Newspaper Page Text
Front
Jan 23 1/21/03 4:09 PM Page 2
Continued from page 1A
Rezoning Request
they move very slowly,” he said.
David Holden spoke at the meet
ing saying Pickens County does not
have the resources to support this
kind of rental property.
Others supported the project.
Smith read a letter from Earl
Whiteley, Mountainside Medical’s
CEO, saying the hospital had no
objection to the apartment com
plex.
Albert Grinner, who owns prop
erty adjacent to Copeland’s, said he
would hate to see the city shut its
doors on development.
“You can’t buy a pair of shoes in
this community except hunting
boots at the Bargain Barn,” he said.
“We don’t have any retail. We take
our money out of this county all the
time. There is probably no residen
tial (place) in this area that pays for
the services they require but we
need places like this.”
The city council is expected to
make the final decision on the
rezoning request at its regular
meeting in February.
If approved, re-zoning the prop
erty would be in conflict with what
Mayor John Weaver and council
members have said they wanted for
Hwy. 515 as they began annexing
portions of the road into the city
limits two years ago.
In the April 20, 2000 edition of
the Progress, a front page article
reported that the council turned
down a proposal to annex 80 acres
along Hwy. 515 north of Hwy. 53.
In that case. Weaver and council
members were quoted as saying
they did not want to annex the
property unless it would come in as
commercial.
At the time, property owners
requested that half of the 80 acres
come into the city as commercial
and half for residential.
During the April 2000 council
meeting, city administrators voiced
concern over having a residential
area adjacent to a commercial dis
trict in the Hwy. 515 corridor
which, they said, should be used for
commercial development only.
Jim Smith was quoted as saying:
“The city of Jasper would like the
whole area to come in as commer
cial. During the running of sewer
lines a few years ago we looked at
the area on both sides of 515 as
commercial. We can’t force that but
we can determine whether or not to
annex it in the first place.”
According to Smith, in 1995 the
Appalachian Regional Commission
granted the city funds to run sewer
lines along the highway with the
idea that it would promote econom
ic development - not housing, he
said.
At the earlier meeting he said,
“We were granted the money
because it provided jobs - commer
cially not residentially.”
The article also quoted council
members as agreeing that 515
should remain a commercial dis
trict.
Councilman Jackie Gise ques
tioned the impact of numerous
houses versus one large retail store.
Another concern, she said was
infrastructure, having “83 houses
hooked up to a water line would be
different that a Home Depot with
three toilets,” she said.
Mayor Weaver agreed, saying in
2000, “mistakes made today will
influence tomorrow. This property
was doomed for commercial when
the road went through. We bor
rowed money to run this line up
there because we need the sales tax
which commercial development
would bring.”
Speaking after last week’s meet
ing, Planning Commission Member
Sarah Fowler said she felt her
board’s goal was to bring every
thing into the city along 515 as
commercial but that goals can
change.
“I felt that our (planning com
mission’s) plan was to bring every
thing in that corridor in as commer
cial but you have to take your plan
and revisit it and make sure that
what you do makes sense,” Fowler
said. “I don’t think any plan should
ever be set in stone because if you
do that then I think it can really
hurt you.”
When asked if the “public out
cry” from citizens about the origi
nal placement of the apartments
had any impact on her decision last
week, Fowler said, “I don’t know
that I even thought about that. If
you think about it, it’s almost two
different scenarios there. I think it’s
comparing apples to oranges.”
Fowler said the issue had not
been discussed with any other
members of the planning commis
sion prior to Wednesday night’s
meeting.
GRIZZLE
INSURANCE AGENCY
• Medicare Supplement • Cancer
• Level Term for 10 & 20 Years
• Individual Major Medical & Life
692-5885
Joseph L. Bauer
706-253-3776
Reward $ 1000°°
for information leading to the arrest
and conviction of the person or per
sons who damaged vehicles and
stole items from vehicles at Off
Road Inc, 483 N. Main St. Jasper
Monday night, Jan. 20th 2003.
roa^c
Fax 706-253-5337
USED TIRES
THOUSANDS IN STOCK
Passenger & Lite Truck
$ 10 00 EACH
Discount Tire
3900 Cam p Road
Jasper GA
706/ 253/ 2339
THURSDAY. JANUARY 23. 2003 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 5A
This Main Street building is the subject of an ongoing feud between the owner and city hall admin
istration.
Continued from page 1A
The Battle over Bill’s
sibly used items as well as an
antique clock or two, the owner
said.
“Main Street is a quality street
and I would only put a quality
business there,” he said.
The city administrator said he
had no information on the building
and hadn’t been able to conduct an
inspection of the renovated electri
cal work, which is required. Both
city inspectors and Smith acknowl
edge that he had the electrical sys
tem renovated including new meter
boxes installed, but Georgia Power
has not turned them on, pending an
inspection, which R. Smith has
refused to comply with.
J. Smith then told Lowe, “I rec
ommend you not give Mr. Smith a
business license as there is no Cer
tificate of Occupancy for that
building and we haven’t been able
to inspect to insure its safety.”
