Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2009
Car company eyeing Braselton for site
CARBON E7
Carbon Motors Corporation is developing the Carbon E7, a new vehicle designed
just for law enforcement. Features of the Carbon E7 include radiation, chemical and
biological threat detection; 360-degree exterior surveillance audio and video capac
ity; automatic license plate recognition system; and optional integrated ballistic
protection. Photo by Carbon Motors
Water authority to vote
on generator purchase
Projected 10,000
direct, indirect
jobs cited
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
BRASELTON HAS been
named to the short list of poten
tial sites for a new automotive
company that could bring 10,000
new direct and indirect jobs to
the area.
Carbon Motors Corporation
announced last week that seven
cities — including Braselton
— in five states are being con
sidered for the company’s head
quarters.
Carbon Motors is a new home
land security company that has
developed the Carbon E7 — the
world’s first purpose-built law
enforcement patrol vehicle.
The company — which is tem
porarily headquartered in Atlanta
— recently stopped at Chateau
Elan to highlight the vehicle dur
ing a national tour.
The company plans to invest
more than $350 million to devel
op and produce the Carbon E7,
which is slated for production
in 2012.
A projection forecast made by
Georgia Tech shows that 10,000
new direct and indirect jobs
would be created in the region
selected for the site, according to
the company. It is estimated that
over a 10-year period, the area
would have a $3 billion positive
economic impact.
However, a company spokes
person declined on Thursday to
specify a site in Braselton that
could become Carbon Motor’s
new home. The town spans four
counties.
“We’ve actually been explor
ing our possibilities for the past
few months,’’ said Stacy Dean
Stephens, a spokesperson for
Carbon Motors.
Officials in Braselton and
Jackson County don’t know
where the potential site is located,
either.
“Nobody in the town of
Braselton knows,’’ said Jackson
County Area Chamber of
Commerce president Shane Short
on Thursday. “We’re not aware of
it. And none of the developers
that I know that have the acreage
JACKSONCOUNTYreceived
state assistance for road clean up
after a “local state of emergency’’
was declared during the recent
snowstorm.
“We have removed the local
state of emergency that was
imposed on March 1,” EMS
director Steve Nichols said
Friday. “We put in place this
action mostly for us to have the
ability to receive state aid as
was needed during our recov
ery activities. We did utilize state
resources to assist in removing
trees and debris from our road
ways which allowed for clearing
and the reopening of our major
and secondary surfaces in an
expedient manner.’’
Nichols pointed out that sever
al other counties in the area failed
to respond with this action and
did not receive state aid, which
led to it taking longer in clearing
and opening secondary streets.
“I would like to thank all
involved with this weather sys
tem in making what could have
that would be needed over there
knows about it.’’
Tim Evans — vice president
of economic development for the
Greater Hall County Chamber of
Commerce — said the organiza
tion would be excited if Carbon
Motors selects an area site for its
facility.
“We’ve had some discussions
with Carbon Motors, but (we)
don’t really have anything to add
at this point,’’ Evans said.
The Greater Hall County
Chamber of Commerce is work
ing with state officials on any
requests from Carbon Motors,
he added.
“Braselton would be a great
fit in the tradition of car mak
ing with Panoz, Road Atlanta
and Lanier National Speedway,’’
Evans said.
Carbon Motors chairman and
CEO William Santana Li high
lighted Road Atlanta in a blog
on the company’s website about
positive aspects in the state.
“Georgia is on my mind,’’ Li
wrote. “From the Road Atlanta
race track, to the Creative Coast,
the Savannah port, to the busi
est airport in the world (89 mil
lion people going through ATL
every year!), and the growing and
diverse city of Atlanta, there is a
lot to talk about.’’
Li—a former executive at Ford
been a much worse situation
into a manageable occurrence,’’
Nichols said. “We know that
there are areas of improvements/
needs, and we will be addressing
them over the next few weeks.’’
On Sunday, March 1, three to
nine inches of snow was reported
across Jackson County. County
schools were closed Monday and
Tuesday of that week and city
schools were closed Monday.
