Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2009
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
Education Story of the Year
Crime Story of the Year
Both Jackson and Jefferson schools meet AYP
BYANGELA GARY
ALL SCHOOLS in the
Jackson County, Jefferson City
and Commerce City school
districts made Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) for 2009.
AYP is the formula used
to determine if schools are
meeting expectations under
the federal No Child Left
Behind Act. It consists of
three parts — test participa
tion, academic achievement
and another statistic, called a
“second indicator.”
All of the schools making
AYP and the improvement in
the graduation rate at Jackson
County Comprehensive High
School was the Education
Story of the Year for 2009.
One of the biggest changes
in the 2009 final results by
the state shows an almost 10
percent jump in the gradua
tion rate at Jackson County
Comprehensive High School.
In 2008, the school failed to
meet AYP for a graduation
rate of 69.0 percent. In 2009,
JCCHS's graduation rate
jumped to 79.1 percent.
“That’s a phenomenal
increase over a year’s time,”
said Shannon Adams, superin
tendent for the county school
system.
The state requires that high
schools have a graduation of
75 percent in 2009 to make
AYP — compared to 70 per
cent in 2008.
Overall, the state’s gradua
tion rate rose by three percent
to 78.9 percent in 2009. State
Schools Superintendent Kathy
Cox said in a statement that
improving Georgia’s gradua
tion rate is the top education
priority.
An official gradua
tion rate for East Jackson
Comprehensive High School
won’t be available for one
more year.
“For AYP purposes, a high
school does not have a gradu
ation rate until they have had
four years as a new school,”
Adams said.
Environmental Story of the Year
Jefferson works to preserve and protect city’s trees
BYANGELA GARY
JEFFERSON LEADERS
launched an effort in 2009
to protect and preserve trees
in the town after receiv
ing a grant for the project.
Volunteers joined in the effort
with a city-wide tree count
being one of the accomplish
ments during the year. The
effort was the Environmental
Story of the Year for 2009.
One of the projects of the
Heritage Tree Council dur
ing the year was to determine
the percentage of tree canopy
in Jefferson. A two-day event
was held on Nov. 11-12 at
the Jefferson Civic Center
where volunteers collected
data from aerial photos of the
city. Volunteers and workers
used large-scale photographs
that were taken in February
to determine the city’s tree
canopy percentage.
The project was part of a
yearlong Jefferson Sustain
able Community Forest Proj ec t
that was funded by a Georgia
Urban and Community
Forestry Grant. In addition to
the measurement, the project
includes the second phase of
the city’s tree inventory, tree
maintenance training for city
and school staff, evaluation
and revision of the city’s tree
ordinance and development of
a comprehensive community
forest master plan.
“We want to ensure that the
City of Jefferson is able to
enjoy all of the many benefits
of having a healthy, diverse,
expansive tree canopy,” said
Barbara Johnson, vice chair
man of the tree council.
Two Jefferson department heads get ‘no’ votes
BYANGELA GARY
WHAT IS usually a routine
action to approve department
heads for another year changed
Monday night when council
man C.D. Kidd asked that the
council vote on the department
heads one at a time instead of
approving them all together.
The council then voted on each
department head individually
with two getting no votes from
two members of the council.
Councilman Kidd and Bosie
Griffith voted against the reap
pointment of Jeff Killip, pub
lic works director, and Beth
Laughinghouse, Main Street
manager. The three other
councilmen, Roy Plott, David
Vamedoe and Steve Kinney,
voted in favor of the two depart
ment heads.
Other department heads
approved in a unanimous vote
of the council were: Amie
Vaughan, finance director;
Bobby Gooch, fire chief; Amy
Carlan, library director; Joe
Wirthman, police chief; Colt
Green, recreation director;
and Elizabeth McDonald, city
clerk.
The council also met in
closed session for just over 30
minutes to discuss the annual
evaluation of city manager
John Ward. No action was
taken when the meeting was
opened to the public.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business Monday
night, the council:
•approved a resolution in
support of the streetscape proj
ect.
•approved a recommenda
tion from the library board of
trustees calling for the organi
zation to be disbanded. It was
reported at an earlier meeting
that the library board’s respon
sibilities could become part of
the Friends of the Library orga
nization.
