Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Volume 133 Number 15
Jasper, Georgia
30 pages in three sections
Published Weekly
"Fingers crossed" schools
plan to roll back millage
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
In a called meeting Friday, the
school board heard reports that
state cuts in revenue and $478,000
in additional spending for virtual
curriculum can be absorbed while
still giving tax payers flat or
slightly reduced tax bills.
The board was presented a pro
posed draft of a $48,700,000 gen
eral fund budget for the next fiscal
year. This plan cuts spending $1.2
million from the current budget
and handles a projected loss of
$2.6 million in revenue for the next
year.
School system CFO Amy Smith
said they will dig into their fund
balance, which is around $7 mil
lion, to cover the loss of revenue
and it will still leave them enough
to handle most surprises that might
come as a result of the odd times.
Both Smith and Superintendent
Rick Townsend said they felt con
fident drawing from their fund bal
ance for the next year but
expressed concerns that with such
uncertain times, 2022 could be
challenging.
This budget will incorporate a
new expenditure for all school
boards - mass virtual learning op
tions. Smith said in her report they
were surprised that 25 percent of
the student body decided to take
See Millage on 11A
Pastors race trikes for
CARES Food Pantry;
having fun raising funds
Max Caylor / Photo
Jasper First Baptist’s Rev. Preston Jones is all smiles as he maintains a lead over Jasper Methodist’s Rev.
Greg Meadows. The two churches pledged funds to assist CARES in providing food and emergency services
for the community.
By Max Caylor
Progress contributor
Rev. Preston “Pedaling” Jones of Jasper First Bap
tist and Rev. Greg “Gliding” Meadows from Jasper
United Methodist dueled it out on Monday Night’s
Sports Spectacular Tricycle and Obstacle Course Race
at Rotary Park in Roper Park.
The “Spectacular” race was staged by CARES Food
Pantry Executive Director Chris Rumble to raise funds
to support their food and emergency services program.
“We are here to have fun and raise money,” Rumble
said.
The race featured a short obstacle course of cones
and each rider had to stop and play Twinkle Twinkle Lit
tle Star in the music park and then again to preach at
the Peace Pole.
The “Who Cares Marching Band” pepped up the
small crowd as they cheered for the racers. A $1,000
matching grant was announced for the race and atten
dees were invited to donate. General donations can be
made at www.caresforpickens.com and the entire race
can be experienced on Facebook caresforpickens.
A century later, another schoolhouse
goes in the same Nelson building
Brewery
coming to
Main Street
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
The mood was happy and
exuberant at the comer build
ing on Main Street last Friday,
when this reporter was given a
tour of the future home of
Pendley Creek Brewing Co.
Even without the buildout
complete, the space is inviting
and charismatic with rustic
brick walls, quirky features like
a walk-in safe from the 1940s,
and exposed wooden beams
along the high ceilings.
The front area will be where
the magic happens. The brew
ers hope to produce a variety of
craft beers with the goal of be
tween 200 to 300 barrels a year.
The back half of building will
be the tasting and tap room.
Several long, live-edge oak and
cedar tables have already been
set up.
“You know that quote, be
the change you want to see in
the world?,” asked Chris
Farmer, who has partnered
with Daniel Briordy on the
downtown endeavor. “That’s
what we decided. We want to
see this community thrive, and
being in a pandemic gives you
time to think about whether or
not you really, really want to do
it. We decided it was time to
move forward.”
While homebrewing is a
hobby for most, the craft of
brewing beer will be a full-time
gig for the partners who met 20
years ago as cooks at the Len
Foote Hike Inn. They have
both either left, or will soon
leave, their respective careers
to focus on the business.
Farmer worked at Highland
Rivers Health for several years,
and Briordy most recently
spent two years working as pri
mary brewer at a commercial
brewery in north Georgia.
See Brewery on 11A
Commissioners
expected to
take up
complaints
in tax office
this week
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
The board of commissioners
is expected to take up the polit
ical discrimination complaints
filed against the tax commis
sioner in a called closed session
meeting later this week.
The meeting is allowed to
be private as the topic will be
personnel and is expected to in
clude a several hundred page
report produced by an outside
attorney who specializes in
labor issues, County Attorney
Phil Landrum said on Monday.
The report from an investi
gation of complaints filed as far
back as March by two employ
ees of the tax commissioner’s
office (Tracy Chester and Dar-
See Complains on 11A
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
You can see the history peeking
through the building in the heart of
Nelson. Portions of it have been
modernized with sheetrock and
molding, but the old shiplap and
weathered wood stands out. A
climb up in the attic reveals unusual
arched tresses.
According to tax records, the
structure at 185 Blue Ridge Avenue
was built in 1845. John Ahlberg,
rector of TLE Christian Academy
which will be opening in that loca
tion soon, doesn’t know all the his
tory, but he does know that at one
point in the early 1900s it was a
school.
“It’s amazing how this all
worked out,” Ahlberg said as he
walked about the building currently
being renovated to house a 30-stu-
dent schoolhouse for kids from
kindergarten through 12th grade.
“I’ve got photos from when it was
a school then, with something like
70 kids. Now it’s going to be a
school again.”
He said the building was inten
tionally constructed to be in the
shape of a cross, which further so
lidifies what he sees as divine inter
vention making the pieces fall into
place to move the campus to Nel
son. The property became available
and he said he felt directed by God
to make an offer.
See Nelson on 9A
John Ahlberg at the future home of TLE Christian Academy in Nel
son. They will open this school year. photo/Angela Reinhardt
Inside:
Back to
School
Special
Section
Page 1-1OC
Government News
County recycling
director address
changes
Page 8A
Summer Happenings
Tomatoes can be
preserved to
enjoy year-round
Page 12A
Sports
Balancing screen
time with outdoor
activity
Page 3B
Community
Co-workers set up
GoFundMe page
for worker who
lost home
Page 8B
Editorial
Recent drownings
remind us of need
for water safety
Page 4A
Obituaries - 9A
• Alfonia Davenport
• Gerald Wade
• Kyle Reece
• Mildred Ballew
• Opal Flowers
• Roger Green Sr.
Contact Us
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Jasper, Ga. 30143
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