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PAGE 6A -- THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 5, 2007
Looking For A Gift
Jeffrey David Straub Jr., 6, looks carefully over Christmas shopping event is sponsored by the
the merchandise offered at Saturday’s Secret Downtown Development Authority and the Pilot
Santa Workshop, held at the Commerce School Club of Commerce.
of Dance on North Broad Street. The children’s
DDA Seeks Grant For
Renovation Of Building
The Downtown Development
Authority wants to renovate its
12 Pine Street (formerly Collins
Cleaners) building for a public
meeting space and public rest
rooms, and it hopes to get federal
funds to pay most of the cost.
Meeting last Wednesday morn
ing, the DDA talked about the
building, which most recently
housed a Christian school.
Chairman Bob Sosebee pro
posed spending $1,000 to hire
a consultant to write a grant for
U.S . Department of Agricultural
Rural Development money.
The estimated cost of the proj
ect is $100,000; the DDA would
apply for $99,000, and Sosebee
appeared confident that the DDA
could be successful.
The DDA acquired the building
last year after the development of
public restrooms for the down
town appeared among the top pri
orities listed in a town hall meet
ing held about the downtown. The
restrooms are also seen as essen
tial for events the DDA hopes to
host in Spencer Park — which was
fully renovated this year.
“I don’t want us to spend any
city money if we can get a grant,”
said Dr. Clark Hill, but Hill also
speculated that with some vol
unteer labor and materials, the
city might actually be able to do
the work for about half of the
estimate.
“If we can get $50,000, we can
do this,” he insisted, reminding
the authority that the Spencer
Park renovation was done at about
half the estimated cost, thanks to
donations of cash, materials and
labor by private organizations.
Downtown Update
Hasco Craver, the DDA’s execu
tive director, updated the IDA
about developments in the down
town.
The old Wood-Johnson and Logo
Express buildings have been sold,
the WJJC Radio building and Dr.
Elaine Beck’s building are under
going facade work, and Craver
reported continuing discussions
with people interested in placing
restaurants downtown.
Two restaurant spaces are avail
able for lease, including the Bob
Yarbray building (formerly Tri
County Pharmacy) and the for
mer Opera House Italian Cafe,
both on South Broad Street.
“There are just a lot of opportu
nities right now,” Hill observed.
Craver also reported that Don
Shubert plans to renovate the
facade on his South Broad Street
building next spring and that
North Georgia Insurance plans
to renovate its former gas station
property on South Broad Street.
“It’s good to see things happen
ing in the downtown,” Sosebee
commented. “Now we’ve just got
to get (the buildings) filled up this
year.”
Time To Update
Design Plan?
Sosebee suggested that the
DDA considering updating its
downtown design guidelines that
have been in existence since the
late 1980s.
“I think we need a professional
to come in and help us, because
things have changed in the past
20 years. There are materials
available now that weren’t even
thought of in the ‘80s,” he said.
If the DDA undertakes the
update, there will be meetings to
solicit public input, he indicated.
Sosebee also told the DDA
that the city’s downtown build
ing demolition moratorium will
likely be extended 30 days while
the DDA fine-tunes its proposed
demolition ordinance, the pur
pose of which is to protect the
historical integrity of the central
business district. There are no
pending demolition requests.
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706-367-5233
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Jackson Not Wild About
Plans For 'Backup' Lake
Dispute Over Bear Creek Costs Cools County's
Reception To A Second Regional Reservoir
The regional Upper Oconee
Basin Water Authority is begin
ning the process of locating
a second reservoir site, but
Jackson County’s members
appear less than enthusiastic.
Pat Bell, chair of the
Jackson County Board of
Commissioners, and Eric
Klerk, manager of the county
water and sewerage authority,
cast the only dissenting votes
last Wednesday as the author
ity voted to draft a request for
proposals for a reservoir site
study.
“We already did a study. We
don’t want to pay for another
one,” Bell explained after the
vote.
Elton Collins, a member of
the basin authority and for
mer member of the county
water authority, supported the
motion.
“I voted for it because I want
to see what they come up with
and there will be another vote
before it is sent out,” he said.
