Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, March 31,2022 | Volume 134 Number 50 | Jasper, Georgia | 22 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1.00
Library renovations underway
By Angela Reinhardt It’s been nearly a year and eight years since voters underway.
Staff Writer since the Pickens County Li- approved SPLOST funding On Monday, March 28
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com brary closed to the public for for the project. Now, at long crews were on site at Library
renovation and expansion, last, construction is finally Lane in Jasper, with some
Angela Reinhardt / Photo
Crews work on the long-awaited renovations to the Pickens County Library. The project will make the building sig
nificantly larger, and also bring new and expanded features to the public space.
workers outside framing the
building’s exterior expansion
and others working on the
inside remodel. Renovations
will include expansion of the
11,000-square-foot building
by an additional 8,000
square feet as well as a re
vamp of the existing build
ing, which was constructed
in 1996. When completed,
there will be more space for
books and technology, com
puter training/library pro
grams/meeting spaces, a
children’s room and teen
room, an expanded geneal
ogy and local history room,
a snack area, “flexible”
spaces for collaboration,
larger browsing areas, and
more space for study and
quiet reading. There will be
additional parking as well.
Construction is being
handled by Hogan Construc
tion Group, which arrived on
site in late November of
2021. The project start was
delayed due to supply chain
delays in the steel industry.
See Library on 10A
Pickens County Teachers of the Year announced
April Floyd
Harmony Elementary
Cana Lutz
Pickens High
Daniel Johnson
Pickens Jr. High
Jody Williams
Tate Elementary
Sonia Chapman
Hill City Elementary
Tiffany Hylton
Jasper Middle
By Alex Goble
Staff Writer
agoble@piekensprogress.com
The Pickens County School Dis
trict has announced the 2021-2022
Teachers of the Year.
The best of the best are chosen
for this honor from all six campuses.
Each of the six teachers will be rec
ognized at a banquet on May 2 at
Chattahoochee Technical College,
when the Teacher of the Year for the
entire district will be announced
after mid-April panel interviews.
“It is an honor and a privilege to
have an opportunity to recognize this
group of amazing teachers that have
been chosen by their peers as exam
ples of the incredible, hardworking
teachers we have in our system,”
said Superintendent Tony Young.
Airport
Authority
approves
final design of
new terminal
By Max Caylor
Progress Contributor
[Editor’s Note: Due to a
scheduling mix up our reporter
was not present for the meeting
and reported from the video
posted at Knowpickens.com.]
Members of the airport author
ity held their quarterly meeting
last week, which included some
criticism from two pilots.
Chairman Don Boggus said,
“We want to be transparent in our
meetings” referring to the public
comment agenda and asked the
attendees to raise their hands if
they wanted to speak. Two per
sons responded and Boggus set
20 minutes for the comments.
The first pilot spoke mostly
See Airport on 10A
Hill City students plant Liberty Tree
Max Caylor / Photo
Hill City 4th grade students Leelah Schwab, Sean Kurkendall and
Sarah Evans gather around the flags they placed to celebrate a Liberty
Tree planted in the front of their school. Kevin Karl, Mary Turner and
Stan Lewis of the local Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution
sponsored the historical and ecological program for the students.
“Dress Like A Farmer
Day ” March 25th at
elementary school to
celebrate National
Agriculture Week
By Max Caylor
Progress Contributor
History came alive last Thursday
afternoon when the Sons and Daugh
ters of the American Revolution
sponsored a Liberty Tree planting at
Hill City Elementary. Two separate
4th grade classes circled around a
native Georgia Overcup Oak and
heard about Liberty Trees and their
importance in ecology.
Sons Canton Chapter member
Kevin Karel, a retired science
teacher, taught the students about
how patriots gathered around large
trees to discuss freedom because
they could not assemble in buildings
for fear of being arrested. The first
tree was is Boston but soon spread to
towns across the country, and where
patriots did not have a tree they
See Tree on 10A
Schmoyer turns 105 years, says “good living” is secret
By Larry Cavender
Progress Contributor
Seldom does anyone
reach a 100th birthday, yet a
Jasper resident has reached
that milestone and now gone
five years better. Madeline
"Maddie" Butz Schmoyer
celebrated her 105th birth
day on Thursday, March
24th with a party at Rock
Creek Manor where she now
resides. The party was at
tended by numerous friends
and family including her
daughter, Janet Schmoyer,
who traveled from New Jer
sey to join in the celebration.
After the party in an in
terview with the Pickens
Progress, Maddie was asked
the inevitable question, "To
what do you attribute your
longevity?," to which she
smiled infectuously and
replied, "Good living!"
Her reply is indicative of
her personality, which was
described in a family biogra
phy supplied to the Progress
that said, "She is a wonder
ful example for her whole
family with her positive out
look and great sense of
humor."
Bom in 1917 in Allen
town, Penn, when the Span
ish Flu Epidemic was
rampant, Maddie Schmoyer,
despite many hardships, al
ways tried to make the best
of things in her quest for
"good living." One hardship
that influenced her greatly
was living through the Great
Depression. She wanted to
go into nursing. However,
her parents needed addi
tional money to provide for
the family, so Maddie had to
forsake her dream of becom
ing a nurse, and instead,
began to work in retail.
The Great Depression
was also the era of Big
Bands, with popular band
leaders like Glenn Miller,
Benny Goodman, Artie
Shaw, and the Dorsey Broth
ers, and Maddie soon be
came an avid dancer. After
See 105 on 10A
"She is a wonderful example for her whole family with
her positive outlook and great sense-of-humor," is the way
family members describe Maddie Schmoyer who just
turned 105 last Thursday, March 24th.
KPB’s mascot
Greenzo ready for
April cleanup
month activities
Page 3A
Obituaries - 6A
• Arthur Watkins
• Benjamin Treadway
• Jackie Godfrey
• James Kupchik
• Myrtle Rich
• R.D. Ash
• Ricky Jackson
• Shirley Smith
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