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8 trends shaping today’s senior housing

The ranks of those age 65 and older are swelling by the thousands every day. Is there an opportunity for your firm in the seniors housing market?

Dana Strand Senior Apartments, a 100-unit New Urbanism complex in Los Angeles, designed by KTGY Architects for ROEM Development

With more than 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day, the demographics are smiling on the senior housing market segment. Although the overwhelming majority of boomers will continue to live in their own (or someone else’s) home or apartment, 5-8% of them will ultimately opt for seniors-only multifamily housing, according to David Schless, President of the American Seniors Housing Association (www.seniorshousing.org). Americans born between 1946 and 1964 number 76 million, so that small minority adds up to as many as six million boomers needing generation-specific housing.

To clarify, ASHA classifies senior housing—residential settings with a minimum age requirement, usually age 55—in five categories: senior apartments, independent living (IL), assisted living (AL), nursing care (NC), and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). According to the “2012 NIC/ASHA Seniors Housing Construction Trends Report” from ASHA and the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industry (www.NIC.org), there are an estimated 2,099,616 seniors housing units in the top 100 metro markets and 2.9 million nationwide.

The senior housing segment fell off the cliff along with the rest of the housing market during the recession, but it has bounced back in the past couple of years. In 2011, this market had its best performance since its peak years of 2006–2007, with more than $25 billion worth of transactions closed, according to NIC.

As of March 31, 2012, a total of 25,369 units for independent living, assisted living, and nursing care were under construction, with another 17,272 senior apartments in the works in the top 100 metros, according to the 2012 NIC/ASHA survey.

Another indication of the market’s strength is recent investment by real estate investment trusts. “Three or four REITs have been purchasing multiple properties, in some cases paying significant amounts,” says the ASHA’s Schless. One of these was Toledo-based Health Care REIT Inc., which last August purchased Sunrise Senior Living for $844.6 million in cash.

Given the favorable demographic trends, senior housing is increasingly seen as a relatively safe investment. Nonetheless, it may take a few more years for demand to fully crank up. That’s because the target population may choose to stay in their homes longer than previous generations did. “Due to advances in health and technology, the new thought is that baby boomers will not need assisted living facilities until around the age of 75,” says Trey Sanders, Regional President in the Kennesaw, Ga., office of contractor Brasfield & Gorrie.

1. Provide unique—or at least distinctive—amenities. 2. Overcome the negative preconceptions of senior housing. 3. Enable seniors to age in place. 4. Provide memory care services. 5. Integrate seniors into the larger community. 6. Accommodate ancillary services. 7. Play up the marketing value of sustainability. 8. Look into the Greenhouse Project model.

Simply because the sector looks favorable, however, don’t be fooled into thinking that means your firm can just keep churning out whatever worked in the past. Today’s seniors have a definite mindset about what they want in retirement communities. “It’s not a case of build it and they will come,” says Schless. “The project has to be well conceived, well located, and well operated.”

Following are eight critical points to address when programming and designing a senior housing project.

1. Provide unique—or at minimum distinctive—amenities.

Don’t underestimate the competitive nature of the senior housing market. Filling new or renovated independent and assisted living projects is no walk in the park. Average occupancy rates in senior housing have been hovering in the 90-93% range over the past few years, but owners would like to see those rates in the mid- to high-90s, says Schless. The more successful your development is, the more likely it will draw competitors—all the more reason why unique or distinctive amenities are absolutely necessary.

Sometimes a site comes with its own marketing edge—a location near a vibrant urban core or up-to-date suburban shopping mall. In such a case, adding a walking trail or sidewalk to connect to such an amenity may be all that’s needed. “In a perfect world, you would have a Panera Bread, a Starbucks, and a wellness center right in the neighborhood,” says Gene Guszkowski, AIA, Senior Principal with AG Architects, Wauwatosa, Wis.

Natural features are a big plus. For instance, Parkview Living, a new Los Angeles development built by Foursquare Foundation, is located across the street from Echo Park. “The park has a wonderful walking trail,” says Manny Gonzalez, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, KTGY Group. “Those sorts of nearby amenities are home runs.”

Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, was fortunate to acquire the largest piece of undeveloped land along the Charles River—162 acres of well-preserved woodlands and fields—for NewBridge on the Charles, in Dedham, Mass. Bordered on three sides by the river, the site is as close to a pristine natural area as you can get within 20 miles of Boston.

“In some ways, the site sold itself,” says Ruth Stark, Hebrew SeniorLife’s Corporate Director of Marketing. The project reached the 70% pre-sale goal it needed to obtain financing. Pitching the project to lovers of the outdoors, Hebrew SeniorLife preserved as many trees as possible and added walking trails that connect with public trails.

Opened in 2009, the development is now fully occupied, with 256 independent living units: 50 cottages (private homes grouped in clusters of two, four, or six units); 24 villas (large corner-unit apartments in small buildings); and 182 one- and two-bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 825 sf to 2,003 sf.

Projects not blessed with natural or man-made attractions have to create their own. In Portland, Ore., 12th and Burnside is a six-story, 132-unit development that lies several miles from downtown. The developer, Foursquare Foundation, added first-floor retail space, including a café, courtyard, and roof terrace, to make up for the lack of such amenities in the neighborhood.

Senior apartments Multifamily properties restricted to adults at least 55 years of age. Community rooms, social activities. No central kitchens or meals provided to residents.

Independent living Central dining facility offering at least one meal a day. Housekeeping, transportation, emergency call, recreation, social programming.

Assisted living State-registered properties that provide same services as independent living plus activities for daily living: medication, bathing, dressing, toileting, ambulating, and eating. Twenty-four-hour protective oversight. May include memory care.

Newer luxury and affordable senior housing projects are also adding interior common spaces for residents to pursue hobbies. “There’s been an explosion in amenities such as woodshops, arts and crafts rooms, and spas,” says David Hoglund, FAIA, Principal/Executive Director in the senior living practice at architecture giant Perkins Eastman, New York, N.Y.

At Heritage Oaks Senior Apartments, a 50-unit apartment community for low-income seniors in Oakdale, Calif., KTGY learned from focus groups it conducted in the pre-design phase that future residents—especially men—would miss the opportunity to tinker in their garages. So Gonzalez designed a hobby and craft studio that resembles a 1950s-era suburban residential garage. Adorned with workbenches, a dartboard, and a chrome table and chair set with 1950s-era Ford automotive logos, the garage, with its adjoining patio, has become a popular hangout.

Providing such distinctive elements could be even more essential to success as the senior housing market heats up. “Over the past 40 years, we’ve seen many different design themes used in the market—Tuscany, Williamsburg, Key West,” says AG Architects’ Guszkowski. He says he’s concerned that senior living could get commoditized––or what he calls “McDonald’s-ized.”

Innovation can provide a knockout punch to a project’s marketing efforts. For the Burbank (Calif.) Senior Arts Colony, a 141-unit apartment complex with affordable and market-rate units, KTGY came up with a unique offering to serve its local population of retired TV and film industry professionals—a studio where residents can make their own independent films.

“Having an identity is critical,” says KTGY’s Gonzalez. “Get the owner, the interior designer, the landscape architect, and the rest of the team together and spend a day brainstorming to come up with something different from what the competition is doing.”

2. Overcome the negative preconceptions of senior housing.

The stigma associated with traditional nursing homes, with their clinically stark semi-private rooms and shared bathrooms, continues to loom over the senior housing sector, particularly for assisted living. “Older people’s greatest fear is having to share the most vulnerable time of their lives with a stranger,” says L. Bradford Perkins, FAIA, Chairman and CEO of Perkins Eastman. “There are a couple of million skilled nursing units out there, and 80-90% of the existing stock is obsolete.”

Like traditional nursing homes, today’s assisted living facilities provide senior residents so-called activities for daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing, and preparing meals. Unlike nursing homes, however, they offer more privacy, comfort, and home-like aesthetics.

