Apex-Mize Granite Company Launches Web Site
(PRLEAP.COM) Apex-Mize Granite Co. ( http://www.apexmize.com ) is one of the largest wholesale granite manufacturers of domestic granite and imported granite in Elberton, Georgia, the granite capital of the world. They are a wholesale dealer, selling to retail businesses only.
On-line Inventory
Retailers can now go on-line at http://apexmize.com/html/granite_products.html to see the current Apex Mize inventory listing. Inventories are updated daily so retailers will know what products, colors and sizes are immediately available.
Granite Products
Apex-Mize Granite manufactures the highest quality granite monuments and memorials that are available on the market today. From their local quarries to quarries from around the world, they manufacture custom products such as:
Upright monuments
Individual grave markers (flush and beveled)
Coping
Memorial, Cremation, and Garden Benches
War memorials (civic monuments)
Mausoleums
Grave covers (ledgers)
Vases (Turned and Tapered)
Granite Signs
Granite Services
They are also a full service granite company offering flat or shape carved sandblasting, black & white and color hand or laser etchings, and customized work such as relief carving and round or square raised lettering. They also provide our customers with scale drawings of carved and lettered monuments and scale or full size drawings for custom etchings. Please view their Gallery for examples of such monuments.
To continue full service efforts, they began importing finished monuments from India and China in 2002. With the addition of an 11,000 square foot warehouse in 2004, they expanded their inventory to better serve our customers. With this extended inventory, they offer a variety of colors to choose from. Please view the Inventory page for a complete listing.
Taking advantage of skilled craftsmanship, they also have a variety of Custom Designs that are affordable to all clientele. Examples of custom monuments can be seen on the Custom Granite Work page.
To speak to a knowledgeable person to help you with your granite needs please contact
Jack Vickery, Vice-President
Donnie Matthews, Sales
apexmize@elberton.net
Toll Free: 800-241-7002
Fax: 706-283-5222
Mac Thornton, Sales
mthornton@elberton.net
Toll Free: 877-849-8245
http://www.apexmize.com
Definition of Acceleration.
* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of NASCARS at the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.
* A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger.
* With 3,000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition.
Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.
* At the stoichiometric (stoichiometry: methodology and technology by which
quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions are determined)
1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane, the flame front temperature measures 7,050 deg F.
* Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After halfway, the engine is dieseling from compression, plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1,400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder
heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.
* In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph (well before half-track), the launch acceleration approaches 8G's.
* Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed reading this sentence.
* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light!
* Including the burnout, the engine must only survive
900 revolutions under load.
* The redline is actually quite high at 9,500 rpm.
* Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000.00 per second.
* The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for
the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is
333.00 mph. (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run
(09/28/03 Doug Kalitta).
McLean’s Antique Furniture Restoration, Repair & Refinishing
Established in 1979, McLean’s Refinishing, Inc. is Athens’ and Northeast Georgia’s most trusted name in furniture refinishing and restoration. They are a full service business committed to quality, expert craftsmanship, and a basic love of antiques and wood working. Through the years, they have evolved into a major workshop that is capable of handling the smallest jewelry box to a complete home of furniture. We also specialize in commercial work including in-office touchups and repair, restoring furniture in government offices, sororities, fraternities, and public libraries. With over 25 years of experience, they can handle any restoration need. At McLean’s Refinishing, restoring furniture has been a labor of love as long as they have been in business. they love antiques, but they also understands that, new or old, antique or modern, a person’s furniture is a part of the person. They take care to understand people’s desires and provide quality furniture restoration and repair services. More info here..
Scull Shoals Historical Recreation Area
Scull Shoals Historical Recreation Area is located on the Oconee National Forest, along the middle Oconee River, in northern Greene County, Georgia. Beginning as a frontier fort in the 1780's, it grew to be a major industrial site in middle Georgia during most of the 19th century. The town had a grist mill, saw mill, cotton gin, textile mills, and for a short time during the War of 1812, the first paper mill in Georgia was here. Over 600 people worked in the mills, and the company town boasted a covered toll bridge, blacksmith, boarding houses, churches, stores, warehouses and shops, a distillery, and homes for both the management and mill worker families.
