Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, January 12, 2023 | Volume 135 Number 39 | Jasper, Georgia | 22 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1.00
Permit numbers reflect hot, but slow
construction industry for Pickens
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
As part of the most recent com
missioner’s meeting Thursday, Wes
Frye, planning director for Pickens
County, noted that December had
been a very slow month but the year
as a whole will still see 7 percent
growth in revenue generated from
permits and inspections through their
office.
In a follow up interview, Frye dis
cussed the permit numbers, which
show clearly some frustrating condi
tions in the homebuilding industry.
Overall for 2022, the county is
sued 236 permits for site-built
homes. The county also issued 63
permits for mobile homes; 275 for
“miscellaneous”; 28 commercial
permits; and 189 renewals. Miscel
laneous is for remodeling or any
time a permit is needed.
Frye said mobile homes have re
ally rebounded as a housing option
since the COVID period. He cited
three causes for this: 1. The price of
regular homes has skyrocketed with
heavy demand 2. The demand has
made it very hard to find any avail
able traditional homes for sale or
have a new home built without long
delays. 3. There has been a signifi
cant improvement in the quality of
mobile homes.
“Number one is the cost [of tradi
tional homes],” he said. “But also the
quality of the mobile homes has re-
ally gone See Permits on 11A
January
28
5
15
2
25
73
73
Hebrua-y
32
9
23
1
9
74
:±'
March
22
1
39
1
34
97
244
ApnJ
21
6
34
1
18
80
324
Way
32
5
22
4
20
83
407
June
17
S
23
3
17
65
472
Juty
16
5
22
2
. 7
51
523
August
11
3
22
2
10
48
571
Sftptcir.be-
16
11
23
1
11
62
633
October
18
5
17
7
12
59
692
1 November
17
3
21
3
9
53
745
1 December
9
6
14
1
17
46
791
Total
236
63
275
28
189
791
1.582
BPJiKf!
County permit numbers presented at the January
Board of Commissioners’ meeting.
Man who ran across country urges seniors to walk
“We can’t stop and just sit down,”
,•% says Jack Fussell, 72
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
V*
It had been 10 years nearly to the month since I’d seen
Jack Fussell, a real-life Forrest Gump inspiration who ran
across the country to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s dis
ease. I was the first journalist to interview him before he
left on his trip in 2013, and we became instant friends.
We made plans to have lunch with no intentions of me
writing an article. We were just catching up. But a few
minutes in, hearing what the last decade of his life has
been like, and seeing his unwavering drive to push him
self and to be a positive force in this world - especially
for elderly people - I felt like others needed to hear his
story.
Ironically, over the course of our conversation, he told
me it’s the stories of others that are most important to him.
When he set off in 2013, Fussell, now 72, was one of
only four men over the age of 60 to undertake such a Her
culean task. He ran from Skidaway Island State Park in
Georgia to Monterey, Calif., skipping just one small sec
tion in the Mojave Desert due to extreme heat. He left
south Georgia with a stroller and a few belongings, a tent,
and a lot of faith. Fussell didn’t know where he’d sleep
but he trusted in the goodness of people to help him along
the way - and it worked.
He connected with the Alzheimer’s Association, which
promoted his trip, and he only had to camp in his tent 10
times over the seven-month period. He visited and spoke
at around 60 nursing homes, 40 of which he slept at
overnight, and also stayed at strangers’ homes who of
fered a bed. He was interviewed by more than a hundred
journalists and befriended medical professionals in the
Alzheimer’s field.
In 2016 Fussell went to Macon to stay with his ailing
mother, who has since passed, and then in 2020 he relo
cated to Woodstock near Red Top Mountain where he
continued to walk every day.
“I actually never stopped walking,” he said. “Even
with my mother, when she was having issues, I would
walk with her, or she would do a crossword in the car and
I would walk.”
Four months ago Fussell moved back to Talking Rock
Photo/Angela Reinhardt
Jack Fussell, who ran across the country 10 years
ago to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s, wants to en
courage people to keep active in older age. After a
decade he’s found inspiration from people along the
way, and is inspired by the stories of others he meets.
