Newspaper Page Text
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Thursday, July 16, 2020
Volume 133 Number 13
Jasper, Georgia
Local News Published Weekly
Political discrimination alleged
in tax commissioner's office
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
At least two employees of the
Pickens Tax Commissioner have
filed complaints alleging political
discrimination led to them being de
moted unfairly and harassed.
Tracy Chester, who ran for tax
commissioner but failed to make
the runoff, and Darlene Handy, the
chief deputy tax commissioner,
both filed complaints with the
county government personnel office
in March of this year, saying they
have lost job responsibility after
Chester announced she was running
for office and Handy publicly sup
ported her.
The complaints are filed against
county government and Tax Com
missioner Darrin Satterfield, who
has publicly supported Daniel
Reeves, another employee of the
same office. Reeves is in the August
11 runoff against Amy Gibson.
The human resource complaints
were filed as early as March, with
additional updates made later, but
as personnel issues are not available
as public documents.
The Progress sought the records
initially from the county several
weeks ago but was denied, as it was
an active case. The newspaper has
since received copies of the com
plaints directly from the employees.
Handy was demoted from the
number two position in that office
to an entry level position. In a de
motion document dated March 3, it
cited multiple accounting/data entry
errors in a November 2019 tax sale.
But Handy said despite numerous
requests, she was never shown what
those errors were.
Chester told the Progress that
she been reassigned to only entry
level work, but it’s unclear what her
current title is.
Neither employee lost any
salary.
Satterfield did not respond to
messages left at his office or on his
cell Tuesday. An employee of the
tax commissioner’s office said he
was not there and they did not know
when he was coming in.
County Attorney Phil Landrum
said Tuesday that this is a situation
where Tax Commissioner Satter
field is a duly-elected constitutional
officer and is not accountable to the
See Tax office on 10A
Schools prepare for unprecedented return
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
With the first day of school just
three weeks away, the Pickens
County school system is gearing up
for the most fraught, uncertain back-
to-school ever.
To highlight the uncertainty ad
ministrators, staff, and teachers face,
the morning after Pickens Superin
tendent Dr. Rick Townsend gave a
presentation about the current plans,
recommendations from the Georgia
Department of Public Health regard
ing masks changed. On Thursday,
masks were going to be required for
all students on busses and in transi
tional spaces. On Friday morning,
they would only be “strongly recom
mended.”
There are plenty of other exam
ples: Open houses will now be “vir
tual” instead of in person; marching
band camp, scheduled to start Mon
day, July 13, was cancelled due to
concerns about the ability to keep
students and instructors safe (see
story about cancellation on page
IB); the deadline for parents to
choose which model of learning they
want for their child has been ex
tended to Friday, July 17 at 5 p.m.
Despite back-to-school planning
being on par with “hitting a moving
target,” Townsend says the system is
prepared, with both traditional/in
person plans and a virtual learning
See Schools on 10A
Teachers
feel anxious,
unsupported
about return
to school
Recycling Center to open soon
Angela Reinhardt / Photo
County crews train with the new baling machine at the facility off Stanley Drive, north ofWalmart Paper is
loaded onto a belt that carries it up the ramp then on to be compressed.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
With COVID-19 cases in
Georgia spiking over the last few
weeks, many teachers are con
cerned that even with safety pro
tocols it will be nearly impossible
to keep students and staff pro
tected on-campus.
The Progress spoke with five
teachers in the Pickens system at
different levels about their con
cerns and suggestions for the fall
semester. The Progress agreed not
to print names so teachers would
speak more openly about their
concerns.
“I think all of us are nervous
about coming back,” one high
school teacher said. “Too much
uncertainty about how we will be
protected with this. As soon as
the bell rings, there are 1,200-plus
students in a hallway and kids
don't stay away from each other.
I think a virtual start for all is best
until we can get this under con
trol. I hate that more than you can
imagine, but I think it's best.”
Another high school teacher
said the fact that students won’t
be expected to wear a mask
“comes across as disregard to
teachers’ health.”
One junior high teacher said
they wished the state would “take
charge” and do a Labor Day to
Memorial Day calendar like
See Teachers on 11A
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
There’s something oddly satisfy
ing and intriguing about seeing recy
clable materials when they are
separated and baled. The items are
sorted, generally uniform in size and
shape, and create an impactful visual
of just how much trash we throw
away.
In the back comer of the county’s
new recycling center off Highway
515, set to open mid-August, six
giant, multi-colored blocks of com
pressed aluminum cans were piled
up waiting to be shipped and sold.
The county’s new recycling direc
tor Kenny Woodard, who gave this
reporter a tour of the facility now
outfitted with brand new baling and
shredding equipment, told me each
bale of aluminum is about 350
pounds, and that the current going
rate is 40 cents a pound. Directly be
side the aluminum block was a 1,360
pound bale of compressed shredded
paper, which sells for about $155 a
ton. In another section of the 28,000-
square-foot facility, 22 bales of card
board were stacked four high and six
wide. When the center collects 31
bales of cardboard a truck will come
to haul them off. The county can sell
See Recycling on 11A
Jasper paves way for sidewalks, streetlights, brewery
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
At their July meeting, Jasper
Council voted to solicit bids for a
large project to repair old sidewalks
and create new sidewalks in the city.
The sidewalk project will be paid
from the 2014 SPLOST, which has
fiinded street resurfacing in the city
over the last six years. In addition to
road resurfacing, that SPLOST al
lowed for sidewalk improvements.
The city completed its final 2014
SPLOST paving project in the fall,
and has around $700,000 in remain
ing 2014 SPLOST funds.
Pickens Development Director
Lonnie Waters said, “It’s a great
project. We’ve been looking forward
to this since we started paving. I be
lieve it’s a great thing for the city.”
City Manager Brandon Douglas
said the city has not solicited bids for
a sidewalk project this large, and
Damon Howell / Photo
Pedestrians coming into town via Burnt Mt. Road have to be careful on the sidewalk fraught with tripping
hazards. The city has big plans involving sidewalk repairs and new sidewalks.
told council he is seeking input point.” He added that there could be Waters surveyed the city side-
about the sidewalk list, which “is not several phases of sidewalk projects walks recently and said some are too
an end-all-be-all, but a jumping off using the SPLOST funding. See Jasper on 11A
Gina Pendley
named
Rotarian of
the Year Page 3 b
Tate group
cancels all
2020 events
Page gA
Obituaries - 8A
• Helen Fountain
• Lynda Walsh
• Margaret Dean
• Mary Davis
• Russell Pendley
• Tim Poole
Index
Editorial 4A
Letters to the Editor . 5A
Church 2B
Kids 5B
People 3B
Classifieds 8B-9B
Legals 6B-7B
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