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Progress Report Predicts
Bright Future For Area
BY MRS. BILLIE KING
Jackson’s progress potential
is linked together with that of
Butts County in an Economic
Development Profile prepared
by the Georgia Department of
Commercial Development in
Atlanta.
A visual outline of Jackson
and Butts County’s economic,
educational, recreational and
cultural profile is reflected in
the mirror of vital statistics
drawn by GDCD. The EDP’s
purpose is to “make industry
aware of the diverse oppor
tunities this area offers capital
and labor; at the same time it
provides optimistic viewing for
its residents.”
Butts County’s geographical
position in Georgia’s middle
section makes it logical that its
economic maturity is assured.
A major role in this economic
development is due in part to
the now-sought-after bucolic
atmosphere with its uncon
gested terrain. Supporting
roles are cast by the hundreds
of square miles of virgin
territory and the abundance of
natural resources, flanked by
the Oconee National Forest
and the Chattahoochee, as well
as the Piedmont Wildlife
Refuge.
In an area oriented with the
soil in farm and forest
products, Butts County is
gravitating to an era of
independency of raw re
sources.
In the EDP report, there is a
diversity of plant investments,
with eleven area manu
facturers and their combined
labor force of 1,459, while 980
persons are listed as employed
in that category in April, 1970.
Though there may actually
be other industries in and
around Jackson since this EDP
was compiled, the following
are listed:
American Mills, Inc., child
ren ’s knitwear, 660 employees;
The KYM Cos., men and boys’
trousers,2ooemployees; Avon
dale Mills Indian Springs
Plant, synthetic carpet yarn,
200 employees; Fashion Pil
lows, decorative throw pillows,
189 employees; Poloron
Homes, Inc., mobile homes, 135
employees; Addison & Rude
sell, windows, doors, 31
employees; Bunch Wasons
Lumber Cos., lumber 21
employees; Collins Ready
Mixed Concrete, Inc., ready
mixed concrete, 10 employees;
Jackson Progress-Argus,
newspaper, eight employees;
Adams Briscoe Cos., feed mill,
five employees, and Towaliga
Wood Inc., pulpwood, saw
timber, one full time employee.
In addition to those named
above, there are dozens of
retail merchants on the square,
in and out of the city in the
business of selling products
and services, tangible and
intangible, and wholesale
houses and discount centers.
These are too numerous to be
named here or in the EDP.
An analysis of Butts County’s
labor profile, as of November,
1972, shows that recruitable
workers in the area were: In a
radius of 15 miles of Jackson
there were 300 work index
males and 263 females for a
total of 563; in a radius of 25
miles, there were 1,182 males
and 1,201 females for a total of
2,383; and within the perimeter
of 35 miles a total of 9,665
persons included 5,154 males
and 4,511 females.
Mr. Frank Barnes, contact
for the Industrial Development
Authority, and Mr. Joe Taylor,
spearheading the local Cham
ber of Commerce activities,
are working in harness with
Mclntosh Trail Area Planning
and Development Commission,
Georgia Tech Industrial Devel
opment Division,Central Geor
gia Branch, and Butts County
civic leaders to pull the wagon
“of economic treasures” to the
area. Industrial support ser
vices include fabricating, cast
ing, forming, machinery and
others within a 30 mile radius
of Jackson.
Available industrial proper
ties abound in Butts County
and surrounding counties. A
100-acre site is under option
within the city limits on
Georgia Highway 36 and has
rail siding, electric, water,
natural gas, and sewer
adjacent to the property.
Industry follows railroads,
some industrialists affirm. Air,
water and highways also give
impetus to the economic
development of a city. South
ern Railway serves Butts
County, and makes connec
tions with major railroads to
the north and south, the east
and west.
Passengers and freight are
carried to and from Jackson
via the Greyhound Bus Lines.
Tliere are six interstate and
two intrastate motor freight
carriers, although, to date,
there are no local terminals.
Location of the nearest
commercial air service is at
Macon, 37miles from Jackson,
and Atlanta’s giant jetport is 42
miles from the city. Griffin, 20
miles away, has a public
airport with good fueling and
repair services, and a 3,300 foot
runway.
Although several rivers - the
Towaliga, Ocmulgee, South,
Yellow, and their tributaries
drain Butts County, the nearest
navigable river is the Chatta
hoochee River, 54 miles from
Jackson. A public barge dock is
located at Columbus, 98 miles
distant; and a seaport is at
Savannah, 213 miles away.
Good highways service Butts
County - US 23, Georgia 16, 36
and 42, and Interstate 75 is 10
miles from Jackson. 1-75
junctions with Interstates 16,
285, 85 and 20.