Water was the source of energy and transportation, powering the mills and carrying the freight. Major flooding several times stopped work, as did droughts that kept water from turning the wheels or turbines driving the machinery. Economic crisis followed such stoppages several times. The final flood was in 1887, when water stood for four days in the mill and warehouse, covering hundreds of bales of cotton and 600 bushes of wheat. After that, the companies were bankrupt and the people left, never to return. By 1935, only a handful of people were left when the land was sold to the government, for an experimental forest. In 1959 this area became part of the Oconee National Forest.
More information here..
Piedmont Landscape Management
Serving Athens, Augusta and Oconee County
Piedmont Landscape Management, Inc. launches web site http://www.piedmontlandscapemanagement.com detailing their commercial landscape maintenance services.
Since 1977, Piedmont Landscape Management, Inc. has worked toward building its excellent reputation on customer satisfaction, providing superior landscape services and implementing excellent quality landscape installations.
Landscape Maintenance
Commercial landscape maintenance, design and installation are their specialties. Landscape maintenance and landscape design clients include hospitals, shopping malls, apartment complexes, large commercial buildings, large estates, shopping centers and office parks. Among their clients are Wal-Mart, Augusta Mall, Coast Properties and others.
Landscape Design
A Piedmont Landscape Management landscape design can add beauty and years of enjoyment and value to your property. Their creative and talented designers and dedicated installation crews consistently provide quality landscapes services. Here are brief descriptions of the landscape services that Piedmont Landscape Management provides.
Design Consultation
The design consultation includes the initial site visit by a member of Piedmont Landscape Management landscape design team. The designer and property owner will discuss planting site conditions and planting themes. If you are interested in a formal design proposal, the designer will take measurements of the site.
Landscape Design
The design consultation is followed by a formal landscape design. The finished design is customized, drawn to scale, and personalized for the client. The client and the designer then discuss the design in a formal presentation.
Installation
Finished landscape designs have many elements. Piedmont Landscape Management routinely installs hardscapes, aquascapes, walkways, patios, retaining walls, ground covers, perennials, shrubs, trees, and vines.
All work is supervised by an experienced Piedmont Landscape Management crew chief and performed by a trained installation crew using the highest quality plants and materials. All planting areas are prepared as necessary soil amendments and finished with mulch.
Contact them by phone at 1-800-881-3124 or by e-mail PLM@piedmontlandscapemanagement.com for details and to schedule an appointment.
See the web site at www.piedmontlandscapemanagement.com .
Oconee County - Best Place to Live
Story and Photos By Jamie Cole
Oconee County is one of only two places that made our top 10 two years in a row. Considering how extensively we changed our formula from last year, that's especially impressive.
It's not surprising, though. Drive down Colham Ferry Road through the middle of the county, watching on both sides of the road as family farms, beatific country homes and horse barns pass. Walk the sidewalks in the county seat of Watkinsville, where historic buildings stand next to a beautiful new City Center complex that centralizes businesses and preserves the small-town flavor. Hike along the Apalachee River and the county's nature trails. All this and it's just across the Oconee River from Athens and the University of Georgia.
When Oconee County appeared on our list last year, one resident told us that "every realtor within 100 miles of here will use that to sell land." Folks in the county have a strong commitment, though, to maintaining their rural lifestyle.
Oconee plans to build its own water reservoir
Banner-Herald on 021906
WATKINSVILLE - By 2050, Oconee County businesses and homes will consume 21 million gallons of water a day, nearly seven times the amount they use today.
County leaders have watched as new waterlines snake through new subdivisions and have talked for three years about how they will meet the county's growing need for potable water.
After years of deliberation, Oconee County commissioners have decided: The community's future drinking water lies within its own borders, not in a planned regional reservoir it would share with neighboring Walton County and Winder.
