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±r, News r he Year In Review A Look Back At The Stories That Made The News In 2007 It'sfafWinfeK Wonderland. $500 Price Reduction My New Year's Resolution Is 20/20 ViSiOII From Dr. Blue! Cellular Center verhon wireless Your neighborhood wireless store Commerce Kw/.44tfil-B57to-3fr9Hl Je fferso n US-1M S/OMIS 6 <Hd Pendergrass fid. TO6-30T-MM FRE £ Samsung SCH-U34Q free with Msil-in RebfUe on now J-year agreement' VGA Gamere BJuetotflh Cgpafoe Speo^orphone It was a year of tempest in a teapot, a city election and the alleged corruption of a district attorney; a year that brought drought, increased activity in downtown Commerce and some significant anniversaries. Here are the highlights of 2007. January The Great Skateboard Controversy got Commerce off to an auspicious start, as the city council banned skate boards, roller skates and bicy cles from downtown streets. Pleasant Acres Subdivision ran out of water for four days, Roper Pump Company announced that it would celebrate its 150th anni versary and its 50th anniversary of its location in Commerce this year. The Commerce Public Library learned to its surprise that it had to raise more than $500,000 by June to have a chance at a 2008 grant for its expansion. The city’s four-inch high-pressure gas loop to 1-85 was under construction. February The renovation of Spencer Park, which began the previous year, was on track. Scotty Wilbanks was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Producer of the Year," Nicholson got a $7,500 grant to help it start a police department, Chuck Bell Jr. from Cook County was hired as the new principal of Commerce Middle School and Tricia Massey accepted the non paying position of fund-raising chairman for the city library. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners fired County Manager Crandall Jones for, as Forrest Gump would say, “no particular reason." Melissa and Norman Romans settled their suit with the Jackson County School System and numerous of its contractors and consultants over water and silt runoff from the East Jackson Comprehensive High School construction site. The amount of the settlement was not released. March NBank announced its pend ing sale to First Covenant Bank of Woodstock, Nicholson spent $2,500 to buy a police car and high school student Adam Tomblin hosted a “town hall meeting" at which the consen sus was reached that Commerce should build a skatepark. The Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce formed an economic development coun cil, organizers announced that the 2007 City Lights Festival would not include a concert with Bill Anderson, and a fire that rapidly burned a home in Brentwood Estates led city officials to consider changing building codes. The first signs of a housing slowdown began to manifest themselves, and the U.S. Census Bureau reported that Jackson County was the 32nd fastest growing county in America. April Commerce officials offered a part of a parking lot off Little Street for a temporary skatepark. Several dozen employees from Southeast Toyota Distributors descended upon Spencer Park to install all the shrubs, flowers and sod. Jackson County was fined $37,500 for soil erosion problems at its Nicholson park site, and approved $40 million in bonds for the new jail and a fire training facility. The county also pledged $120,000 in SPLOST rev enue for the Commerce Library expansion. A 15-year-old student brought a bomb to Jackson County Comprehensive High School, but was eventually talked down by Sheriff Stan Evans. Pepe Cummings, president of the chamber, was under pressure from state development officials and eventually resigned. May Commerce officials seized $91,350 in cash from a traffic stop on 1-85, construction of the new Commerce High School was pushed back to 2008, and former county manager Crandall Jones accepted a $350,000 severance package. The second soil runoff and silt suit in regard to EJCHS was set tled, grading started on the new Ingles store in Commerce, and a ceremony was held to mark the opening of Steve Reynolds Industrial Parkway. After Cummings’ resignation, the chamber decided to restruc ture and hire both a new president and a vice president for econom ic development. Keep Jackson County Beautiful opened news paper and magazine recycling bins at the Lanier Tech campus. The Environmental Protection Division implemented a level two set of restrictions in response to the drought. Officials of BJC Medical Center asked Banks and Jackson counties to fund a $37 million new hospital on land donated by Chatham