Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
THERE IS a per
sonal and national
hazard out there that
I feel I should tell
you about. It’s been
around forever, but I
came face to face with
it only recently.
When Shirley and I
went to Savannah last
October, we missed
Madison, Eatonton,
Milledgeville, Dublin,
Swainsboro and Statesboro.
I was disappointed. I hadn’t
been to those towns in ages,
and I wanted to see them again.
Drive down their Main Streets.
They used to be my old stomp
ing grounds; I visited their news
papers regularly when I worked
for the University of Georgia.
We didn’t actually miss those
towns. We bypassed them. We
bypassed them because there
were by-passes along the way.
And it’s happening all over the
country. We are bypassing small
towns for large cities, and that is
not good. We get to Metropolis
quicker, easier, efficiently and
economically, but we miss
(bypass) the real America.
I’m sure you are aware by
now that I am talking about two
words here. There is by-pass
the noun, and there is bypass
the verb.
I know. Some of you think
I am obsessed with semantics:
“the study of meanings.’’ You
wonder why I often go to the
Dictionary and define words I
use in my stuff.
Please understand that I am
not writing down to you. Some
of you know exactly what words
mean - all the words you come
across in your daily walk. Words
like “solipsistic’’ are no prob
lem for you. But a few of us
aren’t sure what anything means
anymore in this fast-changing
world. By-passes get in our way
and we bypass education and
learning for ignorance, enter
tainment and pleasure.
There is the hyphenated by
pass, which is a noun meaning,
among other things, “a passage
to one side, esp. a deflected route
usu. around a town.’’ (That is why
we missed (bypassed) Madison
on our way to Savannah.)
And then there is a bypass
the verb, meaning, among other
things, “to avoid, neglect, or
ignore, usu. intentionally.’’
That’s the bypass that can get
us in trouble. It’s the hazard.
By-passes - good and bad -
abound. There is nothing we
can do about them. All we can
do is decide to bypass them or
take the easy way and go with
the flow.
It is important to know the
good by-passes from the bad. I
have a friend that went through
by-pass surgery. He is alive,
well, happy and making a con
tribution to society. That was
a good by-pass. Some of us
bypass what is best for us, like
bypass a trip to the
doctor.
Are there other by
passes out there that
we should bypass?
You bet there is! Here
are a few that give me
trouble;
Bypass the difficult
for the easy way out.
Bypass fruit and veg
etables for a Snicker’s
bar and a Twinkie.
Bypass a walk in the woods
for a nap on the couch and a cool
one when I wake up.
Bypass what needs to be done
for what I want to do.
Bypass forgiveness for anoth
er day of misery.
Bypass an opportunity to
lighten a burden by continuing
to carry a grudge.
Bypass newspapers and mag
azines for talk radio and trash
TV.
Bypass a quiet Sunday eve
ning with a good book for an
X-rated flick down at the local
cinema.
Bypass words we don’t under
stand while the Dictionary gath
ers dust alongside the Bible on
the bookshelf.
I’m sure you can add to the
list. The number of by-passes
is unlimited. Most of them have
signs and directions. Those that
don’t, we know in our hearts
whether to take them or go
around.
We often ignore signs and
directions on by-passes and take
them anyway. The result: we
wind up confused, frustrated
and lost. It happens when we
bypass our best judgment.
Maybe we should get off the
rat race by-pass, try to figure out
what went wrong and where we
are, and - perish the thought -
ask directions. Why do we men
find that so hard to do?
It is the Age of the By-pass.
They are everywhere and they
are here to stay. Some of them
are hazardous, but they don’t
have to be. The active verb
“bypass’’ can save us. Knowing
what to accept and what to
avoid (bypass), and acting on
that knowledge, will make us
the persons we were created
to be.
The frustrated preacher is
almost done now. He just looked
at his watch. He is about to
close his Dictionary, turn off the
word processor, and pronounce
the benediction. Just one more
thing:
He’d like to know how many
of you knew what “solipsistic”
means, and how many of you
who didn’t know looked it up.
He looked it up the first time he
ran across it and discovered he
had a bad case of “solipsism.”
The frustrated preacher hopes
you don’t catch it. Bypass it if
you can.
Virgil Adams is a former
owner/editor of The Jackson
Herald,
Beware the Age of the By-pass
Jefferson to vote on residential
development for elderly Jan. 25
BY SHARON HOGAN
THE JEFFERSON City
Council will vote on the rezoning
and variance request for a 56-unit
elderly apartment complex when
it meets on Monday, Jan. 25.
The requests were presented
to the council at Monday nights
meeting by developer Thomas N.
Ward, Florence, Ala.
The project is being proposed
for a 17.85 acre tract owned
by Jackson Land Properties,
LLC located at the intersection
of Business Highway 129 and
Storey Lane, Jefferson.
Ward is requesting to have the
property rezoned from C-2 (high
way commercial) to MFR (multi
family residential) district for the
purpose of residential mixed use.
The first phase of the project
calls for 56 total housing units
with six units per building. All of
the units will be one level with
sprinklers. Ward advised this will
be a for rent product. Five of the
units will be handicap accessible.
A full-time manager will be on
site.
This phase will be tax credit
property. The program will be
monitored through the Department
of Community Affairs. Ward
reported funding for the project
will be announced at the end of
August 2010 and he expects con
struction to begin in early 2011.
Ward advised the council that
he would get information to city
manager John Ward on a devel
opment like this that is located in
Gainesville in order for anyone
that is interested to get in touch
with the manager to set up a tour
of the property.
