Worship center granted approval to build sanctuary in south Dougherty County

ALBANY — The Dougherty County Commission approved a special request Monday that will allow Agape Christian Worship Center to build a new sanctuary on its 3210 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive property.

After conducting a public hearing to discuss Agape’s request to allow for construction of a 7,000-square-foot sanctuary on a portion of its 32-acre property, the commission voted unanimously to grant approval.

“I noted that your discussion said (Agape’s) plans include the sanctuary,” District 1 Commissioner Lamar Hudgins said to Planning Manager Mary Teter. “Are you aware of any other expansion plans at this time?”

Teter said she did not, but that any additional expansion request that was not single-family residential would have to go through the Planning and County commmissions.

Also at Monday’s meeting, the commission:

— OK’d District Attorney Greg Edwards’ request that his office be allowed to apply for a $118,251 Victim of Crimes Act Grant;

— Declared a wrecked 2008 county-owned Chevrolet Impala be declared surplus and transfered at no cost to the city of Sylvester’s Police Department;

— Approved a request to designate Dougherty County a Purple Heart County and assist with the installation of signs at county gateway roads;

— Signed off on a resolution ratifying the appointments of J. Del Bush and Don Butts to the county Board of Tax Assessors.

The commission had approved Bush and Butts for the appointments by voice vote in December, but the state Department of Revenue sent notice that the action needed to be in the form of a resolution.

EMS Director Greg Rowe introduced 2015 Exchange Club Paramedic of the Year Hal Pinson to the commission, noting that the supervisor had been instrumental in transporting elderly residents of a local nursing home after an early-morning fire at the facility.

Pinson told the board, “To me, that was another day on the job.”

Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas told Pinson, “We appreciate your hard work and dedicated service as a county employee.”

Businessman Tom Gieryic, appearing at the request of District 6 Commissioner Anthony Jones, briefly explained his Back the Blue community initiative supporting law enforcement and first responders in the community. Gieryic said the group now has two Facebook pages: Back the Blue Albany, Georgia and Back the Blue Southwest Georgia.

“We haven’t, as far as I know, had one of our officers shot and killed here recently, but I don’t want to wait until we do to show our city and county law enforcement officers that we support what they do,” Gieryic said.