Newspaper Page Text
“For last year's words belong to last year's language.
And next year's words await another voice.” -T.s.EMot
• Opinions
• Community
Views
• Good Old
Common Sense
The Progress
Editorial
December 30,2021
From the Staff
Looking back; looking ahead
How did we fare in 2021?
In our 2020 year-end editorial, we wrote
that everyone was cut some slack for not ac
complishing much over those past 12
months as the whole world was dealing with
a pandemic. It looked like we were at the end
of that story, now with a surge locally and
around the world and we are still dealing
with it in everything from closures and can
cellations to deaths right here at home.
At this point, however, there has been
plenty of time for all institutions to make ad
justments, not merely to keep doors open but
to function, so we’ll not offer an across the
board pass in our review.
School board has steadied
the course
If you attended a recent school board
meeting, it’s calm and all parties appear to
be getting along, making it hard to believe
that the early 2021 headlines included oust
ing a superintendent, enraged parents, calls
for resignations and a stymied recall effort.
We’ll not go further in re-hashing the his
tory as it appears to be just that, history, and
who knows if voters will still have any in
terest in it when board elections roll around?
We’d give a nod to Superintendent Tony
Young for calming the waters. Young is both
highly experienced in school administration
and a native of this county, meaning he gets
along with most factions and has done a
solid job in steering the $48 million system
for most of the past year.
We’ll end by noting the local student test
scores have slipped compared to similar sys
tems, so there is still work to be done.
Hoping the new Jasper city man
ager brings urgency to projects
We’re excited to welcome a new city
manager to Jasper. Let’s hope Sonia
Jammes, brings a big load of action and en
ergy with her from Virginia to move some of
the councils’ plans into high gear.
There is just no getting beyond the fact
that ambitious goals, like Perrow Park, have
sat with no action at all, and even smaller
projects, like converting the former bank
drive thru on North Main to a public bath
room, have either been abandoned or pushed
so far down a priority list the dust is now
several inches thick on them.
We’re encouraged by a lot of the ideas
put forth at Jasper’s city hall, so here’s hop
ing Ms. Jammes will put some substance to
the talk.
Can Talking Rock move forward?
For the past several months, Talking
Rock has not been the relaxed small town it
was for decades. It’s a unique situation, a
town with just over 50 voters is sitting on the
best tourist/scenic area in the county with
their picturesque downtown, creek, park and
two town-owned railcars leased for a brew
ery and forthcoming pub/restaurant. Wow,
what could derail this from being the hottest
little town in north Georgia? Political in
fighting.
With election results like 20 to 12 in the
most contested race, you can’t say the out
come sent any strong message. But most of
the few voters who turned out sided with the
candidates seeking a change. And they will
get one in January. As history shows repeat
edly, gaining control is easy, governing is
hard. Here’s hoping that the little town can
get back on track.
Let’s see what the county
commission can do in 2022
Commission Chair Kris Stancil has com
pleted his first year in office. Nothing dra
matic has happened, good or bad. Replacing
Rob Jones after 16 years in the office natu
rally took a little while. We know there are
solid plans floating around the Admin Build
ing involving expanding infrastructure to the
Foothills area and plans involving Roper
Park - both very worthwhile projects.
We regularly chide the county commis
sioners over Roper Park, asking bluntly, “are
you proud to say this is Pickens County’s
main and only park?” A park planning group
is working and SPLOST funding has been
dedicated to improving that park. We also
remind commissioners and the public that a
study funded under the Jones administration
called for starting fresh at a new location -
as Roper’s layout, shape and size was judged
unsuitable to take us forward.
We strongly encourage Mr. Stancil to get
this project moving and do so on a scale that
when we ask “are you proud of this park?”
The answer will be a resounding yes.
Froni us at the Progress, tha^tes to
those who have supported covuwluufty
jouruailsvu over the past year with sub-
scr'iftLous awd ads. we wish all of Piole-
ens County a Happy New year.
Tell us your thoughts with a letter to the editor. E-mail to news@pickensprogress.com
See letter submission guidelines on the Letters to the Editor page or call us 706-253-2457.
Hugh Pendley unsupervised
with a word processor
Not a fan
of basketball
By Hugh Pendley
I was in the third grade
('63) and dad took me to a
Pickens High School basket
ball game. He had told how
he was a well-versed basket
ball player when he was in
high school, being to top
scorer in one game.
He wanted me to get in
sports but I was more inter
ested in bicycles (eventually
motorcycles - to his dismay).
It was at the high school
campus which was later a
middle school and now a
training center for law en
forcement agents and the Mt.
Education school campus,
below the Methodist church,
on Church Street). I can't re
call who was the coach then.
I was appalled at the idea
of paying to get in school on
a Friday night but Dad did
anyway.
The game started, they
pitched the ball straight up
and one side grabbed it and
started running back and
forth across the court. This
was enough to delight the
crowd and dad. One side
would throw it in the goal
and the other side would get
it and run to the other end
and throw it in the goal. The
crowd would cheer. This
(USPS 431-820)
Published by Pickens County Progress, Inc.
94 North Main Street, Jasper, GA 30143
(706) 253-2457
www.pickensprogressonline.com
DAN POOL
Publisher/Editor
Published each Thursday at Jasper, Pickens County, Georgia. Entered
at the Post Office at Jasper, Georgia. 30143 as Mail Matter of Second
Class. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PICKENS COUNTY
PROGRESS, 94 N. Main St., Jasper, GA 30143.
One Year’s Subscription: $39.59 in Pickens County and in Gilmer,
Cherokee, Dawson and Gordon counties; $50.29 in all other Georgia
counties; $59.92 out of state.
seemed completely boring,
much more so than baseball
or football but there sat dad
completely enthralled.
