Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
New Arcade City Council member sworn in
BY BRANDON REED
THE NEWEST member of
the Arcade City Council was
sworn in January 11.
Ricky Walker took the oath
of office during the coun
cil's first meeting of 2010.
Mayor Doug Haynie, who
was returned to office in the
last election, was also sworn
in, along with other members
of the city council. Council
member Dean Bentley was
not present.
Council member Ron Smith
was chosen to continue as
Mayor Pro Tempore by a
unanimous vote. Smith has
served in that capacity for
several years.
The council voted unani
mously to approve a leave
of absence for Dean Bentley,
who will be in Florida for the
next three months.
Revenue for the city for
WALKER TAKES
OATH OF OFFICE
Ricky Walker takes the
oath of office during the
January 11 Arcade City
Council meeting. Walker
is the newest member of
the council.
Photo by Brandon Reed
the month of December was
down $15,000, according to
the finance report given by
City Administrator Deborah
Mockus. Mockus said a lag
in sales revenue and SPLOST
revenue was the cause, but
said that expenses were ahead
by $7,300, giving a month
end total of -$6,700. Parks
and Roads revenue were also
below projections for the
month at $520, but expens
es were ahead $6,100, for a
month end balance of $5,600.
With there being no court
held in December, revenue
for that department as down
$39,500, but expenses were
ahead by $25,000 for a month
end balance of $5,600.
For the year to date at the
end of December, the city was
down a total of $207,000.
According to Police Chief
Randy Williams, his depart
ment patrolled 8,561 miles
for the month of December,
burning 729 gallons of gas at
a cost of $1,805. The depart
ment made four felony arrests
during the month, 10 mis
demeanor arrests, three DUI
arrests and answered 18 calls.
The department completed a
total of 37 incident reports
and four accident reports.
In other business, a request
for a business license from
Marion Wood was approved
unanimously during the meet
ing. The license will allow
Wood to operate Complete
Landscaping out of a Trotter's
Ridge Road address. Also
approved was a business
license for Carolyn Craven to
operate Darlene's Family Hair
Care and Tanning Salon out of
an Athens Highway address.
That request was approved
unanimously as well.
JHS reports strong End of Course Test results
BY KATIE HUSTON
JEFFERSON HIGH School reported
strong test results on the winter 2009 End of
Course Test (EOCT).
Highlights of the report include the accel
erated Math 1 course where 100 percent of
students met or exceeded expectations. That
was a small group of students, however, and
the rest of those results will be reported at the
end of the spring semester.
Compared to years past, increases in stu
dents meeting or exceeding expectations
were largest in Economics and US History.
In the spring of 2009, 41 percent of
students did not meet expectations in US
History compared to only 11 percent this
year. The board attributed results to changes
in instruction.
State reports are not yet in, so a regional and
statewide standing is not available. However,
the Jefferson City Board of Education said
that it would bring an update as soon as the
reports are made available.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business:
•the board approved 76 requests for fund
raising from the schools in the system includ
ing athletic requests.
•the retention pond project was approved
with a bid from AWS Development
Services.
•the board announced that it will come to
the March meeting with a recommendation
regarding the Insurance Broker Service and
Benefit Options.
•a board retreat will be held March 12 and
13 at the First Georgia Bank in Jefferson.
•a 2010-2011 school calendar update was
given. Normally at this point in the year, the
BOE is able to recommend a calendar for
approval. However, BOE Chairman Ronald
Hopkins said that the board may have to
adopt a calendar with questions still up in
the air given the issue of state funding and
furloughs.
• all meetings of the BOE will continue
to be held on the second Thursday of each
month at 4 p.m. in the Jefferson City Board
of Education Meeting Room located in the
William Duncan Martin Performing Arts
Center. The one exception will be the June
meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, June
8, to avoid conflict with the Georgia School
Board Association Summer Conference.
