Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2008
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
— Economic Story—
of the Year
Housing and real estate
bust hits local economy
BYANGELA GARY
THE DECLINE in the hous
ing industry had a ripple effect
across Jackson County in
2008, causing building permits
to drop, sales tax proceeds to
decrease and unemployment to
rise. At the same time, foreclo
sures doubled and many area
businesses closed.
The housing decline during
the year was the Economic
Story of the Year in Jackson
County for 2008.
Among the headlines during
the year were: “Jefferson hous
ing decline,” “Foreclosures
up 93 percent in first quar
ter,” “Sales tax down” and
“Building permits drop.”
The housing and related
businesses had brought jobs
and revenue to growing
Jackson County during the
building boom of 2003-2006.
When that slowed down and
in 2008 came to a stand-still,
the impact was devastating.
Directly and indirectly, the
housing bust affected not just
jobs and individual incomes,
but also the income to local
governments. Over the past
few years, local governments
had come to expect building
fees, water tap fees and an
increasing tax digest to fuel
government budgets at double
digit rates. But in 2008, the
disappearance of those funds
hammered local government
budgets and left many scram
bling to find new revenue and
to cut costs.
The problems were evident
here in early 2008 when first
quarter numbers hit. In the first
three months of 2007, there
were 337 new residential per
mits issued: for the same time
period in 2008, that figure fell
to 132 — accounting for a 60
percent drop.
In Jackson County, cities
issue their own building permits
while the county approves per
mits for unincorporated areas.
The three largest government
agencies that issue building
permits — Jackson County,
Braselton and Jefferson — also
reflect a sharp decline in new
residential growth.
In the first quarter of 2008,
Jefferson issued 10 new resi
dential permits, compared to
63 during the same time period
in 2007, marking an 84 percent
drop. Braselton issued 102
building permits in the first
quarter of 2007, but just 48 in
the first quarter of 2008, a 52
percent decline.
At the end of the year, those
trends had become even worse.
September’s stock market
crash shook investors and set
into motion a tightening of
credit and spending. By year’s
end, there are few new build
ing projects taking place and
several local banks were fac
ing huge losses because of the
building downturn.
Hoschton lands world record
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
HOSCHTON MAY not
have a Guinness World
Record title — but it does
have an official world record
for the “Most Scarecrows in
One Location.”
The World Records
Academy has granted
Hoschton a world record
for the 5,441 scarecrows
that were posted through
out the 30548 zip code in
September.
Hoschton officials didn’t
learn about its new world
record until recently, after
the World Records Academy
posted the city’s accomplish
ment on its website.
“We think that’s excit
ing because it’s a 50-year
company that has a lot of
sports people associated with
it, media people, different
groups and organizations
and they work to find very
specialized groups to award
this to,” said Robbie Bettis,
one of the key organizers
of Hoschton’s world record
attempt.
Tom Howard of the World
Records Academy said the
company has the world’s
largest database of attempted
worldrecords. Once Hoschton
announced its world record
attempt, the company started
watching its progress.
“It was a nice community
event, it involved a lot of hard
work, local people took it
seriously and did a great job
— this is why it was select
ed to be published so fast,”
Howard wrote on Monday.
Just a few weeks ago,
Hoschton learned that it
didn’t earn a Guinness World
Record — based largely on
a technicality. The London
office differed on the defini
tion of “location” and said a
zip code isn’t a location.
“Everybody likes to
announce they will have a
Guinness record — your town
included,” Howard wrote.
“We know from the begin
ning that you will get a rejec
tion because in 90 percent
of cases they do. Guinness
adores to spot small (insig
nificant) mistakes and turn
you down — to make you
call them next time for a very
expensive adjudication. In
my personal opinion, this is
not world records adjudica
tion, it’s a scam.”
Howard said after Guinness
denied Hoschton a world
record, the World Records
Academy also took a second
look at the attempt.
“From a legal point of view
(and common sense, also)
a record like [Hoschton’s]
has to be made on a large
area, around the whole city,”
Howard wrote. “[The] same
zip code counts as a location
— this is our decision. We
don’t want to have thousands
of scarecrows stored like in a
depot, we want the whole city
to participate in such an event
and enjoy it.”
Bettis said on Monday that
a committee hasn’t decid
ed if the city will appeal
Guinness’s decision.
A subcommittee of the
Hoschton Fall Festival com
mittee will discuss an appeal
in mid-January, while the full
committee will meet later in
the month, she said.
Committee members still
want to hear from citizens
if Hoschton should attempt
another world record next
year, or any other sugges
tions for the scarecrows,
Bettis said.
Hoschton’s world record
will be honored on a full-page
in 2009 book of the World
Records Academy, which
goes on sale in January. The
Guinness World Records only
publishes a selection of world
record titles, Howard wrote.
The city will also be recog
nized on the company’s web
site — www.worldrecordsa-
cademy.org.
