Newspaper Page Text
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The Braselton News
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Area N e ws
Jackson Countv Board of Commissioners
Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority
Bicknell to seek BOC chairmanship
EPD misreads county water usage numbers
Hunter Bicknell has announced that he
will seek the chairmanship of the Jackson
County Board of Commissioners in the
2008 Republican primary.
The West Jackson resident earned two
degrees from Georgia State University and
was employed by the Sperry & Hutchinson
Company for more than 20 years. Later,
he developed and operated Blimpie stores
and was a home builder and owner of a
construction supply company. He retired
in 2002.
A member of the Jackson County Chamber and
the Chamber’s Economic Development Council, he
also served the community on the Water & Sewerage
Authority, the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority
and the Jail Advisory Committee. He has been a vol
unteer coach for youth football, baseball and basket
ball and serving as officers of their organizations.
“The Hunter Bicknell campaign will
focus on four primary areas of concern
to many citizens of Jackson County - a
county-wide master plan for transporta
tion, water resources, recreation facilities
and best management practices for each
department of county government,” he said.
“These are issues and programs which
much be addressed, not only in the context
of a political campaign, but by those hon
ored to be elected by the voters.”
A member of Mountain Park United
Methodist, he has taught youth Sunday school and
sung in the church choir for more than two decades.
He and his wife have three children and four grand
children.
The general primary will be held on July 15.
For additional information, call 706-654-3184 or
e-mail hunterbicknell @ windstream.net.
t }
iJ
BICKNELL
Tax maps, zoning map, annexations updated
BY ANGELA GARY
Jackson County’s new GIS
program has been busy updating
Jackson County’s tax maps for the
first time in three years, complet
ing a zoning map and keeping the
annexation maps updated.
GIS manager Joel Logan gave
a report on the program’s work
to the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners Monday night.
Logan said that 450 platted sub
divisions have been found in the
county with 232 being recorded
since 2000. The first recorded
subdivision found was in the
1950s. He added that the larg
est concentration of development
in the county has been between
Hoschton and Jefferson south of
1-85.
The number of new subdivi
sions approved in 2007 was down
with the “peak” year for subdivi
sion development being in 2004,
according to Logan.
“These statistics help us with
future land use planning,” Logan
said.
Another benefit of the GIS pro
gram has been keeping an update
of annexations from the cities. He
said this allows county staff to
check quickly to make sure land
is contiguous and that no islands
are being created.
One project that Logan expects
to have completed soon is the fire
district map. He added that this
process has taken a while because
of the large number of fire dis
tricts in the county.
Pendergrass
Police department arrests former mayor
Mark Tolbert, a former mayor of Pendergrass
and son of current mayor Monk Tolbert, was
charged with obstruction of a law enforcement
officer by the Pendergrass Police Department last
week.
Tolbert was arrested around 10:40 p.m. on Jan.
2 by PPD officer Rogers following a traffic stop in
the driveway of Tolbert’s home on Hwy. 332.
According to the incident report, after Rogers
had stopped a car in Tolbert’s drive, Tolbert came
outside to see what was going on. Rogers ordered
Tolbert to go back into the house. Rogers said that
Tolbert made a “rude comment” after which he
was again told to go back into the house.
When Tolbert refused, Rogers said he arrested
him and took him to the Jackson County Jail.
Jefferson
Council may discuss fate of city-owned radio station
Either the Environmental
Protection Division does not read
the reports it requests, or its math
skills are limited.
After the Jackson County Water
and Sewerage Authority presented
documentation detailing a 29.6 per
cent reduction in water usage, the
EPD sent it a letter chiding the
authority for failing to reach Gov.
Sonny Perdue’s demand for a 10
percent reduction.
“They didn’t read the report we
sent in,” said Manager Eric Klerk.
That figures. The EPD also still
lists Jerry Waddell as the authority’s
manager. Waddell’s been gone for
two years and repeated attempts to
have the EPD change its records to
reflect that have been unsuccessful.
“All we did was point out all the
numbers (on water usage) and how
we arrived at them on a spreadsheet,
but they didn’t read it,” said Klerk.