Georgia Power Company
supplies and Jackson distri
butes through Central Georgia
EMC the electric and water;
and Southern Natural Gas
Company services through the
City of Jackson, to in-city
customers. Sanitation services
include garbage pickup in the
city.
The City of Jackson suc
ceeded in April to float SBOO,OOO
in municipal bonds to help
finance construction of anew
water treatment plant and
water system, and two new
sewage plants. The city now
has three tank towers, two
wells with flows of 595,000
gallons per day, and an
emergency reservoir 8 acres
and 5 feet deep plus a creek
flow of 145,000 cfs to assure the
city of a good water supply.
One primary and one
secondary sewage plant will
soon have additional raw waste
capacity when the two new
plants are completed. These
will give county-wide water
and sewage service. Jackson
and Butts County are working
in conjunction with the project.
Southern Bell system’s facil
ities are used by the Jackson
Telephone Exchange with
direct dialing and all modern
services.
Jackson has a mayor-council
type of government. Robert L.
(Bobby) Mackey is Mayor of
Jackson. City councilmen are
John L. Coleman, John R.
Pulliam, J. Dawson Bryant, W.
D. Pope and W. O. Ball.
Butts County Court House
dominates the square in
Jackson. Commissioners in
clude Dan Fears, chairman, D.
W. (Dave) Bailey and Robert
(Bob) Taylor, Jr.
Adequate law enforcement is
insured by Butts Sheriff
Barney Wilder and his two
deputies. As of May Ist, the
county will have two county
policemen as approved by the
Commissioners. Chief of Police
Watson Vaughn has nine full
time policemen. His depart
ment provides police patrol to
in-city industries. Fire Chief
W. L. (Cotton) Vaughn directs
fifteen volunteer firemen who
are dedicated to the “protec
tion of life, limb and property”,
even though they serve without
renumeration.
Zoning regulations in city
THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARCUS, JACKSON. GEORGIA
and county are strictly
adherred to with subdivision
ordinances in design standards
in effect.
Property tax structure is a
simple way of expressing total
property tax liability in one
figure. This includes all
applicable tax rates and
assessment ratios for city,
county, schools, and state.
Effective rates represent
total tax liability per SI,OOO of
fair market value and apply to
real and personal property.
The city tax rate is (15.00) with
assessment ratio of 30 percent ;
effective rate in 1972 for city is
4.50 and outside city -0-. County
rate is (11.85) with assessment
ratio of 40 percent; effective
rate for 1972 for in city is 4.74,
county, 4.74. County School
rate is (13.60) with assessment
ratio of 40 percent; effective
rate for 1972 is 5.44 in city, in
county, 5.44. State tax rate is
.25 with assessment ratio of 40
percent; effective rate is .10 for
city and county. The total
effective rates are for city -
$14.78, for county - $10.28.
Communications have from
the beginning of the human
race been of paramount value
in increasing knowledge and in
contributing to the growth and
prosperity of any community.
The local radio station, WJGA,
operates on 1540 kc, while
many fine stations, both AM
and FM serve the area.
Television reception comes
from Atlanta, Macon and
Athens locally with some video
sets picking up reception from
other cities and states. WSB,
WAGA, and WXTV of Atlanta,
WMAZ of Macon, and NET of
Athens offer a wide choice of
video viewing for the Jackson
area.
The Jackson Progress-Argus
will celebrate its centennial
this year with a 100-year
progress edition. A thriving
weekly with good local cover
age, state and national news,
the ARGUS recently converted
from letterpress to offset
newsprint. The job printing
will utilize both letterpress and
offset.
Two financial institutions,
the C&S bank, and Mclntosh
State Bank had total assets
of $17,552,757 per this report.
Commercial Loan and Trust
Cos., Georgia State Finance Cos.,
and World Finance Corp. are
other Jackson financial loan
companies.
Five restaurants with seat
ing capacity of 75 persons
“feed the hungry”; two service
by waitresses, one cafeteria,
and two for quick drive-in
service. Excellent restaurants
are within driving distance of
Jackson.
An auditorium seating 800
persons is used at Jackson
High School for theater and
stage events. Heart of Jackson
motel with 22 rooms is in
Jackson, while the Elder Hotel
at Indian Springs is open in
summer season.
Health and medical facilities
are of prime concern to
industry as well as to residents.
The Sylvan Grove Hospital and
the Butts County Health Center
are in Jackson, while other
medical institutions are in
nearby cities. Two medical
doctors, one dentist, and one
optometrist serve Jacksonites.
At least seven Protestant
churches are in Jackson, and
one Roman Catholic Church.
Various denominations have
congregations throughout the
county.
Civic organizations for busi
ness and professional people
include the Kiwanis, Rotary,
Lion, Jaycees, Exchange, and
the Business and Professional
Women’s Clubs.
Education keeps pace with
population growth in Jackson.