Here, Fussell takes a walk at Talking Rock Park, where
he visits every morning.
and, despite a hip issue that has slowed him down and
forced him to walk with a cane regularly, he refuses to
quit. He wants to be an example and encourage other eld
erly people to keep moving, to keep trying, as long as they
can.
See Walking on 11A
Jasper’s residential moratorium extended
City and county without economic development director
Photo/Angela Reinhardt
Council recognized Asst. Fire Chief Von Headrick for
his 35 years of service with the city of Jasper. Headrick is
retiring. (L-R) Jasper council member John Foust, Head
rick, Sonny Proctor, Fire Chief John Sheerer, council
member Anne Sneve, Mayor Steve Lawrence, and council
member Jim Looney.
Biscuit
cook foils
burglary
Police believe someone
was about to burglarize this
store when they realized an
employee was inside.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Jasper Police are on the
lookout for an individual
who attempted to break into
a convenience store at the
comer of Burnt Mountain
and Cove roads early Satur
day, Jan. 7.
According to police re
ports, officers were dis
patched to the Mountain
View Citgo at approximately
1:37 a.m. in reference to a
rock being thrown through a
window. The call was made
by an employee of the store
who was inside making bis
cuits.
The report states the em
ployee heard a loud bang and
initially thought it was a
dump truck, but then heard a
second bang and glass shat
tering. The employee told re
sponders she did not see any
individuals, but when she
saw a large rock on the floor
by the front door she con
tacted 911.
Jasper Asst. Police Chief
Mike Davis said video sur
veillance shows that an indi
vidual in a ski mask threw
the rock, and that the person
left the scene when they re
alized someone was inside
the business.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The county and city of
Jasper will no longer have
an economic development
director after Jasper City
Council voted unanimously
to end an agreement with the
county and Development
Authority of Pickens County.
Council’s move comes
after Pickens County com
missioners voted to termi
nate their part of the
Intergovernmental Agree
ment at their Dec. 15, 2022
meeting. Jasper Council’s
vote directly followed an ex
ecutive session where the
issue was discussed at their
Jan. 9 meeting.
The vote was unanimous.
Council member Kirk Raf-
field was not in attendance.
The agreement not only
established financing for the
economic development de
partment, but also laid out a
chain of command for the
economic development di
rector position in terms of
who that person answers to
and how the office is struc
tured, among other things.
The position was held by
Green Suttles, III, who was
hired in January 2020.
After the commissioners’
vote in December, Pickens
Commission Chair Kris
Stancil said the decision
came after reviewing what
has been accomplished
through the economic devel
opment department over the
last three years, and the
salary for the position -
which is above the sheriff’s
salary. He would like to see
it more in line with county
department head salaries.
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 was
$165,000.
The day after the coun
cil’s January meeting, assis-
See City on 11A
Commissioners prepare for
2023 with COVID, software
and weather discussion
For rec. team sign
ups, “Deadlines are
deadlines, ” says
comish chair
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
The board of commis
sioners opened the year
with a wide range of dis
cussions and reports from
most departments at the
January 5 work session and
meeting.
While they didn’t take
much action, they laid
groundwork for several ini
tiatives.
The county will look at
a new COVID absentee
policy. Prepared by HR di
rector Paula Peace, but pri
marily discussed by Com
mission Chair Kris Stancil,
the county is seeking to en
courage people who may
have COVID to get tested
and remain at home if pos
itive but may not be as gen
erous with time out going
forward. The current policy
allows for up to 10 days out
for COVID in addition to
other sick time.
In a (hopefully) humor
ous coincidence Chairman
Stancil coughed as he
began his comments, say
ing “Covid has not gone
away,” drawing some
laughter.
From a government po
sition, when you have
See County on 11A
December
arctic freeze
mean for
plants?
Page 12A
Big rains
create
“backyard
epic” here for
kayakers
Page 2A
Obituaries 8A
• Glenn Arp
• Emolise Carver
• Bob Davis
• Robert Dobbs
• Jamie Eaker
• Clyde Ellison Jr.
• Deborah Fitts
• Jennie Hobson
• Henry Smith Jr.
• Carolyn Williams
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