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About Jackson herald. (Jefferson, Jackson County, Ga.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2023)
PAGE 2A THE JACKSON HERALD WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2023 Quarry continued from 1A ervoir and will close for rock production by 2028. “We are excited about the opportunity to responsibly build on our investment in Jackson County)’ said Barry Lawson, East Division Project Manager, Vulcan Materials Company. “We are committed to working with our neighbors and stakeholders to design, build and operate East Jackson County Quarry in a safe and environmentally responsible way.” While Vulcan is reportedly looking to acquire some sur rounding property at the site, Fleming said the core tracts that make up the 800 acres would be sufficient to operate. County officials said that in their informal talks with Vul can, the firm has offered to donate around 140 acres from the site to the county for a park or other use. Officials said there had also been some discussion about the county receiving a per-ton fee for the rock extract ed from the quarry, if it were approved. PUSHBACK Perhaps not surprisingly, some neighbors to the pro posed quarry site aren’t sold on the idea. Deborah Chester told the Jackson County Board of Commissioners at its recent meeting that real estate brokers had approached her about buy ing property she owns near the site. Chester said she’d been told the firm was seeking to acquire around 1,000 acres in the area. But she told the BOC she was opposed to the plan and encouraged the board to vote it down when it formally seeks county approval. The activist group Citi zens for South Jackson is also pushing against the project. In an email last week about the proposed project, CSJ leaders called for a town hall hosted by the BOC to let the public have input on the project. Bingham continued from 1A viously been involved in leadership roles with the Empower Center, Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce and Braselton Rotary Club. He took the District 3 seat in January following his election last year. “As growth continues to come to Jackson County, there are issues facing us that we need common sense leadership to handle,” Bing ham said. “These include addressing a lagging infra structure, workforce devel opment, senior tax relief planning on school taxes, and the unprecedented rise in home assessments for all of us that lead to high er property taxes. Higher property taxes have become a heated discussion and to help offset that, we are going to need a leader that can attract various types of business to the area as well as work with our state del egation on needed changes. In the meantime, I will be voting to roll back the mill- age rates to a minimum of the full rollback numbers later this year to do my part to ensure these taxes remain as low as possible.” Bingham has been mar ried to his wife, Sarah, for 18 years and they have four kids between the ages of 4 to 14. Jefferson continued from 1A a 20-year period from pro ceeds generated by the town’s SPLOST funds. Voters ap proved SPLOST 7 last No vember with nearly 32% of Jefferson’s SPLOST dollars going toward recreation. Also at the meeting, coun- cilmember Dawn Maddox made a motion for the proj ect to be put on a November ballot referendum, but her motion died for the lack of a second. On May 15, the council held a lengthy special called meeting to discuss the proj ect. The proposed aquatics center — technically a na- tatorium — would be an in door facility with two pools. It would be designed both for competition swimming, including club and school teams, and also for general public use. As proposed, the facility would be located at the cor ner of Old Pendergrass Rd. and Old Swimming Pool Rd. near the city’s existing recre ation center. The increasing demand related to competition swim ming initially drove the issue to the table, but supporters note that it would also be used by the general public for recreation and exercise needs for many senior citizens. City officials have also outlined anticipated income for the facility, the largest of which would come from club swimmers who would collec tively pay around $300,000 per year to use the facility. If direct revenues from the pool’s programs weren’t enough to cover all the ongo ing operating expenses, the difference would be made up from the city’s general fund, officials noted. OTHER ACTION In other action at the May 22 meeting, the council: • approved a rezoning and conditional use for an event venue at 331 Jett Roberts Rd. • approved a rezoning for 5 acres on Martin Luther King Ave. from R-2 to AG-R. • tabled action until June on a controversial rezoning for a subdivision on Elder Dr. • approved sewer line easements on Border St. • approved accepting .84 acres near McDonalds on Trade St. • approved a modification and swap to the SDS agree ment with the county for sewerage service areas. • approved naming Tam my Smith to the county li brary board. O’Leary continued from 1A her husband received a job offer that will require the fam ily to relocate from Hoschton. Her term doesn’t expire until 2026. “I wanted to take this time to address the citizens of Hoschton,” O’Leary wrote in the May 16post. “My husband has received a job opportunity that will require my family to relocate. We are excited about our next chapter, however, it’s also bittersweet to leave the Hoschton community.” According to the post, she will continue to serve as may or until her house sells “and help in any way I can until we are no longer residents of Hoschton,” wrote O’Leary, who moved to Hoschton in 2019. “As always, I want nothing but the best for the City of Hoschton, and I’m honored to continue to serve our citi zens.” she wrote. O’Leary said Mayor Pro- Tem Tracy Carswell will take over whenever her resigna tion becomes effective. “When the time comes. I will officially resign as May or, and our Pro Tem will take over my position until our up coming election cycle,” she wrote. O’Leary said her family will move south of Atlanta but doesn’t know the exact loca tion yet. Early voting opens Tuesday for Pendergrass special election Early voting opens Tuesday, May 30, for the City of Pend ergrass special election. Multiple candidates qual ified for the June 20 special election 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 • JoshAuten •William Ellis For the Post 6 seat (term ends Dec. 31,2024) are: • Crystal Hendrix • Debra Fermin Those wishing to vote early for the June 20 special election may do so at the county elec tion’s center at 441 Gordon St., Jefferson, on: •May 30-June 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. •June 5-10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. •June 