Newspaper Page Text
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H Wednesday, August 18, 2010
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 136 NO. 10 56 PACES 5 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
• New county park
officialy opens
page 11A
•Jefferson class sizes
up, waivers needed
page 2A
Op/Ed:
•'Islamic center a
monument to America'
page 4A
Jefferson couple survives Colombia plane crash
‘Just like a nightmare’
A JACKSON County couple who sur
vived a plane crash on an island off the
coast of Colombia Monday have become
the face and voice of the incident in the
U.S.
David and Carolina Bellino of PJ.
Roberts Rd., Jefferson, were among 130
survivors of the 737 jet crash. One person
died of a heart attack in the incident.
The plane broke apart while attempting
to land on the island of San Andres on
Monday.
Tuesday, several of the national news
networks interviewed the Bellinos by
phone. Both were injured in the crash suf
fering from fractured backs.
The couple was flying to the island
for vacation. Carolina is from Colombia,
according to friends of the couple.
They attend Chestnut Mountain
Church where Carolina volunteers with
the children’s ministry.
Cynthia Herndon, children’s ministry
director, was among the first to receive a
call from Carolina on Monday following
the crash. Herndon said she received the
call from Carolina at 7:38 EST, some three
to four hours after the plane crash.
“The call was from an unknown area
code and I chose not to answer the call and
Carolina left a phone message,” Herndon
said. “I played the phone message back
and immediately tried to call the number
back to no avail. I also tried David’s and
Carolina’s cell phone numbers, but did not
get an answer. So, I immediately did what
she asked and that was to pray.”
Herndon also said she was shocked.
“I was devastated, shocked, totally
speechless. It took me a few minutes to
process the whole thing.”
Herndon said Carolina, who is seven to
eight weeks pregnant, has said the baby
is fine.
“Several church members have spoken
to Carolina since the crash and David
has been in contact with his sister in
Gainesville,” Herndon said.
Carolina told Good Morning America
Tuesday that she was thankful to be alive.
“It’s just like a nightmare, but I’m thank
ful because I’m alive,” she said.
The plane descended through a thun
derstorm and landed short of the runway,
according to published reports of the inci
dent. The couple told national news inter
viewers that David helped pull Carolina
out of the plane and they tried to run away
in case the plane blew up. But David
couldn’t go very far.
“I ran about 15 feet and my legs gave
out,” he told CBS news.
David reportedly had a broken back
CAROLINA AND DAVID
BELLINO
from the crash, but is now recovering
more use of his legs. Both were scheduled
for surgery Tuesday, according to church
members who had been in contact with
them.
David told CBS news: “It’s a miracle.
There’s no other way to look at it.”
Sports:
—*“1
•Panthers scrimmage
Friday at home
page 1B
Features:
•'Happy Day's at EJES
page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 1-27D
•Church News
page 5B
•Obituaries
page4B
•School News
pages 8-9A
O -s
projects to fund with SPLOST
Towns, county plan
To be on ballot Nov. 2
BY ANGELA GARY
Paying off existing debts,
repairing roads and adding rec
reation facilities are among the
plans for using funds from the
one-cent special purpose local
option sales tax revenue that
is being proposed in Jackson
County. This issue will be on the
ballot in the Nov. 2 election.
The county government, as
well as each of the nine towns,
would get a portion of the pro
jected $47.5 million revenue
over six years.
Here is how the governments
are proposing to use the money
if the SPLOST vote is approved
by voters:
JACKSON COUNTY
Jackson County would get
an estimated $33.7 million in
revenue and would use it as fol
lows: $23 million to pay off debt
service for the jail; $6.8 million
for roads, streets and bridges; $2
million for recreation; and $1.2
million for EMS facilities.
The roads and bridges money
would be used for resurfacing,
base and paving, bridge repairs
and rehabilitation, intersection
improvements, sidewalk and
pedestrian upgrades; and safety
upgrades within school zones.
