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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2009
Changes in airport rules, regulations discussed
BY SHARON HOGAN
PEOPLE USING the
Jackson County Airport may
soon see some changes in the
rules and regulations at the
airport.
The Jackson County
Airport Authority members
met on Wednesday, Dec. 9,
to discuss a list of proposed
rules and regulations at the
airport.
Each member was asked to
go over the proposed rules and
regulations and make recom
mendations as to any changes
that need to be made.
“The current rules are
very much outdated and the
old rules are not enforce
able,” airport manager Bob
Stapleton said.
This item will be on the
agenda when the authority
meets at 10 a.m. on Thursday,
Jan. 7, at the airport.
Also on the agenda at the
January meeting will be pro
posed development standards
for the airport.
“We are trying to get some
thing in place to protect
people who are coming later
on down the road,” authority
chairman Shannon Sell said.
Gina Mitsdarffer, Jackson
County Planning Director,
advised the authority that a
document is already in place
to protect the air space of the
airport.
“We want to deal with
things such as having a screen
around the trash bin, etc.”
Stapleton said.
The authority is currently
reviewing a draft copy of
development standards used
at the airport in Tullahoma,
Tenn.
This draft will be discussed
in detail at the Jan. meeting
of the authority.
“Within 30 days we really
need to get this adopted,”
Sell said.
Mitsdarffer was instructed
to work on creating an over
lay district for airport prop
erty as well.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at
Wednesday’s meeting:
•Mitsdarffer discussed the
county’s unified development
code with the authority mem
bers. Mitsdarffer advised the
authority that the zoning of
parcels owned by the airport
authority should be aligned
and included in the county’s
official map. “We need to get
these recorded and brought
in line as General Industrial,”
Mitsdarffer advised. “This
would not be a zoning issue,
but would go along with the
official adoption of the coun
ty map.” The county has set
Jan. 11, 2010 for adoption
of the map and municipal
code. Authority member John
Buchanan made a motion to
change the official zoning on
three parcels of land being
purchased by the airport
and all airport property. The
motion carried unanimously.
•Ed Hearn, Geo
Technologies, Inc., advised
the authority on slope prob
lems at the far end of the
runway. Hearn said, “Shallow
sluffing is what the prob
lem is called. This problem
occurs when the near surface
soil becomes saturated and
starts moving.” The authority
advised Hearn to work up the
details on two types of repairs
and pass them along to the
county’s road crew. “Ideally
it would be better to do this
when it is better weather,
maybe the end of April or
the end of May,” Hearn said.
Hearn advised the authority
that it should be O.K. to wait
on these repairs and just to
keep an eye on the problem.
•the authority held a dis
cussion with Brian Salyers
and Carl Ellington, Talbert
& Bright Engineering and
Planning Consultants,
Charlotte, N.C., on the 2011-
2015 capital improvement
program (CIP). The authority
is working on the updated
five-year CIP to submit to
the Georgia Department of
Transportation by Dec. 31,
2009. The authority approved
the following additions to
the five-year plan: develop
ment of a nine-acre parcel,
airplane wash rack on the
east side of the airport, widen
runway to 100 feet, extend
runway to 5,500 feet, add
car parking spaces, design
of runway extension project,
environmental assessment for
runway extension and justi
fication, land acquisition for
runway extension and new
lighting system.
•the authority unanimously
approved a motion to apply
for a grant to fund water
and sewer infrastructure at
the airport.
•Stapleton advised the
authority that he is still wait
ing on some work from RAI
on a proposed ground lease.
•the authority members
viewed the location for the
new self-service fuel system.
Tim Daniels explained the
new layout and procedure for
the system to the members.
Adams to continue as
school superintendent
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
SCHOOL Superintendent
Shannon Adams will
remain the top official
of the Jackson County
School System, the
board of education
decided on Monday.
The board gave
Adams — who has
served as superin
tendent for three years — a
“satisfactory” rating during
his annual evaluation.
