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28 PAGES 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS
The Commerce News
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 $1.00 COPY
Public safety
Pendergrass
Teenager
shot in
shoulder in
Jefferson
A 15-year-old Jefferson
boy was recently shot in
the left shoulder while he
was in a vehicle.
Officers with the Jef
ferson Police Depart
ment were called for
the report on Panther
Creek Drive on Nov.
4. The investigation
ultimately led to the
arrest of Christopher
Scott Landise, 18, of
Jefferson, who faces
charges of cruelty to
children-second degree
and reckless conduct.
Officers were initally
called for a report of
a gunshot wound. The
victim was in a Ford
Ranger that pulled into
a restaurant parking lot.
The victim had been
in the front seat when
the shooting occurred.
Landise was sitting in
the backseat behind the
victim. Officers saw a
hole through the front
passenger seat where
See Shooting, page 2A
Public safety
Student
with gun
arrested
at Friday
football
game
A student was arrested
Friday night after bring
ing a gun to the Com
merce High School foot
ball game.
A Commerce Police
Department School Re
source Officer, along
with other Officers from
the Commerce Police
Department, were ap
proached by a student
on Friday, Nov. 10, who
reported that another stu
dent was attending the
football game and was
armed with a gun. Offi
cers located the student
who was suspected of
See Gun, page 2A
MAILING LABEL
Pendergrass plans could create new downtown
City hall would move
down Hwy 332
By Mike Buffington
mike@mainstreetnews. com
The City of Pendergrass is
poised to undergo a massive
change in its downtown if a
series of proposals before the
town move forward.
At the center of the plans
is a project that would create
three buildings of three-sto
ries each in the heart of
downtown, replacing the
current city hall and the sur
rounding area.
The area would cover a lit
tle over 5.5 acres over 5 par
cels fronting Smith Bridges
St. and Glenn Gee Rd.
Two of the buildings
would have retail space on
the bottom floors with two
stories of loft apartments
above that. A third building
on the south side of Glenn
Gee Rd. at Blackberry Ln.
would be for apartments
only.
The proposal would create
around 30,000 sq. ft. of retail
space in the downtown and
117 loft apartment units.
But that plan is just a part
of the overall project pro
posal. Tied to it would be
a second development on
Hwy. 332 on 22 acres where
developers propose to build
a new “elevated” apartment
complex of around 165 units
next to the existing Blakely
apartments.
Just south of that new
apartment complex, devel
opers would build the town a
new 5,000 sq. ft. city hall on
14 acres, part of which could
later be developed by the city
into a park and as a home for
future city buildings, such as
a police department, fire de-
A new downtown proposed for Pendergrass.
partment, etc. The proposal is a joint
The Pendergrass City venture between ARC Multi-
Council will hold a public family Group, a private equi-
hearing on the proposals on
Nov. 28 at 6:30 p.m. See Pendergrass, page 2A
New industry
SK Battery America
Toyota, state and local leaders gathered in Pendergrass on Nov. 14 to break
ground on a new $70 million manufacturing plant that will make electric power
converters for vehicles. Jackson County Board of Commissioners chairman
Tom Crow (second from right) joined in the ceremony along with Mao Maeda,
the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta, Hiroyuki Matsuda, senior execu
tive officer of Toyota Industries Corporation, Sadanori Suzuki, president of
Toyota Industries Electric Systems North America, Haruyuki Ito, president of
TD Automotive Compressor Georgia and Toyota Industries Compressor Parts
America, Bob Koser, global commerce division director for the Georgia De
partment of Development and Takuya Ito, president of Shimizu North America.
SK Battery furloughing
some employees
The SK Battery plant in Commerce has furloughed
some employees until the first of next year.
While the firm didn’t announce the total number of
furloughs, sources indicate the amount is under 200
people from its 3,000 employees.
Employees were notified of the furloughs last week.
