Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by Georgia HomePLACE, a project of the Georgia Public Library Service.
About The Commerce news. (Commerce, Ga.) 1???-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 10, 2008)
SEE PAGE IB SEE PAGE 2B Lady Tigers Start Off Well In Region Play Lady Eagles Working To Find Their Form Vol. 133 No. 30 20 Pages 2 Sections 50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875 Moratorium Placed On Sign Variances By Mark Beardsley Accepting the recom mendation of its plan ning commission, the Commerce City Council enacted a moratorium on variances to the sign ordi nance until December. The city’s new ordinance is expected to be ready for council adoption at its Dec. 8 meeting. In a related move, the council also voted to allow Pinnacle Bank to place a banner over the old Athens First sign at its North Elm Street office pending approval of the new sign ordinance. At that time, the com pany will know its options for installing a new sign. Pinnacle had sought a variance so it could replace the Athens First sign — which is noncon forming — with a similar sign and an LED time and temperature sign. Please Turn to Page 3A THURSDAY, SEPT. 11 Few showers: Low, 67; high, 80; 30% chance rain FRIDAY, SEPT. 12 AM clouds: Low, 68; high, 88; 20% chance rain SATURDAY, SEPT. 13 AM clouds: Low, 63; high, 84; 20% chance rain SUNDAY, SEPT. 14 Isolated T-storms: Low, 67; high, 89; 30% chance rain Reservoir Levels Commerce: 699.5 (.2 feet above full) Bear Creek: 690.16 (4.84 feet below full) Rainfall this month 0 inches Rainfall This Year 34.15 Inches INDEX Births 7A Church News 4B Classified Ads 5-7B Calendar 3 A Crime News 6A News Roundup 2A Obituaries 9A Opinions 4-5A School News 9A & 1 2A Sports 1-3B Social News 7-8A LP To Cease Production Oct. 1 Housing Slump Leads Company To Declare 'Indefinite Curtailment' At OSB Mill By Mark Beardsley Louisiana Pacific Corp. will cease production at its Athens OSB plant, locat ed on U.S. 441 in Center, Oct. 1, the company has announced. The move will result in layoffs for all but 27 of its 120 employees, according to Mary Cohn, manager of corporate affairs. The company is calling the shutdown “an indefinite curtailment," leaving open the possibility that the plant could be put back into ser vice if market conditions improve. LP makes oriented strand board, widely used as floor ing and decking in the resi dential construction mar ket. The company opened Vapor rises from Louisiana Pacific’s OSB Mill at Center. It will close Oct. 1. here in 1989. “We are taking it down indefinitely for market rea sons," Cohn said. “In the current market there is not enough demand to keep the mill open." Cohn explained that the equipment will remain at the site and that the com pany does not consider the curtailment to be a “perma nent closing." The 27 remaining employ ees will operate a line producing the company’s TechShield Radiant Barrier, the application of a foil bar rier on OSB. There will also be some personnel involved as the plant operates as a warehouse to serve LP customers in the Southeast, according to Cohn. “Unfortunately, most of the people will be laid off," she said. At the same time, the com pany is ceasing production at a Quebec OSB mill. In a news release on its web site, OSB Executive Vice President Jeff Wagner said, “We are faced with one of the weakest housing markets in decades, which has substantially reduced the demand for OSB. In these conditions, we simply cannot justify running these mills. With these closures, we should improve our operating efficiencies while satisfying all the needs of our customers." The Center plant produc es 375 million square feet of OSB annually. Employees found out about the layoffs and clos ings last Thursday and Friday. They will be offered severance pay according to their length of service with the company, Cohn said. “They are welcome to apply for any other LP open jobs, but we do understand it’s a hard time for folks." LP has come under reg ular criticism as a pro ducer of air emissions. Back in May, citizens complained during a pub lic hearing in Nicholson that the company should not be given a permit to quadruple its emissions of formaldehyde. Some claimed LP’s emissions were causing increases in illness in the surrounding areas. The EPD indicated it would approve the new permit. County Budget Up, But Tax Rate Is Down Purchase Of House Leaves Ward 1 Council Seat Vacant Ward 1 Councilman Wayne Gholston, left, accepts a placque acknowledging his service to the city from Mayor Charles L. Hardy Jr. Hardy made the presentation Monday night. By Angela Gary Jackson County will spend $6.6 million more next year than this year, but its tax rate will go down slightly. