Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. OCTOBER 5. 2023 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 7A
Brandon Hannah
running unopposed
Post 3 Jasper Council
My family has been in
Pickens County since 2017
when my wife Lindsey and I
started a home decor store in
Tate.
We loved Jasper so much
that we decided to raise our
kids here. We have Madison,
who is 4, and Collins, who is
2. I am an Arbor Hills resi
dent, husband of a small busi
ness owner in Tate, and a
veteran (Army Infantryman).
I have worked at Kaiser
Permanente for 12 years in
various roles but currently
work as a Workforce Health
Consultant supporting corpo
rations throughout Metro At
lanta creating a workforce
health strategy to impact the
health of employees.
I decided to run for city
council to give back to my
community.
My goals as a member of
the Jasper City Council are
threefold - encourage strate
gic and intentional policy
making, strengthen the city’s
relationship with Pickens
County, and facilitate sustain
able long-term growth.
The success of Jasper and
the success of Pickens
County go hand-in-hand.
With that in mind, it is critical
that the city and county have
a strong and mutually benefi
cial relationship.
Metro Atlanta and the en
tire state of Georgia are home
to one of the most robust and
vibrant growing economies in
the United States. As growth
continues and new residents
move to our region and com
munity, we must ensure that
we plan and accommodate
for growth in ways that will
ensure our needs and desires
are addressed in an efficient,
effective, and sustainable
way.
If we haven’t had an op
portunity to meet please
join me on October 19th at
Pendley Creek Brewing
Company for a meet and
greet from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
I'm excited to be able to
represent the citizens of the
City of Jasper and I'm asking
for your support on Novem
ber 7th.
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The 2023 Annual Meeting of Amicalola
Electric Membership Corporation will be held
at the Amicalola EMC Headquarters facility
located at 544 Highway 515 South, Jasper,
Pickens County, Georgia, on Saturday,
October 7, 2023, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Registration is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to
1:30 p.m. Entertainment by the gospel group
Glorybound is scheduled to begin at 12:30
p.m.
In the event the format of the Annual Meeting
must change, the date and time of the
meeting will remain the same.
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Kirk Raffield
announces
for Jasper mayor
I’m Kirk Raffield and I
am respectfully asking for
your vote for mayor of
Jasper. I have been blessed to
serve on the city council
since 2018. Whether volun
teering at an event, meeting
face-to-face, or simply re
turning a phone call, I love
being able to help others. I’m
a Jasper native and a graduate
of PHS and Reinhardt Uni
versity.
While on the city council,
I have served on the develop
ment and public safety com
mittees, as mayor pro
tempore and with the Down
town Development Authority
(DDA).
During my tenure, our po
lice department benefitted
from new police vehicles,
computer upgrades, body
cameras, in-car cameras, new
tasers, increased training on
policy/procedures, and inte
rior renovations of the police
station. Our fire department
added a new rescue vehicle
and a ladder truck, and we
have made in-station renova
tions. We have increased
staffing on every shift, in
creased training require
ments, and the training
budget. We have a new fire
engine on order and an in-
house state approved EMT
program.
The council has worked to
bring renewed vitality to the
downtown area, including
new businesses, and revital
ization, and has supported
family events that everyone
can enjoy.
The Downtown Live
event has grown exponen
tially during the last two
years. ArtWalk is another ex
ample of exciting events in
the downtown area. We re
cently partnered with Georgia
Power to repair, repaint, and
maintain the light poles in
downtown. This was some
thing for which local busi
nesses, the DDA, and citizens
voiced support. Jasper was
recently awarded a one mil-
lion-dollar grant for the de
velopment of Perrow Park.
This is a major step in creat
ing the desired atmosphere
downtown.
The city council voted to
approve major infrastructure
upgrades to our wastewater
treatment facility. This proj
ect will double its capacity
and secure the future in years
to come. This is in conjunc
tion with a water master plan
being developed for our en
tire water system. The goal is
to inventory, examine, and re
pair/replace all the water
lines that are operated by the
city of Jasper. I voted to ap
prove this plan, the waste-
water expansion, and support
for city workers in the water
department.
In August, the council
asked to have the city park
(Duck Pond) placed under re
view and for a master plan to
be developed. A professional
company has been tasked
with the discovery phase and
to bring its findings back to
the council for action. We
want to ensure it will be done
right and professionally.
