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THURSDAY. OCTOBER 19. 2023 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 9A
From the School Board
“A time to brag” at Harmony Elementary
PHS Principal Matt Combs with student Abigail Barber
who was chosen by Georgia State School Superintendent
Richard Woods to serve on his state advisory council.
By Larry Cavender
Contributing Writer
Pickens County has been
honored by having a Pickens
High School student chosen
to be on the state advisory
council. Abigail Barber is one
of only 59 students statewide
to be selected to this position
by Georgia School Superin
tendent Richard Woods.
Barber, along with the
other members of the council,
will meet with Superintend
ent Woods to provide feed
back on the impact of state
policies in the classroom.
Barber was recognized for
her achievement at the most
recent Pickens County Board
of Education meeting on
Thursday, Oct. 12th.
Pickens County School
Superintendent Dr. Travis
Thompson noted that there
were over 1,000 students who
applied for this position
statewide and that the local
system is "very proud of her
achievement."
Among the reports:
• Chief of Operations
and Maintenance Chris
Wallace reported on the new
Tyler Technologies software
recently installed in the trans
portation department. Some
of the benefits of this system
include, driver tablets on
each bus, pre/post trip docu
mentation, GPS location
technology, real-time routing
and navigation, trip and field
trip management, and par
ent/guardian communication
options. Wallace said, the
new system makes us "more
efficient and safer."
Wallace also gave a report
on construction, saying the
turf/drainage project at Har
mony Elementary School's
playground is "complete and
in use."
• A BOE meeting feature
introduced in September is a
monthly report from an indi
vidual school principal, and
this month's installment came
from Harmony Elementary
Principal Kanyon Petti.
She reported on
structure/scheduling, curricu
lum, instruction, among
other items.
In what Petti described as
"a time to brag," she reported
discipline referrals have "sig
nificantly declined," and that
there is a sizeable increase in
the percentage of students
scoring 3 s and 4s in testing,
including a 19 percent in
crease in English/Language
Arts and a 14 percent in
crease in Math. She also
commended the Harmony
Music Makers on their per
forming the national anthem
at a recent Rome Braves
game.
Petti also took time to
thank Wallace and the board
for the just completed play
ground improvements adding
that the students were really
enjoying the new play
ground.
• In his comments to the
board, Superintendent
Thomas noted that a Georgia
Department of Education
video crew recently visited
both Hill City and Jasper
Middle Schools filming agri
cultural classes and inter
viewing the students. The
purpose for the visits is be
cause the state is gathering
information on agricultural
education below the high
school grade level.
October is National Prin
cipals Month, and in light of
this, Dr. Thomas said that
being a principal is a very
difficult and challenging job.
Thomas added that although
it can be a tough job, "We are
grateful for our six princi
pals. We appreciate their
leadership and the courage
and the grace they display in
leading their schools."
• In action items, there
was one agenda item ap
proved of note, the formal
adoption of a Strategic Plan
for the Pickens County
School District. The state
mandated five-year plan is
the result of a local process
which began last February
and according to Superin
tendent Thomas, it included
surveys and input from stu
dents, parents, and commu
nity leaders. This plan will
remain in effect until 2028.
Consent agenda items in
cluded the approval to sur
plus some school buses; an
out-of-state, overnight field
trip for the Pickens High
band and chorus; and, the
adoption of the aforemen
tioned Tyler Technologies
bus GPS and communica
tions system.
MY PROMISE TO THE CITY
OF JASPER
• I PROMISE FIRST TO STOP THE WASTE AT CITY HALL.
• I PROMISE TO LOWER OUR CITY TAXES AND WATER RATES
BY CUTTING EVEN MORE WASTE.
• I PROMISE TO WORK WITH ALL CITIZENS AND NOT AGAINST
THOSE WHO NEED ASSISTANCE.
• I PROMISE TO BRING OUR OLD CHARTER BACK MAKING THE
MAYOR THE CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIAL ANSWERABLE TO
JASPER CITIZENS, NOT TO COUNCIL.
