Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 27, 2008 - PAGE 5A
Group Mulls 'Response'
To Jefferson's Proposed
Two New Water Permits
Oconee Basin Water Authority
Committee To Consider Impact
By Mark Beardsley
The Operations Com
mittee of the Upper
Oconee Basin Water
Authority will meet Friday
to determine how it should
“respond” to a Jefferson
plan to withdraw water
from the North Oconee
River.
The authority manages
the Bear Creek Reservoir,
which provides water for
Jackson, Barrow, Clarke
and Oconee counties.
Since its source of water
is the Middle Oconee
River, it is unclear how the
Environmental Protection
Division’s potential grant
ing of the permit to take
water out of the North
Oconee River would affect
the regional reservoir.
But that clearly is a con
cern. An e-mail notice of
the called meeting states,
“Some members recent
ly learned of efforts by
the City of Jefferson to
obtain a Water Withdrawal
Permit for a proposed
reservoir. The Operations
Committee is meeting
Friday and will review this
matter. At our called meet
ing, we will hear a report
from the Operations
Committee, determine the
impact on UOBWA efforts,
and develop a response to
EPD regarding this mat
ter.”
The meeting will be held
at 9:30 at the Northeast
Georgia Regional
Development Center,
Research Road, Athens.
The EPD sent out a
notice of its intent to grant
the Jefferson permit and
is inviting comments. The
proposed permit would
allow Jefferson to pump
an average of 4 million
gallons a day (mgd) from
the river into its proposed
Parks Creek Reservoir.
A second permit would
allow the city to withdraw
up to 5.3 mgd from that
reservoir for treatment.
The EPD notice gives
interested parties until
Sept. 8 to comment on the
proposed permits.
The committee will make
a recommendation for
possible adoption by the
full basin authority.
— Thoughts Of A Dream Run
Cont. from Page 4A
sary. Arizona State,
Alabama, Tennessee,
LSU, Florida and Auburn
— WOW! If that doesn't
scare you, let me remind
you that only two of
those games are at home
and three of them are
against teams ranked
in the preseason top
10. Don't forget about
Kentucky, Vanderbilt and
Georgia Tech because
we'll be stuck in a close
game against at least one
of them.
If our beloved Dogs can
handle that schedule, the
soundtrack to my next
long run should sound
a little like this: Moreno
250 carries for 2,000
yards, 20 touchdowns
and The Heisman Trophy
into Stafford throwing for
3,000 yards and 30 touch
downs into Massaquoi's
45 receptions for 1,000
yards and 15 touchdowns
into AJ Green's break
out season as the SEC's
Freshman of the Year into
a team defense that allows
less than 15 points per
game, averages five sacks
per game and has a turn
over margin of plus-25
Apple Specialist
Plea Issued For Band Instruments
into a screamingly over
joyed Larry Munson into
the sweet sound of UGA
students, alumni and fans
ringing north campus' vic
tory bell into a National
Championship celebra
tion in Miami Jan. 8.
That would be a dream run.
Hasco Craver is executive
director of the Commerce
Downtown Development
Authority. He lives in
Commerce.
By Mark Beardsley
If an unused band instru
ment is gathering dust
under your bed or taking
up storage space in your
closet, Commerce Middle
School can help you out.
The school, which saw
its band program increase
fourfold this year, needs
those instruments.
Maybe you need a tax
deduction?
“Right now, I probably
have a dozen kids who
don’t have an instrument
in my fifth and sixth grade
classes,” explains CMS
band and choral director
Jack Balthazor. “With the
economy like it is, a lot of
kids don’t have the money.
I know there are a lot of
instruments laying under
somebody’s bed or in clos
ets that aren’t being used.”
Balthazor sent an e-mail
to staff members through
out the system seeking the
donation of instruments.
While some band stu
dents continue to play
their instruments after high
school in college or in com
munity or church bands,
Balthazor says most are put
away and seldom, if ever,
played again.
He has some students
who could put a flute, clari
net or trumpet to good use
as they learn about music.
“We can always work out
some kind of a tax deduc
tion. We’ll provide a receipt,
if that’s what they want,”
Balthazor says.
It’s a good problem, in
Beginning band students play a few notes in one of Jack Balthazor’s
classes, but a shortage of instruments led Balthazor to issue an appeal for
donations of band instruments. Photo by Mark Beardsley
some ways. The school sys
tem added a second band
director, so Balthazor is
now full-time at CMS where
he teaches two beginning
band classes — each of
which has about twice as
many students as the one
beginners’ class he used
to teach. The hope is that
as these kids move up to
high school they’ll boost the
band program there.
First, though, everyone
must have an instrument.
“We need a lot of clari
nets, flutes and trumpets,”
Balthazor says. “We could
use anything — something
we can put to use, either fix
up for a kid to use or trade
for something we can use.
“We have some school
instruments, but some kids
just have to sit and watch,”
Balthazor continued. “It’s
really not too healthy to
share. I have one little girl
playing her sister’s horn,
the two of them sharing. I
have a little bitty kid playing
a tuba. It’s a school instru
ment as big as he is.”
The school purchases
some of the larger (and more
expensive) instruments, but
for fifth and sixth graders
the smaller instruments
work better.
A flute can cost $700 to
$800, while a saxophone
will cost more than $1,000.
Most parents use a lease-
purchase plan and make
monthly payments.
Some, however, just can’t
afford it.
“Flutes, clarinets and trum
pets. That could make some
kids day,” said Balthazor.
Anyone who has an
instrument they would
be willing to donate can
contact Balthazor at jbal-
thazor@commerce-city.kl2.
ga.us or reach him at 1-770-
842-2196.
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We will be closed
September 1!
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135 Central Ave.
Commerce, GA
335-5519
Hours: M-F 7:30 - 5:00
Sat. 8:00 - 12:00
Closed Sundays
PEP RALLY!
A Downtown Pep Rally Led By CHS Cheerleaders
See the CHS Football Team, Band, Cheerleaders and Dance Squads!
Thursday • August 28 • 7:30 P.M.
Spencer Park
In the event of rain, the event will be moved to the CHS Gymnasium
Register at participating downtown businesses or the
Commerce Downtown Development Authority to win one of
4 pair of season tickets to be given away at the rally.
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Ernest Decl? .
Tom Harness, Production Manager
1375 Washington Street • Jefferson, GA 30549
Phone: 706-367-1942 • Fax: 706-367-9681
All Major
Credit Cards
Accepted
Coupon
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One Hundred Dollars Off
Any Order Over $500
I yHOOl Good through December 31, 2008 (H00