Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
Special recognition
Pat Bell, 4-H honored for
Hurricane Shoals efforts
Pat Bell and the Jack-
son County 4-H were
recently recognized for
their efforts to clean-up
Hurricane Shoals Park
in the 1970s. Bell was
honored in a surprise
event at Art in the Park
on Sunday, Sept. 19. Bell
is shown (left) with Jack-
son County Extension
agent Greg Pittman.
State Rep. Tommy Benton read a resolution honoring Pat Bell and the Jack-
son County 4-H program for spearheading the cleanup of Hurricane Shoals
Park in the 1970s. Pictured are (L-R): Rep. Benton, Bell and Jackson County
Extension agent Greg Pittman.
A crowd of community members and Jackson County 4-H alumni attended the special event.
Hoschton
Hoschton police station could be ready ‘within next few months’
Hoschton leaders have
selected a location to
house the city’s new police
department.
The Hoschton City
Council agreed to make
a $650,000 purchase for
property located at 4162
Hwy. 53 in downtown
Hoschton. The lot is 0.4
acres (according to Jack-
son County geographical
information systems) and
includes a 3.200 square-
foot building.
The council met in a
nine-minute closed ses
sion during a Friday. Sept.
3. called meeting to dis
cuss real estate acquisition
and voted unanimously to
purchase the land upon re
turning to open session.
As part of the closing
process, the council has
authorized mayor pro-tem
Adam Ledbetter to sign all
closing papers for the sale.
Impact fees will be
used toward the purchase
of the property and cover
just over half of the sale
amount, according to may
or Shannon Sell.
With this latest move,
the city continues to build
its new police department
after having been without
one since 2010. Hoschton
installed a new police
chief. Brad Hill, in Au
gust and approved the pur
chase of a police vehicle.
The city will begin slowly
phasing in officers in Jan
uary.
The property purchase
will now allow for a po
lice facility that could also
serve a dual purpose.
“We’ll most likely put
the municipal court in that
building, too.” Sell said.
While Sell said there are
“a lot of pieces to the puz
zle.” the city hopes to have
the facility ready “within
the next few months.” The
mayor noted that a florist
and antique shop current
ly occupy the building and
said those those tenants
must be allowed adequate
time to move out.
Sell said the building
will require basic remod
eling, but also said it’s too
early to offer any details
of a potential floor plan
for the facility or an esti
mated cost for that proj
ect.
Braselton
Medieval fair featuring the Battle of Hastings coming to Braselton
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
A major battle from the
11th century will come to
life again in Braselton.
The town’s civic cen
ter director Sloane Meyer
announced at Thursday’s
(Sept. 9) downtown devel
opment authority (DDA)
meeting that Braselton host
a Oct. 9-10 a “mini medie
val fair” on the town green.
Professional historical
re-enactors from “History
Now” will coordinate the
event and feature a pre
sentation on the Battle of
Hastings from 1066, which
saw Norman-French forces
defeat the English to begin
the Norman conquest of
England.
“It will be part festival,
bring-the-community-in
for exciting things, part
educational,” said Mey
er, who said the presenta
tion fits all Georgia stan
dards for social studies
and English.
The event, which will
run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
each day. will include food
trucks and local vendors
who sell costumes, jewelry
or cooking utensils related
to that time period.
In other business dis
cussed. the DDA:
•heard from Braselton
Downtown director Amy
Pinnell, who recently spoke
with the coordinator for
the town’s art project. The
public can participate in an
online art survey at www.
BraseltonPublicArt.com to
offer input on development
of the project.
•heard that the town still
seeks volunteers for its
Sept. 25 Pooches in the
Park event and sponsors
for its Oct. 16 Zombie Run.
The town hopes to draw
around 150 runners for the
Zombie Run. The 5K race
serves as a Peachtree Road
Race qualifier.
Hoschton
Submitted photo
HOSCHTON
PROJECT
CELEBRATED
Hoschton City Coun
cil members and em
ployees are pictured
Wednesday (Aug. 25) at
a gathering to celebrate
the new clarifier project
for the city’s waste wa
ter treatment plant.