Design can help erase some negative preconceptions. Conveying a non-institutional look through the building’s design vernacular and finishes is a must. Designers also have to tailor spaces to meet the demands of seniors who want to keep fit—in body and mind. For example, Michael Tague, Design Director in A/E firm Nelson’s Boston office, suggests creating a public space on a floor close to living units that can be used for yoga or exercise classes.

Says Hebrew SeniorLife’s Stark, “There’s a profound interest among seniors in staying physically and mentally healthy. That’s why our programming philosophy is ‘Try something new.’”

3. Enable seniors to age in place.

In general, today’s seniors want to stay in their own homes or apartments for as long as possible. “It used to be that people retired at 65, and you would live independently as long as possible, and then go to a nursing home,” says Guszkowski. With people living longer, there is a gray period that could last decades when seniors can live semi-independently. This factor has altered the makeup of 55+ developments in recent years. “You’re seeing a decline in the percentage of units dedicated to assisted living, since assistance is provided with ADLs in independent living units,” says Perkins.

To support the goal of aging in place, units are being built with larger bathrooms to give attendants plenty of room to aid residents with their ADLs. Windows need to be easy for arthritis sufferers to open. Factors like these can determine whether existing buildings, such as an old hospital, can be converted to senior housing. If the existing bathrooms are too small and can’t be opened up, that white elephant building may not be suitable for modern senior housing, no matter how cheap the asking price.

4. Provide memory care services.

As seniors live longer, more of them will become susceptible to cognitive disabilities. As a result, senior housing projects increasingly must provide memory care units for those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In the past, memory care units were dark, claustrophobic spaces, says Michael E. Liu, AIA, NCARB, Vice President and Principal in Charge of Design with The Architectural Team, Chelsea, Mass. “Now, we raise window heads and increase window sizes so residents can see the sky.”

Even if your firm doesn’t specialize in senior housing, this article raises questions that could apply to your work in other building types:

How closely is your firm following changing demographic trends—age, race, ethnicity, language, gender, mobility—that could be impacting the geographical markets and building types you specialize in? Should your firm be conducting its own research (online surveys, focus groups, individual interviews, etc.) to gain insight on end-user/occupant attitudes and needs—proprietary data you can take to current and prospective clients? What additional services or components—preferably those that would produce additional revenue for your clients—should you be incorporating into your specialty building type? Could your next library include a café—or even an adjacent brick-and-mortar bookstore? What are the “negative perceptions” about your firm’s preferred building types, and how can you overcome them? If these negatives result in neighborhood opposition to your projects, what strategies can you develop to gain the community’s support? In early design, is your Building Team taking into account the long-term operations and maintenance of the building? What about the ongoing service needs of its occupants and visitors? Which marketing-related factors are truly crucial to your firm’s success in its specialty markets? Client service? Professional reputation? Performance record? Sustainability leadership? How do you know these factors still hold true?

Designers also have to take into account the so-called “sundowning effect,” the agitation that dementia sufferers can experience at sunset. Large windows can bring this on, so adjustable shades and lighting have to be used to mitigate that impact.

Memory care facilities need to provide a wide range of safety features; in particular, they must prevent patients from leaving the grounds unattended. “The reasons for cognitive frailty vary, but many memory care residents have the urge to wander,” says Liu. “We try to design memory care so there is direct access to the outside, but in a protected, enclosed area such as a courtyard.” Screening parking areas from residents’ view also helps reduce the desire to roam, he adds.

One bold experiment in memory care is the House for Betty, a multi-year research project being conducted by the Perkins Eastman Research Collaborative. Daniel Cinelli, FAIA, Principal and Executive Director at Perkins Eastman, has been leading this initiative after experiencing his late mother-in-law’s Alzheimer’s condition.

With input from the spouses of dementia patients and experts at the Alzheimer’s Association, Cinelli’s team has designed a model single-family home that addresses more than 300 elements that make it possible for a healthy spouse or other family member to provide care with minimal outside assistance. For example, the design calls for a secure, double-sided doorway that would allow medical supplies to be delivered without the doorbell being rung—something that can agitate a person afflicted with dementia. A light signals the spouse that a delivery has been made.

The first House for Betty is on hold, pending the resolution of some site infrastructure and zoning problems. Once these matters are settled, the model home will be constructed in Gaithersburg, Md.

One way senior housing developers are weaving seniors into their surrounding communities is to open up the amenities within senior housing developments to the general public. For security purposes, these facilities—eateries, wellness centers, meeting spaces, etc.—should be designed with separate entrances, one for the public, one for residents. They can also be equipped with reconfigurable furniture to accommodate various types of events—lectures, musical programs, films, and so on—that create opportunities for residents to meet and mingle with their neighbors from the surrounding community.

Some developers feed the drive for lifelong learning. The Kendal Corporation, Kennett Square, Pa., a Quaker-inspired senior housing developer, has built several such communities near colleges and universities, including those at Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.), Oberlin (Ohio) College, and Denison University (Granville, Ohio).

Lasell Village, on the campus of Lasell College, Newton, Mass., is not a Kendal community, but it plays a similar role. It houses 225 residents in its independent living apartments and dozens of others in assisted living and skilled nursing units. Residents participate in hundreds of on-site courses, lectures, cultural events, and physical fitness classes each year. Intergenerational activities for residents, faculty, and Lasell College students are encouraged.

If you can’t bring the seniors to the students, bring the students to the seniors. That’s what NewBridge on the Charles did. Hebrew SeniorLife built a K-8 day school on its site that offers multi-generational programming. “Kids learn from seniors, seniors learn from kids,” says Hebrew SeniorLife’s Stark.

Building Teams and their clients in the senior housing field must keep foremost in their minds that the great majority of today’s seniors—and the millions that are coming online every year—are looking for a vibrant lifestyle that keeps them active and engaged and thereby healthy and happy.

6. Accommodate ancillary services.

In addition to memory care, senior living communities are adding new services to fill specific needs and, not incidentally, create new revenue streams. Short-term rehabilitation is one of these. Assisted living facilities already have the expertise to provide such care, so adding rehab units could be a natural extension for them. These units are likely to be segregated from other parts of the facility, but they can be designed as additions to existing structures or connected with other units via walkways or footbridges.

Experts predict short-term rehabilitation facilities will get a boost from federal healthcare reform. The Affordable Care Act calls for penalties for hospitals that readmit patients for the same or related conditions. “Hospitals are going to want to send patients to bulletproof rehab facilities,” says Perkins Eastman’s Cinelli.

Another potential revenue stream for senior housing communities: expanded rehab space that can be leased out to physical therapy providers, whose services would be made available to residents and nonresidents alike.

Prospective senior residents have an increasingly sophisticated understanding of sustainability and take an active interest in how their housing impacts the environment. NewBridge on the Charles is heated and cooled using 400 geothermal wells; it also has vegetated roofs for reducing urban heat-island effect. These measures, and the effort to preserve the natural state of the site during construction, are like marketing gold stars. “People are drawn here by our environmental sensitivity,” says Hebrew SeniorLife’s Stark.

This does not mean that senior communities must be LEED-certified. As green as NewBridge is, management chose to forgo certification. Whether certified or not, sustainably designed senior housing developments should play up the health and indoor environment benefits of sustainability, as well as the positive impact on utility bills—even if the residents are not paying directly for utilities.

8. Look into the Greenhouse Project model.

The Greenhouse Project, a model of assisted senior living featuring small, shared dwellings with a high level of care, is growing in popularity. Groups of 10 to 12 seniors share kitchen, dining, and common areas but have their own bedrooms and bathrooms. “Residents are taken care of like they’re a big family,” says design firm Nelson’s Tague. Staff members attend to the residents’ activities for daily living and cook meals within the Greenhouse living unit. “Residents can eat when they’re hungry, instead of just at a prescribed meal time,” says Tague. “It makes the setting seem less institutional.”

