Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6A - THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. TUNE 25, 2008
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No Through Traffic
Work on the safety improvements at the intersection of Hwy.
15-A (Jefferson-Commerce Road) and Apple Valley Road are well
under way — and will keep the intersection closed for months.
Jackson County crews are realigning the state highway to
remove a curve and are changing the elevation. The plan calls
for turn lanes on Hwy. 15 as well. Meanwhile, motorists traveling
between Commerce and Jefferson should detour via Brockton
Road and Waterworks Road or by Hwy. 82 Spur and Woods
Bridge Road.
Planners Reject Walgreens Variance Request
By Mark Beardsley
For the second time, the
Commerce Planning Commission
will recommend that the city coun
cil hold Walgreens to the city’s
sign ordinance.
On a 3-1 vote Monday night,
the planners voted to recommend
denial of the company’s request
for a variance in the size of a
sign.
The Commerce City Council
will have the final say in the mat
ter at its July 14 meeting at 6:30
p.m. in the Commerce Room of
the Commerce Civic Center.
Walgreens sought permission for
43-square feet of signage. The city
ordinance allows 24 square feet.
That request was the third the
company put forth (the company
presented one proposal to the
city council) — all well above the
ordinance, and Chairman Greg
Perry appeared to be weary of the
requests.
He handed Doug McGee, one
of the site developers, a copy
of the city’s sign ordinance and
had him read highlighted sections
about height and size.
“Is there something you and
your company don’t understand
about 24 square feet?’’ he asked
when McGee finished.
“No sir, I understand it very well.
That’s why I’m asking for a vari
ance,’’ McGee responded.
“And why should you be entitled
to a variance?’’ Perry countered.
“We feel ... the 43 square feet is
not excessive,’’ McGee answered.
“It is smaller than our tenant
Walgreens typically has, which is
80 square feet, so they’re compro
mising to come down to some
thing smaller.’’
Perry was resolute.
“You’re asking for a larger mar
keting area, that’s the bottom line,’’
he said. “You want to jump on
CVS across the street. You want
a bigger sign, you want an LED
sign, you want a rolling sign. You
want to outadvertise them.’’
Perry’s brother, Steve, heads the
pharmacy department at CVS.
McGee pointed out that CVS
got a variance on the height of its
sign.
“We’re asking you for no more
or less than to consider our vari
ance,’’ he said.
Planner Joe Leffew supported
the Walgreens request, pointing
out that the store will be out
side the central business district.
CVS, just across the intersection,
is inside the central business dis
trict.
“In the commercial district out
side the central business district,
we know we need to work on
our sign ordinance,’’ said Leffew,
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referencing the Ingles sign and
the new sign for the Commerce
85 Industrial Park.
Leffew made a motion to recom
mend acceptance of the variance.
It died for lack of a second, after
which Perry made a motion to rec
ommend denial. Members Johnny
Eubanks and Ronnie Seabolt sup
ported that motion.
In other business, the planning
commission:
•voted to recommend a condi
tional use permit for the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints to build an addition to their
Mount Olive Road church.
• to grant an eight-foot variance
in the rear setback for Nelson
Nix, 115 Clayton Street, to replace
a dilapidated garage.
•approved an amendment to
the zoning ordinance to define
“recycling station’’ and “recycling
center’’ and to provide for their
locations. Recycling stations are
where materials are collected
and then shipped elsewhere for
processing, and will be consid
ered conditional uses in commer
cial and manufacturing zones.
Recycling centers are sites where
materials are processed. They
must be fully indoors and can
be conditional uses in manu
facturing districts. City Planner
David Zellner said a company
has made inquiries about placing
a recycling station in the vicinity
of Ingles.
library Director Laments
County Funding Shortfall
By Mark Beardsley
The director of the Piedmont
Regional Library thinks it’s time
for local county governments
to invest more heavily in their
public libraries.
Speaking to the Commerce
Kiwanis Club last week, Alan
Harkness pointed out that
nationwide, libraries receive
government support at an aver
age of $27 per capita. Georgia,
however, spends an average of
$ 18 per person.
But in the Piedmont District,
comprising Jackson, Banks and
Barrow counties, the support is
a dismal $7 per person.
The good news is that Jackson
County’s municipalities are chip
ping in $30 per person; the bad
news is that Jackson County is
paying only $2 per person.