School board members
met behind closed doors to
discuss personnel without
Adams in the room for sev
eral minutes, before bring
ing the superintendent back
in. Overall, the BOE held
a closed-door meeting for
an hour and 20 minutes on
Monday before announcing
its decision to the public.
Adams has completed the
first year of a three-year
contract, chairperson Kathy
Wilbanks explained on
Tuesday. He has two years
remaining on the existing
contract.
The board decided to not
extend Adams’ contract
beyond the current term and
he won’t get a pay increase.
It is the second year that
Adams hasn’t received
a pay hike. His annual
salary in FY 2008 was
reported at $154,160,
according to the
Georgia Department of
Audits and Accounts.
Wilbanks said most
superintendents in
Georgia are employed on
three-year contracts. Last
year, the BOE extended
Adams’ three-year contract
for one year.
The school system’s tight
financial status also led the
board to not give Adams a
pay increase.
“We just elected not to do
a salary increase,” Wilbanks
said. “We’ve got so many
other issues to worry about.”
Before becoming super
intendent of the Jackson
County School System,
Adams worked in the dis
trict’s central office for
several years. He is also a
former superintendent of
the Oconee County School
System and served as princi
pal of Jackson County Middle
School for five years.
ADAMS
Energy savings paying off for school system
Jefferson BOE questions
low bidder in project
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
TURNING OFF exte
rior lights at East Jackson
Comprehensive High School
is making a big impact on its
electric bill.
The high school trimmed
its energy bill by 26 per
cent — from $26,770 to
$19,800 — from October to
November, according to dis
trict officials.
The $7,000 difference was
attributed to an energy reduc
tion plan that has been used
by the Jackson County School
System since September.
Overall, the district’s
electric bill totaled $97,785
— a 12 percent drop from
October. That’s about what
it cost to supply energy to
the schools in July — when
classes weren’t in session.
Of the district’s 15 facilities
— including the board of edu
cation office — 11 decreased
their energy bills for the last
month, said superintendent
Shannon Adams on Monday.
On some months since
August, a number of schools
have reduced their energy
consumption by 20 percent
or more.
To save electricity — and
money — schools are turn
ing off computers and other
devices at the end of the
day and turning off interior
lights.
Refrigerators, microwaves,
coffee makers, convection
ovens and space heaters were
also removed from class
rooms.
The Jackson County Board
of Education plans to con
tinue reviewing energy costs
each month.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the
Jackson County Board of
Education:
•decided that the board will
hold a combined work ses
sion and regular meeting on
Monday, Jan. 11, at 6 p.m.
•agreed to continue holding
its monthly work session at 6
p.m. on the Thursday prior to
the second Monday of each
month and the regular board
meeting at 6 p.m. on the sec
ond Monday of each meet
ings. All work sessions and
regular meetings will be held
in room B-16 at the Gordon
Street Center.
•authorized the superinten
dent to request two waivers
from the Georgia Department
of Education regarding Title
I, Part A, ARRA funds.
•heard that a construction
project at North Jackson
Elementary School is four
weeks behind schedule, due
to rainy weather. The initial
project completion date is
April 15, 2010.
•learned that the Georgia
Department of Public Safety
recently conducted an inspec
tion of the district’s 104 buses.
Four of the buses were “red
flagged” and taken out of ser
vice for minor problems. The
repairs were made and the
school buses were back in
service the following day.
•table the expenditure
of up to $7,800 in Special
Purpose Local Option Sales
Tax (SPLOST) funds to
sand, refinish and seal the
gym floor at West Jackson
Middle School. The board
will address the expense next
month.
•tabled the expenditure of
$330 in SPLOST funds to
move a security camera from
the gym to the A hall and
installing a key pad at the
B-16 entrance at the Gordon
Street Center. The board will
address the expense next
month.
