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Porterdale gazeebo to get makeover
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Douglas Moser
Updated: Feb 12, 2012, 11:00 AM
Published: Feb 12, 2012, 3:39 AM

The gazebo in Porterdale will be getting a cleaning and light makeover next month by community volunteers.

Local youth in the Porterdale Explorers post and volunteers with the Community Assistance Relief Effort group plan to pressure wash and paint the gazebo, between Elm and Broad streets, next month. Porterdale Police Sgt. Jason Cripps, who supervises the Explorers post, said the cadets came up with the project on their own.

"What they want to do is a community project," Cripps said. "They made a decision to do something once a month in the community, whether for the city or for elderly people in city."

Linda Finger, who founded C.A.R.E., suggested the gazebo as a project when the cadets were brainstorming for ideas. She said C.A.R.E. will supply donated paint, and volunteers from the group will help with the work.
The Explorers and C.A.R.E. will pressure wash the gazebo on Saturday, March 10, and do the painting the following Saturday. Other members of the community who want to participate are welcome.

Then-City Councilor Arline Chapman raised money to renovate the gazebo in mid-2008, and the work was finished by the end of the summer. Other councilors, including Mike Harper and Kay Piper, donated their services or arranged for other donated services.
Eric Russell announces candidacy for Porterdale City Council Post 1
Eric Russell
Eric Russell - photo by Special Photo
Special to The News
Updated: Aug 15, 2023, 6:12 PM
Published: Aug 15, 2023, 8:53 PM

PORTERDALE, Ga. – Eric Russell, resident of Porterdale, officially declared his candidacy for the position of Post 1 with the city council of Porterdale.  He and his wife moved to Porterdale and purchased one of the mill houses within Porterdale’s Historic District in 2022. He stated, “We loved the charm and character of not only the houses, but also the history behind what Porterdale had been, along with the possibility of what the village could become.

I retired from law enforcement after 27 years and have always felt called toward public service.  I saw running for city council as a way to continue that service in the community, albeit in a much different role.”  Russell had begun a career in law enforcement in 1988 and had served in numerous areas within the Wichita Falls Police Department in Texas, including being a Crimes Against Persons detective as well as being promoted through the ranks of the department until retiring in 2015 as the Captain over the Patrol Division.

“I had been tasked with the implementation of the in-car computer system for the department prior to retirement and am proud of having successfully helped bring that department into the modern age of policing through the use of a computerized dispatching and report writing system.”  Russell also said, “I feel I have skills within the area of long term logistical planning that can be beneficial for the village of Porterdale in order to help continue to move toward a future that will reflect growth as well as keeping the nuances of the past that were formed by having the mill here in the community.”  

Russell stated that his vision would be to promote progress, preservation and prosperity here within the village while maintaining a sound fiscal position. 

“I have talked to many people and asked a lot of questions especially given the past legacies of the village.  I have attended almost every council meeting, including the annual planning retreat in order to become aware of as much information as possible before deciding to run for a council post.  I believe that civic duty calls for dedication and the donation of personal time in order to make a difference in people’s lives.”