“We’re close to 30 percent, not 10
percent.”
What may have confused the
EPD is the amount of water Jackson
County bought from Commerce and
the Bear Creek Reservoir and then
sold to Jefferson.
“If you take that number out, we
beat that 10 percent (reduction) into
the dirt,” said Klerk.
The EPD has admitted its error,
Klerk said.
Perdue had ordered the reduc
tions based on last winter’s usage as
a response to the drought, and the
EPD threatened significant penalties
against water providers who failed
to meet the goal.
JCWSA debates expanding sewer plant
The housing slowdown is giving the Jackson County
Water and Sewerage Authority second thoughts about
the expansion of its Middle Oconee wastewater
plant.
The question isn’t whether to upgrade to 2.5 million
gallons per day (gpd), but when to start the process.
After getting reports on bids for the first phase —
increasing treatment capacity from the 300,000 gpd
to 500,000 — the authority decided at a work session
last Thursday night to sit tight for at least a month
before making a decision.
Four companies bid on the first phase, which includ
ed a base bid and six alternatives, and the bids came
in at from $5.3 million to $5.5 million. For practical
purposes, however, the authority at best could afford
only the base bid and first alternative, which run right
at $1.7 million and $114,000 respectively.
“What if we don’t do anything?” posed Vice
Chairman Randall Pugh.
“That’s an option,” answered Eric Klerk, manager.
“Is it a viable option?” Pugh returned.
“Yes,” replied Klerk.
Pugh suggested that with a housing slump expected
to last one to two years, “a lot of people, both public
and private, are backing up and looking at their plans
to add investment” and asked “would it be a wise
decision for us to say we’ll come back in a year and
look at it?”
But there are a couple of wild cards that could
affect the decision, the authority learned.
First, if it does not build the first phase, the author
ity could get caught short in treatment capacity, par
ticularly if its efforts to reduce inflow and infiltration
— results of which are unclear because it’s been so
dry — are not satisfactory.
Second, the Environmental Protection Division
(EPD) is pushing the authority to proceed with the
plant to the point of installing a larger clarifier, and
might not accept a delay. On the other hand, moving
forward is not an absolute guarantee that EPD will
increase the plant’s permit to 500,000 gpd anyway.
“What is your recommendation?” member Andy
Goodman asked Klerk.
The manager suggested proceeding with the base
bid, but not with any of the alternatives.
The base would cover grading, the head works, an
emergency generator and electrical work at a cost of
$1.7 million. The first alternative would have added
a sludge handling building for $114,000, the second
half of which would have to be built later — in alter
native two.
An increase in capacity to 500,000 gpd would
give the authority room to accept approximately 900
additional residential customers. It has 450 customers
now who generate less than 100,000 gpd, although
the waste flow spiked to 141,000 gpd during a recent
rainy period, suggesting that inflow and infiltration
problems still exist. Awaiting the end of the housing
slump are many more than 900 developed lots with
access to sewer.
The limiting factor in making the decision is fund
ing. Klerk says the authority can cash flow the base
bid, mainly because as of this month Jackson County
is taking over the $141,000 monthly payments on the
Bear Creek Reservoir debt. Even that, he said, will be
“tight” for the authority.
The authority tabled taking action on the bids until
at least the February meeting. In the meantime, the
authority hopes to talk the EPD into granting it a
permit to treat 500,000 gpd with just the completion
of the first phase.
On a related matter, the authority announced that
it got a waste load allocation of 1 million gpd for the
modular plant that would be built in the Diamond C
project above Maysville. That permit is expandable
to 2 million gpd.
What is the future of the contro
versial Radio Jefferson?
The Jefferson City Council may
discuss that at its meeting next
week. Currently, the radio station
is off the air, having been put on
hold by city officials until the
council meeting.
The council is reportedly going
to consider whether or not to pull
the plug for good on the venture,
sell it, or give it an additional infu
sion of cash.
Radio Jefferson has come under
fire over financial losses, the diver
sion of city recreation SPLOST
funds to pay for its start-up, and
for its weak broadcast which can
not be heard in most areas of
town.
