Newspaper Page Text
? egion Roundup
County Schools
Increasing Art,
Music, PE Classes
JEFFERSON - Jackson County
elementary school students will
have the opportunity to expand
their artistic and musical abilities,
and their physical activity next
school year.
The Jackson County Board of
Education approved a budget
plan Monday that will increase
classroom instruction of art,
music and physical education
(RE.), starting next school year.
Kindergarten students will
potentially benefit the most from
the move — art, music and RE.
haven’t been offered to those
students for an estimated eight
years. Recess, however, has been
available to kindergartners.
The changes will allow kinder
gartners to have 30 minutes of art
and RE. each, and 40 minutes of
music a week.
The move will also allow first
through fifth grade students in
all elementary schools to have
equitable access to art, music
and RE.
“It is critically important that
the students have access to these
areas," said April Howard, assis
tant superintendent for teaching
and learning.
Principals from Jackson
County’s seven elementary
schools asked the board to
approve a plan that would include
hiring six new teachers to pro
vide additional art, music and P.E.
instruction. The plan also includes
Gum Springs Elementary School,
which will open next school year
in West Jackson.
The plan calls for the six new
teachers to share teaching duties
among the elementary schools.
It’s a tight schedule that will
require some of the teachers to
teach at more than one school a
day.
'This is very conservative," Jane
Scales, principal of Maysville
Elementary School, told the
board of the initial plan.
Adding art, music and P.E. class
es to Jackson County elementary
schools may cost an estimated
$300,000 to $350,000 a year,
according to BOE chairperson
Kathy Wilbanks.
“I really think the community
wants kids exposed to that — art,
music and P.E.," Wilbanks said.
Sarah Greene, director of person
nel for the county school system,
asked to board to move forward
with the proposal now to begin
hiring the best-qualified teachers.
Other area school systems have
begun hiring new teachers for
next school year, she added.
Braselton Father
And Son Killed
In Head-On Wreck
A Braselton father and son
were killed in a head-on collision
in Cobb County Sunday night,
according to Marietta police.
Rodney James Godfrey, 47,
and his son, Eric James Godfrey,
17, were killed when their 1995
Ford Taurus was struck by a 1999
Mercury Villager traveling the
wrong way on the Canton Road
Connector, according to police.
The driver of the mini-van,
Nicasio Rodrigo Vicente-
Hernandez, 29, of Kennesaw, was
also killed in the incident.
Marietta police said Vicente-
Hernandez was fleeing another
minor traffic accident when he
drove in the wrong direction of
travel on the road, striking the
Taurus.
Also injured in the accident
were Mary Clare Godfrey, 51, and
a 12-year-old son. Mary Godfrey
was reportedly slated to undergo
surgery this week.
Eric Godfrey was a sopho
more at Jackson County
Comprehensive High School. He
was “very well liked, a very popu
lar student" who was extremely
involved in the school’s fine arts
and band programs, according to
principal Todd McGhee.
“(He) was a very talented musi
cian," McGhee said.
Eric Godfrey, a saxophone play
er, had recently performed with
the Georgia All-State Band.
“It’s a devastating loss for our
school community," McGhee
said.
JCCHS offered additional coun
selors Monday to allow students
to deal with the emotional loss,
he said.
Rodney Godfrey was also
involved in the school, McGhee
said. Mr. Godfrey was a leader
of the JCCHS band booster club
and remained “very involved," he
added.
As of press time, funeral arrange
ments had not been announced.
DOT Announces
Promotion Of
Banks Co. Man
GAINESVILLE - Department
of Transportation district engi
neer Russell McMurry announc
es the appointment of Cliff Hill
as assistant district maintenance
engineer for the 21 counties in
Northeast Georgia that make up
DOT District One.
Hill has worked with DOT since
1978. He began his career as a
temporary maintenance worker
and his entire career has been in
the Maintenance Division. He has
served as an equipment opera
tor, highway maintenance fore
man and most recently as district
asphalt maintenance manager.
Hill will help supervise over 370
employees and manage an annual
budget of over $14 million. His
responsibilities are for the general
maintenance and resurfacing of
over 2,350 miles of state routes
and interstates in District One.
“Cliff knows the state routes and
interstates of Northeast Georgia
so well; he’s been working on
them for 30 years. His strong
work ethic, knowledge and skills
make him the right choice for
this job. Cliff is an asset to DOT
and the state of Georgia," said
McMurry.
Hill is a native of Banks County.
He and his wife Kathy have a son,
Trae.
Group Faces
Obstacles In
Getting Water
Residents of two South Jackson
roads may have a long wait before
they get county water, but at least
they won’t have to haul water
quite so far.