•board members were approved to
serve on the following committees: Janice
Wilbanks and Angela McKinney, Instruction
Committee; Willie Hughey and Derrell
Crowe, Facilities Committee; Guy Dean
Benson and McKinney, Public Relations
Committee. In addition, Hughey was
approved as the vice-chairman and Benson
was approved as the treasurer.
Chamber ends year in black, with increased numbers
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
MAYBE THE state govern
ment could learn something
from the Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce.
Faced with the prospect of
ending its fiscal year in a
deficit, the chamber instituted
a turnaround in August that,
well, turned things around.
Last Friday morning the
results were final. The cham
ber finished the year $41,000
in the black and with 570
members — 31 more than
when 2009 began — all dur
ing the peak of the worst eco
nomic times since the Great
Depression.
Treasurer Emily Howell
delivered the good news at the
monthly directors' meeting:
The chamber had income of
$485,491 ($47,000 more than
budgeted) against expenses of
$444,292 ($14,000 over bud
get) and wound up the year
with $95,328 cash on hand.
“The two biggest things
were the maps and the mem
bership drive,” Howell told
the board.
She was referring to a new
county map being produced
by the chamber, advertis
ing for which boosted the
revenue; and a November-
December membership drive
that helped replace members
who had dropped out due to
the economy and provided a
surge of dues income.
Chamber president Shane
Short pointed to another
revenue enhancement —
the chamber’s Economic
Development Alliance. That
group was formed to provide
financial assistance to the
chamber’s economic develop
ment efforts.
“When we passed the
budget, we hoped to carry
over $65,000,” Short told the
directors. “We’re carrying
over $95,000.”
Sam McDuffie, who is
chairman in 2010, reminded
the board that at one point
the chamber had considered
establishing a line of credit
because of the glum revenue
picture.
“We should have a stable
year going into 2010,” Short
told the board.
The chamber will celebrate
the successes of 2009 at its
annual meeting on Thursday,
Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. at the
Jefferson Civic Center. The
theme, appropriately enough,
is “Mission Possible.”
HOUSEKEEPING
DETAILS
In other business last week,
the directors approved the
2010 Executive Committee,
which includes Short,
McDuffie, Keith Johnson,
Howell, Gina Mitsdarffer,
Hunter Bicknell, Scott Martin,
Charles L. Hardy Jr., Kathy
Wilbanks and David Latham.
It also approved the re-elec
tion of its standing committee
chairman, including Short,
Economic Development
Council; Lisa Stephens,
Education; Larry Cole,
Small Business Development
Group; Kay Parks, Tourism;
and Nikki Adams, Women in
Business.
STARS, TEACHERS
TO BE HONORED
Linda Foster, vice presi
dent for member services,
reminded the directors that
the annual reception for
STAR students and teach
ers and Teachers of the Year
for all three local school
systems will be held at 5:30
p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22,
at the Lanier Tech cam
pus on South Elm Street in
Commerce.
OXENDINE TO SPEAK
Former insurance com
missioner and Republican
candidate for governor John
Oxendine will speak at the
chamber’s February break
fast meeting on Wednesday,
Feb. 3, at the Jackson EMC
Auditorium.
Admission is $5 for cham
ber members and $10 for
nonmembers.
r
HELP WANTED
The Georgia Department of Human Services,
Division of Family & Children Services, is looking
to hire Social Services Case Managers. Positions
are open in Banks, Hart and Stephens counties.
Please visit dhrjobs.com for the complete
announcement.
In Memory of
MARTY SWEAT
1968 - 2007
Well little brother, it has been three years,
We think of you often as it brings us tears.
We hear of your memories,
both far and wide,
A reminder of our faith,
we will see you on the other side.
The Sweat Family
OUTLINING DOWNTOWN PLANS
Brad Jones, project consultant for JJ&G, outlines the
proposed changes in the Braselton streetscape proj
ect during an open house meeting on Thursday.
Braselton streetscape project to
include wider sidewalks, plazas
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE LOOK of downtown
Braselton won’t just start to
change with two major road
projects this year - but a beau
tification project, as well.