This Saturday, the fall fes
tival committee will host a
bonfire of the scarecrows,
starting at 5 p.m. The event
will be held at the Kenerly
farm, located at 1688 Ga.
Hwy. 53.
Bettis said she expects a fun
atmosphere at the controlled
burn, which will be moni
tored by the West Jackson
Fire Department.
“It’s something new and
different for our little town,”
she said.
Those with scarecrows in
Hoschton are asked to bring
them to the bonfire. Hot choc
olate and marshmallows will
be provided.
GBI probing Sat. death of Hoschton teen
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE GEORGIA Bureau of
Investigation says the results of
a toxicology report may give
more details into the death of a
14-year-old girl in a Hoschton
house on Saturday.
Brittane Nichole Brown,
Hoschton, was unresponsive
when rescue, EMS and several
area police agencies were called
to a house at 38 White Street on
Saturday afternoon.
Jim Fullington, special agent
in charge at the GBI’s office
in Athens, said an autopsy on
Monday didn’t show any signs
of foul play or other physical
indications of death. A toxicol
ogy report is expected to take 4-6
weeks to complete.
Fullington said witnesses
indicated there was drug use of
prescription pills during the inci
dent, but tests haven’t confirmed
that. He added that there were
other “non-family members” in
the house at the time of Brown’s
death.
“It’s hard to tell at this time,”
Fullington said. “A lot of this
depends on the cause of death.”
Hoschton police chief Dave
Hill said Monday that he con
tacted the GBI to investigate the
scene when he was given infor
mation about the incident.
Any possible charges of other
people will hinge on the results of
the toxicology results, Fullington
said. The GBI continues to inves
tigate the case.
Law enforcement units from
Hoschton, Braselton and Jackson
County responded to the scene,
along with West Jackson Fire
Department and EMS personnel
and the coroner.
Brown was a student at Jackson
County Comprehensive High
School, where she participated
in basketball. She also enjoyed
spending time with her friends,
dancing, listening to music and
track, according to her obituary.
Brown’s funeral will be held
on Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 2
p.m., at Evans Funeral Home in
Jefferson.
In lieu of flowers, donations
may be made to the Brittane
Brown Memorial Fund c/o
Northeast Georgia Bank, RO.
Box 130, Braselton, GA 30517.
Old year going, New year coming...
... And some
good advice look
ing back and look
ing ahead:
One sure way
not to break any
New Year’s resolu
tions: Don’t make
any New Year’s
resolutions.
One sure way
to lose weight and
keep it off: Eat
less, exercise more. (I have
been preaching that for 25
years. I resolve not to men
tion or think about it again -
until 1 step on the scales and
realize I need to eat less and
exercise more.)
❖ ❖ ❖
The Forget It, Let It Go,
Turn It Loose Department:
One: “Finish every day and
be done with it. You have
done what you could. Some
blunders and absurdities no
doubt have crept in; forget
them as soon as you can.” -
Emerson
Two: “Were it not better
to forget than remember and
regret?” - L. E. Landon
Three: “Reflect upon your
present blessings of which
every man has many, not on
your past misfortunes, of
which all men have some.”
- Dickens
Four: “The remedy for
wrongs is to forget them.” -
Publilius Syrus
Five: “Every man should
keep a fair-sized cemetery in
which to bury the faults of
his friends.” - H.W. Beecher
❖ ❖ ❖
This segment for Old Year
and New Year politicians:
One: “Half the world
knows how the other
half ought to live.” -
Unknown
Two: “Extremism
by either side is not
the way to stay in
power in the long
run. Americans are
uncomfortable with
seismic shifts.” -
Steve Anthony, in
The Atlanta Journal-
Constitution, Nov. 6, 2008.
Three: “If the Democrats
and Republicans worked as
hard doing their jobs as they
do trying to discredit each
other, our country would be
in a far better position.” -
Vent in the AJC, Dec. 19,
2008.
❖ ❖ ❖
Answers to our economic
woes:
One: “Blessed is he who
expects nothing, for he shall
never be disappointed.” -
Pope (Same is true of he who
wants nothing.)
Two: Sure way to avoid
the “greed is good-luxury is
shame” scenario: As soon as
you receive more than you
need, share it (give it) to
someone who has less than
he or she needs. - Virgil
Three: “Friendship con
sists in forgetting what one
gives, and remembering what
one receives.” - Dumas the
Younger
Four: “It is better to give
than receive.” - Bible
Five: “It is better to give
than to lend, and costs about
the same.” - Sir Philip Gibbs
Six: “A charitable man
is like an apple tree - he
gives his fruit and is silent;
the philanthropist is like the
hen.” - Author Unknown. (I
wish I had said that. If you’ve
never heard a hen cackle -
and unfortunately that’s most
21st century Americans - you
won’t understand that bit of
wisdom.)
