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
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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
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See Jasper Budget on 9A
