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SEE PAGE IB Tigers Find Instant Karma For 2nd Win SEE PAGE 11A Citizens' Group Mulls Options For New CHS Design Vol. 133 No. 9 28 Pages 3 Sections Wednesday APRIL 16, 2008 mainstreetnews.com 50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875 Saturday Is Clean-Up Day In Jackson Jackson County residents are asked to help clean up the county this Saturday. Keep Jackson County Beautiful will try to get the lit ter picked up along each of its highways “adopted” under its Adopt-A-Road program. Not only does Susan Trepagnier, executive director of Keep Jackson County Beautiful, expect to get some 30-plus miles of “adopted” roads cleaned, but she’s also hoping to get other sites de-littered. A number of organizations have adopted roads, but any one who wants to remove litter from a road, or anywhere else, is encouraged to get involved. ‘There is still time for sug gestions from anyone who knows of a road that needs to be cleaned,” she said. “If we could get everybody out on the roads and clean them up, it would be the perfect thing to do.” “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.” For information or to vol unteer, call Trepagnier at 706-708-7198. THURSDAY FRIDAY The Commerce Board of Education (foreground) listens as Bill Sims, chairman cerns over the plans and the construction of the new Commerce High School. The of the Commerce High School Council, addresses the board about citizen con- board agreed to respond in writing to the concerns. Photo by Brandon Reed BOE Agrees To Respond To CHS Concerns By Brandon Reed While the Commerce Board of Education voted Monday night to take citizens’ con cerns into account in the building of the new high school, it did not vote to delay the project. With approximately 110 people in atten dance, the board heard from Bill Sims, chairman of the Commerce High School Advisory Committee, who brought con cerns from the committee and other citi zens over the new construction. “The citizens, parents and alumni of this community have raised questions per taining to the construction of the new Commerce High School,” Sims said. “The group wants to work with the school board and bring into the process many of the tal ented people of our community and state, which are resources that can be utilized to create a functional education facility that students, parents and citizens can be proud of.” Sims said the council and community feel that they were left out of the process, and that opening up the process would help answer and clarify concerns. Sims said several concerns had been raised, including a lack in confidence in the architectural firm, which includes its -►Group seeks halt to building until consensus reached. PAGE 11A alleged inability to provide details on how $1.5 million could be saved by building the school in one phase. Sims said the group proposes building the academic structure first, possibly as a two-story structure that incorporates natu ral lighting and that saves land for future growth. He said the group also would like to see the auditorium built as a stand-alone structure that would be able to be utilized by the community. The group also would like to see the track built at the high school, rather than adjacent to the middle school as the current plan proposes. “We’re asking the board to delay construc tion of the school in order to consider the concerns of the community, and provide an opportunity to be involved in this important and major building project,” Sims said. Board member Bill Davis made a motion to ask the group to state in writing a priority list of its concerns, and proposed resolu tions, to be delivered to the school superin tendent within 15 days. Davis said the board will attempt to respond to the concerns by Please Turn to Page 11A Mostly sunny: Partly cloudy: Low, 48; high, 77; Low, 49; high, 77; 10% chance rain 20% chance rain SATURDAY SUNDAY Thunderstorms: Partly cloudy: Low, 47; high, 70; Low, 51; high, 78; 60% chance rain 10% chance rain Reservoir Levels Commerce: 698.4 (.8 feet above full) Bear Creek: 695 (full) Rainfall this month 2.75 inches Rainfall This Year 17.65 Inches INDEX Births 9A Church News 8A Classified Ads l-4C Calendar 3A Crime News 7A News Roundup 2A Obituaries 5B Opinions 4A School News 8-9B Sports I-4B Social News 9-l OA CONTACT US Phone: 706-335-2927 FAX: 706-387-5435 E-mail: news@ma i n streetnews. com mark@mainstreetnews.com brandon@mainstreetnews.com teresa@ma i n streetnews. com Mail: P.O. Box 459, Commerce, GA, 30529 'Friday After 5' Events To Draw Crowds To Park Hoping to bring people into the downtown, the Commerce Downtown Development Authority will offer four free family events Friday evenings this spring. “Fridays After 5” events will include two free movies and two free concerts, reports Hasco Craver, the DDA’s executive director. The series is funded by a Georgia Council for the Arts’ Grassroots Arts Program grant. The first event is Friday, April 25, when the DDA will show Jerry Seinfeld’s G-rated “The Bee Movie,” starting at dusk. It’s a 2007 animated comedy in which recent college graduate bee Barry B. Benson faces his career, meets humans, learns that humans “steal” honey from bees — and moves to stop this “injustice.” However, preceding the movie, the city government will have a display of its various pieces of equipment as part of a Georgia Cities Week promotion spon sored by the Georgia Municipal Association. “They want to raise the aware ness of the services the city offers and to educate the cit izens about how government works,” said Craver. On Friday, May 9, and Friday, May 23, the DDA will host concerts at 6:00 in the park. Concessions will be available. “We plan to have some food vendors from local restaurants,” said Craver. “People can also bring a picnic and eat at the park.” Craver said the bands will be announced later. “We’re looking for bluegrass or folk music,” he said, “for an intimate, very low-key evening. Bring a lawn chair, sit in the park and listen to the music.” The bands will perform from the gazebo. The final event is Friday, June 6, when the G-rated movie “Surf’s Up” will be shown. It’s a action- comedy behind-the-scenes look at the annual Penguin World Surfing Championship featur ing Shia FaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel and Jon Heder. “These should be great family events,” Craver said. “The mov ies, and the concerts inbetween, would be great date events for husbands and wives or boy friends and girlfriends. Come enjoy dinner in the park and music.” Mayor Charles L. “Buzzie” Hardy Jr. shows to Commerce. It was one of many items dis members of the city council an artist’s render- cussed as the city government held its bien- ing of a potential “gateway sign” for entrances nial retreat at Smithgall Woods last weekend. Retreat Gives City Council Chance To Brainstorm About The Future It was a time for thinking big and throwing out ideas. The Commerce City Council spent last weekend at Smithgall Woods near Cleveland try ing to plot a course of action for the next two to five years. A new city park off Waterworks Road, a second public safety complex near Interstate 85, increased support of the chamber’s economic development effort, an overhaul of the zoning ordinance, control of blight, increases to employees’ retirement ben efits and city water and sewer rates and improve ments to an oxidation pond were all tossed onto the table for discussion as potential projects. Walt McBride of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia had the participants, including all elected officials plus City Manager Clarence Bryant, Finance Director Steve McKown and City Clerk Shirley Willis, “vote” on a list of topics selected by the participants to deter mine their level of importance to the group as a whole. Of most importance, the results indicated, were recreation facilities and programs, growth, eco nomic development, community facilities, retire- Please Turn to Page 6A