Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
Tigers Win
Second At
Area Tourney
SEE PAGE 6 A
16-Year-Old 'Bomber' Sentenced
SEE PAGE 5A
Fired Development Director Responds
Vol. 133
No. 1
26 Pages
3 Sections
Wednesday
FEBRUARY 20, 2008
mainstreetnews.com
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Companies
Looking At
East Jackson
Industrial Park
A Korean manufacturing com
pany and a Gainesville poultry
company are two potential
tenants of the East Jackson
Industrial Park, according to
The Norton Agency.
The JacksonCounty Industrial
Development Authority got an
update from Matt McCord, a
commercial realtor for Norton,
who is marketing the remain
ing empty lots in the facility for
the IDA
Most of McCord’s report
dealt with the networking
efforts, publications, web sites
and other marketing efforts
being utilized to spread the
word about those lots, and
the vacant land in the Central
Jackson Industrial Park.
“Have you gotten any hits
since you’ve listed the prop
erty?’’ asked IDA member Jon
Milford.
“Yes, we keep a list of every
one who’s called in,’’ McCord
responded.
One prospect, who he did
not identify, is “very interest
ed,’’ McCord said, but wanted
12 acres on the side where
the IDA has but eight to offer.
Some 24 acres remain to be
sold in the park altogether.
The Korean company, he said,
is currently in Flowery Branch
and “they’re looking for a deal,’’
while the Gainesville firm is
looking at five sites.
“Your property is competitive
Please Turn to Page 5A
INDEX
Births
10A
Church News
3B
Classified Ads
1-6C
Calendar . . .
3A
Crime News .
7-8A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries. . .
9A
Opinions. . . .
4A
School News.
7-8 B
Sports
1-3B
Social News .
. . . 10-1 1A
WEATHER OUTLOOK
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
C ' : ^W
Few Showers:
Rain:
Low, 41; high, 49;
Low, 40; high, 54;
30% chance rain
70% chance rain
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
HL
Partly cloudy: Partly cloudy:
Low, 36; high, 60; Low, 37; high, 61;
10% chance rain 10% chance rain
Reservoir Levels
Commerce: 698.7 (1.1 feet above full)
Bear Creek: 695 (full)
Rainfall this month
.9 inches
CONTACT US
Phone: 706-335-2927
FAX: 706387-5435
E-mail:
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ma rk@ma i n streetnews. com
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teresa@mainstreetnews.com
Mail: P.O. Box 459,
Commerce, GA 30529
Jackson Eases Water
Restrictions Just Slightly
You Still Can't Water Your
Yard Or Wash Your Own Car
Go-o-o-o Tigers
Commerce High School cheerleader Hillary Wilson helps get
the crowd fired up for last Wednesday’s 8-A playoff game at
Prince Avenue Christian School. The Tigers didn’t fare so well,
falling 51-24 to Social Circle, bringing the 2007-08 season to a
close.
State Of The City:
Commerce In 'Pretty
Good Shape' — Bryant
Commerce is “in pretty good
shape,’’ City Manager Clarence
Bryant reported to the Commerce
Business Association last week.
Bryant filled in for Mayor
Charles L. Hardy Jr„ who could
not give a “state of the city’’
address to the CABA because of
a scheduling conflict.
Bryant, who was hired in
1990, pointed out that as of
last Wednesday, the city had 92
employees — exactly the number
it had when he came to town.
“I don’t know many towns where
you can go 17 years and have
the same number of employees,’’
Bryant boasted. And, he added,
they’re good employees.
“Our staff is as good as you’ll
find in a community of 25,000
or less in Georgia,’’ he declared.
“We’ve assembled a good staff,
and it makes my job a lot easier.’’
Financially, the city manager
reported that the city has a total
of $5 million in cash on hand,
which he noted is “a lot better
than the $10,300 it had when I
came here.’’
Even that level, he said, is lower
than it has been, mainly because
of the money the city has spent
“to put a lot of stuff in the ground
and in the air (utility infrastruc
ture) that citizens don’t know
about.’’
Recent investments include $12
million in water and sewerage
work, $5 in gas system improve
ments or expansions and a total
rebuild of the city’s electrical sys
tem. Those expenditures, Bryant
said, prepare the city to expe
rience economic growth along
Interstate 85, which he predicted
will be “the lifeblood of the city
for the next 25 years.’’
Please Turn to Page 5A
By Kerri Testement
The Jackson County Water and
Sewerage Authority has lifted its
ban of some restricted outdoor
water uses — a move seen to help
the construction industry and
other businesses.
The authority agreed last
week to reinstate the commer
cial exemptions to the Fevel 4
drought restrictions — which
prohibited all outdoor watering,
except for some activities.
Those exemptions included
car washes, newly-installed land
scapes for 30 days after installa
tion, retail garden centers, power
washing and construction sites.
In October, the authority
removed the exemptions from
the Fevel 4 drought restrictions,
when Jackson County’s main
source of water — the Bear Creek
DOTTo
Resurface
2 City Streets
The Department of
Transportation plans to resur
face two-thirds of a mile of
Commerce streets during this
fiscal year. Of course, it still
has not resurfaced the streets
that were approved for resur
facing last fiscal year.
