Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, March 2, 2023 | Volume 135 Number 46 | Jasper, Georgia | 20 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1.00
“This is like losing a child, ” said Coach s Cuts owner
Nighttime blaze destroys downtown restaurant
Photo/Jasper Fire Department
Jasper Fire crews battle the blaze Saturday night, Feb. 25. They were assisted by Pick
ens and Bethany-Salem fire stations.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Monday morning,
Coach’s Cuts Ftoagies owner
met with Jasper Fire crews
to inspect damage from a
blaze that broke out at the
restaurant over the weekend.
The pungent smell of
thick smoke wafted out the
back door that leads to the
kitchen, where everything
was damaged beyond repair.
Plastic that melted and has
since resolidified hung like
stalactites through a grated
metal shelf. The floor was
covered with charred debris.
Most everything was burnt
to the point of being nearly
unrecognizable.
Jasper Fire Asst. Chief
Ian Norton surveyed the area
while owner Todd Redman
explained that the ice ma
chine, which Redman be
lieves could be the fire’s area
of origin, had some recent
display screen issues.
The lobby area also sus
tained significant smoke
damage. Floors, tables,
chairs and kitchen equip
ment were cocooned in a
layer of thick soot.
Redman, a volunteer fire
fighter at the Hinton station,
told the Progress he was
home with the emergency
scanner running on Saturday,
Feb. 25 when the call came
in for a possible fire at
Coach’s Cuts. This was
around 9:35 p.m.
“I couldn’t believe it. I
asked my wife, ‘Did you
hear that?”’ he said. “Usu
ally we’re in the living room
watching TV or something
Photo/Angela Reinhardt
Jasper’s Assistant Fire Chief Ian Norton inspects dam
age to the kitchen at Coach’s Cuts Hoagies on Mark Whit
field Street. The owner, Todd Redman, at rear, looks over
the interior. A GoFund Me account “Community Support
for Coaches Cuts” has been set up.
but we were in the bedroom
where the scanner is.”
The caller was a passerby
who said they saw white
smoke and smelled burnt
plastic coming from the
building. The Redmans im
mediately went to see what
was happening.
A statement released by
Jasper Fire said, “Firefight
ers made an aggressive inte
rior attack encountering zero
visibility and high heat con
ditions. The fire was con
tained and extinguished in
the area of origin.”
“Everybody in the family
was crying,” Redman said.
“After eight years, we’re
part of the community. This
is like See Coach’s on 7 A
Twin Mt.
Lakes
woman
deceased
for two
months
when found
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Authorities believe an
elderly woman who lived
alone had been deceased for
approximately two months
when she was found by a
family member last week.
According to Pickens
Sheriff CID Commander
John Cagle, a woman
thought to be Julie Deborah
Jarrell, 73, was found by her
sister in her Twin Mountain
Lakes Circle residence on
Monday, Feb. 20.
Cagle said that day was
Jarrell’s birthday, and her
sister visited with a friend to
bring her a present. They
found the woman in the
floor between the bedroom
and kitchen.
The sister told investiga
tors the last time she saw
Jarrell in person was around
Thanksgiving.
In mid-December she
visited the Twin Mountain
Lakes home to deliver a
Christmas present, but Jar-
See Body on 7A
Okay to excellent
Survey finds most people satisfied with Pickens and its cities
Loss of natural
beauty, multi-family
housing rank low
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
On February20, as part of the Joint
Comprehensive Plan update required
for all cities and counties, the results
of a survey taking opinions on vari
ous growth and quality of life issues
were presented in a public meeting.
While the meeting was open to the
public in the county Admin Building,
almost all attendees were connected
to a local government.
A completed Joint Comprehensive
Plan is required every 10 years by the
Department of Community Affairs,
every five years an update is required.
In all 1,174 completed surveys
were tallied with another 137 submit
ted where someone quit before com
pletion, according to Alex Smith,
community planner with the North
west Georgia Regional Commission
and this is “about par” with other
areas where he has worked.
Of the survey responses, 1,017 (73
percent) indicated they lived in Pick
ens County with 198 (14 percent)
claiming the city of Jasper as home;
16 (1.2 percent) Nelson; 75 (5.4 per
cent) Talking Rock and 83 (6 percent)
said elsewhere.
There was some discussion, led by
Talking Rock
See Survey on 8A
How do you rate Pickens County
51.00%
Excellent Good Okay Fair Poor
Total number of responses: 1,017
How do you rate Town of Talking Rock
48.70%
Excellent Good Okay Fair Poor
Total number of responses: 76
How do you rate City of Jasper
Excellent Good Okay Fair Poor
Total number of responses: 191
How do you rate City of Nelson
40.00%
Poor
Total number of responses: 15
Survey results compiled by the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission
found most people have a positive view of the county and its cities.
Housing preference by percentage for Pickens County, City of
Jasper, City of Nelson, and Talking Rock Combined
Other
Rental housing
Mixed use/retail residential housing
Senior/retiree housing
Tiny homes
Duplexes, Triplexes, Quadplexes
Apartments
Manufactured or Mobile Home Parks
Manufactured or Mobile Homes (one per lot)
Planned Unit Development
Middle-income Housing
Small-lot Subdivision Development
High-end housing Developments
Owner-occupied homes with large lots
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00%
■ Housing seen as a Threat ■ Housing seen as a asset
The survey of more than 1,174 responses found that anything besides
single family housing is viewed as a threat here.
Weird History
A look back
at the lab for
nuclear
airplanes in
Dawson
Forest
Page 2A
Sports
Interview with
PHS wrestling
champion
Kaleb
Nicholson
Page 1B
Obituaries 6A
Ora Faye Arp
PHS students ask for safety measures
at Dragon Drive intersection
Willie Grace Bannister
Alma Draughon
Elaine Gibby
Photo/Eli Galligan
A Georgia Department of Transportation study found that the intersection of Dragon
Drive and Highway 5 has a high rate of crashes. Student drivers who use the intersection
on a daily basis were interviewed following three wrecks at the intersection in January.
By Eli Galligan
Intern Reporter
Several Pickens High
School students were inter
viewed over safety concerns
at Dragon Drive following
three wrecks in January.
Most of them had driving
experience ranging from one
to two years and wished to
remain anonymous.
Their worries of personal
safety are largely connected
to the frequency of car acci
dents, as well as student be
havior while driving.
"It was very concerning
to me because the whole
time I've been there we’ve
only had a few wrecks, but
never back-to-back," ex
pressed a senior at PHS.
Injuries and accidents
have frequently been attrib
uted to teenager’s lack of
driving experience. Because
of this, many of the students
interviewed do not feel com
fortable driving to school.
And while anxiety and cau
tion when driving are typical
of young people, Dragon
Drive further intensifies
these experiences due to a
higher concentration of inex
perienced drivers there.
"I feel like a lot of stu
dents don’t really pay atten
tion when driving, so I
generally don’t feel as safe
as I do on other roads," ad
mits a senior at PHS.
The bustle of morning
traffic further contributes to
these fears. "They're in a
hurry and don’t realize it’s
raining, and they need to
slow down," said a junior at
PHS. Many of the intervie
wees noticed that when in a
hurry, traffic laws and prac
ticing driving precautions in
poor weather conditions go
entirely out the window for
some students.
Although some feel that
student driving is the cause
See Dragon Drive on 7A
Leigh Myers
Martha Parks
Michael Puckett
Mary Lou Qualls
Brandon Ray
Brandy Wofford
Contact Us
94 North Main Street
Jasper, Ga. 30143
706-253-2457
pickensprogress.com
$1.00 per copy
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