Some boaters will have to take off from a new boat landing this weekend as those in Decatur County begin to feel some of the ripple effects four days after the U.S. federal government shutdown.
It will be business as usual for most in the area who will not even notice the stalemate in Washington D.C. but for those who work within government funded programs some say it is too early to tell if they will be affected yet or not.
“We are just waiting to get an official statement from the State Board of Education as of now,” Kathy Varner, federal programs director for Decatur County Schools, said Friday. “If the government remains shutdown like this there will likely be effects, but for now we are waiting for an official statement.”
Varner said any one of their programs in the future could be affected from the shutdown. Bainbridge High School is a Title I school, and with that brand it receives a large amount of funding from the federal government. With a shutdown the funding being given could be delayed and ultimately affect Decatur schools.
Decatur County Superintendent Dr. Fred Rayfield said he was told by the state that the schools and programs should not be affected unless the shutdown continues for extended periods of time.
If the programs that are immediately shutdown, the U.S. Corp. of Engineers closed USACE operated campgrounds and day-use parks nationwide in preparation of the shutdown. With this, local areas and boat landings such as Hale’s Landing and Faceville Landing are closed.
Within the local municipal governments, city manager Chris Hobby said nothing has changed for the City of Bainbridge.
“The government shutdown has had no direct affect on our day-to-day operations here at City Hall,” Hobby said.