Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Volume 133 Number 3
Jasper, Georgia
Local News Published Weekly
180-day zoning moratorium
set by Jasper City Council
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
In a unanimous vote,
Jasper City Council has
placed a 180-day morato
rium on all rezoning requests
while they perform a com
prehensive review of their
ordinances. Council and city
officials have said these or
dinances have created a va
riety of issues over the years
and need “thorough review.”
Speaking at the May
meeting, held online via
Zoom, Jasper City Manager
Brandon Douglas said “it
would serve our community
well to engage the services
of more qualified individuals
such as the firm [Clark, Pat
terson & Lee] to do a more
comprehensive review....to
hit the pause button and do
this zoning ordinance jus
tice.”
Since last year, the city
has consulted with Clark,
Patterson & Lee - an archi
tect, engineering and plan
ning team - which makes
recommendations, assists
with inspections, and con
sults with the city manager
and council on an as-needed
basis on more complex zon
ing and inspection issues.
The firm was appointed at
last month’s council meeting
to help the city reexamine
and revise their rezoning or
dinances and will assist dur
ing the 180-day moratorium.
Douglas noted that
COVID-19 restrictions have
limited the city’s ability to
train in-house employees in
land use issues, but also pro
vides a more opportune time
to put the moratorium in
place.
“It gives us a brief respite
to get some of this work
done,” he said. “It’s a pause
to reexamine our zoning or
dinance as to where we are
going as a community.”
City Attorney David
Syfan called the overhaul a
“fairly major project,” and
advised council to make no
table progress on revamping
See Zoning on 11A
Pickens High plans virtual graduation,
hopes to hold in-person ceremony later
“This pandemic has
interrupted your
year, but it has not
overshadowed your
accomplishments,”
PHS principal tells
seniors
By Christie Pool
Staff writer
christie@pickensprogress.com
The Pickens High School Class
of 2020 will have a virtual ceremony
broadcast on Friday, May 29th, a
week after the originally-scheduled
graduation. Additionally, PHS Prin
cipal Chris Wallace said “our hope
and prayer is to have the opportunity
to provide an in-person, traditional
graduation ceremony in our stadium
at a later date.”
A survey to graduates and parents
found both preferred a virtual cere
mony now with the hope of getting
an in-person ceremony later, Wallace
See Graduation on 11A
Blake Moss / Photo
Most students spend their entire school career dreaming of their senior prom, and many do their dress and
suit shopping months prior to the date of prom itself. One couple, PHS seniors Shannon Johnson and Zak
Price, still had their photo shoot and spent the day together, but with extra precautions of course. Now school
administrators are working to salvage graduation plans and say prom is not totally off the table for discussion.
Pickens 75th in state for Census response
Pickens’ Census
2020 response
rates so far by
Census Tract.
“Total response”
are percentages
of households re
sponding and in
clude all online,
mail, and phone
responses. On
line responses
are the percent
age of the house
holds in that
tract that re
sponded in the
new online
questionnaire.
?
Tract
503
Tract
501.2
Tract
504
Tract
502.1
Tract
502.2
Tract
505
Tract
506.1
Tract
501.1
Tract
506.2
u
I 0-15
16-30
31-40
Self-Response Rate (%)
41-50 51-56 ■ 57-62 ■ 63-68 ■ 69-74 ■ 75-85 ■ 86-100
Business owner thanks school bus
drivers, food service employees
SHOWING THEY CARE - Business owner Parish Lowrie presents the school system with tokens of appreci
ation to bus drivers and food service workers. (L - R) Ginger Grimmett, transportation department; Tami
Goode, nutrition department; Beth Thompson, school nutrition director; Stacy Gilleland, operations director;
Parish Lowrie, and Superintendent Dr. Rick Townsend.
Census workers
will come to homes
that do not respond
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
The 2020 Census is well under
way, with Pickens County currently
ranking 75th in Georgia for partici
pation with a 46.9 percent response
rate.
There were 38.8 percent of Pick
ens households that responded
through the online option introduced
this year. The remaining responses
were mailed or phone-in.
For the 2010 Census, Pickens’
total response rate was 58.3 percent,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau
data.
Households that have not re
sponded will receive a reminder
postcard between April 27 and May
See Census on 11A
Information A
on candidates ^
To get ready for the June 9th pri
mary election, the Progress will pres
ent information on the candidates in
the many races. Beginning this week
you can find information on the can
didates seeking both the open seats
in the U.S. Congress (9th and 14th
districts) that represent Pickens
County on Page 8A.
Next week (May. 14), we start with
local candidates, featuring a question
and answer with those running for
sheriff and school board. Then on
May 21, we will feature those in the
race for commission chair and tax
commissioner.
Also look for a sample ballot in
next week’s edition with early voting
starting on May 18th, ahead of the
June 9th election.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
Pickens County teachers, stu
dents, and many other employees
are working remotely during the
COVID-19 pandemic. But one local
business owner and his staff wants
to give a big thanks to the food serv
ice workers and bus drivers who
continue to work in the field, prepar
ing and delivering lunches to stu
dents.
Monday morning, May 4th, State
Farm Agent Parish Lowrie delivered
around 100 $15 gift cards and
goodie bags to the school system’s
central office. Those cards, from a
variety of local restaurants, were
headed to those employees as a
thank you to “people who truly de
serve to be recognized. We can’t
See Thanks on 11A
Inside:
Community
Responds:
Why is your
Mom the
best? Page 2 A
No outdoor
burning
Page 3B
Obituaries - 10A
• Jerry White
• Lavonda Heintzelman
• Margaret Stancil
• Sheila Bozeman
• Timothy Boothe
• Willie Mullinax
Index
Editorial 4A
Letters to the Editor . 5A
Church 2B
Kids 6B
People 4B
Classifieds 8-9B
Legals 7B
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