Community Trail Press

The Easter Holiday is fast approaching, and Thomasville residents can hop into the holiday spirit early at the annual Easter Eggstravaganza. Games, face painting and more will fill Paradise Park for the community Easter celebration sponsored by the Thomasville Police Department and City of Thomasville Community Relations on March 19, from 11 am – 1 pm. “There’s never a shortage of fun at the City’s annual Easter Eggstravaganza event,” said Kha McDonald, senior assistant City...

It’s alarming that during a four-year period – 2009-2013 – approximately 940 deaths each year could have been prevented in the U.S. through the proper installation of smoke detectors. An additional 510 deaths per year could have been prevented with proper smoke detector maintenance during the same time period. “It’s a tragedy any time we lose a life due to fire,” said Thomasville Fire Rescue Chief Chris Bowman. “But to lose a life to fire that could have been prevented by...

The City’s focus on quality of life through safe, affordable housing has been the driving factor in improving many neighborhoods throughout Thomasville. The City of Thomasville’s Building Department has accomplished this through the process of renovation and, in worst-case scenarios, demolition of blighted, substandard structures. So far this year, three homes have been demolished with an additional six being permitted for demolition and another three homes being slated for...

The City of Thomasville’s latest efforts to ascertain additional details about the use of the Civil War Prison Site in 1864 will be enhanced through the combined efforts of the Southeast Archeological Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Beginning today, the FBI and SEAC will begin a thorough examination of the historic Prisoner of War site, located on Wolf Street, to see if 19th century artifacts and unknown burial sites lay beneath the surface. City of Thomasville Senior...

During Monday night’s City of Thomasville Council meeting, LaGrange Police Chief, and former chairperson of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., Louis Dekmar formally presented Thomasville Police Department with the Gold Standard of Accreditation with Excellence Award. For TPD Chief Troy Rich, receiving the award acknowledged the joint effort of his entire department toward earning this distinction. According to Chief Rich, obtaining the Gold Standard...

A city known for the sweet smell of roses is now officially Georgia’s “Rose City,” as Thomasville, Georgia, nestled in the Red Hills Region, and located 45 miles west of Valdosta and 35 miles northeast of Tallahassee, Florida was officially designated as Georgia’s Rose City during Tourism Day at the Capitol, January 26, 2016.  Georgia Representative Darlene Taylor, Georgia Representative Amy Carter, Georgia Representative Sam Watson and Georgia Senator Dean Burke worked with City of...

Everyone wants to know the story behind their home’s energy use, and in an effort to save money and reduce consumption, some citizens switch out light bulbs, windows, appliances and even install additional insulation in their homes. But the question still remains: “Are any of the changes I am making, making a difference?” City of Thomasville Utilities offers customers a way to answer this question through two free services: the HomeEnergyCalculator and in-home energy...

Since January 1, 2011, the City of Thomasville’s On-Bill financing program has achieved great success by boosting spending power to qualified Thomasville Utilities customers and putting money into the local economy. The On-Bill financing program began as a $200,000 venture into 0 percent financing for the City of Thomasville. It has since developed into over a million and a half dollar increase to the local community’s spending power, giving many customers the means to go forward with...

During Monday night’s City Council meeting, in front of a large audience composed of family members, County Commissioners, citizens and City staff, re-elected incumbent Jay Flowers and newly elected councilmember Terry Scott were sworn in as members of the Thomasville City Council by reciting the Oath of Office.  The Council’s first act in 2016 was then to unanimously vote to elect Greg Hobbs as Mayor and Don Sims as Mayor Pro Tem. The current members of the City Council are as...

The City of Thomasville offices will be closed December 24 and 25, 2015, and January 1, 2016 in observance of Christmas and the New Year holiday. Because of the holiday observances, some City services will be affected. City services’ schedules are as follows: Energy Control Center Regular 24-hour operational schedule City of Thomasville Residential Refuse For the week of December 21, 2015, residents scheduled for Thursday pick-up will be served Wednesday, December 23, 2015....

Beginning in January 2016, City of Thomasville staff will be inspecting rainwater detention facilities to ensure proper function. The network of detention facilities throughout Thomasville plays an important role in stormwater management, particularly regarding flood reduction and prevention. “We’ve completed our stormwater inventory and we’ve found that many of our detention ponds are not adequately being maintained,” said City Engineer Jerry Pionessa. “This means that in heavy...

During regular session, the City Council unanimously voted to approve the budget for the 2016 fiscal year. Approved at $131,783,596, the structurally balanced budget includes no revenues from property taxes within its funding. In lieu of property taxes, margins above the cost of providing services are transferred from the City’s utility funds to general government. For FY 2016, the amount of the transfers will be approximately $10 million, an increase of approximately $480,000. These...