Newspaper Page Text
The
Commerce News
Page 2A • November 7, 2007
Region Roundup
Glenn To Testify
Before Grand
Jury On Dec. 4
Former Jefferson police chief
Darren Glenn will be allowed
to testify when a series of pro
posed indictments against him is
presented to the Jackson County
Grand Jury Dec. 4.
In October, Jackson County
Superior Court judge Bob
Adamson dismissed 30 indict
ments handed down against
Glenn in September. The indict
ments were thrown out because
prosecutors from the Georgia
Prosecuting Council in Atlanta
did not let Glenn make a state
ment to the grand jury. Under
Georgia law, law enforcement
officers have the right to make a
statement to the grand jury if they
are facing indictment on charges
related to their position.
December’s hearing will be
the third time state prosecutors
have attempted to indict Glenn.
In December 2006, prosecutors
attempted to present similar
indictments against Glenn and
four other former JPD officers,
but those indictments had to be
withdrawn after Glenn’s attorney,
former Georgia Attorney General
Michael Bowers, pointed out
that they cited a bogus state law
code.
Glenn was indicted in
September this year for actions
that revolved mostly around his
having run car tag information for
his private investigative service
while a police officer. It was those
indictments that Judge Adamson
tossed out following an October
court hearing.
Former District Attorney Tim
Madison began the probe in the
early fall of 2005 by asking the
state to investigate the JPD after
having received two anonymous
letters. Madison recused himself
from leading the investigation and
the Georgia Attorney General’s
Office subsequently appointed
PAC to oversee the case.
Madison later resigned from
office and is under indictment in
Banks County on theft charges.
Tire Roundup
Planned Nov. 8-10
In Banks County
HOMER - A free scrap tire
round-up will be held in Banks
County from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov.
8-10.
Drop off locations will be at
the grey two-story building at the
county recreation fields and at
500 Thompson Street in Homer.
The event is only for Banks
County residents (documenta
tion required). The limit is four
tires per person. No rims will
be accepted. A total of 2,000
tires will be accepted during the
event.
The Banks County commis
sion office is sponsoring the
event. It is funded by a grant
from the Georgia Environmental
Protection Division’s scrap tire
management unit.
Business Group
To Focus On
Member Issues
The Jefferson Area Business
Association (JABA) is refocusing
its goals and efforts to provide
more services to members.
The organization’s overall objec
tive will be to promote Jefferson
area businesses. Bonnie Jones, of
Jackson EMC, said at the monthly
lunch meeting last week that the
goal is to move JABA from event-
focused to member-focused.
The organization would like to
offer more benefits to members
and provide a business voice in
the community. The main goal is
to take advantage of resources
and promote Jefferson business,
she said.
JABA will narrowly focus on
pro-active business promotion,
taking advantage of professional
resources and local government
relations including business sig
nage, Streetscape and the water
supply.
The organization would like to
pay special attention to down
town Jefferson. Out of more than
20 businesses downtown, only
four are members of JABA.
Members in attendance at the
meeting supported the new focus.
Officers of JABA were adamant
that they would not abandon vol
unteer projects and events after
refocusing.
Hoschton To
Keep Control Of
Historic Depot
The Hoschton City Council has
decided to keep the management,
promotion and marketing of the
historic depot in city hands.
In a 5-1 vote Monday, the city
council favored an Oct. 15 recom
mendation made by two council
committees to reject two propos
als for managing the depot and
have the city handle the operation
of the depot. The city will also
develop an in-house system for
promoting, managing and market
ing the Hoschton Depot.
Hoschton council members
Richard Green, Jim Jester, Ronald
Holcomb, Deborah Donaldson
and James Keinard voted in favor
of the proposal, while council
member John Schulte voted in
opposition to the move.
Schulte said he believed the
depot would be best managed by
a foundation.
“The depot needs to be free of
individuals and city councils that
can change,” he said, while adding
that a foundation can work with
the city to manage the depot.
The Hoschton Historic Depot
Preservation Foundation, a non
profit organization, and Yesway
Enterprises, a private business,
were the two proposals the city
r
Love's Essential
Flooring, Inc.
Family Owned & Operated
• Hardwood • Vinyl • Tile • Bound Rugs • Carpet
• Laminate • Gifts/Home Decor (featuring local artists)
FREE ESTIMATES
706-367-4884
College Street»Jefferson, GA 30549»www.lovesessentialflooring.comy
You are invited
to a brand new church!
Banks Baptist Church
(Independent)
An exciting church with old-fashioned ways
Temporarily meeting at Garrison Civic Center
in Homer, Ga.
