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About Jackson herald. (Jefferson, Jackson County, Ga.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 2023)
o O THE ACKSON H Wednesday, April 26, 2023 ERALD VOL. 148 NO. 46 44 PACES 3 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS Merged in 2017 with The Commerce News A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 $1.00 COPY BOC MARTY CLARK Clark plans run for BOC chair District 5 county commissioner Marty Clark has announced plans to seek the chair manship of the Jackson County Board of Com missioners in 2024. Current BOC chair man Tom Crow plans to retire at the end of his term (see letter) on Dec. 31, 2024. Crow has endorsed Clark for the position. Clark is a sec ond-generation poul try and cattle farmer and native Jackson Countian. Raised on the West Jackson farm where he currently re sides, Marty graduated from Jackson County Comprehensive High School where he was active in the FFA pro gram. He joined the Unit ed States Navy after graduation and served for four years. After re turning from the Navy, Marty married his wife, Cyndi. and began work ing more on the family farm to help his father. Realizing how much he enjoyed the work envi ronment, he acquired a few head of cattle in 2007 and started raising chickens in 2008. To day, Clark Hill Farms is home to a number of registered Angus cattle. In addition to his work in the agricultural world, Marty has also served on numerous boards and committees throughout his life. See Clark, page 2A MAILING LABEL Jefferson Jefferson considers buying county admin building By Hannah Barron hannah@mainstreetnews.com Jefferson could be looking to acquire Jackson County’s administrative building and other related property in the downtown city limits as the county prepares to break ground on its new adminis trative complex. Jefferson city planner Jerry Weitz presented a pro posal for the potential acqui sition at the Jefferson City Council’s April 24 meeting. The county will likely surplus property that com prises 6.35 acres fronting on Athens St., Park Ave., Pine St. and Gordon St. The total acreage includes the admin istrative facility, the Jackson EMS facility, an open space behind Jefferson’s city hall and Bill Mahaffey Ln. It is assumed that the ad ministrative facility will be torn down and Jackson EMS may remain at its site until it locates another property in the downtown area, Weitz said. The surplus property could be key for Jefferson’s downtown redevelopment — something the city has been looking at for many years. “[Downtown redevelop ment] has been on the books since 2016," councilmember Clint Roberts said. "It's been harboring on the Focus and Execute plan for a number of years as an unfunded project. We’ve been beaten up over lack of vision downtown.” “It is a huge infill opportu nity for the city,” he added. “This to me is a key opportu nity to show some vision for our downtown.” Weitz also referred to the property as a “linchpin” for downtown redevelopment, though he noted there is still time to formulate a po sition on whether the city has any interest in the prop erty. One concern the city has about acquisition is the price tag. The city has looked at swapping its fire station on Washington St. for the sur plus property, giving Jackson EMS another facility, but it is likely that the station would not be suitable for EMS op erations. Jefferson could look at partnering with the county and Downtown Develop ment Authority (DDA) on a See Jefferson, page 2A Prom time for JCHS Panthers Photos by Ben Munro Ethan Logan and Samiha Sarwar were crowned Jackson County High School prom king and queen Saturday (April 22) at the Braselton Civic Cen ter. Jackson County High School held its prom Saturday night (April 22) at the Braselton Civic Center. Here, Daniel Stites is hoisted above the crowd on the dance floor. See more on page 5A. Commerce planners Shown is a design of what a potential conve nience store could look like at the corner of Maysville Road and B. Wilson Road. Although the rendering includes a canopy showing “Marathon,” the applicant noted Monday that no fuel provider has been chosen yet. Convenience store planned near Quality Foods By Alex Buffington alex@mainstreetnews. com A convenience store could be coming to the cor ner of Maysville Road and B. Wilson Road in Com merce. The Commerce Planning and Zoning Commission voted Monday ( April 24) to recommend approval of a variance for the project with several conditions. The Commerce City Council will consider the re quest at its May 1 and 15 meetings. Applicant Seery Realty is requesting a variance to allow a convenience store/gas station in such close proximity to residential property. The proper ty backs up to an apartment/townhome complex on B. Wilson Road. Developers plan to renovate the existing See Commerce, page 2A Jefferson BOE Facility plans, special education updates highlight Jefferson BOE retreat By Hannah Barron hannah@mainstreetnews.com Enrollment for the Jefferson school system is expected to increase by about 100 students next year. Growth is expected to also continue in coming years with multiple subdivisions still under development in Jefferson, financial officer Kim Navas shared at the Jef ferson Board of Education’s two-day spring retreat on April 13 and 14. To help with future needs, Jefferson City Schools is looking at facility improvements, including the contin ued expansion at Jefferson Middle School. Craig Buckley of James W. Buckley & Associates, Inc., gave a tour of phase one construction at the middle school, which will be ready by fall. The current phase includes a wing of eight classrooms, a science lab. See BOE, page 2A piggly wiggly WE CASH CHECKS! INCOME TAXES PAYROLL INSURANCE SSI DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SETTLEMENT MONEY ORDERS 14 14 0
