Dear Editor:

In our lifetime we are blessed to meet extraordinary people who are both inspiring in every aspect of our lives - a very marvelous human being who has a real concerning, compassionate, loving heart for the people of Jenkins County - for all people as a whole. I am privileged and inspired to know her as my mentor and friend. I sit here today a much better person because of her constant, positive, encouraging words and actions.

The Jenkins County Family Enrichment Center (JCFEC) is the model example in which every other county in the state of Georgia seriously should explore, study and replicate. It is through her daily ongoing efforts, along with national, state and local partners that the JCFEC continue to be an asset to the community.

She's quiet, humble, respectful and forbearing, a very spiritual lady who has the tenacity of a blade of grass. She is always looking for ways to help and improve the lives of others. She is always looking to uplift the Jenkins County community, and I say to all the citizens of the Jenkins County community and beautiful City of Millen, Georgia, "You are indeed blessed to have in your midst a real living legend in the Honorable Pam Dwight."
Sincerely,
Andrew Payne
Athens

Dear Editor:

Let me first thank Mandy Underwood and the rest of her staff from the Family Enrichment Center for hosting the town hall meeting. Not only was it great to see so many people coming together, but I thought the different job vendors present was very constructive. Contrary to Mr. Salter's letter to the editor last week, there was no dishonesty or deception to this meeting. Several people I have spoken to now have job leads as a result of attending this meeting.

Let's discuss the proposed prison. The City of Millen will be responsible for providing utilities to the prison. The selling of water, gas and sewage services will be a huge boost in revenue for our city. Our local sewage treatment plant is currently being upgraded; therefore, the extra volume will be handled. The EPD and other regulatory agencies constantly monitor all rivers, streams, and other tributaries for any pollutants. This is nothing new.

Mr. Salter was also concerned about who will feed these people? The proposed prison will have to hire cooks, maintenance people, custodians, doctor(s), nurses, teachers and many more. So, to answer the question, CCA (Corrections Corporation of America) will have to hire cooks. Yes, we do have people in our community that are qualified to cook and I am sure CCA will have their own kitchen and facilities. There will also be people that will come to our town and visit the inmates. These people will buy gas, eat in our restaurants, and stay in our motels. This will also provide economic stimulus to Millen.

Not only will this prison help with employment numbers, but will also increase our tax base. Our tax digest has steadily declined over the last 5-10 years. Anytime your tax digest decreases, total tax revenue will decline proportionally. Having this prison on our tax digest will help take the pressure off property owners. Property owners pay the lion's share of taxes. As a property owner, I am very excited that we are being considered for this facility. Again, if our digest does not improve, property owners will continue to bear the cost of local government services.

In closing, many thanks to the mayor/city council, county commissioners, and the development authority for their work in trying to secure this much needed facility.
George Parker
Millen