Camden County Government's Employee Recognition Committee is pleased  to announce Stephen Murdock of Camden County Fire Rescue as Employee of the Quarter for the 1st quarter of fiscal year 2015.

Stephen Murdock has been with Camden County Fire Rescue for more than 10 years, always going above and beyond the call of duty, from cleaning and washing the fire truck every morning before shift change or willing to help his fellow firefighters when they need to swap a shift.  He is one of the board members of the department EARF account, which is set up to help firefighters in need when someone passes away in their family. 

Stephen Murdock is a dedicated firefighter who always displays an honest sense of caring for not only is coworkers but the public he serves as well.  Camden County Fire Chief, Mark Crews said, "Stephen Murdock is a pleasure to have as an employee and friend.  He goes beyond what is expected of him in his role as firefighter and becomes a friend to everyone his life touches".

Camden County Administrator Steve Howard was asked to serve as a panelist at the Aerospace Policy Forum at the 2014 Legislative Roundtable on November 12, 2014 in Atlanta in preparation for the upcoming 2015 Georgia General Assembly.

The event, held by the Technology Association of Georgia and sponsored by the Center of Innovation for Aerospace, allows legislators and other state leaders to hear from industry and organizations on policy initiatives needed to support continued growth in our local technology industries, including aerospace.

The Aerospace Policy Forum, held in conjunction with the Georgia House Study Committee on Aviation & Jobs, features expert panels in three topic areas: 

• Unmanned Aircraft Systems
• Aerospace Engineering & Professional Licensing
• Space Launch & Operations

Mr. Howard served on the Space Launch & Operations Panel and spoke about the proposed Camden County Spaceport and opportunity it presents to the coastal region and state of Georgia. Camden County sits poised, both geographically and in term of planning and preparation, to play an integral role in the space industry which is becoming increasingly conducted by the private sector instead of government. As published in the Space Report 2014 the global space economy grew by 4% in 2013, reaching a new record of $314.17 billion. The local spaceport, which would be located at the end of Harriett's Bluff Road, will be vital to developing the aerospace industry in the state and create more Georgia aerospace jobs. 

The development of Spaceport Camden would allow Georgia to become a significant provider of vertical launch services. 

Brazell works with property owners in a flood hazard area to ensure they build to a higher standard to protect themselves from flooding conditions. By doing so they not only protect themselves and their property they can also qualify for lower flood insurance premium rates on new structures. Some of the criteria used to set the premiums are the size of the structure, the elevation of the structure and where in the flood hazard area the structure is located.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System was implemented in 1990 as a voluntary program for recognizing and encouraging community floodplain management activities exceeding the minimum NFIP standards. Nearly 3.8 million policyholders in 1,296 communities participate in the CRS by implementing local mitigation, floodplain management, and outreach activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. Under the CRS, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reward community actions that meet the three goals of the CRS, which are: (1) reduce flood damage to insurable property; (2) strengthen and support the insurance aspects of the NFIP; and (3) encourage a comprehensive approach to floodplain management.

All the effort has paid off as Camden County's CRS rating for the unincorporated area will improve from a Class 8 to a Class 7. What that means for county residents in the unincorporated area is that their flood insurance rates on new structures that conform with the guidelines will now receive a 15% discount. There are currently 1,451 flood insurance policies in the unincorporated areas of Camden County. The average annual savings for Camden County's Class 7 rating is $113,005.00, or approximately $78.00 per policy.

Building higher is literally the way to go. The higher a new structure is built off the ground the greater potential for savings. Brazell said elevation above the flood plain is the key. "The best way not to flood is to be above it. Higher is better."

Scott Brazell can be reached at (912) 510-4320 or by email at [email protected]. Additional information can be found at the Camden County website www.camdencountyga.gov.

The Bryan Lang Historical Archives, tucked away near the courthouse in Woodbine, is not a dry dusty repository of tattered tomes and brittle papers. Instead, it is a place where the rich history of Camden County is very much alive. It is a vast treasure trove of items that hold the story of a place and the people who inhabited that place.