The 2,5% students and 40
kindergarten pupils in Butts
County attend four public
schools, one primary, one
elementary, one junior high
and one high school. Approxi
mately 128 students graduate
from high school annually.
There are 11 public school
teachers. Two private schools
have more than 250 students
and 21 teachers.
Higher education facilities
are found in nearby cities:
Voc-tech at Griffin-Spalding,
Oxford College of Emory
University at Oxford, and Tift
College at Forsyth. Throughout
Georgia are to be found
institutions of higher educa
tion, public and private.
The Jackson post office has a
First Class rating with door-to
door delivery and rural routes.
For those seeking reading for
pleasure or reference, the
Hawkes Library has an
excellent selection of books and
periodicals.
A compilation of the attri
butes of any environment must
certainly include its recrea
tional potential, and pollution
factor. The malaise which
afflicts the inhabitants of
concrete jungles can often
result from the lack of green
belt areas and outdoor recrea
tion.
Butts County is situated in
sparsely settled foothills of the
Blue Ridge range in deeply
ravined and wooded environs.
Close to mountains to the west
and north, Butts County has
many outcroppings of granite
in rugged hills and river beds
to form deep gorges with
waterfalls and roaring rivers.
Adjacent to the National
Forests, the lure to “take to the
trails and running waters” are
now a surety for Butts County
posterity, surrounding counties
and persons ad infinitum.
Indian Springs State Park,
five miles from Jackson, and
High Falls State Park, one and
one half mile from 1-75 and 12
miles from Jackson, offer a
wide variety of outdoor fun and
recreation. Not far away are
Jackson and Sinclair lakes for
motor boating and water skiing
and other pleasures for outdoor
fans.
The Van Deventer Founda
tion Youth Center has been
recently remodeled. Anew
Teen Center is the goal for
Jackson citizens and youth.
Sports and games in Jackson
include golf, tennis, swimming,
and country club facilities.
Jackson is growing, slowly,
but growing. In 1950, there
were 2,053 residents in the city
and 9,079 in the county; in 1960,
Jackson had 2,545, Butts had
8,976; in 1970, Jackson had
3,778, and Butts had 10,560.
Phenomenal growth has
been found to be burdensome in
some cities; however, a steady
increase should let a city take
“growing pains” in stride.
Jackson city fathers could well
study the problems and
benefits derived from growth
spurts in other towns to assess
the “price of progress”, and to
help the area to mature
properly. Surely, Jackson and
Butts County’s economic era is
coming of age.
Redcoats
In Griffin
Friday
The University of Georgia’s
famous Redcoat Band will
present a concert in Griffin this
Friday night, April 27th. The
concert will be presented in the
Griffin High School Auditorium
at 8:00 p.m. and the public is
cordially invited to attend.
Tickets will be available at the
door ~ SI.OO for adults and 50
cents for children and students.
The Redcoats will appear
under the direction of Roger
Dancz who has guided the
organization for the past
eighteen years. To be pre
sented is a program of great
variety including Concert
favorites and popular selec
tions. Appearing with the band
will be Solo Twirler Cookie
French and the nationally
famous twirling units of the
Redcoat Band, the Georgettes
and the Dancing Majorettes,
who appear under the direction
of Phyllis Dancz.
THURSDAY, APRIL 26. 1973
Michael Gray
Scores High
On Tests
■ pirn-
Michael Gray, Jr., 9, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Michael H. Gray
of Smyrna, recently scored
among the upper seven per
cent nationwide in achieve
ment tests covering vocab
ulary reading, language, math
ematics and skills using visual
aids.
Michael, who attends the
fourth grade at Green Acres
School in Cobb County, scored
in the 93rd percentile.
He is the grandson of Mr. and
Mrs. David Gray of Jackson
and Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Lyle
of East Point.
KIWANIANS GAVE
TESTIMONIALS
P. H. Weaver, program
chairman, called on members
of the Jackson Kiwanis Club
Tuesday night, April 17th, to
rise and tell in an extem
poraneous manner what Ki
wanis had meant to them over
the years. Among those
volunteering their comments
were M. L. Powell, who will
soon observe his 40th anni
versary as a Kiwanian; Mr.
Weaver, who joined the club in
1924, two years after its
organization; Ralph Carr, Jr.,
Rogers Starr and Bill Halbert,
the club’s newest member.
Those who spoke gave
testimony to the influence of
the club in the community
since its founding in 1922 and of
the personal satisfaction it
gave them to take part in
worthwhile community en
deavors.
' '' \
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Mclntosh state bank
111
ii
Flovilla Happenings l
n
By Mrs. S. A. Elliott *
Luncheon guests Sunday of
Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Long were
Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt Chestnut
and children, Earl, David, Rita
and John Long. Visiting the
Longs in the p.m. were Mr. and
Mrs. Billy Long and Brian of
Griffin.
