Newspaper Page Text
ill Waller Beyond The Hudson
Local hiker passes two-thirds point on Appalachian Trail
PAGE 8A
THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2007 • VOLUME 120 NUMBER 12 • JASPER, GEORGIA • 500
Real estate slowdown reaches Pickens County
Development director, real estate
professionals say huge surplus of
lots, high prices, national trends
may hamper sales well into 2008
County Engineer Thurman Slone looks over architectur
al drawings for the renovation of the courthouse annex.
Renovation of annex judicial
building could begin in August
Next Step: Rebuild or
renovate main courthouse
Briefly ...
New Landmark
for Talking Rock
A new hand-painted
mural greets travelers
approaching the town of
Talking Rock. A team
project that involved sev
eral Talking Rockers, the
painting depicts how the
town looked in the 1880s.
Page 16A
Girl Scouts
Sign Up
From Hogwarts
Weekend to Mission
Robotics Basics, Girl
Scouting’s new direction
offers more opportunities
than ever. And Pickens
girls ages 5-17 are invit
ed to join the excitement
by registering to become
Girl Scouts. Page 12B
mms&L : i m.
More than 1,000
See LV l Abner
Over 1,000 people saw
Li’l Abner during the six
performances presented
by Tater Patch Players.
Nan Nawrocki, director
of this show, reflects on
the production and how a
lot of different factors
came together to con
tribute to success.
Page 2B
Joyful Noise
Local homeschool stu
dents will have a new
opportunity to develop
their musical talents
while having fun partici
pating with other stu
dents. A chapter of the
Marietta-based Joyful
Noise Home School
Band is being organized
in Jasper. Classes start
Sept. 6 and the registra
tion form is available on
the group’s website.
Page SB
Weather
By WILLIAM DILBECK
HI
LOW
RAIN
Tuesday
83
67
.19
Wednesday
81
67
.03
Thursday
84
67
.10
Friday
77
63
.07
Saturday
81
62
.00
Sunday
76
61
.00
Monday
79
61
.00
Deaths
Gerald Lawson
Jane Adams
Albert Girard
Dorothy Wilson
Annie McMichael
Thomas Goetz
OBITUARIES . ..SeePage 11A
Visit Us
On The Web
www.pickensprogres s .com
The Progress is
printed in part on
recycled newsprint
and is recyclable
By Dan Pool
The county’s director of
planning and development said
last week that during the eight
years he has held his post, his
office could be described as
bustling, booming, fast grow
ing— before May.
In May, Planning Director
Norman Pope noted that for the
first time during his tenure, the
office that handles permits for
new subdivisions as well as
building inspections, was decid
edly not bustling.
To better evaluate the situa
tion, Pope assigned two office
employees to gather the total
number of lots permitted since
January 2005 and to compare
this number to the number of
building permits issued.
To cross-check the informa
tion, Pope had the same employ
ees drive through all the new
subdivisions that received final
approval in the past two years,
where they noted any lot with a
house on it or construction
underway.
What Pope discovered has
surprised everyone. Of the
1,540 lots permitted between
January 2005 and the end of
2006, only 107 have homes on
them or construction underway.
Pope said he doesn’t want to
present a doom and gloom sce
nario, but does want people to
know what is happening in the
main economic sector of the
county.
“I don't want to present it as
really, really bad,” he said. “But
people need to be aware that
even as we continue to grow, the
growth rate will be considerably
less than what it has been—for
the next several months.”
As far back as 2006, other
counties to the south were
reporting 25-30 percent declines
in construction.
And at conferences, Pope
heard other land planners say
they were seeing a slowdown.
“In Pickens the fast growth
continued through April of
2007, and I was scratching my
head wondering why our’s was
still so high,” he said. “Then in
May, it caught up.”
Figures gathered by the land
development office show only 7
percent of the lots permitted
since January 2005 (and ready
for building) have any sign of
construction on them.
Continued on page 13A
By Michael Moore
Now that Pickens County’s
administrative offices are
securely consolidated in their
new space on East Church
Street, plans to bring all local
judicial services under one roof
are underway.
Architectural drawings are
complete, and bids are being
accepted, for a project that will
renovate the courthouse annex
building, behind the main
courthouse.
The remodeling, which will
be funded by general county
revenue through a lease-pur
chase program, will be
designed as a “tentative” solu
tion to the need for more court
space.
“We’re hoping to get five to
By Christie Pool
The Pickens County Board
of Education last week unani
mously adopted a millage rate
of 14.47 mills, a three-quarter
mill reduction from the previ
ous year's tax rate.
"I am very happy to make
this recommendation of a 14.47
millage rate," said
Superintendent Mike Ballew.
"Our tax digest was up, and we
were able to apply our budget to
it and come up with a millage
reduction over last year."
Ballew pointed out this was
A Florida motorcyclist was
killed on a Pickens County road
when he collided with a pickup
truck Saturday.
In an accident at the intersec
tion of Georgia Highway 53 and
McClain Mountain Road, near
Marble Hill, Dwight Conn, age
44 of Orlando, Florida, was
killed on impact, according to
Sgt. Dan Pollock of the Georgia
State Patrol.