•approved a request from
Doug Sims for a two-year
extension on his lease for
property located at 55 College
Street where Direct Supply is
located.
•approved meeting dates for
2010. The council will con
tinue to hold a work session
on the second Monday of each
month and a voting session
on the fourth Monday of each
month.
Pendergrass budget down by 45 percent for ‘10
BY SHARON HOGAN
AFTER HOLDING three
public hearings, two of which
were held on Wednesday,
Dec. 23, the Pendergrass City
Council unanimously approved
the proposed 2010 budget at
Tuesday’s council meeting.
Few residents turned out for
the public hearings on the pro
posed $360,000 budget. The
2010 budget is down 45 per
cent from the 2009 budget.
“The mayor and council have
agreed to forego their salaries
in 2010,” city manager Rob
Russell said.
Russell reported there would
be no benefits paid - insurance
(medical, dental or vision) and
retirement - for city employees
during 2010. No capital pur
chases or projects are included
in the 2010 budget, Russell
advised.
The city will hold court every
three months instead of every
month, Russell stated.
The city’s millage rate will
remain at three mills for 2010.
“The city is operating effi
ciently,” Russell said.
Mayor Monk Tolbert said,
“We can’t generate any more
revenue ... more cuts in the
budget is our only route.”
Pendergrass resident Bob
Bates said on Wednesday,
“Everybody has to bite the
bullet ... we have to sacrifice
sometimes ... we understand
you have to cut.”
The 2010 budget proposal is
projecting property tax revenue
at $49,000, this is a decrease of
$10,000 from 2009. Sales tax
revenue is projected at $77,000
for 2010, this is a $48,000
decrease from 2009.
Tolbert instructed Russell to
provide the council with quar
terly reports on the financial
condition of the city in 2010.
“If we need to make addi
tional financial cuts, we will as
needed,” Tolbert said.
Russell said the cities would
be the last to recover, behind
federal, state and county gov
ernments, from the economic
downturn.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Tuesday’s
council meeting:
•Renee Martinez presented
the monthly library report
showing 52 patrons, 58 com
puters users and $12 in revenue
from copies and faxes.
•Russell presented the
monthly street report. He
reported the street department
is in the process of taking down
the Christmas decorations and
doing some clearing along the
roadways.
The next regularly scheduled
council meeting will be held at
6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26,
in the Pendergrass Depot.
News Story continued from page 1A
Commerce man sentenced to life
in prison for murdering grandson
BY ANGELA GARY
A COMMERCE
man was sentenced in
September to spend
the rest of his life in
prison for the mur
der of his 6-year-old
grandson.
The murder of the
kindergarten student
by his grandfather was the
Crime Story of the Year in
Jackson County for 2009.
Robert Clark pled guilty
and was sentenced to serve
life in jail without the possi
bility of parole. If he had pled
not guilty, the state could have
sought the death penalty.
Michael Levigne, a kinder
garten student at Commerce
Primary School, was killed in
March by a gunshot wound
to the chest in the Troy
Street, Commerce, home of
his grandparents. Police say
Clark shot his wife, Linda
Dale Clarke, 58, in the chest/
stomach area before
he himself was shot
by police officers
after he fired a weap
on at them. Police
believe Clark shot
and killed his grand
son in a fit of rage
over a watermelon.
In court, Clark had
a cast on his arm from injuries
he sustained in the shooting.
He was given the opportunity
to speak, but did not give any
statement. He only answered
questions from Judge Joe
Booth, acknowledging that
it was his decision to plead
guilty and that he understood
the consequences.
Six family members were
also in court, but did not ask
to speak during the proceed
ings. One family member did
abruptly leave the courtroom
as the proceedings ended and
yelled, “I hope you rot in
hell,” to Clark.
CLARK
Jefferson FUMC plans
to expand put on hold
Council postpones rezoning action
BYANGELA GARY
JEFFERSON LEADERS
are going to set a meeting
between Jefferson United
Methodist Church members
and area residents opposed
to the expansion plans by
the church. The city council
voted Monday night to set
up this meeting and postpone
any action on the zoning
request from the church.
