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About Jackson herald. (Jefferson, Jackson County, Ga.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2023)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2023 THE JACKSON HERALD PAGE 5A Jefferson BOE approves millage rate, budget The Jefferson School System Board of Education has formally set its millage rate and FY2024 budget. The board set a rate of 13.549 mills for its opera tions and 2.545 for its bond payments. The rates are a decrease from last year’s rates of 14.549 mills and 3.195 mills respectively. The BOE also set a $44.7 million budget for FY2024. Of that, the system expects its millage rate revenues to top $17.1 million. System leaders also said they expect to use $1.4 million from reserves to bal ance the budget for FY24. In other action, the BOE approved: • Phase II of the Jefferson Middle School expansion for earthwork at a GMP of $3.4 million. • A change order for Phase I of that project that will rebate $250,000 to the system of unused contingency funds. • a state capital outlay application with state for FY2025 to build 11 new classrooms at Jefferson High School. • the purchase of two pizza ovens, one for JMS and one for JHS. HoschtonDDA recommends Oak St. park project landscaper By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com Hoschton’s downtown leaders have recommended a landscaping company to convert a three-acre parcel on Oak St. into a small park. The Hoschton Downtown Development Authority (DDA) on Monday (Sept. 11) unanimously agreed to ask the city council to consider Paramount Landscape Group for the project. The future park site is located on a block fronting Oak St., New St. East Broad St. and Hwy. 332. Paramount pitched its plans to the DDA at its June and August meetings alongside two other companies at those meetings. Paramount’s design calls for a black ornamental fence around the property’s perimeter, a walking path, three pavilions with grilling stations, a hammock area and hedgerow along the fence line. The project would also seek to utilize local art. Par amount’s project estimate is $195,000. The sale of engraved bricks could help fund the pathway portion. Meanwhile, the DDA voted to recommended Qui- ett Scapes — which had pitched plans for a mini-golf disc golf park during the August meeting — to the city council for a project to enhance another planned park. If approved, the mini-disc golf concept would serve as an addition to the city’s Mulberry St. park plans, which call for walking trails, a playground and an am phitheater on approximately seven acres downtown. Quiett Scapes representative Korbin Quiett told the DDA in August that the disc golf concept has grown popular in Texas and California. Quiett, however, did not have a project estimate available dining that meet ing. Commerce to host flagpole dedication for former councilman Commerce will host a flagpole dedication ceremo ny honoring Donald Wilson on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m. at Ridling Park. Wilson was a Commerce City Council member for 32 years. Ridling Park is located at 414 Shankle Heights, Commerce. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Commerce Civic Center, 110 State Street, Commerce. Kinetic names Gill Operations Manager Josh Gill of Clayton has been named the Jefferson, Braselton, Pendergrass and Hoschton operations man ager for fiber-broadband provider Kinetic by Wind- stream. “We’re excited to see Josh step into this important regional position,” Kinetic Georgia operations Presi dent Michael Foor said. “Josh is an expert in ensuring that we efficiently and effectively meet and exceed customer requirements. He is passionate about bring ing our exceptional internet to all of our customers, no exceptions, as we expand our network and work to maximize customer value.” In his position, Gill oversees Kinetic network op erations and residential and business internet service delivery. “I’m pleased to be in this position and am already working hard to make sure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently for our customers here in Georgia,” Gill said. “A big part of that is making sure we always provide the highest quality services and products — and we’re always working to improve.” Gill joined Windstream predecessor Alltel as a cus tomer service technician in July 2001. He then became a network technician in 2007, analyzing, testing, trou bleshooting and evaluating Windstream network sys tems. He was promoted to senior technical trainer in 2016 and to manager of the Blairsville and Hiawassee areas of Union and Towns counties in 2019. A graduate of Colquitt County High School near Moultrie, Gill lives in Clayton with his wife and three children. Pictured are some of the children, local government officials, school superintendents, board members and other community members who attended the 2003 ribbon cutting and open house for the Jackson County Boys & Girls Club. Looking Back: Week of September 20 Take a look back at the headlines from this week over the past 50 years: 50 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 19,1973 •Free Park on bail, orders La. Judge; hearing under way — A. C. (Cliff) Park’s bail hearing was underway in Gainesville in 1973 and there was a chance that he would be home by nightfall. Park himself was reportedly on hand for the hearing. The press was not allowed to attend. •Grand jury calls for ‘better law enforcement,’juvenile court judge — Better law enforcement around the clock. The appointment of a juvenile court judge. Higher pay for jurors. Better control of the discharging of firearms on Sundays. The subpoenaing of fewer grand jury witnesses on a given day. These were the highlights of the general presentments released by the grand jury before it adjourned in 1973. 