AC repair inLudowici, GA

The Hallmark Cos. has closed a $168.6 million transaction to recapitalize and rehabilitate 1,310 affordable homes in Georgia.

The portfolio of affordable housing properties includes 26 aged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Sec. 515 properties, which were then consolidated into 23, in 17 counties across the state.

The deal is the Atlanta-based developer and owner’s third collaboration with Greystone Affordable Development.

In the statewide-pooled transaction, Greystone worked closely with USDA’s Rural Housing Service’s state and national offices and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to coordinate and secure the financing needed to recapitalize and rehabilitate this at-risk and much-needed housing.

“With only 38 affordable rental homes available for every 100 extremely low income households in Georgia, a large percentage of the state’s income-restricted households are severely rent overburdened,” said Tanya Eastwood, president of Greystone Affordable Development, a provider of affordable housing recapitalization and rehabilitation advisory services. “New affordable housing stock just isn’t being created fast enough to meet the demands, thus preservation of the aging stock is absolutely essential. We are able to not only preserve, but also modernize this vital housing stock. It is important to note that this unique and complex process would simply not be possible without housing credits and private-activity bonds.”

The financing plan combined both public and private funding, and included:

· Tax-exempt bonds: Single issuance of $54.3 million in publically offered multifamily private-activity tax-exempt bonds from the Housing Authority of Macon-Bibb County;

· Low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs): Purchase of 4% federal and state LIHTCs by Boston Financial Investment Management, generating $54 million in capital contributions;

· Sec. 515 debt: Assumption and subordination of $27.6 million of original USDA Sec. 515 debt, as well as $368,000 in new USDA Sec. 515 debt awarded to two of the properties through Rural Development’s Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization program. The Sec. 515 program is a direct loan program designed to provide subsidized loans to developers of affordable housing in rural markets;

· Senior debt: $27.3 million in USDA Sec. 538 loans provided by Greystone Servicing Corp.; and

· Excess reserves, project operations, investment income, and deferred developer fees: $5 million.

The rehabilitation plan includes a fast-paced construction phase, estimated to be complete within 24 months, during which no residents are expected to be permanently displaced.

Substantial renovations, averaging $37,000 per unit, will include both interior and exterior improvements. Particular emphasis will be placed on bringing the properties, built between the late 1970s and the mid-1990s, up to modern standards, addressing accessibility, functional obsolescence, and deterioration. This transaction includes the goal to achieve an overall energy savings of at least 20% at each property via installation of energy-efficient measures such as Energy Star–certified windows, doors, and appliances, high-efficiency water heaters, and insulation upgrades.

“With the critical need for affordable housing in Georgia, we are inspired by Hallmark’s proactive efforts in preserving this critical housing stock,” said Laurel Hart, director of the housing finance and development division at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. “We would love to see other owners in Georgia embrace this process, which is clearly something of a ‘secret sauce’ that Greystone has developed for the benefit of thousands of affordable housing residents.”

Welcome to the Long County Health Department where we our public health team is dedicated to improving the health of those who live, work, and play in our county by preventing disease and illness, promoting health and well being, and preparing for and responding to disasters.

The Long County Health Department offers services including:

If you have questions about any of our services, please don’t hesitate to call us at the numbers listed below.

The LONG COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, Ludowici, Georgia is soliciting competitive sealed bids from firms that are interested in and capable of providing Janitorial Cleaning Services at the facility at 584 N. Macon Street, Ludowici, Georgia, with a beginning date of November 1, 2023. Click here for more information and to download Invitation to Bid packages.

Hours of Operation*Monday – Wednesday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (closed from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.)Thursday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. (closed from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.)Friday: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

*The Long County Health Department is closed on the last day of every month for staff training.

Health Department584 N. Macon StreetPO Box 279Ludowici, GA 31316View MapPhone: (912) 545-2107Fax: (912) 545-2112

Environmental Health Office584 N. Macon StreetPO Box 279Ludowici, GA 31316View MapPhone: (912) 545-2107Fax: (912) 545-2112Hours of Operation:Monday – Friday: Field-related servicesMonday-Thursday: Fee payment, applications, administrative services8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Long County Board of Health MeetingsLong County Board of Health meetings are held at 11 a.m. at the Long County Health Department at 584 N. Macon Street in Ludowici.

The following meetings have been scheduled for 2023:

Hurricane season is June 1 through November 30 but the Hurricane Registry for those with functional, access, or medical needs is open all year long. The Hurricane Registry for those with functional, access, or medical needs is a list maintained by the health department of residents who may need transportation or medical assistance and have no resources such as family members, neighbors, or friends to help them evacuate if a hurricane is threatening. Residents must apply to be on the Registry. Residents who meet criteria and get on the Registry will be evacuated when there is serious threat of a hurricane.

It is important to note that Registry applications will stop being accepted 72 hours prior to the arrival of tropical storm force winds.

