Newspaper Page Text
o
O
THE
ACKSON
H Wednesday, April 19, 2023
ERALD
VOL. 148 NO. 45
24 PACES 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS
Merged in 2017 with
The Commerce News
A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA S0549 $1.00 COPY
Pendergrass
BOC
Geiman only candidate
for Pendergrass mayor
Special election set Jane 20; Post 1
& Post 6 have multiple candidates
Nick Geiman will be
come Pendergrass" next
mayor during an upcoming
June 20 special election.
Geiman, currently a
member of the Pendergrass
City Council, was the only
person to qualify for the
mayor's seat. The seat was
left vacant following the
death of longtime mayor
Monk Tolbert in March.
While the mayor's seat
won't be a competitive race,
multiple candidates qual
ified to fill the unexpired
terms for Post 1 and Post 6
council seats.
Qualifying for the Post
1 (term ends Dec. 31) seat
are:
• Gabriel Gomez
• Josh Auten
• William Ellis
For the Post 6 seat (term
ends Dec. 31, 2024) are:
• Crystal Hendrix
• Debra Fermin
Hoschton
Hoschton leaders decide
against bulletproof
glass for city hall
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Bulletproof glass will not
be part of Hoschton's new
city hall.
The Hoschton City Coun
cil approved a $13,058
change order for additional
cabinets and countertops but
opted against the $18,878
addition of bulletproof
glass for the city hall help
desk. The help desk will be
equipped with plexiglass,
instead, as reflected in the
original plans.
Fast month, the council
mulled the option of bul
letproof glass, citing safety
concerns, before tabling the
decision to the April meet
ing.
STREETS GETTING
NEW ASPHALT
Four streets in Hoschton
will receive improvements
this year with partial state
funding.
Bell Ave.. Walnut St., Mul-
MAILING LABEL
■
berry St. and Hall St. will be
resurfaced, while the city
cemetery will receive 1.500
linear feet of asphalt seal
coating at a combined price
tag of $236,675. Hoschton
has $80,000 worth of lo
cal maintenance improve
ment grants (LMIG) from
the Georgia Department of
Transportation (DOT) to ap
ply to the project.
The city awarded the con
tract to ShepCo Paving in
Alpharetta, which emerged
as the low bidder.
The city had budgeted
roughly $300,000 for the
work. City leaders project
a late-summer start for the
work.
O’LEARY, LOVE
LAND ADDED TO DDA
Mayor Lauren O’Leary
and Bob Loveland were
voted into the city's down
town development authority
See Hoschton, page 2A
Truck stop gets BOC approval
By Mike Buffington
A truck stop on Holly Springs
Rd. and Bill Wright Rd. near 1-85 at
the Dry Pond exit got final approval
from the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners April 17.
The facility will have a 7-Eleven
convenience store and a Peterbuilt
dealership, along with truck and car
fuel pumps.
The BOC approved two rezonings
and two special use permits that
paved the way for the project to go
forward.
OTHER ZONING
In other zoning action, the board
approved:
• rezoning 12 acres on Brock
ton Loop Rd., Jefferson, from A-2
to A-R to allow the property to be
subdivided into five lots. Several
neighbors to the property opposed
the rezoning, saying most property
in the area were larger tracts.
• rezoning 5.5 acres at 818 Cabin
Creek Dr., Nicholson, from A-2 to
A-R to subdivide into three tracts.
• rezoning 11 acres on Hwy.
124 West, Hoschton, to allow for a
multi-tenant commercial develop
ment.
• a special use at 6134 Hwy. 82
Spur, Commerce, to allow for a
landscape firm on the property.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the BOC ap
proved:
• Goodwynn Mills Cawood to do
architectural work for a new county
airport terminal.
• a contract for the use of ARPA
funds at the county senior center.
• a list of proposed projects to be
funded by the remaining economic
development bond funds. Among
the projects is Gateway Rd. in Jef
ferson following a request by the
city for help with that road project,
which will open up property for
commercial growth.
• a deannexation resolution for
property recently deannexed from
the City of Jefferson.
• low bidder Pittman Construction
Company for the contract to repave
33 miles of roads in the county. The
cost will be around $5.5 million.
COMMERCE PROM 2023
Photos by Amy Flint
Couples take to the dance floor for a slow dance during the Commerce High School prom. The 2023
CHS prom was held on Saturday, April 15, at The Classic Center in Athens. See more on 12B.
Commerce High School hosted its prom on king were Rachel English and Jonathon Orozco.
April 15 at The Classic Center. Honorary prom king was Tre Peters.
Commerce council
Commerce council member
city to have rabies protocol
By Alex Buffington
alex@mainstreetnews. com
A Commerce City Coun
cil member is urging the
city to make sure it has pro
tocol in place in case of po
tential rabid animal attack.
Mayor Pro Tem Keith
Burchett made the request
this week after his grand
son was attacked by a rabid
bobcat in Banks County
earlier in the month.
The attack was reported
on April 8 in Maysville.
The boy’s parents posted
on social media that the
31-pound bobcat attacked
the boy. His injuries re
quired rounds of rabies
shots and 14 stitches.
Burchett told the coun
cil on Monday (April 17)
that Banks County was
urges
in place
unprepared for the situa
tion and urges the city to
make sure it has protocols
in place if something like
that happens in the city.
“I don’t want us to get
See Commerce, page 2A
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