Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2007 - PAGE 5A
Maysville, Fire Department
Reach Agreement On Lease
By Chris Bridges
After months of delays, the
Town of Maysville and the fire
department signed a new lease
on the fire station on Hwy. 52.
The issue had been delayed
numerous times but was finally
ironed out Monday night. The
fire department will lease the
building for 15 years for $10 per
year with an option for another
20 years.
Maysville will provide water ser
vice while the fire department will
be in charge of maintenance and
repairs on the building and for
providing insurance.
Council member Trent
Strickland had an issue with an
item in the proposed lease about
the fire department having the
right to make structural changes
without consent of the council.
Fire Chief James Lyle said he
would prefer to leave that item in
the lease.
“We built this station to begin
with,” he said.
“I still think structural changes
should be approved,” Strickland
said.
Mayor Jerry Baker said he
agreed with Strickland on the
issue.
Lyle said he already has planned
to add another office and a kitch
en area to the building.
Eventually, Lyle gave in on the
issue when his legal representative,
Daniel Haygood of Watkinsville,
said he would add the phrase:
“with prior written consent of
the landlord which may not be
unreasonably withheld” concern
ing structural changes.
Councilman Janis Parkhill told
Lyle she simply wanted to get
the new lease taken care of
and not to have it delayed any
longer.
It was also agreed that Maysville
owns the station although the fire
department will operate and run
it. A major reason for the delay
in the new lease was that Lyle
contested who actually owned
the fire station building since it
was built by fire department per
sonnel.
In other business during
Monday’s meeting, the council:
•voted to lower speed limits in
subdivisions and all secondary
streets in the city to 25 miles per
hour.
•approved a request to con
struct a home on Factory Street
from Jeff Davis.
•denied a request from Susan
Rylee to move a mobile home to
145 Hogan Street, which is in the
historic section of Maysville.
The Commerce Board of Education was
one of 15 Georgia school boards named by
the Georgia School Boards Association as a
“school board of distinction” at the board’s
annual conference in Atlanta Nov. 30-Dec. 1.
Pictured at the award presentation are, left to
right, Gillis Skip Dawkins, GSBA president;
board members Arthur Lee Pattman, Bill Davis
and Mary Seabolt; board member elect Rodney
Gary; chairman, Steve Perry; superintendent of
schools James E. “Mac” McCoy; and Jeannie
M. Henry, GSBA executive director.
Nicholson Council Puts Maxwell
Road Paving Request On Hold
By Brandon Reed
Plans to pave James Maxwell
Road in Nicholson are on hold for
the time being, as the Nicholson
City Council voted to table the
matter until its next meeting.
The matter had been brought
to the council by residents of
the road, who said during last
Thursday’s work session that
they were looking for relief
from the dusty conditions in the
area. The council agreed to put
the matter to a vote at Monday
night’s meeting.
But the motion to pave the road
way from ditch to ditch died for a
lack of a second after councilman
Lamar Watkins voiced concerns
over the amount of space afford
ed to two passing vehicles on the
roadway.
Faye Seagraves, who made the
motion, wanted to know why posi
tions had changed among council
members since Thursday’s work
session.
“Thursday night when we dis
cussed this, and I know I’m not
senile, everybody said going ditch
to ditch would be fine,” she said.
Watkins said he had viewed the
roadway with the city’s building
inspector since the work ses-
Santa To Visit
Library Friday
Santa Claus will visit the
Harold S. Swindle Public
Library from 6 to 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 7.
“We want everyone to bring
their children and let them
visit with Santa,” said branch
manager Bea Pearre. “We
will be making pictures at $3
each, or you can bring your
own camera. This will be a
wonderful time for the chil
dren and their parents.”
sion.
“I’m for paving the road, but I
want it done right to begin with,”
he said.
The council then voted to table
the matter to allow for further
study.
Mayor Ronnie Maxwell recused
himself during the vote and dis
cussion.
The council also voted to
approve a $30,000 road bond to
cover any possible future con
struction problems. Maxwell said
there are no current issues that
the bond is meant to address.
“It’s just for future protection,”
Maxwell said. “We’re going to
save ourselves a problem in the
future.”
In other business:
•The council voted to approve
Christmas bonuses for city
employees.
•The council voted to approve
a veteran’s memorial along
Hwy. 441, in front of the Benton
Elementary School. The memori
al will consist of state flags from
around the country that will be
displayed on certain holidays.
•The council voted to approve
a permit fee for the construction
of a barn or pole barn at $100.
•At the work session, the coun
cil discussed requiring building
permit applicants to specify on
the application the use of the
building.
•At the work session, the
council heard about a proposed
annexation of 368 acres in the
area of Berea and Tal Phillips
roads by Bill Fleeman. Maxwell
said that Fleeman’s attorney, the
city’s building inspector, and the
city’s attorney are getting the
particulars together, and said
that request would come back at
some point in the future.