(Turn onto Sycamore Street at Leopard Restaurant)
Sunday School 10:00 A.M. • Worship 11:00 A.M. and 6 PM.
• Wednesday at 7:00 PM.
Pastor: Skipper Smith • Phone 706-677-1934
council looked at for managing
the depot.
The Hoschton Women’s Civic
Club — which largely helped reno
vate the depot more than five
years ago — opposed the proposal
by the council to privatize the
operation of the depot. City coun
cil members have said that the
depot was being used rent-free
by non-profit organizations, while
the city has had to absorb rising
expenses for the depot.
Hoschton Budget:
To Property Taxes
Or Police Cuts
Hoschton’s latest budget pro
posal calls for no property taxes
and no reductions in police offi
cers — a drastic turnaround from
what the city council was consid
ering just three weeks ago.
The Hoschton City Council will
hold a budget hearing Monday,
Nov. 26, at 7 p.m. at city hall.
The council is expected to adopt
the budget at its regular meeting
Monday, Dec. 3.
Three weeks ago, the city coun
cil was looking at three proposed
2008 budgets — two of which
included a potential property tax
and one budget that outlined pos
sible city job cuts.
Those budgets ranged from a
“needs-based” budget of $1.02
million that included proposed
salary increases to $681,610 for
a “low-revenue” budget that pro
posed trimming some city jobs.
City officials now say a bal
anced budget is not only possible
without a property tax, but job
cuts are not proposed, either.
The Hoschton City Council is
proposing a 2008 general fund
budget of $771,350, compared
to 2007’s amended budget of
$798,808.
Decision Ahead
For Owners Of
Madison Co. Lake
The owners of a popular lake
in western Madison County
must choose between paying an
estimated $70,000 to drain it or
spending over $200,000 to pay
for the proper remedies to save a
50-acre family reservoir.
The Seagraves family has until
December to decide the fate of
Seagraves Lake, according to
John Seagraves, a descendant of
Josiah Seagraves who purchased
the reservoir in 1906.
“We haven’t made any final
decisions yet,” he said.
The lake, which dates back
to the 1800s, has served as a
popular fishing destination in
Madison County for years, but
safety issues concerning the
lake’s dam threaten the lake’s
future. If problems with the dam
can’t be resolved, the lake must
go, according to the state.
Did you know?
By preacherclint
DID YOU KNOW THAT
JESUS SPOKE MORE ABOUT
HELL THAN HE DID ABOUT
HEAVEN? When GOD created
man He breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life and
man became a living soul, that
soul will never die but will live
throughout eternity. The
question is where will that soul
spend eternity? Heaven or
hell? The choice is up to you.
Heaven is the place where
GOD is and the way to GOD is
through his SON JESUS (Jn.
14:6) The choice is yours
HEAVEN OR HELL... JESUS
DIED FOR YOU, WILL YOU
LIVE FOR HIM?
Send email to
www.preacherclint@
windstream.net
“We’re doing everything we can
to save it,” said District I commis
sioner Stanley Thomas, who’s
been a strong proponent of the
lake .
Especially since it’s a large
water source.
Thomas, who has had little luck
in luring state money to help
save Seagraves Lake, noted that
the grand jury in its last session
requested that Madison County
leaders investigate possibilities
for long-term water sources.
Engineering studies of using
either, or both, Brush Creek and
Seagraves Lake for a water source
have been conducted since the
county is dependant on wells
right now.
Thomas said that draining
a 50-acre lake in a level four
drought just doesn’t make sense.
“It would be a shame to lose
that much water with a drought,
probably the worst drought in
50, 60 years — somebody said
80 years,” said Thomas, who
brought up the Seagraves Lake
issue at last week’s commission
ers’ meeting. “You hate to see
doing away with a 50-acre lake ...
That’s beyond me.”
The lake’s dam has been labeled
a Category I dam because flood
waters once touched a house a
mile away in 1966.
A 2002 study revealed ripples
were eroding the dam and that
the emergency spillway was dete
riorating and the Seagraves fam
ily has been told by the DNR to
make the proper repairs.
The family recently hired an
engineer of record to determine
whether a siphoning system
would handle the overflow drain
age from the lake.
A siphoning system could work,
but the size of the lake would
have to be reduced, Seagraves
said.
The family is looking at several
different options right now, but
Seagraves said that the best option
would cost over $200,000.
The county government might
be able to lend a hand financially
if Seagraves Lake ever became a
county water source.
Thomas said that the lake could
provide up to a million gallons a
day and said the county might be
able to help Seagraves Lake out,
perhaps with SPLOST money,
if it ever took over the water
rights.