• I PROMISE WHEN YOU CALL CITY HALL YOU WILL GET A
PERSON, NOT AN ANSWERING MACHINE GIVING YOU THE
RUNAROUND.
• I PROMISE NOT TO HIRE PEOPLE FROM OUT OF THE STATE
SUCH AS CITY MANAGER (VIRGINIA), ASSISTANT CITY
MANAGER (FLORIDA) AND BUILDING INSPECTOR
(MASSACHUSETTS)
• I PROMISE NOT TO HAVE BUT ONE CITY MANAGER.
• I PROMISE TO HIRE LOCAL PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN JASPER
AND PICKENS COUNTY WHO CARE FOR AND LOVE OUR CITY
• I PROMISE NOT TO CHANGE THE DOWNTOWN STREET
LAMPS FROM GREEN TO BLACK.
• I PROMISE IF A CITY ROAD WERE TO WASH OUT TO SECURE
IT SAFELY IMMEDIATELY TO PREVENT INJURY OR DEATH TO
OUR CITIZENS AND THE DRIVING PUBLIC.
• I PROMISE NEVER TO SEND $150,000 OR ANY AMOUNT TO A
BOGUS WEB SITE AND IF ANYONE DID THEY WOULD BE FIRED
AND PROSECUTED
• I PROMISE IF YOU VOTE AGAINST ALL INCUMBENTS THIS
WILL HAPPEN. THIS CITY GOVERNMENT MUST GO! WE JUST
CAN’T AFFORD THEM ANYMORE.
ELECT
LORA
ERDMAN
MAYOR
CITY OF JASPER
Continued From 1A - Zoning/Development
• Mike Dietzel sought a
conditional use permit for
113.7 acres for a high-end RV
park on Highway 136 be
tween Talking Rock’s down
town and Jones Mountain
Road.
Dietzel told the commis
sion that he is an avid RV fan
and plans something “very
rural and green.” He said of
the 113 acres, he would put 66
sites out of sight of the road,
using only about 10 percent of
the tract, leaving the rest in
green space.
He stressed this was a re
sort RV park, not one “more
like a parking lot.” In addition
to the sites, he will have pick-
leball, a pool, a clubhouse in a
Mediterranean style, hiking
trails and it will be gated.
Dietzel said the people in
Talking Rock were very ex
cited about it, as the studies
show there are 450,000 full
time, middle-aged RVers who
use the expensive luxury
models and they typically
spend about seven times the
amount of permanent resi
dents in nearby stores, and
restaurants. He said they in
tend to charge $ 150 a night.
Neighboring property
owners expressed concerns
about the impact the develop
ment will have on adjoining
properties.
Marshall Mullins, a native
of the area, said he knows the
property well and lives nearby
on Fisher Creek. He said the
property is steep and any de
velopment on the ridgelines
will cause erosion to flood
down into the creeks at the
bottom. His daughter, who
also lives in the area, ex
pressed similar concerns, say
ing she wished they could
“keep it how it is.”
Other concerns expressed
by nearby residents focused
on the transient nature of RV
parks, their noise and the
water available from the
county for so many sites.
In follow up questions, the
planning office said the RV re
sort would have to meet all the
requirements for soil and ero
sion “way beyond a silt
fence.”
The commission offered
no recommendation with no
one seconding a motion to
move it to a vote.
• Next up was Richard
Paulsen who has a horse rid
ing/training arena on Reavis
Road. He had operated for
about nine years but when
COVID closed everything and
let his business license expire.
When he went back to renew
it, the planning office discov
ered his property wasn’t
zoned for a commercial arena.
Paulsen said he had previ
ously met all the requirements
and put in an expensive septic
system for the facility.
He said it is used by a lot
of kids and young competitive
riders to train and learn with
people bringing horses from
Cherokee, Forsyth and Pick
ens.