12-16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Braselton and Commerce satellites will not be available for the special election. A drop-box will be avail able for absentee ballots at the Election Center (located inside) only during all early voting hours and will close on June 16 at 5 p.m. Ballots may be dropped off on Election Day, June 20, un til 7 p.m.. to the election staff located at 441 Gordon Street in Jefferson. Absentee ballots will not be received at the poll ing location on Election Day. Commerce offices closed for Memorial Day City of Commerce offices Public Library and the Com- May 30. Have bins to curb If residents have a utility will be closed for Memo- merce Mainstreet office, by 6 a.m., pick-up times may emergency, call 706-335- rial Day on Monday, May Waste Pro will not be pro- vary due to the holiday and 3164 and after-hours person- 29. This includes City Hall, viding garbage and recycling volume of garbage. Pick-up nel will be available to assist the Commerce Recreation on May 29. Waste Pro will may continue until Wednes- with the call. For all other Department, the Commerce be in Commerce on Tuesday, day. May 31. emergencies, call 911. for information about the suspect. That reward grew to over $12,000 within hours due to donations from area businesses and residents. Now that a suspect is in custody. Skate A-Rama has paused pledges for the reward, but is encouraging donations for Varnum’s fu neral. To make a donation, visit skatearama.com. THE SHOOTING Varnum was standing outside of Hardee’s when he was shot multiple times. According to the Com merce Police Department, a Good Samaritan was able to resuscitate Varnum on the scene. He was trans ported to Northeast Geor gia Medical Center, where he died a short time later. Varnum and the suspect, Xavier Clark, 23. of Com merce. reportedly had a conversation prior to the shooting. But Commerce Police Chief Ken Harmon said the two didn’t have an argument or an altercation. Harmon said that, while they know the details of the shooting, there’s likely not a clear understanding of ex actly what Clark’s motive was. Harmon added that it seemed like Clark target ed Varnum and killed him, with no real motive behind the shooting it. He noted that the apparent lack of a motive will be hard for the community to come to terms with. Clark reportedly shot his firearm toward Varnum and the Hardee’s restaurant un til the firearm was empty, then dropped the firearm and fled the scene in a fam ily member’s Dodge Jour ney. Authorities put a call out, seeking the public’s help in locating the vehicle and Clark. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received information on Clark’s whereabouts and found him traveling north on Hwy. 441 around 11p.m. They pulled him over near Berea Road and he was arrested. Commerce police trans ported Clark to the Jackson County Jail, where he’s cur rently being housed. The CPD and Georgia Bureau of Investigation complet- Shooting continued from 1A f r Around 200 people attended a vigil Sunday night for Calvin Varnum at the site where Varnum was gunned down earlier in the day. Varnum was well- known in the community for standing at the street corner near Hardees and waving to passersby. Sunday night, members of Varnum’s family and com munity members walked from the shooting scene at Hardees to the corner to give a “Calvin wave” to cars driving by in honor of Varnum. An elderly Commerce man was gunned down ear ly Sunday morning outside the Hardees in down town Commerce. Calvin Varnum, 72, was shot multiple times around 7:30 a.m. while standing on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. The GBI was called to the scene to investigate the shoot ing and agents are shown here photographing bullet holes in the side of the restaurant. At least two bullets went through a glass window into the seating area of the restaurant. A gun was left lying on the ground at the scene (lower right of photo.) A 23-year-old Commerce man has been arrested and charged in the incident. Xavier Clark, 23, of Commerce, has been charged in connection with the shooting death of Calvin Varnum, 72, of Commerce. ed their investigation and charged Clark with felony murder, malice murder, ag gravated assault: two counts of cruelty to children (2nd degree); and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon or felony first offender. He faces the charges of aggravated assault and cru elty to children due to him shooting at the restaurant. Hardee’s is a busy eatery in the downtown community. Employees and patrons — including two children — were inside the establish ment when Clark allegedly shot toward the side of the building. The restaurant had multiple bullet holes on one of its walls, including two into a window. Clark is also charged with felony theft by taking for taking the family member’s vehicle. CLARK BACKGROUND Clark had been arrested in Jackson County multiple times before. The first was in 2020, when Clark allegedly as saulted a man with an ob ject, causing a laceration to the man’s head. He was charged with aggravated assault and battery, but the case was dismissed after he pled to another charge. He was arrested again in 2021 for aggravated assault, disorderly con duct, criminal trespass, simple assault, criminal trespass-family violence, simple battery and sim ple battery against a law enforcement officer after a domestic incident. He also reportedly violently charged the person of a detention officer. In that case, Clark pled guilty un der first offender status for three of the charges. Most recently, he was arrested in 2022 on three counts of terroristic threats and one count of simple battery in another domestic incident. He pled guilty to the four counts. City of Hoschton 2023 Schedule of Meetings ( Revised for New Location ) JH* HOSCHTON Application Submittal Deadline Council Work Session 6:00 PM Council Meeting 6:00 PM Downtown Development Authority 6:00 PM Historic Preservation Committee 3:00 PM Municipal Court 3:00 PM April 7th May 11th May 15th May 8th May 25th** May 11th May 5th June 15th June 19th June 12th June 22nd June 8th ** June 2nd July 13th July 17th July 10th July 27th July 13th July 7th August 17th August 21st August 14th August 24th August 10th August 4th September 14th September 18th September 11th September 28th September 14th September 1st October 12th October 16th October 9th Ocotber 26th October 12th October 6th November 16th November 20th November 13th November 23rd November 9th November 3rd December 14th December 18th December 11th December 28th December 14th December 1st January 11th January 15th January 8th January 25th January 11th All meetings are held at Hoschton Community Center 65 City Square Hoschton, GA 30548 ** THESE MEETINGS WILL STILL BE HELD AT 79 CITY SQUARE