The newly opened phase of the Cottages at St. Martins in the Pines, near Birmingham, Ala., consists of three-story buildings, each 22,875 sf in size. Perkins Eastman is designing an urban high-rise in Manhattan’s Upper West Side for Jewish Home Lifecare. Eleven floors of the 20-story structure will have two 12-bed units per floor, with cooking facilities in each unit.

The Greenhouse concept has earned high marks from residents and staff on projects across the country. It’s an age-in-place strategy that balances independence with just enough support for seniors to be able to stay where they are as they become frailer with age, rather than having to enter a traditional nursing home. +

Additonal resources

“2012 NIC/ASHA Seniors Housing Construction Trends Report,” National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry (NIC) and American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA). $150. http://www.nic.org/store/Products.aspx?ProductCategoryID=4.

Design for Aging Review 11: “Insights and Innovations: The State of Senior Housing,” Perkins Eastman Research Collaborative, on behalf of the American Institute of Architects. http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab096294.pdf.

Recurring themes from 50 projects submitted for this biennial report: 1) connectivity to the greater neighborhood and natural surroundings; 2) designing for capability, not disability; 3) affordability-driven innovations; 4) holistic wellness; 5) blurred boundaries.

“10 Top Design Trends in Senior Living,” by Bradford Perkins, FAIA (January 2010). http://www.BDCnetwork.com/10-top-design-trends-senior%C2%A0living-facilities.

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Atlanta’s new G League affiliate to be namd Skyhawks

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — The Atlanta Hawks’ new suburban G League affiliate will be named the Skyhawks.

The team name announced Thursday recalls the former Hawks mascot Skyhawk, who was retired during the 2013-14 season. The College Park Skyhawks will share their team name with Point University in West Point, Georgia.

The Skyhawks will debut in the 2019-20 season as the NBA’s minor league continues to expand.

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Trinity Real Estate Sells Atlanta-Area Community

South Hampton Estates

Trinity Real Estate Partners has sold South Hampton Estates, a 352-unit Class C community near Atlanta, according to Yardi Matrix. Code Capital Partners purchased the asset for $11 million. The buyer took an 18-month acquisition and development loan of $12.5 million from Arbor Realty Trust.

Situated just outside The Perimeter, the community is located at 3100 Godby Road in College Park, Ga. Roughly 3 miles from the entrance to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the property is 13 miles from the metro’s urban core, accessible via Interstate 85. A wide variety of shops and restaurants are in the area, along the Old National Highway retail corridor.

South Hampton Estates was constructed in 1970, with a second phase opening in 1974. The property consists of one- and two-bedroom apartments and townhouses, with unit floorplans ranging from 700 and 1,218 square feet. Community amenities include a laundry facility, swimming pool, fitness center, basketball court and business center.

In January, Fogelman and Thackeray Partners joined forces to purchase a 334-unit community, about 20 miles northwest of Code Capital’s acquisition, for nearly $45 million.

Image courtesy of Yardi Matrix

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My Asian Roommate Stole My Handjob!

Welcome to Great Moments in Drunken Hookup Failure, where we showcase four heartwarming true stories of drunken love gone horribly awry. Off we go.

Hammertime:

Last year, I did a Junior-year exchange to a California school from college in Britain. It was my 21st birthday. We had a date party that night, and I invited a girl from our sister sorority, who I’d really liked when we’d had an event together, but drunkenly hooked up with her friend instead (oops). Regardless, she said yes, and since it’s a date party and my 21st, I figure I have it in the bag.

We’re flirting and making out the whole time, and she doesn’t want to go back to her sorority, so we stumble to my dorm room, both blackout drunk.

At that point, I lived in a 6 guy suite, three guys apiece in two bedrooms, with a shared living room. My roommates were all freshmen and sophomores, and all more studious than I was, and all in bed already that night. I don’t care that my roommates are asleep, drunk as I am, so we just climb into my bed (I have the only top bunk in the room, so I guess that makes it almost defensible). Bottom line is, we start fooling around, and then I simply pass out before anything good happens. So I managed to cockblock myself by drinking too much, which is not in itself that interesting or improbable.

The next morning I wake up surprisingly early, still a little drunk, and no sign of my date. I think this is a bit weird, but assume she left after I passed out. I hang out in the living room of our suite with the one roommate of mine I consistently talk to, and suddenly my date appears – from the other bedroom of our suite, not mine. I’m confused, but she needs to leave quickly and I lend her some clothes to ease her walk of shame (stride of pride?). One of my very studious Asian roommates then walks out of the same room, with a strange grin on his face, so I ask him what’s going on.

It turns out what happened that she woke up in the middle of the night, went to the bathroom, and climbed back into what she thought was my bed – IN THE NEXT ROOM OVER. My roommate, completely surprised and sober, didn’t object strongly enough to stop her (why would he?) and definitely didn’t complain when she gave him a drunken handjob (I presume she thought it was me?). Anyway, my studious Asian roommate, who never partied and who I had about 3 real conversations with, ended up getting more action on my 21st than I did.

Well played, Data.

Dave:

It was the summer of 2004 after my freshman year in college. A group of us decided to take the train into Chi-town to go to the Taste of Chicago. This group happened to include my ex-girlfriend from high school, who I definitely still wanted to hook up with whenever I had the chance. Obviously the only reason anyone would go to the hot, sweaty, overcrowded disaster that is the Taste when you’re under 21 is to get loaded, and we were no exception.

After ripping unhealthy amounts of vodka, I was putting on what I thought were decent moves on my ex. As the night progressed, the vodka took over and I felt like I was doing pretty good. And as it turned out, I must have said something right because somehow I convinced her to let me drive her home from the train station when we got back (mind you it’s about 1am and I can barely see straight). All is well as we decide to park on a side street by her house as we always used to do back in the day, and I figure I’m a shoe-in to rekindle the sex flame. After what seems like hours of coercing, I finally get her in the back of my Explorer and clothes are starting to come off.

Right as the action reaches an R rating, a bright light starts shining through my back window…cops. We dive into the front seats when the officer comes to the window. He doesn’t say anything, just points forward in front of my car. I was parked at a stop sign. Apparently the neighbors called the police reporting a suspicious vehicle, and I can’t say that I blame them. I reeked of alcohol, was slurring my words and was pretty embarrassed that I could be so stupid. But not as embarrassed as I felt when the cops (instead of giving me a DUI) called both of my parents to come pick our drunk asses up and drive us home at about 3am. Moral of the story: don’t park at stop signs. Oh yeah, and don’t drink and drive…especially in your dad’s car. Needless to say I never hooked up with her again.

Ouch. I’d almost rather be arrested. But not really.

Ray:

I’m 40 now. This happened when I was 18. This mess happened at a family Halloween party given by my aunt and uncle . Lots of family, aunts, uncles, parents and kids are there. My cousin, intros me to his "friend". He tells me that he is totally into her but I get the sense that she just doesn’t dig him in the way he wants since she keeps staring at me.

My cousin is the type of dude that has no game and gets no girl attention at all. On this night, he is ga-ga over this girl. Her costume consists of some sort of mechanic’s baggy overall-one-piece-suit. I can’t tell what her body looks like. The drinks start flowing and this chick starts pounding the Jungle Juice (every kind of booze you can grab mixed with red punch).

My cousin is all over this chick and he is getting nowhere, poor fucking guy. We’re all pretty twisted so when my cousin leaves her side to go dance with his mom (my aunt), she comes over to me, grabs my hand and leads me to the side of the house. I’m hoping nobody has caught on to this chick’s underhanded move.

Next thing you know, we are making out in bushes, in some cold dirt. I unzip her mechanic’s baggy overall-one-piece-suit to reveal the best rack I have ever put my face between. Amazing. These are the kind of tits you think of and get a hard-on in church. Within two minutes, I have her panties off, fingering her, my cock out and my face in her tits when my fucking aunt, mother of my cousin, catches us in the bushes. OH FUCK…….

As I’m ready to stick it in, my aunt starts kicking me and yelling at the both of us. The girl zips up her tits and pussy and she’s gone, running down the street.