The commission recom
mended he be given a rezon
ing from suburban residential
to agricultural and a condi
tional use permit to operate.
• The commission recom
mended the rezoning of a 68-
parcel tract on Jerusalem
Church and Hill City roads
after hearing several area res
idents asked for larger lots.
Owners Jerry and Kaye
Chastain are in the process of
selling the property to Skillet
Properties where developer
Mike Bray plans to put around
20 lots, with an average of 3
acres to accommodate
$600,000 homes on the tract
that Mrs. Chastain (a Bryant
originally) has had in her fam
ily for more than 100 years.
Hearing several people ask
that they be restricted to larger
lots and other conditions, Mrs.
Chastain gave a tearful plea
that they were not out to make
a fortune but she and her hus
band are getting older and fac
ing health problems.
Her husband said both he
and his wife have family ties
going back generations there
and they hate to leave that
“wonderful community” but
need to plan ahead. Chastain
said he believes “their ances
tors would be in agreement”
with the proposed develop
ment.
Developer Bray, an attor
ney, who also lives in the area,
said they will work with one
main builder to see that the
homes are all high quality.
Neighbors who spoke
against it used a theme of pro
tecting the rural area, asking
for the planning commission
to require larger lots.
One person said the traffic
was already horrible on High
way 53. “After 7 a.m. it’s
bumper to bumper from
Jerusalem to town.” Later
Bray responded that traffic is
in the eye of the beholder and
really isn’t that bad as he also
drives it daily.
A speaker said in the past
three years there have been
numerous new homes added
to Jerusalem Church Road,
and there are more than 20
new lots ready for building.
Another speaker said
rather than the First Mountain
City, we’ll be the “First
Crowded Mountain City.” She
encouraged the planning com
mission to show the world that
Pickens County isn’t all about
money by keeping the rural
character.
Responding to this, real es
tate agent Machielle Hamil
ton, who will market the
proposed homes, said most of
the surrounding properties al
ready have a residential zon
ing and while they have not
been carved into small lots,
they could be. She empha
sized that the owners of this
piece aren’t asking for any
thing their neighbors haven’t
been allowed to do.
The planning commission
recommended the rezoning to
allow the proposed lots with a
rural residential zoning.
• The final business was
another small but confusing
hearing where owners, Af
fordable Investments, repre
sented by one of the owners,
David Shouse, sought rezon
ing of 6.24 acres on Gregory
Drive from Agricultural to
Rural Residential. In a convo
luted discussion, the investors
said they bought the property
with some additional acreage
originally included and sold a
portion, believing the zoning
was already residential, as it
appeared in some instances. It
was later found to be agricul
tural. The commission voted
to make the recommendation
to bring it into residential
compliance.
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Think you
know
Pickens?
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1?
The Pickens Puzzler is featured every third week of the
month in the Progress. The answers can be found on the
classified pages in the B section.
Across
4. Halloween activity in parking lot, uses cars
8. Special Oct. game/dance @ PHS
11. Runs through Pickens, carries a Choo Choo
14. Company Road; heavy/slow walking,
processed wood
17. Jasper trick-or-treating hot spot w/businesses
19. Writes recipes on Progress' People Page
20. Talking Rock's fall fest.
Down
1. Boiled ground corn for breakfast w/butter
2. Fall Fest. for Tate
3. Runs through T.R. Park; water not people
5. Church of Jasper, 175 years young
6. West Pickens community, rhymes w/plain
7. Mountains we're the foothills of
9. High school's main school color
10. Public bus for Pickens peeps
12. Accommodates concerts, coming to Jasper
13. Serves scoops of sweet treats on Main
15. Armored roadkill seen on southern roads
16. Historic Tate bldg., model RR now inside
18. Has floats with frills down Main, before Marble
Fest.
The Pickens Puzzler is proudly sponsored by:
MState Farm
Alan Horne, Jr., Agent
95 Whitfield Drive, Suite F
Jasper, GA 30143
Bus: 706-692-2888