City Manager Clarence
Bryant told the city coun
cil last week that the DOT
has announced it will resur
face Fakeview Drive from
Commerce High School
to Minish Drive, and Neal
Street from Shankle Road to
McArthur.
‘They still haven’t paved last
year’s three streets,’’ Bryant
pointed out. He said the DOT
plans to do that work this
April.
The 2006-07 work includes
parts of Georgia Avenue,
Harmony Street, Barber
Street and Williford Street.
The work is being funded
through the Focal Assistance
Road Program (FARP) of the
DOT.
Reservoir — began to dramati
cally dip.
And with recent rain filling the
505-acre reservoir, the author
ity said it’s time to remove those
exemptions.
Chairman Hunter Bicknell said
the move will help the agency sell
more water, but still keep a close
eye on the reservoir and change
its restrictions, if needed.
Without selling some water
from the full reservoir, the water
would be sent downstream —
which authority members said
would be lost revenue.
“As long as we can keep the
reservoir full, we should sell as
much as these folks need,’’ said
authority member Alex Bryan.
JCWSA manager Eric Klerk
said other governments using
the Bear Creek Reservoir have
Commerce’s reservoir is at its
highest level in months follow
ing showers Sunday night.
“We’re at 698.7. That’s 1.1 feet
above full,” said Bryan Harbin,
the city’s director of water and
sewer operations.
Sunday’s showers delivered
1.09 inches of rain at the city
water plant on the shore of the
reservoir, Harbin said. About .95
inches fell in town.
Fast fall, the city modified its
outlet structure at the lake to
essentially raise the “full pool”
designation by a foot, increasing
storage capacity significantly.
Winter rains have since filled
the reservoir even beyond that
level.
Meanwhile, the Georgia
Environmental Protection
Division has officially
announced the lessening of
restrictions on the use of out
door water. That order allows
water systems to lessen their
restrictions. To date, Commerce
a similar sentiment — sell water
while it’s available, but still keep a
close eye on water levels. Barrow,
Oconee and Athens-Clarke coun
ties also tap into the reservoir.
The authority may also follow
a plan recently announced by
Gov. Sonny Perdue to ease some
residential outdoor watering limi
tations.
Perdue’s plan would allow
outdoor hand-watering of land
scapes for 25 minutes a day
on an odd-even schedule for
addresses, from midnight to 10
p.m. The plan would also permit
the watering of new, profession
ally-installed landscape for three
days a week. Those wishing to
water their new, professionally-
installed landscape would also
have to register online with the
Urban Agricultural Council.
However, those governments
in the 61-county Fevel 4 drought
response area would still have
Please Turn to Page 3A
has taken no action. The Jackson
County Water and Sewerage
Authority (see separate story)
has restored the exemptions to
the level four restrictions.
Harbin said the city had
been awaiting specific informa
tion after Gov. Sonny Perdue
announced the lessening of
restrictions.
“I just stumbled across it (the
EPD statement) this week,” said
Harbin. “The order from the EPD
has an electric signature. I guess
we were supposed to know we
were to go to the web site to get
the information.”
Citizens can go to gaepd.org,
then click on “water use informa
tion” to see not only the state
ments from the governor and
from Carol Couch, director of
the EPD, but also a list of fre
quently-asked questions about
water usage.
According to Harbin, the EPD
Please Turn to Page 3A
City Reservoir Now
A Foot Over 'Full'
Winder attorney John Stell, right, tries to convince the Jackson
County Board of Commissioners that the re-zoning is warranted,
but the commissioners voted unanimously to deny the request
made by developer Tim Brooks, left. Photo by Angela Gary
Commissioners Reject Commercial
Rezoning Request For Center Site
By Angela Gary
The Jackson County Board
of Commissioners voted unani
mously Monday night to deny a
rezoning request for a commer
cial development in Center.
Tim Brooks and Randall Kersey
asked the commissioners to
rezone 16 acres on Hwy. 441
South from A-2 to HRC for the
project. Plans called for locating a
restaurant, retail shopping center
and office warehouse on the site.
Among the concerns listed by
the commissioners were the lack
of a sewerage system in the area
and the number of nearby resi
dences.
Attorney John Stell presented
the request of behalf of the devel
opers and pointed out that the
property fronts the portion of
Hwy. 441 that is being developed
as commercial.
“There is no evidence that it can
not be done as we have designed
it,” he said. “... We feel this zoning
is appropriate.”
Brooks said that he has addressed
concerns related to the project.
“I’ve addressed the layout,
topography and overall use of the
property,” he said.
Several people spoke in oppo
sition to the request, including
Terry Archer, who said that he
owns a poultry farm 1,000 yards
across the road from the prop
erty.
“There is no sewer system in
the area,” he said. “Streams run
through the property. The water
is already contaminated ... The
streams that go through it run into
Sandy Creek.”
Jessie Martin also said he is
concerned about the sewage situ
ation.
“A lot of us people around there
depend on well water,” he said.
Other Zoning
In other zoning matters, the
BOC:
• approved a request from
Francis Jessup to rezone 280
acres on 585 Jarrett Road from
A-l and A-2 to H-I to meet the
current code.
•learned that Kenneth Miller
had asked that his request to
rezone two acres at 5765 Jackson
Trail Road from A-2 to R-l for a
two-lot split be postponed.