By Robin Ford Wallace

Trenton welcomed its newest leader on Monday night as City Clerk Lucretia Houts administered the oath of office to recently appointed Parks and Recreation Commissioner Terry Powell at the city commission’s regular March meeting.

Powell will serve out the unexpired term of Chuck Cannon, who resigned from the commission this year amid headlines stemming from a tumultuous personal life. Besides parks and recreation, Powell will also oversee animal control in the city.

Mayor Anthony Emanuel in his usual review of Trenton’s fiscal situation had, for once, glad tidings: “This is a month that anybody would love to review the financials,” he said. February had brought in a healthy infusion of much-needed tax revenues, he said, with the $291,000 collected far exceeding expectations.

But he immediately qualified his message: It was now up to the city to stretch that income out for the rest of the year, said the mayor. “It can be somewhat misleading because it looks like we have a lot of money to spend,” he said.

On the other hand, Emanuel was also pleased to announce that expenditures had been down in several key areas. “This is the only meeting that you will ever hear me say ‘less than budget’ five times,” said the mayor.

Emanuel said that continuing to wrestle expenses down was the only way the city could hope to avoid more personnel layoffs and continue providing services. “It’s something that we spent the entire year of 2012 climbing out from under,” he said.

Police Commissioner Sandra Gray asked for approval for hiring an extremely part-time firearms instructor. “He’ll probably be working around 20 hours a year,” she said.

She explained that Trenton police officers have training requirements in firearms and that having an instructor on payroll would save money over sending city officers to Forsyth to complete their certification.

Ms. Gray said the instructor she had in mind was a retired officer from Fort Oglethorpe, Dough Howell.  The commission voted to approve Howell’s hiring.

Streets Commissioner Greg Houts announced the retirement of longtime employee Donny Daniels from the road department. The mayor commended Daniels’ years of service as well as specifying that he would not be replaced, saving the city more money.

Emanuel told the commissioners and audience that Trenton would help Dade County and the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) all it feasibly could with infrastructure for IDA’s new industrial park acreage, though only part of it lies within the city itself.  

He explained that IDA is an autonomous agency that does not answer to either county or city governance. “They can do all sorts of grand and wonderful things in and of themselves,” he said. “But they need our help getting utilities up to this industrial site.”

He said that getting water, sewage and electricity to the site would come with a hefty price tag but that it was in the city’s interest to attract new jobs. “Obviously when a business comes into the industrial sites, the city of Trenton will directly benefit,” he said.

He said the city was coordinating with the county on a related GRAD (Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development) grant from the state.

Asked about progress on the city’s anti-eyesore ordinance, Emanuel said he was working on it but it was slow work. In most cases, he said, the city was dealing with absentee owners – “They got the hell out of Dodge” – and would have to raze the offending buildings and clear the lots itself.

Nevertheless, said the mayor, 2013 was going to be the year Trenton cleaned house, and come spring: “You’re going to see a renewed vigor addressing this issue.”

Fielding a question about City Hall’s own current mess out front, the mayor explained that the trees there had not worked out due to a high water table and that despite other creative ideas for the area – “Someone suggested a mud wrestling venue” – the plan was to plant grass instead.

And speaking of messes, the Dade County Chamber of Commerce’s Debbie Tinker reported that bags were available for the ongoing Great American Cleanup. Throughout the year, she said, the C of C is happy to provide garbage bags to any group or individual wishing to help keep any section of the city or county tidy.

Ms. Tinker also announced a ribbon cutting next Tuesday, March 19, for D&B Powder Coating’s expansion, and she reminded all of the upcoming Chamber banquet on April 20. Additionally, she solicited judges for the Project Synergy competition next Wednesday, March 20. She may be reached at (706) 657-4488.

Friends of the Library President Donna Street, as she had at last week’s county commission meeting to the Dade officials, hand-delivered to the city commissioners invitations to the group’s March 22 dinner, which is intended to bring together the three agencies responsible for funding the threatened institution. “I think we ought to be able to solve this without a lot of media hoopla or without a big political campaign,” she said.  

Library Manager Marshana Sharp updated the city commission as to current library doings, as detailed elsewhere in these pages, and reminded cardholders that they can check out passes at the library for free entry to Georgia state parks and historical sites, including local Cloudland Canyon, and to the Atlanta Zoo, as well as to a couple of other attractions in Georgia. 

Trenton Tree City’s Eloise Gass reported on tree plantings last month dedicated to Bill Marshall and to late Trenton Mayor Paul Rollings, and reminded the audience that National Arbor Day is the third Friday in April.

Ginnie Sams, speaking for the Trenton Arts Council, reported on publicity the group’s ArtScape public art project had brought the city and announced that the next installment would be a “Running Man” sculpture in front of the Southeast Lineman College housing on Highway 11.

She announced a community art event called the Appalachian Renaissance Project for May 4, which will feature music, visual arts, poets and perhaps dancers. Details will be announced as they become available.