Newspaper Page Text
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H Wednesday, July 6, 2011
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 137 NO. 4 PACES 3 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75c COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•Jefferson's new
downtown . . page 11B
Op/Ed:
•'Athens has issues
deeper than a petty
squabble' page 4A
Sports:
•Jefferson tennis star
gears up for big summer
page 1B
Features:
•Zach Turner gradu
ates from Air Force
Academy page 1 C
Other News:
•Public Safety
page 6A
•Legals
pages 4-16C
•Church News
page 5B
•Obituaries
page 7A
•School News
page4B
O -s
Pendergrass to vote on Sun. alcohol sales
BY SHARON HOGAN
DURING THE November city elec
tion, Pendergrass residents will get the
chance to vote on the sale of packaged
alcohol on Sunday.
At the monthly council meeting on
June 28, the council voted unanimously
to put a referendum on the ballot to give
the city’s residents the opportunity to
make a decision on this issue.
Council member John Pethel asked
the council to discuss the Sunday alco
hol sales issue.
Mayor Monk Tolbert said he and
Police Chief Robert LaRocque had
gone around to the stores in the city and,
“they were not really in favor or against
it.” Tolbert said some of the store own
ers said it would just mean more work
for them.
City administrator Rob Russell said,
“Even if it is approved, they don’t have
to stay open.”
Pethel said, “I am in favor of giving
the citizens the right to decide.”
Restaurants are already allowed to
serve alcohol by the drink on Sundays.
In other business:
•city clerk Renee Martinez presented
a library report, noting that there were
213 patrons and 98 computer users in
June and that 417 items were checked
out in May. She also reported that the
library’s Summer Reading program is
ongoing.
•Russell reported the lighting project
in the Chris Ruse Park is underway. The
lamp posts and park benches are on
back order, Russell stated.
The next regularly scheduled city
council meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, July 26, at the depot.
WATERMELON AT INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
Donna Hauntsman and members of Cabin Creek Baptist Church offered free water
melon at the annual Independence Day celebration Saturday in Nicholson. See
more photos on page 10B. Photo by Angela Gary
Maysville to study fire department funds
BY ERIN ROSSITER
THE MAYSVILLE City
Council declined during its
Tuesday meeting to address its
fire protection agreement with
the Maysville Volunteer Fire
Department, which some city
officials claim expired on June
30.
Fire Chief James Lyles, who
called the funding delay and
questioning of how the depart
ment is budgeted “ridiculous,”
agreed to continue fire service
until the council can study the
matter during its next work ses
sion on July 28. His department
protects the Banks County por
tion of Maysville.
“Right now, my main con
cern is if we have a fire are
you going to respond?” Mayor
Jerry Baker asked.
“As long as we get paid,”
Lyles said, firmly.
Baker first raised the issue by
asking the council to amend its
2011 budget to include another
$11,500 for the fire depart
ment, which requested $23,000
for the entire year.
Council member Lynn
Villyard objected, describing
the agenda item as a last-minute
addition. She asked for more
time and information to review
any funding on top of the origi
nal allocation in January, which
she believed covered the entire
budget year.
“Are you asking me to do
that tonight?” Villyard asked.
“Yes,” Baker said.
“Well, I’m not prepared to do
that.” she responded. “It seems
clear to me there is some con
fusion. My understanding is
(our January vote) was for a
year.”
Baker indicated that was not
the case and that the $11,500
first allocated to the department
covered services for the first six
months of 2011 only.
Council member Clay Dorsey
explained that concern and
confusion over the fire depart
ment’s funding overall stems
from the steady increases - 81
percent since 2003, he said.
Jackson County seeks
$420,000 in back taxes
JACKSON COUNTY offi
cials will be selling off property
on Aug. 2 in a bid to collect
$420,000 in back taxes.
The largest single amount
owed in the sale is for $60,635
by Terry Davis LR
The county has been active
all year in holding regular tax
sales in a bid to collect taxes
that have not been paid during
the recession.
