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The Commerce News Page 2A • November 21, 2007 Region Roundup Banks Co. Works On Pandemic Flu Planning Members of the Banks County Emergency Preparedness Team met recently to discuss how coun ty leaders would handle a flu pandemic if one ever occurs in the area. Jeff Morrison, program direc tor of the Statewide Exercise- Operations Georgia Emergency Management Association, gave a presentation to the group on pre paring for this type of disaster. The Banks County group has a plan written. The next step is to share the plan with everyone involved, then conduct a drill that follows the plan. “You need to know your plan and exercise your plan,” Morrison said . Morrison said it is important to define the objectives and make your objectives. The plan must be evaluated by observing and recording exercise activities, writ ing an after-action report and developing an improvement plan, he said . Morrison told the team mem bers that their preparedness and capability will be scrutinized. Team member Shanda Hegwood, BJC Medical Center, asked Morrison, “How do you get key players to play?” Morrison said it is important for local com munity leaders to know they are responsible for preparedness in event of a flu pandemic or any other disaster. Morrison said any plans devel oped could be used for other disasters as well as a flu pan demic. Members of the Banks County team attending the meeting were: Ashley Smith, Jennifer Glaze and JoAnn Dodd, Banks County Health Department; Deidra Moore, Banks County E911/EMA; Mark Pazen, District 2, Public Health; Dale Carter, Banks County Environmental Health; Hegwood; Bob Waldorf, Banks County Extension Service; Angela Sheppard, Banks County Commissioners; and Clay Hobbs and Lisa Chastain, Banks County Schools. The team will hold its next meet ing at 11 a.m. Tuesday Dec. 11, at the recreation department build ing. Lindsay's Legacy Offers Mentor Training Dec. 6 Lindsay’s Legacy mentoring pro gram in Jackson County will hold a mentor training session from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Thursday Dec. 6, at Jefferson Middle School. Jill Barefoot is the mentor coor dinator at JMS and may be con tacted at 706-367-2882. To sign up for the upcoming mentor training sessios, contact Lisa Stephens at 706-410-5525 or jacksonmentors@yahoo.com. Piedmont College Offers Bachelor's Degree In Nursing The Piedmont College Daniel School of Nursing is now accept ing applications for bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) pro grams that begin in the upcoming spring and summer semesters. The programs include a pre licensure BSN degree program at the college’s Demorest campus for students who want to start a career in nursing. Also offered is an “RN-to-BSN” program at both the Demorest and Athens campuses for registered nurses who already have an associate’s degree. “The RN-to-BSN program is designed for working nurses who need flexible study hours,” said Dr. Linda Scott, dean of the school of nursing. “Students enrolled in the ‘RN-to- BSN’ program meet three times during the evening each semes ter,” Scott said. “Most of their studies are conducted on-line or through study discs. It allows working nurses to study at times that are convenient to them.” Scott said the RN-to-BSN pro gram is open to nurses who GRAND OPENING!!! Friday, November 30, 2007 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 P.M. LOVE'S ESSENTIAL FLOORING & GIFTS Complementary Food, Snacks and Drinks Door Prizes Each Hour! Local Artists Exhibited 706-367-4884 96 College Street • Jefferson, GA 30549 North Georgia Floors is Greener Than You Think As partners with Mohawk Industries, we are proud to announce Mohawk’s impressive initiatives to save our environment. • Mohawk Industries uses nearly 25% of all recycled plastic bottles collected in North America—about 3 billion soda bottles—to make products each year. • Mohawk’s new carpet fiber, SmartStrand with DuPont™ Sorona uses a mix ture of regular nylon and renewable materials (sugar and corn) that create a stain-resistant, recyclable and incredibly durable and good-looking carpet. • Mohawk's EverStrand carpet is made from 100% recycled plastic soda bottles. • All of Mohawk’s carpet products have achieved the highly respected certifica tion of the CRI (Carpet & Rug Institute) Green Label Plus involving rigorous testing to measure levels of volatile organic compound emissions. Lower emissions mean higher indoor air quality. • Mohawk is a major part of an industry initiative that is helping to build an entire recycling infrastructure and find new uses for old carpet instead of sending to landfills. • Mohawk converts more than 30 million