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners approved its 2009 budget and millage rate at a called meeting Thursday morning. Although the county is increasing spending in its general fund by $6.6 mil lion, the millage rate is set to drop slightly to 9.49 mills in incorporated areas and 8.61 mills in unincorporated areas. Last year’s rates were 9.59 and 8.73 respectively. The county’s general fund spending is slated to increase from $34.7 million to $41.4 million. Much of the increase is to meet debt service payments and to fill 57 new positions to man the new jail. The county’s debt ser vice payments will jump 89 percent in 2009, from $4.4 million to $8.3 million. The majority of the county’s debt service payments will be on bonds for the new jail and for bonds used to build economic development roads for industrial growth. The county’s overall bud get for all funds is $67 mil lion in 2009, up 22 percent over 2008. Before the vote was taken on the budget and millage rate, commissioner Bruce Yates questioned the county being over budget for the current year. Chairman Pat Bell respond ed, “We spent over budget. There were times I cautioned about this. We learned from it. We evolved.” Bell said one of the major issues with the current bud get has been the county tak ing over water payments for the water authority. “That is the big problem with the current budget," she said. “It’s nobody’s fault ... It’s the drought’s fault. It will rectify itself in time." By Mark Beardsley The Ward 1 seat on the Commerce City Council is now vacant. It became vacant when Wayne Gholston, who has held the office since January of 2006, moved his residence from Hill Street in Ward 1 to Chanticleer Street in Ward 5. Ward 1 voters will go to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 4, to fill the unexpired term in a special election — the same day as the General Election. “It’s in the state election code," noted City Clerk Shirley Willis, who is also the city’s election superin tendent. “Once someone moves from the precinct, they have automatically vacated their position." Qualifying for the spe cial election will take place Sept. 30-Oct. 2, from 8:30 to 4:30 daily at City Hall. Gholston’s term was due to expire Dec. 31, 2009. The election will be on the same ballot for Ward 1 voters as the referendum on the expansion of hom eowners exemption from school taxes, Willis said. That citywide vote would increase from $20,000 to $40,000 the exemption from school taxes for hom eowners 65 or older whose household income is less than $18,000. “I hate to go," said Gholston, 46, “but it’s (the purchase of a house) on account of my family." City School Board OKs Contract For New High School Gymnasium Lots Of Interest But Few Comments At City Public Hearing 49% Hike Amounts To Little Money By Mark Beardsley Thirty-five to 40 citizens turned out for a public hearing Monday night on Commerce’s proposed tax increase. But after Finance Director Steve McKown pointed out that the 49 percent hike rep resented an increase of $13 on a $100,000 home and that taxes would be lower than they were two years ago, no one opted to ques tion the budget. Troy Herbert asked if, with property values going down, property would be reassessed, to which Mayor Charles L. Hardy Jr. replied that reassessment is up to the county. John Webber proposed that the city “report on the number of people with fixed incomes" in the city, a statistic he said would “be beneficial to us if we could get it." “That 49 percent just floored me," said a woman who did not identify herself, after McKown explained the details. No one actually ques tioned the city’s spending Please Turn to Page 3A By Mark Beardsley Work could begin next week on the first phase of the new Commerce High School. Following approval Monday night of a $1.41 million contract on the “practice gym," construc tion could begin next week — if the school system gets the soil and sedimentation permits required to start the job. “We thought we might get the permits today," said Superintendent James E. “Mac" McCoy Monday. The project will also replace the concession area and rest rooms on the west end of Tiger Stadium. Charles Black Construction will oversee the project, which involves a number of subcontractors. The construction of the gym is the precursor to the building of the rest of the $18 million (estimated) facility, which will require the demolition of the cur rent gym. The new gym will seat 700 and will be used for basketball games until the rest of the school is built. The board hopes to begin next spring. Budget, Tax Rate Also on Monday night, the board approved its bud get for the 2008-09 school year and the tax rate neces sary to support it. The board will keep its tax rate at 17.75 mills, which represents a 5.6 per cent increase in funds, but no change in the millage rate. The tax will generate almost $3 million in rev enue. The total budget is $13 million. In other business Monday, the board learned that its August SPLOST check was $ 108,714, down only slightly from the $110,742 received for August of 2007. Following a closed ses sion, the school board approved the hiring of Lorie Grimes as a gifted teacher at Commerce Primary School and Gayle Smith as a 49 percent EIP fourth grade teacher. The board also approved the hiring of the follow ing substitute teachers: Pamela Lynn Yancey, Ophelia Adams, Aaron DeCastro, Jacob Flint, William Gibson, Michael Hudmon, Angela Leeson, Sharon Murphy, and Jennie Williams; and paraprofes- sional Teri Trudnak.
