City okays fishing dock, dog statue

Waynesboro officials said "yes" to two gifts from local residents.

Monday night, they gave the go-ahead for insurance agent Ashton Blount to construct a fishing dock on Jones Lake and for Richard Daniels to erect a statue of his late pet, Old Fella, at the city park.

Blount, who got a preliminary thumbs-up in April, is now set to start construction in the next few weeks.

The dock, he says, is a gift to the community in celebration of the 30-year anniversary of his American National agency on East Sixth Street.

According to the plans city council approved, the public dock will be built to the left of the Liberty Street spillway, about 100 feet from The Lake restaurant.

The 20x20-foot floating dock will have a fish feeding area for children and will be connected to the shore via a 16-foot walkway.

"It's not going to be elaborate, but it will be a nice addition to the lake," Blount said, noting that he's considering soliciting private donations to construct a pair of lighted fountains for the lake, similar to the one in Swainsboro.

Mayor George DeLoach was hopeful the project would spur some activity in that section of town and suggested restocking the fish and holding children's fishing tournaments.

"It's one of the bright spots we have on our main street," he said.

City council also gave former Old Fella Animal Rescue president Richard Daniels permission to erect a life-size statue at city park.

The statue, which has already been funded through private donations, would serve as a memorial to Daniels' late pet Old Fella, whose adoption sparked the formation of the local rescue group.

"I just want to thank you, Richard, for all that you've done for this community," Mayor DeLoach said. "You put us on the map."

The statue will go up this April after Daniels returns from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he'll be recognized as the Good Sam Club's "RVer of the Year."

He was gleaned for the honor for his animal rescue efforts in Burke County and will receive the award in front of a crowd expected to surpass 8,000.