This is Viewpoints for Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016

What to do

As coroner of Macon-Bibb County, it’s a pleasure and honor to serve Macon-Bibb and surrounding counties when asked to. This is some advice to families who have lost loved ones: When a loved one is lost at a hospital, rehabilitation nursing home or personal care facility, and there are questions, the body should not be moved until the coroner and law enforcement are notified. If the family is requesting an autopsy, the autopsy should be done before the selection of a funeral home.

Help themselves?

The front-page photograph Wednesday, Oct. 19, showing worn-out furniture and other junk in the front yard of an abandoned house at 4525 Elkan Avenue certainly makes one sympathize with Stephanie Moss and the other neighbors who are frustrated and embarrassed about living with this eyesore — but only up to a point. There’s some question, in fact, about whether this photo and story were better suited for the front page or the puzzle page.

The puzzle, assuming that some of these neighbors are able-bodied, is why a few of them don’t simply get together, borrow a truck or rent one if necessary, and haul the junk away. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes — far less than the many months, if not several years, that the neighbors apparently have waited for the city to do something about this yard. Yes, obviously the city should have acted long ago to correct this situation, but “the Lord helps those who help themselves.” We’ve all heard about a “culture of dependency,” and maybe this is a good example: people who would rather simply endure the eyesore indefinitely while waiting for the government to do something than do anything themselves.

SPLOST update?

Consolidation of our county and city government was supposed to lower the property taxes. Too good to be true. School taxes are going up plus the garbage fee of $240 a year will be added to the tax bill at end of year. This will make our property taxes much higher than before. We are having a hard time paying taxes now, and these additional taxes will make it even harder. The city may find it difficult to collect, thereby causing people to lose their property.

Why not use some SPLOST money to pay the garbage fee. This would give the property owner a break. We are being asked to vote on another SPLOST in this next election.

Since about 1997, SPLOST money was supposed to be spent on roads to get traffic from north Macon to Macon Mall via Forest Hill Road, across Vineville Avenue, connect with Hollingsworth Road to Log Cabin Drive to Rocky Creek Road with four lanes and a turning lane. Parts of this plan have been finished while other parts are half finished.

Over the years a lot of money has been collected by SPLOSTs. Streets have been widened throughout Bibb County with much needed sidewalks on both sides. However, lots of money has been diverted to other projects, especially streets and other improvements downtown.

Commissioner Al Tillman stated that SPLOST money was paying for work done at the Hollingsworth and Log Cabin project. We have a sidewalk on one side of Log Cabin, a turning lane from Emily Street and Hollingworth into Log Cabin Drive (no red light). Log Cabin Drive should be wider beginning below Filmore Thomas Park all the way to Robins Federal Credit Union. A new bridge is needed at the creek. I was told (not by Tillman) it could not be done. My reply “if a bridge can be built across the Ocmulgee River, one can certainly be put across that little creek at the bottom of the hill.”

When Fillmore Thomas Park opens to the public, there will be more traffic, making Log Cabin more congested than it is now. If the bridge is not made wider, it will be an accident waiting to happen. At peak hours of the day I have to wait about five minutes to get out of my driveway. There have been many wrecks turning on and out of Meadow Brook and the apartments on Log Cabin Drive.

Drive from just below Filmore Thomas Park down Log Cabin Drive to Robins Federal Credit Union and you can see what has taken place during the past years and what continues today. It is interesting to know the widening of Jeffersonville Road and the bridge over Walnut Creek will be lengthened and raised. The full project entails improvements along a 2.3 miles from Emory Highway to U.S. 80 along with the other improvements to beautify all areas. This project is scheduled for 2017.

I can’t keep up with where all the money is coming from to pay for all the projects, whether from DOT, special road tax, SPLOST, etc. However, I have lived at the same address on Log Cabin Drive for 52 years, and I have also traveled Jeffersonville Road. Both roads have needed repairs for all those years.

It is time the leaders of Macon-Bibb County to realize they need to put their priorities in the right order. Put God first in every meeting, function and decision. God is in control of all things — as a county, city, state and nation we need to renew our faith in God. In doing so we would see a big difference in all areas of our lives.

Legendary Loyd

I read with sadness the other day in The Telegraph of the passing of retired Minister of Music J. Loyd Landrum. The notice covered Loyd’s rich musical history with the Southern Baptist Convention, his work at Vineville Baptist Church in Macon and his many contributions to the Middle Georgia musical community, but I want to write about Loyd Landrum the athlete.

I was playing on the Vineville Baptist Church slow-pitch softball team many years ago. Loyd, a very non-athlete, was somehow placed in charge of the team. He told us of his lack of playing ability, but would be our 11th man if needed when short of the required 10 needed to play a scheduled game. Late in the summer at old Memorial Park Field, our team had only nine players to show for a game plus Loyd. It was decided he would do us less damage by pitching a game we were sure to lose to a good South Macon team.

In slow pitch, everybody hits the ball as everybody did that night, except everything was being caught by both teams. At the end of regulation play we were 0-0, which never occurs in a slow-pitch contest. Curfew came with the game called and to resume prior to the next time Vineville played that same team. With now legendary Loyd pitching, we went five more scoreless innings before we got a run and won. Truly amazing in the annals of slow-pitch softball.

This story was originally published October 22, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016."