Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. TULY 30, 2008 - PAGE 5A
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
City Council Should Stand
Firm On Its Sign Ordinance
County Youth Apprenticeship
Students Must Attend Monday Meeting
Students Can Work, Earn Money; Get Credit
Editor:
I was quite surprised to
learn that the Commerce
City Council has refused
to turn down Walgreens'
request for a variance in the
sign ordinance.
Approximately nine years
ago I opened a local insur
ance agency on State Street
in Commerce. The size of
my requested signage on the
front of the building was
well within the city's sign
ordinance. The problem,
however, was that it was an
"internally lit" sign and I
was told that the city's sign
ordinance does not allow
"internally lit" signs, neon
signs, etc. in the "Historic
District" of the city. "No
problem," I said. "We'll just
take out the internal bulbs
to comply." And that's exact
ly what we did.
I was also told that the
"Historic District" of the city
comprised an area from the
State Farm Insurance office
at 2257 North Broad Street
to the City Safety Complex
at 1491 South Elm Street. It
was further explained to me
that the purpose of the sign
ordinance was to protect the
historical integrity of our
city.
Imagine how surprised
I was several years ago to
learn that a drug store at
2041 North Elm Street was
allowed an "internally lit"
sign in an area of the city
that was "supposedly" the
historic district.
I said at that time that we
must enforce the city's sign
ordinance if we were going
— Hasco Craver
Cont. from page 4A
bookstore and pick up a
copy of his book and read
it. You'll stop counting the
pages — you'll think about
the encouraging words, les
sons shared, happy endings
and remarkable strength of
this man who is not so differ
ent from you and me.
Pausch's childhood dreams,
his days as a scrawny youth,
his almost failed attempt at
graduate school, his life as a
successful computer scientist,
his courtship and marriage
to his wife, his fathering of
three children and so much
more are used metaphors to
convey what truly matters
most in life - topics such as
telling the truth, loving hard
and never giving up.
Randy Pausch died on
Friday, July 25, at the age
of 47. While I sat reading
the last pages of his book, I
couldn't help but wonder if
he knew that his story would
live and grow for generations
to come. I like to think he
did.
Hasco Craver is executive direc
tor of the Commerce Downtown
Development Authority. He lives
in Commerce.
CARD OF THANKS
During our time of sorrow
we learn how much
our friends and family mean to us.
Your kindness and sympathy
will always be remembered
by the family of
J. Darrell McGinnis.
to protect the integrity of
the "Historic District."
Furthermore, imagine my
dismay in later years when
a local bakery at 11 Central
Avenue was allowed to install
an "internally lit" sign. To
date this sign is illuminated
internally night after night
after night.
And, finally, please under
stand my frustration when
several businesses within the
so-called "Historic District"
have been allowed to install
neon signage, which I was
told was prohibited by the
city's sign ordinance.
I work two days per week
in the Johns Island, SC;
Pawleys Island, SC; and Mt.
Pleasant, SC, areas. All three
areas are in close proximity
to Charleston, SC. It hasn't
gone unnoticed that these
areas obviously have very,
very strict signage ordinanc
es. In fact, most signage
is no higher than six feet
(including, but certainly not
limited to Walgreens). And
in some areas the "LED"
signs aren't allowed at all.
Businesses simply have to
change the message signs
manually.
Certainly Commerce can
not begin to compare to the
Charleston area. I'm not say
ing that by any means at all.
I just feel that if we have city
ordinances, they need to be
enforced.
Bottom line: Stand firm.
Don't waver. And always,
always, always cast your vote
for what you know in your
heart is the right thing to do.
And don't approve any sig
nage variances, regardless of
the size of the business. The
decisions you make today
may have lasting impacts for
generations to come.
May God bless each of you
and give you the wisdom to
fully represent our citizens.
Juniors and seniors attending
East Jackson Comprehensive
High School or Jackson County
Comprehensive High School
who are interested in earning
money working while going
to school and receiving cred
it should meet in the Gordon
Street Center Media Center at 6
p.m. Monday, Aug. 4.
Those students who applied
for the internship or Youth
Apprenticeship Program last
year are required to attend this
meeting. Information on the new
requirements which allows more
students to enter the program
will be given, along with expec
tations and first day of school
requirements.
Cont. from Page 1A
granted by the city.
Perry said Monday night that
each of those variances had
unique factors and that the
city could sustain a decision to
reject the Walgreens’ variance
Employers who have Jackson
County School System juniors
and seniors working for them
and who would like to keep
them during the school year,
or employers who would like
to hire students for their career
field, should contact Amber
Casper, the work-based learning
coordinator, to discuss business
qualifications.
Work Based Learning students
do not just “get out of school to
go to work,” Casper said.
“These are students who have
interest in specific careers that
relate to classes they have had
in school,” Casper said. “These
classes include health care sci
ence, engineering, early child-
in court. For example, he said,
the variance for an entrance
sign to the new industrial park
at Interstate 85 “is two miles
out of town in a field,” and the
variance provided to CarQuest
was for a business that “does
hood education, manufacturing,
family and computer science,
agriculture, business, informa
tion technology, broadcast video
and construction. All students
must meet application guidelines
to obtain entry into the program.
Many students are looking to
apply what they learned in their
classes on a job. Students must
meet expectations of specific
agreed upon job duties. This
allows employers to find and
train their future employees.”
Any parent, employer or stu
dent who has questions about
Work Based Learning or the
Aug. 4 meeting should contact
Amber Casper at 706-338-9315
or at acasper@jackson.kl2.ga.us.
not front on one of our main
streets.”
He suggested that
Walgreens’ developer had
issued a “veiled threat,” in
effect, to sue “if you don’t
give us what we want.”
Ron Dundore
Commerce
An Open Letter to All Voters
from Brad Smith
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Brad Smith
Elect Experience on August 5th.
Elect Brad Smith - District Attorney.
www.BradSmithforDA.com • (678)350-6380 • PO Box 606, Winder, GA 30680
Paid for by The Committee to Elect Brad Smith District Attorney
— City Planners Stand Behind Walgreens' Recommendation