Miss Roxie Smith spent
Thursday with Mrs. S. K.
Smith and family.
Mr. and Mrs. Bradford
McGuire and family of
Jacksonville drove by to visit
Mrs. Ernest Smith Sunday
evening. She wasn’t home and
upon finding the note they had
left was disappointed at not
getting to see them.
Mrs. Sanford Elliott and
James were luncheon guests
Sunday of Mr. and Mrs. S. A.
Elliott.
Mr. Bonnie Bray of Thomas
ton andKismother, Mrs. Henry
Bray, and sister, Christina, of
Atlanta, visited Mr. and Mrs.
Elbert Long Sunday.
Mrs. Martha Caldwell and
daughter, Mrs. Paul Hardin
and boys, Doug and Chris, of
Macon spent Tuesday with her
mother, Mrs. D. T. Long.
Mrs. Holly Kroueh and Mrs.
Bill Collins of Atlanta visited
Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Joe
Waits.
Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Smith
and son of Atlanta visited
Sunday with Mrs. D. T. Long
and Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Long
and family.
Mrs. Sandra Partain and
son, Phil, returned via plane to
her home in Crockett, Texas
Saturday after spending last
week with her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Sanford Elliott.
Mr. and Mrs. John Brooks
and son, Darryle, of Miami,
Fla. spent the Easter holidays
with her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
W. J. Burns.
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Williams
and boys, Glenn and Andy
visited her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. A. G. Cook Sunday
afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs. Lamar Smith,
Mrs. Smith and two brothers of
Macon visited Saturday with
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Waits.
Mr. and Mrs. George Long of
Forsyth visited Friday night
with his mother, Mrs. D. T.
Long. Saturday Mr. George
Long and Mr. J. D. Long
visited their uncle, Mr. Ray
Long, in Taylor, S. C.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul James,
Jr. and sons, Michael and
Brandon of Decatur, visited
her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Henry Harper, Sunday and
also visited his grandparents,
Mr. and Mrs. George Barnes.
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Smith
and girls, Valerie and Jennifer
visited her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Carol Vaughn, of Coving
ton Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Conner Dodson
and girls, Patti and Alice of
Decatur visited her mother,
Mrs. J. C. Funderburk, and
Mrs. Vivian Hightower Sunday
evening. They also visited his
mother, Mrs. Lois Dodson.
Mr. and Mrs. Franklin
Maddox visited Mr. and Mrs.
Curtis Johnson Sunday even
ing.
Mr. Edward Boyd of Forest
Park visited recently with Mr.
and Mrs. Johnny King.
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne King
and Doug were luncheon guests
Sunday of his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Johnny King. Visiting in
the evening were Mr. and Mrs.
Asa Smith.
Mrs. Lucy Smith’s children
and grandchildren surprised
her Saturday night for her
birthday which was the 13th.
They gathered at her home.
Those attending were Mrs.
Jerry Rice and children.
Kenny and Karan, Mr. and
Mrs. Larry Chambers, Terri
and Rodney of Jacksonville,
Mr. and Mrs. Rip Coggins,
Jeff, Joe and Jan of Parrot
ville.Tenn., Mr. and Mrs. John
Hullender and daughter, Bet
sy. of Chattanooga, Tenn., Mr.
and Mrs. Robert Smith and
Dennis. Miss Lynn Rousseau,
Hillsboro, Mr. and Mrs.
Marvin Walker, Mr. and Mrs.
Larry Smith. Valerie and
Jennifer, Mr. and Mrs. Tim
Skinner, Mr. and Mrs. John
Walker and Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Pope.
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Cook and
boys, Mark, Greg and John,
visited her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. John Dykes, of Mcßae
Sunday.
Mrs. Larry Marsh and
children, Robert, Marie and
Larry, Jr. motored to Augusta
Sunday evening to visit her
sister, Miss Barbara McKen
non, returning home Monday
evening.
Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Cook
visited Mr. and Mrs. S. A.
Elliott Sunday evening.
PERSONAL
Friends of Troy H. Nors
worthy will be glad to learn he
returned home Sunday, April
15th, from Middle Georgia
Hospital where he had been
hospitalized several days.
Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Cook and
Herschel had as their Easter
guests Mr. and Mrs. Ronald
Thompson, Ronda and Michael
of Manchester, Mr. and Mrs.
Sammy Coleman and Mr. and
Mrs. Wayne Cook y Edith and
Gary.
Mrs. Judy Colwell, Jeff and
Scott of Clarksville, Tenn.
arrived Monday for a week’s
visit with her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Lewis Evans, and other
relatives and friends in
Jackson.
II
It
II
Easy
Street.
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