From midnight on Saturday,
Feb. 28, through midnight on
Monday, March 2, the 911 cen
ter received 2,239 calls, with
the majority being related to the
storm. This included 707 calls
for law enforcement; 126 calls
for fire departments; 59 calls for
EMS; and 34 calls for rescue
volunteer.
During the storm, more than
20,000 people were without
electricity, with Jackson Electric
Membership Corporation and
Georgia Power crews work
ing around the clock to restore
power.
Motor Company — wrote simi
lar blogs about North Carolina,
South Carolina, Michigan,
Indiana and Florida.
Besides Braselton, Carbon
Motors said its short fist of poten
tial sites include Pooler, Ga.;
Connersville, Indiana; Plymouth,
Mich.;Charlotte,N.C.; Greenville,
S.C., and Spartanburg, S.C.
In another blog, Li wrote about
what factors Carbon Motors con
siders when selecting a site loca
tion.
Among those factors are best
people, great customer experi
ence, a major international air
port, superior culture, and a part
ner with the political will for a
private-public collaboration.
Li also said the company will
consider key suppliers and part
ners in the region.
“Can we minimize the inbound
and outbound logistics cost?’’
he wrote. “Where have the new
recent major industrial firms
located?’’
The Braselton area is home
to Panoz Auto Development
Company, Lanier National
Speedway, Road Atlanta and
YearOne.
Other major industries with
distribution centers in the area
include Haverty’s, The Home
Depot, Tractor Supply, Whole
Foods, PetCo and Progressive
Kemp, Athens, announced his
intention to run for Georgia’s
Secretary of State in 2010.
Kemp is seeking to replace
Karen Handel who has
announced plans to run for gov
ernor.
Said Kemp, “Karen Handel
has done a great job reform
ing and streamlining this vital
office. I am running to continue
her good work and to make the
Secretary of State’s office a part
ner in efforts to create jobs across
our state.’’
Kemp served in the Georgia
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Lighting. Chateau Elan and
Mayfield Dairy are also a major
industry in the area.
Carbon Motors anticipates that
its facility would create 1,500
direct jobs in the selected region,
Stephens said.
The company hopes to
announce its final decision by the
summer, but it can’t predict how
quickly government officials will
respond to Carbon Motors, he
added.
“We are keeping our com
mitment to share transparently
with the public our discussions
regarding the site location for
Carbon Motors as we work to
foster the public-private collabo
ration needed to provide our first
responders the equipment they so
sorely need,’’ Li said in a state
ment.
The company’s Carbon E7 will
use clean diesel technology and is
capable of running on biodiesel
fuel.
Carbon Motors plans to design,
develop, manufacture, distribute,
service and recycle at end-of-life,
the world’s first purpose-built
law enforcement patrol vehicle,
according to the company. There
are currently more than 450,000
law enforcement patrol vehicles
that were not made in the U.S.
For more information, visit
www.carbonmotors.com.
State Senate from 2002-2006.
In 2006, Kemp sought the
Republican nomination for
Agriculture Commissioner.
Craig Lesser and Wesley
Langdale are serving as Kemp’s
campaign co-chairmen.
A lifelong resident of Athens,
Georgia, Brian Kemp is a gradu
ate of the University of Georgia
where he earned a Bachelors of
Science in Agriculture.
Kemp, 45, is married to the
former Marty Argo of Athens.
They have three daughters and
are active members of Emmanuel
Episcopal Church in Athens.
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Serving Clarke, Oconee, Madison,
Jackson and Oglethorpe Counties
By Mark Beardsley
NEIGHBORS OF the
Jackson County Water and
Sewerage Authority shouldn’t
be bothered by the sound of the
generator at the Middle Oconee
Water Reclamation Facility.
The authority will vote
Thursday night to spend almost
$75,000 to deaden the sound
created by the emergency gen
erator, which has already been
installed.
Manager Eric Klerk
explained at the March 5 work
session that the generator emits
100 decibels of sound — 30
more than the maximum level
the authority allows in proj
ects built by developers. That’s
the same standard enforced
by the Quad Cities Planning
Commission, under whose
jurisdiction the project falls.
