Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. MARCH 3. 2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
Pickens Library welcomes Katie
Dobson as new branch manager
Katie Dobson
The Pickens County Li
brary recently welcomed a
new branch manager, Katie
Dobson. She brings a wide
variety of public library ex
perience to her duties as
branch manager.
Pickens County Library
Announcements
Pickens Grab & Go Loca
tion
A temporary library loca
tion called Pickens Grab &
Go is open to the public in
side Mountain Education
Charter High School (located
at 339 West Church Street)
while the Pickens County Li
brary building is closed for
renovation and expansion. At
Pickens Grab & Go, library
patrons can check out and re
turn materials, place and pick
up library holds, request in
terlibrary loans, pay fines,
browse the library’s collec
tion, and access Wi-Fi and
printing services. Visit se-
quoyahregionallibrary.org/pc
1-project for more informa
tion, including up-to-date
service hours for Pickens
Grab & Go. [If space allows,
please keep reminding your
readers of Grab & Go.]
A Full Day of Fandom
Fun: Sequoyah-Con
On Saturday, March 19,
Sequoyah Regional Library
System presents its annual
convention: Sequoyah-Con.
All ages are invited to the
Gilmer, R.T. Jones, and
Woodstock libraries for a day
of fandom fun, all completely
free of charge. The R.T.
Jones Memorial Library in
Canton will be celebrating
the fantasy genre with D&D,
a Magic: The Gathering tour
nament, and miniature paint
ing, while the Gilmer County
Library will be home to all
things anime. Woodstock
Public Library will be spend
ing all day in a galaxy far, far
away with Star Wars cosplay,
trivia, and VR. To browse the
full schedule of convention
events, visit sequoyahregion-
allibrary.org/con/
Pickens County Library
March Events
ROY-G-BIV Storytime
March 2, 10:30 a.m.
Join Miss Crystal at Pick
ens County Recreation De
partment (1329 Camp Road)
for storytime. There will be a
themed craft to go along with
the stories. Children must be
accompanied by an adult. To
register, call 706-692-5411 or
visit calendarwiz.com/se-
quoyahreglib
Dancing Daisy Storytime
March 9,10:30 a.nt.
Join Miss Crystal at Pick
ens County Recreation De
partment (1329 Camp Road)
for storytime. There will be a
themed craft to go along with
the stories. Children must be
accompanied by an adult. To
register, call 706-692-5411 or
visit calendarwiz.com/se-
quoyahreglib
Luck of the Irish Storytime
March 16,10:30 a.nt.
Join Miss Crystal at Pick
ens County Recreation De
partment (1329 Camp Road)
for storytime. There will be a
themed craft to go along with
the stories. Children must be
accompanied by an adult. To
register, call 706-692-5411 or
visit calendarwiz.com/se-
quoyahreglib
sequoyahregionallibrary.org
Pickens County Library, 100
Library Lane, Jasper, 706-692-
5411
Pickens Grab & Go, 339 W
Church St, Jasper, 706-692-5411
Tippens announces candidacy
for Post 1 Commission seat
Josh Tippens
My name is Josh Tippens
and I am formally announc
ing my candidacy for Pickens
County’s Post 1 Commis
sioner Seat representing the
western portion of Pickens
County. I will be running for
the republican nomination in
the primary election on May
24.
Over the last few years, I
have become more deeply in
volved within our commu
nity via service clubs,
volunteer efforts, our Cham
ber of Commerce, and serv
ing as the Chairman of the
Pickens County Board of
Elections and Registration. I
have seen firsthand, the love
and generosity this commu
nity displays when presented
with a crisis or a need.
In fact, if I could name
one thing that makes me the
proudest to live in Pickens
County, it would be the peo
ple who live here. No matter
the situation, if a need exists,
the community will come to
gether and find a solution. I
do not take this for granted. It
is special; and what makes us
unique to the communities
surrounding us.
Of our three Commis
sioner Board, we will have
two new County Commis
sioners this year. Commis
sioner Jerry Barnes and
Commissioner Becky Den
ney have served Pickens
County with honor and dig
nity. They both deserve
praise and respect for the
work they have done, and I
am sincerely grateful for their
service.
However, with two Com
missioners leaving the Board,
it would not be an understate
ment to say the future direc
tion of our county is at stake.
Explaining easements,
setbacks and CCRs
Property setbacks as well
as easements and conditions,
covenants and restrictions
(CCRs) must be considered
before renovating an existing
home or building a new one.
Setbacks are mandated
buffers between surveyed
property lines and permanent
structures. Easements are
legal designations that enable
individuals or entities to use
portions of a person's prop
erty for physical access or to
build on it for one reason or
another.
Easements may be owned
by utility companies for gas
lines or government agencies
when sidewalks are on a pri
vate property. Additional ex
amples of easements include
greenbelt conservation ease
ments, beach easements or
view easements, according to
The Spruce, a home and
lifestyle resource. CCRs in
clude rides established by
many planned communities,
subdivisions and planned
unit developments. CCRs,
easements and property set
backs can affect which type
of renovations are allowed on
particular plots and may af
fect the issuance of permits.
