(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Augusta Press.)
We have some catching up to do, which is normal from time to time.
Last week was truly a slow media week as we all came together to celebrate the life of our great leader, the late Representative Henry ‘Wayne’ Howard. Things are just now somewhat back to normal.
I really appreciate Ms. Sylvia and her column so much all the time. She definitely takes the opportunity to cover the local things in depth.
However, I have to work on her national political outlook. If she feels that Walker is a better candidate than Warnock, I have some beachfront property in McDuffie County I would like to sell her.
Now back to the hot topic of the city’s take on what to do with the ambulance contract.
I’m not going to get into the particulars of what all was wrong with that entire episode. However I will say this, or better yet, ask what was the point of having the administrator meet with Gold Cross to come up with a contract and then come to an open forum to discuss a contract and then take out or add certain things that were already discussed? Confusing to say the least.
A news station reached out to Steven Vincent, COO of Gold Cross and asked how he felt about what the mayor and certain commissioners had to say today in reference to the meeting. His response is below.
‘Gold Cross has not been invited by any city official to attend the meetings to discuss the contract or anything else. Oftentimes Commissioner Hasan has stated they do not wish to hear from Gold Cross, even refusing to call us by name and instead “the provider.” We have attended every contract negotiation meeting. If the County wishes to have our input, all they have to do is ask.‘
This comment is something that should be noted –
“.. this is the first time we have had to negotiate a contract in this manner, and I do not believe any vendor has had to in the past.
“The new contract that they are wanting will add close to 25 new employees, add new ambulances, new quick response vehicles, and require us to order additional equipment with a capital outlay well over 1.5 million dollars just to implement, not including additional salaries of about two million a year. Our year one cost would be over $3.5 Million in additional expenses on top of what we are already doing. “
“The math of a few commissioners and our math ain’t mathing.”
Maybe it’s easier to ask a company for receipts than colleagues?
I was asked this past week what the most pressing issue facing our community is. My answer is that I believe it depends on which side of town you are on. I say that not to sound trite, but as a preface to understanding that we may all see things a little differently.
I went further to ask a buddy of mine what he believes are our most pressing issues. He states that would be homelessness and the lack of affordable housing. He went on to discuss the great numbers of people begging on different corners and how he has seen the people living under the overpasses and sleeping on the street.
I said we have people who are trying to address this and there may be some resolutions to this sooner than later in the form of tiny homes, and the recently announced project to change an old hotel into apartments and the many apartments going up around town. Some feel these are viable options.
I asked another buddy of mine what he felt was our most pressing community issue,?and he said crime. The rise in crime. It seems that we have a shooting everyday.
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My response to him is it seems as if the sheriff has increased patrols, and I mentioned the business owner who put up that contraption to discourage criminals from being near his property.
He went on to say we also have a bad opioid problem, and it causes a lot of our crimes, and it’s also killing people.
This is all very true and are definitely issues that must be addressed. I believe that this plays a part in all of the above-mentioned topics and adds another level that includes mental health. Which is an entirely different topic within itself.
No matter what we draw as our most important topic the bottom line is we must get back to being a unified community. “If you see something, say something.”
We must work together for the common good that would make for a better Augusta. Days of grudges must be put behind us, and even if we don’t agree on topics, we must do what’s best for everyone.
One major battle to overcome here in this community are grudges. I see good ideas, great initiatives and good people shot down because they are the ones presenting them.
We’ve had suggestions and ideas presented that would be good for the masses, and we will have people totally go against it only because the person who said it is not liked, or wasn’t on someone’s team when they ran for office. Let’s press forward for a better Augusta. We can and should do better.
With that, I would like to ask the readers what do you feel is our most pressing issue in Augusta?
Let me take a moment of personal privilege to thank two gentlemen at Gary Newton Automotive on Deans Bridge Road.
If you know them or have a way to let them know I talked about them, please tell them. I was headed out of town to referee a basketball game. (For those of you that don’t know, I referee college basketball.)
Anyway I was headed out of town, ran over something, and my tire was instantly going flat. I pulled in to this automotive shop as they were closing the doors down. My tire was down.
I told them what happened, and they immediately went to work and took care of it.
This is where the blessing comes in. They didn’t charge me. They wouldn’t take my money. They wouldn’t let me give them any money, so I bought them lunch the next day.
This is a sign there is still humanity on earth.
With that – here is a story from my sermon Sunday. I do not take credit for it, because I heard it along the way somewhere.
A story of a little eight-year-old little girl, who one day heard her mom and dad talking in a serious and sad tone about her little brother, Andrew.
The little girl didn’t understand everything that they were saying, but she got the gist of the story that her little brother, Andrew, was very sick, and they were completely out of money. They would have to move out of their house and move into a small apartment because Mom and Dad didn’t have enough money for the doctor bills and the house payment. On top of that, only an expensive surgery could save Andrew. They could not find anyone to lend them the money. At that point the little girl heard her dad say, “Only a miracle can save Andrew now.”
She ran to her room, pulled out a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in her closet. She poured out all the change on the floor and counted it carefully. She then put the change back in the jar, put the jar under her arm, slipped out the back door and ran down to the Drug Store about six blocks away.
The pharmacist was talking to a man intensely, and they didn’t notice that she was standing there. She waited patiently for a while and then loudly she cleared her throat, but still, no luck.
The pharmacist did not see her. Finally, she got his attention by taking a quarter out of her jelly jar and tapping it on the counter. That did it. The pharmacist noticed her and said, “Just a minute. I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen for ages.”
She said but “I want to talk to you about my brother. He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle. His name is Andrew, and he has something growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost? I have the money here to pay for it. It’s all that I have saved. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much a miracle cost.”
The pharmacist’s brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?”
“I don’t know,” she replied, with her eyes welling up. “I just know he’s really sick and Momma says he needs an operation. But my parents can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago. The little girl said one dollar and eleven cents. It’s all the money Ihave in the world, but I can get some more if I need to.
The man said well, you are in luck, the man said with a smile. “One dollar and eleven cents is the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.”
He took the money in one hand and with the other he took hold of her mitten and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
That well-dressed man from Chicago was Dr. Carlton who just happened to be a noted neurosurgeon. The operation was successfully completed without charge…and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well. The mom and dad were grateful, and they were talking one night about the chain of events that had saved Andrew’s life. Momma said, “That was a real miracle.” And then she said, “I just wonder how much it would have cost.”
The little girl smiled and said, “I know exactly how much a miracle cost one dollar and eleven cent, plus, I remembered that you all taught us in church that if we have the faith then God’s got the power. You also said if we called on him that he would answer.”
Have a great week and one more big announcement, but I may be getting ahead of myself again.
Michael Meyers is a columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Michael.meyers@theaugustapress.com