As my aunt is yelling at me, she is fucking staring at my whipped out hard-on. My cousin hears the ruckus, comes over and starts punching me. Family comes over to break us up. The girl’s friend finds her down the street, throws her drunk ass in the car, they’re gone in seconds.

My late grandfather who is also at this family party comes over and sits me and my cousin down and tells us, in his words, "Don’t fight over pussy." I miss him.

Years later I ran into this chick at a Raider game with some dude, not my cousin. My cousin still hates me.

I bet he does.

Larry:

I went out drinking at a Russian-themed vodka bar last Saturday in my semi-large Southern college town. This is a place with a lot of techno and a lot of strobe lights where you either have to be on ecstasy or blitzed out of your mind to have a good time. Cheap well vodka and two-dollar Schlitzes made me a member of the latter group. I strike up a conversation with a cute blonde, Paula, who is standing at the bar by herself. I buy her a drink and things seem to be going well so I ask her to dance.

Paula REALLY liked dancing, so much so that I had to concentrate to keep up. We do our thing for a while then go back to the bar, where Paula introduces me to her friend Bitsy. I instantly recognize Bitsy as a card-carrying Cockblocker, because she keeps insisting to Paula that they should leave. I’ve seen this happen too many times, so I get them both multiple shots to buy time because I know Paula is in to me. Luckily, an angel sent from heaven in the form of a black guy who looked EXACTLY like Damian Marley asks Bitsy to dance. I grab Paula, go back on the dance floor and do enough to seal the invite back to her place.

Paula, Bitsy, Damian and I head back to the girls’ apartment, which is located in a sketchy part of town in between the bars and the college. Having already avoided one potential cockblock, I am instantly confronted with another. The girls’ cunt terrier has COMPLETELY trashed their apartment. I spend the next ten minutes picking up trash in their living room while Damian goes on and on about his reggae band and Paula yells at someone on the phone. I finish the clean up, get Paula off the phone, take her to her room (finally), where things proceed to get hot and heavy. We’re fully naked, third base rounded, when I hear a LOUD knock at the door. My drunk mind is praying it’s Damian who got kicked out and is trying to get back in. Thirty seconds later, her phone rings. Her boyfriend is calling and is at the front door. Of course he is.

She starts crying and runs to the front door while I find my clothes and prepare for the worst. As I exit her room, her boyfriend charges at me with a full head of steam. I go into fight or flight mode and end up wrestling him to the ground and getting enough punches in for him to stay there. I then proceed to sprint out of the apartment with a ripped shirt and "little Larry" at full attention passed a group of his friends standing outside, who then proceed to chase me. Luckily, my head start put me about a hundred yards ahead of them and I race into the nearby woods, where they lose me. After avoiding two potential cockblocks, I end my night spending a half hour in the woods at 4 am until a car full of dudes could pick me up.

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Berkshire Property Holdings Adds GA, Texas Assets

Desert Peaks

Berkshire Property Holdings has acquired two multifamily communities totaling 631 units in Texas and Georgia. The company purchased Alexandria Landing, a 472-unit asset in College Park, Ga., from ARIAM Partners, and in a separate transaction, acquired Desert Peaks, a 159-unit property in El Paso, Texas, from PEM Real Estate Group. Sales prices were not disclosed.

“We are very excited to add two institutional quality assets like Alexandria Landing and Desert Peaks to our portfolio,” said Zamir Kazi, CEO of Berkshire Property Holdings, in prepared remarks. “These represents our first acquisitions in Texas and Georgia, and they are very well located to capitalize on the continued strength and growth of both states.

Alexandria Landing

Alexandria Landing offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units averaging 968 square feet. The community is located about 12 miles from downtown Atlanta and 5.5 miles from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Additionally, the property is situated close to interstates 85 and 285. Common amenities at the property include a tennis court, basketball court, playground, swimming pool and 1,000 parking spaces.

Desert Peaks comprises a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units averaging 834 square feet. The community is located near several dining and shopping options and offers convenient access to State Highway 20 and Interstate 10. Resident amenities include a community room, basketball court, swimming pool and 193 parking spaces.

Greystar recently acquired a 437-unit Atlanta-area community for $60 million.

Images courtesy of Yardi Matrix

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Memorial Day Observance at J.F. Gregory Park in Richmond Hill

(Source: Raycom Media)

RICHMOND HILL, GA (WTOC) –

The public is invited to a Memorial Day Observance in Richmond Hill.

At 11 a.m. on Monday, people can gather at J.F. Gregory Park to honor, celebrate and remember the men and women who died while serving the United State of America.

According to a scheduled posting, there will be a featured speaker and an honor guard from Fort Stewart.

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Additional Information About 435 Pinevale Ct, College Park, GA 30349

435 Pinevale Ct, College Park, GA 30349 435 Pinevale Ct, College Park, GA 30349 Bedrooms Upper: 4

Solid Surface Counters Walk-in Pantry435 Pinevale Ct, College Park, GA 30349 435 Pinevale Ct, College Park, GA 30349 Bedroom Desc: Sitting Room

Dining Room Desc: Separate Dng Rm Fenced Yard Patio

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Vols in top five for four-star DE

Tennessee is among the favorites for one of its top defensive-line targets in the 2019 class.

Four-star defensive end Justin Eboigbe of Forest Park (Ga.) High School announced his top five college choices Monday on his Twitter account, and the Vols are one of the teams at the top of his list, along with Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and Georgia.

The 6-foot-4.5, 263-pound Eboigbe visited Tennessee for the first time on Feb. 3, during the final weekend before National Signing Day for the 2018 class, and has been high on the Vols since then.

Eboigbe told 247Sports’ John Garcia Jr. last week that Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Tennessee were the teams recruiting him hardest.

He said last month that he had been talking with first-year Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt’s staff “every other day” since getting a scholarship offer from Tennessee in late January.

“(I am) talking with (Vols defensive line) coach (Tracy) Rocker, my position coach, and having a good relationship with him, establishing a relationship and talking with different types of coaches on the coaching staff that wants me to come up there,” Eboigbe told GoVols247 last month.

After his visit to Tennessee earlier this year, he said the Vols told him they envisioned him lining up at multiple positions in their defense.

“They talked about being able to play defensive end in some situations and play outside linebacker in pass-rushing situations, because I can stand up in a two-point stance,” Eboigbe said. “And sometimes, in a 3-4, they can see me playing inside the tackle, which is something I’ve done before, so it’s nothing new.”

Despite already having identified a group of favorites, he doesn’t appear to be rushing to decide on a college. He told 247Sports last week that he’s hoping to take his official visits this fall before making his choice.

“I plan on making my decision after my senior season,” Eboigbe said.

He’s ranked the No. 107 overall prospect and No. 7 strongside defensive end in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite for the 2019 class. He’s also ranked by 247Sports as the No. 146 overall player and No. 9 strongside defensive end in the 2019 class.

The 247Sports Crystal Ball points to Georgia and Auburn as the favorites to land Eboigbe, with the home-state Bulldogs and the Tigers each getting one prediction for him.

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Ask Boswell: Redskins, Nationals and Washington sports

With respect to the recent retirement of Phil Chenier’s number by the Washington Wizards last week, it had me thinking: To those who were too young to remember Chenier as a player, which current NBA star would I compare him to? My answer–Klay Thompson. Both could score from all over the court, were fierce defenders, seem to have laid back personalities, and have been to three championships. What is your take?

That is a GREAT question. Thanks!

The closest comparison I can make is that Chenier, in his prime — like ’74-’75 and ’75-’76 — was similar to Bradley Beal, if Beal were a MUCH better defensive players and was sixth or seventh in the NBA in steals like Phil was in those two seasons.

In those two years (I haven’t studied them all, just looked at those two), Chenier was 11th and 14th in the NBA in scoring. Beal is 14th now in his highest-scoring season. Phil was sixth and seventh in steals with 176 and 158 steals.

