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PAGE 2A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Seasonal flu vaccine now available
56 flu cases reported in county schools
ROUTINE seasonal flu
vaccine is available a month
early this year. Health depart
ments in the ten-county health
district surrounding Athens
(Barrow, Clarke, Elbert,
Greene, Jackson, Madison,
Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe
and Walton) have flu vaccine
available for the public begin
ning Monday, Aug. 31.
In the county school sys
tem, 56 cases of flu have been
reported so far. At the two
high schools, 16 cases of flu
have been reported. The coun
ty elementary schools have 28
cases of flu reported and the
three county middle schools
have 12.
Special flu clinics will be
held at both Jackson County
Health Department locations
in Jefferson and Commerce
on Friday, Sept. 4, Friday,
Sept. 11 and Friday, Sept.
18. No other services will be
offered during the special flu
clinics.
The usual high-risk patients
should get the shot as they
have every year. People over
65-years-old and people with
high-risk conditions are at
greatest risk for complications
from seasonal flu. However,
as has been recommended for
several years, the shot is also
recommended for people of
all ages from six-months-old
and up. Just as for the last sev
eral years, flu shots cost $25
and are covered by Medicare
and Medicaid. Hours for the
Jefferson clinic are: Monday,
Wednesday and Thursday
from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.;
Tuesday from 8 a.m. until
6:30 p.m.; and Fridays from 8
a.m. until 1 p.m. Hours for the
Commerce clinic are: Mondays
from 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.;
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Thursdays from 8 a.m. until 4
p.m.; and Fridays from 8 a.m.
until 1 p.m. No appointment
is required.
Symptoms of flu include
sudden onset of fever, head
ache, fatigue, dry cough, sore
throat, nasal congestion and
body aches. In the U.S., flu
usually peaks in late fall or
winter. In addition to getting
an annual flu shot, public
health officials recommend
these steps to prevent the
spread of flu:
•Wash hands, especially
before touching face or eat
ing. Use an alcohol-based
hand sanitizer when soap and
water are not available.
•Don’t breathe where
someone has just coughed or
sneezed.
•Cover coughs and sneezes
with a tissue or upper sleeve.
•Stay home from work or
school if feeling sick to avoid
spreading germs to others.
Information on other clin
ics can be found by calling
the Public Health Information
Line at 1-800-4PD-HELP
or by visiting www.
PublicHealthAthens.com.
Potters House officials eyeing expansion
By Katie Huston
THE POTTERS HOUSE is looking
toward the future with possible expan
sion plans in the works. To do so, the
organization would need to amend its
future land use designation from rural
places zoning to public institutional.
The Jackson County Planning
Commission recommended approval
Thursday of the request and it will go
to the board of commissioners for action
when it meets at 6 p.m. on Monday,
September 21, at the courthouse.
The Potters House, located at 655
Potters House Road, Jefferson, is a faith-
based recovery program for men who are
often indigent and suffer from depen
dency issues. They live on the Potters
House property for a year while under
going counseling and receiving spiritual
guidance, as well as vocational training
for future jobs.
There are two pieces of property con
trolled by the Potters House. An existing
181-acre operations parcel is already
zoned public institutional. The organiza
tion is requesting expanding that to their
369.98 parcel which is currently zoned
Rural Places.
If the request is approved, a rezone
request would be made in the future on
a portion of both properties allowing for
any future expansions.
Scott Haynes is with Williams &
Associates, who is making the request
on behalf of the Potters House.
“Currently, the Potter’s House can
hold 80 clients,” he said. “But they see a
real desire to expand this.”
With the expansion, two new buildings
could emerge.
A new 21,000 square foot community
center is one addition the Potters House
hopes to make. It would include a gym
nasium, classrooms and offices among
other amenities.
They are also looking to build a 12,000
square foot program house with 32
rooms for occupancy with two beds in
each room.
OTHER
BUSINESS
Other action at the planning commis
sion meeting included the following:
•approval to Timothy J. Payne for a
special use permit on approximately
4.11 acres of land for a home and gar
den equipment repair and maintenance
business. The property is located at 787
Crooked Creek Road. A 20 by 20 shop
on the property would house the busi
ness.
•approval to Lamar Thaxton for a future
land use map amendment to 37.10 acres
of his property located at 116 Thaxton
Road. The request would change the
property from agricultural preservation
to rural places. Thaxton would like to
give the land to his granddaughter.
•approval to Kimberly Legg for a
change to the land designation of approx
imately 5.53 acres of property located at
4323 Highway 82 North. The change
would be from rural places to industrial
workplace.
Teenagers charged in robbery
after leading officers on chase
THREE TEENAGERS are in custody following an armed
robbery at the Jefferson 1-85 RaceTrac late Friday night.
Juan Ramirez, 17, 3036 Clairmont Road, Atlanta; and
Alberto Roque Robles, 20, 1601 Lia Hairrool, Norcross; were
charged with armed robbery. The third teenager arrested is a
juvenile.