R. Smith said he didn’t believe
the city had the authority to inspect
his building as it is an existing
structure and Certificate of Occu
pancies and inspections are only
conducted on new buildings, not
renovations.
“The building has only been
empty for two of the past 101
years,” he said. “I want you to pro
vide me a written code showing
your authority to inspect the build
ing.”
J. Smith said he would do it
within a few days.
The city did not provide the
code as of Monday, but had
returned the owner’s check for the
business license and the applica
tion with “Denied” printed in large
letters across it.
It said “Disapproved 15-Jan-03.
Was not approved based on verbal
information received from Jim
Smith, City Building Inspector,
regarding the lack of inspection of
the street level first floor.”
This marks the latest in a long
line of skirmishes between R.
Smith and the city, dating back at
least until 2000 when the city
removed two drink machines locat
ed on the sidewalk in front of the
store following an ordinance ban
ning vending machines on Main
Street and several warnings to R.
Smith.
Since then R. Smith has filed
two lawsuits against the city chal
lenging their authority to complete
the sidewalk renovation in front of
his building.
When asked how the suits will
be affected by the fact the sidewalk
work has been completed for at
least two years, R. Smith said he
would have to make some changes.
He also charges that the city’s
enforcement of a sidewalk ordi
nance preventing daily sidewalk
sales drove the building’s last first
floor tenants, Bill’s Dollar Store,
out of business.
Now R. Smith said he believes
the city is “nitpicking” and would
like to seize his property through
condemnation. He points out that
the city eventually purchased the
Roper Hospital building, further
south on Main Street, after first
condemning it or threatening to
condemn it.
R. Smith said he believes the
city will use the electrical inspec
tion as a reason to condemn the
building.
“The lawsuits made them angry
and now they are nitpicking,” he
said. “I’ll let it sit empty before I
let them in there.”
In a previous article about the
failure of another business to rent
the first floor because of the same
inspection issue, R. Smith had not
been willing to speak to the press.
At that time, J. Smith said an
employee with Georgia Power had
called city hall requesting an
inspector before they turned on the
power to the building. J. Smith
said usually the electrician calls for
the inspection, but it’s not unheard
of for the power company to call.
J. Smith at that time said he
went to the building to see if he
could work something out with R.
Smith, who he had known for sev
eral years.
R. Smith now says that the city
administrator was “trespassing”
and entered only because he had
left a door unlocked for a painter.
J. Smith has said repeatedly that
the ongoing feud between the city
and the building owner have no
bearing on the inspections, which
are required under city and state
codes.
He said in the earlier interview
that the building’s owner may have
an independent inspection by a
qualified inspector.
At that time, J. Smith said due
to the proximity of other older
buildings along Main Street and
the number of people in down
town Jasper, the city gives no
leniency for code and inspection
requirements in that area.
However, the city will never
force any building owner submit
to an inspection.
The city inspections all cite
standard state code for any viola
tions, J. Smith said. He said no
politics or outside influences play
a part on the inspectors who do
the work.
“You don’t just walk in and say
you pass or you fail,” he said. “It
just doesn’t work that way.”
Tom Cagle
Celebrates
99th birthday
The Pickens County Senior Citi
zen Center has been the center of
many special occasions, but to the
Cagle Family there was a very spe
cial occasion hosted there on Jan.
11, 2003. It was Mr. Tom Cagle’s
99th birthday and his daughters
surprised him with a party with
approximately 200 family and
friends attending. His birthday was
Jan. 17.
All of his children, grandchil
dren and great-grandchildren were
in attendance. Mr. Cagle has truly
been blessed. He and his wife Lillie
Mae Cagle celebrated their 75th
Wedding Anniversary prior to her
death.
There was a birthday cake and
food everywhere. A good time was
had by all.
They would like to thank all
who helped to make this special
milestone so great for him.
Children
Lois & Vaughan Gilleland
Betty & Winston Bruce
Peggie Hulsey
Grandchildren
Jan & David Bruce
Rosemary Gilleland
Kim & Ben Gilleland
Tom Hulsey
Great-Grandchildren
Emily Jones
Hanna Gilleland
YOUNG'S
MUFFLER
SERVICE
118 Pioneer Industrial Boulevard
Suite B
Jasper, GA 30143
706-253-9505 Office or
770-893-7452 Cell
Open 8:00 to 5:00
Monday through Friday
MARDI GRAS PARTY 2003
AT
THE BLUE RODEO J
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 8TH
RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED BUT NOT REQUIRED
? 9
* FREE: -
ALL YOU CAN EAT ♦
CAJUN STYLE CRAWFISH BOII^ 1
* ( WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS
! ^ 6PM TIL 9PM ^
J (£>ME DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION!!
^ CONTEST AND PRIZES
FUN FOR EVERYONE!!!
BAND: LADY LUCK •
9PM TIL 1AM
j
MUST BE 21 WITH PHOTO ID
1140 E. CHURCH STREET
JAPSER GEORGIA 30143
706-253-2136