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THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. APRIL 9, 2008 - PAGE 5A
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Group Invites School Board, City Council,
Citizens To Discuss New High School Plan
Editor:
When I moved my fam
ily to Commerce eight years
ago, I was excited to find a
public school with children
from families of all walks of
life. People with the resources
to do so were not uniformly
placing their children in pri
vate schools. As we attended
our first CHS Booster Raffle,
we watched in amazement as
people paid $700 for a foot
ball that was signed by a high
school team. This year at the
Primary School Fall Festival,
a group of volunteers raised
$11,000 one quarter at a time.
This is a great testament to the
commitment of our commu
nity to the schools.
Over the last few weeks, I
have talked to numerous peo
ple and read your coverage of
the unveiling of the proposed
new high school. The Board of
Education has put in a tremen
dous amount of time develop
ing this project and I appreci
ate its dedication. However,
except for a few presentations
and a meeting with an "advi
sory panel" early in the plan
ning, there has been very little
public input. Two weeks ago,
the BOE presented the new
school to our community and
a number of parents voiced
their concerns. Unfortunately,
most people left the meeting
unsatisfied with the response
of the board and unimpressed
with its architect. Somehow,
the board has come away with
the impression that the ongo
ing debate in our town is about
the destruction of a gymna
sium. The debate, in fact, is
a much broader one. This is
about hearing and responding
to the concerns of people.
The Commerce BOE is made
up of a group of good people.
I know that they want the best
for our kids. Unfortunately,
they have failed to understand
the value of solidifying pub
lic support for this project.
I think that we can all agree
that our city needs a new high
school, and that our commu
nity is very excited about it.
With this much passion, sure
ly the BOE did not think that
a boxed presentation would
simply be swallowed up and
accepted without some ques
tions.
The public presentation of
a true rendering should have
been made six months ago to
allow adequate time for public
input. After the initial meeting
with the advisory panel of citi
zens, the group should have
been shown several proposals
by the architect with modi
fications that addressed their
concerns. A town hall meeting
would have brought the ren
derings to the public.
So many questions are cir
culating now. Seeing frustra
tions on both sides, I proposed
a meeting of a small group
of citizens (including some
who have not been involved
in the debate) with some BOE
members. The response was
that the BOE had given people
an opportunity to speak and
that they did not think that
it would be necessary to have
any further discussion. This is
unfortunate. I think that we
all have a common goal — to
build the best school possible
and advance the education of
our children.
We have the opportunity to
improve the working relation
ship between the BOE and the
Commerce City Council. We
have parents now interested
in a track, a larger perform
ing arts center, light-filled aca
demic spaces, energy saving
"green" qualities and a facil
ity that allows easy expansion.
If we seize this opportunity
to capitalize on the current
passion for our schools, we
can come together as a com
munity to spend our SPLOST
funds wisely.
Last Saturday a group met
and formed People Excited
About Commerce Education
(P.E.A.C.E.). Our group is com
mitted to working through the
current controversy and sell
ing the new CHS project to the
community. We are meeting
at the First Baptist Church of
Commerce Family Fellowship
Center Sunday, April 13, at
3 p.m. Everyone is invited
to attend, to review the plan
that has been proposed by the
BOE and to discuss alternative
options. We hope to generate
interest from parents, teachers,
students, the city council and
anyone who loves Commerce
High School. We want to
formally invite the board of
education to join us in this
discussion and to temporar
ily suspend plans for start
ing construction next month.
We may ultimately choose the
BOE's current plan in the end.
However, the public must first
be shown objectively why the
BOE chose this plan and why
it feels that there are no other
viable options.
I am confident that with
a healthy discussion and an
adequate response from the
BOE, we can all move forward
with pride and solidarity. I
also know that if the com
munity buys into this project,
we can accomplish anything.
Look around and you will
see public-private partner
ships at work all over the
town. Spencer Park's renova
tion, Kiwanis' funded play
grounds at the elementary
school, Toyota's donation of
vans to the Boys and Girls
Club and the recent efforts to
raise $500,000 for the library
are excellent examples. Our
community wants the best
high school that can be built,
and if the BOE is willing to
listen and convey its financial
needs, Commerce can unite
and succeed in this effort.
Sincerely,
J. Clark Hill III MD
Commerce
— What Would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Think Of Things Today?
Cont. from Page 4A
to his belief in the success of
non-violence.
Some might say Dr. King is
frozen in time, but I would
say rather that he's beyond
time. On the night before his
death, he said, "Like anybody,
I would like to live a long life.
Longevity has its place."