•approved the expenditure
of up to $95,000 of SPLOST
instructional technology
upgrades at West Jackson
Primary School and $125,000
for instruction technology
upgrades at West Jackson
Intermediate School. The
schools are the last in the
district to be retrofitted with
interactive whiteboards called
Smart Boards in classrooms.
•approved the resignation
of Tuesday Edwards, French
teacher (50 percent), EJCHS;
Roger Powers, PE teacher (49
percent), JCCHS: Sarah Jones,
fifth grade teacher, MES; and
Martha Welchel, food service
assistant, KBMS.
•approved the employment
of Paula Brett, teacher, EJMS:
Brandon Ivester, fifth grade
teacher, MES; and Susan
Minkiewicz, eighth grade
teacher, KBMS.
•approved a leave of
absence for educational pur
posed for Karyn Gunter, para-
professional, Gordon Street
Center.
•heard from parent Jerry
Presley about an incident at
East Jackson Middle School
in which he could not check
out his child from the school
for a doctor’s appointment.
Presley said a school employ
ee in the front office didn’t
let him check out his child
because he arrived during
the time that students are not
allowed to checkout prior to
the end of the day. Presley
said he was disturbed that
the school system would
have a policy restricting par
ents from checking out their
child at any time, especially
for doctor appointments. He
asked the board to adopt a
unified policy for the district
recognizing the right of par
ents to get their child and that
school employees follow the
policy. Superintendent Adams
said the current policy was
adopted to prevent parents
who habitually checkout their
child early to avoid car pool
lines at the schools. Adams
said the district will handle
the request administratively,
but Presley said he would
start a petition among parents
to have a new policy approved
by the BOE.
BY KATIE HUSTON
FURTHER REVIEW is
underway concerning the
low bidder in a retention
pond project slated to begin
at Jefferson Elementary
School.
The low bidder is AWS
Development Services,
Hoschton, but Dana Sykes
of Engineering Management
Incorporated thinks there
might be a flaw in the bid.
Sykes was not at the Dec.
10 meeting of the BOE, but
said that the amount of dirt
projected to be moved was
significantly less than the
amount she projects.
“We just want to make sure
that they don’t get over there
and then find out that some
thing’s been miscalculated,”
Superintendent John Jackson
said. “And then we’re looking
at them wanting to increase
the amount (they charge)
because of the additional dirt
that’s got to be moved over
and above what they were
projecting.”
AWS projected 6,100 cubic
yards of dirt would be moved.
Sykes thinks around 18,000
cu. to 20,000 cu., which is
more than three times the
amount AWS estimated.
Jackson said that the dirt,
which will remain onsite,
had been an issue from the
beginning - where to put
it and how much there was
going to be.
“Where the misunderstand
ing is in is just how much dirt
is going to have to be brought
out of there to get that reten
tion pond built according to
specs,” he said.
AWS was the lowest bid
der by far amid the wide
range of bids received. The
pond is slated to be behind
the bus shop at JES and will
serve as an area for rainwater
runoff.
The site will be further
evaluated and the BOE hopes
to begin construction short
ly-
Unless there’s a significant
difference in the amount oi
dirt and the amount the com
pany will charge, the board
will proceed with AWS as
the contractor.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the
Dec. 10 meeting:
•several electronics equip
ment were declared surplus
at JES, Jefferson High School
and Jefferson Academy. The
equipment was deemed obso
lete and will be disposed of.
•Beck Heating and Air is
installing a new HV/AC in the
Martin Institute Vocational
Building for $9,000. The
company had the lowest bid.
•the council approved
a fixed-price contract with
RESA (Regional Educational
Service Agencies) in the
amount of $73,324 that cov
ers the costs of vision, hear
ing, occupational therapy,
physical therapy, orientation
and mobility and speech and
language services for FY
2010.
•a resolution was read
in honor of board member
Damon Wilbanks. He attend
ed his final meeting as a
board member last week.
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