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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2010
Benton school sign dedicated in memory of Sandra Sailors
Educator's family
donates new sign
BYANGELA GARY
Longtime educator Sandra
Sailors was remembered
Sunday afternoon at Benton
Elementary School when a new
sign was unveiled. Some 100
people gathered by the sign in
front of the school for the pre
sentation and dedication of the
redesigned sign.
The Sailors family donated
the refurbished sign, with the
school’s new mascot, “Eagles,”
on it, in honor of and in mem
ory of Sailors, who attended
school at Benton and later
taught there.
The mascot for the school
was changed recently from
“Bulldogs” to “Eagles.”
The brick sign has “Benton
Elementary School, Est. 1936,
Home of the Eagles” on it. A
plaque at the top of the sign
states: “Dedicated in memory
of Sandra D. Sailors 2010.”
There is also an Eagle on top of
the brick sign.
The dedication ceremony
included remarks from several
friends and colleagues of Ms.
Sailors, including the Rev. Mike
Stowers, who gave a prayer and
devotional and the benediction.
“We’ve all been enriched by
knowing her,” the Rev. Stowers
said. “She gave of herself and,
most times, without any rec
ognition. It is fitting that she is
recognized today as an educa
tor.”
Rep. Tommy Benton, who
knew Sailors as a classmate at
Commerce High School and
then as a fellow teacher, spoke
on her accomplishments as
an educator, including being
named “Teacher of the Year”
and “Star Teacher.”
“She was truly missed when
she retired and she is truly
missed today,” he said. “Jackson
County and the Benton com
munity are a better place for
having had her in it.”
Benton
lementary school
EST. 1936
of the Eagles
Home
SIGN DEDICATION CEREMONY
A ceremony was held Sunday afternoon at Benton Elementary School for the pre
sentation and dedication of the redesigned sign. The Sailors family donated the
refurbished sign, with the school’s new mascot, “Eagles,” on it, in honor of and in
memory of Sailors, who attended school at Benton and later taught there. Members
of the Sailors family shown are: (L-R) Mallory Sailors, Hailey Sailors, Scott Sailors,
Daniel Sailors and Casey Thurmond. Photos by Angela Gary
ft Benton &
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
EST. 1936
Home of the t
CHILDREN PART OF CEREMONY
Several children, including Anna Kate Thurmond, Mary Grant Thurmond, Casey Ann
Knight, Lydia Anne Mitchell and Emmie Mitchell, placed flowers at the refurbished sign
in front of Benton Elementary School in remembrance of Sandra Sailors (“Mama San”).
Sailors’ father, Daniel, rep
resented the family in pre
senting the refurbished sign.
Several children, including
Anna Kate Thurmond, Mary
Grant Thurmond, Casey Ann
Knight, Lydia Anne Mitchell
and Emmie Mitchell, placed
flowers at the sign in remem
brance of “Mama San.”
Others who spoke were:
Robert Goodman, who gave
the opening and closing
remarks; Charlotte Mealor, a
classmate and friend; Brenda
Fouche, a neighbor and friend;
Richard Dills, who sang “Pretty
Woman”; Pam Shields, Benton
Elementary School principal;
Lynne Massey Wheeler, Jackson
County Board of Education
member; and Shannon Adams,
county school superintendent.
The ceremony ended when
members of the audience joined
in singing “I’ll Fly Away” and
released red balloons.
Local officials look to state funds for road work
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
OFFICIALS ARE work
ing quietly to position Jackson
County to take advantage of a
change in state transportation
funding.
Beginning in 2012, multi
county districts in Georgia can
begin holding referendums to
impose 10-year one-cent sales
tax levies to fund roads, bridges
and other transportation infra
structure. Districts that approve
the new tax will be able to use
those funds to access great
er amounts of Department of
Transportation funding.
Board of commissioners
chairman Hunter Bicknell
told the county’s Industrial
Development Authority last
Friday morning thathe’s already
attended three unofficial district
meetings and that the county’s
Road Committee has discussed
the matter.
Speaking of a recent meeting
of the latter, Bicknell said the
group “talked at length about
T-SPLOST and our projects
around the county” that could
be part of a regional laundry list
of projects to be funded.
Bicknell listed a number of
possibilities, including four-
laning Hwy. 53 from 1-85 to
New Cut Road, creating a
new interchange at Hwy. 60
and Interstate-85, bypasses
of Jefferson and Braselton-
Hoschton, improvements to
Gum Springs Road, Hoods
Mill Road, Waterworks Road,
Hwy. 98 in Commerce and
State Street (Hwy. 326) from
downtown Commerce to U.S.
441.
“It was mostly a discussion
of what could be on that list,”
said Short, who also serves in
the committee.
Bicknell agreed, and
expressed a desire for Jackson
County to get a head start on
planning.
“We want to be one of
the counties in the forefront
through the process so we can
get the projects we deem really
important onto the list early,”
he said.
The DOT is using a car-
rot-and-stick approach to get
regions, which are identical to
regional commission territories,
to pass the sales tax. Jackson
is in a district that includes
Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene,
Jasper, Madison, Morgan,
Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe
and Walton counties.
If voters in those counties
collectively vote in favor of a
one-cent transportation tax dur
ing the 2012 general prima
ries, each county will receive
25 percent of taxes collected in
that county. The remaining 75
percent will go to the region.
