August 18, 2021
The Glynn County Commission got five potential options for improving the Gateway entrance to St. Simons from their consultant GWES during yesterday’s called meeting. GWES representative Ben Pearce, a former county employee, suggested the commission eliminate one of the options. He said at this point his firm has not done the detailed work regarding the options, such as the impacts on right-of-way, marshland jurisdiction, underground utilities, traffic counts and costs. He said if the commission would eliminate one GWES would focus on the other four. The one the board eliminated was referred to as the Kings Way Flyover. This idea was to realign Kings Way to merge directly into Demere Road just south of the Torras Causeway. It would include a new bridge spanning Sea Island Road with a new road cutting through the middle of the existing marsh and connecting to Demere Rd. near the Causeway. The commission felt this would be too costly and have a very large impact on the marsh, so it was dropped. The other options included: roundabouts at all three intersections Demere and Sea Island Rd., Kings Way and Sea Island Rd. and Demere Rd. and the Causeway. The Demere Rd. flyover, which would include a bridge on Demere Rd. over Sea Island Rd. eliminating the traffic light that controls that intersection. The fourth option included adding more lanes to both Demere Rd. and the Sea Island Rd. at that intersection. And finally, what Pearce called a consolidated roundabout at the Demere Rd. / Sea Island Rd. intersection. This would consolidate the entire Gateway into one roundabout. GWES will come back at a future work session with more detailed information on the four options.
Monday morning a man was seen stealing items from a Glynn County Board of Education maintenance truck working at Risley Annex on Albany Street. Items taken included two commercial grade trimmers and a back-pack style blower. The suspect was captured on the school’s video surveillance. Still photos and a description of the man were shared with all local law enforcement partners. Later Monday Glynn County Police Officer Robert Rash identified the suspect, and school police officer Ricky Hilburn followed up with a visit to a local pawn shop where similar items had recently been pawed. Pawn shop staff called Officer Hilburn when the suspect came into the store with the stolen items. Hilburn arrested 33 year old Michael Brantley Junior and recovered all the stolen equipment.
Yesterday McIntosh County School Superintendent Dr. Jim Pulos announced that effective today through Friday, August 20, attendance at school is optional for students. Teachers will be at school during this time to develop plans for the pause period. Each of the schools will conduct a deep cleaning beginning Friday evening through Tuesday, August 24. No one will be in the school buildings during those days. Continued instructional opportunities will be offered during the pause period of August 25 through September 3. Plans are to return to school on Tuesday, September 7.
Starting today Glynn County Schools have moved to the Yellow Level of operations on their Return to School Framework and plan to remain at that level until August 27. The daily review of COVID cases places the system’s percentage over 1%. In the Yellow Level, masks are required for students and adults inside school buildings and masks continue to be required on buses. The school system will communicate to families through virtual meetings using OneCall voice, text and email messaging, school and teacher webpages, and social media. Nonessential visitors will be restricted. Event tickets will be pre sold and capacity will be limited for indoor activities. The school system will continue to monitor conditions and notify the community by the end of the week the status for the next week. Please keep your student home if they are ill, waiting on Covid test results, or have been exposed to Covid outside school.
Please note the time for the Joint Water and Sewer Commission meeting tomorrow is 2 p.m. Not 3:30 as previously published by the Commission.
Due to the increase in COVID cases, the Glynn County Schools Athletic Department will go back to last year’s COVID modifications and begin selling tickets online only to all games. To purchase tickets to Friday Nights football game between Brunswick High School and Pierce County go to the gofan website and type Brunswick High School into the search window. Be sure to click on Brunswick, Georgia, because Brunwick, Maine will also appear.
If you’ve been experiencing almost non-existent cell service on the south end of Jekyll Island, it isn’t the Jekyll Island Authority’s fault. During their Authority board meeting yesterday Executive Director Jones Hooks told the board that Verizon did not adhere to the schedule to improve service that the Authority had asked for. Hooks said he hoped an interim solution to raise the antenna on the south end would happen soon but that a process involving the airport has to be gone through first. He said the final fix is several weeks away.
Audio from WGIG-AM and FM in Brunswick, GA
