Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
(0M
■n
si,
H Wednesday, june 20, 2018
ERALD
VOL. 144 NO. 3
32 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
Commerce to get GE distribution center
GE Appliances is set to build a $55 million distribu
tion center in Commerce. The facility will be located on
100 acres at the entrance to the Commerce 85 Logistics
Park along Steve Reynolds Blvd. across Hwy. 98 from
Billy Cain Ford.
The center is expected to create 100 jobs and once it
is on the tax rolls at full value, could pay taxes of about
$577,000 per year, most of that to the Commerce City
School System.
“(The GE) investment in this community will bring
quality jobs and open the Hwy. 98 Corridor to a great
future of quality growth,” Mayor Clark Hill said. “There
is no doubt that this will provide significant support to
the Commerce City Schools.”
According to a state press release, construction will
be completed by April 2019. Ridgeline Properties from
Atlanta is the developer of the property.
“The Southeast Region Area Distribution Center will
join the largest distribution network in the appliance
industry with the ability to deliver products in three days
or less to 90 percent of U.S. homes,” said Mark Shirk-
ness, vice president of distribution for GE Appliances.
“We are excited to add a new warehouse in Northern
Georgia to our network of appliance distribution centers
located across the country.”
GE Appliances is headquartered in Louisville, Ken
tucky, and is owned by the Chinese firm Qingdao Haier.
Jackson jailer
arrested
A Jackson County jailer
was arrested last Thursday
on charges stemming from an
incident in Madison County.
Jackson County Sheriffs
Office jailer Todd Green
was charged with battery in
Madison County following
a confrontation. Greene was
reportedly doing some work
for a man in Madison County
when the two began to argue.
According to a JCSO press
release from Sheriff Janis
Mangum. Green attempted
to handcuff the man, twisted
his arm and hand and caused
scratches on the victim.
Green was arrested by
JCSO deputies and Com
merce Police Department
officers. He has been termi
nated from employment at
the JCSO.
Jefferson BOE
raises tuition
By Mike Buffington
The tuition for out-of-dis-
trict students attending the
Jefferson City School System
is going up slightly this year.
Tuition for one student in
a family is going to $1,000,
up from $900. Other children
in the same family will be
charged $900, up from $800.
The Jefferson Board of
Education approved the hikes
at its board meeting last
week. Kim Navas, the sys
tem's financial officer, said
the tuition rates are based on
the average household school
taxes paid by in-city resi
dents. She said the city’s tax
digest is expected to go up
five to eight percent this year,
a move that will push up the
average household taxes.
BOE chairman Ronnie
Hopkins said he hoped the
system could hold the rate for
two years unless there was
a significant change in the
city's tax digest.
Parents will also be able
to pay the tuition on-line this
year.
continued on page 3A
SENIOR CENTER VAN INVOLVED IN TUESDAY WRECK
A Jackson County Senior Center van was involved in a crash Tuesday morning on Hwy.
15 at South Apple Valley Rd. Fourteen people were taken to Piedmont Athens Regional
Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries. According to the Georgia State Patrol,
the crash occurred around 9:30 a.m. Carlie Foss, 19, of Athens, reportedly ran a stop
sign and her vehicle was struck on the passenger side by the senior center van. Foss
and the driver of the senior center van, Robert Loggins, 55, of Commerce, were taken
to the hospital along with the 12 passengers on the van. No major injuries were report
ed among the passengers of the van. Charges are expected against Foss. Jackson
County Senior Center director Kathy Branyon was reportedly on the scene of the crash
Tuesday helping notify the victims’ families about the accident. Photo by Zach Mitcham
Hwy. 124 project gets initial approval
By Mike Buffington
A proposed 55-and-older residential project
for 53 homes on Hwy. 124 got its first round of
approvals this week from the Jackson County
Board of Commissioners.
The BOC approved a Future Land Use Map
change for the project, which is being developed
by Longleaf Communities on 23 acres near the
Publix shopping center. The property is cur
rently owned by Chilhowee Enterprises, which
had recently gotten the property zoned for a
commercial center and an assisted living facility.
The property will now have to be rezoned from
commercial to residential before the project can
begin.
The proposed project for the site would be a
gated community of houses 1,600 sq. ft. to 2,000
sq. ft., according to the firm's letter to the BOC.
Developers said Monday night that the project
would be a two-year build-out.
In a nearby related matter, the BOC rejected
a bid of $33,500 for a one-acre parcel that abuts
the proposed residential development on Hwy.
124. The county only received one bid which
came from Chilhowee Enterprises. The board
rejected the bid.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business Monday night, the BOC:
• accepted several roads in Traditions of Bra-
selton Pod H.
• dedicated additional right-of-way on Maddox
Rd. for a development in the City of Hoschton
which required more space for turning lanes.
