Local volunteers braved the early morning October chill Saturday to lend a helping hand to Mother Nature. Now Habersham photojournalist, Johnny Bailey, captured these images from the 2014 Rivers Alive Clean-up campaign.

In the above photo, Rivers Alive clean-up volunteers survey beaver dams in Rocky Branch behind Mary Street Park. In addition to picking up nearly 200 pounds of trash, the volunteers removed two beaver dams causing erosion to the stream bank. From left are, Genevieve Summers, Justin Ellis, and Andrea Harper. (click on photos to enlarge images)

Election day is less than five weeks away and SPLOST VI supporters are making their final push to get the word out about Habersham County’s proposed one-percent special local options sales tax.

A small crowd gathered at the Clegg Center on the North Georgia Technical College campus in Clarkesville Thursday night for a public forum on SPLOST VI. It was the sixth of nine public meetings scheduled to educate the public about the proposed penny-on-the-dollar tax referendum that will be on the ballot November 4. Habersham County Chamber of Commerce President, Judy Taylor, says she was very disappointed by the turnout. “We have now done five town hall meetings and this is our first public forum. We have two town hall meetings to go and one more public forum to go. We’re hoping the turnout will get better but this is just very disappointing.”

Despite the low turnout advocates of SPLOST VI garnered at least one new vote. Keith Boger of Clarkesville says he was planning to vote against SPLOST VI before attending Thursday night’s forum. He is concerned about how SPLOST funds have been used in the past and the lack of government accountability. However, Boger says he was swayed when he learned that an oversight committee comprised of representatives from each municipality, the county and private business is being appointed to keep an eye on how SPLOST VI funds are managed.” At least there will be a liaison group to remind the officials of what they committed to,” Boger says.”We’ve never had that before so I’m going to go ahead and vote ‘yes’ because of that.”

Boger’s voice is one of  many in a resounding chorus of Habersham County voters who’ve expressed distrust over the management of previous SPLOSTs and SPLOST VI supporters know that lack of trust is a key issue. “Some of the frustrations are very valid. I understand and respect those,” Taylor says, “but all we can do is start from this day forward. We can’t change the past but we can have better oversight for the future.”

Taylor says six people will be appointed by the SPLOST VI Committee to serve on the oversight committee. Five people have been selected so far. Taylor says the full slate of names will be released as soon as the sixth member is confirmed. If SPLOST VI passes, the oversight committee will closely monitor SPLOST spending and report to the public through local media twice a year about how much money is collected and how that money is spent.

Boger says the oversight committee is a game-changer for him because, “I think officials need to be held accountable other than just at the ballot box. As we’ve seen in past elections not that many people show up at the ballot box.” SPLOST VI supporters are counting on a larger voter turnout this year because it’s a general election and there are several key state-wide races up for grabs. SPLOST VI was defeated in last year’s off-year election, in part, due to low voter turnout.

Taylor says she hopes Habersham Countians will take time to learn more about SPLOST VI between now and election day. There are three more public meetings scheduled. A town hall meeting will be held in Demorest on Wednesday, October 8, at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Tallulah Falls will host a town hall meeting Thursday, October 9, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall. The last SPLOST VI public forum will be held Tuesday, October 14, at 6 p.m. at the Torch Worship Center located at 800 Cannon Bridge Road.

For more information about the proposed SPLOST VI projects visit the Haberhsam County Chamber of Commerce website.

Linda Mather of Clarkesville was working on September 29, traveling to visit a student at Foundations Academy in Cornelia,  when her day came to a screeching halt. She says she was stopped on Cannon Bridge Road signaling and waiting to turn left onto Old Athens Highway when she looked into her rear-view mirror and realized, “He’s not stopping. He’s going to hit me.”

Then, he did. The “he” was Georgia State Trooper T. Sanders, an officer stationed at the Georgia State Patrol Post in Toccoa. Sanders’ patrol car rear-ended Mather’s Honda Element, totaling her car and sending the PREP teacher from Clarkesville Elementary School to the hospital.

“It happened so fast,” Mather says. “I was shocked. These people that were supposed to protect me, hit me.” The shock is still evident in her voice nearly one week later. Mather was taken to Habersham Medical Center immediately following the wreck where she says they ran CT scans of her head and lower back. Although she escaped any evident serious injuries Mather says she remains “very sore” and says her vision and thought processes have been affected. “I’m not always thinking clearly. Some days I wake up and I’m just not myself.”

Mather is quick to point out that Trooper Sanders appeared remorseful. “The trooper was very apologetic and very sorry. He came up to my car (after the accident) and you could tell he felt really bad about it.” Since the accident Mather has visited several doctors and a chiropractor and has been dealing with insurance issues. She says she received her first call from the Georgia Department of Public Safety about the wreck on Friday, October 3. She says she has no plans to sue at this time. “I’m going to try and be positive about this and hope they (Public Safety) step up to the plate and do what they should do.”

A preliminary report by officers on the scene indicates Trooper Sanders was ‘following too close.’ Sgt. David Lunsford, a supervisor at the Troop 7 GSP Post in Toccoa, says a review board is now looking into the accident. “It’s being handled administratively,” Lunsford says. “The board will make a recommendation about what to do and send its recommendation to the commanding officer for a final say so.” Lunsford says the post commander will then decide whether to follow the board’s recommendations or take other action. Lunsford says it could be several weeks before a final determination is made.

The Habersham County Fire Department is sponsoring a car seat safety check today, Friday, October 3, at the Cornelia Fire Department station near K-Mart from 1-3 p.m. The event was moved to the fire station from Walmart due to the rain. The station has a covered carport so you don’t have to worry about getting soaked.

Lt. Matt Ruark of the Habersham County Fire Department says the car seat safety check is part of the Safe Kids Coalition program. It’s a chance for parents, grandparents and anyone with young children to make sure their car seats are properly installed and children are properly restrained. Ruark says the safety check is free and adds,”It’s a great way to make sure your kiddos are safe.”