The City of Palmetto has been awarded a grant from Fulton County Arts Council for its upcoming cultural arts project, “Our Lives, Our Land, Our Legacy: A Photographic Expression of Life in Palmetto,” to be held May 2-June 13.

The project will involve 5th, 6th and 7th grade students who are residents of the city, with sessions conducted at Palmetto Community Center each Saturday morning from 10 a.m. until noon beginning May 2 and ending June 13. Project participants will be assigned a digital camera, workbook and materials needed to participate in the 7-week program.

Designed to engage our youth, inspire their creativity, develop community pride and encourage artistic expression, this project will teach the basics of photography and interviewing techniques, said project coordinators Lorraine Allen and Majorie Morrow. As a component of the project, opportunities will be provided for participants to dialog with long-time Palmetto residents to gain insight into the city’s history and culture, they said.

Portions of the project involve genealogists training the students on how to conduct interviews with older residents and teachers providing instruction on how to write up the interviews.

“This project grew out of my desire to attempt to connect our youth with their community through the cultural arts. Hopefully, this experience will help to generate a different perspective for our young people and help to forge a genuine sense of pride in their community,” said Morrow. “This interactive project is designed to encourage them to ‘think outside the box’ as it relates to the city where they live. We will encourage them to delve into Palmetto’s past, to gain a greater appreciation for its history. At the same time, our goal is to help them achieve a greater respect for the Palmetto of today. These may sound like very ‘lofty’ and optimistic goals, but I am confident this can be done.”

The cultural arts project will culminate with a public presentation June 28 and a full exhibition of the participants’ photography and creative writing.

Spring planting is only a few weeks away. But this year in Palmetto, planting a garden is about to take on a whole new meaning. The city on March 8 is set to begin the week-long construction of a large community garden at Wayside Park on U.S. Highway 29. The citizen effort will include assistance from 10 students from University of Vermont’s Alternative Spring Break Program, Palmetto Elementary School Jr. Beta Club, Hill Country Montessori and Serenbe Organic Farms.

Garden project coordinator Kimberly Adams said the city is providing the use of the land for the garden site, but all the funds for the initial installation are from private donations which will allow for a first growing season this summer. 

“We are also busily applying for grants to hopefully cover a next phase of installation including a garden shed, some handicap accessible raised beds, and compost bins as well as garden tools such as a tiller,” Adams said. 

Adams said the University of Vermont students will be staying at private residences during their week-long visit in Palmetto.

Plans for the first phase of the garden project call for installation of an area containing 15 4-foot by 8-foot plots for individuals or groups and 2 school plots surrounded by a picket fence. Future installations are expected to include blueberry bushes and fig trees along with tables and a storage shed. The remainder of the 140-foot by 90-foot area will be planted in sunflowers and other wildflowers, with composting piles, trash and recycling bins nearby.

Once completed, classes on growing and healthy living will be provided by Hill County Montessori and Serenbe Organic Farms.

Community gardens can have many far-reaching benefits, according to the American community Garden Association. Those include improves the quality of life for people in the garden, providing a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulating social interaction, encouraging self-reliance, beautifying neighborhoods, producing nutritious food, reducing family food budgets, conserving resources, creating opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education, reducing crime, preserving green space, creating income opportunities and economic development, reducing city heat from streets and parking lots and providing opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections.

Anyone interested in reserving a garden plot or making a donation of time, materials, or money can contact me at kiadams@bellsouth.net or (770) 463-2826

It is the end of a law enforcement era. Palmetto Police Chief Bobby Fronebarger recently announced his retirement after more than four years in south Fulton city and more than 41 years in law enforcement. His retirement takes effect Sept. 2. Fronebarger is known for his professional approach to law enforcement and for a laid-back style that is always accompanied by a smile.

In the words of Mayor John Miller, Fronebarger is a quality officer.

“His wise leadership will be missed. He leaves us with a good foundation to move forward with,” Miller said.

That quality began as soon as Fronebarger graduated from high school and joined Union City Police as a patrol officer.

“I took all the courses I could and was getting certified in one thing or another,” Fronebarger said Wednesday.

It was not long before those endeavors paid off. Fronebarger was promoted to sergeant, a position in which he served for five years. But all that was just the beginning. Fronebarger was hired as police chief in Union City at the ripe old age of 27, making him the youngest police chief in Georgia at that time. It was a position he held for 20 years. Things changed again when he was promoted to become Union City Director of Public Safety, with responsibility for police, fire and jail services, supervising 150 employees.

Fronebarger had served as public safety director for 10 years when he decided to take a leave of absence. His 36 years in Union City came to an end when he learned of the possibility of a fresh challenge in Palmetto. He applied and was hired as the city’s police chief. And that is where he stayed to finish out his career.

“When I first came here there were a lot of challenges. But since that time, and with the help of the mayors and city councils, we’ve made improvements in manpower, salaries and equipment purchases,” Fronebarger said with a smile. “Now we have one of the highest paid police departments in the county. We went from a starting pay (for patrol officers) of $24,500 to where we are now at $36,200.”

On for his reason for retiring today, Fronebarger would only say that it is for personal reasons, adding that it is a decision that has nothing to do with Palmetto.

“I’ve been fortunate to make so many friendships in Palmetto and I’ve really enjoyed working here,” the chief said. “I’ll miss the citizens. They've been so nice and, for the most part, supportive and I really appreciate it.”

As for the next phase of his life, Fronebarger said he expects to keep himself occupied with even more of the many trips he has made to Maine over the past 30 years. Between trips, the motorcycle enthusiast in him will get even more time for the open road.

As for Palmetto and its law enforcement future, Fronebarger has long noted the population growth in and around Palmetto and its close geographic proximity to Atlanta, America’s fastest growing metro area.

“The new chief will have the challenges of continued growth and the crime that comes with it,” he said.

Fronebarger also thought Palmetto would be well-served to develop a community service program for offenders and a reserve force of certified officers. Beyond those, he advocated for establishing a drug task force composed of the four sister cities of south Fulton, Palmetto, Fairburn, Chattahoochee Hill Country and Union City. That need is all the more relevant since the long-established Tri-Cities Narcotics Task Force has disbanded and since drug-related crime stands to increase with the continuing increases in population density.

“The four sister cities could look at a drug task force and other issues like gangs, anything relevant to law enforcement and crime prevention that impacts their residents,” Fronebarger said. “The prime objective would be to create an atmosphere conducive to the wellbeing of all citizens. If they come together, the possibilities for the sister cities will be endless.”

Fronebarger took the time to express his gratitude to former Mayor Clark Boddie for letting him know that the chief’s position in Palmetto had come open more than four years ago. And he thanked current Mayor John Miller and the council for increasing officer’s salary to a level that makes the city competitive with its neighbors.

Palmetto Assistant Police Chief and long-time detective John Cooper will serve as interim chief beginning Sept. 2.

And after Sept. 2, the folks up in Maine’s Booth Bay Harbor should be on the look-out for a laid-back former cop to pull into their scenic hamlet on his motorcycle, smiles and all.