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PAGE 12A -- THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2007
Chamber: Jackson Not Yet In Crisis From Drought
It is the chamber of Commerce,
of course, but its position appears
to be that people are overreact
ing to the severity of Georgia’s
historic drought.
That was the opinion put forth
when the Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce board of
directors met last Friday.
“We’re not in a crisis mode,”
Chairman Jim Yarborough said,
“not in a mode where we’re shut
ting down businesses.”
Yarborough told his board of
directors of concerns that new
business or industry might “cross
us off” their list of potential sites
because of the current drought
and that people are overreacting
to media reports of the drought’s
severity.
Yarborough explained that
locally there is “no reason to
worry” and pointed to the “long
term availability” of water in
Jackson County. While he said
the chamber encourages employ
ers to ask their employees to
conserve water, Yarborough said
the chamber “shouldn’t be wor
ried” about the economic devel
opment business suffering from
what is now the most severe
drought in state history.
The matter first came up as Roy
Stowe, chairman of the cham
ber’s Economic Development
Committee, discussed a recent
committee meeting and its
members’ thoughts on the
drought.
Stowe said the chamber should
get the message out that, relative
to other areas, “we’re in good
shape waterwise” and “proactive”
about dealing with the drought.
He said all of the media reports
of the drought “are beginning to
resonate with the people looking
at this area.”
Pat Bell, chair of the Jackson
County Board of Commissioners,
didn’t take such a glass-half-full
approach to the drought, but she
did suggest that Jackson County
is handling it well.
“This is one thing that has real
ly drawn us together,” she told
the chamber board. “The water
authority has done a tremendous
job. This county was way ahead
of everyone else.”
Bell noted that the county has
already conducted an analysis of
its future water needs, and that it
went into Level 3 water restric
tions before anyone else.
“We take care of ourselves,”
Bell said. “When this drought
is over with, we’re going to be
in tremendous shape, as far as
water goes.”
The interim, however, is anoth
er story.
“The biggest problem is going
to be June, July, August and
September of next year,” she
said. Adding that she’d been told
how many inches of rain it would
take to fill the reservoir, she said,
“It can’t be one in the next year.”
Bell’s comments echoed those
made two days earlier by David
Stooksbury, the state’s climatolo
gist (see separate story), who
told a group at a drought disaster
exercise that the real worry is
the status of local water sources
next July, August and September
should Georgia go through the
expected dry spring and winter.
In other business:
•President Shane Short report
ed that the search for a vice
president of economic develop
ment has been narrowed to four
“very viable candidates” who will
be interviewed Dec. 6.
•The board discussed shorten
ing its annual banquet by hold
ing a separate ceremony to mark
the graduation of its Leadership
Jackson class, which usually takes
place at the banquet. The matter
was tabled pending discussion of
the idea of holding two separate
functions with members of the
current class.
•agreed with a suggestion by
member Keith Ariail to hold a
retreat once the new vice presi
dent for economic development
is hired. That would come in the
first half of next year.
•heard Short report that a
slate of nominees will soon be
announced for filling three one-
A Google search for “save water”
will produce over 100 million pos
sibilities. Here are a few web sites
offer tips on saving water:
• www.wateruseitwisely
offers water conservation tips by
region. Find 100 water-saving tips
for the Southeast.
• www.eartheasy.com
•ww.savewater.com.au -
down under tips for saving water
in the house, garden, business,
with agricultural activities and
even in school from Australia
•wwwhouse.org - a site
of the California Urban Water
Conservation Council, which
includes a “water budget calcula
tor,” a “home tour” to find ways to
save water in various areas and a
gardening guide
• www.epa.gov/watersense
- the Environmental Protection
Agencys site
•www.monolake.org - anoth
er California web site from a
community seeking to protect its
lake, in part through wise use of
water
•www.savingwater.org - the
web page of the Seattle area water
district contains information on
saving water in the home, in yards
and landscaping and in business.
It also has an education and
resource section for case studies,
year and two three-year terms on
the board of directors. In a related
matter, Yarborough announced
that he would appoint Roy Stowe,
a current board member who
chairs the chamber’s Economic
Development Council, to a one-
year term.
• received for its consideration
at a future meeting a draft copy
of an “endorsement policy” to
govern what the chamber will or
will not endorse.
tools, resources and links.
•www.environment-agency.
gov.uk - see what the folks across
the pond in England and Wales
know about saving water
• www.savedallaswater.com
- Texas may have plenty of water
now, but residents of Dallas are
encouraged to use it wisely as its
population grows rapidly
•americanwater.com - 49 ways
to save water — indoors (21), out
doors (17) and in the community
(11) — from “the American Water
and Energy Savers.” Check out the
new Niagara Flapperless Toilet that
uses 1.6 gallons per flush and con
tains no flapper to leak.
FOR INFORMATION
ABOUT
CANCER,
INFORMATION ON
SERVICES AND PROGRAMS,
CALLTHE
AMERICAN CANCER
SOCIETY
24 HOURS A DAY
1-800-227-2345
OR ON THE INTERNET AT
WWW.CANCER.ORG
OReillys Marks Opening
The O’Reilly’s Auto Supply store, located on U.S. 441 north, Randall Rowland, Bobby Ledford, Vick Bates, Shane Short, Shanna
marked its grand opening last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremo- James, Keith Johnson and Shade Storey.
ny. Left to right are Marshall Acree, Dana Stewart, Dora Shepherd,
Web Sites Devoted To
Water Conservation Measures
W ^d WA
ENTIRE PURCHASE
Friday, Nov. 23 7am - 1 pm
You are invited to Badcock’s Day After
Thanksgiving 6-Hour Sale! We’re breaking our
own rules for six hours only by giving you 10% off
our already low priced merchandise, everything
you buy from 7AM until 1 PM, even if it’s already
on sale - you can take 10% off regular priced, safe
priced or even clearance priced merchandise!