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PAGE 2A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2010
Maysville discussing water line improvements
BY KATIE HUSTON
MAYSVILLE IS looking
to upgrade water lines, hoping
to prevent fire hazards in the
future.
Unanimous across the board,
officials said is a need to at least
get talk started about more fire
hydrants and upgraded lines.
“We've got several places
in this city that (don’t) have a
hydrant,” Mayor Jerry Baker
said. “You've got multiple homes
(that need hydrant access).”
Chip McGaughey of
Engineering Management, Inc.
was present at the Thursday
night council meeting to give
price estimates on upgrading two
and three inch waterlines around
the city. He said that to install one
hydrant costs almost $4,000.
The price estimates are based
on recent bids and the consid
eration that the price of PVC
pipe steadily rises with the cost
of fuel.
Priority areas include water-
lines on Ridgeway Hills, Oak
Ridge, Oaken Grove Drive, West
Freeman Street and Mitchell
Street.
All the lines in those areas
are small diameter waterlines,
meaning that a fire hydrant can’t
simply be installed. To install a
hydrant, the waterlines must be
six-inches or larger in diameter.
The city has two options: First,
to upgrade the entire subdivision
or street in need. This option
would be more expensive and
would be more of a long-term
project. The second is to simply
install a hydrant a few hundred
feet down a street or subdivision,
just to get one in the vicinity.
This could be a more short-term
solution and also less expensive.
McGaughey said that the city
might be able to find funding
sources if the areas qualify as
low income areas. However,
those funds would not be award
ed until August or September of
2011.
Due to expenses, council is
looking at its options and will
seek funding options for the
future. However, it is looking to
add one hydrant at the end of
Deer Run in the nearer future.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business:
•the city announced it will ana
lyze the amount of action 911
has during the hours between
2 a.m. and 6 a.m. to see if it's
possible to switch from 24-hour
police patrol in an effort to save
money. The council is not inter
ested in leaving the city unpa
trolled unless there is an obvious
lag in emergencies during those
hours.
•the council will vote to
approve a contract with the
Jackson County Jail at its meet
ing on Monday. The contract
will send those arrested for DUI,
fighting or disorderly conduct to
the jail, and the city is required to
approve the contract.
•the city is looking for per
sons wishing to be on a Historic
Preservation Committee. Those
interested may contact City Clerk
Barbara Thomas in City Hall.
Russell reports on several ongoing projects in Pendergrass
BY SHARON HOGAN
IN A BRIEF meeting on
Tuesday, the Pendergrass City
Council heard reports from city
manager Rob Russell on several
projects going on in the city.
Russell advised the council
the street department employees,
two part-time workers, are busy
edging and getting ready for the
grass-cutting season.
“Due to all the rain we have
had, we think we will need to start
grass cutting earlier this year,”
Russell said.
Russell reported some consid
eration is being given to the city
taking over the grass cutting on
the Highway 129 bypass.
“The DOT has already said
they will only commit to cut the
grass once a year,” Russell said.
There could be some liability
issues with the city taking this on,
Russell said.
Russell said both he and the
mayor have been attending the
Jackson County meetings con
cerning SPLOST 5 and HB 489.
“We are working with our city
attorney (Walter) Mr. Harvey to
put together an ordinance on the
city projects to be funded with
SPLOST 5 funds,” he said.
A couple of projects being con
sidered for the city’s SPLOST 5
revenue is the $150,000 owed on
the city hall/library building and
street projects, Russell reported.
“We know there are some
street projects we are going to
need to do,” Russell said.
He said Pendergrass is also
working with Jackson County
and other cities on the shared
services agreement, HB 489.
He said the purpose of HB 489
is for cities and county not dupli
cating services, such as police
protection, code enforcement,
sanitation and animal control,
and residents not being double
taxed.
Russell said the city staff is
currently working on the city’s
comprehensive plan for five, 10
and 20 years out.
“We will be asking city resi
dents and city business owners
to get involved and give us input
on this also,” he said.
“The comprehensive plan is to
give us an idea of what we want
to see in the City of Pendergrass
in five, 10 and 20 years from
now,” Russell stated.
He also advised the council
that a resident in the city has vol
unteered his time to help with the
bid process on any road projects
that the city decides to do.
“He has experience in this
field and has offered to help us,”
Russell said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business:
•Renee Martinez gave the
March library report. The library
had a total of 109 patrons with
102 computer users. The library
bought and received two new
DVDs, seven young adult books,
three juvenile fiction books, one
early childhood book and 10
adult fiction books. The library
received $10 in late fees and cop
ies.
•the council approved the
monthly treasury report.
The next council meeting is set
for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 27,
at the Pendergrass Depot.
Census forms not sent to post office boxes
BYANGELA GARY
RESIDENTS WHO have a post office
box as an address did not get a Census
form.
Jackson County GIS manager, Joel
Logan, who is coordinating the local
census effort, said the federal government
inadvertently failed to send Census forms
to people who have post office boxes.
“We are getting lots of phone calls and
traffic because so many people have not
gotten a Census forms,” Logan said. “It
appears that if you have a post office
box, you did not get a Census form. But
there are also a lot of folks we heard from
that did not get one at a normal mailing
address too.”