• approved a map change for 9.3 acres on Gei
ger Rd. from suburban to agricultural. The prop
erty is owned by Gary Harvin and had originally
been planned as an extension to Finch Landing
subdivision. Harvin now wants to use the prop
erty for agricultural purposes.
• approved a rezoning for 10.7 acres on Whites
Bottom Rd. from rural farm (PCFD) to A-2 to
allow a second house to be built on the property.
Developer says water board has
‘moratorium’ on development
BY CINDY R. EDGE
Has the Jackson County Water and Sewerage
Authority implemented a “moratorium” on sew
age connections?
That's the word one developer used to describe
the authority's failure to approve his request for
sewer connections for a proposed subdivision
on Hwy. 124 near Braselton. Developer John
Buchanan came before the water authority
on June 14 on behalf of JCDB Properties III,
LLC with a preliminary application for water
and sewer service for a 181-residential home
development. The application was first brought
before the board last month, but was tabled at
that time.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners
approved the development in December despite
opposition from the area’s neighbors.
The developer is requesting allocation of
54,300 gallons per day (gpd) of wastewater
treatment capacity. Water authority manager
Eric Klerk said his staff is recommending the
obligation for wastewater service to begin no
earlier than 18 months from the date of approv
al of the preliminary application, or once the
authority receives approval from EPD to oper
ate the Middle Oconee Wastewater Treatment
Plant (MOWWTP) at a maximum discharge of
800.000 gpd or greater.
But Buchanan said it is hard to find peo
ple interested in his development due to the
18-month waiting period.
“What you are in essence doing is putting
a moratorium on sewer connections for all
developers,” he said. “When you start spending
money on development and grading, you can't
continued on page 3A
Woman dies in single-car wreck
An elderly Jefferson woman died in a sin
gle-car accident June 9 on Brockton Road,
according to a Georgia State Patrol report.
Peggy Ann Shumake. 77. 1190 Academy
Church Road, Jefferson, died in the accident
which occurred just a little before 10 p.m. The
wreck was near McCree Road.
Shumake was driving her Ford Explorer east
on Brockton Road when the vehicle left the
road in a curve to the left.
The vehicle went over a ditch, hit a small tree,
left the ground again and flipped. It hit a large
tree and came to rest in a field on its roof.
A Nicholson woman saw the Ford Explorer
on its roof. She said the vehicle had driven
“behind her aggressively” and she pulled over
to allow it to pass.
The Ford Explorer “continued traveling at a
high rate of speed with its emergency flashers
activated.”
No hearing
yet on election
challenge
No date has been set yet to
hear an election challenge being
made by Steve Bryant, who lost
his re-election bid May 22 for the
District 5 Jackson County Board
of Education seat to challenger
Don Clerici.
According to Tracy J. BeMent.
District Court Administrator for
the 10th Judicial Administrative
District, the court is still in the
process of finding a judge to hear
the case.
“The case is in the process
of being assigned to a senior
judge for which we are await
ing the signature of the admin
istrative judge on the order.”
said BeMent. “As soon as that
assignment order is in place, the
assigned judge will weigh in to
set a hearing or order additional
filings.”
Bryant alleged in his hand
written complaint that the names
on the ballot were in the wrong
order with Clerici’s name listed
first.
“Names should be listed in
alphabetic order or the incum
bent's name should be listed
first,” according to Bryant’s chal
lenge. “In both cases, my name
should have been listed first on
the ballot.”
Bryant notified the county
elections office and Secretary of
State's Office of the error prior to
the election. (Elections Director
Jennifer Logan said correction
signs were posted at all locations
where the Bryant/Clerici race
was on the ballot.)
LAWYERS RESPOND
Laywers for Clerici and the
county responded to Bryant's
complaint last week. Walt M.
Britt, Clerici’s attorney, argued
Bryant didn’t take any substan
tial steps to have the ballots cor
rected.
“(Bryant) failed to take any
equitable action to preserve his
rights or cure any defect in the
ballot, and thus, he is not entitled
to any relief...,” Britt wrote.
Britt also argued Bryant failed
to allege or show “that a sufficient
number of votes were irregularly
recorded to make a difference
or cast doubt on the outcome.”
Clerici handily defeated Bryant.
64-percent to 36-percent.
There doesn’t appear to be
any previous case law in Geor
gia on how to handle a situa
tion where the names are in the
wrong order on the ballot. Most
of the case law that does exist has
revolved around whether or not
an election's outcome is in doubt
because of irregularities.
Both Britt and Christopher J.
Hamilton, attorney for the coun
ty elections board, said Bryant’s
challenge didn’t provide neces
sary information and fulfil other
requirements. Both requested the
court dismiss the challenge and
they asked for compensation for
attorney and litigation fees from
Bryant.
“The petition to contest pri
mary is substantially frivolous,
substantially groundless and
substantially vexatious, and the
defendants seek an award of
reasonable and necessary attor
ney's fees and expenses of litiga
tion...,” Britt wrote.
o
o