The Commerce news. (Commerce, Ga.) 1???-current, June 18, 2008, Image 5

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The Commerce news., June 18, 2008, Image 5

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Newspaper Page TextTHE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. TUNE 18, 2008 - PAGE 5A DDA Awards Two Facade Grants The Downtown Development Authority awarded a pair of facade grants last week to Paul Kinetra (left photo) for the renovation of the old Wood-Johnson Furniture Co. building on North Broad Street; and to Ronnie Jones, (right photo), owner of Stonewall’s BBQ on South Broad Street. Pictured presenting the checks are representatives of the local banks that donated the money for the grant program. They include Debbie Williams, United Community Bank; Janice Minish, Freedom Bank; Brad Johnson, Northeast Georgia Bank; Darleen Brown, Athens First Bank & Trust; Tina Ervin and Amanda Dean, First Georgia Bank; Larry Cole, First Commerce Bank; and Jud Trapnell, Community Bank & Trust. Jackson Seeks $294,000 For Reservoir Study Should Jackson County dip into its reserves to fund a $300,000 study aimed at selecting a site for a new reservoir? That’s the question the commis sioners will mull, but they’ve got to make a quick decision. The county’s water engineers say $294,400 is the cost of the next phase of a water resources study, one result of which would be an application for state grant funds to help build the reservoir. With the application deadline of Aug. 29, time’s a-wasting. In a joint meeting of the com missioners and the water and sewerage authority Thursday night, Prime Engineering’s Rob MacPherson went over the scope of the project. The work will have to be done if the county builds a reservoir, MacPherson noted, but authorizing it quickly gives the county a shot at some of the $40 million set aside by a drought conscious General Assembly. The water authority would like to proceed, but with its finances crippled by restricted water sales, it has no money. Authorizing Prime to proceed is no guarantee it can put together a successful application by Aug. 29. “But I’ll tell you this,” MacPherson said. “If you don’t apply for it, you get nothing’’ Board of Commissioners Chairman Pat Bell appeared to support the project, but insisted that the authority and the BOC form an advisory committee simi lar to one established to select road priorities. In the initial stage of the pro cess, Prime analyzed existing water supplies and their potential for expansion, calculated growth rates and future demand, identi fied 13 potential sites for possible reservoirs and narrowed the field to three. The next phase is to do a full analysis to determine which of the three is best suited to pro vide a drinking water reservoir — and what its cost will be. “We’d have to tap into our reserves,’’ said District 2 Commissioner Jody Thompson, who also speculated that fund ing the study might “be the best money we could spend.’’ Concerned about the level of debt the county currently has, Thompson suggested that the commissioners may want to re visit its current road bond issue to find the funding. The county recently authorized more than $40 million in debt to build roads it believes will hasten economic development. The idea is that taxes from that development and the increases the roads cause in property values will more than cover the bond payments. Water Relief Is Ahead For Authority's Customers County Bum Building To Cost $5.3 Million Commissioners Sign The Contract By Angela Gary Jackson County will spend $5.3 million to build a fire train ing facility. The board of commission ers approved a contract of that amount with New South Construction to serve as the construction manager Monday night. Firemen from across the county attended the BOC meet ing but none spoke. The board’s vote on the contract was unani mous. The project is being funded with special purpose local option sales tax revenue. The public safety training complex will be on a 20-acre site on the county farm complex in Jefferson. It will include a burn tower, fire station and training classrooms. The facility will also house the JCCI Fire Brigade. Chairman Pat Bell questioned the cost of operating the facility. Commissioner Tom Crow said there should not be any addi tional operating cost. ‘The fire station that is exist ing on the hill (the correctional institute) is already under the budget and they will be moved to that location,’’ Crow said. ‘There should not be any chang es to their cost of operation. The cost of operation of the new station should be the same as the old station ... There may be some increase in the cost of utilities because of the increase in the size of the building.’’ Commissioner Bruce Yates questioned the $800,000 cost for a practice area at the train ing facility. Crow said a large area is needed because of the size and weight of the newer trucks. Deadline For City Lights Festival Vendors Extended The deadline for vendors for the June 28 City Fights Downtown Festival has been extended to 5:00 Friday afternoon. “We have about 35 vendors, counting food,’’ said Hasco Craver, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, which sponsors the event. “Because of the volume of calls and emails over the past two days, the Commerce DDA is going to extend the ven dor application period through the end of this week.’’ To get an application, contact Craver at 706-335-2954. Customers of the Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority will soon be able to — Claire Gaus Cont. from Page 4A world. Shakespeare in his play "Hamlet" had Polonius give this advise to his son: "This above all: to thine own self be true. "And it must follow as the night the day, "Thou canst not then be false to any man." Polonius was, of course, expecting his son to be true to his exemplary self, and not his unprincipled self. The question posed, as every one's own was, "What will be said about me when I die?" After examining our own situ ations and selves for clues as to what might be said, just fill in the blanks of the statement for a personal analysis. "This was a person." In addition, ask yourselves, might any sur vivor say, "I hate to speak ill to the dead, but..." All things considered, my personal wish is to allow my survivors fodder to speak some ill about me, but only a little, please. Forgive. Claire Gaus is a retired educator and volunteers in the community in a number of capacities. She lives in Commerce. water their yards and wash their cars one day a week. When that one day arrives depends upon the last digit of a resident’s address, which means people living at addresses end ing in zero or one may only water their yards or wash their cars from midnight to 10 a.m. Mondays. Call it the luck of the draw. For addresses ending in two and three, it’s Tuesday; four and five, Wednesday; six and seven, Thursday; and eight and nine, Friday. Saturdays and Sundays remain dry. Go play golf. The authority, as of press time, still awaited its offi cial written notification from the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) granting its request to go to the new level 4-A. It has been assured that the letter is in the mail. The scheduling of those days spread throughout the week was decided by the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority so as to even out the usage and put less strain on water systems and upon the Bear Creek Reservoir, from which the authority pur chases its water. The Jackson County authority would have preferred to allow more frequent use of outdoor water, noted Chairman Hunter Bicknell, but was afraid the EPD would reject the request for higher usage. “We didn’t want to go to level 4-C (three days a week) or 4-B (two days a week) because we thought we’d be asking for too much,’’ he said at last Thursday’s meeting. “Also, if we have a bad On average, drivers who switched to Allstate saved $338 a year. Call me today. JOEL A HARBIN. CIC (706) 387-5030 38 SYCAMORE ST JEFFERSON JoelHarbin@allstate.com Allstate You’re in good hands. Based on information reported by 5,291 new customers who purchased directly from an Allstate Customer Information Center. Actual savings will vary Insurance offered only with select companies and subject to availability and qualifications Allstate Insurance Company and Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company: Northbrook. IL. © 2007 Allstate Insurance Company. The Commerce News Get the local school, church, sports and other community news delivered to your home each week! Just clip the coupon below to begin saving today over the newstand price! Name Address City State Zip Subscription rates for The Commerce News are asfollozvs: $19.75 per year for Jackson and adjoining counties; $17.75 per year for senior citizens in Jackson and adjoining counties; $38.85 per year for delivery elsewhere in Georgia; $36.85 per year for delivery elsewhere in Georgia with senior citizen discount; $44.50 per year for delivery out of Georgia; $42.50 per year for delivery out of Georgia with senior citizen discount; $42.20 per year for the military with APO address. Enclosed is my check for $ or IU MC or □ visa # Expiration MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. 33 Lee Street, P. O. Box 908 Jefferson, GA 30549 Phone 706-367-5233 Fax: 706-367-8056 Website: www. mainstreetnews. com year with the drought, it would be harder to go back (to more restrictive uses).’’ hike water providers through out North Georgia, the Jackson County authority is suffering financially from the drought. Curtailed water use means reduced sales, which translates into lower revenue, while all the fixed costs from opera tions to debt retirement must be paid. Cable Barrier Project Under Way Work was scheduled to begin this week on the long-awaited cable barrier project on Interstate 85. The safety project, designed to stop crossover accidents in which vehicles traveling in one direction cross the median and run head- on into vehicles traveling the opposite direction, will run from State Route 20 in Gwinnett County to the Franklin County line. Multiple strands of steel cable are placed to direct out-of-control vehicles away from the opposite lanes. In some areas, conventional guard rails will also be installed. No lanes will be closed for the work, which is due to be com pleted by April 30, 2009, and will cost $6.5 million. Is Your Bank’s CD Rate Falling Short of Your American Dream ? AN K? f c,eorRia — Declare Your Independence. Whether it’s home, business ownership, or early retirement, your dream can be a reality with the right bank partnership. We are a true community bank committed to service and your success. Achieve financial independence with our special CD rate, available for a limited time only. COMMERCE 3165 Maysville Rd. 706.423.2500 HOMER 185 Oak St. 706.677.5250 JEFFERSON 1057 Winder Hwy. 706.367.4300 WINDER 20 W. May St. 770.867.8737 www.freedombankga.com Member FDIC ♦Annual Percentage Yield. Rate is subject to change without notice and may be withdrawn at anytime. 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