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Thursday, ;h 9, 2023 j Voiume 135 Number 47 | Jasper, Georgia | 20 pages, 2 sections
Published vveekiy | $1.00
School Board handles numerous topics at lengthy Friday meeting
Driver’s Ed could make U-tum
into Pickens High this fall
By Larry Cavender
Contributing Writer
During a lengthy Friday evening school board
meeting March 3rd, topics included bus schedul
ing, the possibility of shortening the school day,
a proposed new driver's education class at Pick
ens High School, and a number of facility proj
ects.
The meeting started several minutes late with
some board members delayed because of the se
vere weather, but much was accomplished during
the session which ran approximately four hours.
After an executive session, the board heard re
ports from Interim Superintendent Janet Good
man, Chief Financial Officer Amy Smith, and
Chief Operations Officer Chris Wallace.
Shorter school days
discussed
Although the superintendent's portion dealt
with many topics, most discussion centered on
the possibility of shortening the school day for
students by "tightening up" bus schedules. Vice
Chair Steve Lowe initiated the discussion, report
ing he had heard some students wait to board
buses for up to a half hour before departing from
their schools. Noting some neighboring counties
have much shorter days, Lowe asked if a shorter
day could be accomplished here.
COO Chris Wallace responded that the prob
lem is Pickens is consistently short-handed with
several bus drivers running double routes; those
other counties are "fully staffed." Pickens would
need at least nine more drivers to be considered
fully staffed. Wallace said he doesn’t understand
why Pickens is short-handed because other coun
ties "don't pay as well as we do."
"This really bothers me," stated Wallace, who
added he would reach out to other counties to de
termine how they are attracting drivers. The COO
said perhaps "someone outside needs to look at
this" and recommended considering a consultant
"to close the gap." Most board members appeared
to agree with Wallace's suggestion.
Drivers Ed coming in the fall?
In the financial portion of the work session,
CFO Amy Smith detailed the costs of funding a
possible driver's education class at PHS. This
topic proved to generate much interest with board
members who peppered Smith with questions.
The CFO explained the state's criteria for imple
menting the course and said if the board wants
driver's ed by next fall, an application will need
to be filed with the state by the end of this month.
While there are several hurdles, Smith believed a
fall semester beginning was possible.
In light of several recent accidents at the en
trance to the high school, all board members en
thusiastically encouraged all parties involved to
proceed expeditiously. See BOE on 11A
Rezoning
paves way for
medical office
expansion,
future retail on
West Church
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
On Monday, March 6
Jasper Council approved an
nexation and rezoning of a
property that will pave the
way for new medical offices
this year, with the property
owner eyeing retail and
mixed-commercial space in
the future.
Jasper’s new Planning &
Development Director Mary
Elizabeth Burgess made her
first presentation to council
regarding rezoning/annexa-
tion of the 14.22-acre prop
erty on West Church Street.
She told council the rezon
ing was in anticipation of
new medical offices.
Dr. Anil Yadav, owner of
Prestige Medical Group, has
medical buildings on parcels
adjacent to the 14-acre prop
erty. He told the Progress
the new 8,000 sq. ft. build
ing will expand his own
Prestige Pediatrics office, as
well as Heart and Vascular
Care’s cardiology offices.
The new cardiac office
will include “cutting edge”
stress test and imaging tech
nologies. He will add a
nurse practitioner to the
growing pediatric office.
“We’ve outgrown the
spaces,” said Dr. Yadav, who
will apply for permits now
that annexation and rezoning
are approved. He hopes con
struction will begin within
the month.
The new medical build
ing will take up only a por
tion of the 14-acre property,
and Dr. Yadav said in the fu
ture he wants to add a
15,000 - 18,000 sq. ft. retail
building that will parallel
Highway 53. He is consider
ing mixed-commercial as
well.
“It will just depend on
what the demand is,” he
said.
But that portion of Dr.
Yadav’s building plans are
See Council on 11A
New Planning & Devel
opment Director Mary Eliz
abeth Burgess presents an
annexation and rezoning re
quest to Jasper City Council.
Where there is smoke
Black Powder Shooters Club mixes
marksmanship and history
By Kevin Rauda
Contributing Writer
John White, the founder of the
Talking Rock Black Powder
Shooters, says some people call
it Zen Reloading.
The instructions: Holding the
muzzleloader upright, you pour
the desired amount of black pow
der down the barrel, place the
patch then a lead ball on top of
the muzzle. Using a starter,
which looks like a cue ball with
a short rod protruding out the
side, you press the ball into the
barrel. A ramrod further presses
the ball down until it sits atop the
photos/TRBPS website
Above, Eric Rolle competing in a shoot at the Pickens Sportsman’s Club
range on Jones Mountain. Below, the equipment for black powder shooting.
The growing Talking Rock club stresses historical education and friendly
competition as well as marksmanship.
powder.
The Talking Rock Black Pow
der Shooters (TRBPS), a chapter
of the National Muzzleloading
Rifle Association, was founded
on January 31, 2020. However,
due to the COVID pandemic, the
TRBPS consider themselves a
two-year-old chapter.
The TRBPS has monthly
meets at Pickens County Sports
man Club’s gun range.
See Black Powder on 11A
Community members, educators weigh-in
on proposed plan for school start/stop times
By Eli Galligan
Intern Reporter
On February 28th, the
Pickens School Board held a
public meeting to allow
community members to
weigh-in on a proposed plan
for new school start/stop
times.
Under the proposal, the
elementary schools would
run from 7:45 a.m. to 2:15
p.m., the middle school
from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.,
and the junior high and high
school from 8:30 a.m. to 3
p.m. In support of this, the
board of education (BOE)
recognizes research that
states elementary-aged chil
dren learn more effectively
earlier in the day, whereas
starting older students later
can help mitigate the effects
of sleep deprivation. The
new start times would also
align the middle school with
the junior high and high
school for extracurriculars
and after-school activities.
The public forum filled
about half the board’s meet
ing room, and most com
photo/Eli Galligan
School system Chief Operating Officer Chris Wallace listens as bus driver Chad
Green talks about the challenges between different campus start and stop times and the
availability of transportation.
ments were against the pro
posal.
For those against the pro
posed plan, many are wor
ried that the new times
would create a problem for
families that rely on their
older children to pick up
their younger siblings.
"I have two at the high
school and one at the ele
mentary school. I depend on
my two high schoolers to get
my youngest off the bus,"
said one parent.
The proposed times also
present a problem for pro
grams and organizations that
rely on older students get
ting out of school first, such
as the Boys & Girls Club. "I
can’t imagine the seniors in
high school getting out after
the elementary schoolers.
That would be detrimental
to our program," said a rep
resentative of the Boys &
Girls Club.
In addition, many parents
cannot afford the costs of
after school or alternative
daycare for their children.
See School Times on 11A
Garden Club
Fran Cathey
receives
Garden Club’s
Doris Beck
award
Page 8B
STAR profiles
Q & A with
STAR
students and
teachers from
Pickens High
Page 3-7A
Celebrate
Youth Art
Month
Page 11A
Obituaries 10A
• Yvonne Disharoon
• Philip Dorris
• Kenneth Evans
• Pauline Free
• Kenneth Grams
Contact Us
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Jasper, Ga. 30143
706-253-2457
pickensprogress.com
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