In response to a plea for water
lines on an unpaved road with
no known right of way, residents
of Williams and Norman roads
will get a stop-gap “water station"
installed where they’ll have access
to county water.
The water station is contingent
upon someone signing a contract
assuming responsibility for the
monthly water bills.
Meanwhile, the residents will
try to get a right of way — and
hopefully get their road paved —
to clear the way for the Jackson
County Water and Sewerage
Authority to consider installing
water lines.
Jewel Towe of Oakwood
addressed the authority, represent
ing her sister, Dorothy Dunbar,
who lives on Norman Road with
her disabled husband and whose
well ran dry six weeks ago. It was
not clear how many other resi
dents of the two roads face simi
lar situations, but 10 people from
the area attended the meeting.
According to Towe, the prob
lems are widespread, as all resi
dents of the two roads depend
upon wells, most of which are
bored.
“They have no other funds to go
and dig a new well," said Towe.
“We’re in your hands to do some
thing, to get water for these people."
The authority has a policy of not
installing lines along dirt roads,
so members advised the group to
go to the Jackson County Road
Department, offer rights of way,
and try to get the county to pave
the road. There was some sugges
tion that even without paving, the
authority might look favorably on
the request if rights of way are
obtained.
There are other obstacles. A
couple of the residents indicated
that a 60-foot right of way would
come virtually to their front steps.
In addition, at least one previous
attempt to gain a right of way
failed for that reason, and some
residents of the road — not those
at the meeting — have apparently
expressed initial opposition.
The authority warned that even
getting a right of way is no guar
antee that it will be able to run
water lines.
“That is not a start for us,"
observed Chairman Hunter
Bicknell. “That’s a start with the
county ... it all comes back to the
fact that this is an issue between
the residents and property own
ers on Williams and Norman
roads and the county."
That wasn’t what Towe wanted
to hear.
“It is very sad I have to come
up here and get disappointed,"
she said. “Now we’ve got another
problem we’ve got to face."
When she asked about the time
frame under which the residents
might expect water lines to be
installed, member Alex Bryan
responded, “Ma’am, I don’t
know."
An issue for the authority is
that if it makes an exception to its
policy of not running lines on dirt
roads, it can expect a multitude of
similar requests.
Providing water along the two
roads, which are located off
Crooked Creek Road, would cost
about $150,000, the authority’s
engineer estimates.
Manager Eric Klerk said the
water station could be installed in
a couple of days, once the permits
are in hand. It will be locked, but
residents will be provided keys to
allow access.
Jefferson Police
Shoot, Kill
Escaped Horse
Jefferson police officers shot
a horse March 8 after trying for
15 hours to capture the animal.
The decision was made to shoot
the horse because it was getting
in traffic and officers were con
cerned about the safety of motor
ists, according to a report on the
incident.
The horse was first spotted at
6 p.m. March 7 near Hwy. 129 at
1-85. It was “darting out into traffic,"
according to the incident report.
Several officers and others
called to the scene tried to rope
the horse, but were unsuccess
ful. The department of agriculture
was then called.
“Since the horse was endan
gering the lives of the citizens
of Jefferson by running out into
traffic on Hwy. 129 and with the
risk of the horse getting loose on
1-85 and possibly causing a traf
fic accident that could result in a
motorist losing their life, he (the
department of agriculture repre
sentative), stated that we could
put the horse down," the incident
report reads.
Attempts were made to contact
local veterinarians for the use of
a tranquilizer gun, but no one was
available. Several attempts were
also made to contact the owner,
but that was also unsuccessful.
On March 9, a Hickory Hills
Drive woman reported a missing
horse. An officer told her that
the horse had been shot after 15
hours of trying to catch it.
The woman said she was the
third owner of the horse “because
no one could keep the horse con
tained in a fence."
Benton's Bill For
Senior Citizens' Tax
Break Passes House
State Rep. Tommy Benton’s
legislation to increase the
school tax exemption for senior
citizens passed the House of
Representatives Tuesday.
The legislation calls for doubling
the homestead school tax exemp
tion for those over the age of
62 from $10,000 to $20,000. For
homeowners over age 65, Benton
the exemption would go from
$30,000 to $50,000. The latter
exemption has an earned income
limit of $18,000 per year.
The proposed increase in
exemptions only affects school
taxes and would not affect gen
eral county property taxes. It will
impact all three school systems.
KJCB Plans Pair
Of Clean-Up
Days In April
Jackson County residents are
asked to devote parts of two
Saturdays in April to getting rid
of trash and clutter.
