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PAGE 2A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2010
Furlough days set for schools
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JEFFERSON
City School System has
announced when it will take
its three state-mandated fur
lough days.
The furlough days will be
Thursday and Friday, May
13-14, and Wednesday, May
26.
Superintendent John
Jackson outlined the school
system’s planned furlough
days in an email sent to
employees last week. Other
than absentee Jefferson High
School students who are
making up exams, all state
testing requirements will
have been completed by the
furlough days.
The May 13-14 dates
were selected because they
fall when the Jefferson
City School System hosts
the Georgia Olympics track
meet at Memorial Stadium.
Those days to host the
annual statewide event are
considered “atypical school
days," Jackson wrote.
The third furlough day will
be the final day of teacher
post-planning on May 26.
The last day of school for
Jefferson students is Friday,
May 21 — which still leaves
two days of post-planning
for teachers to analyze test
results and make necessary
student placement decisions.
Jackson also wrote that the
daily instructional schedules
for all Jefferson schools eas
ily exceed all instructional
hour requirements.
“Consequently, the system
will comfortably surpass
annual instructional hour
mandates for each grade
level even after May 13th
and 14th are furloughed," he
wrote.
As part of budget cutbacks,
Gov. Sonny Perdue recently
said that schools should take
three furlough days by July
1. The latest furlough days
follow previous furlough
days taken by most school
systems in the fall.
The Jackson County School
System announced that its
furlough days will be held
Friday, March 12; Thursday,
April 1; and Friday, May 28.
All of the dates are teacher
planning days.
The Jackson County School
System said that in the event
of inclement weather lead
ing to missed days in the
classroom, those days will
be switched to furlough days
and the teacher planning
days would be regained.
The Jefferson City School
System said if classes are
canceled due to inclement
weather, that variable will be
taken into consideration for
the furlough days.
Company seeks
annexation, rezoning
THE BRASELTON
Planning Commission will
hear a proposal on Monday,
Feb. 22, to annex and rezone
more property for a proposed
major development across
from Chateau Elan.
Halvorsen Development
Corporation wants Braselton
to annex 34.5 acres on Ga.
Hwy. 211 and rezone it
from agricultural in Barrow
County to Planned Unit
Development (PUD) in the
town.
The company owns the
property and wants it to be
added to additional proper
ty that the Braselton Town
Council approved for PUD
master plan revisions in
November. Halvorsen plans
to build retail and office
space, along with hotels, res
taurants and a movie theater.
The Braselton Planning
Commission will meet
on Monday, Feb. 22, at 7
p.m. on the proposal. The
Braselton Town Council will
hold a public hearing on the
planning commission’s rec
ommendation on Thursday,
April 8, at 4 p.m. Both meet
at the Braselton Police and
Municipal Court Building.
Sales taxes down for year
SALES TAXES in Jackson
County were up in November
over the year before, but the
total YTD remained down.
Through November, the
county was running 12 per
cent down from 2008. But
in November compared to
Subscribe to
The Jackson
Herald
by calling
706-367-5233
today!
November 2008, the county
saw a sharp jump of 33 per
cent.
In 2008, the county took
in $5.7 million in local
option sales taxes. Through
November 2009, the county
netted $4.5 million.
A Walmart advertising circular for
Sunday, January 31 - Saturday, February
6,2010 mistakenly identified the price
of 90-day generic prescriptions as $9
and omitted reference to Prescrip
tion Program restrictions. The correct
price is $10 and Prescription Program
restrictions can be found at walmart.
com/pharmacy and your local Walmart
pharmacy.
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Perry named county planning commission chairman
BY ANGELA GARY
COMMERCE ATTORNEY
Jeff Perry was namedThursday
night to serve as chairman of
the Jackson County Planning
Commission.
Don Segraves will serve as
vice chairman.
Two new planning commis
sion members, Guy Spicer
and Jimmy Ford, were also
introduced at Thursday night’s
meeting.
The planners approved one
condition change and one
rezoning request during the
business portion of the meet
ing.
A request from Harold T.
Beck to change the minimum
square footage requirements
for 20 lots in his development,
Laurel Cove Subdivision,
located off of Skelton Road,
was approved. The minimum
size for a one-story home was
changed from 2,000 square
feet to 1,600 square feet. The
minimum size for a two-sto-
ry home was changed from
2,200 square feet to 1,800
square feet.
“We are trying to meet the
market conditions in Jackson
County,” said Winder attorney
John Stell, who represented
Beck at the planning commis
sion meeting. “.. .That is what
the market calls for in these
depressed economic times."
Nearby property owner
Gene Gilbert spoke on the
request and said he isn’t in
opposition to the change but
added that he wants it to be
quality development.