As for the funds proposed for
recreation, some 40 percent, or
$800,000, would be used in part
for park improvements. The
remaining $1.2 million would be
designated for property acquisi
tions.
The new EMS stations
would be located in Braselton.
Commerce and Plainview. Plans
call for new buildings to be
located in each of these three
locations.
ARCADE
Arcade would get an esti
mated $1.2 million in SPLOST
revenue, which would be used
as follows: $875,410 for the debt
for the public safety complex
that is already in place; $250,162
for repairing and paving roads,
streets and bridges; and $125,031
for parks and recreation, includ
ing the acquisition of land.
“Most of our SPLOST funds
will be utilized to reimburse the
loan for the municipal complex
(city hall and the police depart
ment),” according to city admin
istrator Debby Mockus. “As for
the roads, the plan is to continue
with efforts to resurface those
roads in need and begin devel
oping a plan and prioritized list
for paving the remaining gravel
roads. And for the park, we’re
looking at simple upgrades and
improvements to the restroom
facility and picnic shelters
BRASELTON
Braselton would get an esti
mated $1.1 million in SPLOST
revenue, which would be used as
follows: $563,345 for parks and
recreation and $563,345 for pav
ing and repairing streets, curbs
and sidewalks.
“For parks and recreation, we
are using the funds for the town
green and. if funds are avail
able, for the amphitheatre,” city
manager Jennifer Dees reports.
“The streets/curbs/sidewalks is
for road maintenance and repairs
as needed and for streetscapes
in downtown. Those will be
designed as the funds become
available.”
COMMERCE
Commerce would get an esti
mated $4 million in revenue,
which would be used as follows:
$1.7 million for water and sewer
projects; $1 million for parks
and recreation; and $1 million
for roads, streets and bridges.
City manager Clarence Bryant
said that water plans include
West Ridgeway Road water
main, fire hydrant upgrades.
Waterworks Road water main
upgrade, valve insertion in water
mains, Wheeler Cemetery Road
pump station upgrade, water
main extensions, maintenance
equipment and improvements at
the water plant.
Sewer plans include a bar
screen upgrade and oxida
tion ditch at the wastewater
plant, improvements to the
Lathan Road pump station,
Old Mill sewer main upgrades.
Waterworks Road sewer main
upgrades, manhole upgrades at
Broad and Elm streets, sewer
line extensions and a pump sta
tion emergency power system.
Commerce would use its road
funds for a Wood Street exten
sion, street and right of way
maintenance equipment, road
resurfacing, road paving at the
cemetery, sidewalk improve
ments and work at the Oxford
building parking lot and civic
center parking lot.
Plans for parks and recreation
include acquisition of property
and design of a community park,
improvements and additions at
Willoughby Park, Veterans
Memorial Park and Ridling Park
and purchasing maintenance
equipment.
HOSCHTON
Hoschton would get an esti
mated $932,481 in SPLOST rev
enue and would use it as follows:
$699,464 for water and sewer:
$186,413 for roads, streets and
bridges; and $46,603 for parks
and recreation.
“All of the proceeds from this
allocation ( water and sewer) will
be used to pay all debt (principal
only, no interest) for previous
improvements to the wastewater
treatment plant, reports city clerk
Cindy George.
The City of Hoschton would
use the proceeds allocated to
roads for work on two projects:
The realignment of Highway
332 onto the current Towne
Center Parkway and sidewalks
connecting Towne Center and
downtown.
“The realignment project is
essential for future economic
development in the high-traffic
corridor of Highway 53,” George
said. “It will allow for a traf
fic light at its intersection with
Highway 53 at some point in the
future. The sidewalk project is a
major component of our com
prehensive plan to provide multi
modal connectivity between
residential and activity centers in
the city limits. Other road proj
ects include patching and repairs
ahead of DOT-funded repaving
projects.”
As for the parks and recre
ation revenue, the city would
add some additional equipment
to the playground beside the his
toric depot.