Details on the property can
be found in the Jackson Herald
legal notices section.
Being collected are the fol
lowing amounts:
Steven Dennis aka Steve
Hogan $10,150
Larry Swain (Deer Crossing
Subdivision) $3,255
Harold Fletcher $2,178
Network Properties, LLC
$6,092
Shadow Brooke, Inc.
$15,834
Terry Davis LP $60,635
SDJ Parks Group LLC
$33,817
Thomas J. & Helen Payne
$1,886
Braselton Ventures, LLC
$37,613
Billy R. Walls $17,331
Residential community
planned for Arcade
Will include both commercial
and recreation use; two schools
BYANGELA GARY
A DEVELOPER has pro
posed a huge residential
and commercial project in
Arcade on a 1,600-acre tract
known as the “4-W Farm.”
The project, known as
Arcade Meadows, will
include 3,800 homes, a retail
section, office park, pedestri
an trails and two elementary
schools. The project would
be developed in 30 years.
Arcade city administra
tor Debbie Mockus said the
request will first go to the
Northeast Georgia Regional
Commission for a regional
impact study. The commis
sion will take public com
ments for 30 to 45 days and
will then make a recommen
dation on the plans.
A zoning request for the
project will then go the
Arcade Zoning Commission
for a recommendation and
then to the Arcade City
Council for final action.
Mockus said a breakdown
for the plans on the 1.600
acres calls for 45 percent to
be a residential neighbor
hood; 25 percent to be open
or green space; and eight to
16 percent being commer
cial and/or office space.
“I think it will be really
good for the city,” Mockus
said. “This isn’t something
that will be developed in
a few years. It’s a 30-year
build out and it will take
some time for it to come to
full fruition. They want to
start in the next couple of
years.”
In May of 2009, Walton
International completed the
sale of undivided interests
in the property for an aggre
gate purchase price of $27.4
million.
The company has report
edly been researching and
participating in real estate
markets for 30 years, and
identifying property in
Georgia for several years.
Arcade Meadows is the
second Georgia project for
the company, which also
has developments in Texas,
Arizona and Ontario.
JES, CMS lead local schools in 5th, 8th grade CRCT results
Most county, city schools
in top third of state results
JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY School
posted the best overall results in Jackson
County in 5th Grade CRCT results this
year while Commerce Middle School had
the best overall local 8th Grade results.
At the other end, Maysville Elementary
School and South Jackson Elementary
School posted the worst local 5th Grade
results with both schools doing slightly
worse than the state average in Math.
In 8th Grade results, Kings Bridge
Middle School was at the bottom locally
doing worse than the overall state average
in Math and English/Language Arts.
Individual school breakdowns were
released Wednesday by the state.
Middle Schools
CRCT Failure Rates
8th Grade 2011 Testing
School Reading
ELA
Math
Science
SocialS
CMS
0
0
11.8
20.0
8.4
JMS
1.4
2.4
5.3
15.8
11.5
EJMS
1.4
1.4
10.4
11.9
17.6
WJMS
3.6
4.0
16.1
16.9
17.0
KBMS
2.7
11.4
38.2
26.1
27.1
STATE
4.0
7.2
22.3
32.0
27.5
With the exception of KBMS. most Jackson County
schools were in the upper one third of results in the
state.
Elementary Schools
CRCT Failure Rates
5th Grade 2011 Testing
School
Readina
ELA
WJIS
1.7
0
EJES
1.4
1.5
GSES
1.8
.9
BES
0
1.8
MES
3.4
3.3
NJES
2.1
2.1
SJES
6.3
3.8
CES
2.9
4.0
JES
1.9
.5
STATE
9.5
7.0
Math
Science
SocialS
2.6
5.1
10.2
4.5
11.4
12.9
3.5
5.2
6.1
7.1
11.5
16.4
13.8
11.7
20.0
2.1
6.1
6.1
13.6
14.6
15.9
9.2
9.7
3.9
1.9
1.0
2.4
13.4
23.4
28.7