The EV market has slowed somewhat since last
summer according to national industry reports. The
furloughs appear to be linked to that softening market
condition.
The furloughs come after SK did an unspecified
number of layoffs in September due to the slowing
EV market.
SK issued the following statement about the fur
loughs:
“SK Battery America is temporarily adjusting its
line operations and furloughing a portion of our pro
duction employees. We have taken the decision as a
Toyota to build new mfg. plant
See SK, page 2A
Heroes Elementary
Holloway named principal
for Heroes elementary
$yo million
investment in
firms third
manufacturing
plant in county
Toyota Industries broke
ground this week on a new
$70 million parts manu
facturing plant in Jackson
County.
Toyota Industries Elec
tronic System North Amer
ica (TIE SNA) plans to man
ufacture DC-DC converters
that will take the high volt
age from car batteries and
convert it for use in onboard
equipment, such as wind
shield wipers and lights.
The firm held a ground
breaking ceremony on
Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the site
off of Valentine Industrial
Pkwy., Pendergrass. It is the
company’s third manufac
turing plant in the county.
“We are very pleased to
welcome our third Toyota
Industries related company
to Jackson County,” said
county commission chair
man Tom Crow. “TACG
and TICA (the existing Toy
ota facilities) have been out
standing corporate citizens
in our community, and we
are confident TIE SNA will
continue to add to that leg
acy. We celebrate Toyota In
dustries’ newest investment
in its Jackson County part
nership and we pledge our
support for its success.”
The construction of the
facility is slated to be com
pleted by March 2025 with
production beginning in
July 2025.
The plant will open with
80 employees, but could
add additional staff up to
250 people, depending on
exactly what lines it will
produce. The plant is slated
to make 500,000 units per
year.
The completed products
will be used at Toyota’s car
plants in Kentucky and Can
ada and at DENSO Tennes
see plants.
The new Jackson Coun
ty facility joins TD Auto
motive Compressor Geor
gia and Toyota Industries
Compressor Parts America.
Combined, the two existing
facilities employ over 1,150
people.
Toyota built its first Jack-
son County plant in 2004
and has expanded opera
tions several times since
then, the most recent in
2020.
“Georgia has distin
guished itself as a leader in
the automotive industry, and
we’re thankful Toyota has
chosen to expand its foot
print here in the best state
for business,” said Gov. Bri
an Kemp. “With these new
jobs coming to hardwork
ing Georgians, we’ll keep
working with our partners
on the state and local levels
to bring even more opportu
nity to communities across
Georgia.”
Local county and cham
ber of commerce officials
were joined for the ground
breaking by Mao Maeda,
the Consulate-General of
Japan in Atlanta, Hiroyuki
Matsuda, senior executive
officer of Toyota Industries
Corporation, Sadanori Su
zuki, president of Toyota
Industries Electric Systems
North America, Haruyuki
Ito, president of TD Auto
motive Compressor Georgia
and Toyota Industries Com
pressor Parts America, Bob
Koser, global commerce
division director for the
Georgia Department of De
velopment and Takuya Ito,
president of Shimizu North
America.
Kristi Holloway has
been named principal for
the new Heroes Elemen
tary School.
The Jackson County
Board of Education ap
proved Holloway at its
meeting Nov. 13.
Holloway will begin
her position with the
Jackson County School
System in January, with
Heroes Elementary
School opening in Au
gust.
“I am extremely hon
ored and appreciative of
the board of education’s
and Dr. Philip Brown’s
trust in me to open and
lead Heroes Elementary
School,” Holloway said.
“I am honored to have
HOLLOWAY
the opportunity to lead
our future team of teach
ers, students and families
in creating something
new and special.”
Holloway currently
serves as a professional
See Holloway, page 2A
Inside
See page 5A
of this week’s
paper for
recognition of
local veterans
in honor of
Veterans’ Day.
Ule llpill be open.... TIIAHKSGIVIHG
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