Commissioners approved plans last week to build a new 1 billion-gallon reservoir on Barnett Shoals Road and backed out of previous plans to join in building a 3 billion-gallon reservoir in Walton County.
The proposed Barnett Shoals reservoir, which will store water pumped from the Oconee River, was a better option for Oconee County because it could provide as much water as the Hard Labor Creek Reservoir -about 12 million gallons a day - but at about half the cost, said Gary Dodd, Oconee County utilities director.
Oconee County's share of Hard Labor Creek's $382 million cost would have been about $110 million, paid over 50 years, whereas the Barnett Shoals reservoir is projected to cost the county about $55 million over the next 50 years.
Also, the Barnett Shoals Road reservoir would be closer to the county's existing water infrastructure, so the costs associated with transporting water to customers would be much lower, said Chris Thomas, assistant director of the Oconee County Utility Department.
Financing the Barnett Shoals reservoir might be cheaper, as well, since it will be bought with low-interest loans from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, Dodd said.
County leaders had considered two other sources of water: Pumping it from Lake Oconee or expanding a small, private reservoir near North High Shoals.
Pumping drinking water nine miles from Lake Oconee and then distributing it to customers proved too logistically difficult to consider, and officials were concerned that the state Environmental Protection Division would not approve the permits required to expand the reservoir at North High Shoals.
The county commission already voted to buy more than 250 acres between McRees Mill and McRees Gin roads on Barnett Shoals Road, Dodd said - land that is held in trust by the Griffith family. Dodd would not say how much the county will pay.
Geological surveys have confirmed the land is suitable for a reservoir, he said.
"We would have hated to have pulled away from the Hard Labor Creek project and have had the geological survey come back and say that we had a bog or something out there," Dodd said. "So we didn't want to completely back out of Hard Labor Creek until we knew we had a good site."
While Oconee County commissioners withdrew from the Hard Labor Creek project, officials in Walton County and Winder plan to continue with the reservoir and are courting Loganville and Social Circle as new partners, said Tim Shelnutt, chairman of the Walton County Water and Sewer Authority.
Oconee County officials hope to have the necessary environmental permits for the Barnett Shoals reservoir in hand by the end of 2008, Dodd said.
One of the benefits of the Hard Labor Creek project is that it already has state permits, but Dodd does not think the county will have a problem getting the necessary permits for the Barnett Shoals reservoir.
"People have said fairly often that it's easier to get permits for projects like this if several counties apply as a partnership," Dodd said. "But when we talked to the guys from EPD, they said it didn't matter. They said we should apply because it looked like a good project."
The entire reservoir should be complete and full of water by 2012, Dodd said.
Creating the reservoir will include construction of a 4,000-foot dam to complete the natural bowl created by the site's topography, Thomas said. Water would then be pumped about a quarter-mile into the reservoir from the Oconee River, but county officials are not sure how much they will be able to take from the river each day, said Thomas, the assistant director of utilities.
"The amount that we will be able to take from the river will vary with the river level," he said. "That's one good thing about having so much storage is that you can take more out of the river when it's high and keep it. There are some days when the water is so low you can't take anything out of the river."
Oconee County BOC Agenda meeting 3/28/06 results
Five significant items stood out in this session.
1. In the first test of the Board's new revised rules for tabling rezone requests the Board continued as it did under the old rules, it voted to table the rezone application for the Garland Drive property. There is considerable citizen opposition to this rezone. A representative of the citizen's group came up during citizens comments and advised the Board that they are getting organized and will be heard at the rescheduled public hearing. Again it is good to see another community getting organized. Many are organizing as a result of negative impacts on their community from development and they are staying organized. Just in the last few months we have seen citizens in south Oconee, Barber Creek, and Gober Road organize.
2.The employee pay increase was delayed at the request of Chairman Davis. He stated that after discussions with members of the Board there are differences of opinion. He promised to provide them with information about the proposal before they are asked to vote on it. Folks, this a major step forward. In the past the Board has been expected to vote on whatever was brought up with little information available to help them make a decision. It is good to see the Board members show a little backbone for a change. Chances are much better for good Board policy decisions when they have the information.
