Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. OCTOBER 7 2010 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 9A
Continued from Page 1A
Airport
Clark also says the PCAA
charges “outrageous” prices for
lease space and doesn’t offer dis
counts for customers like him
who purchase large quantities of
gas.
“They charge more for a land
lease than anyone around,” Clark
said. “Pickens County is 36-cents
a square foot. That’s outrageous.
It’s not even convenient to At
lanta.”
Clark says he is paying 30
cents less a gallon for gas in
Cherokee than he is in Pickens.
Garrett Cobb, owner of avia
tion mechanic shop, Joe Aircraft,
based at the Pickens airport,
echoes Clark’s frustrations. Cobb
says he has been grappling with
the PCAA for nearly four years
trying to get a lease for hangar
space to expand his business.
“I’ve been approved three
times, and every time they come
back to me the day after and ask
me to change something,” Cobb
said. “I’ll believe it when I see a
signed contract and I see dirt
moving around for me to build a
hangar.”
Cobb says he has presented
the same “expansive” business
plan to the PCAA for years,
which includes a flight school, an
aviation novelty store, and other
elements.
“It’s a major business plan,
and mechanics are only about 20
percent of it,” Cobb said. “I just
don’t have the room right now to
do anything or hire another me
chanic. I would estimate that I’m
losing about $350,000 to
$400,000 a year, but I don’t have
anywhere to go, because there’s
no space at other airports. So I’m
just sitting here treading water.”
Cobb is currently working out
of an old Quonset hut that is
owned by Clark, who lets him
use the facility in exchange for
paying for a lease on a small
hangar where Clark stores his
personal plane.
Cobb said ideally he would
like to keep the Quonset hut for
the flight school and house the
mechanic shop out of a new
hangar. But the PCAA wants the
hut removed, because it’s old and
“an eyesore,” according to
PCAA Chair Dr. Ken Austin.
“I spend three hours a day
moving planes,” Cobb said. “I
can’t hire a mechanic because
there’s no room.
“It’s like working in an office
but having to stand in the hall
way and work with just a clip
board. Every time you need a pen
you have to get up and get it.
Every time you need this or that
you have to get up and get it. It
doesn’t make doing the job im
possible, but it makes it impossi
ble to do an efficient job.”
Cobb, like Clark, also feels
the direction the PCAA is taking
the airport is misguided, and the
personal issues he is having with
them are just a small slice of the
pie.
“Why do they want to treat
this like a jet airport? It’s not,”
Cobb said. “It may become big in
10 years, but the airport is too far
away from the city for it to bring
in tons of big jets. This is not
going to be the jewel of the
county. It could be a good rev
enue enhancer, but [pilots] at the
airport don’t give a damn. Most
planes out here are $25,000, and
the airport has jets on their t-
shirts. It’s ridiculous.”
Members of the PCAA met
Tuesday to discuss changes in
the most recent lease they drew
up for Clark who, again, has re
cently moved his flight school to
Cherokee County.
The PCAA expressed confu
sion about the desires of Clark
and Cobb, who have in the past
told the PCAA they were inter
ested in working together to ex
pand their businesses.
The PCAA and Commis
sioner Jones say they have fried
to work with Clark and Cobb,
who the PCAA says have been
the ones changing their minds
about terms of hangar leases.
“I don’t know what else you
guys can do,” Jones told the
PCAA in their meeting Monday.
“You’ve done everything you
can, and they’re still fighting
over there.”
PCAA Chair Dr. Ken Austin
said following their approval of
a lease for Clark earlier this year,
“I kept personally waiting and
thinking, well, Garrett’s going to
move some things out of there
and start moving the Quonset
hut, and we’re going to start see
ing a hangar coming up over
there, and it just never happened,
and it never happened, and it
never happened.”
PCAA board member Dr.
Susie Hamel said Clark and
Cobb are “confused about what
they are going to do,” but Hamel
and other members of the PCAA
did note that Clark and Cobb are
assets to the airport.
“We want them out there, ab
solutely,” Hamel said.
But Clark says all contracts he
has seen from the PCAA have
been unsignable, awaiting ap
proval from the county attorney.
Cobb says the authority comes to
him the day after their approval
of a lease and changes stipula
tions.
Clark and Cobb have said,
however, that they haven’t
thrown out the baby with the
bathwater and are interested in at
least entertaining the idea of
staying at the local airport.
At the Monday meeting, the
PCAA agreed to present both
Cobb and Clark with a general
lease, which is still awaiting ap
proval from the county attorney.
