Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2010 • VOLUME 123 NUMBER 23
JASPER, GEORGIA • 500
Airport “misguided,” business owners say
“They don’t generate business,
they generate problems ” - flight instructor
Damon Howell / Photo
Garrett Cobb, owner of Joe Aircraft, based at the Pickens County Airport, is one of two aviation business
owners saying the airport authority is moving the airport in the wrong direction. They say too much em
phasis lands on jet traffic, losing sight of what keeps the airport ticking: small, inexpensive planes.
By Angela Reinhardt
David Clark has been based
out of the Pickens County Air
port since 1994, but he recently
packed up his three-year old hel
icopter flight school and moved
to Cherokee County’s airport,
citing what he says is gross mis
management by the Pickens
County Airport Authority
(PCAA).
“The main reason I moved is
because I can’t do anything [in
Pickens],” Clark said. He
claimed he has been trying to get
a lease from the PCAA to build a
new hangar for his flight school,
but that he “just keep[s] getting
shot down.”
“They approved me at their
meeting 45 days ago, but that
lease is still not approved by the
attorney. There’s still no lease in
my hands,” he said. “All I want
to do is build a hangar, and they
can’t get something in my hands
that I can sign.”
Clark said he has spent the
last 16 years supporting the local
airport, buying “anything I could
out there, including the $8,000 a
month I spent in helicopter fuel
[the last three years].” But he
said he finally got fed up with the
way the airport is operated and
went to a place where he says
conditions are more encouraging
for business owners.
“In my opinion, that airport
started going downhill when the
airport authority was created,”
Clark said. “Now everybody’s
mad at everybody. That horse
shoe project is never going to be
finished. They’ve poured money
into that thing, and now they’re
out. The whole project has been
a gross mismanagement of
funds. They just need to get rid
of the authority and go back to
having a manager. They’ve got
too many chiefs and not enough
Indians.”
The PCAA was created in
2004. There have been efforts
since that time to expand the air
port and add hangars to the 17-
acre space called the horseshoe,
among other smaller projects.
The PCAA had issues in the past
with a contractor who did not
finish work as it was originally
agreed.
Construction is underway on
the horseshoe site, but after
Commissioner Rob Jones re
cently spent $300,000 above
original estimates, the site is still
not completed. Jones has said the
site will be completed in the fu
ture, but he is not certain when
the fimds will become available.
In Clark’s opinion, PCAA’s
main problem is that they have
been too focused on attracting jet
traffic rather than supporting pi
lots with smaller, inexpensive
planes that Clark says keep the
airport running.
“Pickens County is a laughing
stock,” Clark said. “This is really
cause for concern. They keep
talking about big corporate jets
and businesses, but they are step
ping on the little guys. They cater
to people with jet fuel, but the lit
tle planes are the lifeblood of the
airport. This is just a small com
munity airport, and that’s all it
will ever be.
“I’ve seen little planes come
out, and they can’t get anybody
to help them with the pump.. .but
then you get a jet and they roll
out the red carpet,” he said.
Continued on Page 9A
Time to get flu
vaccinations
H1N1 included in shot
By Angela Reinhardt
As of Monday, October 4th, seasonal
flu vaccines are available at the Pickens
County Health Department.
For the 2010-2011 season, the vaccine
will include protection for the H1N1
strain and two others.
The flu vaccine costs $20 at the local
health department, but Medicaid,
Medicare, and the State Health
Benefit/CIGNA health insurance cards
will be accepted.
Everyone over six months of age is
being urged by health officials to get the
flu shot, which takes approximately two
weeks to become effective.
Flu shots taken early offer protection
through the end of the flu season next
spring.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), it is
likely that 2009 H1N1 viruses and regu
lar seasonal viruses will cause illness in
the United States this flu season. There
fore, the 2010-2011 flu vaccine will pro
tect against three different strains of flu
viruses: the H1N1 virus, an H3N2 virus,
and an influenza B virus.
The Pickens County Health Depart
ment is located at 60 Health Way, Jasper,
Ga. 30143. They are open Monday,
Wednesday and Thursday from 7:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 7
p.m.; and Friday 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. They
are closed Monday through Thursday
from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch.
The local department will also be
closed October 11th in observance of
Columbus Day. No appointment is nec
essary for flu vaccines.
Marble Festival attendance jumps 13 percent
Damon Howell / Photo
A large crowd gathers around the pavilion to enjoy music from the Pioneers, one of many bands who played on the festival
grounds last Saturday. See page 18B for more photos.