3.The Board heard a presentation on the new jail that included announcement of a revised final cost of $10,363,719. They agreed to place that on the consent agenda for the 4/4 meeting which means there will be no further discussion. A significant issue that has not been adequately dealt with by the Board or followed up on by the press is the issue of lease purchase financing. Here is the point: Oconee voters voted for SPLOST (sales tax) funding of about $3.8m. The jail which the Board approved will cost almost three times the amount approved by the voters. By using "creative financing" the Board builds a jail not approved by the voters without going back to the voters. This must be paid by the general fund whether or not future sales tax is available. It will also cost far more than the stated $10.363M because the financing cost will be built into the lease payments. This is just a form of bait and switch. Citizens must be careful what they vote for in SPLOST referendums.
4.The Board heard an update on the Unified Development Code and Comprehensive Plan Process by Wayne Provost. Citizens need to watch this closely and be prepared to get directly involved. All the citizen groups around the county should have someone who has the time to get involved in this process. This code and plan will be the county development policy for the coming years. With this Board's development bandwagon rolling we must be very wary of what could come out of this process. Many will remember the changes that slipped through on the sewer policy and the ordinances for high density development. There will be several opportunities for input during public hearings but the real impact will be in participating in the process directly. Ask for drafts in advance, meet with the planning staff that is writing the ordinances and plans, talk to Commissioners during the process and talk to press outlets when there are issues that need public scrutiny.
5.The Board adjourned and went into executive session to discuss a land acquisition issue, personnel matters and litigation. Another secret meeting on important matters. There are supposed to be minutes prepared for these meetings and any votes taken are supposed to be done in public session. Will be interesting to see if any minutes are made available to the public.
Charles Baugh
President
Citizens for Oconee's Future, Inc.
P. O. Box 1301
Watkinsville, GA 30677
Rent to Own Programs available from Action Homebuyers
www.leaseorbuyatlanta.com
can make owning a home easier than your think.
Buying an Atlanta home may be easier than you think. Rent to Own Programs available from Action Homebuyers www.leaseorbuyatlanta.com can make owning a home easier than your think, even if you do not have a good credit history.
Action Homebuyers is not an Atlanta real estate company. They own all the Atlanta Metro area homes they have for sale or rent. They also will finance the home, making it possible to bypass the problems you may encounter with a bank or finance company if you have less than perfect credit.
Action Homebuyers have homes available for rent or sale in Dekalb County, Gwinnett County, Hall County, Barrow County and Forsyth County, in the cities of Auburn, Buford, Cumming, Clarkston, Dacula, Decatur, Duluth, Hoschton, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Snellville, Stone Mountain, Suwanee, Tucker and Gainesville, Georgia.
Action Homebuyers specialize in making nice houses available to good people who may need help buying because of credit challenges, lack of down payment or other reasons. Action Homebuyers rents homes to good tenants who may eventually buy them, through rent to own, lease purchase, or lease option programs. Buyers with credit challenges can buy from Action Homebuyers with no banks involved. They can get you financed, and offer generous RENT CREDITS that help you build equity as you enjoy living in your new home.
The people at Action Homebuyers are always friendly, courteous and professional in their dealings. Their approach is to find that win-win solution that will get you into your new home quickly, affordably and with the least amount of hassle. They are not real estate agents that charge large commission, but actually own the homes they have for sale.
So if you are moving to Atlanta or already live in Atlanta and are having problems buying a home, visit Action Homebuyers on the web at www.leaseorbuyatlanta.com or call 678-546-9576. Ask about their rent to own, lease purchase, lease with an option programs. You could be on your way to owning your own Atlanta home in just a few days.
