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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2009
Keith Ariail named for top chamber award
ARIAIL RECOGNIZED BY CHAMBER
Keith Ariail, surrounded by his family, was recipient of the Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce’s William H. Booth Award for Lifetime Achievement. Left
to right are Taylor and Brittney Truelove, Ariail, Ty Truelove, Gracie Beth Truelove,
Diane Ariail and Carla Truelove. Ariail owns McDonald Hardware, Commerce.
THE JACKSON County Area
Chamber of Commerce pre
sented awards and celebrated its
successes of 2008 at its annual
Awards Banquet last Friday night
at the Jefferson Civic Center.
Keith Ariail of McDonald
Hardware, Commerce, was pre
sented the William H. Booth
Award for lifetime achievement.
One of the chamber's most
active volunteers, Ariail serves
on the chamber board, is active
in the Commerce Kiwanis Club,
First Baptist Church of Jefferson,
American Cancer Society,
Tumbling Waters Society, the Art
in the Park Festival and is a mem
ber of the Commerce Downtown
Development Authority.
Scott Martin, Commerce, won
the Citizen of the Year Award.
Martin is a senior commercial/
industrial marketing representa
tive for Jackson EMC. He serves
on the chamber board and chairs
the Industrial Development
Authority.
Martin is a member and past
president of the Commerce
Kiwanis Club, a member of the
Commerce Booster Club and the
First United Methodist Church
of Commerce and is a past chair
man of the chamber.
Dee Lavender won the
Chamber Volunteer of the Year
Award.
“For years now, this person
has stepped up to the plate to
help us,” commented chamber
president Shane Short in making
the presentation. “This person
has given generously of her time
and leadership, often volunteer
ing to work chamber events
after hours and on weekends.
This person has been behind the
scenes working and planning
and supporting such events as the
Annual Awards Banquet, Chili
Cook-Off, Partners in Education,
Taste of Jackson and Women in
Business. In fact, she was one
of the initial women who helped
start the Women in Business
Program.”
Jackson EMC was awarded
the Large Business of the Year
Award.
“This company is a true
powerhouse of a business,”
said Short. “One could easily
argue the point that they, more
than any other company, have
provided the communities of
Northeast Georgia with some of
the finest leadership anywhere.
Their support of nonprofit orga
nizations, businesses and many
other worthy organizations is
above reproach. Their customer
service is second to none as
proven by winning this past year
the JD Power Award for Best
Customer Service.”
The Small Business of the
Year Award went to Beef
O'Brady’s, Jefferson, for its
support of the chamber's golf
tournament. Small Business
Lunch and Learns, Taste of
Jackson and its work on various
committees.
“This business also supports
many of our schools, sports
programs and other community
events,” Short noted.
Short also recognized
Martha Martin, who had previ
ously received the Women In
Business' “Woman of the Year”
award.
Developer seeks commercial variances on bypass
BYANGELA GARY
A DEVELOPER is seeking buffer and
parking space variances for a proposed
commercial development on the Jefferson
bypass.
The Gipson/Loggins Company is asking
for the variances for a 9.41-acre tract on the
northwest comer of U.S. Hwy. 129 and the
Old Pendergrass Road. Jay Gipson presented
the requests to the Quad Cities Planning
Commission last week. Gipson said there
are no definite plans but a drug store, bank or
retail buildings are among the options.
In a 3-1 vote, the QCPC approved the vari
ances, which include the following:
•to exceed the minimum required parking
spaces for certain proposed lots and to exceed
the maximum allowed parking spaces on
other proposed lots and to eliminate off-street
loading requirements and allow a loading
area in the front.
•to reduce the minimum 30-foot wide
natural buffer abutting a residential zoning
district to a five-foot wide landscaping strip.
•to permit a lot to be created on U.S. Hwy.
129 with its only frontage on U.S. Hwy. 129
(bypass).
Voting in favor of the requests were QCPC
members Faye Griffin, Brant McMullan and
John Motley. Voting against the request was
Scott Thompson.
In other business, the QCPC approved
a variance request from Preston Harden to
eliminate the requirement that a sign be
removed from property at 4860 U.S. Hwy.
129 North, as the code requires.
Plan proposed to protect WJ residential areas
By Justin Poole
THE JACKSON County Planning
Commission will consider next month
changing the Future Land Use Map for 221
parcels along Hwy. 53 and Hwy. 124 in West
Jackson to “Residential Growth” from their
current more intensive use designations.
The area affects nearly 400 acres of mostly
residential subdivisions.
The area had been put into commer
cial land use designations during the 2006
Comprehensive Plan update. But planners
say that designation could “negatively impact
many high quality residential properties.”
The subdivisions affected by the proposal
are: Olde Wick, Chadwick Farms, Clover
Mill, Magnolia Pointe, South Hampton Falls,
Heritage Point, Traditions of Braselton, Deer
Ridge, Eagles Landing, Legendary Meadows,
Cherokee Trail, Hunting Hills and Thornhill.
UDC UPDATE
In other business, the planning board was
presented with a proposal to clarify some of
the county’s zoning codes and permitted uses
with an updated zoning table. The matter is
slated to be voted on at the group's Feb. 26
meeting.