— Santa Lives As The Spirit Of Christmas
Cont. from Page 4A
purpose stays the name. The pur
pose was to bring love and joy to
children as a reminder of the first
Christmas.
The Puritans thought this
practice and the celebration of
Christmas as irreverent. It was
not until after the Dutch and
other groups settled in the colo
nies that frivolity in the celebra
tion of Christmas was revived. By
the 1800s the Dutch Sinta Claes
(Santa Claus) was firmly in place
in the United States.
Santa Claus has survived wars,
reformation, danger of extinc
tion and defamation. Santa has
survived cruel and crude jokes
and caricature. Santa has sur
vived depressions, recessions
and booms. Santa has survived
for generations of children who
believed. The true Santa will live
for as long as children of all ages
remember him as the mythical
symbol of loving and giving -
giving not of worldly things, but
the giving of our hearts to one
another in remembrance of God’s
own gift to man.
Santa lives.
Claire Caus is a retired educa
tor who enjoys occasional stints as
“Mrs. Claus” around Christmas.
Commerce BOE Declared 'Of Distinction'
The Commerce City School
Board was one of l5 Georgia
school boards to be awarded
the Georgia School Boards
Association’s “School Board
of Distinction” at the Georgia
School Boards Association/
Georgia School Superintendents
Association Annual Conference
in Atlanta Nov. 30-Dec. 1
In addition to verifying compli
ance with GSBA’s Standards for
Local Boards of Education, the
Commerce City Board provided
documentation in the following
areas:
• compliance with GSBA
Standards for Local Boards of
Education.
•implementation of the GSBA
Board/Leadership Team Self
Assessment Checklist.
•formalization of the superin
tendent evaluation incorporating
district goals.
• a web link to the local district’s
policy manual that is posted to
the Internet.
•a copy of, or a web link to, the
board’s goal setting model and
listing of the district’s goals.
•a web link to postings of
monthly board meeting agendas.
•a stated plan to integrate tech
nology at the governance level of
the local district.
The Standards for Local Boards
of Education is a voluntary pro
gram of the Georgia School
Boards Association. It sets bench
marks of organizational structure
and governance objectives for
local boards of education that
wish to participate in the pro
gram.
Committee To Oversee Courthouse Renovation
By Angela Gary
A seven-member commit
tee will be formed by Jan. 1 to
oversee renovations to the his
toric courthouse in downtown
Jefferson.
Each of the five members of
the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners will recommend
one appointee. There will also
be two appointees from the
county historical society and
one from the Jefferson Historic
Preservation Commission.
The commissioners unani
mously agreed Monday night to
have the committee in place by
January. There was some discus
sion on whether to form a com
mittee or to seek local legislation
to have an authority formed. The
board agreed it would be best to
form a committee so that work
can begin immediately.
In other business at Monday’s
meeting, the BOC:
•reappointed Jim Shaw to
serve on the county industrial
authority.
•reappointed John Buchanan,
Bill Warnell, Shannon Sell and
Don Lohmeier to the county air
port authority.
• reappointed Don Segraves
and John Gaissert to the coun
ty planning commission, and
named David Earhart to serve in
place of Marty Clark.
• reappointed Don Segraves to
serve on the county board of
adjustment.
•reappointed Jacque Wilkes
and Jean Collins to the county
dangerous dog committee.
•approved a request from the
City of Arcade for assistance
with the repair of a cross drain on
Double Bridges Road.
•approved a request from the
City of Nicholson for the widen
ing of Lakeview Drive and the
resurfacing of the roadway from
the railroad tracks to Sanford
Road.
•lifted the partial burn ban to
follow state recommendations.
The commissioners also agreed
that further action to reinstate or
lift the burn ban is to be made
from the county manager, who
was told to get input from the
county fire association before
making a decision.
•agreed to spend $12,500 with
Dorfman Consulting to do a
community services study. The
information gathered will be
used in the county’s update of
the comprehensive plan.
•agreed to spend up to $20,000
for a preliminary engineering
agreement with CSX Railroad for
improvements to John B. Brooks
Road.
roof doctor
Roofing & Repair
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OFFICE 706-677-1986
CELL 678-617-4503
FAX 706-677-1369
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CHRISTMAS
POINSETTIAS
Old Fashion
Bulk Candy
orange slices, bon bons,
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CHRISTMAS IDEAS?
Carhartt Clothing, Wolverine
Boots & other great items
Sfri/tley
FEED & SEED
Purina MiIIs, Inc.
Maysville Rd • Commerce, GA
(706) 335-2162
Godfrey's
Feed
North Georgia Floors is Greener Than You Think
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(706) 754-4329
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Dance with the
jester’s
from 8:30 - 12:30
m
m
at The Commerce Civic Center ^
$25 per person
For tickets and
more information call
(706) 335-2954
“All You Can Eat”
Prime Rib Buffet
Available
\ $25 Advance Purchase
6:30 - 8:30 p.m
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