protect their interest in our property.  My land wasn't for sale to start with.
Our attorney had to convince the mortgage company (who is getting their share of the money) that we weren't trying to sell the land out from under them. She also had to fight with the county for what was right and fair. So, all in all, yes, as the paper reads: it has been a "struggle," it has taken a year, but it's always the little people who suffer quietly, or in our case, loudly, as we have lived right in the front door of bulldozers, jackhammers, dumptrucks, and constant beating from daylight to dark since Halloween. Hurray for progress! Even when it could've been done without tearing up my front yard. We were given no say so in the matter. It was either take what is offered, or we'll take it from you. Still waiting on the money...

Lesia Howell
Madison
Via e-mail
Printed in the April 18, 2013 edition.

To the Editor:

I found the announcement in the paper stating we had finally settled with the county for $12,000 for bridge work on Davis Academy Road. It would be great to receive this amount to splurge.
Instead, we had to hire an attorney to deal with the county for taking our land. On top of that, our nice mortgage company sent us a letter stating that they would sue us for selling the land out from under them and we would pay for their attorney to protect their interest in our property.  My land wasn't for sale to start with.
Our attorney had to convince the mortgage company (who is getting their share of the money) that we weren't trying to sell the land out from under them. She also had to fight with the county for what was right and fair. So, all in all, yes, as the paper reads: it has been a "struggle," it has taken a year, but it's always the little people who suffer quietly, or in our case, loudly, as we have lived right in the front door of bulldozers, jackhammers, dumptrucks, and constant beating from daylight to dark since Halloween. Hurray for progress! Even when it could've been done without tearing up my front yard. We were given no say so in the matter. It was either take what is offered, or we'll take it from you. Still waiting on the money...

Lesia Howell
Madison
Via e-mail

Printed in the April 18, 2013 edition.

To the Editor:

Many of the residents of Buckhead have received survey forms about the Buckhead Post Office. I have it on good authority that this is the first step in the process to close this office. Closing the Buckhead office would mean driving to Madison, an additional 15 miles, for the services we now have in Buckhead.
Congressman Paul Broun is sending Jane Burrell on his behalf to the meeting at the post office on April 18 at 3 p.m.
Please let your friends and neighbors in this zip code know about this meeting and urge them to attend.
Sincerely,

Eloise Grubaugh
Buckhead
Via e-mail

Printed in the April 18, 2013 edition.

Editor:

In March we wrote the Morgan County Citizen not to complain about any specific person or group but to plead that our civic leaders and regulators – and the public at large work for common goals. Several people wrote to support our letter. We are gratified that others share our concerns, but our shared objective should be to build a prosperous and attractive community. We did not write an “HPC” letter.”

Several decades ago inspired citizen expended substantial thought and energy creating a set of attitude and regulations that permitted Madison to avoid the slow deterioration experienced in other small towns. Their efforts worked. Today, however, we have forgotten the attitudes and we often act as if enforcing these rules is the only objective. Rules are only tools we use in pursuit of a common good. When our tools lead us to condemn people who want to improve the community we must replace them.

Our letter highlighted notable cases where common sense has not prevailed: We have decided to let abandoned homes and buildings deteriorate because the well-intentioned owners will not absolutely kowtow to our decades – old rules. We complain about changes that could bring additional tourism – and jobs to our town. Our inflexible regulations discourage people from moving here to start a business or restore a period home. Madison’s civic leaders must replace a regulatory mindset with common sense.

Steve and Linda Huggins

Madison

Hand-delivered

Printed in the April 11, 2013 edition.

To the Editor:

Two weeks ago four of us visited Madison to meet with City Planner Monica Callahan. Monica’s generosity of time, good will and hospitality did the City proud. We have been to Madison before. Brunswick’s Downtown Development Authority is learning about development projects around the state and a visit to Madison always teaches us (a City Commissioner, a DDA officer, the City Manager and a developer) that we are on the right track or that there are new or different ways to think about our own project.

Monica planned our visit with an introduction to various members of the City Commission, Madison’s DDA, Historic Preservation, developers and experts from State commissions and foundations. We toured; we lunched; we talked and we listened. At the end of a busy day we returned to Brunswick with new information, new contacts and renewed enthusiasm for our own project. We felt warmly and happily welcomed to Madison and compliment the City on the beautiful and successful work that has been accomplished over the last decade.

Madison has a group of residents who work tirelessly to achieve their vision of their own. Monica Callahan has helped them find that vision and wok toward its fruition. That is no small task and she seems to have done it with good spirits, good thinking and the ability to include, incorporate and accommodate residents’ ideas and desires into a workable and accomplished end. With an individual like her as Planning Director Madison should continue to be a wonderful example of how to achieve successful outcomes and crate a vibrant City.

Anne K. Brennan

Chair Brunswick Downtown

Development Authority