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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