The study would attempt to
clarify the yield of the Bear
Creek Reservoir and identify
potential sites for a second res
ervoir that would be used to
provide water to the Bear Creek
facility during times of drought.
Jackson County has already
conducted a water analysis that,
in part, identifies potential res
ervoir sites within the county.
Jackson County officials are
cool to building a second region
al reservoir in large part because
they believe the method used to
allocate costs from the Bear
Creek operation are skewed
against Jackson County.
Bell pointed out recently that
while Oconee County uses more
than twice as much Bear Creek
water as Jackson, Jackson pays a
much higher charge for renewal
and replacement — a sinking
fund to replace things that wear
out in the treatment plant. That’s
because those replacement costs
are allocated by ownership rath
er than by usage.
“The equipment gets worn out
from being used, and Oconee
County is using it twice as much
as we are,” Bell complains.
To date, Bell has had little
luck convincing the other coun
ties — Athens-Clarke, Barrow
and Oconee — that the formula
should be changed, and that
results in her having little enthu
siasm for extending the part
nership for a second reservoir,
which would most likely also be
located in Jackson County.
Complicating the matter is
Jackson’s belief that Oconee
County is either taking Jackson
County water or, at least, using
Jackson County water treatment
capacity, without reimbursing
Jackson County. According to
Bell, one official has admitted
to her that Oconee is using
Jackson County water.
The formula for allocating
costs among the four member
counties was based on all of the
partners in the authority using
their full allocation. Jackson
County is entitled to 25 percent
of the water in the reservoir,
but is using a very small por
tion, while Athens-Clarke and
Oconee have used their full allo
cations. At the point where all
member counties are using their
full allotments, Jackson officials
say they have no objections to
the formula. Until that time,
they say, Jackson is absorbing
an unfair amount of the operat
ing costs.
“It (building the second res
ervoir) makes a lot of sense if
there is trust among the four
counties, but there is not trust
from one county,” she declared
after the meeting.
While the regional authority
has not formally identified any
sites for a second reservoir, its
chairman, Melvin Davis, indi
cated that Oconee County offi
cials had looked at one site,
apparently near the Barrow-
Jackson line.
Jackson County’s own analysis
turned up 17 potential reservoir
sites, including existing lakes
that could be used as they are
or modified to create reservoirs,
and sites where new impound
ments could be created.
In other business, the author
ity voted to implement a “level
five” of water restrictions to
help cope with the drought. The
level mandates a 30 percent
reduction in usage — which all
parties have already met.
Habitat To Hold Drawing For Playhouse
The Jackson County Habitat
for Humanity is selling tickets
on a one-of-kind children’s play
house to raise funds for the con
struction of the county’s eighth
Habitat house.
The 10 by 8 playhouse fea
tures a front porch with carriage
lights, and dormer windows with
window boxes filled with pan
sies. Construction of the house
was supervised by Stan Beeco,
owner of Beeco Construction
and a Jackson County Habitat
board member.
“Each house we build, even tak
ing into account donated materi
als and volunteer labor, requires
about $45,000. We felt that the
playhouse would be a great way
for us to use our Habitat building
experience to make something
that children would enjoy and
their families would be proud of,
and in doing so help build a real
house that will provide a family in
need with a decent place to live,”
said Jackson County Habitat
president Gordon Wilson.
The house is on display in
front of the Jefferson offices of
Jackson EMC on the Commerce-
Jefferson Road.
Tickets for the house are $10
and can be purchased at the fol
lowing locations: in Jefferson at
Jackson EMC, Mattox Feed and
Seed, Trinity Tire, Jefferson Tire,
Sugar & Spice, Bright Beginnings,
Verizon Wireless, Living Jackson
magazine and Doggie Style’n
Professional Pet Grooming; in
Commerce at Northeast Georgia
Bank, Athens First Bank and Trust
and McDonald Ace Hardware;
in Braselton at Hometown
Community Bank and Trust and
Northeast Georgia Bank; and in
Talmo at CAM Realty Group,
or by calling or emailing Bonnie
Jones at 706-367-6114, bjones@
jacksonemc.com.
The drawing will be held Dec.
15.
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