Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Volume 133 Number 46
Jasper, Georgia
24 pages in two sections
Published Weekly
School board,
former supt.
finalize split
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Just like a romantic break-up, it
appears that the relationship be
tween the Pickens school board
and former Superintendent Rick
Townsend is finally over, for
good, but leaving behind a trail of
bitterness and speculation.
The board officially called it
quits with Townsend in a very
brief meeting last Tuesday, Feb.
23rd, after they had been “negoti
ating” for the past several weeks.
However, the school board waited
until Friday to disclose the final
payout, where they agreed to give
the departing superintendent
$406,014 in remaining salary, plus
spending another $13,329 in a
FICA payment and an additional
workers compensation expense of
$2,354.
This made the ending of
Townsend’s less-than-a-year stint
as the top person for the local
schools, a $421,699 expense. The
board, through their attorney, re
leased a plan for how they would
more than balance this loss al
ready being implemented by the
interim superintendent Tony
Young.
Townsend arrived in April of
2020 with
high praise
from the
coastal sys
tems where
he had been
working.
With no prior
public signs
that trouble
was brewing
between the
board and su
perintendent,
the board
held a meeting Friday, Jan. 15th
where Townsend was essentially
terminated, though no public ac
tion was taken after a long closed
session that night.
Townsend’s e-mail and school
phone were shut down quickly
after the meeting, and he cleaned
out his office over the weekend.
At a January 18th meeting, the
board announced they were in ne
gotiations to modify the superin
tendent’s contract.
In the announcement of his ter
mination on February 23rd the
board stated, “Dr. Rick Townsend
and the Pickens County Board of
Education have agreed to part
ways amicably. Dr. Townsend was
dismissed without cause to enable
the board to chart a new direction
for the school district.”
The payout calculated for
Townsend covers the remaining
pay due him under his original
contract for the next two years.
Board members and Townsend
said in separate interviews this
week that they consider the situa
tion resolved and final.
Board Chair Sue Finley said in
a brief telephone interview Tues
day, March 2nd that she preferred
all comments come from their at-
See School on 10A
Former Supt.
Rick Townsend
JeepFest set to roll
in 2021 for 10th year
Max Caylor / Photo
JeepFest will be back in Marble Hill this year. Trails and obstacles are
definitely set, but Homebase and spectator events, like this scene from
2019, may still see COVID restrictions.
Staff reports
The board which oversees the
yearly Sheriff’s JeepFest met last
week and committed to bring the
popular event back this year after it
was cancelled in 2020 due to
COVID concerns.
JeepFest will be its usual Labor
Day weekend with events beginning
on September 2nd and going
through Sunday, Sept. 5th based on
announcements from the Sheriff’s
Foundation.
Sheriff Donnie Craig said, “We
want to assure the public that we are
definitely having JeepFest this year.
We will be monitoring the COVID
situation right up until the festival
and may make adjustments as
needed.”
This will mark the 10th year of
the popular event which draws
more than 2,000 registered Jeepers
from around the region and thou
sands of spectators to view the
Jeeps in mudpits and obstacles.
Organizers say at this point they
are committed to the trails and ob
stacle course events, as these are
relatively safe from a social dis
tancing perspective. Each
person/group is in their own Jeep
with whatever family or friends
they choose.
Other events such as concerts and
Homebase events may be subject to
restrictions depending on the situa
tion at the time. The JeepFest board
is in contact with Jasper City Hall
in regard to the usual Friday night
event in town. While the board rec
ognizes the economic impact to
businesses with the Friday night
show-n-shine and concert, they are
going to defer to the city as to how
that evening is handled.
It is hoped that an improved
COVID situation will allow for
some exciting 10th year plans that
had to be shelved in 2020, according
to the board.
Members of the Sheriff’s Foun
dation board are Dan Pool, Adam
Richards, Mark Maddox and re
cently-joined Brian Hudgins.
Electric vehicle (EV) charger
station now in downtown Jasper
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Electric vehicles, while nowhere
near the dominant mode of trans
portation on Pickens roadways, are
being seen more around town as de
mand for electric transportation in
creases nationwide.
Dr. Robert Keller, CEO of At
lantic Coast Conservancy, is helping
usher in the EV revolution with the
recent installation of a charging sta
tion in front of his South Main
Street office. The station is for pub
lic use - and free of charge.
“Just drive up and plug in,”
Keller said. “The service will be
complimentary, paid for by the At
lantic Coast Conservancy.”
The universal EV station pro
duced by ClipperCreek has dual
charging capabilities, which means
two vehicles can charge at the same
time. It’s also what’s called a Level
2 station (there are also Level 1 and
Level 3 stations). Level 2 stations
have a higher-output power source
and charge quicker than a Level 1,
but not as quickly as the Level 3.
“A Mercedes B Class 250e...can
Dr. Robert Keller, left, and his team at Atlantic Coast Conservancy take 20 hours to Hilly charge with a
(ACC). ACC has funded the EV charging station project. The Pickens standard [Level 1] 120-volt charging
County Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting on Thursday, station. A 240-volt Level 2 charger
March 4, at 4p.m. ACC is located at 72 S. Main Street, Jasper. See EV on 10A
From Jasper Council Meeting
New rooftops on the rise, city park ballfield
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
At their March 1 meeting,
Jasper council addressed numer
ous items related to residential and
mixed-use developments, which
highlights the increased building
activity in that sector.
In addition to reviewing site
plans for a phase of the large Gate
way at Grandview development at
the Highway 515 and Highway
108 intersection.
They moved towards approv-
Crews at work in the new
Worley Preserve development off
Highway 515 near Worley Cross
roads. This is one of several
housing projects underway in
side Jasper city limits.
ing a proposed development off
North Main Street, and did ap
prove purchase of a lift station that
will service a residential develop
ment underway at Worley Cross
roads.
In a separate interview, Jasper’s
Development Director Lonnie Wa
ters provided numbers for some of
the new homes either recently
built, under construction, or slated
to be under construction as part of
ongoing projects. The develop
ment on Highway 515 near Wor
ley Crossroads, Worley Preserve,
will have 124 homes; Piedmont
Village near Piedmont Mountain
side Hospital, 72 homes; Phase 2
of Gateway at Grandview, 53
homes (this does not include de
velopment of Phase I, which will
be built after Phase 2), and around
15 at Hood Park.
See Council on 10A
Inside:
New monthly
outdoor column
from popular radio
and TV personality
O’Neill Williams
begins this week
Page 12B
Operation
RoundUp awards
local charities and
those in need
Page 12A
Editorial - 4A
What if no one
wants to serve on
boards?
Obituaries - 6-7A
• Daniel Krisman
• David Amos
• Flora Chase
• James Mathews
• Kenneth Ledford
• Michael Smith
• Mike Caylor
• Ottis Page
• Peggy Nelson
• Philip Ferrara
• Robert Johnson
• Sue Shook
• Tim Hitt
Contact Us
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