Hearings on West Point Lake water levels

The US House of Representatives Small Business subcommittee convened at West Point Technical College in Lagrange on Tuesday to gather testimony on the impact of the 2006-2007 drought on Georgia's economy.

Third district Republican Congressman Lynn Westmoreland heard testimony from local representatives, and Army Corps of Engineers and Fish and Wildlife officials about the epic drought's effect on West Point Lake and the area.


Brig. Gen. Joseph Schroedel, Commander of the South Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and US Fish and Wildlife Service Sout heast Regional Director Sam Hamilton give testimony at the hearing. Behind them is a map of bodies of water in western Georgia affected by the drought. (Dave Bender)

Westmoreland questioned the Corps Brigadier General Joseph Schroedel and Sam Hamilton, of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, about their agencies' water policies on the lake.

Fourth District Congressman Henry “Hank” Johnson Jr. (D), who chaired the hearing, listens to testimony at the session, as Third District Congressman Lynne Westmoreland (R) reads documents detailing state water policies. (Dave Bender)

Community and business leaders say current policies are hurting them. Many of the businesses are recreation-based, and rely on the lake.

Westmoreland says some progress had been achieved at the meeting, saying the Corps would let West Point Lake and Lake Lanier store more water.

But he also was hoping for higher intervention to help the situation:

“So, we are making progress. Are we where we need to be yet? No, because we have to have some response from God, too, to let this rainfall come into areas that we need it.”

Over 200 residents attended the session, which was held at West Georgia Technical College in nearby LaGrange. The lake provides water for LaGrange.

Over 200 area leaders, businesses representatives, and residents attended the hearing. (Dave Bender)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the drought.

Kia swamped with online job applicants

Thurmond and Kia officials at a ceremony inaugurating the online hiring process, at West Georgia Technical College, Jan. 8, 2008. (Dave Bender)

In a just-concluded jobs program, over 43,000 applicants swamped Kia Motors' online hiring site for their SUV plant being built in west Georgia. The applicants were vying for 2,500 production and maintenance jobs at the West Point plant.

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond says this is the first totally online job application process for a major employer in Georgia:

“Any person who had access to a com puter could go to kiajobs.com – apply for a job. We also - for those who did not have Internet access – we allowed individuals to use our computers at our 53 career centers around the state of Georgia.”

Thurmond added that some 400 walk-in applicants came to a recruitment center set up at West Georgia Technical College in LaGrange. A similar number applied with Kia at a recent job fair held in Columbus. The online hiring program was inaugurated only a month ago.

Thurmond says that most of them are Georgians:

“We're very proud of the fact that between 70 and 75 percent of the people who applied online are Georgia residents.”

Kia's hiring and job training program at West Georgia Technical College set up this center, with several hundred computer stations, to aid the process. (Dave Bender)

But getting that job – and they're paying between 15 and 23 dollars an hour – is just the first step.

Ron Jackson, Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, set out the hiring path at the program's gala inauguration in early January:

“Once they are selected and employed by kia, they will go through a full training program that is generated by Quickstart, supported by our technical college system, at the training center that will be at the Kia site.”

The $1.2 billion dollar plant is due to open in Nov., 2009, will produce about 300,000 Sorrento SUVs annually.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of ongoing developments in the Kia operation.

KIA Opens Hiring Center, Website

KIA and state officials unveil Now Hiring! sign at ceremony at West Georgia Technical College, Jan. 8, 2008. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Kia Motors today opened it's doors to job-seekers for their auto plant being built near La Grange, in west Georgia.

Senior leaders from the Korean automaker, including the CEO and several hundred state and local officials made the announcement at West Georgia Technical College in La Grange. KIA needs production and maintenance workers for the plant, set to open next year. The factory plans to hire some 2,500 people, overall.

Ken Cochran, local Department of Labor project manager, says of the operation:

“It's probably the first time for a company this large in Georgia to do an application process exclusively over the Internet.”

The Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, The DOL and KIA opened a training center at the school for those without internet access.

Banks of computers at West Georgia Technical College awaiting job-seekers, and trainees for nearby KIA plant, Jan. 8, 2008. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Applicants can also apply at 53 career centers, statewide and have until February seventh to sign up for the first round of hiring.

Applications for the plant are available here.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the Kia assembly plant and it's effects on the area.