Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. MARCH 19, 2008 - PAGE 5A
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Writer Seeks Support
For Senior Center
Editor:
We are concerned that funds
may be cut to our Jackson
County Senior Center. We
cannot express enough how
important this program is to
our senior citizens.
Many seniors come to the
center, if they are able, and the
center provides a bus for those
unable to get to the center for a
morning of activity and a well-
balanced, nutritional meal.
Many of the seniors live alone
and this is their main contact
with the outside world. Shirley
Smith and her staff are abso
lutely wonderful and loving to
our seniors. They go the extra
mile to make this time spe
cial. They provide a service that
must be continued.
In addition to the senior cen
ter program, Mrs. Smith and
staff have organized volunteers
from all over Jackson County
to deliver Meals on Wheels to
homebound seniors. It is prob
ably the best meal they have
all day.
Not only are they getting a hot
nutritious meal, but they also
get a warm smile and words of
kindness from the volunteers.
An extra benefit for some of
the seniors is that they are
checked on every day. If some
thing does not seem right, the
volunteers notify Mrs. Smith,
and she will follow through
with what is needed or call
emergency help if needed.
We ask that our representa
tives and those who make deci
sions about block grants sup
port funding for this worthy
cause. And we thank you for
your help.
This letter is being circulated
for signatures at the First Baptist
Church of Commerce. If you
believe in the ministry being
done at the Senior Center and
Meals on Wheels, please write
your own letter, even pass it
around to be signed by others
who care.
Mrs. Smith is applying for a
block grant to help with fund
ing. She says letters will be very
helpful. Send them to Shirley
Smith, Jackson County Senior
Center, 151 General Jackson
Drive, Jefferson, GA, 30549.
Sincerely,
Genny Shirley,
On behalf of members and
Meals on Wheels volunteers
at the First Baptist Church of
Commerce
Speed Bumps Would Slow
Traffic On Minish Drive
Editor:
My grandson lives on Minish
Drive as do other children.
There is a speed limit sign and
a slow-children-at-play sign at
each end of the street. Every
day we sit on the porch and
watch people speeding up and
down this street. We have asked
the police department to come
down the street more often
because of this.
Some of the neighbors have
had their pets hit by speeding
cars. The city needs to put
speed bumps up and down this
street to help slow these cars
down. Is it going to take a child
getting run over before some
thing is done about this?
My grandson stands on the
porch and yells for the cars
to slow down every day, as do
some of the neighbors. Please,
please do something about this
before an innocent person gets
hurt. Other children walk home
from school on this street as
well as ride their bikes.
Emily Ray
Commerce
Cancer Survivors Invited
To ‘Celebrate Life’ Dinner
Editor:
Are you a cancer survivor? If
so, we are looking for you. We
want to invite you to be our
guest at our "Celebrate Life"
dinner at 5:30 p.m. Saturday,
April 5, at the Jefferson Civic
Center.
You and one caregiver are
invited to join us for food,
fun and fellowship as we fight
against cancer. We will celebrate
the many victories over cancer
and support those battling the
— Breaking In
Cont. from Page 4A
and show this trick to our
neighbors, who are not overly
impressed. We are the only ones
who think this trick is fantastic.
We have to remember, that as
with children, they are only as
cute as the parents think they
are.
Having a puppy is a lot of
work and responsibility. The
joys and rewards are endless
disease. Your attendance will
give others hope.
Dinner will be served compli
ments of Beef O'Brady's, with
desserts by local caterers.
Survivors are our reason to
relay, and we want to honor
you. For more information or
to RSVP that you are coming,
please call Gail Banks by April
1 at 706-367-9721.
Sincerely,
Sandra Fite
Jackson County Relay for Life
A New Puppy
as our daughters are learning
the importance of taking care
of a dog. We anticipate a lot of
happy times with Millie and we
look forward to the many years
we will have with her.
Tricia Massey is a stay-at-home
mom, a member of the Commerce
Downtown Development
Authority and chair of the
Commerce Public Library's capi
tal campaign committee.
