About Pickens County progress. (Jasper, Ga.) 1899-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2007)
Renovations should add years to county pool | Rec. Director: “It’s not a country club, but it’s safe and clean • Page 14A C M ^3 THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2007 • VOLUME 120 NUMBER 6 • JASPER, GEORGIA 30143 • 500 Briefly ... Fitzsimmons Cemetery Unveiling Under direction of the Marble Valley Historical Society, restoration of the Fitzsimmons Cemetery is almost com plete. Along with 17 fam ily monuments, a large interpretative monument will honor Henry T. Fitzsimmons who found ed the marble industry here in the 1830s. A pub lic unveiling will be held on June 23. Page 15B Volunteers Needed While CARES already has a great group of vol unteers who enjoy work ing together to help those who are less fortunate, more help is needed to take care of the growth being seen at the food pantry. Page 10B Ahoy, Matey! Summer fun has set sail at the County Library. Younger children are invited to join Pickens Pirates as they discover treasures during an upcoming program while older youth can search out the truth in Urban Legends. Then there are craft days and lots of reading to do. Page 12B Smile! Anyone interested in improving their photogra phy skills should check out the photography workshop coming up at the Art Center in Jasper. And this is just one of the many classes the art asso ciation is offering this summer. Page 6B Give Blood The next American Red Cross community blood drive will be on Lriday, June 15 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Amicalola EMC. All blood drive participants will be entered for a chance to win a $750 gas card from Citgo. Weather By WILLIAM DILBECK HI LOW RAIN Tuesday 82 59 .00 Wednesday 86 59 .00 Thursday 89 63 .00 Friday 85 64 .06 Saturday 86 64 .00 Sunday 88 68 .00 Monday 81 64 .15 Deaths Keith Harrelson Jerry Williams Ila Mae Andrews Billy Garrett, Sr Dortha Quinton Ayden Harris OBITUARIES . ..See Page 16B Visit Us On The Web www.pickensprogres s .com The Progress is printed in part on recycled newsprint and is recyclable $15.6 million maximum price: PE, fine arts facilities, classrooms at Pickens High School By Christie Pool During a called meeting last week, the Pickens County Board of Education unanimous ly approved a maximum price of $15.6 million for renovations at the high school campus. The $15.6 million price tag, according to Superintendent Mike Ballew, is the maximum cost to the school system for the additions which include new classrooms, a physical educa tion and fine arts facility. More than 200 additional parking spaces are also on tap for the school. “What this means is we’re guaranteed the cost of this proj ect will be no more than this price,’’ Ballew said. “Now it could be less. We anticipated that it would come in around $15 million.” Plans call for a 100,000 square foot addition at the school to include 20 new class rooms, two new gymnasiums (basketball courts) and a 900- seat fine arts theatre. The high school’s current auditorium seats 400. The new fine arts facility will boast a larger stage to accommodate band concerts. Current plans call for an art. Merchants asked to be on the lookout Jasper man arrested on counterfeiting charges More funny money and suspects believed to be circulating By Dan Pool A Jasper man was picked up on counterfeiting charges Monday, but law enforcement officers believe he was part of a larger ring passing bogus bills in the area. Jasper Police Chief Harold Cantrell and Pickens Chief Deputy Allen Wigington asked merchants to be on the lookout for more counterfeit currency and to report any fake money they have already been given. Wigington said the sheriff’s office has received between $300 and $400 in counterfeit currency during the previous two weeks from merchants who received it. The Jasper Police Department issued a warrant for Harold Patterson, 37, of Jasper, who was arrested by sheriff deputies Monday, according to Wigington. When arrested, the suspect had more counterfeit money in his pockets, Wigington said. Continued on page 5A band and chorus room near the new gymnasium and an indoor track surrounding the upper level gymnasium. In other business, the board also approved several personnel recommendations as presented by the superintendent. “We are going to go ahead and recommend some people tonight for personnel,” Ballew said. “These people would like to get a contract so they’ll know they have a job, and of course. we want to know we have those positions covered.” Ballew said administrators are still interviewing for an assistant principal position at Pickens County Middle School. Continued on page 5A ■ • ’ 11 Damon Howell / Photo BUT IT ILLS' ONLY A SHOWER - Darla Givan (right) and Norma Ferguson had to unfurl an umbrella while making their way down Main Street last Friday, but, alas, it was only a brief shower which did nothing to break the drought that continues to grip the area. According to Jasper weather recorder William Dilbeck, Jasper had two showers during the past week, but together they amounted to less than 1/4-inch of rain, and NOAA’s drought index still has Pickens County rated as “D3—Drought Extreme,” which is next to the high est level of drought. BOA to mail personal property notices New online mapping software