Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2009
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
Nicholson considers proposal to preserve old school
Planners deny request for
welding shop operation
BOC to take action March 16
BY SHARON HOGAN
THE NICHOLSON City
Council is considering preserving
an old school located in the town.
At the monthly council meet
ing on Thursday, the Nicholson
City Council will consider
spending $5,000 to restore the
African-American schoolhouse
in the Cross Roads area of the
city and have this area placed on
the National Register of Historic
Places. The Cross Roads area
is located on Cedar Drive, off
Highway 441.
The school was built prior to
1880. The site includes an adja
cent cemetery from the same
post-Civil War era and an African-
American Methodist Church site.
The church was lost during the
1950s but there are records from
its existence.
The council discussed the pro
posal presented by David Ramsey
at the work session on Thursday,
Feb. 26. The plan also includes
a proposal to develop a Heritage
Center for Nicholson on the site
of the school.
At the work session, Ramsey
said the revised proposal would
significantly lower the costs from
the original proposal because the
Heritage Center plan will not be
included.
“It was decided to put off this
part of the proposal due to current
economic conditions,” Ramsey
said.
Ramsey said he is working
with The Jaeger Company on this
project. The new cost is expected
to be in the range of $7,500 to
$10,000, Ramsey said.
“I have committed to raise one-
half of the costs for the revised
proposal from private sources up
to the $10,000 level, meaning
the total cost to the city will not
exceed $5,000,” Ramsey said. “It
is saddening to see the shape this
building has fallen into.”
Ramsey suggested that a town
hall meeting be conducted to get
a reaction to the proposal from
Nicholson residents. “If such a
meeting is called by the city and
results in positive reactions from
residents, the city would need to
be prepared to act according to
those wishes,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey said the consultant is
in the process of submitting the
revised proposal that will cover
two specific things: 1) to assess
the physical condition of the
schoolhouse so that a plan can be
developed to restore it, including
cost estimates, and 2) to begin the
process of submitting the Cross
Roads historic area for status on
the National Register of Historic
Places.
Ramsey said he has also
received advice from the Regional
Development Commission staff
that suggests the city appoint a
Historic Resources Committee.
The committee could begin the
process of identifying Nicholson’s
valuable historic resources.
There are many valuable historic
resources in Nicholson that are
in danger of being lost, Ramsey
said. Some have already been
lost, he added.
Mayor Ronnie Maxwell asked
Ramsey and Margaret Ward to
serve on this committee. The
committee can begin work on
identifying the historic resourc
es, assessing their condition and
working with property owners
and the city to maintain or restore
these assets, Ramsey said.
The committee could also
establish a program of recogniz
ing and rewarding those in the
city who undertake, through their
own initiative, efforts to maintain
our historic treasures, Ramsey
said.
Ward said, “This area (Cross
Roads) needs to be preserved.
These are real people that I knew.
It would be a great legacy for
Nicholson to preserve this area.”
Several members in attendance
at Thursday’s work session spoke
out in favor of the plans to pre
serve this area.
Commerce City Council
member Archie Chaney said,
“Nicholson has done a lot for this
area. We appreciate everything
you have done.”
Greg Mathis Yearby said he
has family buried in this cemetery
and he is a major caretaker of the
cemetery.
Lamar Kidd said, “We need
to work to tackle this project
together.”
Tina Harris, Jackson County
Historical Society, said the soci
ety would visit the school for the
October monthly meeting.
Nicholson City Council mem
ber Howard Wilbanks said, “I
have a lot of memories of this
school myself. I would like to see
this done.”
Council member Faye
Seagraves said, “I think we all
need to do this.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Thursday’s
work session:
•Maxwell said the council is
considering an amendment to
the budget to get some capital
improvement projects done. The
schoolhouse project could be
included in this, Maxwell added.
Some other projects being con
sidered are paving, landscaping
and some brick work, Maxwell
added.
•Nicholson City Attorney Rob
Russell said anyone seeking a
temporary land use permit for
temporary use of a mobile home
in R-2, agriculture or business
zonings will be required to fill
out an application at city hall
and come before the council for
approval. The permit would be a
permit for one year if approved.
•Russell reported that Nicholson
residents are taking care of any
code violations found by Wayne
Holcombe, Code Enforcement
Officer.
•Maxwell said the city is plan
ning to change its budget from
July through June to January
through December. This will
mean the city will adopt a six-
month budget for July through
December and then, shortly there
after, adopt a January through
December budget.
•Billy Kitchens, Kitchen
Garage and Body Shop, came
before the council requesting a
business license. Kitchens said,
“The shop has been there for 30
years.” Kitchens said he last had a
valid business license in 2006. He
skipped 2007 and 2008. Russell
instructed Kitchens to meet with
himself and Holcombe to look at
this request.