When the venture was approved
last April at the recommendation
of recreation director Ben Dillard,
the council was promised the sta
tion would net the town $300,000
per year in profits from advertising
sales.
Instead, the station has faltered
with high expenses and little rev
enue. Through November, the
station was in the red $136,000
and sales had totaled less than
$10,000.
Despite the losses, Dillard had
paid himself $2,150 in sales com
missions through November out of
a total $9,200 in advertising sales.
Another $2,050 was also paid in
sales commissions to Shannon
Petering.
Although Dillard told the council
in April that no new staff would be
needed to operate the station, some
$16,500 had been paid in part-time
staff salaries through November
on top of the sales commissions.
When the council approved the
station, it allotted $17,600 in gen
eral funds in addition to recreation
SPLOST money to underwrite the
venture. Those funds were to be
paid back when the station began
making a profit.
HIGH FEES
Meanwhile, a review of the costs
associated with the creation of
the station reveal that most of the
city’s recreation SPLOST used to
underwrite the venture went to pay
consulting and installation fees.
Out of nearly $99,000 paid
by the city to consultants Multi-
Dimensional Media of Sandy
Springs, only $37,600 went to
purchase actual equipment. The
rest of the funds paid for consult
ing fees at $125 per hour, travel
time of MDM staff from Atlanta
to Jefferson at $75 per hour and
reimbursement of other consulting
expenses.
A review of 28 invoices sent to
the city by MDM also revealed the
following:
• MDM billed the city twice for
consulting fees even before the
Jefferson City Council approved
the venture in mid-April 2007.
MDM billed the city in February
and early April for a total of $4,140
in fees, including time spent meet
ing with Mayor Jim Joiner, city
manager John Ward and recreation
director Ben Dillard. The council
approved the venture April 16.
• The largest capital expenditure
was to set up three studios in an
old house the city owns for the
radio station. One main studio,
two production studios in addition
to one mobile studio were created.
Renovation of the house cost about
$12,000 in addition to $16,424 of
production equipment, $1,405 in
telephone equipment and $3,660
for five computers.
• Jefferson spent $949 in print
ing to have advertising rate cards
for the station created.
Absentee, advance voting procedures set
Absentee voting for the Feb. 5 election is going on
now in the Administrative Building in Jefferson.
Voting hours for absentee are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mondays through Fridays. Absentee voting will be
held through Jan. 25.
In order to cast an absentee ballot, a voter must
state one of the following valid reasons for doing so:
75 years of age or older; will be out of the precinct
on election day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; physically
disabled; is an election official who will be perform
ing duties in connection with the election; religious
holiday; or is a public servant who is required to be
on duty in their precinct from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on
election day.
Advance voting will be held Jan. 28 through Feb. 1.
For this type of voting, there is no reason required to
vote—only that the voter wants to vote early.
Advance voting will also be in the Administrative
Building in Jefferson. Hours will be from 9 a.m. to
7 p.m.
Election
Jackson County voting precinct changes announced
Jackson County Probate Judge
Margaret Deadwyler, who also
serves as election superintendent,
has announced that several precinct
changes are planned.
The changes include the follow
ing:
•Center precinct: Will move from
Center Fire Department to Center
Baptist Church, located at 9368
Commerce Road (across from the
fire department).
•Hoschton precinct: Will move
from Hoschton City Hall to the
Hoschton Depot, located at 4272
Hwy. 53.
•Porter precinct: Will move from
the civic center building to the police
and municipal building, located at
5040 Hwy. 53, Braselton.
•Randolph precinct: Will move
from West Jackson Middle School
to Center United Methodist
Church, located at 7649 Jackson
Trail Road.
•Wilson precinct: Will move from
the Maysville Fire Department
to the Maysville Public Library,
located at 9247 Gillsville Hwy.,
Maysville.
“In order to keep up with the
expanding population and for
the convenience of voters, it has
become necessary to move the vot
ing precincts,” Deadwyler said.
“We suggest you drive by these
locations prior to election day to
familarize yourself with the new
locations.”
For more information on the
changes, call the probate office at
706-387-6276.
To place a classified ad, call 706-367-5233
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