Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Area N e ws
Jackson Countv Water and Sewerage Authority
Jackson County bans all outdoor watering
Exceptions Removed
The following exceptions to the level four drought
response plan will be eliminated:
• newly-installed landscaping
•use during the installation of irrigation systems
•sod producers
•ornamental growers
• fruit and vegetable growers
•retail garden centers
• hydro-seeding
•power washing
•at construction sites
• the production of food and fiber
•carwashes
•watering in of pesticides and herbicides on turf
Effective Oct. 21, water restrictions in Jackson
County will be tightened substantially.
Customers of the Jackson County Water and
Sewerage Authority — and Hoschton, which it sup
plies with water — will be prohibited from virtually
all outdoor use of county water.
As planned, the authority voted Thursday night
to eliminate all of the exceptions in the level four
restrictions imposed earlier. That means absolutely no
watering of sod or landscapes, no use by commercial
car washes or pressure washing services. Even the
watering of food gardens will be illegal.
All of Georgia is on level four as mandated by the
Environmental Protection Division, but with predic
tions that the Bear Creek Reservoir could run dry by
Jan. 9, the authority opted for the most extreme levels
available.
Surprisingly, no one came before the authority to
protest the move, which had been publicized in local
newspapers.
“We had a request from some builders who said they
had to plant sod and put shrubs out to get a certificate
of occupancy,” said Manager Eric Klerk, “but the
county planning office waived that requirement.”
The watering of sod and landscapes installed by
licensed companies was allowed prior to Thursday’s
action for 30 days after installation.
Not any more.
“Sod will be going dormant pretty quickly,” noted
member Rob Jordan. That means builders can install
the sod while it is dormant, and it should recover with
spring rains.
The authority will handle requests for exceptions or
variances on a case-by-case basis. It is also actively
enforcing its restrictions.
“We’re even putting people out at night,” Klerk said.
The authority has received numerous tips and has
issued approximately 140 warnings to offenders, often
following tips that come in by phone or e-mail.
“The first offense, they get a warning,” he said. “On
the second offense, we take their meter and they pay
a $250 fine. The third offense is $500 and the fourth
offense is $1,500.”
Klerk estimated that the authority has pulled a dozen
meters to date.
But most people are heeding the warnings, and
the conservation practices are working, he said. The
authority’s sales have plummeted to about 1.7 million
gallons per day (mpd), including sales to Jefferson and
Hoschton.
“Golly, we’ve cut way back,” observed member
Alex Bryan when he heard those figures.
“Our customers have been very good about conserv
ing water,” Klerk agreed.
That, in turn, is causing problems with water qual
ity, but Klerk said the authority is combating that by
installing chlorinators in its South Apple Valley Road
and Galilee Church Road pump stations. Still, with
usage down, some water will still go “stale,” and have
to be flushed from pipes, a scenario that is particularly
unsettling at a time when severe water restrictions are
in place. The flushing of a large line can require hun
dreds of thousands of gallons, Klerk said. And while
some of that water could possibly be put to use by
offering it to fire departments or for others who can
haul it off, most of the water is wasted.
NEW WATER SOURCES
Meanwhile, efforts to secure more emergency water
supplies appear to be bearing fruit.
Klerk said the authority will connect with a
Gainesville line on Hwy. 60, which could supply a
million gallons per day. Two other connections to
boost that amount further are also being considered. In
addition, the authority has found it can take 300,000
gallons per day (gpd) from Braselton, which is wheel
ing water it buys from Gwinnett County. The authority
has a connection with Braselton on Maddox Road.
Those connections are of particular importance
since Commerce officials have indicated that they may
have to cut back or totally eliminate sales to the county
if their reservoir continues to drop.
“Gainesville has told us ‘We can give you substan
tially more water than one million gallons a day,”’
Klerk told the authority.
Currently, the authority is buying about 1.6 mgd
from the Bear Creek Reservoir and 600,000 gpd from
Commerce.
Jackson County Board of Commissioners
Zoning change OK’d in hopes of attracting company
BY ANGELA GARY
The Jackson County Board of
Commission gave the go-ahead
Monday for a rezoning request
to help bring a European engine
remanufacturing industry to the
Jefferson area.
The BOC approved a rezoning
for 12.5 acres at 1385 Valentine
Industrial Parkway from LI to
GI for the project. The company,
which has not been named, is
looking at a site in the Valentine
Industrial Park.
The zoning change came at the
recommendation of the county’s
planning department, not the
property owner. According to the
county planning staff, the zoning
change will help attract the com
pany from Europe to invest in the
property.
“We want to encourage whatev
er kind of manufacturing we can
and not put up any road blocks,”
BOC chairman Pat Bell said.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the BOC:
•in a 3-1 vote, approved a request
from Bryan Day to change the
conditions in a zoning change for
his 112-acre site on Jackson Way.
Commissioner Dwain Smith voted
against this, while Jody Thompson,
Bruce Yates and Pat Bell voted in
favor of it. Commissioner Tom
Crow was not at the meeting.
The change in conditions include
deleting the requirement that all
lots in the planned subdivision
have basements or crawl space.
The property was rezoned in 2005
for the project.
