Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2008
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
LIONS, ROTARY CLUBS HOLD CHRISTMAS BANQUET
The Lions and Rotary clubs of Jefferson recently held their annual joint Christmas banquet in facilities provided
by Jefferson High School. Featured entertainment was a Christmas program presented by the Jackson Trail
Christian School Children’s Chorus, under the direction of Kelly Jackson, JTCS principal. Attendance, including
guests, was over 140.
County IDA agrees to buy magazine advertisement
Economy topic for
chamber directors
By Mark Beardsley
THE JACKSON County
Industrial Development
Authority voted last Friday
to spend up to $2,000 to buy
a magazine advertisement.
“Georgia Trend” plans
to feature the county in
February, and the IDA’s
vote would cover up to a
quarter of the cost for a
two-page ad. The rest of the
cost would be paid by the
Jackson County Board of
Commissioners, the Jackson
County Area Chamber of
Commerce and the coun
ty's municipalities, accord
ing to IDA Chairman Scott
Martin.
Jackson has been featured
several times.
“Georgia Trend,” in turn,
will publish stories about
the county's economic
development successes
and efforts. It has featured
Jackson County on several
prior occasions.
“It says something about
our community that they
highlight us so often,”
Martin commented.
In other business, the
board approved modifica
tions to its bond agreement
with the Toyota-Denso
Automotive Compressor
plant to cover some $9 mil
lion in new equipment added
during the year.
Attorney Daniel Haygood
reported that the tax abate
ment for the company is
winding down. It will pay
county property taxes at a
60 percent rate this year, at
80 percent next year and at
100 percent thereafter.
School taxes were never
part of the abatement; TDAC
pays them in full.
Martin told the board that
the weak economy is put
ting the brakes on active
industrial projects.
“A lot of them are on
hold because of the econo
my, because they can’t get
financing for their projects,”
he said. For example, devel
opers can get about half of
the loan amounts they used
to be able to get for specula
tive buildings.
“The good news is that we
are getting some looks on
our existing spec buildings,”
Martin added.
He also said Jackson is
“still in the hunt” for a
German company’s $8 mil
lion project, but officials
have almost no information
about the project, including
its name, number of employ
ees or what it makes.
In addition, Martin said
he’d sent a response to an
inquiry for a distribution
project with a similar lack
of information. He indicated
that in response to a request
for information about tax
incentives, that he informed
the company it would “need
to be able to demonstrate
why we would take this
off the tax books” in terms
of information about the
number of jobs, the growth
potential and the amount of
equipment.
“We're not in such bad
shape that we need to buy a
pig in a poke,” commented
member Jim Shaw in agree
ment with Martin's posi
tion.
Friday's meeting was the
last for Chas Hardy. The
four-year veteran will leave
the IDA in January as he
takes office as a Jackson
County commissioner.
Martin and other mem
bers expressed apprecia
tion for Hardy’s service.
Martin particularly stressed
Hardy's work as the county,
the IDA and John Rooker
& Associates put together
the Commerce 85 Business
Park.
“He has been called for
a higher calling,” Martin
said.
“I might be wanting to
come back to a calmer meet
ing,” joked Hardy, referring
to the likely challenges and
controversies to be faced
by the board of commis
sioners.
By Mark Beardsley
AS BUSINESSES struggle
to cope with an economy
in recession, it's no surprise
that the bleak economic
times dominated last Friday’s
meeting of the Jackson
County Area Chamber of
Commerce.
But while the chamber
is struggling along with its
members, the news is not all
grim, nor members’ attitudes
depressed.
There was plenty of that
- concerns over meeting the
2009 budget, declining mem
bership, fewer prospects for
new industry, cost-cutting
and even staff cutbacks —
but members also expressed
some of the optimism gener
ally expected from chambers
of commerce.
Scott Martin, who chairs
the chamber’s Development
Council, spoke on comments
about the economy made by
Steve Forbes before 1,000
people at the recent Georgia
Economic Outlook event in
Atlanta.
Forbes, Martin reported,
suggested that if the federal
government makes just a few
fundamental changes in fis
cal policy, “it would get the
economy going.”
A key component, added
director John Buchanan, is
Forbes’ suggestion that the
government “back the mort
gage-backed securities with
the full force of the U.S.
government,” just as it does
treasury notes.
“He seemed to think if
they would do that, we would
come out of this a lot quick
er,” he added.
Both reported that a speak
er on the state of the Georgia
economy projected a very
difficult first six months in
Georgia followed by a turn
around in fall and modest
growth in 2010.
“Unfortunately, the next six
months is going to be really,
really bad,” Martin advised.
“Unemployment could get as
high as nine percent.”
On the local front, Martin
reported that 11 industrial
projects remain pending,
although all but one are on
hold. But another four poten
tial industries made initial
inquiries during the past
week, he added.
“Despite things looking
bad, we are still seeing some
opportunities for growth,”
Martin told the board.
