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PAGE 6A -- THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 12, 2007
Christmas Parade Winners
Brad Johnson, left, and Stone Shirley, right, of the Commerce
Area Business Association presented $125 checks to the four
winning entries in the Commerce Christmas Parade held Dec. 2.
Left to right are Johnson; Earl Wall, Larry Lord and Beth Wall of
the Shakers Car Club, best non-profit or civic group float; Renee
Moon of the First United Methodist Preschool, best school or
academic entry; Mike Thompson, Unity Christian Church, best
religious group entry; Scott “Tater” Hudson and Shawnmarie
Budde, Jackson EMC, best business entry; and Shirley.
Mayor Breaks Tie To Deny Variance
For the second time in two
months, Mayor Charles L. “Buzzie”
Hardy had to break a tie vote of
the Commerce City Council.
He used it to support a motion
denying a request for a variance
in front setbacks for a man hop
ing to build a dry cleaning pick-up
and drop-off facility at the corner
of Hospital Road and Ridgeway
Street.
Bhavyesh Trivedi had come
before the Commerce Planning
Commission seeking to have
the setback from Hospital Road
reduced from 30 feet to 12 and
the setback from Ridgeway Street
reduced from 25 feet to 20. The
planning commission’s job is to
make recommendations on such
matters to the city council, but in
this case, the planners chose to
send it to the city without a rec
ommendation, but had expressed
concerns about safety at the inter
section and the lack of parking on
the site .
Hardy had outlined the options
to the council: deny the request,
accept the request or send it back
to the planning commission for a
recommendation.
Councilmen Bob Sosebee and
Donald Wilson recused them
selves from discussion because
Sosebee was the listing agent
when the lot was sold and Wilson
formerly owned the property.
Councilman Richard Massey
made a motion to deny the request,
which was seconded by Slater.
Hardy opened the floor for dis
cussion, and David Clough, speak
ing for his mother, Nora Clough,
who lives near the site, asked that
the council reject the request due
to public safety concerns and a
fear that a business on the site
would adversely affect the value
of her residential property.
Timothy White, who represents
Trivedi, showed the council a
schematic of the development in
which the Hospital Road entrance
to the lot had been eliminated — a
version the planning commission
had not seen.
Hardy offered Massey a chance
to withdraw his motion in favor of
a new motion sending the issue
back to the planning commission.
Massey declined.
Councilmen Mark Fitzpatrick
and Wayne Gholston voted
against Massey’s motion, creating
a 2-2 deadlock.
“I vote to deny,” said Hardy,
breaking the tie.
Trivedi can submit a new request
for a variance in six months.
The council voted to accept the
other recommendations of the
planning commission, including:
•rezoning from C-2 (commer
cial) to OCR (office-commer
cial-residential) for a lot at 75
South Broad Street Extension
so Asuncion Harrison can get
financing on her house.
•rezoning from A-2 in the coun
ty to R-1E (residential-estate) and
the annexation of her lot at 2559
B. Wilson Road.
• a rezoning for annexation of a
lot at 375 Hwy. 441 North by Keith
Whitfield. The change is from A-2
in the county to C-2 in the city.
•a variance in the size of an
accessory building requested by
Mike Aaron, 191 Hospital Road,
with the conditions that he use a
mid-grade vinyl on the addition
and that the original concrete
block portion of the building be
painted the same color as the
vinyl.
Also on Monday night, the
council:
•voted to extend until the end
of February the emergency mora
torium on demolition permits in
the downtown
• appointed Chris Bray to fill the
unexpired term of Don Moore
on the Downtown Development
Authority
•approved an ordinance that
would allow the city to impose
a franchise fee on any cable or
video franchise chartered by the
state in Commerce. Fitzpatrick,
who works for Windstream,
abstained on the issue.
•amended its recently passed
supplemental power purchase
contract with the Municipal
Electric Authority of Georgia to
reduce the amount of power being
purchased from 1,724 kilowatts
to 1,297 kw because MEAG did
not purchase the full allotment of
electricity.
•heard Police Chief John
Gaissert read a letter commend
ing officer Billy Shane Harrison
for his “time, patience and unfail
ing good humor” in changing a
tire for a motorist stranded on
Interstate 85.
•tabled discussion of an adjust
ment on a water tap for a city
resident.
George B. Bo Hamil Jr., chair
man of the board of directors
for FGBC Bancshares Inc. and
its subsidiary, First Georgia
Banking Company, announced
that Randall Pugh has been
appointed to the holding com
pany board. Additionally, Hamil
announced that Greg Akins, Dr.
J. Richard Bland III and Ralph
E. Fleck III have been named
directors.
Pugh is the president and chief
executive officer of Jackson
EMC in Jefferson. He also serves
as an alternate director on the
Oglethorpe Power Corporation
(OPC) board of directors and is
a member and Past Chairman
of the OPC Finance Committee.
He currently is a director of the
Georgia Systems Operations
Co. (GSOC) where he serves
as chairman of the Audit
Committee. He is vice chairman
of the Jackson County Water
and Sewerage Authority, serves
as chairman of the Jackson
County FGBC Advisory Board
and is a director of First Georgia
Banking Company.
Akins is the chief operating
officer and chief credit offi
cer for First Georgia Banking
Company. Bland is a radiation
oncologist and medical director
of the Roy Richards Sr. Cancer
Center, and Fleck is the chief
financial officer and controller
of Die Tech Industries Inc.
News Photos Available Online
MainStreet Newspapers Inc.
offers staff-produced pho
tos from its five newspapers
available for the ordering of
prints online at its web site,
mainstreetnews.com. Based in
Jefferson, the company owns
The Commerce News, The Jackson
Herald, The Madison County
Journal, The Braselton News and
The Banks County News.
Access to the photos catalogue
is available from a button on
the mainstreetnews.com web site.
There will be approximately a
one-week lag time between the
time photos are published and
their availability online.
Those who don’t have Internet
access in their homes may visit
area public libraries that offer
the service.
City Issues No Permits
For Houses In November
The city of Commerce’s build
ing inspection department did
not issue a single permit for a
house during November.
The department issued a per
mit for a commercial building
valued at $551,000 and permits
for two additions to houses val
ued at a total of $30,000 and
two permits for alterations to
commercial buildings, valued at
a total of $35,000.
The amount of building
approved for the month totaled
$616,000. The city has issued
permits worth $10.5 million dur
ing 2007. At this time last year,
the city had issued permits for
construction valued at $33.1 mil
lion.
First Georgia Bank
Names New Directors
tarttieast \
Wrgha ) *
Bank j
e<* \
Now Open In
Jefferson!
Come By And See Our Brand New Branch
And Friendly Faces Conveniently Located At:
1775 Old Pendergrass Road • Jefferson, GA 30549
yroic 706-367-5266
Pictured: Top Row: Brandy Cleveland, Reggie Metheny (Senior Vice-President/Manager), Stacey Burkhaulter
Bottom Row: Jennifer Stancil, Sai Herr-Lee, Missy Ward
Commerce Sciioof of Vance
Senior & Junior Companies
Qristms fzrfomm
Featuring
Act 11 Of
The Nutcracker
And also
Rockette’s style
Holiday Tap & Jazz
Selections
With Special Performances Bij
The J.C.C.H.S.
Advanced
Choral Ensemble
Commerce
School of Dance
706-555-75+5
and
City Tire &
Auto Service
706-555-2201
Have your child s
holiday portraits
made after the
lerformance with the
Sugar Plum &
Dew Drop Fairies
Anna-Marie Hoop
^Victoria Woo,
December D • 7:00
December 16 • 3:00