Ward is seeking a variance on
property for the amenities. The
city’s zoning regulations require
a pool and tennis courts for this
type of development.
Ward is seeking the variance
to allow for the construction of
a community room, computer
room and gazebo. Ward reported
residents in a development of this
nature will use this more than a
pool or tennis courts .
A vote on these requests will be
taken at the council meeting set
for 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 25, at
the Jefferson Civic Center.
The Jefferson-Talmo Planning
Commission recommended
approval of these requests at their
December meeting.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Monday’s
meeting:
•the council discussed an ordi
nance amending the city code
on buildings and building regula
tions. A vote will be taken on this
at the Jan. 25 meeting.
Jefferson mayor, new council members take oath
GRIFFITH AND DUBOSE TAKE OFFICE
Jefferson Mayor Pro-Tem Roy Plott (L) is shown on Monday night as he swears in
Bosie Griffith (standing, second from right) to another term on the Jefferson City
Council and Kathy DuBose (standing, right) for her first term. DuBose will take over
the Ward 2 seat on the council. David Varnadoe did not run for re-election to this
seat. Griffith represents Ward 4. Photos by Sharon Hogan
JOINER SWORN IN
Jefferson Mayor Pro-Tem Roy Plott (R) conducted the
swearing-in ceremony Monday night for Jefferson
Mayor Jim Joiner (L). Joiner narrowly defeated chal
lenger Debbie Langley in the November election to
serve another term as mayor.
KILLIP WINS PAINTING
Jefferson Public Works Director Jeff Killip (second
from left) was the recipient of a Barry Nehr (sec
ond from right), Jefferson, painting presented by the
Jefferson Tree Council. Killip made the closest guess to
the accurate tree canopy cover percentage. Also shown
are Mary Dugan (L), Jefferson Tree Council, and Connie
Head (R), certified arborist.
BY SHARON HOGAN
JEFFERSON Mayor Jim
Joiner and council members
Bosie Griffith and Kathy DuBose
were sworn in at the beginning of
Monday’s council meeting.
Both Joiner and Griffith are
returning council members and
DuBose started her first term on
Monday. Griffith represents Ward
4 and DuBose will serve Ward 2.
Jefferson Mayor Pro-Tem Roy
Plott performed the swearing-in
ceremony.
Council member Steve Kinney
will serve as Mayor Pro-Tem in
2010.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business:
•certified arborist Connie Head
presented the results of the tree
canopy cover study to the council.
The study was done in December
2009, as part of the city’s 2009
Urban and Community Forestry
Grant entitled “City of Jefferson
Sustainable Community Forest
Project.” The city conducted a
measurement of its existing tree
canopy and other land cover with
in the city limits. City staff and
volunteers spent over 100 hours
completing the actual land cover
measurements. Tree canopy cov
ers 55.8 percent of the land within
the city, other vegetation covers
29 percent, impervious surfaces
cover 11.3 percent, bare soil and
gravel covers 2.5 percent and
water covers 1.4 percent. Head
advised this study should be done
every three years. Head presented
a fist of recommendations to the
council in order to maintain a
minimum cover of 56 percent.
•Mary Dugan, Jefferson Tree
Council, presented Jefferson
Public Works Director Jeff Killip
with a painting done by Jefferson
resident Barry Nehr. Killip
received the painting for making
the closest guess to the accurate
tree canopy cover percentage.
Killip guessed 57 percent for tree
canopy and 15 percent for pervi
ous surfaces.
•finance director Amie Vaughan
presented the monthly financials
for each department. Vaughan
reported 85.19 percent of the gen
eral fund budgeted revenue for fis
cal year 2009 has been collected.
The electric franchise money is
not in, and this amounts to around
$1 million, Vaughan reported.
The city received $62,566 in local
option sales tax collections for
November, Vaughan reported.
•the council discussed issues
with the gravel portion of Martin
Luther King Jr. Avenue and prob
lems with garbage there. Killip
asked about closing this section
until the paving project is com
pleted. Council member C.D.
Kidd ID advised he would like
to go out and talk to the property
owner on that portion of the road
before any closing takes place.
Killip advised the city is patching
spots on Old Pendergrass Road.
•Killip advised the council the
reservoir is almost empty because
the water control gates are being
replaced. The Department of
Natural Resources will supply
fish to the city on January 25 and
again in May for the city reservoir.
“DNR recommends that public
access fishing be stopped for two
years to allow the young fish to
grow,” Killip said. Signs will be
posted and the police department
will be advised of this.
•city manager John Ward asked
the council to consider amending
the current wrecker ordinance that
calls for all wrecker storage lots to
be enclosed by a wooden fence.
Ward proposed allowing vinyl
slats to be inserted in chain-link
fencing to create an enclosure.
•Ward asked the council mem
bers to consider areas that might
be included in the list of Northeast
Georgia Regional Commission
Regionally Important Resources
(RIRs). The list will be compiled
and presented to the commission.
Joiner advised council members
to keep in mind the resource
should be of value to the region,
not just the city.
•Ward presented a list of
upcoming activities: Jefferson
Community Theatre will pres
ent “The Odd Couple” January
21-24; on Monday, Jan. 18, the
city will observe Martin Luther
King Jr. Day as a holiday; the
Jefferson Library will hold a book
sale from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on
Friday, Jan. 29, and from 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30; the
Jackson County Area Chamber
of Commerce’s annual awards
banquet will be held at 6 p.m. on
Thursday, Feb. 4, at the Jefferson
Civic Center; and Arbor Day is
Friday, Feb. 19.
The next council meeting is set
for 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 25, at
the civic center.
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