Newspaper Page Text
Continued From 1A
11ATHURSDAY. FEBRUARY 18. 2021 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 11A
Recently hired Head PHS Football Coach Grant Myers with wife Jena (also a school
system employee) and daughter Hadleigh. Myers told the school board that he is excited
to be leading the Dragons next year and in such a great community. See profile of Myers
in the January 28 Progress, available in our e-edition archive atpickensprogress.com.
School
board, Finley read their rules
regarding public participa
tion, which may have taken
almost as long as the five
minutes they offer the public.
Among the conditions is
that the board will not re
spond to any comment; will
not allow multiple speakers
to address the same topic and
will only allot 20 total min
utes for public participation.
Speaking after the meet
ing, two board members said
they had received word that
the state has changed public
participation laws and in a
few months the five-day ad
vanced notice will be short
ened to just a day.
Following Lowe’s com
ment, Finley thanked him but
no other board member of
fered any comment.
During regular business:
• The board heard an an
other jaw-dropping figure
from the latest monthly sales
tax. For the January check,
the sales tax totaled
$603,625, well over the aver
age $529,580 it had been run
ning the past year and up
from the $537,160 received
the previous month.
Chief Financial Officer
Amy Smith told the board it
was a very large month, pos
sibly due to sales tax off
Christmas spending now
being returned to the coun
ties.
“It appears people are
buying local, which is great
for the [school system],” she
said.
•Operations manager
Stacy Gilleland said during
winter break, maintenance
workers will clean and use a
special fogging machine to
reach “every nook and
cranny” of every school to
eliminate any germs.
“When we come back the
schools will be as good as
can be,” he said.
• The bus drivers have
been hard hit by medical is
sues, but not necessarily
COVID, Gilleland reported.
He said they have been get-
Steve Lowe railed against
the recent three-to-two vote
to replace Superintendent
Rick Townsend, saying the
board members had violated
the public trust and should
step down.
ting by with subs and using
mechanics and others who
have the proper license as
backups. Interim-Superinten
dent Tony Young said the
drivers and the whole depart
ment “deserve a big shout
out.”
• The school board voted
to buy their yearly order of
six new buses for the fleet.
Each of the 72-passenger
buses costs $103,000 for a
total expenditure of
$691,344. They also bought a
special education bus that
cost $114,000 but they will
receive state funds to cover
all but $37,000 of that vehi
cle.
•Young said there had
been no choice but to switch
Hill City Elementary to dis
tance learning when it was
found that 15 of the 28 staff
members in quarantine were
actually COVID positive.
“No choice on that one,” he
said.
Over the last year, the school board has seen the monthly
sales tax (SPLOST) checks trending higher with the Jan
uary 2021 check, including Christmas spending, at
$603,625.
Pickens County Schools
February 5, 2021
Memo
To: Tony Young, Interim Superintendent
From: Amy W. Smith, CFO
RE: SPLOST V
Continued From 1A
Talking
Rock
ovations on the fast track.
The lease arrangement stipu
lates the tenant is responsible
for interior renovations. A re
cent trip to the railcar by this
reporter showed there was
significant work that would
need to be done to the inte
rior.
“I’m bringing in a dump
ster and getting right to
work,” Roy said.
The restaurateur is work
ing out details of the interior
design and kitchen plans, but
has a general concept for the
menu.
“We want simple food,
maybe a variety of sliders,
Continued From 1A
Voting
13,429 and 2,932 votes, re
spectively. Fannin County
was 82% for Trump (12,169
votes) and 17% (2,570) for
Biden.
Dawson County also saw
similar numbers with 83%
(13,398) of voters casting
votes for Trump and 15%
(2,486) for Biden. Gordon
County saw 81% (19,405)
vote for Trump and 18%
(4,384) for Biden.
Counties south of Pickens
saw larger percentages vote
burger, sandwiches. Some
thing fast-casual,” he said.
They will also have a full
bar with liquor, wine, and
possibly a couple of domestic
beers. The deck that was re
cently built in front of the
brewery will be extended in
front of the restaurant and
allow space for a covered bar
along the train car. There will
be indoor and outdoor seat
ing.
The restaurant’s name
came from The “Old Line”
Railroad, a 47-mile stretch
that runs from Knoxville,
Tenn. to Marietta, Ga.
through Pickens County. Two
unique features of the line
give the line its nickname
“Hook and Eye.” One of
those features is located be
tween Talking Rock and
Democrat. Sixty-nine percent
of Cherokee County voters
cast ballots for Trump
(99,585) while 30% (42,779)
voted for Biden. In Cobb
County, Biden beat Trump by
14% with the Democrat re
ceiving 56% (221,847) of all
votes cast to Trump’s 42%
(165,436).
The number of people
voting for the Democratic
presidential candidate in
2020 rose slightly over
2016’s presidential election
both in Pickens and all of its
surrounding counties.
According to the map
Jasper. According to Tri-State
Model Railroaders website,
“in Talking Rock there are
“two reverse curves located
within a short distance of
each other,” and “the track
configuration resembled a
hook.” The other distinctive
section is the Hiawassee
Loop, “a circle of track that
was built around Bald Moun
tain in 1898... the Loop
looked like the eye of a nee
dle.”
