Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
School board honors
teachers of the year
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
DAWN BROCK isn't just a
teacher who loves helping stu
dents during the school year
— she also gets them involved
in the community during the
summer.
TheEastJacksonElementary
School first grade teacher
picks students to participate in
community service projects —
such as helping the Boys and
Girls Club — during summer
vacation. Afterwards, Brock
rewards the students with a
special treat, such as a trip to
the movies.
“They look forward to that
each summer,” said EJES
principal Jennifer Halley.
Brock is the teacher of the
year for EJES and the Jackson
County School System. She’s
now a contender as a pos
sible finalist for the teacher of
the year in Georgia. Jackson
County has had several final
ists in the state competition
over the past few years.
Brock, who lives in
Nicholson, also taught in
Gwinnett County for three
years and has earned her mas
ter's and specialist’s degrees.
She has been at EJES for five
years.
“She just has a great person
ality and a love for teaching,”
Halley said.
Brock was one of 14 educa
tors in the district named as
teachers of the year for their
schools who were honored by
the Jackson County Board of
Education on Monday. The
top teachers were selected by
their peers for the distinction.
TOP TEACHERS
The Jackson County Board
of Education also honored its
other teachers of the year for
the district. They are:
•Ron Prescott, science
teacher, Jackson County
Comprehensive High School.
•Chris Edwards, internship,
East Jackson Comprehensive
High School.
•Ronda Tate, math teacher,
Gordon Street Center.
•Chris Pendley, gifted math,
West Jackson Middle School.
•Lisa Tolbert, seventh grade
social studies teacher, East
Jackson Middle School.
•Brandy Crisp, seventh
grade social studies and
English/language arts teacher,
Kings Bridge Middle School.
•Lori Cato, fifth grade teach
er, North Jackson Elementary
School.
•Helen McKown, kinder
garten teacher. South Jackson
Elementary School.
•Gay Chandler, EIP teacher,
Maysville Elementary School.
•Joyce Henson, gifted
and EIP teacher, Benton
Elementary School.
•Donna Colvin, first
grade teacher, Gum Springs
Elementary School.
•Carly Parr, fifth grade teach
er, West Jackson Intermediate
School.
•Tina Johnston, kindergarten
teacher, West Jackson Primary
School.
DAWN BROCK
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business on
Monday, the Jackson County
Board of Education:
•approved a new superin
tendent's contract such that
the provision calling for an
automatic one-year extension
following a “satisfactory”
annual evaluation is no longer
included.
•tabled a change to a policy
about competitive interscho
lastic athletes for grades 6-8.
The proposed change would
require that student athletes
pass at least three of four aca
demic subjects per semester
and three of four connections
classes per semester. The cur
rent policy requires that stu
dents pass five academic sub
jects. The proposed change is
posted on the BOE’s eBoard
website and is taking pub
lic comments. The BOE is
expected to vote on the pro
posal in February.
•elected Kathy Wilbanks
as board chairperson and Jill
Elliott as vice board chair
person. Both hold those posi
tions currently.
•heard from superintendent
Shannon Adams, who said
that the 2010-2011 school
calendar will stay close to
the existing school calendar.
An advisory committee of
teachers is expected to dis
cuss the proposed 2010-2011
school calendar next week
and the BOE will discuss it
in February. The school board
plans to publish a disclaimer
with the calendar that states
it could be changed after its
approval, due to potential fur
lough days.
•learned that wet and cold
weather has delayed a con
struction project at North
Jackson Elementary School.
However, the contractor was
able to get exterior walls on
the side of the cafeteria up
this week.
•recognized Benton
Elementary School, East
Jackson Middle School, East
Jackson Comprehensive
High School and Jackson
County Comprehensive High
School for being honored
by the Georgia Department
of Education for serving
an above average number
of lunches each day to the
schools’ student populations
in the 2007-2008 school
year.
•heard annual accountabili
ty reports from administrators
at Gum Springs Elementary
School and East Jackson
Middle School.
CARD OF THANKS
The Family of Harvey Gathright, Jr.,
would like to thank each and everyone
who showed kindness with words,
foods and especially your prayers in the
passing of our beloved Husband, Father
and Brother. May God bless each and
everyone of you.
Thank you,
With our love,
Mildred and Douglas Gathright
Brothers and Sisters
Hoschton and water authority to meet about outsourcing
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
HOSCHTON OFFICIALS won’t know for at least a month
what it will cost to outsource their water and sewerage opera
tions to Jackson County.
But the county water and sewerage authority is poised to vote
tomorrow (Thursday) night to extend the mutual aid agreement
enacted Dec. 21 for another month while it firms up cost figures
for an operating agreement between the parties.