Which reminds me: Don’t
forget to thank God for the
birds, especially the dove and
the stork. “The dove brings
peace and the stork brings
tax exemptions.” I don’t know
who said that, but I like it.
It is especially relevant at
Christmastime and a few days
before April 15.
❖ ❖ ❖
The lighter side of taxes:
One: “As the government
will be earning its own money
through partial ownership of
major banks, does that mean
we won’t have to pay taxes
anymore?” - Vent in the AJC,
Oct. 31, 2008. (Don’t count
on the answer being “no.”)
Two: “Ain’t our govern
ment great? As a taxpayer, I
am now invested in real estate
(Fannie and Freddie), insur
ance (AIG), and coming soon,
the auto industry (GM and
Chrysler). At least, I’m diver
sified.” - Vent, Oct. 4, 2008
❖ ❖ ❖
Lest I be accused of com
pletely ignoring the negative,
check out these scary facts:
One: Signs of the time
in Jackson County: There’s
almost one foreclosure for
every sex offender, and vice
versa. Is there a connection?
Don’t think so. Just a weird
coincidence.
Two: In 1974 household
indebtedness in the U.S. was
$680 billion; today it is $14
trillion. Consumer debt alone
is $2.5 trillion, and the aver
age household possesses 13
credit cards. - Source: U.S.
News and World Report
❖ ❖ ❖
What can we do to help?
One: “To believe in men
(and women) is the first step
toward helping them.” -
Unknown
Two: “You may be deceived
if you trust too much, but you
will live in torment if you do
not trust enough.” - Frank
Crane
Three: “The probability
that we may fail in the strug
gle ought not to deter us from
the support of a cause we
believe to be just.” - Abraham
Lincoln
Four: “Our doubts are trai
tors, and make us lose the
good we oft might win by
fearing to attempt.” - William
Shakespeare
Five: “Fear clogs; faith lib
erates.” - Elbert Hubbard
Six: “The last days are too
late. The years teach much
which the days never know.”
- Emerson
Seven: Don’t quit. Not now.
Not ever. Whatever your age,
regardless of how far you
went in school, continue your
education. Don’t become “too
soon old, too late smart.” One
is never too old to learn, and
it is never too late to learn
more. Old Year going. New
Year coming. It’s a good time
to enroll. Tuition is free.
Virgil Adams is a former
owner/editor of The Jackson
Herald.
Comments from ‘A proud son of Bill Brown’
Dear Editor:
Waiting for a loved one to
die brings a keen realization of
the frailty of life and just how
helpless and microscopic are
our abilities. In good times, we
come and go as we please; we
sit, we stand; we work, we play.
But during times of bereave
ment, shortcomings are revealed
and thrust to the forefront of our
very being.
With challenged faith, we
stand in the storm and trust that
when we dare to get out of the
boat, that we will walk confi
dently and assuredly to the one
who can calm the storm.
At times, I have felt guilty
that I, or the doctors, could have
done more to have prevented
death from rearing its ugly face.
Then I realize how arrogant and
conceited of me to think that I,
or anyone, could prevent death
from knocking and entering at a
time that God allows.
I am reminded of the life
my dad lived and how many
lives he touched in his 81 years.
Through many years of failing
health, I am amazed at how
steadfast his faith remained. As
far as being a daddy goes, he
has set the bar very high.
As some of you know, my
dad was a professional photog
rapher. For more than 45 years,
he made wedding pictures, por
traits, school pictures, and snap
shots, just to name a few. He
told us many years ago that he
had already surpassed 1,000,000
pictures. He possessed a gift of
making people laugh and smile
and the ability to capture, in
each picture, a lasting impres
sion of a moment of time. If
a picture is worth a thousand
words, all the volumes of World
Book encyclopedias could not
contain the number of words he
was able to create. Each picture,
in its own way, resonating with
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love and memories that last a
lifetime.
Mom has accepted the inevi
table. She has been comforted
knowing that he is in a better
place where he no longer hurts
or needs a wheelchair. For 55
years, they have been insepa
rable. For the past 16 years,
she was the caretaker and never
complained about the increased
responsibilities that she was
forced to assume. She has
pulled off a Herculean effort
and performed her duties [out of
love] with dignity and class.
Having parents like Bill and
Molly.... I am blessed. It will
take some time to count all of
my blessings... I will start one
by one. Our time on earth is
brief, but our contribution is not
contingent upon deadlines and
accumulations. The quality of
our life is based upon the dif
ference we make in the lives of
others.... Oh, what a difference
dad made.
My family and I sincerely
thank you for your thoughts and
prayers during this time. It is
my prayer that the “snapshots”
of your life display warmth and
create an album of peace and
serenity. And may each one of
you one day hear the words,
“Well done my good and faith
ful servant.”
As for my dad, that he was.
A proud son of Bill Brown,
Sincerely,
Brad Brown
Can M ftfday & Saturday Nights'.
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