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Thursday, September 28, 2023 | Volume 136 Number 24| Jasper, Georgia | 34 pages, 3 sections | Published Weekly | $1.00
Fear of big Burnt Mountain wildfire
keeps Wildcat officials up at night
New grant
will offer some
homeowners
chance for free
work on
“ignition ” risks
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Clayton Preble, who is the presi
dent of the Wildcat Community, re
calls a situation several years ago,
but couldn’t recall the exact date as
it didn’t him out to be a major story.
A downed power line in Bent Tree
sparked some leaves and a fire began
coming up Burnt Mountain on the
west slope.
“But for a change of wind, we’d
have had a disaster,” Preble said.
“There is not enough resources to
put out a major fire on Burnt Moun
tain.”
Preble and John Tarantini with
the Wildcat Firewise program, say
the threat of a wildfire on Burnt
Mountain “is what keeps us all up at
night.”
The Wildcat Community is a con
sortium of Big Canoe, Bent Tree,
Burnt Mountain Estates, Monument
Falls, Sassafras Mountain Estates,
Tate Mountain Estates, Tomahawk
Mountain Civic Association, Wind-
song and Wintermont communities.
It was established in 2006 to pro
mote awareness and improvement of
emergency management services
there.
According to information pre
sented to the Progress last week and
then at the commissioners meeting,
the western slope of Burnt Moun
tain, particularly Bent Tree, is unique
for major wildfire potential —
uniquely bad.
“When you live at the top of the
ridge, you worry about what goes on
below you. Fire travels quickly up
hill,” said Preble who lives in the
Monument Road area along with
Tarantini.
The problems they have identi
fied further down the mountain form
a recipe for fire disasters like those
in Gatlinburg or Hawaii recently.
The fire threat throughout
northeast Pickens isn’t just
high but way too high, say
Wildcat Community leaders.
See Wildfire on 9A
Beloved
husband,
father, friend
dies in tragic
crash
“If everybody lived and
loved like Brandon...
the world would be a
better place, ” says
friend of Brandon
Stone
Photo provided by family
Brandon Stone of Talking Rock
was loved by everyone he met.
Friends and family say his spirit
was genuine, and that his impact
will be long lasting. He is pictured
with wife Jamie and children Bran
don Stone Jr. and Ellie Stone.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Brandon Stone - father of two,
husband to his high school sweet
heart, and beloved member of the
Pickens County community - died
in a tragic single-vehicle crash last
week.
Stone was remembered for his
genuine, loving heart, and for mak
ing the world around him a better
place.
The crash that took Stone’s life
occurred the afternoon of Thursday,
Sept. 21. The 41-year-old Talking
Rock resident was driving a Polaris
off-road vehicle on Highway 136
near Jones Mountain Road when he
overturned. He passed away at the
scene. No other vehicles were in
volved.
He leaves behind his wife Jamie,
and children Brandon Stone Jr., 16,
and Ellie Stone, 10. He was a life
time Pickens County resident and
worked in water utilities for many
years. He worked for Utilities, Inc.
and managed water treatment facili
ties in Georgia and Tennessee at the
time of his death.
Stone’s funeral was held at Roper
Funeral Home in Jasper to standing-
room-only capacity. He was a mem
ber of the Blaine Masonic Lodge
#534. Members of his lodge and
other Masonic lodges conducted his
graveside service, and Kris Stancil
presided over the funeral.
Jason Mayfield, longtime friend
of Stone and his family, made a
statement about the quality of
Stone’s character and the positive
See Stone on 9A
What’s Wanted on Main Street:
More shopping & restaurants, says poll
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
A recent poll about what resi
dents would like to see in Jasper
garnered a big response, with 250
people weighing in.
The poll was developed by the
Pickens Progress after members of
the Jasper Downtown Development
Authority expressed interest in so
liciting input about what residents
want to see here. The DDA wants to
take that input into consideration as
they move ahead with real estate
and other discussions.
When asked what people would
like to see on Main Street, more
restaurants was the top response,
with specifics ranging from rooftop
dining to upscale dining, to a wider-
variety of dining and others.
“I have not found the quality of
food or selection that is offered by
the restaurants very appealing,” one
respondent said. “...I go to Ellijay
more often because of the variety
and the quality of food is better.
Many of my friends and acquain
tances share the same opinion.”
There were a few comments
made about the community not
needing more Mexican or Chinese
dining, and that people wished
restaurants on Main Street were
open more days of the week
After restaurants, more
stores/shopping/retail ranked a
fairly close second. People want to
see a range of stores and specialty
shops, from clothing to home decor,
kitchen, shoe repair/shoe store,
bookstores, and others.
“To give an overall more vibrant
experience, we need a combination
of unique retail — like a leather
goods, comic books/collectable/out-
door gear/knife shop -- so that a
wide range of shoppers have
enough to attract their attention and
then will have a variety of restau
rants to choose from,” one respon
dent said.
Another said, “I would love to
See Jasper Survey on 9A
Friday Night Lights
Hot, fresh, and ready to eat, the low-country boil is being ladled from the cooker by chief chef Steve
Lowe, a school board member. Helping Lowe is PHS Principal Matt Combs while Superintendent Travis
Thomas looks on approvingly.
By Larry Cavender
Contributing Writer
The glow of Friday night lights illuminate the skies
above many communities every autumn as high
school football teams meet in a weekly rite of gridiron
competition. On Friday, September 22nd, as the Pick
ens Dragons hosted the Lumpkin County Indians in
their first region game, several local people tasted a
different twist on this traditional sporting and social
event.
Those VIPs, the sponsors of the PHS football team,
had the chance to feast on low country boil before the
game prepared by top school officials. It was Pickens
High's way of showing their appreciation for the sup
port of those sponsors. This low country boil was only
one of several dinners which will be held prior to each
home game in a hospitality room set up in the new
Barnes Agricultural Facility.
Last week's feast was the product of a team of local
chefs, which included School Superintendent Travis
Thomas, Board of Education Member Steve Lowe,
Director of Football Operations Michael Nayman, and
Pickens High Principal Matt Combs.
Three of the cooks gladly acquiesced to the lead
ership of the chief chef Lowe, whose recipe was used.
When asked about the recipe, Lowe responded, "Well,
low country boil recipes are easily found on the inter
net." When pressed about his personal recipe, Lowe
laughed and replied, "Oh, that recipe is in my head."
Whatever the source of the recipe, the result
proved to be tantalizingly delicious. As the diners
completed their meals they departed for the stands to
cheer on the Green.
File Photo
With new plantings and signage, Jasper’s Main Street continues to
evolve. Now the Downtown Development Authority seeks to use recent
input to plan future projects.
VDK kennels
train serious
dogs for
serious jobs
Page 10A
Self Reliance
F i k - ^ w i
Marble Hill
store offers
homestead
classes,
advice &
products
See Fall Festival
Guide
Public Safety
Two serious
crashes leave
multiple
motorcycle
riders injured,
one fatality
Page 9A
Obituaries 8A
• Bob Douglas
• Mo Fountain
• Lavada Mullins
• Brandon Stone
• Danny
Donaldson
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