The authority took over sewerage and water operations after
city officials found what Hoschton Mayor Erma Denney called
“deplorable conditions” at the city’s waste treatment plant.
Hoschton suspended its operator, Johnny Hill, without pay and
he subsequently resigned.
Speaking at Monday night’s authority work session, Denney
repeatedly praised the authority.
“Your team came in and really shined,” she said.
She said the situation at the plant was a surprise.
“At no point in time did I expect to find what I did when we
visited the plant,” Denney said.
In addition to the sewerage issues, the authority also cleaned
up water problems related to Hoschton's lone well.
“We put Hoschton on our water right away,” said Eric Klerk,
the authority’s manager. He cited two factors affecting the qual
ity of the water, which was creating consumer complaints. One
was the low ph of water in the White Street well, a problem
made worse with the addition of chlorine and fluoride. The
other was an oversized pump that caused tiny bubbles in the
water, affecting its appearance.
The water problems cleared up almost immediately.
Authority personnel expressed amazement over the condi
tion of operations in Hoschton. Engineer Fred Alke noted
that the authority found an unopened parcel from the Georgia
Environmental Protection Division (EPD).
“It had in big letters, ‘OPEN IMMEDIATELY,'” Alke said.
“It had been there six months.”
“It was nothing short of a miracle,” Denney said, in turning
things around. “You put it up to your standards. I cannot over
state the gratitude of the Hoschton residents.”
The issue now is what it will cost Hoschton for Jackson
County to operate its system. A draft copy of a contract pro
jected a $90,000 annual fee for basic operations necessary to
meet state permits for both water and sewer operations.
However, on Monday night Klerk told Denney he was con
fident the authority could “back off that fee. Both he and
Denney pointed out that Hoschton will be buying about 3 mil
lion gallons of authority water each month. That purchase helps
lower the authority’s unit price at the Bear Creek Reservoir.
“If y'all are committed to buying our water, that’s a factor,”
Klerk agreed.
Denney referenced Hoschton’s financial difficulties and
asked the authority “to be fair to your partner” in determining
the cost.
Authority chairman Randall Pugh told her: “Our desire is to
help you in whatever way we can, but our primary responsibil
ity is to the ratepayers of the authority and the taxpayers of
Jackson County...”
The authority will have a better handle on its operating costs
— and thus a better idea of what it must receive from Hoschton
— once the waste treatment plant is put into shape, which
includes repairing the sludge return pumps and re-establishing
effective levels of bacteria.
“From the biological end, it could be mid-March,” said waste-
water manager Mark Dudziak, who proposed making no deci
sion until the authority’s March meeting. “I’ll have the permit
numbers at that meeting. We’ll know what the plant will do 100
percent at that time.”
The authority took over Hoschton’s operations under a mutu
al aid agreement crafted among area water and sewer operators
about two years ago as a stopgap measure in emergency situa
tions in which the public health is threatened.
Talmo joins insurance plan
Empty trailer catches fire
BY KATIE HUSTON
TALMO IS now enrolled in
the National Flood Insurance
Program, which will provide
federal help in the event of
flooding. In a city council
meeting on Jan. 5, the council
agreed to participate in the
program.
To stay in accordance with
regulations, Talmo must main
tain and enforce adequate land
use and control measures with
effective enforcement pro
visions. The city must also
evaluate flood-related erosion
hazards and provide infor
mation regarding land status
when requested.
Even though the town was
not in the National Flood
Insurance Program until now,
Talmo adopted a flood dam
age prevention ordinance in
2004 in a joint effort with
Jefferson as part of its Land
Use Management Code
(LUMC).
To stay in accordance with
the LUMC, Talmo needed its
own flood damage prevention
ordinance.
Mayor Larry Wood was
unable to attend the Jan. 5
meeting. Mayor Pro Tem
Myra McEver led the meet
ing.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the
Talmo City Council meeting:
•revisions to the local soil
erosion and sedimentation
ordinance were approved.
The state is requiring both
Jefferson and Talmo to amend
the ordinance in the Land Use
Management Code.
•approximately .52 of an
acre of Ricky Roberts’ prop
erty was annexed to coincide
with the rest of his property
that was recently rezoned
from Agriculture Rural Farm
to Rural Residential.
•certificate of deposit (CD)
rates were reviewed and
Talmo will keep its checking
account with Regions Bank.
No action was required.
•Talmo completed the SAVE
(Systematic Alien Verification
for Entitlements) program.
Georgia is one of three states
requiring all cities to com
plete the program. It will be
used when business owners
receive business licenses and
their information will be run
through the federal govern
ment’s program insuring legal
residency.