The major proposed changes are the
additions of agricultural stands; commer
cial fishing, hunting and trapping; hunting
and fishing preserves and clubs; equestrian
academies; retreat center; nonprofit clubs or
lodges; crisis centers; pistol and rifle rang
es; paintball, airsoft and archery facilities;
and co-generation facilities. Other changes
include revisions to establishments for the
consumption of alcohol beverages; museum
or historical sites; paper manufacturing; and
inert landfills.
OTHER BUSINESS
During Thursday’s meeting, the planning
commission approved an application for a
rezoning for Waymon Shore of 15.6 acres
from A-2 to AR for the use of subdividing the
parcels into three parcels.
Century Center files appeal in Braselton zoning dispute
THE DEVELOPERS of
Century Center at Braselton
in Barrow County filed an
appeal this week with the
Georgia Supreme Court in
their lengthy and complex
legal battle against the Town
of Braselton over a zoning
dispute.
The appeal revolves around
three earlier Superior Court
actions that took place in
late 2007 and in August and
October of 2008.
The parties are also await
ing a ruling from Superior
Court David Motes on a hear
ing held in December on the
case.
The dispute revolves
around Braselton's zoning
rules that mandate certain
improvements along Hwy.
211 in front of the Century
Center development. Century
Center argues that the man
dated improvements are on
state highway rights-of-way
and not under the jurisdiction
of the town.
The case has caught wide
attention because the project's
location is near 1-85 along
Barrow County's main gate
way to that interstate. In addi
tion, the case caught headlines
last fall after Judge Motes
ruled that Century Center law
yers had defrauded the court
with a bogus land survey.
Benton gets input from
citizens on state budget
School nurse funding a concern
By Mark Beardsley
REP. Tommy Benton
is getting a lot more
feedback from voters
than normal, a reflec
tion of what promises
to be a very difficult
legislative session.
“Today, I got 250 to
300 emails concern
ing different parts
of the governor's budget,
mostly from school nurses,”
said the District 31 repre
sentatives.
The state association
for school nurses alerted
its members to the gover
nor's recommendation to
cut funding for nurses in
schools. It also provided an
email for members to send
voicing their opposition.
“Ninety-seven percent of
them say exactly the same
thing,” Benton pointed out.
He added that after throw
ing out the out-of-district
e-mails, he’s responded to
those from within the 31st
District.
“In a lot of the emails,
I’ve been asking ‘what
would you cut?'” he said. “I
haven’t gotten any back that
told me where they would
cut the budget.”
The governor also propos
es dropping the extra money
paid to nationally certified
teachers. Those profession
als are also lobbying Benton
and other legislators.
The governor’s budget
proposes almost $2 billion
in cuts — about 10 percent
of last year’s budget. The
House and Senate appro
priations committees heard
testimony on the budget last
Thursday and Friday.
“This is not going to make
any of us popular,” Benton
admitted. “I tell people we
heard the governor’s recom
mendations, now we’ll see
what we can do, but we’re
limited by the size of the
budget and the size of the
deficit. Whatever
we do, we’re going
to tick some people
off.”
Benton said one
option is to scrap
the governor’s bud
get altogether and
start from scratch.
“We could go
back in and start
laying folks off,” Benton
said. “That’s what we've
been telling folks complain
ing about cutting (National
Board Certified teachers'
supplements). Is it better
to cut the payroll or cut
jobs?”
As for the school nurses,
Benton expects the state to
put the nurses in the QBE
formula but then reduce the
formula so “if they want the
nurses, they'll (local school
systems) have to pay for
them themselves.”
He admitted some dissat
isfaction with that approach.
“To me, that's just paper
work. Just come out and say
we’re not funding it any
more,” he said. “To me,
that's just hiding it (the cuts)
a little bit.”
The state was spending
about $30 million on nurses,
with local systems chipping
in $20 million Benton said.
The governor also propos
es to cease the state property
tax credits that have already
shown up on local tax bills.
Typically, they reduce a tax
bill by $200 to $300.
Eliminating the credits
would save the state about
$438 million — a quarter of
the budget cuts — but force
local governments to either
do without the money or send
out supplementary tax bills.
Benton points out that the
Jackson County Board of
Education would lose more
than $1 million if the credits
are eliminated — unless it
sends out a second round of
school tax bills.
BENTON
BOC: Airport authority
to oversee operations
Commissioners approve contract
BYANGELA GARY
THE JACKSON County
Airport Authority will now
have complete control over
airport grounds.
The Jackson County Board
of Commission approved an
intergovernmental agreement
in a called meeting Monday
giving the authority to the
airport board. The airport
authority will be charged with
reviewing any subleases at the
airport.
“We hope this will make
your life more simple,” said
airport authority chairman
Shannon Sell.
The airport authority mem
bers attended the two-hour
meeting Monday to go over
the contract with the BOC.
“We don’t have to be
involved in every action,”
BOC chairman Hunter
Bicknell said.
In the only other business
at the meeting, the BOC dis
cussed changing the legisla
tion for the authority board so
that terms are three years each
instead of one year. There was
also some discussion on chang
ing the terms to five years.
“One year is entirely too
short,” Bicknell said.
The BOC will vote on this
proposal at its regular meeting
set for 6 p.m. Monday at the
courthouse.
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