About Pickens County progress. (Jasper, Ga.) 1899-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 2023)
Thursday, December 14, 2023 | Volume 136 Number 35 | Jasper, Georgia | 20 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1-00 Pickleball area and new pool coming in latest park plans Jones Mountain and Whitestone roads top paving priorities for ‘24 By Dan Pool Editor dpool@pickensprogress.com Recreation plans filled most of the discussion at the final county board of commissioners’ work session and meeting for the year on December 7th. County officials had a work session discussion about raising rates to participate in youth sports but that may not happen based on later comments from Commission Chair Kris Stancil. The pro posed increase would be $5 per season but com missioners were leery of raising rates at all. For assistance to families who can’t afford the current fees ($85 per child for the upcoming base ball season), Recreation Director Brian Jones ex plained they have some citizens who bring donations and say they are for anyone who needs Melba Sullivan was recognized for 20 years of service with the county last week. She is shown with the three county commissioners. help and they have parents who ask for help but there is no formal process with what they referred to as “scholarships.” Stancil said they need to move quickly to have an aid process in place for next year and it needs to be formalized. “[If] we increase fees, we need to increase op portunities [for help],” said Stancil. “We don’t want to have any kids [who can’t participate].” Jones emphasized they don’t seek to make profits on the programs, just cover costs which are primarily for uniforms with some going to pay for umpires/referees. County looking for pool and pickleball As well as maintenance shop and bathrooms The county engaged an engineering firm to take the conversations about recreation at Roper Park and turn them into plans to be put out to bid with work coming in 2024. In a town hall meeting and a later meeting be tween commissioners and the recreation board this fall, they identified a number of projects for Roper Park. See Commish Meeting on 9A Jasper’s proposed budget up 18 percent for 2024 Permits issued for grocery store development While these plans from the city’s development office still show only an “anchor” store, numerous people have referred to the chain develop ment on Highway 515 and Camp Road as a Publix grocery store. Chick- fil-A will occupy the blue outparcel above. By Angela Reinhardt Staff Writer areinhardt@pickensprogress.com The city of Jasper has plans to adopt their proposed 2024 budget, an 18% increase over last year’s budget, at a special called meeting on Decem ber 18. A budget public hearing was held at their regular December 4 meet ing. No members of the public were present. The proposed general fund is $7.36 million for 2024, up from $6.23 million in 2023. 2024 general fund revenues, gen eral property taxes, are $2.11 million in 2024 compared to $1.6 million in 2023; other local taxes are $3.68 mil lion compared to $3.31 million; per mits and regulatory licenses, $767,925 compared to $393,350; with charges for services up to $36,400 from $23,050. Use of prior year fund balance is up to $146,301 from $125,667 last year. Proposed expenditures for the po lice department are up to $2.27 mil lion from $2.05 million. Proposed expenditures for the fire department are up to $2.15 million from $1.92 million. The wastewater/water fund pro posed budget is $8.57 million, up from $6.52 million in 2023. Of that, charges for services are up to $7.61 million from $6.21 million; contribu tion and donations (which relate to cost of construction fees builders/lot owners/developers pay) are budgeted for $850,000, up from $280,000. Construction is underway at the wastewater treatment facility which, when complete, will double the city’s treatment capacity. Planning and zoning expenditures are proposed at $423,028 in 2024, up from $367,150 last year. The street department is proposed at $1.05 million, up from $767,800. The parks department budget is proposed at $182,401 up from $33,450. Executive department expenditures are proposed at $187,832 up from $164,201. Financial administration depart ment expenditures are proposed at $396,828, up from $347,268. The Protective Inspections Depart ment is proposed at $167,838 up from $66,150. City debt is $66,165 this year com pared to $70,558 last year. All departments include a cost of living adjustment. In the proposed police budget, the following items are requested from SPLOST funds: •Four new patrol vehicles - $288,000 •New software - $140,000 •UTV - $29,000 •Portable radios - $14,935 By Angela Reinhardt Staff Writer areinhardt@pickensprogress.com In April it was announced that a large development to include a gro cery store chain and restaurants would located at a parcel directly off Hwy. 515, with plans at the time to begin demolition on the abandoned car dealership on the property in 60 days. It’s now nine months later and the large structure, which once housed Lawson Chevrolet, is still standing. The lack of movement at the site has created some skepticism that the project was dead, but ac cording to city leaders it is still a go. Jasper’s Interim City Manager Kim Goldener said the large grocery store chain project known as Gate way Crossing has received both their land disturbance and demoli tion permits, and has also received the Environmental Protection Divi sion’s approval of their water distri bution system design. “We anticipate that the devel oper’s contractor will be starting work very soon now that they have their permits in hand,” she said. When asked several weeks ago about what created the delay, Gold ener said there were design plan changes and that the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commis sion (GSWCC) required a final sub mittal to review their revised soil and erosion control plans. EPD has also signed off on the sanitary sewer design. A rendering of the Gateway Crossing development shows four larger outparcels and several areas for much smaller shops. At the city council meeting on Monday, Dec. 4, council approved a dumpster vari ance for Chick-fil-A fast food chain, slated for outparcel 2, which faces Hwy. 515. Motorists may have noticed fire fighters on top of the building re cently. Jasper Fire Chief John Sherrer said his department was given permission to use the facility for training before it is demolished. Handcrafted holiday in Blaine photo/Larry Cavender Brenda and Curtis Clark next to their Christmas Ferris Wheel, one of the many decorations that Curtis has handcrafted for their exterior holiday display on Antioch Church Road. By Larry Cavender Contributing Writer At this time of the year, elaborate exterior displays of Christmas lights and decorations are a common sight. However, there is one residence in the Blaine Community which boasts a very different kind of dis play At the home of Brenda and Curtis Clark on Antioch Church Road, motorists driving by will notice the many usual traditional decorations like multi-colored lights, a nativity, decorated trees, carolers, snowmen, penguins, and the like, but at the center of the Clark display stands something unique - a Ferris Wheel. The Ferris Wheel is unique because it is hand crafted, and that is typical of many of the Clark's ex terior decorations. In addition to the Ferris Wheel, other handcrafted items include a nativity, a pickup truck loaded with gift packages, carolers, a holiday train, gingerbread houses, and much more. See Handcrafted Holiday on 12A I S-QPSA AtiAitt til VttGWlA WAV' AOO«£5S Ti VM&INIA WAY 88368 t >3 = • s J ACOAE55- v w .ave: -ANK D«—4—«= Christmas Scenes Shiloh Church lights up the holiday season with live nativity Page 2A A look at how efforts to save the Chestnut tree tie to Jasper Page 10A-11A Obituaries 8A • Robert Butler • Frances Edmonds •Ann Goodman • Faye Smith • Georgia Washington • Caitlyn Wingfield $1.00 per copy o An Independent Newspaper for Independent People See Jasper Budget on 9A
