Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
SEE PAGE 5A
Tigers To
Host 13th
Offensive Camp
County Residents To Get Watering Relief
SEE PAGE 3A
Amateur Radio Field Day Coming Up
Vol. 133
No. 18
26 Pages
3 Sections
Wednesday
JUNE 18, 2008
mainstreetnews.com
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Farmers' Market
Starts Saturday
At Spencer Park
The 2008 City to City
Farmers’ Market opens
Saturday morning at 7:00. It’ll
be in the trackside parking lot
in front of Spencer Park on
South Elm Street in downtown
Commerce.
The official hours are 7:00
to 11, but last year’s experi
ence suggests that shoppers
intent on buying fresh squash
or beans should be there early.
‘The earlier the better,” con
firms Hasco Craver, execu
tive director of the Downtown
Development Authority, which
along with the Jefferson Better
Hometown program, sponsors
the market, which alternates
Saturdays between Commerce
and Jefferson. “The hours are
from 7:00 to 11:00, but your best
chance for purchasing some
thing is between 7:00 and 9:00.”
As this is the opening
Saturday, Craver is not sure
what to expect.”
“It’s hard to predict exact
ly what will be there the first
weekend,” he said. “I expect at
least five to seven vendors, but
it’s still early in the season, so
the corn and other things peo
ple may be hunting may not be
there in the first week.”
Craver said some vendors
he’d talked to expected to have
tomatoes, squash and possibly
corn available Saturday.
Historic House Demolished
The Pittman House, located on Homer
Road on property being developed for a new
Walgreens, was demolished last week. There
had been some expectation that the house
would be moved, but that plan fell through,
resulting in its demolition, although some
parts were reportedly saved. Four other build
ings were also destroyed to make room for
the Walgreens.
Photo by Mark Beardsley
Will Third Time Be A Charm
For Walgreens' Sign Request?
Company Seeks SO Percent More Space Than Allowed In Ordinance
i i: n :i
THURSDAY FRIDAY
:■
Sunny: Isolated T-storms:
Low, 63; high, 83; Low, 64; high, 87;
10% chance rain 30% chance rain
SATURDAY SUNDAY
Scattered T-storms: Scattered T-storms:
Low, 64; high, 79; Low, 66; high, 88;
30% chance rain 30% chance rain
Reservoir Levels
Commerce: 697.8 (.2 feet above full)
Bear Creek: 695 (full)
Rainfall this month
1.95 inches
Rainfall This Year
23.05 Inches
INDEX
Church News 10A
Classified Ads 1-6C
Calendar 3A
Crime News 6-7A
Library News 8B
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 9A
Opinions 4A
School News. . . 3B & 6B
Sports 1-2B
CONTACT US
Phone: 706-335-2927
FAX: 70G3 87-5435
E-mail:
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ma rk@ma i n streetnews. com
brandon@mainstreetnews.com
teresa@mainstreetnews.com
Mail: P.O. Box 459,
Commerce, GA, 30529
Walgreens will make a third stab
at getting a larger-than-allowed
sign for its new Commerce store
Monday night.
The Commerce Planning
Commission will hear company
officials argue for a 36-square-
foot sign — 50 percent larger
than allowed under the city sign
ordinance — at 7:00 p.m. in the
Peach Room of the Commerce
Civic Center.
The planning commission
makes recommendations to the
Commerce City Council on zon
ing and land use issues.
Walgreens first applied for an
80-square foot monument sign
plus an automated letterboard
sign. When the planning com
mission rejected that, Walgreens
came back in April with a pro
posal for a 24-square-foot pole
sign and a letterboard sign of
equal size. The planning commis
sion rejected that as well.
The latest proposal includes a
monument sign comprising 36
square feet, including the letter-
board sign, according to David
Zellner, planning director.
Also on the agenda for Monday
night are:
• a conditional use permit
request by the Commerce Church
of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day
Saints, so the church can build
an addition to its Mount Olive
Road facility.
• a request for a variance in the
rear setback from Nelson Nix
for his 115 Clayton Street prop
erty. Nix intends to replace an
old storage building and needs
a four-foot variance in the rear
setback.
•discussion of an amendment
to the zoning ordinance to define
“recycling station” and to allow
for “recycling centers.”
Any action taken Monday will
be in the form of a recommenda
tion to the city council, which
would take the final action at
its July 14 meeting at 6:30 p.m.
in the Commerce Room of the
Commerce Civic Center.
