Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 9A
Arcade resident vexed
over ‘Haitian’-like road
City in no legal
position to help
BYBENMUNRO
AN ARCADE resident fears
that Woodland Court — a dilapi
dated dirt road within the city
limits — will be impassible
within two years if it continues
to deteriorate at its current pace.
Greg Martin, who lives on the
private road, spoke before the
Arcade City Council Monday
and said Woodland Court is in
“terrible shape,’’ likening its con
dition to “a one-lane dirt trail in
Haiti.’’
“It’s like you’re in a jungle
somewhere,’’ said Martin, who
presented pictures to the council
as evidence. “It’s like you’re in a
different country.’’
Martin said his vehicles are
being damaged while traveling
on the dirt road, among other
problems.
“I just feel we don’t deserve
this,’’ Martin said. “It’s terrible.
It’s embarrassing.’’
There are four households on
the road.
The council, however, main
tained that it is in no position,
legally, to help Martin since
Arcade owns no right-of-ways
along the approximate 0.2 mile
stretch.
“The road was built as a pri
vate road,’’ councilman Tom
Hays said. “The road was never
deeded at all. No portion of the
road has ever been deeded as a
right of way. So the city, legally,
can’t maintain it.’’
For Arcade to accept
Woodland Court, the road would
have to be brought up to stan
dards, then have right-of-ways
granted to it.
Since Woodland Court
is a private road, the citizens
must arrange for the necessary
improvements or pursue legal
action against the developer who
built the road.
The county maintained the
road until about five years ago
when it was determined that
Woodland Court had no right-
of-way on it.
In other business conduct
ed Monday, the Arcade City
Council:
•heard from police chief
Randy Williams that his depart
ment made 15 felony, 14 mis
demeanor and three DUI arrests
in July. It also assisted other
departments with three book
ings. Arcade police also made
69 service calls, wrote 38 inci
dent reports and responded to
three accidents.
•granted business licenses to
both Lori McCarthy (behavior
therapy) and Billie Jo Parsons
(paint and roofing). Both wish
to only use their homes as an
office. No customers will come
to their residences.
•voted to make the proper
updates to its erosion and sedi
mentation ordinance to keep its
status as a local issuing authority
(LIA).
•submitted three city roads
— Carlton Way, Carlton Court
and Woodland Hills — for
improvements under the Local
Maintenance and Improvement
Grant (LMIG) provided by the
state.
•OK’d a memorandum of
agreement between Arcade and
the federal government to begin
the Systematic Alien Verification
for Entitlements (SAVE) pro
gram. Anyone getting entitle
ments from county, city or state
governments must prove citi
zenship status. The council also
approved a $100 budget amend
ment to begin the program.
Hoschton council to start
budget process next month
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
HOSCHTON officials will
have another month to enjoy the
summer, before jumping into
budget planning.
Mayor Erma Denney said
city officials will start working
on the proposed 2011 budget
in budget in September — giv
ing the month of August as a
final break before starting the
at-times difficult process.
In recent years, city officials
have considered proposals
to adopt a property tax dur
ing the months-long process
of hammering out the budget.
Hoschton hasn’t had a property
tax in about 30 years.
The council, however, hasn’t
discussed if a property tax
remains a possibility.
Hoschton’s budget is typi
cally adopted in December and
becomes effective in January.
The council amended its 2010
general fund budget to $439,475
in January, after deciding to
close its police department,
municipal court and planning
department.
It now contracts water and
wastewater services with the
Jackson County Water and
Sewerage Authority (JCWSA),
planning services with
McFarland-Dyer and Associates
and as-needed code enforce
ment with Braselton.
Council member Scott
Butler thanked the JCWSA for
its work in Hoschton and the
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
for quickly responding to an
incident in his subdivision.
Denney also thanked those
groups, along with the Braselton
Police Department and West
Jackson Fire Department for
their “neighborly assistance.’’
“We’ve got an awful lot of
people and entities taking care
of this town,’’ she said. “They’ve
really rallied around the city
to try to help and it’s obvious.
We couldn’t do it without all
of them.”
FALL FESTIVAL
In other news, the Hoschton
Fall Festival Committee is seek
ing vendors and sponsors for the
annual event — set for Saturday
and Sunday, Sept. 25-26, at
Hoschton Towne Center.
Council member Theresa
Kenerly said vendors may set up
their booths on Friday, Sept. 24.
A parade with motorcycles
will be held on Saturday, at 10
a.m., with booths being open
that day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Kenerly said.
The Alabama Blues Brothers
— a tribute band of the Blues
Brothers — will be in concert
on Saturday evening. A band
for a Friday night concert hasn’t
been determined.
On Sunday, the festival will
kick-off with a non-denom-
inational service by New
Community Church, at 10:30
a.m.
A fundraiser for the American
Cancer Society — Barks for
Life — will also be held on
Sunday, according to the com
mittee’s website.
For more information, or to
participate in the fall festival,
visit www.hoschtonfallfestival.
com.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Also on Monday, the city
council held a public hearing
about Hoschton’s proposed
comprehensive plan before
sending it to regional planners
for a 60-day review.
Nina Kelley, a planner
with the Northeast Georgia
Regional Commission, outlined
Hoschton’s community agenda
— a key part of the compre
hensive plan — during the brief
hearing. Only Mayor Denney,
city clerk Cindy George and city
attorney Thomas Mitchell were
present for the hearing.
The 3 5-page document
includes Hoschton’s “com
munity vision,” nine specified
“character areas” in the city and
a five-year plan, called a short
term work program.