The Thompson comparison is useful. Both deadly shooters from the perimeter. But Chenier, in his time, was clearly a better player than Thompson is now. Chenier carried a bigger role. He scored more points than Elvin Hayes (HOF) on the same team in ’75-’76. In ’74-’75, Chenier scored more than HOFers Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe and John Havlicek. The next year, he was ahead of E, Earl and Dandridge.

As an example of his defense, the modern analytics rank Phil higher than I remembered. In ’74-’75, he was 8th in the NBA in defensive win shares — just behind Jerry Sloan, one of the greatest defensive guards ever, and somebody named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who was seventh.

If there had been a three-point line then, Chenier would have automatically gotten a couple of points added to his scoring average and, since he’d have been encouraged to shoot more with an arc, he might have been a 23-to-25-pt scorer back then, instead of 19-to-21.

Phil was fluid, a beautiful shooter, but also an aggressive gambling defender who, at 6-3, was the same size, relative to the league, as perhaps a 6-5 or 6-6 guard now.

For total value — stuff like Wins Shares and Value Over Replacement Player — Chenier was similar to DeMar DeRozan (shooting guard), or Victor Oladipo (DeMatha, Pacers), but definitely ahead of Beal.

In his five best years, Chenier was probably a somewhat better total player than either Wall or Beal so far in their careers because Chenier’s game didn’t have an obvious weakness, like Wall’s bad shooting (from two-feet out to the three-point line) and his high turnovers or Beal’s lack of any second impact skill except for shooting/scoring. But it’s close. Phil was also around 20th in the league in minutes. He played long and hard.

We’ll never know what a "full" career mighty have looked like because his bad back (injury) totally changed him and dragged him back to the league.

I remember doing a feature story on him in retirement. He was running a D.C. Boys Club, very happy and contented about it — and very good at it. Seemed he might do that indefinitely. You seldom see a big star that modest and happy in the next job if it’s not glamorous. He had no idea he’d end up a broadcaster, and an excellent one whom I always enjoyed, for 33 years.

They put a microphone next to his number 45. But make no mistake, from, ’72 through ’77, when he was dueling Walt (Clyde) Frazier to a standstill, Chenier was as good, and probably slightly better, than any Wizards player of this decade. That gets missed because he was also playing with HOFers like Unseld and Hayes. But them you can’t compare those exceptional ’70’s Bullets teams which went to the NBA FINALS four (4) times and had win totals of 60, 54 and 52, to the current pretty good Wizards, a franchise that hasn’t won 50 games the ’70’s.

Good morning! I just returned from a blissful weekend down in Palm Beach, and it has me wondering about what it’s like to be a ballplayer down there. There are only so many hours a day even the most devoted perfectionist (ahem, Mr. Murphy) can spend at the ballpark itself. I’m sure this varies by player, but can you give a general sense of what the boys do when they leave the park? Does the team arrange housing, or do they stay in hotels or apartments of their own choosing? I would assume a lot of them fit in some golf when they can, but do they live like otherwise normal human beings, going out to dinner or visiting the beach? Hope you had/have an easy transition back to the frozen wasteland up here, and thanks for the chats! They’re the highlight of my Mondays.

Thanks. Yes, you’ve got the picture. They are adults and are treated that way. Figure out your own housing and life style. They put in more time at the park working — I mean really working hard, including weights and conditioning — than most fans would expect. When the clubhouse opens at 8 a.m., they’re already there — and have BEEN there for a while — when I first see them. And by 3 or 4 p.m., when they have a 1 p.m. game, most/all/plenty are still there.

But they like to start early so they can have time with family, golf, whatever.

As an example of "whatever," I was walking on Melbourne Beach, where I was staying about half-an-hour from Viera, five years ago. I walked past a couple of nondescript guys who were fishing into the surf — from the beach, of course — with long poles. I was on my cell phone to family.

"Aren’t you even going to say ‘Hello?’" said Jordan Zimmermann.

Turns out Jordan and a buddy were fishing for SHARKS. Maybe "hammer heads?" I’m not good on shark types. Somebody caught one that was, I think, 52-inches long — almost 4-and-a-half feet –about 100 yards from them down the beach. I saw a picture somebody had taken of it. They said they’d caught one and put it back — which, I think, is the law. You have to "catch and release." Well, how the hell do you ‘release’ a shark that would come up to your chest!? Answer: You hit it over the head with a baseball bat, or equivalent, stun it and carry it back and dump it in the surf.

The next day in the clubhouse Jordan was teasing me about being on the phone on a beach and not even seeing him — I passed him going and almost passed him coming back. I couldn’t resist. I asked him if the Nats had a policy on their ace pitchers going SHARK FISHING? "So, was your buddy there to knock the shark out and carry it back to the ocean?"

I wasn’t going to write about it — it’s his business. But I kept on pretending I would, asked Matt Williams about "dangerous off-season experiences" from his era.

Later, I got a "statement" back from Jordan saying, just a misunderstanding. They weren’t fishing for shark (like they said they were) after all. (Yeah, probably perch.) I didn’t write about it. Then.

Even assuming Wall gets back, do they have a realistic chance of even making the East semi-finals?

They’ve obvious run out of gas trying to compensate for playing without Wall. And other teams have figured out Satoransky, to a degree. Porter has tapered off some from his early 19-point pace without Wall. He, Morris, Oubre and Scott can’t pick up all the slack every night. They started 10-3, but have gone 4-8 since then and are 14-11 (.560) overall without Wall. They were 26-22 (.542) when he was hurt. (Wall also missed games earlier in the season. I’m not bothering with that this a.m. The point: They’ve play about the same without him for 25 games.)

I’ll still be fascinated to see if the Wiz players appreciate Wall more when he comes back and also see if Wall appreciates them more now that he sees how well they played without him when most people thought they’d collapse.

When Wall gets back, the Wiz need to focus on getting THREE players, who were far better without Wall, to play a similar game, with similar production and a similar volume of shots when Wall does get back: Otto Porter, Tomas Satoransky and Markieff Morris.

Here are their minutes, then their shooting percentages from the floor (FG%), from the three-point line and on free throws — presented as a slash line. Then their points/rebounds/assist as another slash line.

Satoransky: 30.3 min. .539/.531/.896. If he did this over a whole season Satoranky would be The Best Shooter in the entire NBA — by a safe margin. Not a VOLUME shooter, not a high scorer, but a deadly shooter one when he’s open and an incredibly efficient offensive player. Then 10.5/6.0/4.0.

Porter: 32.9 minutes. .516/.442/.842 and 17.0/7.0/2.6. This is borderline Real Star level stuff, especially considering he is in the top 10 in the NBA in steals and in the top five in fewest turnovers. That shooting slash line would be competitive with the best True Shooters and Efg% shooters in the whole league. Porter MUST get the number of shots he’s getting now, or if Wall can manage it, a bit MORE. You have to USE a shooter this good.

Morris: 30.6 minutes. .517/.382/.833. And 14.0/6.0/3.1. Good production.

None of these three needed Wall’s passing to shoot BETTER — actually much better — without him on the floor to get the ball to them in the last 25 games. Oubre DOES need Wall.

I still think it’s conceivable that this team makes a jump up when Wall gets back. I also think they could be flummoxed trying to re-style the team on the fly, or go back to The Way They Were and get knocked out in the first round. Especially, obviously, if they start by playing the Cavs.

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Community Calendar: Pre-K information meeting set for April 4

The Butts County School System will hold a pre-kindergarten registration informational meeting at 6 p.m. April 4 at the Ernest Battle Professional Development Center, 218 Woodland Way, Jackson. Information on requirements and procedures for pre-K registration for the 2018-19 school year will be given and parents can ask questions and pick up registration forms. To be eligible, children must be 4 years old before Sept. 1. Registration week will be held April 9-13 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, also at the Ernest Battle Professional Development Center.

The Butts County Genealogical Society will meet at 10 a.m. April 5 at the Jackson-Butts County Public Library, 436 E. College St., Jackson. Traditional and DNA genealogy topics will be presented. The public is invited. For more information, call 770-775-1473.

