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PAGE 4A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. JANUARY 23. 2003
Letters to the Editor
V /
Dear Editor:
Following the ground-breaking
ceremony at the site of the new
hospital on Highway 515, the entire
hillside and much of the surround
ing area was stripped bare of all
trees, shrubs and top soil. Recently
a small sign was posted on Salem
Church Road at the site of the raw,
barren hillside. Stopping my truck
to read the sign, I learned that a
rezoning hearing was to be held at
Jasper City Hall.
At the rezoning hearing this past
Wednesday night, I learned that the
request was to rezone 25 acres of
the hospital site from commercial
to residential apartments where 176
one- to three-bedroom apartments
would be built and paid for with
State issue bonds. Proceeds from
bonds to be free of taxes. Represen
tatives of the builder stated that
there would be 8 units per acre and
thus leaving a maximum of 3 acres
for open space. The apartments
would be entered off a new city
street that would run from 515 to
Salem Church Road. A gated
entrance to the apartments. Ameni
ties would include: swimming pool,
fitness center, computers, after
school program and tutoring for
children would be available. Cost
of amenities to be included in rent
which would be from $575 for a
one-bedroom apartment to around
$800 for a three-bedroom apart
ment.
It obvious that apartments next
to the hospital could be a big plus
in transportation cost savings for
hospital employees. Questions
remain: (1) What will be the actual
size (square footage) of the pro
posed apartments? (2) What topsoil
will be replaced and what landscap
ing will be done to cover the barren
red clay? (3) Will there be an engi
neering study of the builder’s plans
to determine the projected life
expectancy of the apartments? I
doubt that the hospital administra
tion or the citizens of Jasper and
Pickens County want slum housing
next to a hospital in 15-20 years.
Will there be any iron-clad contract
or agreement to assure that the
builders actually follow through
with what they proposed to do in
the presentation to the
planning/zoning committee and, if
so, who will monitor and enforce
it?
The Jasper City Council will
receive the recommendation from
their committee at their next regu
lar meeting in February. It is hoped
that these and other questions will
be answered before that meeting.
Sincerely,
Francis E. Stewart
Dear Editor:
This letter is in response to the
Jan. 9 letter from the woman want
ing to know where is “Don’s Bar
ber Shop?” If you have been here
almost three years, I hope by now
you know where Main Street is. If
you are going from South to North
or North to South you will notice
Highway 53 crosses Main Street
almost in the center of town. On
one corner you will see Jasper Drug
Store, another is Bank of North
Georgia, across the street is NAPA
auto parts and Miller and Associ
ates, and a traffic light right in the
center of the street. If you come
from the East on 53, you will turn
right and go North; you will see a
monument almost at the end of the
street. The Old Jail is located across
the street. D.B. Carroll Street is
between the Old Jail and Jasper
Banking Co. You will turn left, go
through a 4-way stop. Our shop is
the first business on the right.
If you come from 53 West, you
will make a left turn on Main Street
and turn left on D.B. Carroll Street.
This street was named College
Street until about a year ago. Many
of our customers haven’t noticed
the change and to name this in the
ad could have caused confusion to
some of them, but I’m sure they
would have been more than glad to
dial the phone to see if we had
moved. If you had read the ad as its
intended purpose, you would have
seen it was directed to our cus
tomers in thanks for their under
standing in Don’s illness and let
them know his hours since he is
now on dialysis three days a week
and has had to change his work
hours. And again I would like to
take this opportunity to say thank
you to our faithful customers.
I’m glad you haven’t needed a
hospital in the almost three years
you’ve been here, or you would
know we only have one hospital
here, and it will soon be moved to
Hwy. 515 south of the traffic light
where Hwy. 53 crosses 515.
The Pickens County Progress
does a good job printing the paper
each week, and I’m sure they have
enough to do without seeing every
ad has full directions to their busi
nesses. On the other hand, the cost
of printing directions would be so
great not many of us could afford to
use the paper as advertisement. I
hope this has given you some help
in the problem you’re having find
ing businesses located in and
around Jasper.
Ruth Ware
Dear Editor:
I should really start this letter by
telling you not to print it! Why
should it be printed if all of your
readers already know all that there
is to know about the subject. What
subject? Why, the upcoming vote
on the Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) on
Tuesday, March 18, 2003, of
course. The tax that will fund our
immediate needs.
The reason that I had debated
asking you to print this is because I
know that all of the concerned citi
zens of Pickens County are aware
of the need for the enhanced 911
operators to be able to pinpoint
their calls in a real emergency and
they know that we don’t have that
now. They also know of the need of
the Emergency Medical Service
and its mandate to provide the best
possible service to the 24,800 citi
zens of this county covering
149,000 acres.
All of our citizens are familiar
with the water problems that we
have. Water for drinking, farming
and firefighting. Yes, firefighting!
They also know that we need more
firefighting vehicles and equip
ment. They also know that we need
better roads, roads that can accom
modate the increase in the number
of residents that we have and will
continue to have, and so that we
can get our emergency equipment
to them that may someday need to
have those services.
Well, if all your readers already
know this, then they are going to
vote for the SPLOST on March 18.
BUT ARE THEY? There are some
that will not. You know why of
course: They are the ones that will
never, and I mean never, vote for
any tax increase. They are the ones
that complain about conditions, but
will not participate in funding
them. They are the ones that
believe that only property owners
should pay the taxes and that have
never considered the advantages in
having all of our visitors contribute
to the beauty and wonder of our
community.
Well, if your readers fit into that
class, and I doubt if you have
many, it would also have been fool
ish to print this, as nothing will
Holly’s
Collectibles & Gifts
345 NORTH MAIN STREET
JASPER, GA 30143
706-253-7268
SALE
25% - 50%
OFF
MONDAY - SATURDAY
10:00 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.
Excludes NASCAR Diecast
change their minds.
I’m a newcomer to this commu
nity, having lived here a mere 15
years, but I am as interested as are
the “old-timers” in seeing this area
keep up with the actualities of our
present time. I also realize that
there are merchants in this county
that believe that the one penny
increase in sales tax will keep peo
ple away. NO WAY! Visitors are
pouring into our area and they are
more than willing to buy local
goods and pay for them.
As the past Grand Jury foreman,
as a fellow citizen and as a friend, I
hope that all of your readers really
know it all and will VOTE FOR
SPLOST on Tuesday, March 18,
2003.
Edwin Marger
Letters Welcomed
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ters concerning any matter of gen
eral local interest will be consid
ered for publication. Letters
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but not those expressing a personal
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author and do not necessarily rep
resent the views held by the
Progress.
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