Clarification On Letter To Editor
A letter to the editor in the March 5 edition regarding issues with
a "county fire department" warrants clarification. It was unclear
from the letter exactly what fire department was being discussed.
The letter was related to the Banks County Fire Department, not
the Commerce nor any other fire department in Jackson County.
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New Business Opens
Peyton’s Place, a new gift shop, opened Development Authority, city officials, mer-
Monday morning at 1704 South Broad chants and others gathered Monday morning
Street. Members of the Commerce Area to help Melissa Mooney (cuutting the ribbon)
Business Association, Commerce Downtown conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Consultant's Work Wins
Favor With Airport Authority
Any doubts the Jackson
County Airport authority might
have had about hiring Talbert &
Bright as its consultant are long
gone.
The authority, in a meeting
called last Wednesday (in part)
to approve $66,000 worth of
extra payment to the company,
fairly gushed with enthusiasm
for the firm.
Maybe it was because of the
first amendment to the compa
ny’s contract, which provided
for the payment of $59,815 for
extra work the company did on
design changes instrumental to
the authority winning a $1.6 mil
lion AirGeorgia grant last month.
The grant is crucial to funding
the airport’s major project, the
extension of its runway to 5,001
feet so corporate jets can land.
“I think that’s money well
spent,” said airport manager Bob
Stapleton.
Vice Chairman John Buchanan,
presiding in the absence of
Chairman Shannon Sell, agreed.
‘Talbert and Bright showed us
what they can do. They did a
really good job,” he said.
The authority hired Talbert &
Bright last year, jettisoning its
long-time consultant for a com
pany that, while highly regarded
in other states, has not done any
airport consulting in Georgia.
“I didn’t know them,” said
Stapleton, who came on after
the switch, “But they’re my favor
ite airport consultants now.”
The second amendment was
for additional environmental
work related to the same proj
ect, and will pay the company
$6,957.
The original design for
the expansion project, said
Stapleton, did not meet Federal
Aviation Administration require
ments. The change resulted in
more “stream mitigation” than
expected.
“We are very fortunate these
guys caught this,” Stapleton said.
“We could have gone through
(the expansion project) and
wound up with something the
FA A would not accept.”
The airport authority had pre
viously authorized the work for
which the contract was amend
ed. Both contracts are eligible for
95 percent reimbursements from
the FAA and another 2.5 percent
from the Georgia Department of
Transportation.
Stapleton gave credit to former
airport manager Robert Banks
“for bringing in these guys,”
referring to Talbert & Bright.
“Based on what I’ve seen since
I’ve been here, you did the right
thing in changing consultants,”
he added. “They really want to
do well in Georgia, so they’re
really going the extra mile for
us.”
“This is their showcase,” com
mented Buchanan.
In other business last
Wednesday, the authority voted
to hire THC Inc. at a cost of
$65,929 to help it acquire three
parcels totaling 62 acres.
That cost is also eligible for
reimbursement from the FAA
and DOT, although the timing of
the reimbursement is something
of a question.
The authority expects to meet
with the Board of Commissioners
soon over its 2009 budget
request and the interim funding
of projects, since there is no
guarantee that the FAA will bud
get all of the reimbursements in
its upcoming fiscal year.
The airport authority would
like to complete the following
projects during the upcoming
fiscal year:
•the construction of four new
T-hangars
• the construction of four com
mercial hangars
•the acquisition of the 62
acres for a Westside taxiway and
future hangar construction
•the updating of the automat
ic weather observation system
(AWOS)
•the construction of a ramp
and parking area for a new fuel
site
The total estimated cost of
those projects is approximately
$4 million, all of which will qual
ify for funding by the FAA and
the DOT under the 95 percent
and 2.5 percent reimbursement.
Member Don Lohmeier rec
ommended that the authority
be prepared for the possibility
that the commissioners, rather
than funding all of the author
ity’s projects, will “ask us to pri
oritize” those projects.
Stapleton proposed that the
projects that will improve the air
port’s cash flow get top priority.