•in December, at the Talmo
Library, there were 142 patrons
and 81 books checked out. In
addition, librarians will start a
program allowing patrons to
donate books in honor or in
memory of someone.
THE WEST Jackson Fire
Department responded to a
structure fire Sunday evening
at a Jackson Trail Road resi
dence in Hoschton.
The structure involved was
a vacant trailer that was fully
involved with fire upon arriv
al.
According to Chief Ben
Stephens, the cause appeared
to be an electrical fire. He said
that even though the building
was vacant, it still had power.
The trailer was a total loss
and was extinguished by the
WJFD along with the assis
tance of the Jackson Trail
Volunteer Fire Department, the
Jackson County Correctional
Institute and Barrow County
Fire Engine No. 5. The Jackson
County Med 2 provided EMS
support for the incident.
OTHER INCIDENTS
Other incidents that the
West Jackson Fire Department
responded to last week includ
ed:
•transport vehicle fire on
1-85 in Braselton, where a trac
tor-trailer truck was reportedly
on fire on an exit ramp. The
blaze was extinguished before
firefighters arrived. The driver
said he would take his truck to
the Pilot Travel Center on Ga.
Hwy. 53 to inspect it.
•passenger vehicle fire on
1-85 in Braselton, where a
vehicle was fully involved
in flames when firefighters
arrived. A southbound lane of
traffic, along with one north
bound lane, was blocked for
the vehicle that was parked
in the emergency lane. All of
the passengers in the vehicle
got out safely and the fire was
quickly brought under con
trol.
•gas spill at Zack's Too
on Ga. Hwy. 53, Hoschton,
where a five-gallon fuel spill
was reported. A substance was
applied to the estimated three
to five-gallon fuel leak on the
ground to absorb the gasoline.
NEED PRINTING?
CALL 706-367-5233!
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Mobile home fire reported
A MOBILE home in
Commerce was damaged by a
fire on Thursday.
Commerce, Maysville
and the Jackson County
Correctional Institute Fire
Departments responded to 64
Jefferson Ave. in Commerce
to a reported structure fire.
They found a 1,500 square
foot single family residence
with light smoke showing.
The house was vacant at the
time of the fire. The fire was
quickly extinguished and
damage was contained to the
origin room of the structure.
No injuries were reported.
CARD OF THANKS
The Family of Owen Webb would
like to thank everyone for your
sympathy and support during the
sickness and death of our father.
Also, we would like to thank
everyone for their patronage of
the Snack Shack. We regret the
closing on December 28, 2009.
The Family of Owen Webb
The Nicholson City Council will hold a
public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year
2010 budget at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday,
January 28, at city hall.
The proposed budget is available for
public inspection at city hall during normal
business hours.
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LANDSCAPING & HORSE ARENAS
• RIVER SAND
• TOP SOIL
• RIVER ROCK
• WHITE SAND
• FILL DIRT
•PEA GRAVEL
WILLIAMS SAND
770-967-6501 OR 706-789-3779
Danielsville, GA • www.williamstransportco.com
Highway 106 to Jot-em Down Rd. to Young Harris Road to Serenity Lane
437 Lee Street
Jefferson, GA 30549
FIREWOOD
CHICKEN LITTER FERTILIZER
Other Mulches and Gravel
Available Upon Request
PBOPMCTS
Pine Straw, Wheat Straw,
Mulch Hay and Feed Hay
(Square & round bales available)
MULCHES
Red & Brown Colored Mulch
Single & Double Ground Hardwood
Mini Nuggets • Cypress
GRAVEL
Crusher Run • 57’s
Bob Cat and Semi & Dump Truck Service Available.
(706) 367-3862
Delivery & Installation Available With All Products.
Discounts Available • Call for details.
www.thestrawlotga.com • www.pinestrawandmulchstrawlotga.com
City of Arcade
NOTICE OF INTENTION TO
INTRODUCE LOCAL LEGISLATION
Notice is given that there will be introduced at
the regular 2010 session of the General
Assembly of Georgia a bill to amend an Act to
provide a new charter for the Town of Arcade,
approved April 5, 1995 (Ga. L. 1995, p. 4042), so
as to provide for staggered terms of office for
members of the City Council; to provide for
related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
This 14 day of January, 2010.
We Buy All
Gold & Silver
.Gamesoiffe
4
770-532-2592
1020 Jesse Jewell Pkwy. • Gainesville, GA
Mon. - Thurs. 10-6:30 • Fri. - Sat. 10-7
Including:
Class Rings • Wedding Bands
• Coins • Broken Jewelry
• Dental Gold