Weekly Update 03/31/2017

From Bob Schwartz, City Manager


Newton County Water – I attended a briefing at the Cornish Creek water treatment plant conducted by Newton County Water on Tuesday. I’ve attached a copy of the PowerPoint. Please pay particular attention to page 5. If everything goes according to plan and if all the projections are correct, we have enough water supply to meet the county’s needs until 2047. This is based on a lot of assumptions and projections. In the meantime, the County has an engineering firm (Carter & Sloope) working to develop a list of the deficiencies at both the Cornish Creek plant and the Williams Street plant. Some, and maybe a great deal, of work needs to be done at both plants to maintain current production and to meet future demands.

The projections are based on an estimated usage of 120 gallons per person per day. The average in Oxford for 2016 was 80.1 gallons per person per day. Maybe we just drink less?? More likely, it is because we do not have any large industry that raises the average. The Shire plant (Baxter) has one million gallons a day reserved and is currently using about 600,000 gallons a day. That kind of use raises the average for the county.

Good Looking Yard – While out looking at a ditch, Lauran Willis and I came across the yard of Charles and Gwen Green very well decorated for Easter.

Power Line Tree Trimming – Our tree trimming contractor, Burford, started work this week. We trim about one-fourth of the power line rights-of-way each year. They will work for us for the next three or four weeks.

Legislative Session – The 2017 Legislature adjourned at 1:00 AM Friday morning. We’ve attached a copy of GMA’s final legislative report with a list of bills of interest to cities that passed, and perhaps more important, those that did not pass this session.

Oxford College – From the Emory website:

March 28, 2017

With a record-breaking number of undergraduate applicants, Emory selects the Class of 2021 from among an unprecedented field of bright, eager learners.

Applications for Emory University’s undergraduate programs have hit an all-time high, with a record-breaking total applicant pool of 24,114 students seeking to join the Class of 2021, an increase of 19 percent over last year. “We’re really seeing growth on all fronts,” says John Latting, associate vice provost for enrollment and dean of admission.

Prospective students may choose between two paths when they apply to Emory University: They can enter Emory College of Arts and Sciences on the Atlanta campus, or study for their first two years at Oxford College on Emory's original campus in Oxford, Georgia. After sophomore year, students choose to complete their undergraduate degrees in Emory College, Goizueta Business School or the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Both Emory College and Oxford College experienced double-digit increases in applications for this fall: Emory College applications were up 19 percent to 23,694 and Oxford College applications jumped 63 percent to 14,080. About 56 percent of applicants sought to be considered for admission to both colleges.

Applications were received from all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from more than 65 countries, by citizenship. Emory also saw an increase in domestic diversity, with a rise in applications from African American and Latino/Hispanic students.

Fast Facts

  •   Total Emory University undergraduate applications: 24,114
  •   Total Emory College applications: 23,694
  •   Total Oxford College applications: 14,080
  •   High School GPA (unweighted): Emory — 3.83; Oxford — 3.79
  •   SAT overall score: Emory — 1475; Oxford — 1456 (Scores are on the new SAT scale)
  •   ACT composite score: Emory — 32.3; Oxford — 31.7
  •   Total number of admitted first-year students for the 2017-2018 academic year: Emory — 5,172; Oxford — 4,089
  •   Admitted students who applied to both Emory and Oxford colleges: 2,047
  •   Overall, admitted Emory University students represent high schools in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
  •   Admitted students represent over 65 countries (by citizenship).
  •   For both Emory and Oxford colleges, over 60 percent of admitted students are from public high schools; over half are women.