Headline roundup
JM Family Enterprises
among ‘Best Workplaces’
Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine have
named JM Family Enterprises as one of the 2021
Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & Production.
This is the company’s sixth time being named to this
prestigious list, this year coming in at No. 2.
In 2020, JM Family completed a $100 million
brand-new facility for its Toyota Vehicle Processing
Center (VPC) in Commerce. The 350,000 square-
foot complex encompasses 90 acres of the compa
ny’s 300-acre site, where it employs more than 200
associates, many of whom were heavily involved in
the design process.
This new operating location was built on the feed
back of the associates who work there, implement
ing new business processes to improve efficiency. In
addition, the company added specific amenities to
improve work life, including a Health and Wellness
Center with a physician, a nurse practitioner and a
registered nurse on staff, an expanded dining facili
ty with ample outdoor seating, a fitness center and a
community meeting area. Other amenities include a
community garden where associates can grow their
own herbs, produce and flowers, an onsite % mile
outdoor fitness trail and an approximately one-acre
fishing pond. Facilities upgrades were also complet
ed at the company’s two additional VPCs in Jackson
ville, Florida.
Waste Pro acquires
commercial route in Commerce
Waste Pro has acquired a commercial route from
Metro Site, Inc. in Commerce. Waste Pro is servicing
194 new customers as part of the arrangement.
• ••
Piedmont joins Anthem’s
Medicare Advantage network
Piedmont and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
announced recently that the health system has joined
Anthem’s Medicare Advantage network, which will
help bring lower out-of-pocket costs for Anthem’s
Medicare Advantage members. This agreement went
into effect September 15.
This agreement enables Anthem’s Medicare Ad
vantage members in-network access to care from
Piedmont’s hospitals, urgent care centers, QuickCare
locations, and physician practices in Georgia. It also
expands on the existing relationship between the two
organizations in which members of Anthem’s com
mercial health plans have access to in-network care
at Piedmont.
Individuals with questions can contact Anthem’s
Member Services by using the toll-free number on
the back of their identification card. For more infor
mation about the services offered at Piedmont, visit
www.piedmont.org.
Georgia unemployment
falls, but so does workforce
Georgia’s unemployment rate and the number of
unemployed have both fallen to pre-pandemic levels.
But the state’s labor force is also below what it was
when COVID-19 struck Georgia in March of last
year and shows no signs of bouncing back.
The unemployment rate declined two-tenths of a
percentage point last month to 3.5%, lower than the
3.6% jobless rate posted in March 2020, the Georgia
Department of Labor reported Thursday. The number
of unemployed dropped to about 182,000, also below
the pre-pandemic level of 187,000.
While those numbers represent good news for the
state’s economy, the labor force also remained 31,000
below the number of Georgians in the workforce in
March of last year.
Job losses in the accommodation and food services
and retail trade sectors negated what otherwise would
have been a job gain of more than 4,000 in August.
“Job growth will become stagnant if we don’t fill
the hundreds of thousands of jobs that we currently
have open right now,” Georgia Commissioner of La
bor Mark Butler said Thursday. “We are not seeing
the number of Georgians rejoin the labor force at the
same pace as we are seeing employers post jobs.”
A survey conducted by the labor department found
that 69% of Georgia employers have been increasing
pay scales to try to fill vacant jobs. About 46% re
port they have become more flexible with education
and experience requirements of jobseekers, and more
than a third say they have enhanced benefits.
Jobseekers responding to the survey said they were
discouraged from applying due to a lack of qualifica
tions, fear of COVID exposure and a desire for higher
salaries and benefits.
“Based on what we are seeing, it may take months,
if not years, for the job market to return to some type
of normalcy,” Butler said.
First-time unemployment claims were down 19%
last month from July and declined 81% compared to
August of last year.
The number of employed Georgians rose by 15,686
last month to nearly 5 million.
The sectors with the most over-the-month job gains
included administrative and support services, which
posted a gain of 3,500 jobs; professional, scientific,
and technical services, which gained 2,500 jobs; and
non-durable goods manufacturing, which saw an in
crease of 1,000.
There are more 200,000 jobs posted on Employ
GA. In many cases, employers are willing to train
quality candidates and assist with obtaining addition
al credentials.