Holding Co. June Commerce was in the hunt for a Korean tire manufacturing company at the Commerce 1-85 Business Park and city officials expressed their support for the BJC Hospital proposal. Officials began to inquire as to why SPLOST revenues have fallen, and due to a lack of water in the Middle Oconee River, pump ing from the river into the Bear Creek Reservoir ceased. WJJC Radio celebrated its 50th anniversary, the first City to City Farmer’s Market took place, the downtown celebration of the City Lights Festival drew a huge crowd, Spencer Park was dedi cated and Nicholson celebrated its centennial. July The Census Bureau reported that Jefferson, as of July 30, 2006, had become the biggest State, county and city officials celebrate the completion — and opening — of Steve Reynolds Industrial Parkway in May. 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FREE Samsung SCH-U410 Fn» ivilh Mail-in Retraile fxi n&v ?-ygai a^raefnanf f h - .- S39-99 and up" VGACannota Capatta SpoaJofir FTitifKS (Z Wavyator town in the county, and Chris Bray began the renovation of a South Broad Street building for an upstairs apartment and two commercial spaces. County offi cials discovered that TDAC owed $341,000 in 2006 school taxes because it had never been billed. Commerce police seized another $120,000 off 1-85. August East Jackson Comprehensive High School opened. Rob Jordan, James Dumas and Craig Fischer purchased WJJC Radio and announced a talk radio format, school enrollment was up 449 in Jackson County and 26 in Commerce, and the area was under an intense heat wave, with temperatures hitting the 100-degree mark. Commerce announced plans to cut its prop erty taxes .61 mills. County officials began work ing on another economic development road bond proj ect, Nicholson decided not to start a police department and Steve Perry announced that he would not seek re-election to the Commerce Board of Education. Nicholson buried a time capsule in connection with its centen nial and District Attorney Tim Madison was indicted in Banks County on eight felony theft counts after a state investigation spurred by a series of articles in The Jackson Herald by Publisher Mike Buffington. Jackson County narrowed its manager search to five individu als, but had to start over when it was unable to hire any of them. Qualifying opened for Commerce’s city elections. September Commerce High School’s SAT scores came in — down 73 points from last year and well below the state average. U-Save-It Pharmacies, Dublin, announced plans to buy Commerce Drug Co. The chamber hired Shane Short as president, Jackson County went to level four of drought-related water restrictions FREE FREE Motorola W385 I K-.' wi!M INSTANT FEB ATE on new 2-year agreement rale plans 539.9ft and up" VGA Camrts Bluetooth Capote Chaperone Parenl/CNJd Got It Now VI Navigator CtipaWo LGVX 8350 Free wiin Mv-m Retests on nieiv 3-yfW nqrFwnfjni fiilo i&via £39.3(3 and up' 1.3 Mogapixa OitfiiM! Hlutdloolfi Capable Oiiuiefcne Pamnl/Criild V Cast Muse J1 Video Cepabip V7. N£v»gHlQr C^pshta and Jefferson’s reservoir ran dry. Officials began to specu late as to when the Bear Creek Reservoir would go dry, and the EPD ordered a total ban on most outdoor uses of water. October A water analysis of Jackson County identified 13 potential reservoir sites. Faced with angry citizens, the county commission ers pared back a property tax rate to last year’s levels. Jackson County eliminated all water use exemptions, The Pottery announced plans to close Nov. 12 and Commerce Primary School won a Platinum Award for improvements in CRCT scores. November Incumbents easily swept chal lengers in the Commerce elec tions, Jackson County eliminat ed all water usage exemptions. Roper held a banquet to mark its 150th anniversary, local offi cials held a “drought emergency exercise" with a scenario that the area got no rain into May and the board of commissioners hired former Stephens County manager Darrell Hampton as the new county manager. Rain filled the Commerce reservoir. December Three groups filed applications for a new FM radio frequency to be allocated to the Commerce area. The Harmony Grove Foundation donated $75,000 to the Commerce Public Fibrary building fund. Jackson County announced that it will end the year $552,000 in the red and the Commerce City Council voted down a motion to slash liquor- by-the-drink license fees by 80 percent. Jackson County contin ues to pursue a water connection with Gainesville and the cham ber hired Gerry Nechvatal as its vice president for economic development. NEED PRINTING? CALL 706-367-5233