James May-June 2023 web - Flipbook - Page 35
it hasn’t held water in more than 50 years, it remains
a landmark for the tiny town. Thanks to state Rep.
Gerald Greene, whose district includes Cuthbert, and
the efforts of some local business owners, the tower
is getting a facelift and much-needed maintenance to
ensure it looms large over Randolph County for generations to come.
Lake Lanier Locals were outraged when the possiAthens Life sciences manufacturer Meissner is
making a major investment by spending nearly $250
million in a facility in Athens-Clarke County, creating
more than 1,700 jobs over the next eight years. Meissner is one of the world’s largest privately held companies in the bioprocessing sector, developing services
and products for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. It plans to develop deep partnerships with schools including the University pf Georgia,
Georgia Tech and Athens Tech.
Bryan County Early every year the smell of smoke
wafts through the air in southeast Georgia. It’s a forest
fire, but no, it’s nothing to worry about. Longleaf pines,
an important part of the local ecosystem as well as a
major part of the state’s timber industry, require fire to
germinate. Crews from Fort Stewart perform prescribed burns annually, clearing out underbrush in the
pine forests that surround the fort. They also prevent
much worse, natural wildfires from breaking out. So
if you smell smoke in the air soon in Bryan or Liberty
Counties don’t be alarmed. It’s important to take care
of a unique and valuable Georgia ecosystem.
Burke County Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle Unit 3
hit a major milestone in April when it generated electricity for the first time, successfully linking to the
power grid. That process is part of the final testing
stage for the nuclear unit, which will be the first built
in the U.S. in over 30 years. Unit 3 is scheduled to
come fully online this summer with Unit 4 following
close behind later in the year.
Cuthbert This town in southwest Georgia is perhaps
best known for its historic water tower, first constructed in 1895. It is the only known historical structure
located in the median of a federal highway (U.S. Highway 82) and even survived a tornado in 1909. While
bility of renaming Lake Lanier and Buford Dam was
floated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part
of an effort to rename military installations bearing
the names of former Confederate soldiers. U.S. Rep.
Andrew Clyde, whose district includes Lake Lanier,
and U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, who sits on the Renaming
Committee, quickly urged the Corps to halt any renaming. And it happened. Sidney Lanier, who served
as a Confederate Army private but rose to fame as a
poet and literary academic in the late 19th century,
deserves the honor.
Savannah The Port of Savannah is more than just a
port for ships. It also serves as a launching pad for
train lines to disperse goods inland throughout the
South and into the Midwest. Enter the Mason Mega
Rail Terminal, the newly-opened trainyard that is
now the largest on-terminal intermodal facility in
North America. Mason Mega Rail doubles the port’s
transit capacity to 2 million TEUs a year and allows
it to accomplish its “1, 2, 3” cargo strategy— one day
off the vessel, two days transportation, and third day
availability.
Warner Robins City officials in Warner Robins are
being proactive about revitalizing their historic
downtown commercial circle area. Through a partnership with Middle Georgia State University, they
are offering free entrepreneurship courses to provide
prospective small business owners the resources
they need to get their endeavors off the ground. The
resources range from securing business or liquor
licenses to seeking grants that might provide additional funding.
If you’ve got news from your local community and want
to share it with our readers, please email:
phickey@insideradvantage.com
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