Walgreens Wants A Variance
From City's Sign Ordinance
Yet another company wants
a variance from Commerce’s
sign ordinance.
Walgreens, which plans to
build a pharmacy at the inter
section of North Broad Street
and Homer Road, is asking for
an LED message board, reports
city planning director David
Zellner.
“You can have an LED mes
sage board, but just for time
and temperature,” Zellner
pointed out.
Apparently, Walgreens intends
to use its message board for
store promotions, Zellner said.
If history proves a prece
dent, the Commerce Planning
Commission will reject the
Walgreen’s request Monday
night, but the Commerce City
Council will approve it April 14.
That’s the path by which Ingles,
Carquest and the Common
Road Bakery were all able to
get variances.
The planning commission
meets Monday at 7:00 in the
Peach Room of the Commerce
Civic Center. Other items on
the agenda include:
•a request by Dr. Ali Kahn,
a dentist, to annex just over
10 acres on Steve Reynolds
Industrial Parkway and to
rezone it to C-2 (commercial)
to build a dentist’s office.
• a request from Michael
Scott, owner of Ashworth
Mobile Home Park, to bring in
mobile homes older than five
years for the Homer Road trail
er park. The city has an ordi
nance prohibiting the importa
tion of mobile homes that are
older than five years.
• The planners will again take
up an amendment to the zoning
ordinance dealing with acces
sory buildings. It had approved
an amendment last month, but
the city council objected to
some of the provisions and
asked the planning commission
to reconsider the ordinance.
•The group will discuss
changing the requirements for
the height of fences in front
yards.
Business Group
Seeks Items For
Welcome Baskets
The Commerce Area
Business Association wants
donations for “welcome bas
kets” to be presented to new
businesses.
President Brad Johnson
asked members last
Wednesday to come up with
items to stock the baskets.
Johnson also appealed to
members to provide prizes
for Saturday’s Easter egg
hunt, which will begin at
about 11:00 at the First Baptist
Church of Commerce, South
Elm Street.
The egg hunt features a vari
ety of candy treats, but also
hundreds of prize eggs, in
which children may find trin
kets — or cash or gift certifi
cates from local businesses.
“Just think about it in terms
of what you might be able to
do. It doesn’t have to be big,”
Johnson advised.
Dinner Theater?
Johnson also announced
that the group is considering
a new fund-raiser, a dinner
theater, to be held in the first
half of the year since CABA’s
calendar is heavier with late-
in-the-year activities.
Johnson said the CABA
board of directors hopes
to discuss the possibilities
with the Cold Sassy Players,
Commerce’s little theater
group.
In other business at the
group’s March 12 meeting,
treasurer Abby Lawler report
ed that the group has almost
$10,000 in the bank, with
$1,300 due in payables.
She also urged members to
help the group increase mem
bership from its current 38 to
45 members.
“If you know of any new
businesses coming in or any
one who is not a member,
invite them to one of our
lunches,” she urged.
The CABA meets on the
second Wednesday of
each month at noon at the
Commerce Civic Center.
Lunches are catered.
— County Water
Restrictions Eased
Cont. from Page 1A
used again to mix mortar.
In short, businesses that had
to find alternative sources of
water can now use Jackson
County water for operations.
The move comes after
Athens-Clarke, Jefferson
and Commerce took similar
action.
So, while it’s still illegal for
someone to wash his or her
own vehicle, there are no lon
ger any restrictions on com
mercial car washes.
“We are getting behind other
water systems in sales of
water,” observed Eric Klerk,
manager, in recommending
the loosening of restrictions.
The move also confirms for
JCWSA customers the recom
mendations of Gov. Sonny
Perdue, including the filling
and operating of swimming
pools, and the hand watering
of landscapes on an odd-even
schedule for up to 25 minutes
a day.
The change is effective
immediately.
But while the water restric
tions are loosened, the system
must still meet the governor’s
10 percent reduction in usage.
Fortunately, starting April 1,
that reduction will be based
on last year’s spring and sum
mer average daily water sales
instead of the winter sales
numbers, which are lower.
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