By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Water main on Brown Bridge Rd breaks
Placeholder Image

An estimated four-hour repair job, extended to eight or nine hours, keeping residents along Brown Bridge Road without water for much of the day Tuesday.

According to the Newton County Water and Sewer Authority, a water main line split around 4 a.m., and was diagnosed a half hour later. Once that was accomplished an emergency locate ticket was put in to find where gas lines were located.

Someone finally arrived in Newton County to locate a gas main at 10 a.m. However, according to NCWSA Director Mike Hopkins the gas location was not done accurately.

“We hit a service line, but did not break the service line,” Hopkins said.

Atlanta Gas Light was then required to come out, make the repair and inspect the nicked line.

Hopkins estimated 100-300 people were without water throughout the day, with the Windscape neighborhood off Brown Bridge Road being the main area affected. No schools or service businesses were affected.

“If that would have happened, we would have went to the school right away,” Hopkins said. “We know the impact of children not having water available.”

Hopkins said a water break is not uncommon, occurring roughly once a month, but the time it took to repair the one near Brown Bridge Road, took much longer than usual. The majority of the PVC water main lines were put in in the 1980’s, and are estimated to last “maybe 40 or 50 years,” according to Hopkins.

Ductile Iron pipes have a life expectancy of around 75 years, and began replacing the PVC line around 10 years ago.
Newton County included water main replacement in its 10-year capital improvement plan, starting in 2012, but some of the line on Brown Bridge Road has yet to be renovated. The next project under the capital improvement plan is the transmission main to supply more water to Stanton Springs. It is scheduled to begin during the upcoming 2014-15 fiscal year.

“We have a fairly young system,” Hopkins said. “You do have service line leaks and some water breaks sometimes.”

 

 

Eastside High School announces Top 10 graduates for Class of 2025
eastside top 10

Eastside High School has announced the names of the top ten graduates of the Class of 2025. Leading the way are valedictorian, Ian White, and salutatorian, Malachi Scharf. Each of the top ten graduates have exciting prospects ahead of them as they prepare for life after high school.

Eastside High School’s 2025 Top 10 Graduates are:

• Ian White—The valedictorian, Ian plans to attend college and obtain a doctorate in chemical engineering. He selected Mr. Elijah Clark as his top teacher.

• Malachi Scharf—The salutatorian, Malachi plans to major in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech. He chose Mr. Michael Poor as his favorite teacher.

ehs val and sal
Malachi Scharf (left) and Ian White (right) are Eastside High School’s 2025 Salutatorian and Valedictorian. - photo by Courtesy of Newton County School System

• Kaiden Blazina—Kaiden plans to attend Georgia College and State University to study biology with plans to become an anesthesiologist or a missionary. Kaiden selected Mrs. Haley Dawkins as his honored teacher.

• Abby Malcom—Abby will be attending Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in the fall to major in agribusiness. Her goal is to run a floral business. She selected Ms. Sara Beth Hammond as her top teacher.

• Shelby Moore—Shelby plans to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College to pursue a degree in agricultural education. She selected Ms. Alisa Echols as her top teacher.

• Annalie Parker—Annalie will attend Georgia College & State University with plans to obtain a doctorate and pursue a career in the scientific field. She selected Dr. Catrina Pollard as her favorite teacher.

• Chandler Shurtz—Chandler plans to attend Georgia Tech to study industrial engineering. He selected Mrs. Kelly Elder as his honored teacher.

• Robby Thomas, Jr.—Robby will attend Georgia Tech to study aerospace engineering and astrophysics. His goal is to work for NASA. Robby chose Ms. Kayla Stoddard as his honored teacher.

• Anna Underwood—Anna is attending Georgia State Perimeter to study her core classes with plans to transfer to the University of Georgia. Her career goal is to become an elementary school teacher. She selected Mr. Eric Adams as her top teacher.

• Benjamin Weaver—Benjamin is attending Newberry College to play soccer and study in their pre-vet program before moving on to veterinary school. He selected Mr. Caleb Watson as his honored teacher