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VOL. 133 NO. 20 40 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 50« COPY
Jefferson approves UMC rezoning
Redlight cameras get further study; city backs off rec center land purchase
BYANGELA GARY
A REZONING request from
Jefferson First United Methodist
Church to allow a parking lot was
approved by the Jefferson City
Council Monday night. The only con
dition is that the zoning will change
back to residential if the property is
ever sold by the church.
The council unanimously agreed
to the request from Jefferson First
United Methodist Church to rezone
1.83 acres on Cooley Street and
Storey Street from R-2 (residential)
to 0-1 (office-institutional) to locate
the parking lot. At an earlier meeting,
church spokesman Ron Bond said the
church membership has grown and
available parking is less than it once
was.
“It is a necessity because, in recent
years, some of the houses closest to
our church have changed ownership,”
he said. “Some of these new neigh
bors have requested that we not park
on their property. We have lost three
blocks of property that was originally
used for church parking.... Parking is
a major problem.”
At that earlier meeting, some neigh
bors spoke in opposition to the rezon
ing.
In other zoning business at
Monday’s meeting, the council
agreed to a request from Harvest
Chapel Ministries to postpone action
on its request to rezone 1.1 acres at
2106 Old Pendergrass Road from 0-1
continued on page 5A
‘Officer Fred’ dons Santa Claus suit for 18th year
Santa for students
A HOLIDAY TRADITION
“Officer Santa,” also known as Fred Wilson of the Jefferson Police Department,
has a tradition of dressing up as Santa Claus for his crosswalk duties at Jefferson
City Schools. Here “Officer Santa” is shown visiting with children at Jefferson
Elementary School Thursday as the Christmas holidays approach.
Photo by Sharon Hogan
— Inside —
Area news:
•County schools con
tinue to look at longer
elementary day
page 2A
• Former warden
suing county
page 2A
Op /Ed:
•'A "Great Depres
sion" Christmas''
page 4A
Sports:
•Lady Panthers defeat
West Hall
page 1B
Features:
•Holiday Connection
helps families
page 1C
Other News:
•School News
... pages 9, 10 St 12A St
5, 6 & 8B
•Public Safety
pages 6-8A
•Legals
pages 11-2 OC
•Church News
page 7B
•Obituaries
page 11A
By Jana A. Mitcham
N 1990, Fred Wilson
became a police officer.
He also became Santa
Claus.
When he joined the Jefferson
Police Department, he asked
police chief Otis Victrum about
wearing a Santa suit during
his traffic duties as Jefferson
City Schools was letting out for
Christmas break.
He remembers that the chief
asked: ‘“Do you think they’ll
go for it?”’
“We’ll try it and see,” Officer
Fred responded.
“I did and I’ve been asked
to do it ever since,” he said.
“The word got out and every
chief alter that would ask, ‘Are
you going to wear your Santa
suit?”’
And so began what is now an
18-year tradition.
Officer Fred regularly directs
traffic and protects children and
middle school runners cross
ing the street at the schools,
but “Officer Santa” makes
an appearance to direct traf
fic for Jefferson City Schools
the last day of school before
the Christmas holidays begin.
Weather permitting, he makes
an appearance in the morning
and afternoon. He was out on
Old Pendergrass Road and then
at the intersection near the pub
lic library Thursday afternoon,
dressed in his red and white.
“The kids love it and you
know I enjoy it,” Wilson, who
is also a pastor at Homer First
Baptist Church, said.
After his school duty
Thursday, Officer Fred, a.k.a.
Officer Santa, made an appear
ance at the Christmas party for
the Jackson County Boys and
Girls Club held at the Jefferson
Civic Center.
“It was thrilling,” he said
of the event, which included
boys and girls from both the
Jefferson and Commerce clubs.
“There were lots of kids and
parents there.”
Every day he is on traffic
duty. Officer Fred rounds out
his school work with a quick
tour of the parking lots, making
sure no one has left lights on or
had car trouble.
“The students know Mr. Fred
is going to take care of them,”
he said.
In his 18 — going on 19 —
years of school duty. Officer
Fred has met the kids of kids he
knew when he was first getting
started with the police depart
ment.
“Some of those kids were
in car seats and now they are
grown and with kids of their
own,” he said, adding that many
former students make a point
to bring their children by to
see him.
“I want to thank the kids
and parents for their acts of
kindness,” Officer Fred. “I love
it anyway, but they give me
tokens of appreciation. The kids
are so nice.”
3 house fires
reported in
past month
IN THE past month,
three unoccupied homes in
Jackson County have been
destroyed in fires.
The latest fire was on
Friday, Dec. 19, at60 Jimmy
Reynolds Dr. at 1:06 a.m.
Fire units from Jefferson,
Harrisburg and the Jackson
County Correctional
Institute responded and
found a single-family resi
dence well involved. No
one was home at the time of
the incident and no injuries
were reported.
The fire remains under
investigation.
On Tuesday, Dec. 16, a
6,000 square foot home on
Harris Lord Cemetery Road
was destroyed in a fire.
No one was at the home,
which was being renovated.
Fire units from Commerce,
Nicholson and the Jackson
County Correctional
Institute responded to the
fire at 4:26 a.m. They were
called to a “brush fire” but
found the home, which was
located off of the road
way, in flames when they
arrived.
The house was a total loss
and it has been determined
that the fire was deliber
ately set. An investigation
is under way.
On Nov. 25, a fire
destroyed a large two-story
home on Jefferson River
Road. Several Jackson
County fire departments
responded to the blaze,
which happened about mid
day. The fire was deter
mined to be caused by an
electrical problem.
The 12,000 square foot
house was listed for sale in
September and was report
edly built in 1976. The home
is owned by Lighthouse
Real Estate Solutions,
located in Orange, Calif.
Tree recycling offered across county
KEEP Jackson County Beautiful will
offer Bring One for the Chipper Christmas
tree recycling at the following locations
from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Dec. 26 through
Jan. 3. Those who drop a tree off can pick
up a seedling for their yard from volun
teers.
•Arcade - City Hall
•Commerce—Lanier Tech and Badcock
Center
•Braselton/Hoschton - Towne Center
•Jackson County Transfer Station on
County Farm Road
•Jefferson - Civic Center
Early news deadline set for New Year’s holidays
•Nicholson - City Hall
•Talmo - Fire Station
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DUE TO the New Year’s
holidays, the deadlines for
submitting church, social
and school news to The
Jackson Herald have been
moved to an earlier day and
time.
The deadline to submit
items for the Dec. 31 issue
is Friday, Dec. 26, at 5 p.m.
Any items received after
the deadlines may not be
published.
The newspaper offices
will be closed on Thursday,
Jan. 1, for New Year. The
offices will be open on
Friday, Jan. 2.
Items may be e-mailed
to angela@mainstreet-
news.com or faxed to
706-387-5414.
On a typical produc
tion week, the deadline to
submit church, school and
social items is noon on
Mondays.
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— Look for the annual Christmas kids
section inside this edition.