Mayor Banks has been in
talks about other business en
deavors for the small town
that currently is home to sev
eral antique shops, a pottery
studio, and a popular park. A
coffee shop beside town hall,
a bed and breakfast, a to
bacco shop are on the radar
but no formal arrangements
published by the Times, De
mocrats in Pickens’ gained
3.3 percent in the 2020 elec
tion. Votes for the Democrat
candidate went from 14% in
2016 (Hilary Clinton) to 16%
for Joe Biden in 2020. (The
numbers are based on the
raw number of voters, with
different numbers of voters
casting ballots between 2016
and 2020.)
In Gilmer, 3.5% more
people voted for Biden in
2020 than they did for Clin
ton in 2016. Trump received
82% of the vote there in 2016
and just 81% in 2020 while
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Do you know what’s in your water?
We do. And we can make it
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have been finalized. Banks is
working closely with the
Pickens County Economic
Development Director to ex
pand their sewage capabili
ties for the area in the near
future.
“We’re going to be look
ing at cost of that, and also be
looking at grants,” Banks
said.
Talking Rock leaders have
scheduled a Town Hall meet
ing on Saturday, March 27 at
6 p.m. Plans are to discuss
the future of Talking Rock,
including a 5-year develop
ment plan and strategy. Talk
ing Rock store owners and
citizens are encourage to at
tend. The Town Hall will be
held in front of Talking Rock
Brewery.
Date Received
February-17
March-17
April-17
May-17
June-17
July-17
August-17
September-17
October-17
November-17
December-17
January-18
February-18
March-18
April-18
May-18
June-18
July-18
August-18
September-18
October-18
November-18
December-18
January-19
February-19
March-19
April-19
May-19
June-19
July-19
August-19
September-19
October-19
November-19
December-19
January-20
February-20
March-20
April-20
May-20
June-20
July-20
August-20
September-20
October-20
November-20
December-20
January-21
Total collections:
Referendum maxium
Continued From 1A
Dean
votes cast for the Democrat
candidate increased from
15% in 2016 to 18% in 2020.
Fannin County voters went a
full percentage point higher
in 2020 with 17% voting for
Biden over the 16% that
voted for Clinton in 2016.
Dawson County saw an
even larger percent vote for
the Democrat candidate in
2020 with a 4.2% increase
over 2016.
Cobb County added 12%
more votes for the Demo
cratic candidate in 2020 than
voted for Clinton in 2016
and, similarly, Cherokee
County’s Democrat vote in
creased by 11 percent, in
creasing from 22% in 2016 to
30% in 2020.
homes, I have worked with
all different ages, but chil
dren seem to be my strong
suit. While in high school I
choose to take the healthcare
pathway and once I realized
how much I loved it, I have
decided to combine the two
things I love most, children
and healthcare. That is why I
want to become a pediatri
cian. I want to make a differ
ence in the lives of children.”
As a junior in high school,
Jordan has already completed
all healthcare classes, been
certified in CPR as well as
Stop the Bleed, volunteered
for Affinity Hospice, and she
will be starting dual enroll
ment classes at a community
college next semester in
CNA.
“My plan is, my senior
year, I will be able to finish
the rest of my high school
credits and completely enroll
in the nursing program at
Chattahoochee Technical
College," she said.
If Jordan is named the
Georgia Youth of the Year,
she will contend for the title
of Southeast Regional Youth
of the Year who will receive
Revenue
Collection
350,590.30
324,615.88
368,619.65
368,089.57
381.545.21
377.660.26
405.956.22
387,676.12
396,722.81
389.153.98
396.167.98
445.516.55
382,147.18
336.370.83
432,554.94
391,162.07
425.402.25
439,326.01
440,132.49
427.579.67
375.969.67
473,863.03
426.552.33
480.840.34
433,261.41
397.669.83
421.703.23
483.665.56
476,002.26
433,510.38
461,228.01
447,652.40
455.604.98
453,968.21
466.637.69
530,690.59
419.301.68
411,006.90
460.884.27
488,039.26
542,988.51
542,588.17
502,506.74
800,136.64
514.607.25
532.116.70
537,160.79
603,625.36
$21,440,772.16
$30,000,000.00
an additional $20,000 college
scholarship. Six finalists will
advance to the virtual Na
tional Youth of the Year event
in October 2021, to vie for
the title of Boys & Girls
Clubs of America’s National
Youth of the Year. The Na
tional Youth of the Year will
receive an additional scholar
ship of $50,000 and a brand-
new Toyota Corolla.
The Youth of the Year pro
gram is supported by Toyota
and Mondelez. As the Signa
ture Sponsor of Youth of the
Year, Toyota is committed to
partnering with Boys & Girls
Clubs of America to ensure
local Clubs provide life-en
hancing opportunities for
kids and teens to explore, de
velop and apply the essential
skills they need to be suc
cessful in life and work. As
the Lead Sponsor of Youth of
the Year, Mondelez Interna
tional, will engage with local
Clubs year-round to help fos
ter a new generation of lead
ers prepared to live in and
lead a diverse global econ
omy.
Youth of the Year repre
sentatives are the workforce
leaders, innovators and prob
lem-solvers of tomorrow.
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