Retired educators April 5

The Butts County Retired Educators Association will meet at 11 a.m. April 5 at Saki Japanese Steakhouse, 146 W. Third St., Jackson. All members are invited to attend. For more information, call 770-775-3465.

Art competition April 5

The deadline to enter the Congressional Art Competition is April 5. U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., is taking nominations from students in grades nine through 12. Winners will have their art displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year and earn a trip to Washington, D.C. For more information, visit Hice’s website at www.hice.house.gov/constituent-services/arts-competition.htm.

Night paddle April 6

High Falls State Park, at 76 High Falls Park Drive, Jackson, will hold a twilight night paddle from 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 6. See migrating cliff swallows and other wading birds in a 3-mile canoe paddle with ranger guides. Space is limited so participants should register in advance. The cost is $35 per couple plus a $5 parking fee. For more information, call 478-993-3053.

High Falls State Park, at 76 High Falls Park Drive, Jackson, will hold a beginner stand-up paddling class from 9:30 to 11 a.m. April 7. Learn fundamental skills such as balance, steering and recovery techniques. After class, explore High Falls Lake with a free one-hour paddle board rental. The class is open to adults and children 8 ages and older who are accompanied by an adult. Participants must be able to swim. Space is limited and reservations are required. The cost is $25 plus a $5 parking fee. For more information, call 478-993-3053.

The Henderson School Alumni Association Trust will meet at 5 p.m. April 8 at Rising Star Baptist Church, 1644 Ga. Highway 16, Jackson. Donations are being sought to help the group purchase and renovate the old Henderson School campus. Checks can be made payable to the Henderson School Alumni Association Trust or HSAAT and mailed to P.O. Box 1607, Jackson, Ga., 30233. For more information, call the Rev. Charlie Barlow at 404-764-3073.

Wellness Day April 9

The Butts County Life Enrichment Team and Butts County 5-Heart-9 Club, which works to prevent low birth weight in infants, will hold a Community Wellness Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 9 at the Ernest Battle Professional Development Center, 218 Woodland Way, Jackson. Offerings include body fat analysis, reproductive life plans, family planning, infectious disease screening, low birth weight prevention and information on nutrition, Medicaid, financial planning and mentoring.

Daughtry Elementary School chorus and drama students will perform “The Lion King” at 6:30 p.m. April 12 and 13 at the Rufus Adams Auditorium, 218 Woodland Way, Jackson.

Library crafts April 14

The Jackson-Butts County Public Library, at 436 E. College St., Jackson, will hold an adult crafts day from 2:30 to 4 p.m. April 14. For more information or to register, call the library at 770-775-7524

First camp April 14

High Falls State Park, at 76 High Falls Park Drive, Jackson, will hold an AmeriCorps First Time Camper Program Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15. A one-night camping adventure includes a schedule of activities Saturday and Sunday, use of camping equipment and ranger guidance. The cost is $31 plus $10 per person and a $5 parking fee. For more information, call 478-993-3053.

The Butts County Department of Leisure Services, at 576 Ernest Biles Drive, Jackson, will hold its spring break camp from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 16-20. The camp, for children ages 5 to 12, costs $65 per child. Participants must bring a lunch each day but snacks will be provided. Register at the recreation office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or sign up online at bcdls.org.

Daniel scholarship April 16

Applications for the Millard and Mary Frances Daniel Butts County 4-H Scholarship are due on April 16. For more information and an application, call 770-775-8209.

The Butts County Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic tournament will begin with registration at noon April 18 at the Hickory Hill Golf Club, 209 Biles Road, Jackson. The four-person scramble tournament will cost $220 for a team or $60 per player. There will be prizes for first through third places in two flights. Proceeds will go toward community events. Sponsorships also are being sought. For tournament and sponsor information call 770-775-4839 or visit www.buttschamber.com.

The Butts County Extension Office, at 576 Ernest Biles Drive, Jackson, will offer a short course on raising sheep and goats from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 19. The cost is $20, which includes lunch and reference materials. For more information or to register, call 770-775-8209.

DAR April 19

The William McIntosh chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will meet at 1:30 p.m. April 19 at the Chapter House located at 222 S. Mulberry St., Jackson. The program will consist of a presentation by Robert Jones on Mary Musgrove, an intermediary between colonial Georgians and the Muscogee Creek Native Americans. All members, associates, prospective members and guests are invited. The NSDAR is open to any woman 18 years old or older who can prove descent from ancestors who fought or provided service during the American Revolution.

Dauset Trails Nature Center, at 360 Mt. Vernon Church Road, Jackson, will hold its annual Bluebirds and Bluegrass Festival on April 21. The gates will open at 9 a.m. Music will begin at 11 a.m. and continue through 5 p.m. There will be live bands, a dulcimer jam session, nature and wildlife exhibits, outdoor recreation clubs, children’s activities, blacksmith demonstrations and Civil War reenactors. Food and beverages will be sold by Boy Scouts Troop 161 and the Jackson High School Red Regiment Band Boosters. For more information, call Dauset Trails at 770-775-6798.

Indian Springs State Park, at 678 Lake Clark Road, Flovilla, will hold an introductory archery class for people ages 8 and up from 2 to 4 p.m. April 21. All equipment is provided. All students must be present for a safety lesson. Bring water and wear closed-toed shoes. No baggy shirts should be worn. Students must register in advance. The cost is $10 plus a $5 parking fee. For more information, call the park office at 770-504-2277.

The Initiative to Prevent Sexual Abuse will hold two sessions of Darkness to Light Stewards of Children training from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Daughtry Foundation Building, 221 E. College St., Jackson. The training teaches adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. It is offered in cooperation with the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. For more information or to register for the free sessions, call Lorraine Maddox at 678-544-3410.

The Magnolia Grove Apartments independent living facility, at 336 April Lane, Jackson, will hold a health fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 26. Vendors will distribute materials, provide health checks and do presentations. For more information, contact Angela Mack at 770-775-2890 or [email protected].

The Butts County Extension Office, at 576 Ernest Biles Drive, Jackson, will offer a home gardening program from noon to 1 p.m. April 27. Topics covered will be cultural practices, pest management and troubleshooting garden problems. The cost is $5. For more information or to register, call 770-775-8209.

The Jackson High School class of 1995 will hold its fourth annual Jackson Football Alumni 5K beginning at 8 a.m. May 4 at Red Devil Hill, 400 Franklin St., Jackson. Proceeds go toward the school football program. Sponsors, runners and volunteers are being sought. For more information, call race coordinator Montez Morgan at 770-377-4515.

The second annual STEMseATL event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 5 at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church, at 397 Racetrack Road, McDonough. The event will include hands-on science, math, engineering and technology demonstrations and a visit to Mercer University’s McDonough campus. For more information on sponsorships or tickets, contact Kim Smith at 432-352-6649 or @CampaignsthatBuzz on Twitter.

Dauset Trails summer camps

Registration for day camps at Dauset Trails Nature Center, 360 Mt. Vernon Church Road, Jackson, is ongoing. Camps will be held June 5-7, June 12-14, June 19-21 and June 26-28. For more information, call Dauset Trails at 770-775-6798.

The Butts County Department of Leisure Services, at 576 Ernest Biles Drive, Jackson, is taking applications for its summer day camps, which will be held weekly from June 4 through Aug. 3. The camps, for children ages 5 to 12, cost $75 per week. Participants will receive breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Weekly field trips and swimming are included in the fee. Register at the recreation office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or sign up online at www.bcdls.org.

Indian Springs State Park, at 678 Lake Clark Road, Flovilla, will hold Junior Ranger Camps from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 11-14 and July 16-19. Campers ages 6 to 12 years old will learn about nature, history and a variety of animals while playing games and making new friends and memories. For more information, call 770-504-2277.