That plan calls for Hoschton
to adopt ordinances protecting
trees, wetlands and farmlands,
along with getting a histori
cal district designation in the
city. It also outlines a plan to
develop separated golf cart
facilities, realigning Ga. Hwy.
332 and implementing a “Keep
Hoschton Beautiful” campaign
over the next five years.
Hoschton is on track to adopt
a finalized comprehensive plan
by an October deadline. A draft
of the proposed comprehensive
plan is posted on the Northeast
Georgia Regional Commission’s
website at www.negplanning.
org.
JCCHS graduate to appear on television fishing competition
COOPER TO COMPETE
Jason Cooper will be featured on the television series, “Ultimate Match Fishing” on
the Outdoor Channel, on Friday, Aug. 6.
Jason Cooper to be
on Aug. 6 episode
FOR BASS angler Jason
Cooper, a graduate of Jackson
County Comprehensive High
School who now lives in
ShelbyviUe, Term., the television
series, “Ultimate Match Fishing”
on the Outdoor Channel, has
always been a personal favorite.
Now, Cooper will get a chance to
appear on the series as well. He
will be featured in the episode that
airs at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 6.
Cooper has always been a die
hard bass fisherman, competing
in local tournaments on Tim’s
Ford and Normandy Lakes. Now,
he’ll take that passion to national
television in a one-on-one match
against former Bassmaster Classic
and FLW Tour Champion Luke
Clausen.
Cooper won a spot on the tele
vision series through the Ultimate
Match Fishing Federation, an
organization developed to allow
an amateur angler to earn a spot
to fish against one of the top pros
in the nation and compete for a
cash prize of $50,000. To qualify.
Cooper had to fish 15 matches
one-on-one against fellow UMF
Federation members. The two
members with the best records
then fished against each other to
qualify for the coveted spot on
Ultimate Match Fishing.
Cooper finished with a perfect
15-0 record and then defeated
4-time Indiana BASS Jr. State
Champion Jacob Wheeler of
Indianapolis, Indiana, to win
the crown on Tennessee’s Lake
Chickamauga.
According to Cooper,
“Winning the UMF Federation
was really a dream come true for
me. I love the sport of competi
tive bass fishing. I’ve been able
to have success regionally, and
I’ve represented some great com
panies in Tennessee like Choo-
Choo Lures, All Pro Rods and
Anderson Marine in Nashville,
but this is a whole new level of
competition and exposure.”
As the UMF Federation
Champion, Cooper was given
the opportunity to pick from the
11 professionals competing in
the 2010 series, which includes
anglers such as Denny Brauer,
Andy Morgan, Greg Hackney,
Ken Cook, and David Dudley.
Cooper chose to fish against for
mer Bassmaster Classic, FLW and
UMF Champion Luke Clausen.
“I want to fish against the very
best,” said Cooper. “Bass fishing
is a game of skill and Ultimate
Match Fishing involves so much
strategy that I really wanted to
test myself against an angler that I
feel is one of the all-round best in
the world. With this format, you
don’t fish against the lake, you
fish against one person. So for me
the choice was obvious. I wanted
to fish against an angler that has
won every major title competitive
bass fishing has to offer... And I
want to beat him!”
According to UMF host and
professional angler Joe Thomas,
“We could not have hand picked
a better competitor to be the
first-ever amateur to qualify in
the 6 seasons of Ultimate Match
Fishing. We didn’t pick him at
random. He had to qualify to
make it this far and that’s no easy
task. He had to fish, and win, 15
matches against great anglers to
get this opportunity. H’es sea
soned. He knows how the UMF
format works. And he’s ready. I
guarantee you that none of the
pros competing in this year’s
series want to fish against him.”
The match takes place on Lake
Chickamauga in Chattanooga,
Tennessee, and will air on the
television series Ultimate Match
Fishing August 6 at 8:30 p.m. on
the Outdoor Channel.
Jason is the son of Lou and
James Hambrick of Jackson
County.
Jefferson bride
to be on ‘Say
Yes to the Dress’
A BRIDE from Jefferson,
Kari Pujades, will be featured
on the TLC’s show, “Say Yes
to the Dress, which premieres
at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 6.
This season’s theme is “If
Mama’s Not Happy...”
The summary: “Kari is
looking for a gown that is
simple and conservative, but
her mom is looking for some
thing sexy and revealing. The
two visions clash on the brid
al floor and the consultants
battle mom to get Kari the
dress of her dreams.”
Contract awarded in DOT’S 1-85 HOT lane project
THE GEORGIA Department of
Transportation has awarded an $11.7 million
contract to convert 16 miles of high occu
pancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to high occupancy
toll (HOT) lanes on 1-85.
The HOV to HOT project in Gwinnett and
DeKalb counties was awarded to World Fiber
Technologies, Inc., of Alpharetta.
The 1-85 Express Lanes project will
install 18 miles of fiber and signage along
1-85, between Chamblee Tucker Road and
Old Peachtree Road and along State Route
316 between its intersection with 1-85 and
Riverside Parkway.
When completed a year from now, the HOT
lanes will offer more choices to all motorists,
including single occupant vehicles and more
reliable trip times in the corridor, according
to the DOT.
Transit buses, motorcycles, alternative
fueled vehicles and vehicles with three or
more passengers will be allowed to use the
inside (left) HOT lane for free, while single-
and double-occupant vehicles will be allowed
to use the lane if they choose to pay a variably
priced toll.