The council will hold its regu
larly monthly meeting at 7 p.m.
on Thursday, March 5, at the
community center.
BYANGELA GARY
IN A split vote Thursday night,
the Jackson County Planning
Commission recommended deni
al of a Nicholson man’s request to
be allowed to use his property to
operate a small welding business.
The Jackson County Board of
Commissioners will take action
on the request at its March 16
meeting.
Marvin A. Gaines asked for a
home business license to operate
B&M Welding in a building on
his property at 1105 Cabin Creek
Drive. He said he had discussed
his plans with his neighbors and
no one is opposed to the business.
No one spoke in opposition at the
planning commission meeting.
Planning members John
Gaissert, Don Segraves and Tim
Comelison voted for denial. A1
Venable voted in favor of the
project.
“We can’t approve something
that is a violation of the code,”
Comelison said.
Segraves added, “I hate to
deny a man the use of his prop
erty... but we have to go along
with the plan.”
Venable asked Gaines what
hours the business would oper
ate. He said it would be 8 a.m. to
3 or 4 p.m.
“It wouldn’t be any hours that
would be a nuisance to anyone
around,” he said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the planning
commission:
•unanimously approved
a request from John Adams
to rezone one acre at 10216
Commerce Road from A-2 to
HRC. This is necessary in order
for Adams to construct a pole
bam on the property to store
items.
•approved an amendment to
the unified development code to
clarify permitted uses in each
zoning district and to consolidate
the inactive A-l and A-3 zon
ing districts into the AR zoning
district.
•approved an amendment to
the comprehensive plan to revise
the zoning classification of 221
parcels along Hwy. 124 and Hwy.
53 to more propertly reflect their
current use.
•learned that a request from
Fred Willis for a home business
license to operate a dental lab
at 91 Hunter Drive had been
withdrawn.
Food bank hours announced
THE HOURS for the Banks-Jackson Emergency Food Bank,
located at 111 Atlanta Avenue, Commerce, are from 9:30 a.m. to
1:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The food bank provides one-time emergency food supplies for
individuals and families referred by churches or social services.
Forty-nine more ‘island’ properties annexed into Jefferson city limits
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
A SECOND round of
annexations has brought more
properties into the Jefferson
city limits.
The city council approved
annexation and zoning for
49 properties on Feb. 23
that were considered to be
“islands” because the land is
surrounded on all sides by the
city limits. The council had
previously annexed and zoned
35 parcels into Jefferson.
There were no property
owners at Monday’s council
meeting to oppose the annex
ation and zoning moves.
One of the properties — a
2.02-acre site at 447 Oak
Avenue — was annexed by
the council during its first
round of “island” annexa
tions, but there was a request
for different zoning after a
public hearing.
The property is owned
by Nolan Kent Griffith and
was zoned for C-2, highway
commercial district, with
a number of zoning condi
tions. Council member Bosie
Griffith excused himself from
voting on the annexation and
zoning change.
The other annexations
include the following:
•Garner-Cheatham Family
Cemetery, 0.32 acres, 2081
Washington Street.
•Thomas Smith, 1.74 acres,
839 Holder Siding Road.
•James Michael Lynn, 1.2
acres, 813 Holder Siding
Road.
•Lois and Jesse Anglin,
0.75 acres, 775 Holder Siding
Road.
•Charles Hayes, 0.47 acre,
758 Holder Siding Road.
•JLH IT Real Estate, 0.62
acre, 758 Holder Siding
Road.
•Richard and Tammy
Hayes, 0.82 acre, 734 Holder
Siding Road.
•W.R. Duke, 0.86 acre,
Washington Street.
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Join Clarke Kesler & Friends
This week’s special guest:
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This Thursday Night, March 5 at 7 pm
• Beauchamp Valley Gospel Music Hall in Nicholson •
No charge! Come out and enjoy!
start every Thursday night,
pm. Come early and have
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March Schedule
March 12 - Albert Dailey
March 19 - The Mitchells
March 26 - Earl Wheeler
The Marksmans
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•Mike Pruitt, 2.50 acres.
Banks Road.
•Tingkham and Manolieng
Phommaly, 3.89 acres, Holder
Siding Road.
•Gary and Cindy Van Sloun,
10 acres. Holder Siding
Road.
•Hugh Martin Jr., 0.69 acres,
1923 Washington Street.
•Maybelle Covington, 1.8
acres, U.S. Hwy. 129 North.
•Maybelle Covington, 1.5
acres, 2165 U.S. Hwy. 129
North.