The motorcycle, traveling
west on Georgia 53, struck the
side of a Ford Ranger pickup
truck pulling out of McClain
Mountain Road, said Pollock.
Both Conn and a passenger
sitting behind him on the motor
cycle, Saralyn Marchbanks, age
39 of Titusville, Florida, were
ejected from the bike. Both
were flown to Grady Hospital in
Atlanta.
Marchbanks is still in hospi
tal in “serious condition,” said
ten more years of use out of the
annex, after remodeling,” said
Commissioner Robert Jones.
After that, he expects the
county to have a new main
courthouse to contain all court-
related services needed in
Pickens, and he hopes such a
facility will be funded by the
next SPLOST one-cent sales
tax.
Construction on the annex
project is expected to begin
shortly after August 22, the
deadline for contractors to sub
mit bid proposals.
According to county engi
neer Thurman Slone, plans for
the renovation, drawn by JKH
Architects, will not change the
outer appearance of the
Continued on page 15A
the second time in three years
the millage rate was reduced, as
the county's property tax digest
grows.
"We had a three-quarters of a
mill reduction two years ago as
well," Ballew said.
The board’s $38 million
budget funds all of the county's
seven schools and the system's
722 employees. The school sys
tem will levy $19.1 million in
property taxes and receive $18
million from state QBE
(Quality Basic Education)
funds. Continued on page 15A
Pollock.
When the collision occurred,
the motorcycle caused the pick
up track to overturn.
“That’s the first time in twen
ty years I’ve seen that,” said
Pollock.
The driver of the pickup
track complained of minor
injuries.
The GSP Special Collision
Reconstruction Team (SCRT) is
investigating the accident.
“We have a lot of work to do,
due to the surrounding circum
stances. It will be an extensive
investigation,” said Pollock.
He noted that Conn’s death is
the fourth fatality in ten days on
Pickens County roads.
Pollock advised motorists to
“slow down and pay attention,”
especially during the summer
when traffic volume is higher
than normal.
Mines, at capacity
Water superintendent says Jasper
water supply good despite drought
Council puts lid on pond issue
By Christie Pool
From decorative ponds to the city’s water sup
ply, Jasper’s city council took care of a vast
range of business at their monthly meeting
Monday.
Water Superintendent David Hall said the
city’s water supply is in good shape despite the
ongoing drought that, until some recent rains, has
left not only the city but the entire region
parched for months on end.
At Long Swamp Creek, which is the city’s
major water supply, the state mandates at least a
two-inch depth of water falling over the spillway
at all times. During times of little or no rain, the
city is required to supplement the creek’s water
with water from its reservoir in the mines. Hall
said water flowing over the spillway is almost at
a normal rate of flow.
“At this time of year I’ve seen it where it’s
flowing less and flowing more over the spillway
than it is now,” Hall said.
Hall said the gauge at Long Swamp Creek
currently indicates three inches of water falling
over the spillway.
According to Hall, there are five drought indi
cators the city keeps a close eye on in terms of its
water supply, and, at present, they are all good.
In addition to the depth gauge at the creek, Hall
said the Cove mines are filled to capacity, and
the city is pumping an average 1.55 million gal
lons a day from its water source at the creek.
Hall said the percentage of water lost while
running through the distribution system is
Continued on page 15A
Countdown to school
The clock is ticking for more than 4,300
children who are due back in the classroom
at one of the county's seven schools next
Friday. School starts August 3, and adminis
trators say they are looking forward to a
great year.
"We're anticipating over 4,300 kids when
we start school," said Superintendent Mike
Ballew. "We're looking forward to getting
school started. The principals, teachers and
central office works during the summer
reviewing test scores and looking at what we
can do better to make our system and indi
vidual schools better. We're always review
ing and looking to see where we did well and
what we need to do to improve."
Ballew said all of the system's schools
made the AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress)
designation. "We're very pleased with that,"
he said.
Ballew said there are few overall changes
system-wide this year. Last year saw changes
with attendance zone boundaries, and
Ballew said those lines will likely stay in
place for some time.
"Right now we have room in all our
Damon Howell / Photo
schools except the high school, and we're
doing construction there right now," Ballew
said. "We realize there may be some incon
venience at the high school because of that
construction, but to get things done, it's just
what we have to do."
The superintendent cautioned area driv
ers to be on the lookout for buses as school
gets started. After a summer-long hiatus
without buses on the road, Ballew asked
drivers to make sure they look for buses and
the frequent stops buses make picking up
children.
"When school starts there will be a lot of
traffic," he said. "I ask that drivers be aware
and attentive to students catching the bus.
Of course we want everyone to be safe."
A complete write-up on each of the coun
ty's schools and their principals is included
on page 4A.
Tyler Austin and Jesse Brooks, pictured
here conducting an experiment during
Summer Science Camp at Hill City
Elementary, devoted some of their summer
vacation to educational activities so they will
be ready when school starts.
School board
announces millage rate
Board pleased with
lowest millage in 8 years
Traffic fatality on Ga. 53