That place is nothing,
though, compared with the
brief, fierce blaze of the genu
ine hero he was then and
remains today.
Hasco Craver is executive direc
tor of the Commerce Downtown
Development Authority and
Main Street manager. He lives
in Commerce.
Maysville Approves Variance For Dollar General
By Justin Poole
Maysville is getting a Dollar
General store.
The Maysville City Council
approved a variance request
Monday which will allow the
store to build on the lot next to
the Golden Pantry.
Before the city council made
the final decision, the town plan
ning and zoning commission met
briefly to discuss the variance
request. The following condi
tions were added to the variance:
the structure must have a brick
facade, a sidewalk that is compat
ible with the current city plans
must be included, the street can
not be blocked by delivery trucks
and a wooden privacy fence must
be built in the rear.
Other Business
In other business at Monday’s
meeting, the city council:
• approved a rate increase from
$2,500 to $3,050 to EMI for water
and wastewater systems services.
• asked for detailed reports from
the last six months from the water
and wastewater departments.
• approved a proposal for prep
aration of the 2007 Consumer
Confidence report at a cost of
$800.
•approved the purchase of a
computer for the water depart
ment costing $1,631.
•voted to pay $4,844 from
SPLOST funds to the Jaeger
Company for the Streetscape
Project.
• voted to plant grass and plant
ers with flowers along the pro
posed new sidewalks.
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Jody Thompson Announces
Plans To Seek Re-Election
Jody Thompson,
who repre
sents District 2
on the Jackson
County Board of
Commissioners, has
announced that he
will seek a second
term in office.
Thompson, a
Commerce native,
and his wife, Brandy,
have two children,
Natalie, 7 and John Aubrey,
3. His parents are Nelson and
Barbara Thompson, who are
also natives of Jackson County.
He is a graduate of Jackson
County Comprehensive High
School and a certified county
commissioner from the Carl
Vinson Institute of Government.
Thompson is also a graduate of
the Jackson County Chamber of
Commerce Leadership Jackson
Program and the Association
of County Commissioners of
Georgia’s Leadership Academy.
He is enrolled at Lanier Technical
College in Commerce pursuing
a degree in management.
Thompson is a member of
the chamber of commerce
and Commerce Area
Business Association.
He has been employed
by the Seiko Company
for two years as its store
manager in the Tanger
Outlet mall. There he
has won numerous ser
vice and sales awards
including “Store of
the Year’’ and “Rookie
Manager of the Year.’’
Thompson is also a
musician and martial artist. He
practices Aikido at the Aikido of
Commerce dojo.
In a second term as a com
missioner, Thompson said his
goals include completing a
new animal shelter, the paral
lel road system and the forma
tion of an International Business
Committee to better serve the
international industries which
have invested in Jackson County.
Thompson said he feels the
county is on the right track but
still needs to keep a close con
trol on spending and land use.
Thompson can be reached by
e-mail at electjody@gmail.com
or at jthompson@jacksoncoun-
tygov.com.
Jody Thompson
Judicial Candidate To Visit Commerce
Piedmont Superior
Court Judge
Candidate Currie
Mingledorff will par
ticipate in a “meet
and greet’’ event
beginning at 5:30
p.m. Thursday. The
drop-in style event
will take place at the
Commerce Civic
Center, 110 State
Street, and conclude
at 7:30 p.m.
“Even though I am originally
from Athens and have lived and
practiced law in Winder for the
past 20 years, Jackson County
has had a major part to play in
my life,’’ Mingledorff said.
Mingledorff and his wife,
ViAnn, have unique long-time
connections with Jackson
County. ViAnn’s father, the
late Doyle Johnson, operated
a dairy farm on Highway 334
during the late 1970s and early
1980s. Mingledorff milked cows
on the farm for two years to pay
for his undergraduate educa
tion before becoming engaged
to ViAnn. The two have
been married for nearly
26 years.
The Mingledorffs also
became friends with the
late Dr. Joe Griffeth, who
delivered five of their
children at BJC Hospital
in Commerce.
Mingledorff is run
ning for the seat being
vacated by retiring Judge
Robert Adamson. He has
practiced law for more
than 20 years, and once served
as county attorney for Barrow
County.
Mingledorff is a former district
chairman for the Yargo District
of the Boy Scouts of America.
He is also a past president of The
Tree House, a nonprofit organi
zation supporting families and
serving abused children in the
Piedmont Judicial Circuit.
For more information about
Currie Mingledorff and his
campaign for Superior Court
Judge serving Banks, Barrow
and Jackson counties, visit www.
CurrieForJudge.com.
Currie
Mingledorff
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