By Barbara Augsdorfer, editor for the Effingham Herald

It all started with a letter to the editor published in the Herald last July.

Fourth-grade student Isaiah Rivera expressed concerns about the county’s growth, pollution, the possibility of too many kids in his classroom; and finally, he asked, “Where can we all play?”

The result was a townhall meeting held Jan. 28 at South Effingham Elementary School.

District 2 Commissioner Roger Burdette guided the meeting’s conversation with County Manager Tim Callanan and Effingham County Schools Superintendent Dr. Yancy Ford giving presentations and answering questions from Isaiah, his classmates and the adults.

About 30 people attended the event in the school’s cafeteria, including several young students.

Rivera is in a gifted-and-talented classroom with Ashleigh Barefield as his teacher. Barefield had gathered questions from other students in the class to give to Burdette for answers.

What followed was basically a refresher course in high school civics and how American government works.

Burdette gave a brief breakdown of the three branches of government at the federal and state levels; then talked about the local government such as county and municipalities and how they’re run.

“Who’s in charge?” Burdette asked a relatively simple question.

“We are,” Rivera responded. “If we vote for anyone, for example, our mayor, but if he does stuff that we don't like in our community or county, then we have the power to vote them out.”

One of Rivera’s concerns was the number of students in the classrooms as the county grows.

“So why do people move to Effingham County? I think it's very clear that they move because we have a strong school system,” Dr. Ford began. “We have a safe community. We have a family-friendly environment, and we do have a growing economy.”

He also added that he and the school board do not determine where housing development are located.

“We're a part of that process, and we work closely with the commissioners in regards to roads and being able to get buses in and out and those type things, and where we have available space. But we don't make that full decision,” Dr. Ford explained. “Our school board members do not make that full decision. There's a lot of variables that go into that.”

Dr. Ford presented some numbers to illustrate how the district is growing and how building wings are being added to various schools to keep classroom sizes ranging from 15-22 students, depending on grade level, special needs, and subject in middle school and high school.

During COVID Effingham County Schools grew by more than 300 students simply because the schools remained open to in-person learning while surrounding districts switched to online learning.

“We believe in small class sizes,” Dr. Ford said. “Our class sizes in Effingham County are in really good shape. If you have smaller class sizes, it’s easier for students to learn, and it’s also easier for the teacher.”

Dr. Ford encouraged the public to view videos on the district’s Facebook page. He is scheduled to give a full presentation of the district’s enrollment trends at the March 6 Board of Commissioners meeting.

County services to protect the public

Callanan then gave a brief overview of his position with the county and all the services the county provides, such as E-9-1-1 for emergencies, Effingham County Fire and Rescue to provide fire protection for all of the unincorporated areas of the county; the Effingham County animal shelter for lost pets; and finally, Effingham County Recreation Department.

Highlighting the popularity of rec sports in the county, Callanan asked, “How many kids do you think signed up for baseball last year?

“We had over 1,200 kids sign up for baseball,” Callanan said. “Ane we’ve got a lot of volunteer coaches and athletic coordinators, and it’s also a lot of fun.”

Regarding development in the county, Callanan offered an oral-quiz-type question, “Can the government tell you what you can do with your land?

“No., because there’s this document that tells the government what it can and cannot do. And what is that called?” Callanan asked.

“The Bill of Rights,” Rivera said.

“And the Bill of Rights is part of what document?” Callanan continued.

“The Constitution,” Rivera answered.

Callanan explained to the kids and the adults that the county can do some things and allows developers to do some things but are not allowed to do other things through zoning.
“Zoning doesn’t sound very exciting, but this is the tool that governments have to restrict and control what people (developers and builders) do,” Callanan said.

Zoning is used to protect the public, Callanan added. For example, “If you’re going to build a neighborhood, you got to give people places to park their cars. People shouldn’t have to park their cars on the street so fire trucks can’t get through,” Callanan said. County ordinances require houses to have parking for at least two cars.

Callanan said the state mandates wetlands protection; and the county ordinances require buffers of trees and vegetation between developments and between houses and roads.

“Sidewalks is my pet peeve,” Burdette chimed in. “We’re now requiring new developments to include sidewalks to get kids off the streets.” Burdette added that larger developments are required to have certain areas designated as green space and playgrounds.

And the green space has to be usable – not a wetland that must be protected and that kids can’t play in, Callanan added.

“A usable green space is one that you can build a field on, a playground, or a walking trail,” Callanan said.

More usable green space is coming for the general public as well.

People want more green space

The county is working off recommendations and results from a survey taken in mid-2023 which showed that residents do want more green spaces, parks, and walking trails.

Callanan continued that Pineora Park in Guyton is getting upgrades including a disc-golf course and a walking trail. Another new park is being planned for off Hwy. 30 that Callanan listed its amenities – a gigantic playground, pickleball courts, and a basketball court. Construction of this new park is slated to begin this year. “We’re just in the process of finalizing the purchase of the land,” Callanan said.

At the end of the 90-minute townhall, Rivera seemed to have had all of his questions answered: the school district is managing student numbers in classrooms; the county is protecting wetlands to mitigate flooding, and preserving of trees to ease air pollution; and finally, new parks and usable green spaces are being upgraded or built to give children and adults places to play.

Rivera asked if he could attend a county commission meeting.

Burdette said, “There is no age limit” on who could attend meetings.