Still Some Farming Left In Jackson
Jackson County may be the 10th fastest
growing county in America, but there’s still
some real agriculture taking place — particu
larly here on the east side. Darrell Williamson
had a crew harvesting more than 400 acres
of winter wheat off Hwy. 334 last Friday. First,
the combine (not pictured) went over the field
harvesting the grain, after which the crew cut,
baled and picked up the wheat straw. In fact,
the straw, a byproduct of the operation, fetch
es more in the market than the wheat itself.
Photo by Mark Beardsley
BJC Surgeon
Resigns A Day
Before Suit Filed
Dr. Keith Ash's Resignation Costs Hospital
One Of Its Top Revenue Sources
The general surgeon at BJC
Hospital in Commerce announced
his resignation and closed his
office Monday.
The following day four former
patients filed suit against him and
BJC Medical Center over alleged
malpractice.
Dr. Keith Ash’s resignation
leaves the medical center without
one of its primary profit centers
and has it scrambling to replace
the services he’s provided for four
years.
“He announced it Monday. It
was a personal decision, and I’m
sure it wasn’t an easy decision for
him,” said Jim Yarborough, CEO
of the medical center.
Ash did not return a telephone
call seeking comment.
Yarborough indicated that Ash
wants to relocate within a group
rather than serving as a sole prac
titioner.
“He’s performed thousands of
procedures and operated here
24/7,” Yarborough noted.
Ash joined the hospital in March
2004, and his surgical trade has
repeatedly been credited with
helping the hospital turn its finan
cial situation into the black. His
departure has the hospital scram
bling to find replacements.
“We’re doing everything we
can to find alternative services,”
Yarborough said.
They include a gastroenterolo
gist in the specialty clinic, a radi
ologist and other doctors who can
Dr. Keith Ash
joined the hospital
staff in 2004. The
revenue generat
ed by his surger
ies is credited
with helping BJC
turn its finances
around.
perform some of the procedures
that Ash handled.
“We are also trying to find a
general surgeon who would be
willing to come in two or three
days a week in a clinical setting
and do surgeries at the hospital,”
Yarborough said. “We would like
to find a general surgeon who
would be associated with other
general surgeons in our region, so
they can take some time off.”
Yarborough had nothing but
praise for Ash.
“During his four-plus years as
an active member of our medical
staff, Dr. Ash has performed thou
sands of surgical procedures and
has gained the confidence and
respect of many patients, families,
BJCMC hospital staff, BJCMC
medical staff and the overall com
munity in general,” Yarborough
wrote in an e-mail to hospital
staff. “Dr. Ash has been providing
24-hour, seven-day-a-week cover
age during his tenure as our ‘solo’
surgeon with minimal time off and
Please Turn to Page 3A
Vote Clears Way
For Bana Road Work
By Angela Gary
Road projects in Commerce
and Braselton will move forward
following action Monday night
by the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners to approve agree
ments with developers.
The BOC approved develop
ment agreements Commerce
Land Holdings and Braselton
Ventures.
The agreement with Commerce
Land Holdings is for the Bana
Road project in East Jackson. The
developer agrees to donate 15
acres of right of way.
Construction of the road is
scheduled for this fall. The project
will add 2.7 miles of three-lane
roadway to the “1-85 parallel net
work” connecting State Route 98
(Maysville Road) and State Route
82 Spur, along with opening up
over 425 acres for potential indus
trial development.
The agreement with Braselton
Ventures is for the Zion Church
Road project in West Jackson.
The agreement outlines the dona
tion of four acres by the devel
oper.
The county will realign Zion
Church Road from State Route
124 at the intersection of Josh
Pirkle Road North/ State Route 53
to the new location.
The project is funded through
economic development road
bonds approved by the com
missioners. It is currently in the
design and right of way acquisi
tion phase, and construction is
slated to begin in the summer of
2009.
Nicholson Schedules Hearings
On Proposed '08-'09 Budget
The city of Nicholson will hold
its hearings on the proposed 2008-
2009 budget at the Nicholson
Community Center, 175 Lakeview
Drive, Nicholson, July 1, at 9:00
a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and July 7 at
6:30 p.m.
The city council’s work session
for July has been cancelled. The
council will hold its regular coun
cil meeting Monday, July 7, at
7:00 p.m.