Last June, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that from 2010-2012 Long County was the fifth-fastest-growing county in the nation, verifying what most leaders in Long County already knew. In anticipation of the arrival of 2014, several officials and notable community members shared their hopes for the new year and previewed some of their organizations’ and entities’ plans.

• Ludowici/Long County Fire Chief Richard Truman: “We want to start a dry hydrant program and get them installed to help us go for a
new ISO rating in the county as well as to acquire another mobile water source. Along with the Long County Sheriff’s Office, we plan to host benefit activities to support public-safety officials, members of our community and organizations that may need help. We also plan to continue to train so that our department members can serve and protect as our county continues to grow.”

• Ludowici District 4 Alderman Kathy Phillips: “I would really like to see more businesses brought to the city and county and also more involvement from local businesses.”

• Long County Probate Judge Marie Middleton: “I hope that we can have more constructive communication between the offices so that we can better serve the public. We have a great group here in the courthouse and I believe we can make Long County proud.”

Long County Tax Commissioner Becky Fowler: “I would like to see Long County officials have a better communication world. I would like to be able to come together with special events and make them countywide and be available to the citizens of the county.”

Long County Clerk of Superior Court Sherry Long: “As soon as the (court) renovations are completed, I will be planning an open house along with the dedication of portraits of all the state court judges of Long County as well as a couple of sheriffs … I am proud of the fees and fines that have been collected in 2013. This money is an important part of the county’s budget, and my clerks have done an outstanding job … I hope 2014 will bring forth delinquent revenue in order to help the county, especially with the federal government taking so much property from our tax digest. Hopefully 2014 will bring forth even greater revenue in order to better our county.”

Tom Gardner, A New Beginning Church pastor: “Our goal is to better people’s lives — their church life, work life and home life. All of this can be accomplished by bringing people into a relationship with Jesus Christ, with love and goodness. This year, we are persuaded that we can double our efforts to reach the nearly 17,000 people in Long County … Long County is our mission field.”

Elise Stafford, director of Coastal Manor Long Term Care: “We are working to establish Coastal Manor Daybreak, an adult day health service in Long County that will offer a venue of support for people in the community who are caring for a family member at home. This service will operate during a normal work week and will be staffed with health-care professionals who can provide supervision and care to adults who require assistance with activities of daily living. The facility will be constructed on Coastal Manor’s campus, and it will be owned and operated by Liberty Regional Medical Center.”