Newborn’s Dollar General on Ga. Highway 142 gets a lot of foot traffic, so officials are planning to install a sidewalk to make the path safer for pedestrians.

Mayor Roger Sheridan said a lot of residents live on Ga. Highway 229 and County Road 213 and walk to the Dollar General on Ga. 142, which is dangerous. The town had planned to put a sidewalk along the road previously, and Sheridan said the move "would eliminate any problem there."

The sidewalk will run from Ga. Highway 229 to Duke Street and will be paid with SPLOST funds; it has not yet been bid out.

More repairs for Old Schoolhouse

The council also is spending 2011 SPLOST money to continue improvements to the Old Schoolhouse, also known as the Newborn Community Center, 4326 Ga. Highway 142.

The town is contracting with Bobby Hatchet on an hourly basis to inspect the building and prioritize a list of repairs. Sheridan said Hatchet has extensive maintenance experience working on schools and was in-between jobs, making him a natural fit for a short-term position. Hatchet’s work will be covered by SPLOST funds set aside for the community center. The town will try to do repairs using in-house employees.

Rain causing issues

The year’s extensive rain has cost the town some extra money, as it’s had to make repairs to its mowers and replace one of them because of all the grass-cutting required. The town tries to keep two mowers going at all times, with one on standby. Sheridan said that, despite the problems, the city had managed to stay on schedule.