County residents who did not get a form
can pick one up at one of the three centers
open in the county through April 19.
The centers with staff members available
are open Mondays through Fridays at the
following locations: Jackson County Tag
Office from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Commerce
City Hall from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the
Maysville Public Library from 9 a.m. to
noon.
The unmanned centers are at Maysville
City Hall, Nicholson City Hall, the
Braselton Library, and the Denny’s on
Hwy. 441 near Banks Crossing.
Logan points out that some people have
received two Census forms.
“The official answer from the Census
Bureau is if you have already sent one
in, do not send the second one in,” Logan
said. “One explanation is that that they
have not processed your first form yet.”
Logan also points out that the form
needs to be filled out completely.
“The other thing I am really worried
about is a lot of folks think they can just
put the number of people in the home
and not answer anything else because of
what they have heard folks on the radio
saying,” he said. “This is a whole debate
unto itself, but if people do this it will
probably end up in a enumerator visiting
their home. Most of the 10 questions have
been on the Census in some form since
1790/1800.”
A website is in place showing the
percentages of people who have already
submitted a Census form. As of Tuesday,
61 percent of Jackson Countians had sub
mitted a form. This is one percent above
the national average.
As of Tuesday, a breakdown for the cities
in the county are: Arcade - 58%; Braselton
- 66%; Commerce - 60%; Hoschton
- 61%; Jefferson - 60%; Maysville -
60%; Nicholson - 60%; Pendergrass -
64%; and Talmo - 52%.
To check out the percentages, go to
http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take-
10map/.
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Prom night coming up for
local juniors and seniors
PROM TIME is fast approach
ing for local high school juniors
and seniors.
The prom for Commerce
High School is set for 8-11:30
p.m. on Friday, April 16, at the
Commerce Civic Center.
Jackson County
Comprehensive High School’s
prom is set for 8-11 p.m. on
Saturday, April 17, at the
Gwinnett Center, Duluth. The
theme for this year’s prom is
“A Walk Through Wonderland.”
Tickets for the prom are on sale
during all lunch periods through
April 15 for $35 each, leaders
state.
The prom for East Jackson
Comprehensive High School is
set for 8-11 p.m. on Saturday,
April 24, at the Commerce Civic
Center. The theme is “A Black
Tie Event.”
Jefferson High School’s prom
will be held from 8-11 p.m. on
Saturday, April 24, at the State
Botanical Gardens, Athens.
Tickets for juniors are $60 each,
this pays for both their junior
and senior year. Seniors tickets
are $30 each. The cost for a date
is $20 if the date is not a junior
or senior at JHS. The deadline to
purchase tickets is Friday, April
16.
Nicholson City Council
approves rezoning Mon
BY SHARON HOGAN
THE NICHOLSON City
Council unanimously approved
a rezoning request on 1.63 acres
located at 6146 Highway 441
South at Monday’s council meet
ing.
F R M Realty, LLC requested
to have the property rezoned from
A-2 (agricultural) in the county
to C-l (general commercial busi
ness district) in the city.
Consultant Jerry Weitz
explained at the public hear
ing on Monday that the prop
erty was annexed into the City of
Nicholson in 1982.
“However, when the City of
Nicholson adopted its zoning
ordinance and official zoning
map the subject property was not
on the city’s official zoning map.”
Weitz said.
The application is intended to
officially assign a zoning classifi
cation in the city.
The proposed use is a com
mercial office and single-family
residence.
Weitz reported there is a house
on the back of the property cur
rently and an office and car lot on
the front of the property.
No one spoke in opposition to
the request at the public hearing.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business:
•the council unanimously
approved an intergovernmental
agreement with Jackson County
to spend an amount not to exceed
$40,000 on the East Jackson Park
walking trails.
•city attorney Tricia Leeman
advised the council and citizens
that she will present a proposed
resolution on the city ethics board
to the council for discussion at the
monthly work session set for 7
p.m. on Thursday, April 15.
•Mayor Ronnie Maxwell
announced a Daisy Festival meet
ing set for 7 p.m. on Thursday,
April 8, at the community center.
•Maxwell reported the City
of Nicholson will be hosting the
District 5 Georgia Municipal
Association Listening Session at
6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 6, at
the community center.
Work Ready success stories sought
GOV. SONNY Perdue has
announced the launch of the
Share Your Success initiative to
spotlight individual job seekers
who improved their career pros
pects by earning a Georgia Work
Ready Certificate.
Work Ready participants can
share their stories for the oppor
tunity to be selected as the job
seeker of the month.
The Governor’s Office of
Workforce Development will
select the most compelling suc
cess story each month to be fea
tured on the Georgia Work Ready
website.
Winners will receive a $ 100 pre
paid card to assist with job search
or education-related expenses to
recognize their accomplishments.
The first job seeker of the month
will be selected in May.
To participate, Work Ready
Certificate holders should visit
gaworkready.org to submit a
brief essay on how earning a
Work Ready Certificate has led
to improved career options and
employment opportunities.
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