Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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