JEFFERSON
Jefferson would get an esti
mated $4 million in SPLOST
revenue and would use it as fol
lows: $1.6 million for bond debt
related to cultural, historical and
recreation facilities; $1.7 mil
lion for roads, streets, bridges,
storm water management and
sidewalks; $1.1 million for
water and sewer facilities and
$81,351 for public safety facility
improvements.
The public safety funds would
be used for improvements to the
city’s police station and two fire
stations, according to city man
ager John Ward.
All of the SPLOST for recre
ation would be used to pay the
bond debt at the city’s recreation
center.
“This will allow us to be pre
pared for continued slow impact
fees on new residential, which is
how we are currently paying for
this,” Ward said.
The water and sewer money
would be used for existing repairs
and for continued development
of the Parks Creek Reservoir.
MAYSVTLLE
Maysville would get an esti
mated $431,117 in SPLOST
revenue and would use it as fol
lows: $301,782 for water and
sewer improvements; $64,667
for roads; $43,112 for buildings;
and $21,556 for parks and rec
reation.
Plans for the water and sewer
revenue include drilling new
wells, installing fire hydrants
and upgrades to the water lines,
according to city clerk Barbara
Thomas.
Plans for parks and recreation
include designing a playground
area and purchasing playground
equipment, including basketball
goals and swings.
The building funds would be
used to restore city hall, includ
ing upstairs and the roof area.
The road money would be
used to resurface and upgrade
roads.
NICHOLSON
Nicholson would get an esti
mated $1.1 million and would
use it as follows: $516,003 for
roads and bridges; $286,976 to
purchase property to expand
existing parks and purchasing
picnic and playground equip
ment; $57,395 for renovation
of the public library; $57,395
for restoration of the Crossroads
Traveling School; $172,185 for
tractors and mowers and other
equipment to maintain the parks;
and $57,395 for water and sewer
improvements.
Nicholson will use a portion
continued on page 5A
EPA: BOE to pay portion of Sikes costs
THE JACKSON County
School System plans to
fight a demand by the
Environmental Protection
Agency that the system
pay part of the cost to
clean up Sikes Oil.
“We received a letter
demanding reimburse
ment of costs expended
by the United States govern
ment at the site,” superintendent
Shannon Adams said. “I plan
to argue that as a public school
system, we should be exempt
from any liability in the entire
situation.”
Sikes Oil Service was a for
mer used oil processor that
ceased operation in June
2005 after an explosion
at the site. From June to
September 2006, the EPA
carried on an extensive
effort to clean the site.
The total response costs
incurred at the site by the
EPA through May 18 is
$780,016. according to Adams.
“There were 68 entities iden
tified as ‘PRP’s’ or Partially
Responsible Parties who, accord
ing to EPA, share the liability
for what took place at the site
and are therefore responsible for
sharing in the cost of the clean
up,” Adams added. “One PRP
has already contributed $133,897,
reducing the total outstanding
response costs to $646,118.
A meeting will be held at the
EPA headquarters on Friday to
determine how the remainder of
the expenses are to be divided
among the other PRP’s.
“We were identified as a PRP
because we contracted with Sikes
Oil Service over a three-year peri
od of time to dispose of some of
our used motor oil.” Adams said.
“The volume we contributed in
those three years was 1,295 gal
lons or 12-one hundredths of one
percent of the total.”
Qualifying set for
Pendergrass election
QUALIFYING HAS been set in the City of
Pendergrass for candidates to qualify for the Nov. 2
election.
Two council seats are up for grabs in the city. The
council seats currently held by Judy Stowe and John
Pethel will be on the ballot in November.
Qualifying will be held beginning at 8:30 a.m.
on Monday, Aug. 30, and ending at 4:30 p.m. on
Wednesday, Sept. 1. Qualifying will take place in the
city clerk’s office at city hall.
The qualifying fee for each council seat is $35 and
must be paid at the time of qualifying.
Candidates must be a Pendergrass city resident for
at least 12 months prior to the election. The candi
dates must be registered and qualified to vote in city
elections.