Paying patrons at this year’s Marble
Festival were up 13 percent over last year,
according to gate receipts from the week
end event.
Denise Duncan, executive president of
the chamber of commerce, said there has
been solid growth each year since 2007,
but this year saw a noticeable increase.
The chamber serves as the host organiza
tion for the festival.
Duncan said this 30th annual festival
drew a higher ratio of out-of-town visitors
than in years past, based on observations
from the festival and questions asked to
chamber of commerce staff and volun
teers.
“We were blessed with good weather,”
Duncan said. “I think it got people out
looking for something to do, and a good
number came to Jasper this weekend.”
Duncan noted that the festival ended
with pleased vendors and no major prob
lems. She said the first aid station re
ported nothing significant.
“Vendors reported good sales this
weekend,” she said.
Duncan said the one negative was that
the lost and found reflected the same in
crease in festival goers, with several items
turned in she felt owners would like to re
connect with. Contact the chamber at
706-692-5600 to check on lost items.
Two new city council members sworn in at Nelson
By Jeff Warren
Nelson Mayor David Leister
swore in two newly elected city
council members Monday night
just before the whole council
covered several items of impor
tant business in a fairly short
meeting.
Paul Feldman and Martha Tip-
ton, elected by special election
September 21 to finish two unfin
ished council terms, swore their
oaths and sat down to hear busi
ness at hand.
First came Joe Kelly of For
ward Pickens, touting the value
of retaining a sole commissioner
form of government for Pickens
County. A county-wide referen
dum, part of this November's
general election, will allow Pick
ens County voters a choice: keep
the sole commissioner system or
replace it with a multi-person
commission.
Mayor Leister allowed Kelly a
few minutes at the start of the
meeting to present reasons on be
half of Forward Pickens for keep
ing a sole commissioner county
government.
In council business, under old
business, the council voted unan
imously to join with Cherokee
County government and other
city governments in Cherokee
backing extension of an existing
special purpose local option sales
tax in that county. The tax
amounts to a penny sales tax on
each dollar spent.
Nelson city projects desig
nated to be funded by this
SPLOST extension include pub
lic safety vehicles and equipment
Continued on Page 9A
Nelson Mayor David Leister reads the council member’s oath of of
fice as new Counciiwoman Martha Tipton prepares to repeat the lines,
swearing in to serve on the Nelson City Council.
New Councilman Paul Feldman raises his right hand to swear the
oath of office.
Letters to the Editor 12A
People 19A
Sports 1B
Legals 7B
Classifieds 16B
What’s Inside
Marble Festival Road
Race Results
Perfect weather and strong
contestants made the Marble
Festival Road Race one of the
best yet. Participants ran in ei
ther a one-mile fun run, ora
5K. Find out who placed in
each race inside. Page 8B
Celebrate Heart & Soul
this weekend
A triad of local churches has
joined together to host the
Heart & Soul Celebration this
Saturday at the Episcopal
Church of the Holy Family. The
churches have organized a
day of events, food, vendors
and entertainment, with pro
ceeds going to benefit local
outreach programs. Page 7A
No accurate boundary
between
Pickens and Dawson?
A local surveyor says there is a
six-mile-long line between
Pickens and Dawson that is
more a "vague approximation,"
than an actual line, but clearing
up the matter may be no sim
ple act. Page 11A
Shooting the Breeze
for Breast Cancer
Awareness Month
Dr. Rosa Langella and Lauren
McDermott, P.A. from North
Georgia Breast Center in
Jasper spoke with us about a
disease that affects thousands
of women each year. Hear
what they had to say about the
common myths and miscon
ceptions of breast cancer.
Page14A
Go primitive
at Earthskills
Bring the whole family out for
the 25th annual Earthskills
Rendezvous Falling Leaves
celebration and get a lesson in
going primitive. Professional
outdoor instructors teach par
ticipants the ins and outs of an
cient crafts and primitive
technology in this event, which
runs through October 9. Regis
tration is going on now.
Page 8A
Deaths
Morris Haygood
Donald Enis
Helen Dickerson
Sarah Maddox
J. Wayne Walker
Ronald MacGregor
Bessie Stone
Aileen Prince
Chester Payne
OBITUARIES, Page 10A
Weather
By WILLIAM DILBECK
HI
LOW
RAIN
Tuesday
73
51
.00
Wednesday
74
50
.29
Thursday
70
55
.36
Friday
71
51
.00
Saturday
72
48
.00
Sunday
60
43
.00
Monday
60
46
.00
The Progress is
printed, in part, on
recycled newsprint
and is recyclable.
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