The Georgia River Network is taking registration for a seven-day Paddle Georgia trip along the Yellow and Ocmulgee rivers. The 14th annual summer paddle will be June 16-22. Part of the proceeds from the trip will help establish the Yellow River and Ocmulgee River water trails. Registration fees for the full trip are $425 for adults, $230 for children ages 8 to 17 and $30 for children ages 7 and under. Tickets for Paddle Georgia Lite, which includes the first or last two days of the trip, are $120, $70 and $15. To register, visit www.garivers.org/paddle_georgia. For more information, contact Joe Cook at 706-409-0128 or [email protected]; or Dana Skelton at 706-549-4508 or [email protected].

The McIntosh Trail Early Childhood Development Council is accepting applications for Early Head Start and Head Start programs for the 2018-19 school year. Early Head Start is for expectant mothers and children ages 8 weeks to 3 years old. Head Start is for children who have turned 3 or 4 years old by Sept. 1. Both are free programs with federal guidelines. Services include nutrition, health, mental health, education, social services and parent involvement. Applications may be picked up at the Butts County Department of Family and Children Services, Butts County Health Department or WIC offices, or the Head Start office in the McIntosh Trail Early Childhood Development Council building, 565 Recreation Drive, Jackson. For more information, call 770-775-3830 or 770-775-4293, ext. 109.

Free tax preparation

The Community Calendar is a regular feature of the Jackson Progress-Argus. To submit an item, email [email protected], write to 129 S. Mulberry St., Jackson GA, 30233, or fax to 770-775-3855 by noon the Monday prior to publication.

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College Park Garage Door Repair

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Community Calendar: Free tax prep offered at library

The Butts County Life Enrichment Team and United Way will offer free tax preparation services from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 7 at the Jackson-Butts County Public Library, 436 E. College St., Jackson. For more information, call LET Executive Director Ann-Marie Pope at 770-775-5829 or email [email protected].

The Flovilla City Council will meet at 2 p.m. March 9 for a called meeting at City Hall, 308 Heard St., Flovilla. The council plans to approve a resolution regarding the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority and to make appointments.

Henderson school alumni and friends will meet at 5 p.m. each Sunday in March at Rising Star Baptist Church, 1644 Ga. Highway 16, Jackson. Alumni are working on the Henderson School Alumni Trust organization and board structure, assigning committee members and strategic planning. For more information, call the Rev. Charlie Barlow at 404-764-3073.

Health fair March 15

WellStar Sylvan Grove Hospital will hold its annual community health fair from 8 a.m. to noon March 15 at the Jackson-Butts County Public Library, 436 E. College St., Jackson. It will offer health counseling, a variety of health screenings and information. There will also be a LifeSouth Community Blood Center blood drive. For more information, contact Nancy Rollins at [email protected] or call Kim Stephens at 678-408-3158.

DAR March 15

The William McIntosh chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will meet at 1:30 p.m. March 15, at the chapter house located at 222 Mulberry St., Jackson. Sheriff Gary Long will make a presentation. All members, associates, prospective members and guests are invited. The NSDAR is open to any woman 18 years old or older who can prove descent from ancestors who fought or provided service during the American Revolution.

Scholarship deadline March 15

The deadline is March 15 for Butts County residents who are high school seniors graduating this year to apply for the Partners for Smart Growth scholarship. Applications can be found at www.partnersforsmartgrowth.org or contact Nikki Sowell at 770-550-3065 or [email protected].

The Greater Butts County Lions Club will hold its annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner, dance and silent auction from 6 to 10 p.m. March 17 at the Jones Barn, 642 Stark Road, Jackson. The cost is $30 per person or $210 for a table of eight. Entertainment will be provided by the Mackie Creek Band. All proceeds go to the Butts County community. For more information, contact Michelle Reasor at 678-634-2967 or [email protected].

Scholarship deadline March 19

The Jackson-Butts County Council for the Arts will award two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors who live in Butts County and are continuing education in a fine arts field like music, drama, writing, painting, design or dance. The deadline to apply is March 19. Applications are available at the Jackson High School counselors’ office. For more information, contact Diane Glidewell at 770-775-6592 or [email protected].

Hice visit March 21

Constituent services representatives of U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., will hold mobile office hours from 10 a.m. to noon March 21 at the Butts County Administration Building, 625 W. Third St., Jackson. Constituents can discuss concerns, share priorities and seek help with federal agencies. A staff member from the office of U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., will also attend.

The Butts County School System will hold kindergarten registration for students new to the system from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 28 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 29 at the Ernest Battle Professional Development Center, 218 Woodland Way, Jackson. Parents and guardians should bring their children; the children’s birth certificates and Social Security cards; eye, ear and dental certificates and immunization records; proof of residence in Butts County; and, if necessary, guardianship documents. Children must be be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1 to enter kindergarten. For more information, call Susan Sarsany at 770-504-2300 or [email protected].

The Magnolia Grove Apartments independent living facility, at 336 April Lane, Jackson, is seeking vendors for an upcoming health fair by March 29. The nonprofit housing unit is seeking vendors to distribute materials, provide health checks and do presentations at the health fair set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 26. Vendors who will not sell any goods can sign up for free. Those planning to sell items, including food, must pay a $10 fee. For more information, contact Angela Mack at 770-775-2890 or [email protected].

Jackson High School, at 717 Harkness St., Jackson, will hold a rising freshman parent night at 6 p.m. March 30 in the Commons. Administrators, counselors and staff members will discuss registration, graduation and HOPE Scholarship requirements, and additional topics. Parents will take part in student registration as well. For more information, call the high school at 770-504-2340.

High Falls State Park, at 76 High Falls Park Drive, Jackson, will hold its fifth annual Glow-N-Dark Egg Hunt from 6 to 9 p.m. March 31. Park workers will hide more than 5,000 glowing eggs for children to find. The hunt is open to children ages 3 to 10. Before the hunt, there will be food trucks, yard games, s’mores and inflatables. Tickets are limited. The cost is $6 plus a $5 parking fee. For more information, call the park office 478-993-3053.

The Butts County Department of Leisure Services, at 576 Ernest Biles Drive, Jackson, is taking applications for its summer day camps, which will be held weekly from June 4 through Aug. 3. The camps, for children ages 5 to 12, costs $75 per week. Participants will receive breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Weekly field trips and swimming are included in the fee. Register at the recreation office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or sign up online at www.bcdls.org.

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Community Calendar: Daughtry Elementary to host Red Cross blood drive

The science club of Daughtry Elementary School, at 150 Shiloh Road, Jackson is sponsoring an American Red Cross blood drive from 2 to 7 p.m. Feb. 14 in the cafeteria. Each student who recruits a donor will receive recognition as a Pint-Sized Hero. The program also includes lessons for students on blood and blood drives. The club is making Valentine’s Day cards for everyone who turns out to make a donation. Appointments can be scheduled at www.redcross.org.

Health fair deadline

WellStar Sylvan Grove Hospital is seeking exhibitors for its annual community health fair. The deadline to register is Feb. 15. The health fair will be held at the Jackson-Butts County Public Library, 436 E. College St., Jackson, on March 15. For more information or an application form, contact Nancy Rollins at [email protected].

Jackson Elementary School, at 1105 Brownlee Road, Jackson, will hold its mother/son and father/daughter Pink Out dance at 6 p.m. Feb. 15 in the school cafeteria. The school book fair will be open during the dance.

Jackson will hold an Arbor Day event at 10 a.m. Feb. 16 in the parking lot next to City Hall, at 134 S. Oak St., and be recognized as a Tree City for the 26th year. Flovilla’s Arbor Day event will begin at 11 a.m. at city hall, 308 Heard Street, where a tree will be planted in memory of former Mayor George Smith. Jenkinsburg will hold its Arbor Day event at 2 p.m. Feb. 16.