•Billy Pruitt, 40.84 acres,
U.S. Hwy. 129 North.
•George and Myrtle
McGinnis, 6.4 acres, 2221
U.S. Hwy. 129 North.
•Charles G. Martin, 4.78
acres, 2249 U.S. Hwy. 129
North.
•Charles G. Martin, 1.45
acres, 2249 U.S. Hwy. 129
North.
•James W. and Claudia
Chastain, 0.53 acres, 2218
Winder Hwy.
•James W. and Betty
Chastain, 0.89 acres, 2176
Winder Hwy.
•Jason H. Chastain, 1.06
acres, 2172 acres.
•Paul Breedlove, 1.0 acre,
2454 Winder Hwy.
•Diane and Donald L. Poe,
3.0 acres, 2330 Old Swimming
Pool Road.
•Diane Atkins, 6.41 acres.
Old Swimming Pool Road.
•Dewey Adkins, 3.0 acres,
2204 Old Swimming Pool
Road.
•James Wayne Ethridge and
Valerie Ethridge, 2.5 acres,
2022 Holder Siding Road.
•Howard K. and Peggy
L. Gillian, 2.63 acres, 1900
Holder Siding Road.
•Nima L. Crotwell, 5.21
acres, 1940 Holder Siding
Road.
•Mary Reba Cannon, 7.24
acres, 2380 Holder Siding
Road.
•Leroy Miller, 4.37 acres,
2484 Holder Siding Road.
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•Eddie and Opal Bradberry,
4.95 acres, 2510 Holder
Siding Road.
•Walter Esch, 9.53 acres,
2506 Holder Siding Road.
•Beverly and John D.
Goldman Jr., 1.18 acres, 1174
Academy Church Road.
•Jimmy Pruitt, 2.2 acres,
1106 Academy Church
Road.
•Billy Norris, 2.2 acres.
Academy Church Road.
•Phillip Earnest, William
Earnest and Daniel Earnest, 4
acres, 1087 Academy Church
Road.
•Peggy Shumake, 9.15
acres, 1190 Academy Church
Road.
•Jefferey Shumake, 2.0
acres, 2812 Holder Siding
Road.
•Gregory D. Lamb, 10.39
acres, 2754 Holder Siding
Road.
•Academy Missionary
Baptist Church, 4.4 acres,
721 Academy Church Road.
•Thomas E. Mooser, 0.48
acre, New Salem Church
Road.
•Hsin Shan Lee and Pi-Lan
Lee, 1.45 acres, U.S. Hwy.
129 North.
•Brenda W. Robson, 1.58
acres, U.S. Hwy. 129 North.
•Javier and Evangelina
Flores, 3.54 acres, 928 Holder
Siding Road.
•Cemetery, 1.4 acres, New
Salem Church Road.
•New Salem Church, 1.3
acres. New Salem Church
Road.
•Georgia Department of
Transportation, 0.7 acres,
U.S. Hwy. 129.
•Overnite Transportation,
11 acres, U.S. Hwy. 129.
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City of Maysville
NOTICE OF PUBLIC
HEARINGS
Please take notice that the City Council of the
City of Maysville, Georgia will hold a public
hearing on April 16, 2009, at 6:45 P.M. at the
Maysville Public Library to receive public
comments relating to proposed amendments to
the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Maysville
to place property located at 180 Church Street,
Maysville, Georgia, in the Historic Overlay
District and to provide that members of the
Maysville Planning Commission shall serve
four (4) year terms.
A regular meeting of the City Council will be
held immediately following the public hearing
at which the adoption of the changes will be
considered.
The Maysville Planning Commission will meet
on Monday, March 30, 2009 at the library at 6:30
p.m. to consider a recommendation on these
issues to the City Council.
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Homer Baptist Preschool
Fall Registration
2009/2010
• 2-Day - 2-year-olds 080.00 Monthly)
• 2-Day - 3-year-olds 080.00 Monthly)
• 3-Day - 3-year-olds (400.00 Monthly)
• 4-Day - 4-year-olds 0115.00 Monthly)
• 5-Day - 4-year-olds (425.00 Monthly)
It is once again time for fall registration.
Registration will begin Monday, March 2 at 8:00.
There is a $45 registration fee due at the time of
registration. Homer Baptist Preschool is ranked
in the over 95% percentile for kindergarten
readiness. This is made possible by offering
Bible time, educational time, music and also a
library for beginning readers.
For more information, call (706) 677-1039.
SPACE IS LIMITED SO DON’T DELAY!
5028 Hwy. 441 S. • P. O. Box 499 • Homer, GA 30547
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