Keep Jackson County Beautiful
will hold its electronics recycling,
paper shredding and paint recy
cling day Saturday, April 12, at the
county transfer station.
The following Saturday, April 19,
it will try to get the litter picked up
along each of its 29 miles of high
ways “adopted" under its Adopt-
A-Road program.
“I know, everything under the
sun is going on during those weeks
in April," noted Susan Trepagnier,
executive director of KJCB. “But
this is the time to do something to
make our county look better."
April 12
The annual electronics recycling
day will give individuals and busi
nesses a chance to dispose — for
free — of myriad electronics from
computers and computer compo
nents to old cellular telephones.
Old television sets may also be
recycled, but there will be a $10
charge per TV. All other items will
be taken for free.
Those items should be taken to
the county transfer station.
At the same time, businesses
and individuals can also take old
financial records to be shredded,
as a “shredder truck" will also be
on hand.
In addition, KJCB will accept up
to five cans of paint — acrylic or
latex — for recycling, along with
household batteries.
“We cannot accept automobile
batteries," Trepagnier pointed out.
Residents may also bring news
paper and office paper for recy
cling, along with magazines. Those
items can also be dropped at the
recycling bins at Lanier Technical
Institute, located on South Elm
Street in Commerce.
April 19
The following Saturday, April
19, will be devoted to cleaning up
the county’s roads. Not only does
Trepagnier expect to get the 29
miles of “adopted" roads cleaned,
but she’s also hoping to get other
sites de-littered.
“There is still time for sugges
tions from anyone who knows of
a road that needs to be cleaned,"
she said. “If we could get every
body out on the roads and clean
them up, it would be the perfect
thing to do."
Trepagnier says she plans to
contact area businesses to enlist
their help for the removal of litter
from U.S. highways 129 and U.S.
441, both of which she described
as “atrocious."
“We’ve got bags. We’ve got
gloves. If you need anything, give
me a call," she said. “Businesses
need to give me a call. It’s a
great time for them to get together
on one Saturday and clean up
around their businesses."
Anyone willing to help pick
up litter April 19 or who has a
suggestion of an area in need
of trash removal should contact
Trepagnier at 706-708-7198.
FOR INFORMATION
ABOUT
CANCER,
INFORMATION ON
SERVICES AND PROGRAMS,
CALL THE
AMERICAN CANCER
SOCIETY
24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A
WEEK
1-800-227-2345
OR ON THE INTERNET AT
WWW.CANCER.ORG
WE DELIVER!
All deliveries are Delivered and Dumped.
All products available in dump truck loads and tractor trailer loads.
473 Lee Street
Jefferson, GA
Open 6 days per week
LANDSCAPING SPECIALS!
Mulches & Bark
Red Dyed Mulch $25/scoop
Brown or Black Mulch $25/scoop
Double Ground Hd $25/scoop
Mini-N uggets $25/scoop
Cypress Mulch $28/scoop
Straw Matting for Slopes 71/2’xl20’
Reasonably Priced $40/Roll
Tractor Trailer Load discounts available
Delivery on 10 scoops or more free
up to 10 miles from lot,
then $1 per mile both ways thereafter
Straw
Wheat Straw/Mulch Hay $4/bale
Long Needle Pinestraw $3.25/bale
Delivery on 100 bales or more free
up to 10 miles from lot,
then $1 per mile both ways thereafter
Coastal Bermuda Feed Hay
(Great for cows and horses)
Square Bales $6/Bale
Mon. - Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 3 p.m.
March Special
1/2 sandwich, soup, chips, drink, dessert
__ Just $6.00 + tax
193 Pottery Factory Drive • Exit 149 at Banks Crossing
706-335-0717
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DID YOU KNOW?
By Preacher Clint
DID YOU KNOW THAT PALM
SUNDAY IS THE DAY THAT
JESUS RODE TRIUMPHAL
INTO JERUSALEM?
That day much of the people
“Cried Hosanna to the King.” (Jn.
12:13) But a few days later those
same people, Cried out “CRUCIFY
HIM.” (Mk. 13:13) When we
celebrate Easter and leave JESUS
Out, WE are saying with this
group of people “CRUCIFY HIM.”
Give us Satan the father of lies and
his world system. We deny the
Truth that GOD sent into the
world and accept the lies that
Satan says, “you are your own
god.” My dear friend, JESUS IS
“THE LAMB OF GOD.” Who freely
gave his life for our life, HE died
in my place, HIS Blood cleanses
from all sins. TRUTH OR LIES?
Send comments to
Clinton Sexton
116 Ashland Drive
Commerce, GA 30529