Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, December 22, 2022 | Volume 135 Number 36 | Jasper, Georgia | 22 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1.00
County pulls funding for economic
development director position
Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
At their Thursday, Dec. 15 meeting, Pickens
County Commissioners voted unanimously to
pull funding for their half of the economic devel
opment director position; the other half is funded
by the city of Jasper.
The position is currently held by Green Suttles,
III, who was hired in January 2020. As of press
time Tuesday it was not known what the city will
do in regards to the position’s funding or where
this leaves Suttles’ employment with them.
While commissioners’ vote will result in the
county’s funding for that position coming to an
end, the board technically voted to terminate an
Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the
county, the city, and the Development Authority
of Pickens County. The IGA not only establishes
financing for the economic development depart
ment as a whole, but also lays out a chain of com
mand for the economic development director po
sition in terms of who that person answers to and
how the office is structured, among other things.
The person in that role is responsible for over
seeing economic development in the county and
city and is regularly referred to as economic de
velopment director, but the actual title is now
President and CEO of the Development Authority
of Pickens County.
Suttles operated as the sole employee for eco
nomic development, working out of a rented of
fice on Main Street.
Per terms of the three-year IGA, it was set to
expire on January 16, 2023 but would automati
cally be extended one year unless action was
taken by the county or city 30 days prior to the
expiration date. Commissioners voted to not
renew the IGA at their regular meeting on Dec.
15.
In a later interview, Commission Chair Kris
Stancil elaborated. He said the decision came in
part after reviewing what has been accomplished
through the economic development office over
the last three years.
“Is there a better way to see results?” Stancil
asked. “Are we getting the best return on our in
vestment?”
The salary for that position is a key issue for
commissioners. The original contracted amount
was $95,000 as base salary, plus other expenses.
Total budget for the office when it was created
through the IGA three years ago was $165,000.
“That is above even the sheriff’s [salary],”
Stancil said, adding that he would like to see pay
more in line with what county department heads
make. Looking ahead, the commission chair said
“a lot can happen,” and that commissioners are
willing to work with the city and appointed devel
opment authority to set any future version of the
economic development department up for suc
cess.
“I’m not sure if See Commissioners on11A
Forsyth
parks boss
hired as
Bent Tree
GM
Jim Pryor will begin as the
General Manager in Bent
Tree next month.
Bent Tree Community
Press Release
The Board of Directors
announced that Jim Pryor
will be coming to Bent Tree
as the new general manager.
For the past eight years
Pryor has been director of
parks and recreation in
Forsyth County, overseeing
close to 90 full time and 170
part time employees, and
O little town -- Jasper shines
for Christmas 2022
Photo/Robin Dunn
Christmas lights over the wooden bridge illuminate downtown Jasper during the holiday
season. Thank you to all of our readers for a great year and happy holidays from the
Progress.
See Bent Tree on 11A
Vandalism temporarily closes
duck pond park bathroom
Cleanup/repair efforts are underway after vandalism
forced the closure of city park bathrooms Sunday.
By Ellie Pool
Intern Reporter
Around 5 p.m. Sunday,
the bathrooms at the Jasper
City Park were vandalized,
leaving them temporarily
closed.
There was damage to a
toilet in the men’s bath
room and a “significant
mess” was made using
paper products, said Kim
Goldener, assistant city
manager of Jasper.
Large amounts of toilet
paper were taken and
stuffed in the toilet, and
other items were pulled
down from the walls. The
city was still working to re
place the damaged toilet
and clean up the bathroom
on Tuesday.
The water service in the
bathroom was also dam
aged, which left the water
spilling out for around 17
hours.
The city does not yet
have a cost estimate for the
damage.
The duck pond park
has security cameras in use
and all four people who
vandalized the bathroom
have been caught, reported
Goldener. They have been
identified as juveniles.
Charges, she said, will
depend on the repair cost.
Progress Holiday Schedule
The Progress will be closed Thursday and Friday, De
cember 22nd and 23rd for the Christmas holiday.
We will reopen on Monday, December 26th.
The Progress will be closed Thursday and Friday, De
cember 29th and 30th for New Years.
We will reopen Monday, January 2nd.
Jasper gets $35k Firehouse Subs grant
for improved Jaws of Life equipment
Photos/Angela Reinhardt
Jasper firefighters demonstrate their new battery-powered Jaws of Life equipment
at the fire station on Burton Street. The city received the extrication tools through a
grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation grant
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The sound of a metal ve
hicle being splayed and cut
apart is unsettling, to say the
very least. It’s a sound that’s
almost physically painful,
and when peppered with the
occasional popping and
shattering of windows, one
you don’t want to hear in
your lifetime.
Last week the sound was
amplified inside the Jasper
Fire Station where firefight
ers gave a live demonstra
tion of the two new Hurst
extraction tools the depart
ment received through a
$35,320 grant from Fire
house Subs. The equipment
is battery powered, water
proof, smaller, stronger, and
faster than the antiquated
hydraulic Jaws of Life ma
chines being replaced.
Jasper’s Asst. Fire Chief
Von Headrick, who has
since retired, said they’re
also much quieter, which al
lows firemen to talk to one
another at the scene of a
crash and helps keep crash
victims calmer. The older
equipment limited where
first responders could take
it.
The new Jaws of Life
tools have already been used
to rescue a woman who had
to be pulled from her vehicle
that was on its side in a
creek bed.
During the Dec. 14
demonstration, Jasper Fire
Chief John Sherrer said the
department is going to “pay
it forward” and donate the
older Jaws of Life set to a
smaller department that cur
rently has no extraction
equipment.
“These tools are going to
help us perform out duties a
lot faster,” Sherrer said. “...
We can’t thank you
enough.”
See Firehouse on 11A
How does Santa
get down the
chimney?
Hill City
students offer
thoughts
Page 3A
Business
Economists
predict mild
recession;
neighboring
counties land
big projects
Page 3B
Student giving
Jr. Optimists
fill the shelves
at Cares Food
Pantry
Page 2A
Obituaries - 10A
• Ann Stone
• Clarence O’Rear Sr.
• Cheryl Jones
• Donna Owen
• Ireland Edwards
• James Smith
• Jimmie Thomason
• Karen Boling
• William Brackett
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