To apply, residents can call toll-free, 1-833-CHD-REGISTER (1-833-243-7344). A representative will take some basic information and then your local health department will follow up with you to complete the application.

More information is available on our Hurricane Registry web page.

LUDOWICI, Ga. (WSAV) – A visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Long County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas parade possibly exposed some 50 children to COVID-19.

The parade took place Thursday, followed by a tree lighting ceremony and a chance to take a picture with Santa at the Old Well. Long County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robert Parker says the events “were well attended” and that his own children took part in the photo op.

According to Parker, the Chamber’s Santa and Mrs. Claus weren’t displaying symptoms at the time of the event. But a COVID-19 test on Saturday resulted in positive results for both.

“While this event was not put on by the City of Ludowici or the Long County Board of Commissioners, it was well attended by our public officials and I believe I speak for the majority of them in saying that we still stand by the decision of the Chamber to move forward with these holiday traditions, and to bring some sense of normalcy to these trying times,” Parker added.

Long County Schools asked parents to keep students who were exposed or showing symptoms of COVID-19 at home until after the winter break. Officials announced last Wednesday a temporary learn-at-home option would be available until the break due to an increase in students and staff who were exposed or quarantined due to the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends those who have been exposed to a person who has tested positive for coronavirus to stay home for 14 days and monitor symptoms.

Testing is available at the Long County Health Department on Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to noon by appointment, which must be scheduled online or by calling 912-230-9744.

The chairman said he has known Santa and Mrs. Claus his whole life and “they would have never knowingly done anything to place any children in danger.

Parker added: “They have both filled these roles for many years, and bringing joy to children during the holidays is one of the most important parts of their lives.”

LUDOWICI, Ga. (WTOC) - The City of Ludowici is speaking out about traffic issues they say they’ve been dealing with for years.

Mayor James Fuller, Jr. says they have reached out to the Georgia Department of Transportation numerous times about the intersection of Highway 84 and Macon Street, but nothing has been done about it.

A WTOC crew sat at the intersection for hours early Wednesday morning to watch the congestion the city has complained about for years. Parents we spoke to say they think there should be a light there to help with morning traffic.

“Four thousand kids in school, all going to school at the same time, plus 29 trains a day going back and forth. What happens about 7:20, 7:25 in the morning, we have a train and it slows traffic down,” Mayor Fuller said.

Mayor Fuller says within the last couple of years, they have had multiple accidents and four fatalities at the intersection on Highway 84 and Macon Street.

“We’ve talked with the state, and they tell us 'we don’t have the traffic count.”

Parents say it’s a nightmare.

“It takes a long time. Sometimes I can be sitting here in the morning when I’m taking my children to school for about maybe five minutes or so," said Mary, a Ludowici resident.

She says the congestion is so bad that she takes an alternate route now to miss the traffic.

Mayor Fuller says they need a red light, but he says the state isn’t convinced.

“The red light will stop a lot of the traffic and it will defer a lot of the traffic right here on Macon Street, where they can go down and access the school in a different place," Mayor Fuller said.

“I have seen a lot of traffic, and I have seen very close accidents to where someone almost got into a car accident, so by them putting a traffic light right here at this intersection, I think it would help out significantly because it has more control over the traffic that’s traveling north and south on 84.”

Mayor Fuller says especially with Ludowici growing in population, he’s afraid more tragic accidents will happen at the intersection if a light isn’t placed there.

WTOC reached out to GDOT about studies done in the area. We are waiting to hear back.

Copyright 2019 WTOC. All rights reserved.

LONG COUNTY, Ga. - Around 50 children were potentially exposed to COVID-19 in a Georgia County after the man and woman playing Santa and Mrs. Claus in a Christmas parade tested positive for the virus.

The Long County Board of Commissioners said the exposure happened on Thursday, Dec. 10 at the annual Long County Chamber of Commerce Christmas parade and tree lighting in Ludowici, Georgia.

According to officials, the people playing Santa and Mrs. Claus both received positive test results after having their pictures taken with roughly 50 children. They were asymptomatic at the time of the parade.

"While this event was not put on by the City of Ludowici or the Long County Board of Commissioners, it was well attended by our public officials and I believe I speak for the majority of them in saying that we still stand by the decision of the Chamber to move forward with these holiday traditions and to bring some sense of normalcy to these trying times," Long County Commissioners Chairman Robert Parker said in a release.

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Parker said his own children had their pictures taken with Santa and that he had known the man and woman playing Santa and Mrs. Clause "my entire life."

"I can assure everyone that they would have never knowingly done anything to place any children in danger," Parker said. "They have both filled these roles for many years, and bringing joy to children during the holidays is one of the most important parts of their lives.

Know how the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting Georgia

Officials say anyone who took a photo at the parade should follow the exposure guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and stay home from all school and extracurricular activities.

As of Monday, Long County has had 342 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the virus and has been described by the Georgia Department of Public Health as a county with high transmission indicators.

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