Jefferson Police Chief Joe Wirthman said Saturday that the
three robbed the service station around 1:20 a.m. Two of the
teenagers reportedly went into the gas station wearing hoods
and demanded money. They both allegedly had hand guns.
They took money and went outside where a third teenager was
waiting in a truck.
A Braselton officer spotted the men traveling down 1-85 and
gave chase, along with Gwinnett officers. The suspects exited
at Exit 111 and went toward Forsyth County. They wrecked
about seven miles north of 1-85.
Two were captured at the scene and the third was arrested
Saturday morning.
The suspects threw their guns out during the chase and offi
cers are still trying to recover those. Most of the money was
recovered, Wirthman said.
Two zoning changes on tap
for Jefferson-Talmo Comm.
THE Jefferson-Talmo Planning Commission will con
sider two zoning requests when it meets at 6 p.m. on
Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the Jefferson Civic Center.
Items on the agenda for the meeting include the follow
ing requests:
•Ricky Roberts to rezone 15 acres at 1428 and 1444
Mountain Creek Church Road from A-2 (Agricultural
Rural Farm District) to C-2 (Highway Commercial) to
locate a contractor’s office.
•Mike and Wendy Mahaffey to rezone two acres at 303
Legg Road from A-2 (Agricultural Rural Farm District) to
R-l (Single Family Residential District) for the purpose
of residential use.
Brock named ‘Employee of Year’
Roger Brock of Nicholson, a laboratory animal caretaker
at South East Poultry Research Laboratory, recently received
the “Wage Grade Employee of the Year” award.
This award is for the entire south atlantic of the United
States.
Meetings changed due
to Labor Day holiday
SEVERAL government meetings have been rescheduled
due to the Labor Day holiday on Monday, Sept. 7.
The Hoschton City Council will hold its September meeting
on Monday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. The work session will be held
on the prior Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. Both meetings will
be at city hall.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will meet
on Monday, Sept. 14, instead of on the first Monday of the
month. The BOC also has a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on
Monday, Sept. 21. Both meetings will be at the courthouse.
The Nicholson City Council will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday,
Sept. 14. A work session will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday,
Sept. 3. Both meetings will be held in the community center
located next to city hall.
The Maysville City Council will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday,
Sept. 14. A work session will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday,
Sept. 3. Both meetings will be held at the public library.
First meeting set Sept. 8 on
county comp, plan update
SEVERAL town hall meetings are planned to discuss the
county’s update of the comprehensive plan.
The schedule is as follows:
•7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8, Braselton Municipal Building.
•7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 15, Jefferson Civic Center.
•7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 28, Nicholson Community Center.
•7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, Commerce Civic Center.
“The meetings will be interactive in a way to allow everyone
to give suggestions to all of the components of the Jackson
County Comprehensive Plan,” county public development
director Gina Mitsdarffer said. “We have opened the meetings
to all citizens from Jackson County and you can attend one or
all of the meetings. Participation is a huge key to the success
of building and executing this plan.”
Citizens are being asked for input on a variety of different
growth patterns and resources in the county.
“Please feel free to go to the Jackson County website at
www.jacksoncountygov.com and click on the comprehensive
plan on the blue bar to the right of the webpage,” Mitsdarffer
said. “This site has a questionnaire that we are asking all citi
zens to fill out and return to our office.”
A recap and review of the update will be discussed at 6
p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Administrative Building in
Jefferson.
The planning commission and the board of commission
will also hold public hearings on the update. The planning
commission meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept.
24, at the Administrative Building. The BOC meeting is set
for 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19, at the county courthouse.
The comprehensive plan includes topics such as population,
housing, economic development, natural and cultural resourc
es, land use, community facilities and services, and intergov
ernmental coordination. It provides policies which the county
will consult when making growth and development decisions.
The plan, once adopted by the board of commissioners, will
be used as a guide in decisions regarding rezoning, capital
improvements and new programs and initiatives. Jackson
County prepared its most recent comprehensive plan in 1997
and partially updated it in 2007.
The county has hired Jerry Weitz & Associates, Inc., plan
ning and development consultants, to lead the public partici
pation process and prepare the plan documents. The county’s
department of public development will also assist with the
update.
Jackson County has also contracted with Moreland-Altobelli
Associates to complete the road portion of the comprehensive
plan.
Members of the citizen steering committee are: Daryl
Buffenstein, Chuck Murphy, Roxane Rose, Scott Kedrick,
Janet Adams, Robert Bowman, Cindy George, Jimmy Hix,
Carlton Allen, Joel Logan, Scott Martin, Kathy Wilbanks,
Dennis Cote, George Harvell, Martha Martin, Larry Reinhardt,
Chris Hensley, Angie Scarborough, Mike Stowers, Dean
Stringer, Manny Rodriguez, Marvin Walker, Tim Comelison,
A1 Venable, Bruce Yates and Keith Hightower.
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