Doris Wigington Park has
also seen recent improve
ments. Bike trails are being
prepared in the park, in addi
tion to the newly installed
bike pump track. Trailhead
kiosks, maps, and signage
will be installed in the park
soon. The city is pleased with
the work of Tailored Trails, to
help bring the vision for the
park to life.
Lee Newton Park is also
undergoing upgrades. The
council engaged an engineer
ing firm to complete a master
electrical plan for this park.
Included are both sides of the
park and will provide safe,
reliable electricity in the
park. Bridge renovations are
completed, and the walking
trail will be repaved in 2024.
I have supported work
force development strategies
for the city of Jasper. These
efforts included increased
wages for all city workers,
more training opportunities,
and education incentives. In
vesting in employees is a
phenomenal way to provide
better services and guarantee
we have the best staff. I’m
thankful for all our great
Jasper employees.
It is my goal if elected as
your mayor, to continue to
work to make Jasper a great
place to live and do business.
I appreciate your sup
port.
Kirk Raffield,
770-876-7081
kirk4jasper@gmail.com
Facebook: Kirk Raffield
for Mayor - Jasper GA
Jim Looney announces
candidacy for reelection
to Jasper City Council
Today I am announcing
that on August 21st I quali
fied to run for reelection to
the Jasper City Council. I am
offering myself for office
with the intent to continue ef
forts to make Jasper, Georgia
the best city in which to live
and work.
I appreciate that I live in a
community that offers all the
positive opportunities that we
have in Jasper.
The last four years have
brought positive change. The
simple action of having
evening events in the down
town business district and
closing a portion of Stegall
Drive to allow outdoor din
ing was the beginning of de
velopers and businesses
filling empty buildings with
activity.
Downtown restrooms
have been designed and will
be completed next year. I am
proud that the downtown
area is busy and a great place
for families.
Jasper City employees
have been a priority for this
city council. Job descriptions
have been developed, em
ployees have regular per
formance evaluations and
salary scales have been es
tablished. Employees have
received salary increases and
benefits have been improved.
I am proud of the city’s em
ployees. We recruit employ
ees with the education and
experience necessary to be
successful. Everyone needs
to take any opportunity and
thank them for their work.
I began serving as a Jasper
City Council member after
years of community involve
ment as president of the Pick
ens County Chamber of
Commerce, member of the
Charter Leadership Pickens
class, member of several
Pickens County authorities,
chairman of the Jasper Plan
ning and Zoning Board,
member of the Family Con
nections Collaborative and
have been active with many
other groups. I have been an
involved member of this
community since moving
here in 1984. Jasper City
Council decisions must be
made by members who un
derstand, and are active, in
our community.
I want to further my work
in the community alongside
the mayor/council, commu
nity leaders and all elected
officials to “make our com
munity even greater.” There
are many areas for positive
community influence, but I
want to suggest three areas
that need our continued sup
port...
•Continue improvements
to the downtown business
district to attract developers
and businesses.
•Continued support of our
public safety personnel will
help make Jasper safer for
our citizens and potentially
reduce insurance rates.
•Continuing to explore
sources of water for the city.
I invite you, the citizens of
Jasper, to cast your ballot for
me in the November city
election so that we can
“make our great community
even great” by working to
gether as a positive commu
nity.
Together we can.
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Drive-thru Flu Shots
in Jasper Oct. 10th
This year’s Drive-thru
Flu Shot Clinic, conducted
by Pickens County Health
Department, is Tuesday, Oc
tober 10th, from 8 a.m. to 2
p.m. at the Pickens County
Recreation and Parks De
partment in Jasper. Every
one 18 and older is invited.
You’ll remain safely in your
vehicle to get your flu shot
from public health while
conveniently driving
through. The shot is no-cost
if covered by one of several
health plans. If paying out of
pocket, the cost is still rela
tively low at $25 for regular
flu vaccine and $65 for high
dose flu vaccine for people
aged 65 and older. Both vac
cines guard against four dif
ferent strains of flu. Cash,
checks, credit cards,
Medicare, Medicaid, Aetna,
Anthem Blue Cross Blue
Shield, Cigna, Coventry, Hu
mana and United Healthcare
Insurance will be accepted.
The Pickens County Recre
ation and Parks Department
Spot an error,
let our editor know.
dpool@
pickensprogress.com
706-253-2457
is at 1329 Camp Road,
Jasper, GA 30143. Call
(706) 253-2821 for more
information or log onto
nghd.org/news/drive-thra-
flu-shots#Jasper.
Josh Bail
C: 678-848-1751
H: 706-253-0122
s9 e '-°
Jasper, GA
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