Granite Slabs And Granite Countertops
Granite slabs for granite countertops are imported from Italy and South America. Hundreds of colors and styles of granite slabs are available for you to select from so you may get the exact color granite countertop for your home. Thousands of slabs are imported to ensure you a superb stone at a competitive price. We hope you will find our color range from around the globe to be sufficient. The quality of the large inventory and dependable service determines best stone source in the Southeast United States.
More information here..
Undefeated Gym Dogs Look For 15th SEC Title
No. 1 Georgia Gym Dogs (15-0) at the SEC Championships
Top-ranked Georgia recently completed the sixth undefeated, untied regular season in program history with a record of 15-0. The Gym Dogs were 6-0 against SEC opponents, marking the seventh time in the last 10 years they ended the SEC regular-season schedule with an undefeated record, and no other team in the last decade has done it once.
Four of Georgia's wins this season came on the road against teams ranked at least No. 9 in the country. In meets at No. 3 Alabama, No. 6 Utah and No. 9 Michigan, the Gym Dogs scored some of their best beam totals of the year in the final rotation with the final outcome still in doubt. Georgia's 49.425 on beam at Michigan was the team's highest score on that event since the 2004 SEC Championships. Freshman Courtney Kupets and sophomore Katie Heenan have anchored that lineup with scores of no less than a 9.9 since the last week of February.
Courtney Kupets has won the all-around in each of Georgia's last seven meets and has won at least two individual events in six straight. For the season she has 29 scores of 9.9 or higher, passing Cory Fritzinger (26) for the Georgia freshman record. Her all-around score of 39.8 at Michigan ties for the highest ever by a Gym Dog away from Athens (Agina Simpkins, 1993 NCAA Super Six).
Georgia's 14 SEC titles are more than all other teams combined. Five of those championships were won in the state of Alabama, with two coming in Birmingham. Georgia won its first SEC title in 1986, which was Coach Yoculan's third year.
The Gym Dogs own or share nine of 10 SEC Championship records. In fact, the last perfect 10s scored by any Georgia gymnast came in the 2004 SEC Championship by Fritzinger (beam) and Marline Stephens (floor).
Georgia's Brittany Smith, Kelsey Ericksen, Ashley Kupets, Nikki Childs and Heenan have each earned All-SEC honors during their careers for finishing first or second in an event at the championships. A year ago Heenan became the first SEC freshman since 2001 to win the all-around competition, and she also added the balance beam title with a 9.95 in Georgia's last routine of the night.
Results of Georgia's Perfect Regular Seasons
Georgia is the only team to finish undefeated and untied for an entire season, winning NCAA titles without a blemish in 1993, 1998 and 1999. Here's what each of Georgia's previous five teams did after sweeping the regular-season schedule:
1992 - SEC Champs, 2nd NCAA
1993 - NCAA and SEC Champs
1994 - SEC Champs, 3rd NCAA
1998 - NCAA and SEC Champs
1999 - NCAA and SEC Champs
Dominating the Rankings
Last week Georgia fell to second in the country in the balance beam rankings, but the Gym Dogs responded to that with season-highs of 49.375 and 49.425 on beam at Utah and Michigan. Now Georgia again leads the nation on every event.
On the individual rankings, Courtney Kupets is 1st or 2nd nationally in every category including 1st in the all-around. Kelsey Ericksen is 3rd on bars and 4th in the all-around, Tiffany Tolnay is 4th on vault and Katie Heenan is 7th on beam, 8th on floor and 9th in the all-around.
2006 Gym Dog Highs
Vault
Katie Heenan / Tiffany Tolnay Arkansas / LSU, 9.975
TEAM vs. Arkansas, 49.55
Uneven Bars
Courtney Kupets twice, 9.975
TEAM at Auburn, 49.475
Balance Beam
Courtney Kupets and Heenan at Michigan, 9.5
TEAM at Michigan, 49.425
Floor Exercise
Katie Heenan / Courtney Kupets twice / vs. OU, 9.95
TEAM vs. UCLA, 49.475
All-Around
Courtney Kupets at Michigan, 39.8
TEAM at Michigan, 197.625
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