The Butts County Department of Leisure Services will hold youth spring soccer camps Feb. 16-25 at the Butts County recreation fields, 576 Ernest Biles Drive, Jackson. Camp for children ages 5 to 13 will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23, and 3-5 p.m. Feb. 17 and 24. Camp for children ages 9 to 13 will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 17 and 24, and from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 18 and 25. For more information visit aspireunitedsoccer.com, call 770-873-3213 or e-mail [email protected].

Stark Elementary School, at 209 Stark Road, Jackson, will hold its father-daughter dance from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 16. The cost is $8 per person, including refreshments. Photos will be available for $8 each or two for $15. For more information, call Lauren Rankin at 770-775-9470.

The Butts Mutts pet rescue organization will hold its third annual Fur Ball from 5 to 10 p.m. Feb. 17 at The Rivers Ranch, 1959 Ga. Highway 42 N., Jackson. Tickets are $50 and include dinner, cocktails, live entertainment and a silent auction. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-fur-ball-tickets-41095230942.

Indian Springs State Park, at 678 Lake Clark Road, Flovilla, will hold an indoor movie night from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at the family shelter. The movie will be a love story for all ages featuring everyone’s favorite talking donkey. Bring a camp chair, bean bag or pillow for comfort. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the movie starts at 6:30 p.m. There is a $5 parking fee. For more information, call the park office at 770-504-2277.

The Butts County Department of Leisure Services will hold its winter camp program for children ages 5 to 12 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 19-23 at the community center at 576 Ernest Biles Drive, Jackson. The cost is $65 per child. Participants must bring lunch but a snack will be provided. Register at the recreation office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit bcdls.org.

The Jackson-Butts County Public Library, at 436 E. College St., Jackson, will host the Jeffini’s Reading Rock Stars Show for its winter break program at 11 a.m. Feb. 20. The show is performed by Jeffini the Great, a magician based in Atlanta who uses music, magic and puppets to encourage children to read. For more information, call the library at 770-775-7524.

The Jackson-Butts County Public Library, at 436 E. College St., Jackson, will hold family craft nights from 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 20 and 22. All supplies will be provided and no registration is required. All ages are welcome to this free event. For more information, call the library at 770-775-7542.

Butts County Day at the Capitol is Feb 21. For those who wish to attend, registration paperwork can be found at www.partnersforsmartgrowth.org, the at the Butts County Chamber of Commerce at 625 W. Third St., Jackson, and by calling Nikki Sowell at 770-550-3065.

The Southside Butts County Medical Center, at 176 Lyons St., Jackson, will hold a health fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 24. About a dozen vendors will provide free health checks and information. There will also be a bounce house, a game truck, food, music, giveaways and face painting. For more information, call the center at 404-688-1350.

The Griffin-Spalding County Genealogical Society will hold a genealogy class from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Bailey Tibault House, 633 Meriwether St., Griffin. Susan Sloan will discuss information available from the U.S. Census and Nathan Mathews will discuss DNA matching. The program is free to society members and $10 for guests. For more information, contact the society at [email protected] or 770-229-2432.

High Falls State Park, at 76 High Falls Park Drive, Jackson, will hold a crappie fishing tournament from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 3. Prizes will be awarded for first- through third-place anglers and the biggest fish. One- or two-man teams are welcome. Boats are restricted to 9.9 horsepower motors or smaller. Non-motorized boats are also welcome. Space is limited. Register in advance by calling the park office. The cost is $35 if registered in advance, and $40 the day of the tournament if space is available. There is a $5 parking fee. For more information, call 478-993-3053.

The Jackson-Butts County Council for the Arts will award one $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior who lives in Butts County and is continuing education in a fine arts field like music, drama, writing, painting, design or dance. The deadline to apply is March 19. Applications are available at the Jackson High School counselors’ office. For more information, contact Diane Glidewell at 770-775-6592 or [email protected].

Scholarship deadline March 15

Free tax preparation

The Community Calendar is a regular feature of the Jackson Progress-Argus. To submit an item, email [email protected], write to 129 S. Mulberry St., Jackson, GA, 30233, or fax to 770-775-3855 by noon the Monday prior to publication.

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Archway: It all started in Colquitt County

MOULTRIE, Ga. — In 2005, Colquitt County was experiencing growing pains.

Sanderson Farms had announced plans to build a chicken processing plant in the South Georgia community, bringing 1,400 jobs to the area. While the new plant was welcome, it presented challenges. The county had limited sewer capacity, few housing options and no round-the-clock child care, a necessity for parents working overnight shifts.

At the same time, faculty in the University of Georgia’s Public Service and Outreach office and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences were discussing a new program designed to link the resources of the university to the economic development needs of the state. The program would be based on the Cooperative Extension model, with UGA employees stationed in Georgia communities to help address economic development issues.

The new program was named the Archway Partnership, and Colquitt County proved to be the ideal place for a pilot. An Archway Partnership professional was hired to live in Colquitt County and began meeting with local residents to help them reach consensus on their priorities and address the most critical issues.

Over the next few years, a steady stream of UGA faculty and students flowed through Colquitt County:

• The Carl Vinson Institute of Government worked with local government to find the most cost-efficient way to increase its wastewater treatment plant.

• The College of Environment and Design created landscaping and entry signs for the new business park that would include Sanderson Farms.

• A faculty member from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, who already was researching child care needs in urban versus rural counties, made Colquitt County her rural focus, and shared her findings and suggestions with the county.

• The J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development launched leadership programs to help build a pipeline that would keep Colquitt County moving forward once it was no longer an Archway community.

• Faculty from Fanning developed a leadership curriculum that is being used in K-8 grades in the county’s public schools.

“We have land-use plans in Colquitt County largely because of early help from our first Archway professional,” said Roy Reeves, chair of the Colquitt County Archway Partnership executive committee. “I drive by our wastewater treatment plant, and it’s operational in large part due to help, interaction and input from UGA. I drive by Main Street Park knowing the preliminary drawings for that were done by a UGA student. I drive by Citizens Business Park, where Sanderson Farms is located, and the signage on the outside was done by a UGA student.”

“Before Archway, when a community issue or opportunity came up we didn’t necessarily think about how could UGA help us. Since Archway, a lot of times that’s one of the first thoughts we have,” he said.

An impact analysis completed earlier this year shows that since the Archway Partnership began in 2005, Colquitt County has realized an additional $226.9 million in economic activity.

Among the improvements:

• The high school graduation rate rose from 59.7 percent in 2007 to nearly 86 percent in 2015.

• Commercial and industrial property values increased by 3.5 percent, and residential property values increased by 3.6 percent, between 2005 and 2015.

• Property tax revenue rose from $8.9 million in 2005 to $16 million in 2015, while millage rates remained virtually unchanged.

Throughout the state, many rural communities are surviving and even thriving thanks to the University of Georgia, the state’s flagship university, according to a UGA press release. The Archway Partnership is just one of many programs through which UGA helps Georgia’s citizens realize a positive quality of life.

UGA outreach programs have an annual $587 million impact on the state, creating jobs, developing leaders and addressing critical community issues.

“The University of Georgia is focused, every day, on finding ways to leverage its vast resources to support the citizens of this great state,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Many residents of Georgia have never visited one of UGA’s campuses, but there is a good chance they know about the state’s flagship institution from the positive impact it has made on their communities.”

On any given day more than 450 faculty and staff from UGA Public Service and Outreach units and about 1,000 from UGA Cooperative Extension are spread throughout Georgia:

• Conducting assessments for rural hospitals so that they can continue to receive federal funding to operate.

• Helping economic development professionals learn the skill sets they need to attract new industry to Georgia.

• Working alongside fishermen to help diversify the state’s coastal economy.

• Growing leaders who can take their communities to the next level.

• Providing the business tools to farmers so they can succeed in an increasingly competitive market.

Supporting small business, developing community leaders, training government officials, using all known resources to promote economic vitality throughout the state — that’s the role of the land- and sea-grant institution, said Laura Meadows, interim vice president for public service and outreach.

“Using our vast knowledge to make Georgia a better place to live and work is our key mission,” Meadows said. “That’s our commitment.”

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