The Bryan-Lang Library, as it was known then, opened in 1987. In 2009 the name was changed to the Bryan-Lang Historical Archives to more accurately reflect the nature of the documents and artifacts in the collection. The collection is largely the work of two remarkable women, Beatrice "Bebe" Lang and Mary Bryan. Lang was a member of a long standing Camden County family interested in preserving local history. Mary Bryan was a State Archivist tasked by the Georgia Archives with trying to preserve the documents and papers, the history of Georgia places. The two women's synergy and hard work created something truly extraordinary. The collection was donated to Camden County with two stipulations; it had to be housed in Woodbine and had to be open to the public.

Their work and the work of many others is a tremendous resource for genealogists, historians and the merely curious. Moving through the shelves is like literally walking back through time. There are newspapers on microfilm from almost a century ago. While it is hard to say which record is the oldest there are many from as early as 1800.  In addition to official documents the collection contains more than 3,000 family history files.

The collection contains the stories of the people from every stripe of life. The lives of rich planters, of yeoman farmers, of sharecroppers and even of slaves wait to be explored. It also contains the history of the places. The first county seat in Camden was at a place called Jefferson. It sat on the Satilla River and was a natural loading place for the county's bounty of lumber and naval stores. The county seat was then moved to downtown St. Marys as the trade and the population shifted. In 1927 the county seat was moved to Woodbine which is closer to the geographical center of the county.

No county is an island. The history of a county, of a community of people, is never isolated from the history and stories of people of the adjoining communities or the region of which they are such an integral part. The Bryan-Lang Historical Archives reflect that reality and house items from the history of southeast Georgia, from Charlton, Brantley, McIntosh and Glynn Counties as well as from north Florida.

Judy Buchanan became the Director/Archivist in 2007. She said the value of the collection is not just in the items themselves. "It is the repository of memory. The information, the family connections made here has put smiles on the faces of thousands of people."

Ms. Buchanan and her staff are very knowledgeable and can assist everyone from the dedicated historian to someone just looking for information about their ancestors.

The Bryan-Lang Historical Archive is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm for more information please call (912) 576-5841.

For City of Kingsland Residents only:

                        Normal day                     Will be picked up on      

Christmas         Thursday, 12/25             Friday, 12/26

New Year's      Thursday, 1/1                  Friday, 1/2

For St Marys & Unincorporated County residents:

                        Normal day                      Will be picked up on      

Christmas         Thursday, 12/25              Friday, 12/26

                          Friday, 12/26                   Saturday, 12/27

New Year's       Thursday, 1/1                  Friday, 1/2

                          Friday, 1/2                        Saturday, 1/3

City of Woodbine Residents only:

                           No change

Camden County staff and the Board of County Commissioners are preparing for the 2015 Citizens Academy class to continue carrying out the goal of open and accessible local government. The Camden County Citizen's Academy, which was established in 2008, is a free interactive program designed to familiarize the general public with the roles, services, and operations that comprise Camden County government. The academy focuses on educating residents, business owners and other interested persons in Camden County on how daily county government operations contribute to building a better community.

The theme of this session is, "You Are Why We're Here"

County Administrator Steve Howard said that every opportunity to educate county citizens about local services is important. "The Citizens Academy allows residents to see the full scope of all that their county government offers. It helps citizens better engage with their local government and gives us the opportunity to meet them."

All interested individuals can view additional details, a 2015 Class Schedule, as well as an application at www.camdencountyga.gov  . Please submit completed applications to Attn: Office of County Administrator, P.O. Box 99, Woodbine, Ga., 31569 or via email at [email protected] or by fax to (912) 576-5647.

County department heads and elected officials then meet and gave their input to the strategic planning process.  After which the  County Board of Commissioners got together for a two day Planning session with all the surveys from citizens and employees to help plan the future of Camden County.

County Administrator Howard stated that having a detailed road map for the future is essential. "When developed the Strategic Plan and its lasting effects will help Camden County control its' future. It is a means of understanding change, forecasting change, and setting a course of action to manage the expected implications of change. It is a positive means of moving the county forward together."