The downtown Braselton
streetscape project will bring new
sidewalks, street lighting, trees,
benches and other elements to
the Ga. Hwy. 53 corridor - from
the Braselton/Hoschton bound
ary at West Jackson Road to the
new intersection of Ga. Hwy. 53
and Ga. Hwy. 124.
That intersection will be
revamped in 2010 in a town
project to realign Ga. Hwy. 124
from the front of the Braselton
Brothers Store to behind the
facility in a new intersection
with Ga. Hwy. 53.
Jackson County is also slated
to start its Zion Church Road
project this year, when a new
route for the busy roadway
will affect traffic in downtown
Braselton.
Officials with all three proj
ects - the realignment of Ga.
Hwy. 124 behind the store, the
Zion Church Road project and
the Braselton streetscape project
- are coordinating their efforts to
have simultaneous construction
possibly start this summer.
The Braselton streetscape
has a six to eight-month con
struction timeline, while the Ga.
Hwy. 124 realignment project
has a 12-18 month construction
timeline.
On Thursday, the Braselton
Downtown Development (DDA)
held an open house meeting to
give the public is first glimpse of
the streetscape project.
Once completed, the
streetscape will serve as a “gate
way” to Braselton's proposed
town green, said Brad Jones,
project consultant with JJ&G.
Braselton plans to establish a
“town green” as a major focal
point for downtown near the
existing intersection of Ga. Hwy.
124 and Ga. Hwy. 53, in front
of the Braselton Brothers Store.
That project can't become a real
ity until Ga. Hwy. 124 is moved
behind the store and is opera
tional for the town and Georgia
Department of Transportation to
swap land.
Meanwhile, the streetscape
project will make downtown
Braselton more pedestrian
friendly with a number of
improvements. The streetscape
project also extends along Ga.
Hwy. 124 from the library to
behind the store along the new
route.
One of the key changes will be
wide sidewalks along the state
highways that will be accented
with street trees and fighting.
It will also include new “plaza
space” focal points with a land
scaped area and brick veneer
seatwalls. The details are similar
to those used in a project in
Rome, Ga., Jones said.
The plaza spaces are planned
near the new Ga. Hwy. 124/
Ga. Hwy. 53 intersection by the
Braselton Brothers Store and
an antique gas station. Both
plazas will be a short distance
from new, additional parking in
downtown.
The town - which now
owns the century-old Braselton
Brothers Store - plans to rede
sign the building for additional
store frontages with the Ga.
Hwy. 124 realignment moving
traffic to the existing rear of the
store.
The streetscape project also
calls for a granite veneer retain
ing wall for portions of the area,
including in front of the police
building and at the new Ga.
Hwy. 124/Ga. Hwy. 53 inter
section.
The project is being funded
by a transportation enhance
ment grant Braselton received
from the Georgia Department
of Transportation and bond
proceeds from the town’s
Urban Redevelopment Agency
(URA).
Comments on the project
may be made until Jan. 31 at
www.dot.state.ga.us by clicking
on the “Public Outreach” page.
Written comments may be sent
to Glenn S. Bowman, P.E.,
State Environmental/Location
Engineer, Georgia Department
of Transportation, One Georgia
Center, 600 West Peachtree
Street, NW, 16th floor, Atlanta,
GA 30308.
dt
Main Office
6700 Hwy. 53
Braselton
706-654-3199
HOMETOWN
COMMUNITY
BANK
Traditions Walk Branch
55 Freedom Parkway, Suite 101
Hwy. 124 Hoschton
706-654-0095
www.HometownCB.com Hftc ,Qj
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Call 706-543-5858 for an appointment
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Commerce • Athens • Gainesville
B0UTIER WINERY
Thursday, Jan. 28
7:00 p.m.
Admission: $10
Includes a glass of wine.
4506 Hudson River Church Rd., Danielsville, Ga.
706-789-0059 • www.boutierwinery.com