Thomas, who tried to secure
state funding for the Seagraves’
engineering study since the lake
serves as a dry hydrant for the
Neese-Sanford Volunteer Fire
Department, said he expects the
idea of draining the lake won’t sit
well with citizens once they real
ize how serious this situation is.
“I think once people realize
that this is a real strong pos
sibility, that this lake is going to
be drained, then I think you’ll
have more people kind of on
the bandwagon to save the lake,”
Thomas said.
Gwinnett Ballet
Sets 'Nutcracker'
For Nov. 30-Dec. 16
Gwinnett Ballet Theatre will
welcome in the Holiday Season
with its 26th annual production
of “The Nutcracker.” Held in the
Gwinnett Performing Arts Center
in Gwinnett Center, Duluth,
GBT’s “Nutcracker” will be per
formed on weekends from Nov.
30 through Dec. 16.
This year, the Gwinnett Ballet
Theatre Orchestra, under the
baton of Predrag Gosta, also Music
Director of Atlanta’s acclaimed
“New Trinity Baroque Ensemble,”
will provide live accompaniment
to the dancers for at least six
performances. The Gwinnett
Ballet Theatre Orchestra is com
posed of 30+ acclaimed profes
sional musicians from around
the Southeast, many of them
nationally acclaimed profession
als on their specific instruments.
Mr. Gosta is himself a conductor
of international renown, having
conducted the St. Petersburg and
Moscow Symphony Orchestras
in Russia this past year.
GBT’s “Nutcracker” will be held
on Fridays, Nov. 30 and Dec. 7
and 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays,
Dec. 1, 8 and 15, at 2:30 and 7:30;
and Sundays, Dec. 2, 9 and 16 at
2:30. The live orchestra accompa
niment begins the second week
end.
Live music performances are
$25 from adults and $20 for stu
dents and seniors. Recorded music
performances are $20 and $15..
Tickets can be purchased by visit
ing Gwinnett Center Box Office
through TicketMaster at 404-249
6400. For more information about
GBT’s “The Nutcracker,” call 770
978-0188 or visit www.gwinnett-
ballet.org.
5 Want To
Fill Vacancy On
Madison Co. BOE
DANIELSVILLE -- Five candi
dates have applied to fill the vacat
ed school board seat of long-time
member Robert Haggard with a
successor being named as early
as Tuesday.
The five applicants — all of
which are considered finalists for
the job — are William E. Epps, C.
Wayne Douglas, Maggie Callaway,
Dr. Robert W. Hooper and Steve
A. McDaniel. Haggard’s replace
ment will very likely be appointed
Tuesday at the board’s next regu
lar meeting.
“I think we’ve got a good slate
of candidates there,” Madison
County Schools Superintendent
Dr. Mitch McGhee said. “We
appreciate all the concern in the
community and I think we’ve got
five good candidates.”
The school board will learn more
about each candidate at the Nov.
13 meeting during a quasi-forum.
The board will ask each candidate
individual questions and likely
make its decision that night.
The candidates will draw
numbers to determine which
order they’ll answer questions.
Candidates not answering ques
tions will stand outside the meet
ing room “so one person doesn’t
have time to sit and think about an
answer to a question they heard
earlier,” McGhee explained.
A judge will later swear in
whomever the BOE selects so
the Madison County School
System has a complete board by
December.
The question and answer ses
sion and probable selection of a
new board member will culminate
what figures to be a busy day for
the school board Nov. 13.
Earlier that day, the BOE will
hold a reception at the high
school library from 4-6 p.m. to
honor Haggard, who served on
the school board for 12 years,
the last six as chairman. From 6-7
p.m. the school board will receive
board training as the BOE makes
the transition to electronic meet
in gs.
Then at 7 p.m., the regular meet
ing begins with candidates in
Let us
do it for
you!
Call us for quality
printing,
fast turn around
and reasonable
prices on...
• brochures
• inserts
• carbonless forms
• postcards
• envelopes
• letterheads
• announcements
• newspapers
• newsletters
...and more
Free Estimates
MainStreet
Newspapers
PRINTING
DEPT.
367-5233
71
Z
H
SAL
OPLE
WANTED
Cole Buick Pontiac GMC in Commerce is looking for a few key
salespeople who want to take the next step in their professional
careers. We offer full benefits and aggressive commission packages.
At Cole, you can build a career versus just working a job.
Experience preferred but not required.
Call Steve Carter at 706-335-5400
or email your resume to stevecarter97@hotmail.com
yssf v bu,ck sMU
We are Professional Grade.
594 Steven B longer Bird. in Comoterte (next door to outlets)
706-335-5400 • Toll Free1-888-532-0886