40 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 21,1983 •Grand jury hits early release program — A Jackson County grand jury came down hard on the State Board of Pardons and Paroles for planning the early release of some inmates in 1983. •Youths sentenced on cross-burning — Four young Jefferson men were sentenced and fined in 1983 on a cross-burning incident that occurred in Jefferson earlier in the year. 30 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 22,1993 •Commerce turns down merger — Commerce voters said a loud “No” to merging their independent school sys tem with that of Jackson County in 1993. The vote was 612-442 — a 58% advantage. The turnout was only 53%. •County BOE to decide on option — The Jackson Coun ty Board of Commissioners was expected to decide on whether to exercise its option on the purchase of 64 acres of land near Commerce for building a middle school. •County to spend more next year — The Jackson County Board of Commissioners expected to spend at least a half million dollars more in 1994 than in 1993 and about $1 million more than was spent in 1992. The board approved a tentative $9.16 million general fund budget. 20 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 24, 2003 •Judge rules in BOC’s favor in courthouse lawsuit — The Jackson County Board of Commissioners won the first round in a battle with a group of citizens who filed a lawsuit over the proposed financial for a new courthouse. Judge Carlisle Overstreet of Augusta ruled in favor of the BOC’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. But the citizens’ group vowed to continue the fight and appeal the ruling. •Speeding tickets in Arcade get GSP’s attention — The Georgia State Patrol was reviewing City of Arcade speed ing records for 2002 and 2003 in an investigation of a com plaint that the city was a “speed trap.” 10 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 •IDA approves bonds for Toyota expansion project — The Jackson County Industrial Development Authority ap proved $190 million in bonds in a called meeting in 2013 to finance two Toyota expansion projects. •Walmart main topic at Jefferson neighborhood meeting — Two Jefferson council members held a “neighborhood town hall meeting” in 2013 to find out concerns citizens have and the majority of the two-hour meeting was spent discussing an earlier proposal from Walmart to locate in the city. 5YEARSAGO SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 •Huge warehouse gets initial O.K. — The Commerce Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend a rezoning and annexation for a huge distribution center These young local artists painted this colorful design on the deck at the Jackson County Boys & Girls Club facility as an after-school art project in 2003. The Boys & Girls Club, located on Gor don Street in Jefferson, had recently held an open house and ribbon cutting. These two Jackson County 4-H’ers, Alan Legg (L) and Clay Varnadore, present their lambs to the judge during the Northeast Georgia Lamb Show at the Jackson County Livestock Barn in 1983. that would be behind the Tanger Outlet stores in 2018. The commission voted Monday to rezone and annex about 100 acres and to rezone about 77 acres. •Room nearly empty for Josh Pirkle Rd. developers’ meeting — It wasn’t the crowd you’d expect to see at a meeting for a controversial warehouse project. Only two citizens attended an “informational” meeting in 2018, hosted by developers of the Josh Pirkle Rd. warehouse project being proposed in Jackson County. It’s not clear why residents didn’t show up to Ackerman and Company’s meeting, but some opponents cited the meeting as a “sales pitch” for the developers. 1 YEAR AGO SEPTEMBER 21,2022 •Local elections office among those being flooded with email requests — The Jackson County elections office was one of hundreds across the nation being flooded with open records requests by supporters of former President Donald Trump in 2022. •Hoschton neighborhood residents oppose car wash, council delays decision — Residents of a Hoschton sub division pushed back against a proposed car wash in 2022 — even holding a small protest — but city leaders delayed their decision. Youngsters lined up to get their face painted at the annual Art in the Park Festival at Hurricane Shoals Park in 1993.