offers close glimpse of Pickens property; Owners, appraisal information and aerial views available By Dan Pool The Pickens County Board of Tax Assessors (BOA) approved the mailing of 338 assessment notices for personal proper ty, including business equipment, aircraft and other non-real estate items taxed by the county, during a brief meeting Monday. Chief Tax Appraiser Roy Dobbs said taxes are charged on items in two cate gories: real property, which is land and new houses: personal property, which includes business items, boats and airplanes. With the mailing of these assessments, the BOA has completed their re-assessment work for this year. Dobbs said real property assessment notices, which were mailed earlier in the year, were “sent with no problems. It’s going well.” Responding to a question from BOA member Joe Fore, Dobbs said there were quite a few new planes on the tax digest this year. He said the increase is a combination of new people moving here and “pilots swapping around, buying and selling, [changing ownership].” Prior to the meeting, BOA Secretary Stephanie Gooch said 46 planes are listed on the county tax digest. She said most range in price from $15,000 to $100,000 with two planes nearer a $250,000 value. Dobbs said at this point, aircraft does not make a significant impact on the total tax digest. Following the meeting, Dobbs previewed new online mapping software that includes Pickens County mapping, parcel and appraisal information. Using the website, www.tscmaps.com, anyone with an Internet connection can access information in the BOA offices. Among information Dobbs demonstrated the system providing were property lines on maps made from aerial photos. Using this same feature, you can zoom in close enough to see structures on the property and navi gate over the map by moving the cursor in the direction you wish to move. Dobbs said using the map feature, with aerial photos showing, you could move Continued on page 5A Jasper marks 150th year with flag raising More sesquicentennial activities planned throughout the summer By Michael Moore The city of Jasper held its 150th anniversary flag-raising cere mony in front of City Hall Thursday. Mayor John Weaver and local historians Charles O. Walker and Mimi Jo Butler gave opening remarks. Members of the Pickens County chapter of Disabled American Veterans, Boy Scout Troop 836, and the Jasper police force raised the national and state flags, and a new city flag commemorating the anniversary. Jasper Middle School student Sarah Bailey sang the national anthem during the flag-raising. The Rev. Charles O. Walker, who has written a number of books on Pickens County history, spoke about the city’s founding in 1857. He said Jasper, established by settlers who moved here starting in the 1830s, has always been an important part of the history of the First Baptist Church here where Walker serves as pastor emeritus. Walker noted, “The old citizens have always stuck out their hands to the new citizens.” Mimi Jo Butler of the Marble Valley Historical Society congrat ulated the city for lasting 150 years. Mayor Weaver recognized city council members who were pres ent, as were members of the city’s downtown development author ity, city hall staff, and elected officials and judges attending the cer emony. He also read aloud a resolution adopted by the city council, announcing the official celebration of Jasper’s sesquicentennial. Numerous events and festivities will take place throughout the summer to observe the anniversary, including a music concert and an “old-fashioned” downtown fair. The mayor remarked on the importance of remembering the community’s history. “If you don’t know where you’ve been, you don’t know where you're going,” said Weaver. Jasper Police raise the city’s 150th Anniversary Commemorative Flag for the first time Thursday. Motorists, kudzu provide lucky break for worker who fell from billboard By Dan Pool A worker who fell more than 35 feet from a billboard at the intersection of Highway 515 and Highway 108 should recov er, thanks to observant motorists and a thick crop of kudzu. The Cartersville man was repairing a cable and pushing against a ratchet wrench when the tool broke, according to Shift Captain Bob Krummert of Pickens EMS. Krummert said when the ratchet broke, the force of the man’s weight caused him to topple off the billboard and fall at least 35 feet, landing in a thick patch of kudzu which provided some cushioning. “This is about the only good kudzu has ever done,” Krummert said. “It had to break his fall some.” Based on EMS reports, the man suffered injuries to his right side, including possible fractures of his hip, pelvis and leg. Passing motorist David Raygor said he and his wife were watching the man as they sat at the traffic light in the northbound lane on Highway 515. “I had just said, ‘I’m glad I don’t do that for a living, when my wife says ‘Oh my god, I think he just fell off the bill board,” Raygor said. Raygor and his wife and the driver of another passing car all parked, called 911 and went to see if the man really had fallen. Raygor said they heard moaning and found him. The man’s luck continued as the other motorist spotted Pickens Med Unit #2 stopped at the intersection. They were able to flag down the ambulance, and the fallen man received Continued on page 5A