tires into doormats and is using wind shield glass to make valuable carpet products. • Mohawk is tracking 100 different waste streams within their manufacturing process and using environmental engineering to find economical solutions to not only recycle waste, but to eliminate it altogether. We are also proud to announce the introduction of a line of hardwood flooring that is environmentally responsible — Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring. Lauzon only harvests trees whose growth period has ended. They purchase only ethically harvested products. Absolutely nothing goes to waste in the production of their flooring products. Visit these websites to learn more: www.mohawkgreenworks.com; www.sorona.dupont.com;www.lauzonflooring.com ^Nortli Georgia SCMOHAWK ^^^K^Floorsand ■ hl o° , *c*r" Interiors In Clarkesville Across From The Courthouse on Hwy. 115 (706) 754-4329 M-F 9-5, Sat 9-3 have an associate’s degree and an unencumbered Georgia nurs ing license. The program is now enrolling applicants for spring semester, which begins in January. Students wishing to enroll in later semesters next year should also contact the school of nursing now, she said. The pre-licensure BSN pro gram for new nursing students is offered at the Demorest campus and is now accepting applications for classes that begin during the summer 2008 semester. “The small classes meet dur ing the day, and students receive the personal instruction that Piedmont is known for,” Scott said. “Students also learn using our simulated patient lab, which includes computer-controlled mannequins that simulate a vari ety of patient conditions.” For more information about Piedmont’s Daniel School of Nursing, contact Dr. Scott at 706 776-0116 or e-mail lscott@pied- mont.edu. Tax Digest Growth Means $500,000 More In Revenue DANIELSVILLE -- Madison County property owners will collectively pay approximately $500,000 (or 6.8 percent) more in property taxes for 2007, than in 2006, to the county government. However, that does not nec essarily mean that tax bills will increase by the same amount for individual property owners, since certain properties may increase in value more quickly than others. County commissioners have yet to finalize their 2008 budget, but county clerk and chief financial officer Morris Fortson said the board doesn’t anticipate a mill rate increase to fund its antici pated $14.2 million budget. In fact, the BOC plans a slight roll back of tax rates for 2007, since a $72 million (11.8 percent) increase in the county tax digest (total county land value) will boost the county revenues in 2008. County commissioners will set their tax rates at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 10 in the county government com plex. The anticipated tax rate for the incorporated (within cities) property owners is 12.49, down from 12.75, while the expected rate for the unincorporated (out side of cities) property owners is 11.22, down from 11.78. So, when will tax bills hit the mail? “There’s a possibility that we could get them out before the first of the year, but everything has got to fall in place,” said Fortson. Commission To Enforce Time Limits On Speech DANIELSVILLE -- When you take the podium in front of the Madison County commissioners, how long can you talk into the microphone? That’s been a point of debate this past year and the issue was raised again last week when Madison County commissioner Stanley Thomas called for improved enforcement of established time limit standards. Thomas noted several examples of inconsistent time-limit enforce ment. “At our last zoning meeting, on a proposed development in Colbert, a man who was repre senting the people who applied for that rezone rushed through his presentation because he was told there were time limits,” said Thomas. “He was like an auction eer. You had to listen real close to see what he said. Then we allowed two people who spoke against it to stand up there for a long period of time, far exceeding the time limits. ... If you’re going to have time limits, they need to be fair across the board. If you’re going to enforce them, enforce them all the time.” Chip Chandler, Carlton, asked the BOC to include more infor mation about subjects to be dis cussed on the meeting agendas. And he said the time limits give the public the impression that the BOC doesn’t want input. “From my point of view, the chairman has actually been too harsh, not too lenient, but too harsh (on enforcing time limits),” said Chandler, who noted a zon ing hearing earlier this year as an example. “You had citizens run ning from the back of the room, because the clock was running on that 15-minute time limit. ... You make everybody feel like you don’t