•unanimously approved a rezon
ing request from Margaret and
Charles Mathis for six acres at
1295 Gum Springs Church Road
to be changed from A-2 to R-1 for
a three-lot split.
•in a 3-1 vote, approved a text
amendment to add a definition
of the A-l zoning district in the
county’s Unified Development
Code and to list the permitted and
permitted with restriction uses in
the A-l district. Bell voted against
this.
•approved a contract with the
department of transportation for
an environmental assessment and
engineering design services for a
900 foot extension of a runway
and taxiway at the airport. The
total cost will be $283,572 and
95 percent of this money will
come from the Federal Aviation
Administration. The state and
county will pay five percent of
the cost of the project. Jackson
County’s portion will be $7,089.
•heard a request from citi
zen Barbara Evans that county
residents be asked to “help save
water” due to the drought.
•heard a request from Neal
Koelbl that a right of way deed for
Wescott Place subdivision, located
off of Hwy. 124, adjacent to White
Plains Baptist Church, be placed
on the agenda. BOC chairman Pat
Bell said this had not been adver
tised as being on the agenda and it
would not be added.
•agreed to create a special tax
district for street lighting for
Bryceland Manor Subdivision.
•named Durian Ives to serve
on the Keep Jackson County
Beautiful Committee for a three-
year term.
•approved a contract with the
Northeast Georgia Regional
Development Center for the aging
services program.
•approved an alcohol license for
Eagle Greens Chattahoochee for
Sandy Creek Golf Club.
TRAFFIC LIGHT WORK UNDER WAY
Work began Monday on preparing the bypass for the installation of traffic signals at the Jefferson
Kroger intersection. Phase one of the project will begin with the installation of erosion control and
detour signs along Old Pendergrass Road and the Damon Gause Bypass. Old Pendergrass Road is
closed on its west (Kroger) side for several weeks. Traffic has been rerouted to Faith Drive (around
and behind Kroger), or to a path of Holders Siding Road to Benton Road to Old Pendergrass Road.
Traffic traveling north on the bypass will also have the option of doing a U-turn at Holders Siding
Road to return back to the Kroger area. Turning lanes off Old Pendergrass Road will be built at the
west intersection during this closure. After that phase is completed, the east side of Old Pendergrass
Road (closest to the city schools) will be closed for turning lanes to also be installed at that part of
the intersection.
Talmo
Agri-Cycle remains closed for now
BY ANGELA GARY
Agri-Cycle will remain closed until further notice
following a ruling by Superior Court Judge David
Motes Monday.
Motes said evidence was presented during the
almost 10-hour hearing on Oct. 2 which proved that
the Talmo company violated its permit and the state’s
water quality control act by modifying its treatment
processes without obtaining a permit to do so. Motes
also ruled that evidence was given that the company
had expanded its capacity without getting approval
from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
He added that the company also “hydraulically over
loaded its sprayfield.”
Motes said continued operation of the business
would “cause continued pollution of Allen Creek and
would cause build up of flammable wastes on the
property which have already proven to be a major
hazard to the community.”
The judge ordered that the company remain closed
until “it can operate in accordance with the law and
without posing a threat to human health, safety and
welfare.”
Agri-Cycle was shut down by the Georgia
Environmental Protection Division in September fol
lowing a fire at the business’ holding pond. At that
time, Judge Motes ordered that Agri-Cycle could not
receive any additional waste at its Talmo facility for
30 days, or until the company could demonstrate that
it is in compliance with the law and poses no threat to
the public health.
The facility has been the source of a large public
outcry in the Talmo area over odors coming from the
waste treatment spray fields and holding ponds.
Jackson Countv Board ol Commissioners
No action taken on land for recreation expansion
BY ANGELA GARY
A vote to take options on two
tracts of property for future recre
ation expansion ended in a stale
mate Tuesday night.
The vote was 2-2 to take the
option on the two tracts of proper
ty. With only four commissioners
at the meeting, it wasn’t possible
to break the tie.
Commissioners Bruce Yates and
Dwain Smith voted to take the
option to possibly purchase the
property, while Jody Thompson
and Pat Bell voted against the
motion.
The recommendation from the
recreation department was to take
a $20,000 option to purchase 128
acres on Deadwyler Road and a
$10,000 option for 22 acres adja
cent to the Lamar Murphy Park
in Jefferson. The option payment
would be non-refundable if the
BOC decided against purchasing
the property.
Bell said she is concerned that
the county would lose the $30,000
if the property is not purchased.
“Recreation is a want, not a
need,” she said. “We have no idea
what kind of issues we will have
with water (due to the drought).”
Yates pointed out that the money
for the projects would come from
bond funds designated for recre
ation use — not water.
The BOC did unanimously agree
Monday night to take a $10,000
option on purchasing 22 acres adja
cent to Hurricane Shoals Park. All
but $100 of this would be refunded
if the property is not purchased.
The three sites are part of the
$15 million parks and recreation
bond referendum to be held in
February 2008. Among the proj
ects to be funded with this would
be purchasing up to 395 acres
in the western, north central and
southern portions of the county for
more facilities; adding programs,
such as tennis, dance, arts and
crafts and programs for adults and
senior citizens; and constructing
an indoor aquatic center and an
expo center.
To place a classified ad, call 706-367-5233
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