In addition, a yet-to-be-
named company has indicat
ed it will locate a $40 million
operation in the Dry Pond
area of Interstate 85 in the
city limits of Jefferson. The
company will break ground in
June and is working through
the Jefferson Industrial
Development Authority.
“We are certain they are
going to be locating here.
That’s good news for Jackson
County,” said Martin.
The board approved the
organization’s 2009 bud
get calling for revenue of
$467,000. That compares to
the current budget projecting
revenues of $520,000.
To offset the revenue slide,
the chamber has reduced a
receptionist's position from
full-time to part time and
opted not to fill the position
of vice president for eco
nomic — a new position cre
ated this year but currently
vacant.
That job was created to
help the chamber cope with
the high volume of economic
development work — but
with the economy in a tail-
spin, the position is not so
vital.
“The best thing for the
chamber is to try to get by
for the next few months,”
said Martin.
Outgoing chairman Roy
Stowe praised the chamber
staff for its focus on keeping
costs down.
“The budget can be
revised and revisited,” noted
incoming chairman Gina
Mitsdarffer. “If after the first
quarter we need to revisit it,
we can.”
Teen a national photo finalist
BARROW JOURNAL pho
tographer Jessica Brown is a
finalist for the second year in a
row in a national football photo
contest sponsored by camera
maker Canon U.S.A.
Brown, a student at Winder-
Barrow High School, is one of
14 national finalists in the “Why
Do You Love Football” photo
challenge. The grand prize win
ner will win a trip and four
tickets to the 2009 Super Bowl
in Tampa Bay, Fla.
Football and photo fans can
now vote on the final winners by
logging onto www.usa.canon.
com/app/html/NFL/.
Once into the site, click the
“Photo Contest” link at the
upper left of the page and then
vote on both action and feature
football photos in teen and adult
categories. At the end of the
form, fill out your name and
contact info and click to submit
your vote.
Brown’s entry is in the “Teen
Action Photo” division and is
from a girls’ powder puff foot
ball game this fall. The entry
is titled, “Hersman: Almost a
Classic Pose.” The name is a
play on words from the famous
Heisman Trophy award which
features the image of a football
player running the ball with an
arm out and a leg in the air.
Last year. Brown finished
second in the national contest.
The final 14 are selected from
several thousand entries by a
judging panel consisting of
renowned sports photographer,
Peter Read Miller of Sports
Illustrated and Archie Manning,
former NFL quarterback and
father of Indianapolis and New
York Super Bowl MVP quar
terbacks, and other prominent
staff photographers from the
Professional Football Hall of
Fame.
PHOTO ENTRY
Jessica Brown’s photo at
left, “Hersman: Almost a
Classic Pose,” is entered
in a national contest.
No citizen input given at
Maysville budget hearing
By Justin Poole
A PUBLIC hearing in
Maysville last week on the pro
posed budget had one glaring
omission, the public.
The City of Maysville held a
public hearing on is 2009 bud
get Thursday evening. Council
members and the mayor were
ready to field questions from
concerned citizens about the pro
posed budget, which is increas
ing by six percent over the 2008
budget. The proposed budget
allots $1,354,000 to cover the
cost of running the city.
No citizens attended the meet
ing.
Also available at the meet
ing was a print off detailing the
adopted water and sewer rates
for the coming year.
USDA grants Ga. disaster request
THE UNITED States
Department of Agriculture
(USDA) has granted Gov.
Sonny Perdue’s request for a
primary disaster designation
for 158 counties based on pro
duction losses due to drought
and excessive temperatures.
“Drought conditions are
devastating to farmers and
farming communities,”
Perdue said in a statement.
“...I’m pleased that financial
relief will now be available
to them.”
USDA declared 146 of
Georgia’s 159 counties as pri
mary natural disaster areas
and 12 more as contiguous
disaster areas.
The only one of Georgia's
counties not covered by the
primary or contiguous desig
nation is McIntosh.
City of Nicholson
PUBLIC NOTICE
The City of Nicholson will hold its
monthly meetings on December 29,
work session and January 5, council
meeting. Both will be at 7:00 p.m. in
the Community Center.
Medicine Wheel Clinic
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770-277-7958
medicinewheel@bellsouth.net
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In Memory of
HUBERT CRUMLEY
This holiday remembering you as loving as can
be, bring back thoughts of holidays past, now
just a memory of someone dear who passed on
and is especially missed at this time of year. But
good and happy memories live on within our
hearts. We cherish every moment shared even
though now apart.
We love and miss you,
Your Family
f \
Mama, Grandma & Nannie
This is our first Christmas without your
guidance, your radiant warmth, your out
reaching arms that seem to always tuck each
one of us under you wings like a Mother hen.
You're gone, your wings are now a pair that your
love has earned; a pair of Angel wings. We know
you're wearing them well, you lived for the day
to be with Jesus. As you look down upon us, we
feel your love. That’s the impact you left in our
hearts.
We miss you!
Edwin, Shirley, Bobby, Pat, Barbara, Granger,
Angie, Briana, Austin, Cassie
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