“Two dollars a person. That’s
the rate at which your county
is supporting library services,’’
Harkness said. “If this bothers
you, talk to your county com
missioners.’’
Georgia also ranks last in the
nation in the number of books
per person in its public librar
ies.
“Folks, we’re behind
Arkansas,’’ he said. “We’re
behind Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi and Alabama.
Georgia does not need to be
last in that regard.”
Harkness argued that spend
ing today in libraries will pay
dividends later.
“There are states now that
determine the number of beds
they will need in their prisons
by the reading readiness levels
of second and third graders,’’
he said. “Where do you want
to spend your money, on the
front end to educate children or
on the back end to incarcerate
them?’’
Harkness said he asked the
Jackson County government for
$1 per person — about $55,000
— in additional funding, an
amount that translates to about
$17,000 for the Commerce
Public Library.
“It doesn’t look like we’re going
to get it,’’ he admitted.
And while some people claim
that libraries are of declining
importance, Harkness point
ed out that library usage is at
record levels.
“Libraries aren’t dead, they’re
changing,’’ he said.
Commerce Library Director
Susan Harper confirmed
Harkness’ analysis, noting that
the local library had more than
65,000 patron visits in 2007 and
that summer attendance aver
ages more than 300 patrons per
day.
The regional director praised
the Commerce government for
its support.
“You are supporting the
library better than any city in
our region,’’ he said. “I think
that’s good.”
Apologizing for the “doom and
gloom’’ of his report, Harkness
said his intent was to inform the
community “what the state of
libraries currently is.’’
“People love the idea of a
library,’’ he concluded. “What
they’re not wild about is funding
their libraries.’’
JIM KEINARD
for Sheriff of
Jackson County
VIES
The Professional Choice
My goal is to bring professional law enforcement management practices to the Sheriffs Department. This
department has been led by our current sheriff for twenty-four years. During this time, a number of issues have
evolved which have hampered the effectiveness of the Sheriff’s Department in providing the needed services to its
citizens. I will address those issues as your new Sheriff:
• I will serve as your full-time sheriff and not as a part-time sheriff
• I will have an open-door policy for both citizens and employees of the Department. If you have a problem,
I will listen.
• I will devote my full time in carrying out the duties of the Office of Sheriff.
• The “good ole boy politics” of the past administration will no longer be tolerated in the management and
operation of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department
• I will address and correct current departmental policy issues:
• No longer will there be selective enforcement of the laws of Georgia within the department. All laws will
be enforced fairly and uniformly by all deputies within the department.
• No longer will special services be provided to selected individuals. If special services are provided, they
will be available to all the citizens of the county.
• I will review current departmental policies and standards to ensure they mirror recommended state
standards for professional law enforcement agencies.
HOLIDAY
AD DEADLINE
Most Advertising deadlines:
3:00 p.m.,
Thursday, July 3
for the July 9 publication
The Commerce News
1672 S. Broad St. • P. O. Box 459
Commerce, Ga. 30529
(706) 335-2927 or (706) 367-5233
The office will be closed Friday, July 4.
• I will address and correct current personnel issues that include but are not limited to: morale, turnover,
training, equipment needs, and adequate staffing of the courthouse and the jail.
• Within the first ninety days, I will seek to provide civil service protection to career employees within the
department so that no longer will they fear for the loss of their jobs or have to be intimidated for failing
to comply with the political will of elected officials.
• Further, I will review the findings of a previous pay and benefit study to determine if our personnel have
comparable pay and benefits as surrounding law enforcement agencies.
• I will actively address our growing drug and gang problem. I will form a countywide drug task force made up
of deputies and city police officers to aggressively investigate and arrest those who are involved in the drug
and gang activities within Jackson County.
• I will work with the local Boards of Education to provide School Resource Officers in the middle and high
schools that do not have them. Safety is paramount when protecting our children while they are at school.
• I will improve the image and professionalism of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department by applying for and
meeting the requirements for Georgia Law Enforcement Agency Certification Program.
• I will increase departmental accountability to the citizens we serve.
• I will increase the number of patrol units within the county to reduce response times to a call.
• I will seek citizen input to help improve operations of the Sheriff’s Department
• I will improve inter-agency cooperation with other local, county, state and federal agencies to provide for
mutual aid pacts, sharing of intelligence information, and participating in regional investigative task forces.
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Please Vote July 15th.
Your Vote Does Count!
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