Residents of apartments
across the Winder Road from
the waste plant have already
complained, Klerk noted in
recommending the fix.
To deaden the sound, the
authority will have to enlarge
the base upon which the gen
erator now sits and bring in
a new containment unit to go
over it.
“It is not a simple proce
dure,’’ Klerk noted.
By Zach Mitcham
MADISON COUNTY State
Senator Ralph Hudgens recent
ly introduced legislation to pre
vent an “Octomom’’ incident
in Georgia, but the proposed
restrictions on in vitro fertiliza
tion have been dropped from
the legislation, which is now
aimed at outlining how Georgia
will handle stem cell research.
Hudgens said a Senate sub
committee voted 7-6 Monday
morning — mostly along party
lines — to take out all language
regarding in vitro fertilization
from Senate Bill 169 (SB 169),
also known as the “Ethical
Treatment of Human Embryos
Act.’’
“My reason for introducing
that (SB 169) was to elimi
nate the possibility of what
happened with Nadya Suleman
happening in Georgia,’’ said
Hudgens, referring to the
widely publicized case of a
California single mother of six
who gave birth to octuplets
with the help of in vitro fertil
ization.
Many were outraged that
Suleman will likely require
government assistance to raise
her children and that doctors
implanted so many embryos in
a single mother of six.
Hudgens’ legislation was
criticized as over-reaching,
possibly reducing the chances
of some women to have just
one child.
“The criticism I got is
that it’s more restrictive than
the American Society of
Reproductive Medicine guide-
“Shouldn’t we have known
about it before we put it (the
generator) in,’’ asked member
Rob Jordan.
“We’re having discussions
on that at this time,’’ advised
chairman Randall Pugh.
The generator comes on
automatically when the power
to the treatment plant fails. It
also runs for a half hour every
week for testing.
“I think Eric’s right,’’ Pugh
said. “We’ve got to do this. If
it ever had to run on a warm,
balmy summer night, that
sound will travel a long way.’’
Also on the agenda for
Thursday’s meeting, which
will be at 6 p.m. at the author
ity’s office on Martin Luther
King Jr. Drive in Jefferson, is a
revision of its policy concern
ing deposits. The effect will
be to lower deposits for some
residential customers with
good credit or good payment
histories; to establish a $200
deposit for commercial and
small industrial customers; and
to establish security deposits
from $100 to $500 for builders
and developers. Some custom
ers who have a good payment
history for a year will get their
deposits credited back to their
accounts.
lines and I’m willing to accept
those guidelines,’’ said Hudgens
Friday. “So I think that will
defang that argument.”
Hudgens also said Friday that
“it’s too early to play taps” on
SB 169 this legislative session,
noting that a committee meet
ing Monday morning could
give the bill new life.
After that meeting Monday,
Hudgens said the committee
agreed to eliminate language
regarding in vitro fertilization.
“That’s something we will
study more and consider at a
later date,” he said.
However, the amended bill
will address embryonic stem
cell research in Georgia, pro
hibiting the creation of new
embryonic stem cell lines in
the state. The senator said this
legislation, if passed, would
prohibit scientists from taking
a fertilized human egg and kill
ing it for research purposes.
“This will not limit, retard
or restrict stem cell research
in Georgia,” said Hudgens. “It
just restricts the creation of new
stem cell lines in Georgia.”
Hudgens said stem cell lines
created in other states could
still be used for research in
Georgia.
The District 47 senator said
the bill also prohibits cloning
and research involving human-
animal hybrids.
“I think it was the right
thing to do,” said Hudgens of
Monday’s amendments. “It’s
my bill and if I didn’t think it
was right, then I could let it
die.”
GRANT NOTICE
Adult Education providers are invited to apply for
federal funding to deliver adult education services
in jurisdictions in Georgia. Interested agencies may
obtain the Request for Application (RFA) from the
Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), Office
of Adult Education (OAE) website at: www.tcsg.edu
or call (404) 679-1625 for additional information.
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County gets storm clean up aid
Kemp to seek Secretary of State
FORMER STATE Sen. Brian
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‘Octomom’ legislation now
focused on stem cell research