Before taking this action,
councilman Steve Kinney
and David Varnedoe voted
to approve the request. This
motion failed when the other
council members, Roy Plott,
C.D. Kidd and Bosie Griffith,
voted against it. Plott then
made the motion to postpone
any further action until the
church and community meet
to discuss the project. All of
the council members except
for Varnedoe voted in favor
of postponing action.
Mayor Jim Joiner asked
Plott what the goal of the
meeting will be and what he
hopes is accomplished. Plott
replied that “stipulations and
conditions” of the project
would be discussed.
Jefferson UMC is asking
to rezone 3.7 acres at Colley
Street and Storey Street to
O-I (office institutional) with
construction of a family life
center and 225 additional
parking along the plans.
Plans are for the 3.7 acres to
be combined with two adja
cent parcels that are already
zoned O-I. Further phases of
the project call for two more
buildings — a sanctuary and
an education building.
The rezoning is expected
to be on the agenda again
for action when the council
meets at 6 p.m. on Monday,
Jan. 25, at the civic center.
The meeting between the
community members and
church has not been set up
yet but it occur before the
voting session of the city
council.
SUBDIVISION REQUEST
In other business Monday
night, an annexation request
that would allow the devel
opment of an “independent
senior living community” on
Y.Z Sailors Road was denied
in a unanimous vote of the
council. Elora Stargel had
asked to annex and rezone
20 acres on Y.Z. Sailors
Road from A-2 to R-3 for
the 40-unit senior citizen’s
residential development.
In other planning busi
ness at the meeting Monday
night, the city council
approved amendments to the
soil erosion and sedimenta
tion control and flood dam
age prevention ordinances.
The change to the soil ero
sion ordinance was made
to comply with recent state
guideline changes. The flood
damage change adds the new
flood maps.
of Lavonia, one of the area’s
stronger community banks.
But the FDIC took a $35.8
million loss on the takeover,
the audit said.
In mid-July, Winder-based
First Piedmont Bank was
taken over by the FDIC and its
deposits sold to First American
Bank and Trust of Athens. A
small bank similar to Freedom,
First Piedmont was organ
ized in 1998 and had a branch
in Walton County. Also like
Freedom, it struggled with bad
real estate loans and its capital
fell out of compliance with
regulations.
:
Of the area’s community
banks, five have fallen to the
lowest ratings by both major
rating services and at least
three of the five have been,
or currently are, under orders
from state or federal regula
tors. More local bank failures
are expected in 2010 as the
real estate market continues to
stall.
BUSINESS CLOSINGS,
LAY OFF
During the summer of 2009,
the Jefferson Caterpillar plant,
a key flagship local industry,
closed due to the economic
downturn. The facility, which
\
TOWN HALL MEETING
District 3 Commissioner Bruce Yates will be
holding a Town Hall Meeting at the Hoschton
Depot on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Mr. Yates is seeking discussion on the 2010
county budget, property assessments,
informational updates on the new Hoschton park,
the Zion Church Road project, the Jackson County
Comprehensive Plan, Agri-Cycle, the 2010 Census
and other issues of concern to citizens.
The public is invited to attend.
v
✓
made fuel systems for the com
pany’s heavy equipment, began
laying off some 89 employees
starting in May. The local facil
ity’s production was moved to
plants in Thomasville, Ga. and
Pontiac, Ill. The Jefferson plant
was the first production location
for the company in Georgia. It
opened its 110,000 square foot
plant on John B. Brooks Road
near 1-85 in 1995.
Large layoffs were also
implemented at BJC Medical
Center and J.M. Huber during
the year. The county govern
ment, as well as some towns
and the county board of educa
tion, mandated unpaid furlough
days for its employees. The
county school system cut its
personnel and some programs,
while several towns made
major budget cuts.
County’s unemployment
rate sees slight drop in Nov.
JACKSON COUNTY saw its unemployment fall slightly in
November. Jackson had a rate of 10.7 percent, down from 10.8
percent in October.
Jackson continues to have one of the highest rates in
Northeast Georgia with all surrounding counties lower. Only
Barrow County is in double digits while other area counties
are below the 10 percent level.
-jkMes&a
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