While the guys were run
ning back and forth, someone
had fetched in a car horn and
battery, hooked it up and
blew it. Everyone stopped
running and one guy raised
his hand. I thought, “This is
nuts.” I could have been at
home watching 'The
Avengers' and Dianna Riggs
kick (or get captured, and
then escape - it was like this
every episode). I can't recall
if it was this game or a differ
ent one but I do recall one
time a visiting cheerleader
did a back flip. This got my
undivided attention. I
watched closely; unfortu
nately, I never saw that again
and perhaps to this day that is
why I am not a fan of basket
ball.
[Hugh Pendley is a native
of Pickens County who occa
sionally contributes to the
Progress.]
On the hunt for a few
good writers. If you are in
terested in contributing oc
casional humorous
columns, contact our editor,
dpool@pickensprogress. com.
(JMbe ikljool
LA Expect LG this
YEt\R TO BE BETTER.
Other Voices
Contending with Population Growth
By Gary Pichon
I previously have asserted
that local governments in
Georgia have little power to
control population growth. If
you can show me how they
legally can control popula
tion growth, you would be
the first to find any way that
will stand up to even the
most cursory court review.
I have previously written,
we may not want growth, but
in Georgia the state has con
sistently granted the power to
develop to property owners;
there is no legally-viable
grounds to stop a develop
ment simply because the
neighbors don’t want it.
What should your local
governments do during high
population growth?
Local governments need
to have aggressive plans for
infrastructure growth based
upon the forecast of the new
population. Not only do they
have to fund normal repairs
to existing things, they have
to build new things.
And they have to staff up
with a lot more people. And
they have to make hard
choices among competing
good things, which the citi
zens will not like. The ten
dency is to try and keep tax
rates from growing as long as
possible. That is a mistake
because infrastructure cannot
be put off forever and the
longer you wait the greater
the cost and disruption.
All this new stuff costs
lots of money and where and
how to get that money is a
real problem.
Generally speaking, the
funds inflow always seems to
lag the outflow. Long term
debt should be considered.
With today’s low interest
rates, it may pay to borrow
and build it now. During
growth, property values rise,
but the assessed rise lags the
real values, and it takes about
three years for valuations to
catch up.
All rapidly growing coun
ties should adopt the maxi
mum impact fees allowed by
law to make the new comers
pay part of the increase in
costs. But those fees must be
applied across the board
evenly so they will cost those
locals a lot if they build
something new.
LOST, SPLOST ELOST,
and TSPLOST sales taxes
can help but often the voters
will defeat them at the polls.
That is a mistake because
that keeps the new roads and
other things from being built
in a timely way.
If these sales taxes are not
approved by the voters, then
the burden of funding local
governments, shifts to the
property owners. That cost
will push them to sell more
land which will increase the
speed of development.
Land conservation trusts
are good things for local gov
ernments. They can set aside
green space that cannot be
densely developed and that is
a win for us all. Local gov
ernments should encourage
their use.
Most counties and cities
in Georgia spend more
money on public schools
than on any of the other costs
of local government. The
school budget is bigger than
the whole costs of all the
other government costs com
bined. If more young fami
lies with children move here
to find cheaper housing, the
rise in school costs will ac
celerate.
Thus far in Pickens
County, the growth that has
been coming is overwhelm
ingly retirees or others who
do not bring children or stu
dents to our schools — so far.
Besides schools, roads
and bridges, the next big cap
ital needs are for water and
sewer. Sewer is the big ele
phant in the room and Geor
gia has a terrible history of
mismanagement of sewer
and that is why we have a lot
of polluted rivers in Georgia.
If you put poo in the rivers,
not only does it make the
water taste funny, it costs a
lot to clean the water so that
it does not kill you.
If you want to cause a po
litical leader to choke, just
ask them to drink the out
flow from their sewer plant.
See if the mayor of Jasper
will do that. But a new state
of the art sewer system will
cost tens of millions. Where
is that money going to come
from?
Keep in mind when you
go yell at your leaders for
rapidly increasing taxes, they
cannot control population
growth which will be driving
those increases. Higher den
sities of population always
causes the cost of living to go
way up. The cheapest living
is always rural living and
Pickens is not going to be
rural much longer.
Never ever believe some
one when they say that pop
ulation growth will pay for
itself. Never ever believe
someone who says we can
eliminate enough govern
ment waste to fund the
growth. Never ever believe
someone that says higher
densities will lead to lower
taxes.
My daddy used to say that
bad news needs to be deliv
ered as soon as possible and
it should never ever be made
to sound sweet. I just deliv
ered the bad news on popula
tion growth and it tastes like
a green persimmon.
[Gary Pichon is a retired
businessman, veteran and
former commissioner of
Dawson County who now re
sides just inside Pickens
County.]
WEATHER
By William Dilbeck
HI LOW RAIN
Dec.
21
40
34
.00
Dec.
22
48
28
.00
Dec.
23
57
29
.00
Dec.
24
58
38
.24
Dec.
25
63
52
.00
Dec.
26
70
51
.03
Dec.
27
68
57
.00
See an error?
Let our editor
hear
about it,
dpool@
pickensprogress. com
706-253-2457
METAL ROOFING
DAWSON VILLE
METAL PRODUCTS
Your Metal Roofing Specialist
BUY DIRECT in Dawsonville
Painted Galvalume Metal Roofing
18 Colors In Stock
Delivery & Contractor Referrals Available
82 Etowah River Road • Dawsonville
706-265-3099 • 800-519-4616