Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
k~
--rcc
H Wednesday, May 30, 2018
ERALD
VOL. 143 NO. 52
44 PACES 3 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS
Merged in 2017 with
The Commerce News
A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549
75c COPY
Congratulations, graduates
COMMERCE GRADUATES TOSS THEIR CAPS
Commerce High School graduates toss their caps in the air after graduation on Friday, May 25.
Photo by Ron Bridgeman
JHS CELEBRATES AT GRADUATION
Cody Austin Mills, honor graduate, Total person
Program and Beta Club member; Dylan Luke
Miller, honor graduate; and Theodor Mills, honor
graduate, celebrated at their graduation ceremony
at the Jefferson High school Arena.
Photo by Wesleigh Sagon
EJCHS GRAD DANCES ACROSS STAGE
Annice Marie Pittman danced across the stage
when receiving her diploma Wednesday night at
East Jackson Comprehensive High School’s grad
uation ceremony. Photo by Wesleigh Sagon
JACKSON COUNTY
GRADUATES JOINING
THE MILITARY
Col. Anthony Abbott
recognized students
joining the military
during the Jackson
County Comprehensive
High School graduation
ceremony Thursday
night. See more from
the JCCHS gradua
tion, along with grad
uations at Commerce
High School, Jefferson
High School and East
Jackson Comprehenisive
High School beginning
on page 1C.
Photo by
Wesleigh Sagon
State champions
TIME TO CELEBRATE
The Jefferson baseball team enjoys a moment just prior to the state
championship trophy presentation last Wednesday at the Rome
Braves’ State Mutual Stadium. The Dragons beat Cartersville 6-3 in a
deciding Game 3 of the Class AAAA state finals to secure the school’s
first-ever baseball state championship. See coverage on pages 1B and
4B-6B. Photo by Ben Munro
Warehouse
planned in
Pendergrass
Developers plan to construct a large warehouse in
the City of Pendergrass.
River Oaks Capital Partners, LLC, plans a 622,000
sq. ft. warehouse on 79 acres off Wayne Poultry Rd.
at Hwy. 129. Approximately 148 trailer storage spac
es are planned at the site.
The project could be completed by the end of
2019, according to a development of regional impact
application. Developers estimate the project will
generate $144,000 in annual tax revenue.
It will require rezoning approval from the Pender
grass City Council.
Commerce
approves $32.5
million budget
The $32.5 million 2019 fiscal year budget the
Commerce City Council expects to approve in June
anticipates almost $2.8 million more in spending
than the current budget. However, spending outside
the utility departments will decrease slightly.
City manager James Wascher led the council
through the proposed spending plan at the council’s
May 21 meeting. The council will hold a public hear
ing on the budget at 6 p.m. Monday and is expected
to approve the budget at 6 p.m. June 18. Both meet
ings will be held at the Commerce Civic Center. The
city’s fiscal year begins July 1.
The budget provides for no salary increases or
Christmas bonuses for employees.
EXPENDITURES
While total spending is projected to increase,
expenditures for the general fund — from which
all city activities except the utility departments.
Downtown Development Authority and civic center
are funded — are expected to fall by almost a half
million dollars, or seven percent.
The driving force behind the increase in utility
department expenditures relates to the Diana Foods
project at Banks Crossing, where the city is extend
ing its gas, water and, most expensively, its waste-
water treatment systems. The city will spend $9.1
million for wastewater improvements alone, most of
it for a pre-treatment plant for Diana Food.
GENERAL FUND
The fire department will bear the brunt of cuts in
the general fund, with spending falling to $350,000
from the current budget of $932,944, a drop reflect
ing that the city paid off the note on its latest vehicle,
cutting capital spending from $550,000 this fiscal
year to $6,000 in the new budget.
continued on page 10A
Work continues on
Braselton brewpub
By Alex Pace
Construction is picking up on the future site of
Braselton Brewing Company, which is set to open
later this year.
Chip Dale — who is working to redevelop the old
cotton gin on Davis St. into the brewpub — recently
gave an update on the project.
Dale said most of the steelwork is complete and
crews recently worked to tear up a lot of the con
crete floor, since it couldn’t handle the weight of the
brewpub machinery. Plumbing lines are also in and
electrical work is set to begin this week.
A “brewmaster.” has been hired and the remaining
hires will likely be made in late June.
Construction is set to be complete in late July.
Dale hopes the brewpub will open in late August, but
that’s tentative.
HISTORY OF THE PROJECT
The brewpub project was announced last year after
Dale introduced the idea to the building owner, Matt
Ruppel. At that time, Ruppel said he had envisioned
a similar concept for the old cotton gin.
During an interview in March 2017, Dale said
he and his wife liked the concept of brewpubs and
thought Braselton may benefit from having one, so
they started looking for a site.
It was Dale’s wife who suggested the cotton gin.
Dale agreed and said the character of the building
drew him to it.
He added that he wanted to keep that historic char
acter of the 2,900 sq. ft. cotton gin.