“Whoever steps up to the
plate gets it,” Hamel said. “We
say we need [the hangar] built in
such and such a days, and who
ever steps up to the plate gets it.”
When asked about the lease
Clark said, “Yeah, if they show
me a lease, I’ll still look at it, but
this is the same spot I was in 45
days ago. There is still no ap
proval from the attorney.”
Continued from Page 1A
Nelson
($190,000); transportation facil
ities and equipment ($250,000);
park and recreation facilities
($250,000).
Cherokee County voters will
approve or reject this SPLOST
extension in an upcoming elec
tion.
Also under old business, the
council discussed with Lamar
Kellett (chairman of Nelson's
planning and zoning commis
sion) Kellett’s suggestion from
an earlier meeting that the com
mission take on additional roles
in support of council responsibil
ities.
Councilman Johnny Hopkins
suggested the proposed expan
sion of duties be tabled until the
next council meeting so new
council members can be in
formed on the matter before de
cisions are made. The council
agreed with Hopkins' motion,
tabling Kellett’s proposal.
Under new business, the
council voted first-reading ap
proval for a fiscal year 2011 city
budget. A second-reading ap
proval at a future council meet
ing will officially accept the
budget as a working budget. The
budget can be amended by the
council as needed throughout the
year to make budget numbers
agree with unforeseen expendi-
How can we possibly thank
you enough? The enormous team
effort and passion put into The
FATZ/ ‘ANGELS’ breakfast
fundraiser was truly something to
behold and repeat.
Leslie Elliot, founder and di
rector of Angels on Horseback
(AOH), tearfully said, “Enough
money was donated to feed all
our horses through the winter.
We may even be able to purchase
some blankets for them and a
TV/VCR so we can show learn
ing video’s to our students before
lessons and on rainy days. This is
very exciting. I am over
whelmed!”
AOH reserved Fatz Cafe for
the same time next year; the first
weekend of October. What a
wonderful way to kick off Pick
ens’ annual Marble Festival; with
a good deed for a great cause.
Diner’s response to their meal
was extremely positive. Most
guests were generous residents of
Pickens County. Some came
from Gumming and Marietta,
Woodstock and even a couple
from Atlanta stopped by to con
tribute. Some of their comments
were, “So much food I could not
finish it all!” And, “It was deli
cious.” “The service was great.”
“We will be back next year.”
“Thank you!”
This must be true, because
waitresses received more than
generous tips and some guests
even paid more than the price of
a ticket. Each breakfast consisted
of three large pancakes, delicious
Crafters & Artisans
Wanted for
Christmas Show
Dec. 3 and 4
Pick up your
application to be a
vendor from Leo
at the Jasper
Farmers Market
or via email at
fellenbaum@tds.net
hires.
Also under new business, the
council set the city's upcoming
tax levy date as December 1,
2010. The tax due date, the day
by which all Nelson residents
must pay their city taxes, was set
as February 1, 2011.
The city tax millage rate for
Nelson residents living on the
Pickens County side of the city
was set at 1.538, the same as last
year, Clerk Brandy Edwards re
ported. The millage for Cherokee
County Nelson residents was set
at 1.546, also the same as last
year, Edwards said. Nelson strad
dles the Pickens County-Chero-
kee County line.
Millage for the fire tax paid
by city residents on both sides of
the line was set at 2.956. That is
up from 2.496 last year, Clerk
Edwards advised. This tax is paid
by all Nelson residents to Chero
kee County for fire protection
and emergency medical response
provided by the Cherokee
County Fire Department.
Under time reserved for com
mittee reports, Councilman
Johnny Hopkins of the Roads
and Maintenance Committee
said the city is still cleaning up
some downed trees left over
from a severe storm that hit Nel
son in late summer. Edwards said
the city still awaits further bids
for removal of a large problem
tree near North Avenue.
Representing the Personnel
breakfast sausages, a fresh fruit
cup and beverage of your choice.
To all our ‘Angels’ volunteers
that came so early in the morning
to serve our generous guests and
all the behind the scenes ‘An
gels’ and community business
leaders and organizations that
helped make this fundraiser be
our most lucrative benefit event
ever - Thank you!
Fatz Cafe Manager Brad
Bonamico said it was one of the
most successful fundraiser thus
far. He was most impressed by
the number of ‘Angels’ volun
teers that came to serve so early
in the morning.