“I don’t think the size of the
house necessarily dictates the
quality of the house,” he said.
Gilbert asked that exterior
upgrades be put in place. The
planning commission did add
a condition that vinyl siding
would not be allowed.
In other business, the
planners approved a request
from Williams & Associates
to rezone 139 acres at 655
Potter’s House Road in order
to expand the Potter’s House
operation. Plans call for add
ing a community center with
a gym, classroom space and
PERRY
dorms.
The recommendations of
the planning commission will
go to the Jackson County
Board of Commission for
action when it meets at 6 p.m.
on Monday, Feb. 15, at the
courthouse.
Jackson County voters will have plenty of elections
JACKSON COUNTY voters will have plenty on their
political plates in 2010 between county, state and national
elections.
The primaries are July 20. All general and non-partisan elec
tions are Nov. 2.
Qualifying for the July primaries runs from April 26 at 9 a.m.
to April 30 at noon.
Qualifying for the November general elections and non-par
tisan elections runs from June 28 at 9 a.m. to July 2 at noon.
The voter registration deadline for the July primaries is June
21. The deadline for the November elections is Oct. 4.
Here’s a rundown of what’s on the ballot this election year:
•Two commission spots are up for grabs - those currently held
by Bruce Yates, District 3; and Dwain Smith, District four.
•Three Jackson County Board of Education seats are up for
election - those currently held by Tim Brooks, District 2; Kathy
Wilbanks, District 3; and Jill McEver Elliott, District 5.
•Both of Jackson County’s state representative seats are up
for election: District 31, currently held by Tommy Benton (R);
and District 30, held by Tom McCall (R). The Senate District
47 seat is also up for grabs. Incumbent Ralph Hudgens (R) is
running for state insurance commissioner.
•Commerce will hold a special election March 16 to fill the
unexpired term of the late Richard Massey, who represented
Ward 5 on the city council.
•At the state level, voters will decide elections for both gov
ernor and It. governor this year. Other state elections include
secretary of state, attorney general, state school superintendent,
state agriculture commissioner, state insurance commissioner
and state labor commissioner.
•Nationally, U.S. senator Johnny Isakson is up for re-election
as is District 10 U.S. Congressman Paul Broun.
LOCAL ELECTIONS
•Commerce Council Ward 5
•Board of Commissioners, Districts 3, 4
•Board of Education, Districts 2, 3, 5
STATE ELECTIONS:
•State Senate, District 47
•State Representative, District 31
•State Representative, District 30
•Governor
•Lt. Governor
•Secretary of State
•Attorney General
•State School Superintendent
•State Agriculture Commissioner
•State Insurance Commissioner
•State Labor Commissioner
NATIONAL ELECTIONS:
•United States Senate
•United States Congress, District 10
2010 CALENDAR OF ELECTION EVENTS
March 16 special election date
April 13 special election runoff date
July 20 general primary, special election date
Aug. 10 primary runoff, special election runoff
Sept. 21 special election date
Oct. 19 special election runoff
Nov. 2 general/non partisan election, special election date
Nov. 30 general/non partisan election runoff
Former Braselton mayor named a ‘giant of the decade’
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
One of the largest real estate
and insurance companies in
North Georgia has named
former Braselton mayor Pat
Graham one of the “10 giants
of the decade.”
Frank Norton Jr., president
of Gainesville-based Norton
Agency, outlined the region’s
trends and top influential
people during the company’s
annual Native Intelligence
Forecast on Jan. 21.
Graham was one of 85
people in the past decade
who was named a “Next
Generation Leader" by the
Norton Agency. For this
year’s report, the company
named Graham and nine oth
ers “because of the power
of change they wield or
the impact they play on the
changing landscape of North
Georgia.”
The Norton Agency said as
mayor of Braselton, Graham
“guided the community into
the 21st Century and created
the foundation for what will
be 1-85’s largest city circa
2050."
Graham has announced her
intentions to run for a seat in
the state senate.
The Norton Agency also
honored Randall Pugh, presi
dent and CEO of Jackson
EMC. Pugh is also chairman
of the Jackson County Water
and Sewerage Authority.
“Through his leadership of
rural electric Jackson EMC,
he created a powerful urban
economic business recruit
ment program,” the company
said.
Developer Wayne Mason,
who owns a number of
properties in the Braselton
area, was another “Giant of
the Decade” named by the
Norton Agency.
The company also high
lighted the acquisition of
property in Braselton for a
second Northeast Georgia
Healthcare System cam
pus, the development of the
neighboring 1,300-lot active
adult community The Village
at Deaton Creek and Toyota
opening a parts manufactur
ing plant in Jackson County
as some of the most signifi
cant events of the decade in
North Georgia.
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