A regional roundtable, which
will consist of the county com
mission chairman and a mayor
from each county, will meet to
discuss what road projects are
put on a referendum.
If regional representatives
fail to come up with a project
list, then a “special gridlock”
will be declared and county
governments will be required to
match 50 percent of all funding
provided by the state for roads.
If a region holds a referendum
but voters reject the transporta
tion tax, then counties in that
region will be required to match
30 percent of all funds provided
by the state. But if the referen
dum is approved, counties will
only have to match 10 percent
of funds provided by the state.
“There will be regions that
don’t even have a vote,” com
mented IDA member Jim Dove.
“I feel real good about the
opportunities in our region.”
Dove directs the Northeast
Georgia Regional Commission.
He said that, so far, there have
been three unofficial meetings
of what will eventually become
the regional transportation
roundtable.
SPENDING ON ROAD
BOND PROJECT SLOWS
Locally, Martin and Bicknell
reported that the county is hold
ing back on funding new road
projects with remaining eco
nomic development bonds.
“We want to wait a bit and
make sure whatever project is
determined to be next ... will
make money for us in taxes
and jobs. That’s what the eco
nomic development bonds are
all about.”
Bicknell said the remaining
money “gives us some flex
ibility” should a major proj
ect come into the county that
requires road infrastructure,
“but nobody has that crystal
ball to tell us where the econo
my is going.”
The BOC chairman noted
that the county and IDA refund
ed $5 million of the bonds,
and he held out the possibility
of refunding more of them to
lower the county debt.
“We have to take a very con
servative approach to our debt,”
he cautioned.
In 2008, the county and IDA
agreed to issue $82 million in
bonds to finance roads that they
felt would spur economic devel
opment and, through property
taxes on land made more valu
able and on new industries, pay
for themselves. The two put
together a priority list, but after
the economy tanked, a number
of the projects were put on
indefinite hold. The IDA and
county also used the prospect
of road work to leverage con
tributions toward the projects
— sometimes in right of way,
other times in cash — from
property owners or developers
who stood to gain from the
improved road access.
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IDA: Despite slow economy,
industry looking at county
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
THE PEOPLE in charge
of promoting Jackson County
to business and industry brim
with optimism as 2010 comes
to an end, in spite of a sluggish
economy.
That was evident as the
Industrial Development
Authority met last Friday morn
ing.
Courtney Bernardi, the
Jackson County Area Chamber
of Commerce’s director of eco
nomic development, started the
discussion with her monthly
review of activity in which she
announced that three new proj
ects have made inquiries during
the past month.
She said activity is “kind of
slow right now,” but added that
“projects are coming in, people
are looking around.”
Bernardi reminded the IDA
that Jackson County has landed
five industries so far this year,
which will add 750 jobs to the
local economy. She also report
ed attending a meeting among
state economic developers in
which it became evident that
Jackson County was “by far
way busier” than other coun
ties in Georgia and that she
is hopeful of another industrial
announcement or two by the
end of this year or early next.
“It is really a credit to our
leadership and our ability to get
things done,” Bernardi said.
Earlier that morning at the
meeting of the directors of the
chamber, Bernardi announced
that she has asked the cham
ber’s Alliance for Economic
Development for funding for
a “data recovery system” that
would aid the chamber in more
quickly responding to prospects’
requests for data on the county.
The system would cost $10,000
a year, she said, but would great
ly enhance the chamber’s ability
to service prospects and analyze
the county’s economic develop
ment strengths and weaknesses.
Chamber president Shane
Short pointed out that the recent
prospects are a “mix of manu
facturing and distribution” com
panies, “which is good for us.”
Scott Martin, IDA chairman,
told his board that he’s seeing a
lot of interest from manufactur
ers seeking smaller sites, and
some development of smaller,
more flexible buildings.
“I’m hearing there is quite a
bit of pent-up demand,” Martin
said, adding that companies
appeared to have been awaiting
the outcome of the recent gen
eral election.
“I think we’re going to be in
for a good year as far as industry
is concerned,” he predicted.
The interest is not just from
potential industries, Short point
ed out.
“We’re seeing a lot more
interest in retail than we’ve seen
in the last three years,” he said.
“You don’t know how that will
turn out, but at least they’re
looking.”
Member Jon Milford report
ed that the Tanger Outlet Center
in Commerce is 100 percent
leased, and member John
Buchanan reported that com
mercial development activity is
also picking up.
In a related matter, the
IDA approved an “ownership
change” on the Commerce 85
Business Park.
Attorney Daniel Haygood
said Rooker & Associates’ part
ner in the project has backed
out and is being replaced by the
lender.
“As the landlord, since we
hold tide to the property, we
have to approve it,” he explained.
“Nothing has changed out there.
One of the partners is being
replaced by the lender.”
Curb replaced outside of bank
A CURB placed outside
of Regions Bank in down
town Jefferson by the Georgia
Department of Transportation
has been replaced after caus
ing several motorists to get flat
tires.
The curb jutted out into the
street which caused at least
three people to get flat tires,
according to reports filed at the
Jefferson Police Department.
City manager John Ward said
the curb originally installed by
the DOT contractors also did
not match the city’s streetscape
project, which is also in the
works. Ward said the streetscape
project will shift the lanes some
and the curb would have caused
even more problems.
“We notified the DOT of the
problem and they brought their
engineers in,” Ward said. “They
cut the end off it and fixed it.
The obstruction that was so far
out in the road was cut back to
the ramp.”
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