Corrections staff and city officials dedicate plaque at Lighthouse Foster Care. From left, DDA Vice-Chairman Randall Peters; City Councilman Terry Crawford; Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens; Georgia Department of Corrections Board Member Bob Plemons; Vice-Mayor Randall Franks; DDA Board Member Linda-Jo Petty; DDA Board Member Scott Pennington; DDA Board Member Bonnie Wagner, Director of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs Joan Heath and Director of Facility Operations Randy Tillman.
photo by Joseph Brellenthin
Members of the Ringgold City Council and staff, and Georgia Department of Corrections staff gathered at 35 Mountain St. in Ringgold to commemorate a plaque marking the location of the former Ringgold City Hall.
"For many, many years the decisions that guided the direction of this community were made within these walls," said Councilman Randall Franks as he spoke on behalf of the City Council in thanking the Department of Corrections for rebuilding the site after the devastation of the 2011 tornadoes. The Ringgold Downtown Development Authority now owns the former City Hall Building and leases the facility to a non-profit "Lighthouse Foster Care," that provides adoption assistance to children and families in Northwest Georgia. Leasing the facility helps generate revenue for the DDA's downtown improvement programs while offering an affordable office space for "Lighthouse Foster Care," to bring their services to the area.
Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens along with Director of Facility of Operations Randy Tillman, Director of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs Joan Heath, and Georgia Department of Corrections Board Member, Bob Plemons were in attendance.
Commissioner Owens made special mention of Mr. Bob Plemons' involvement in helping Ringgold during the recovery by saying "Bob is a hero of mine and he's solved so many problems, I don't call him Mr. Plemons, I call him 'Ambassador Plemons.'"
Speaking on behalf of the Ringgold Downtown Development Authority, Vice-Chairman Randall Peters thanked the Department Staff for their role in reconstructing the building, "Bob Plemons is a Ringgold Native and a true friend of Ringgold and Catoosa County... he and the Department of Corrections have done so much for our city and our county and we're all extremely, sincerely appreciative."
Following the dedication of the plaque, Councilman Franks offered Mr. Plemons a gift from the city, a formal resolution from the City Council formally thanking him for his involvement in Ringgold's recovery effort. Resolution #2013-0812 details the extensive work that Mr. Plemons accomplished for the city during the clean-up and concluded by stating, "BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that the City of Ringgold Mayor and the City Council hereby extend their gratitude to Assistant Director of Engineering and Construction Services, Bobby Plemons and the Department of Corrections for their amazing contributions and invaluable assistance to the Citizens of the City of Ringgold, Georgia."
Ringgold officials offer resolution thanking Department of Corrections staff for assistance following 2011 tornados. From left, Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens; Vice-Mayor Randall Franks; Georgia Department of Corrections Board Member Bob Plemons and City Councilman Terry Crawford.
photo by