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KPB plans big event
April 22, Page 5B
Thursday, April 20, 2023 | Volume 136 Number 1 | Jasper, Georgia | 22 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1.00
County asks court for “guardrails” restricting
homeless shelter personnel visits to new location
photo/Angela Reinhardt
This Martin Road building once held a church, and leaders of the
Refuge in Jesus homeless shelter believe they should be able to occupy it
with clients under the same conditions. The county maintains that further
plans, permits and a new septic system are needed.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Last week a group of leaders and
former tenants of Refuge in Jesus
homeless shelter hummed what
sounded like religious music while
they waited to enter the Pickens
County courtroom, where their abil
ity to access a property they lease
and want to move into was dis
cussed.
The hearing was the most recent
piece of the long and tumultuous his
tory of the shelter, which has again
found itself at the center of a legal
dispute.
Just over a week before the court
hearing - which had to do with an
emergency temporary injunction put
in place by the county to keep shelter
leaders and clients from occupying
or performing unpermitted work on
the Martin Road building - the sher
iffs’ office carried out the court or
dered eviction on residents from
their downtown Jasper location
without any issues.
The hearing last Wednesday,
April 12 was “to show cause why the
plaintiff’s petition for temporary in
junction should not be extended past
30 days,” according to court docu
ments. In the shelter’s response to
the county’s petition, which was
filed in court that same day, they
argue the emergency order is based
on “inadequate facts and unreason
able assumptions,” and that they
have attempted to address septic is
sues at their new site but have had “a
lack of cooperation by Pickens
County Board of Health.”
In their response, shelter leaders
also argue they are identified as a
church in the county’s counterclaim,
and that Pickens County ordinances
allow a church at the Martin Road
building. They argue further that a
church had at one point been ap
proved by the fire marshal there, but
that the county “has suddenly taken
the posture that a church cannot use
that premises,” and that the county is
“trying to deny [the shelter] the same
protection of the law as provided to
previous occupants.”
They ultimately call for the in
junction to be terminated.
Pickens County Attorney Phil
Landrum and Refuge in Jesus’ attor
ney H. Michael Bray of Bray &
Johnson agreed that shelter leaders
need access to the property so they
can develop plans to submit to the
fire marshal — the sticking point
See Shelter on 11A
Exorcism
leads to
911 call at
residence of
homeless
shelter
leader
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
A Bible study at the home
of a Refuge in Jesus home
less shelter leader took a dev
ilish turn when participants
attempted to perform an ex
orcism on a homeless
woman. It ended in a 911 call
for disorderly conduct.
The homeless woman
later filed a theft report
against the shelter founder
for money she said was left at
the residence that night.
On Tuesday, April 11 just
before 11 p.m., deputies re
sponded to a disorderly per
son call at the home of
homeless shelter leader Amy
Ghorley and her husband
Kevin. When deputies ar
rived they were told that an
See Exorcism on 11A
Jordan named Ninth District
Clerk of the Year
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Pickens County Superior Court
Clerk Jennifer Jordan has been named
2022 Clerk of the Year in the Ninth
District Council.
Last week an award was presented
to Jordan for her “contribution to other
clerks, citizens of Pickens County and
the state of Georgia.”
“I am humbled and honored to be
chosen by my fellow clerks in only my
second term of office,” she said.
There are 15 counties and seven ju
dicial circuits in the Ninth District
Council.
"This is a much deserved award for
our Madam Clerk Jennifer Jordan,”
said District Attorney Alison Sosebee.
"She does an excellent job in her posi
tion of Clerk of Superior and Juvenile
Courts and it is wonderful to see her
receive statewide recognition. Many
congratulations to her and her staff."
Pickens County Clerk of Superior
Court Jennifer Jordan and Forsyth
County Clerk of Superior Court and
9th Judicial Administrative District
Chairman Greg Allen.
Report highlights priority needs with Jasper’s
water and wastewater systems to handle growth
In a draft Water and Wastewater Master Plan from consultants Goodwyn Mills Cawood, the city of Jasper
was advised to prepare for a substantial increase in growth over the next 20 years, provided they have the water
resources to handle it.
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
At a called meeting Thursday, the
Jasper City Council got a sneak peek
at a long-awaited $137,500 report
from consultants which city leaders
believe will set a new standard for
infrastructure and guide growth as
development occurs.
In after-meeting comments, City
Manager Sonia Jammes explained
this was not a final version but the
council was anxious to see what the
consultants, Goodwyn Mills Ca
wood, one of the largest architecture
and engineering firms in the South
east, is coming up with.
The council contracted the firm to
get a grasp on infrastructure needs at
the moment and how to prioritize
water/wastewater and storm water
projects in the face of what one
council member said was the growth
wave just about to cross the county
line.
Part of the presentation Thursday
was of proposed new rates for city
sewage and water customers which
will go up significantly to fund the
wastewater expansion now in the
works and other projects needed
both to shore up the aging system
and handle projected growth.
During council comments, Kirk
Raffield called this report “pivotal”
in moving the community ahead to
provide for citizens’ needs. Council
member Raffield added this is a
great example of using professionals
to develop plans for the next 20
years.
Council member John Foust said
it is a needed education and could
serve as a road map for the growth
we know is coming over the county
line.
Council member Anne Sneve
said it is a great help to just figure
out where they stand with infrastruc
ture.
Council member Sonny Proctor
said this is a case where “we are
struggling with the sins of our fa
thers” regarding the lack of docu
mentation of the existing
infrastructure.
Master Plan is a living
document
In a follow-up interview with
City Manager Sonia Jammes and
Assistant City Manager Kim Gold-
ener Monday at City Hall, they went
into more details about why the mas
ter plan was needed and how it will
be used.
It is sorely needed, they said, as
the city had relied for years on the
“institutional knowledge” of the lo
cation of certain lines, and problems
in the system without any maps/dig
ital location of the infrastructure.
See Infrastructure on 11A
Valedictorian,
Salutatorian
named at
Pickens High
Page 10B
Helping Youth
"Alerc^j there was great, awl grate
Pardop there was multiplied to
Here m'| burdened Saul found
Joy House
banquet will
celebrate third
home on
campus
Page 10A
Non Profits
Weekend
Snack
Program
serves more
than 600
weekly
Page 6B
Obituaries 9A
• Elijah Bannister
• Bob Buhler
• Magdalene Collett
• Espey Smith Jr.
Contact Us
94 North Main Street
Jasper, Ga. 30143
706-253-2457
pickensprogress.com
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