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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: news@mainstreetnews.com ma rk@ma i n streetnews. com brandon@mainstreetnews.com 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.