It's essential to learn about
property easements, CCRs
and setbacks in advance and
discuss them with contractors
when drawing up preliminary
plans. Your property deed or
plat map as well as the local
building inspection offices
can highlight any regulations
that may be in effect on your
property and if they may af
fect future projects.
As a parent of three children
and a 23-year resident of
Pickens County, I feel I have
a vested interest in making
sure that it remains a place
we are proud to live, raise our
children, and call home.
Over the last couple of
years, I have witnessed a re
newed cooperation between
county and city officials. Col
laboration exists on multiple
fronts and the level of team
work each of these bodies are
demonstrating gives me hope
that when we all work to
gether, there is no limit to
what we can accomplish.
Challenges are presenting
themselves to us now. We are
currently in the middle of a
housing crisis. Increasing
water demands are an ever
present issue. Further broad
band expansion into the
county’s more rural areas is
needed. How do we balance
and manage the growth that
is moving into Pickens
County? Furthermore, how
do we tackle these important
issues and retain the rich his
tory and culture that makes
Pickens County the home we
all love?
While the answers are not
simple, I can assure you that
the only way to get there is
with cooperation and team
work. To be clear, teamwork
does not mean saying “yes”
to every request. These issues
have not been solved, be
cause they are complex. They
will require thought, re
search, communication, and
compromise.
If I could list one asset
that I believe is my greatest
strength, it would be the abil
ity to hear input from multi
ple parties, find common
ground, and reach a compro
mise that all parties can be
happy with. In my experi
ence, whether it be in the pri
vate sector or public service,
I have yet to find an issue that
could not be resolved with
common sense, courtesy, and
the willingness to have a re
spectful conversation with
someone who may not agree
with you. The way we pres
ent ourselves and the way we
communicate is important. I
believe in the power of kind
ness, the value of respecting
each other, and the strength
we gain from standing to
gether.
In closing, I would like to
ask for your support and your
vote as I take this next step. I
have a sincere desire to see
this county prosper and its
residents thrive. More than
your vote, I would solicit
your positive thoughts and
prayers as this new journey
begins. In return, I promise to
serve the citizens of Pickens
County in the same way my
parents raised me; with hon
esty, respect, and integrity.
The future of Pickens County
is bright, and I am very ex
cited about the possibilities it
holds.
State Rep. RickJasperse
seeks re-election
Rick Jasperse
I am announcing that I
will seek re-election to the
Georgia House of Represen
tatives District 11. House
District 11 covers parts of
Cherokee and Forsyth coun
ties and all of Pickens.
It has been a tremendous
honor and privilege for me
to represent the people of
House District 11 at the At
lanta capitol. I have enjoyed
getting to know folks from
Spring Place to Marble Hill
and all areas in between.
The miles I have put on my
red track show I have
worked hard to meet and lis
ten to and be accessible to as
many people as possible
(since 2010: 220,000 miles).
I am always excited about
the opportunity to meet new
constituents, and to continue
to provide a true conserva
tive, conscientious, and ef
fective voice at our state
capitol.
Experience matters at the
capitol, and I am glad our
region has given me the op
portunity to get that experi
ence. It has allowed me to
become effective in work
ing on the issues that are im
portant to our region. It has
been important to me to cut
your Georgia income tax,
eliminate the state income
tax for senior citizens, in
crease road funding, reclaim
our Second Amendment
rights, and get our teachers
a raise, to list a few.
I must be very careful
and responsible with state
spending, because I am very
aware that the money that
we allocate is yours. I repre
sent us.
I have worked hard to be
on committees that match
the needs of the district and
my skills and knowledge
and the impact they may
have. I have the honor of
being the chairman of
Transportation, member of
the Agriculture, Appropria
tions, Education, Health,
Human Relations and
Aging, Public Safety and
Homeland Security, Higher
Education, and Regulated
Industries Committees. I
have also been an officer of
the influential Rules com
mittee. I am also the chair
man of Georgia’s School
Safety Study Committee
and the co-chairman of the
House Rural Development
Council.
When you look at these
committees, they are the
ones that are important to
our region; that is why I
have chosen to be on them.
It has also been reward
ing for me to be an active
part of lots of other legisla
tion that continues to make
Georgia a great place to live
and to make Georgia a place
where job creators want to
be.
I remain as accessible as
I was while I was a County
Agent for almost 30 years. I
am easy to reach, as I have
a super website that you'll
find very citizen-friendly.
You can find out a lot more
about me there. The site has
an easy-to-use “Contact
Rick” button where you can
email me and find the links
to many state and local
agencies. I really do need to
hear from the constituents I
represent with advice and
problem-solving ideas
through emails, calls, and
visits. Some of the best ad
vice has been while stand
ing in line while shopping
or buying gas in our district.
You can reach me easily
through email at rick@rick-
jasperse.org, our State Capi
tol phone number
404-656-7153, or at my
home 770-893-2039.
Thank you for the honor
of serving you. Please don't
hesitate to contact me.
-Rick Jasperse
Bryan Lawrence
Email: Bryan@Iaithturf.com
LANDSCAPING DESIGN & INSTALLATION
FERTILIZATION • WEED CONTROL
LAWN MAINTENANCE • DEBRIS CLEANUPS & MORE!
www.Fai th Turf, com
770-490-2795