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™ News Region Roundup American Legion To Meet April 9 To Elect Officers American Legion Post 93 will meet Wednesday, April 9, at 7 p.m. at the Stan Hodsdon Realty Office, 1215 South Elm Street in Commerce. All members are urged to attend as officers will be elected. IDA Reduces Price For Land In Industrial Park A Jefferson company may be get ting a bargain for land to expand its operation. The Jackson County Industrial Development Authority agreed Friday to offer a price of $15,000 an acre in the Central Jackson Industrial Park to World Technology Ingredients Inc. (WTI). The previous asking price for the estimated 10-11 acre property was $20,000 an acre, according to IDA chairman Scott Martin. Martin acknowledged that while the new asking price is “slightly below’' market value for the area, the particular parcel has a “chal lenging’’ topography. WTI has a 46,000 square-foot facility at the Central Jackson Industrial Park, located off U.S. Hwy. 129, between MLK Avenue and Galilee Church Road. The company is slated to add a second building. WTI provides the food process ing industry with functional ingre dients and new technology, accord ing to the company’s website. WTI had initially asked the author ity — which owns the property — to make some improvements to the site before making a deal, Martin said. The improvements included some grubbing and grading of the property. John Buchanan said water and sewer lines would also have to be relocated on the property. He favored the proposal to offer a bet ter price for the land to WTI. Jefferson was recently awarded a grant to help improve road access to the Central Jackson Industrial Park. Martin said he hoped that WTI’s commitment to expand its operation would be the “catalyst’’ for Jefferson moving forward with the road improvements. Kennel Case To Be Subject Of Hearing In April JEFFERSON - A hearing on whether or not some 300 dogs from a Nicholson kennel will be confiscated and released for adop tion is slated for later this month. A forfeiture hearing has been set for 2 p.m. Thursday, April 17, before Judge David Motes in the Jackson County courthouse on the case. In February, more than 300 puppies were removed from a Nicholson kennel following the arrests of the owners after allega tions of abuse and neglect. The kennel license has been revoked by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and state officials said the owners would likely never be allowed to operate a kennel again because of the condition of the dogs. David Gunter, an attorney rep resenting the state department of agriculture, said at a board of com missioners meeting in March that the kennel owners could be facing up to $1 million in fines. He said the investigation is continuing by the state into the civil case. He said it would be up to the district attor ney to pursue any criminal charges. District attorney Rick Bridgeman was contacted Monday about the case but he has not responded. Kennel owners and operators, Marie, Jennifer and Ronnie Hughes and Brandy Stone, were all charged with misdemeanor and federal ani mal cruelty charges. At the March Jackson County BOC meeting, a report was given on the condition of the puppies found at the kennel. It said the animals were found with broken bones, open sores, skin conditions, dehydration, mainour ishment, severe dental issues and high para site levels. DOT Announces Traffic Shift On Jefferson Bypass Traffic is expected to shift this week on the widening project of U.S. Hwy. 129, from the Jefferson bypass to S.R. 330 in Jackson County, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. Weather permitting, traffic will be split and start using one lane on each side of the median from S.R 330 to New Kings Bridge Road. From New Kings Bridge Road to Potter House Road, traffic will be routed to the northbound lanes while work is completed in the southbound lanes. “Please slow down as everyone gets used to the traffic shift. It will be different for everyone and you need to slow down and do what the signs and barrels direct you to do,’’ DOT district engineer Russell McMurry said. The completion date for the proj ect is June 30, 2008, and its con struction cost is over $21 million. Planners Deny Re-zoning For Planned Warehouse The Jackson County Planning Commission denied a zoning request Thursday night that would have allowed a warehouse in a rural zone. The rezoning request was made by Sondra Davis for 3.42 acres to be rezoned from residential growth to industrial workplace at the inter section of Highway 82 and Apple Valley Road. Davis applied for the change to build a warehouse on the prop erty. According to Davis, the ware house would be used for storing computer games and associated materials. Davis said she operated a similar warehouse in Chicago and would like to operate one in Jackson County. Davis insisted that the area was going to change due to its proximity to the interstate. Several residents in the area spoke in opposition to the change. Patricia Stephens and Wesley Leach expressed concern about the traffic a warehouse would bring to the area. Davis said that the business would not generate enough traf fic to impact the normal traffic flow. Commission member John Gaissert asked about how many trucks a day would be expected at the warehouse. Davis said that once the warehouse was filled, the only time multiple trucks would be in and out would be to move product out. Planning board member Don Seagraves made a motion to fol low the staff recommendation to deny the change based on the rural location and proximity to a danger ous intersection. The commission voted unanimously to deny the rezoning request. The matter will next come before the Jackson County Board of Commissioners at its next monthly meeting April 21 for final action. Board To Hold First Meeting In New Location The Jackson County Board of Education will hold its first meeting in its new location this month. The board will meet in room B-16 at the Gordon Street Center, located in downtown Jefferson, Monday, April 14, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be a joint work session and regular meeting. Spring break for the county school system will be April 7-11, when the BOE would have held its work session meeting Thursday, April 10. The Jackson County BOE holds its work sessions the Thursday prior to the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. Regular meetings are held at 6 p.m. the second Monday of each month. All meetings are open to the public. Free Speech And Hearing Clinics Offered At UGA The University of Georgia Speech and Hearing Clinic will provide free speech and hearing clinics for adults and children ages 3 and up from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 18. The clinic will be held at 593 Aderhold Hall and is in recogni tion of May as “Better Hearing and Speech Month’’ and “International Noise Awareness Day.’’ Call 706-542-4598 for an appoint ment. Man Faces Arson Charge For Setting His Shoes On Fire DANIELSVILLE - A Commerce man was charged with arson last week after he allegedly set fire to a pair of shoes in his bedroom. David Lamar Gee, 39, 190 Seagraves Short Road, was charged with one count of first degree arson. According to the incident report, Gee’s roommate told deputies that he was sleeping in his bedroom, David Gee set fire to a pair of shoes in his (Gee’s) bedroom, which then caught the carpet on fire. The roommate said he woke up to “a house full of smoke’’ and that Gee was not inside the residence. He located the fire and managed to put it out before it could spread out of the room. The roommate stated that he and Gee had been arguing the day before because Gee had not been taking his medicine. Gee was located in the yard of the residence next door, arrested and transported to jail. CLASSIFIED ADS 36,000 READERS S10 PER WEEK 706-335-2927 • 706-367-5233 MasterCard • VISA Save $3 by placing ads online at classified@mainstreetnews.coin NOTICE TO PUBLIC HAIL DAMAGE Due to Hail Damage on March 15, 2008 Wayne Neal Chevrolet is being forced to drop their prices by thousands of dollars off factory invoice price. One hundred fifty seven new and pre-owned cars, trucks and vans have been damaged and must be sold under sticker price. In addition Wayne Neal Chevrolet customers are still eligible for special financing and rebate offers. Shop 24/7 online at wayneneal.com. 123 S. Elm Street, Commerce, GA (706)335-3196 2 REVOLUTION