Branch sworn in to serve with Cedartown Commission
After voters chose who was to fill the remaining term of a recently resigned Commissioner, the Cedartown board welcomed a new face to the board during their November session following the election earlier in the month.
New Commissioner Sam Branch was sworn in at the start of the November 12 session to fill the remaining term of Jordan Hubbard’s seat. Cedartown Municipal Court Judge Andrew Roper performed the duty for the new board member, who won the seat in a contested race with Randell Brazier.
Branch, who holds a variety of roles in the community, was happy to roll up his sleeves and get to work with the rest of the board a day behind their usual scheduled meeting.
“I want to thank my family and friends for coming tonight to witness this and support me,” Branch said. “I want to thank the citizens of Cedartown for entrusting in me to help lead this city by working with this board.”
Branch is a native of Cedartown who works at Suntrust Bank and Gammage Funeral Home,
announced his intentions to run ahead of qualifying in past weeks. He also is a member of the Cedartown Civic Arts Commission, and is a member of the Exchange Club. He’ll be taking on additional roles following his election.
The commission took up their regular business for the month following a brief ceremony to bring Branch on board, and began with Commissioners approving a pair of lease agreements. CASA of Polk and Haralson County requested their lease be extended to a two-year agreement to keep their office space within One Door Polk, along with the Cedartown Youth Baseball for their use of the Bert Wood Youth and Athletic Center baseball fields during their seasons.
Commissioners also approved a request to seek a grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation and the holiday schedule of city closure days coming up in 2020. Federal holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are among the days that city hall is closed to the public and employees get to take off time with their families.
City officials remain busy through the end of the year as they not only prepare the budget for approval in the coming month ahead of the start of 2020, and planning for Santa’s arrival on December 7 at the annual Christmas Parade down Main Street. City Manager Bill Fann also noted that this past week Gildan held a warehouse sale for the public to purchase items they produce in the company, as well as other projects underway.
That includes a new tower project at the Northside Industrial Park near the back portion on Davis Road, and that another company is celebrating a milestone this coming year in Polk County.
The HON Company, a longtime manufacturer of office furniture within the city’s industrial park on the west side, will celebrate their 50th anniversary in the city in 2020.
Commissioners in their reports included praise for the Market on Main event held on November 2, a reminder about the upcoming O Holy Night art show at the Cedartown Performing Arts Center’s gallery this month, and a thanks for those who took part in the annual Veteran’s Day remembrance ceremony held at the Memorial next door to City Hall.