want to hear what they have to say.” Chairman Wesley Nash, who had faced criticism from the board for not enforcing the time limits, then cut Chandler off, tell ing him his time was up. The board agreed that Nash should be in charge of enforc ing time limits and that the com missioners will purchase a red and green light to notify speakers when their time is up. During the next agenda item — the animal shelter budget — Nash enforced the board’s poli cy, cutting off speakers during the middle of discussions and telling them their time was up. During the “urgent matters” por tion of the meeting, in which com missioners can speak on a subject of their choice, Thomas said he recognized flaws in the current time limit arrangement. “It’s not my intention to t ake away anyone’s right to speak,” he said. Thomas said he doesn’t want people to be kept from speaking because the 15-minute time limit has been reached. According to policy established by the BOC earlier this year, there is a 15-minute time limit on non-zoning issues, with speakers given three minutes to address the board. In zoning matters, applicants for a rezoning can speak up to 15 minutes and opponents can col lectively speak up to 15 minutes with a maximum of five minutes per speaker. Governor Offers Conservation Contest For Kids ATLANTA -- Governor Sonny Perdue has announced the Governor’s Water Conservation Contest, open to all students in third, fourth and fifth grades. The contest is designed to encourage students to think creatively of ways to conserve water by design ing a plan that promotes water conservation. The Governor’s Water Conservation Contest asks stu dents in grades 3-5 to develop a water conservation plan for their community by describing their proposed project in an essay and drafting a budget for implementa tion of the project. Students can work on the essay and budget as a class, a grade or as a proj ect by all participating grades. The principal of each school will choose one winner to submit to the governor for consideration. Perdue will bring together judges to read submitted proposals and select the winning plan for imple mentation. The plan should include a unique way for communities to conserve water. The implementation must cost less than $2,000 total to be considered. All entries must be received by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement by Dec. 6. The contest winner will receive a $2,000 prize to be used to carry out the conservation plan in the community. Home Depot is spon soring the contest and will partici pate in the award ceremony. An e-mail with full contest guidelines will be sent to principals and superintendents throughout the state. FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH, YOU CAN LIST YOUR GROUP'S MEETINGS! Let your members know when your group is meeting! Call (706) 367-5233 to advertise your meeting time, place and date in... • The Jackson Herald • The Commerce News • The Braselton News • The Banks County News • The Madison County Journal UNITY LODGE F & A.M. No. 36, Jefferson, GA 1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. A. Ben Wurtz • 706-367-1400 Borders St. behind Tabo's 260 JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB Meets Tuesdays Jefferson City Clubhouse 12:30 p.m. • (706) 654-2237 Clay Eubanks, President 260 A COMMERCE W AMERICAN LEGION Commerce Rec. Dept. Post 93 Carson Street - 1st Mon. night Each Month, 7:30 p.m. 335-6400 BANKS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. meets first Monday each month 7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441 North in Homer Pd.-2/2008 JEFFERSON IIP AMERICAN LEGION Albert Gordon Post 56 Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Harvie Lance, Commander Phone (706) 654-1274 310 Georgia Real Estate Investors Association, Inc. - Athens Meets the third Thursday each month 7:00 pm at the Holiday Inn 197 East Broad St, Athens, GA 30601 Tom Hewlett - Chapter President mailto:thewlett1@charter.net website: www.gareia.org Pd 10/07 The Jackson Co. Republican Party Would like you to meet us for breakfast the second Sat. of each month, 8:00 at The Jefferson House. For more information, call 706-652-2967 or email fishyglass@yahoo.com Pd.05/08 BANKS COUNTY AMERICAN LEGION Post 215 Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m. In Homer, GA at the American Legion Building on Historic Highway 441 Pd.06/08 VETERANS OF foreign wars Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr. Each 4th Monday, 7:00 p.m. Mike Buffington, Commander Phone 706-335-6532 263 JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB Meets 2nd & 4th Monday Jefferson City Clubhouse 6:30 p.m. • (706) 367-1400 Mark Bradley, President 260