Y’all may not know this, but
each Saturday morning there is a
fundraiser pancake breakfast at
Fatz Cafe for a non-profit cause
or organization. What a wonder
ful way to support our commu
nity! Fatz Cafe charged $3 per
person to cover food costs. Fatz
volunteers cook and help non
profit volunteers serve breakfast.
Angels on Horseback only
charged $8 per breakfast and re
ceived the $5 balance as a dona
tion. Waitresses donated all their
tips. Thank you.
We would like to particularly
thank Brad Bonamico of Fatz
Cafe for making this event pos
sible, not only for ‘Angels’ but
for all the people that will benefit
by Fatz’s new corporate ‘com
munity outreach’ program, (bril
liant); Cindy Carroll of Goin’
Postal for printing all our color
flyers; the Pickens County
Chamber of Commerce for
adding our flyers to the Marble
Festival vendor packets; the
Pickens County Progress for an
nouncing our fundraiser in the
newspaper with other Marble
Festival news; Main Street Fit
ness for displaying our flyers and
spreading the word to their clien
tele; and most of all our dedi
cated volunteers. There are too
many to name and fit in this arti
cle!
Additional information on
Angels on Horseback, to be
donor or volunteer, please go to
their Web site, www.angelson-
horseback.com or contact Leslie
Elliot at 770-355-5726
For additional information on
Fatz’s program go to their Web
site, www.fatzcafe.com, or call
Brad at 706- 692-0003.
Committee, Councilwoman
Penny Thacker introduced An
drew Cochran as Nelson's new
part-time police officer. Cochran
grew up at Nelson and expressed
thanks for the opportunity to
serve as a peace officer in his
hometown.
Reporting for the Planning
and Zoning Commission, Lamar
Kellett asked for council author
ization to begin a computer data
base to contain digital
photographs of Nelson proper
ties. For enforcing zoning re
quirements that regulate new
construction, such a baseline
database is needed, Kellett said.
"If you don't have a baseline,
it's your word against the word
of the property owner," Kellett
said. With council approval, the
city's planning and zoning com
mission would actually do the
photography, Kellett said. Photos
would amount to street views
made from the road out front, he
said.
Mayor Leister asked City At
torney Jeff Rusbridge if there
could be liability issues with
having someone not employed
by the city out taking these pic
tures.
Rusbridge saw no problem.
"If the city authorizes it, it's a
valid government function," he
said.
"We have to figure how and
where we're going to store it [the
photo database]," Leister said.
"The city would need to control
it."
Kellett also said Mike Havi-
land of the planning and zoning
commission will soon meet with
the director of parks for Chero
kee County. That meeting is for
further discussion of possible
Cherokee County funding assis
tance for Nelson parks, Kellett
said.
In time reserved for public
appearances, Habersham Way
resident, Mike Law, stood to
question a written warning is
sued by Nelson Police because
Laws' above-ground pool lacks a
fence around it.
During lengthy discussion
that followed, Lamar Kellett ex
plained city code requires a 60-
inch tall fence around any
swimming pool within the city
limits. State and county regula
tions line out a similar require
ment, Kellett indicated. The
main purpose of such regulations
is to prevent drowning accidents,
it was said.
Law maintained that because
his pool stands above ground
without a ladder to enter it, it
serves as its own barrier to acci
dental entry. Kellett told Law he
could apply to the city for a vari
ance in connection with the pool
regulation. A variance would es
sentially provide city acceptance
for Law's pool remaining fence
less. A variance would probably
cost Law $200, Kellett said.
Law asked why the pool reg
ulation enforcement has come up
"all of the sudden", as he put it.
He received a previous warning
about four years ago without fur
ther enforcement, Law said.
"I've advocated for some time
that the police have the job of
code enforcement," Kellett said,
"that he [Police Chief Heath
Mitchell] initiate warnings, and
citations if a problem is not
cleared up."
"Heath has been told that
we're gonna clean up Nelson,"
Councilwoman Penny Thacker
stated. "And that's part of his job,
to do code enforcement."
The council dismissed briefly
into secret executive session to
discuss a personnel issue before
reconvening for the mayor's
comments and adjournment.
"It being the end of the year,
we need to revisit some things in
the next few months," Mayor
Leister told the council. He men
tioned city annexation along a
stretch of State Highway 515.
Nelson would need to prepare
annexation legislation in time for
the Cherokee County legislative
delegation to move the measure
through the upcoming General
Assembly session that begins in
January, he advised.
To new council members,
Feldman and Tipton, Leister
said, "I'd like to thank both of
you for volunteering to work for
free."
Adjournment followed by
council vote.
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