Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, April 6, 2023 | Volume 135 Number 51
Plans shaping up for large new
commercial development on fourlane
Demolition at former
Lawson Chevrolet site
will make way for
grocery store chain,
restaurants
By Christie Pool, Reporter
christie@pickensprogress.com
A new 50,000 square foot devel
opment on Hwy. 515 at the old Law-
son Chevrolet property is set to roll
once demolition of the old facility is
complete.
Gateway Crossing Development
spokesman Will Cobb, with Norton
Realty, said Monday they hope to
begin demolition in 60 days and con
struction to take approximately one
year on the 12,000 square feet of
shop space and five outlots on the
property.
‘‘It’s going to be a great develop
ment,” Cobb said. “Hopefully we’ll
bring new restaurants to town that
aren’t in the market yet - including
both fast food and sit down.”
Cobb said along with restaurants,
a large grocery store chain will an
chor the facility.
Cobb said, “Jasper’s been great to
work with. It’s a great town.”
He cited supply chain issues with
materials, including elevators and
electrical equipment, have caused
some delays already.
“Everything has been, and contin
ues to be, a challenge,” Cobb said.
“We’ll start the grading and the site
work and we are already ordering
material now but some of the stuff,
especially electrical components, is
250 days out.”
Cobb said COVID showed that
“everybody needs to buy groceries
and gas and have access to drive-
thrus.”
See related story on Jasper Coun
cil prepares water line to serve this
area at bottom on page.
Lawrence, Jessie Wells, Am-
berly Haines.
(Back Row l-r):
Stephanie Hall, Jennifer
Halko, Jacque Elwarner,
Kristy Bone, Heidi Smith,
Rachel Hamrick, Jamie
King, Pickens Commis-
Photo/Angela Reinhardt
sioner Kris Stancil, Josh
Holt.
See story on page 9A.
Eviction order enforced
at Jasper homeless shelter
photo/Dan Pool
As a light rain fell Monday morning, homeless residents, shelter supporters and deputies watch as
workers hired by the building owner remove the personal contents of the homeless shelter residents fol
lowing a court order upholding the eviction. The city fire marshal has also determined the shelter space
is unsafe for residential use. The shelter had originally been evicted in a January court hearing.
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
The continuing saga of the Refuge
in Jesus homeless shelter ended Mon
day morning, at least as far as the
downtown location is concerned.
Executing an eviction order origi
nally issued in January, Pickens
deputies with Jasper police also on the
scene, saw that the basement building
was cleared of individuals and stood
by while a crew contracted by the
building’s owner removed the posses
sions.
Sheriff Donnie Craig said there
were no issues with removing the
dozen to 17 people there. It was hard
to gauge the exact number as during
the morning, even as a light drizzle
fell, people arrived and congregated
while crews moved the material.
Southeast Street was barricaded at
both ends with Jasper police watch
ing. Some of those who came
recorded the proceedings on cell
phones while one shelter leader
preached and spoke about the evic
tion.
One of the homeless residents,
David Howard of Canton, said he
wanted everyone to know that they
weren’t bad people or “dopeheads.”
Howard, who was in a wheelchair,
See Eviction on 9A
“If we kissed
the gold ring
of those in
power, we
could be in
the building,”
shelter leader
responds
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Following the eviction of
the homeless occupants
from their Southeast Street
building Monday, shelter
leader Stephen Lovell said
they were preparing to take
legal action on numerous is
sues they have with the
county, the permitting
process and for civil rights
violations in keeping them
out of their Martin Road lo
cation they have leased.
Of immediate concern, he
said all the people they were
housing had been provided
rooms in private houses and
he believes these arrange
ment are good for at least 30
days. He said in regards to
the eviction itself, “It is un
believable that you can roll
people in wheelchairs out of
a building into the rain and
then put what few posses
sions they have in the
street.”
In the 30 days the home
less people will stay in the
private homes, Lovell be
lieves a legal team they are
assembling, including some
with strong ties in Washing
ton, can turn the tale of this
sequence of events.
Lovell, who is chair of
the board for Refuge in
See Response on 9A
Jasper Council
prepares water
line to serve new
commercial area
Downtown
parking and
other business
discussed
April is Child
Abuse
Awareness Month
County, city and school
leaders, as well as members
of the North Georgia Family
Partners, Boys & Girls Club
of North Georgia, DFCS,
Family Connections, the Ap
palachian Judicial Circuit,
and Beverly Speaks attended
the proclamation signing for
Child Abuse Awareness
Month.
(Front Row l-r) Beverly
Lewis, Kelsi Watson, Ashley
Marcello, June Ash, Pick
ens Superior Judge Brenda
Weaver, Jasper Mayor Steve
Angels on
Horseback
open house
Page 10A
Jessi Griffin
aims high
Page IB
What’s happening?
See local
events at our
community
calendar
Page 6-7B
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
While saying he couldn’t
say the name, Jasper City
Council Member Sonny
Proctor said the city had
spent months defining a deal
between the city and a devel
oper to locate a major com
mercial project including a
well-known chain establish
ment at the site of the former
Lawson Chevrolet dealership
on Highway 515.
Speaking during a council
work session Thursday, Proc
tor said it had been incredibly
complicated as it had evolved
over the past year and in
cludes both local issues and
state DOT requirements for
the entrance onto the four-
lane.
Rumors have swirled for
months that Publix was com
ing to the parcel, but the As-
See Council on 9A
911 Operators Weeks (Front l-r) Kristy Easterwood, Connie Willingham, Christy
Fisher, Brittany Weaver, Tonya Parks, Jordan Rhys; (Back: l-r) Assistant Jasper Police
Chief Mike Davis, Sheriff Donnie Craig, Jasper Fire Chief John Sheerer, Mayor Steve
Lawrence, Assistant Jasper Fire Chief Ian Norton, Commission Chairman Kris Stancil,
Jasper Police Chief Matt Dawkins, County Public Safety Director Sloan Elrod.
Public Safety
Telecommunica
tors Week
honors work of the
county s 17
911 employees
On Monday, Pickens
Commissioner Kris Stancil
and Jasper Mayor Steve
Lawrence proclaimed April
9-15 as National Public
Safety Telecommunicators
Week.
In support of our local
public safety telecommunica
tors, Lawrence and Stancil
signed a proclamation noting
911 telecommunicators as the
“true backbone of the 911
system” and recognizing the
17 telecommunicators in the
Pickens County 911 Commu
nications Center for their pro
fessional and unending
See 911 Operators on 9A
Obituaries 8A
• Eleanora Battles
• Cynthia Bemiller
• Aaron Richards
Contact Us
94 North Main Street
Jasper, Ga. 30143
706-253-2457
pickensprogress.com
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