Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
Eagles Win
Their First
Baseball Game
Former DA Gets 6-Year Sentence — Page 2A
Flu Slams Local Hospitals — Page 5A
2 Days Set Aside For Clean-Ups — Page 6A
Vol. 133
No. 3
24 Pages
3 Sections
Wednesday
MARCH 5, 2008
mainstreetnews.com
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
It's 'Spring
Forward' To
Daylight Saving
Time On Sunday
If you plan to show up on
time at church — or anywhere
else Sunday morning — don’t
forget that Daylight Saving
Time (DST) begins Sunday
morning at 2:00.
To have the right time when
you arise, advance all clocks,
watches and other timepieces
(VCRs, DVD players, conven
tional and microwave ovens,
automatic coffeemakers, etc.)
forward by one hour before
going to bed Saturday night.
The most notable result of
changing to DST is that the
sun will appear to both rise
and set one hour later, suppos
edly helping Americans con
serve energy.
Daylight Saving Time will
last until Sunday, Nov. 2, at
which time the nation will
revert to standard time. In the
European Union, DST runs
from March 30 to Oct. 26
INDEX
Births
10A
Church News
3B
Classified Ads
1-4C
Calendar . . .
3A
Crime News .
7-8A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries. . .
9A
Opinions. . . .
4-5A
School News.
6-7B
Sports
1-4B
Social News .
. . . 10-1 1A
WEATHER OUTLOOK
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
1 i
Mostly sunny:
Few showers:
Low, 43; high, 69;
Low, 32; high, 59;
10% chance rain
30% chance rain
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
/ %
* « -- J "
w
Mostly sunny:
Sunny:
Low, 28; high, 47;
Low, 34; high, 59;
20% chance rain
10% chance rain
Reservoir Levels
Commerce: 698.5 (.9 feet above full)
Bear Creek: 695 (full)
Rainfall this month
0 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
Family To Donate $150,000 To library
Donation Of Dr. Neel
Will Put Library Within
$75,000 Of Its Goal
The Commerce City Council is expect
ed to approve an agreement Monday
night under which a local physician and
his family will donate $150,000 to the
Commerce Public Library’s building
fund.
In return, the children’s library in the
facility would be known as the “Neelagaru
Family Children’s Library,” with signage
inside and out noting the designation.
Cardiologist Dr. Narasimulo Neelagaru
— known locally as “Dr. Neel” — has
been talking to the Commerce Library
Board for months about a donation that
will bring the board very close to the
$583,000 local match it needs to apply to
the state for money in next year’s budget.
The library plans a $2 million expansion
that would add 5,000 square feet to the
South Broad Street building. The agree
ment will be finalized Monday night by
the city council, which meets at 6:30 in
the Commerce Room of the Commerce
Civic Center.
The fund drive to date has brought
in cash or pledges of approximately
$358,000 — not counting Dr. Neel’s offer,
said Susan Harper, director of the library,
who could hardly contain herself in
regard to the donation.
“To me, it feels like a knight in shining
armor has just appeared out of the for
est,” she said. “It’s a wonderful thing. This
is a rescue, and it’s incredibly generous.”
The donation is contingent upon the
library being able to get the entire sum
needed to apply to the state, and failure
to win state funding would result in the
library returning the grant.
The donation would put the library
within $75,000 of its goal, with all of
the money being raised locally, Harper
notes.
The hope is that with its local fund
ing lined up, Commerce can success
fully apply during the state’s next fiscal
year budget for the rest of the money.
The city has acquired a couple of lots
adjacent to the library to facilitate the
expansion.
Celebrity Photo Shoot
University of Georgia mascot Hairy Dawg, right, came to
Commerce Friday afternoon to have his photo made with
Lewis Sanders, left. Actually, both Sanders and Dawg were at
Commerce Drugs’ grand re-opening ceremony to celebrate its
acquisition by U Save It Pharmacy.
Council Meets Monday At 6:30
Council Struggling With
Wilson's Annexation Request
The Commerce Planning
Commission recommended that
the city council deny it, but at
Monday night’s work session, the
Commerce City Council seemed
anxious to grant Councilman
Donald Wilson’s zoning and
annexation request.
Wilson wants to annex .489
acres containing two houses on
Westview Drive and have them
zoned R-l. They’re A-2 in Jackson
County.
Because there is no way to
rezone the lot in such a manner
as to make it conform to the city’s
zoning ordinance, the planning
commission recommended that
the request be denied.
The council reached no con
sensus at the work session, but
it is expected to rule on the mat
ter at 6:30 Monday night at the
Commerce Civic Center.
Councilman Bob Sosebee, a real
estate agent, argued for annex
ing the property and zoning it
R-3 or OCR (Office-Commercial-
Residential). The problem is that
the lot size is smaller than both of
those zoning districts.
“I’d put R-3 on the whole row (of
houses),” offered City Manager
Clarence Bryant.
“What kind of options do we
have?” asked Mayor Charles L.
Hardy Jr.
Wilson made reference to
“being misinformed” and having
spent $250, which he indicated
he would lose if the houses were
not annexed and rezoned. He
proposed that the council “take
one of them instead of me losing
$250.”
The houses are rental property.
Council members threw out
various scenarios, from moving
the property line over slightly
to getting variances on lot size
or setbacks, but finally accepted
Sosebee’s advise to “think about
it” before Monday’s meeting.
Also on the agenda for Monday
night’s meeting are:
• acceptance of a $5,001 bid on
the 50 by 200 lot off Maysville
Road that was formerly used as
an electrical substation. Roy Beck
was the only bidder.
• approval of a new brush, leaf
and limb service ordinance to
be effective in 60 days. The ordi
nance will require residents to
put leaves in paper bags and puts
more strict requirements on how
yard wastes must be handled.
•action on a new schedule of
fees for the city pool. Rates for
individuals would go up 50 per
cent, with children paying $1.50
and adults $3. Rental rates will be
tiered from $120 to $160 based
on the number of people. The
rates for swim team participants
go from $60 for residents to $70;
and from $70 for non-residents
to $90.
Army Wants Recruiting Office In Downtown
The U.S. Army would like to
establish a presence in downtown
Commerce.
Don’t expect Humvees with
50-millimeter machine guns or
armored personnel carriers, but
Uncle Sam Wants You — if you’re
young, qualified and at all inter
ested in serving in the Army.
Hasco Craver, executive director
of the Downtown Development
Authority, reported to the DDA
last week that the Army wants to
open a recruitment office in the
downtown.
“They’re looking at Billy Allen’s
building, formerly Code 4, on
North Elm Street,” said Craver,
who pointed out that the Army
would make a steady tenant.
“As long as they’re recruiting
folks, they’ll be here forever,” he
observed.
The DDA also touched on other
potential businesses coming to the
downtown, including two restau
rants — Laura’s Family Restaurant
and Stonewalls BBQ on South
Broad Street, and a new gift shop
— Peyton’s Place — due to open
March 15, featuring linens and
embroidery, also on South Broad.
There is also a potential tenant
for the old Harper’s Building on
North Elm Street.
Craver also reported that
Emergency Billing, which moved
out of the old Humphrey Building
across Pine Street from the U.S.
Post Office, has relocated its 14
employees in the State Street
building that previously housed
Louise’s Beauty College.
Please Turn to Page 3A
DDA Says Thanks To Volunteers
The Commerce Downtown Development Authority honored its volunteers last with DDA members and members of DDA volunteer committees, turned out for
Friday with a noon luncheon at the Commerce Civic Center. Approximately 75 the event.
people instrumental in the completion of the Spencer Park Renovation, along Photo by April Reese Sorrow