Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
SEE PAGE 4B
Tigers Look
For Region
Win On Friday
Homecoming
Is Friday
At East Jackson
Vol. 133
No. 33
18 Pages
2 Sections
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Cleared
Officer Given
Limited Duty
An officer against whom
rape allegations were
made this spring has been
returned to limited duty
by the Commerce Police
Department.
Police Chief John
Gaissert said Cameron
Boswell will begin re
training and some admin
istrative duties today
(Wednesday).
Boswell was the sub
ject of an investigation
in Banks County where
a Banks County woman
claimed he’d raped her.
The Georgia Bureau of
Investigation reportedly
cleared Boswell, who is
also the department’s
drug handler.
Boswell has been on
paid leave since the alle
gation surfaced. Gaissert
has tried to get District
Attorney Rick Bridgeman
to make a decision on the
case — close it or take
it to a grand jury if he
Cont. on Page 3A
THURSDAY, OCT. 2
Sunny: Low, 45; high, 73;
0% chance rain
FRIDAY, OCT 3
Sunny: Low, 48; high, 77;
10% chance rain
SATURDAY, OCT. 4
Sunny: Low, 51; high, 76;
0% chance rain
SUNDAY, OCT. 5
Mostly sunny: Low, 54; high,
78; 10% chance rain
Reservoir Levels
Commerce: 697.5 (.1 feet below
full)
Bear Creek: 695 (7.62 feet
below full)
Rainfall this month
0 inches
Rainfall This Year
37.15 Inches
INDEX
Births 1OA
Church News 8A
Classified Ads 5-8B
Calendar 3A
Crime News 6-7A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 9A
Opinions 4-5A
School News ,.9A & 4B
Sports 1-3B
Social News 10A
State Rejects County Schools' AYP Appeal
Graduation Rate Of High Schools Makes JCCHS
Fall Short, Leaving Entire School System Rated
As Failing Fo Meet Adequate Yearly Progress
By Kerri Testement
The Jackson County
School System has lost its
appeal of a designation say
ing one of its schools failed
to meet Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP).
The Georgia Department
of Education announced
Tuesday that 241 schools
that didn’t initially meet
AYP in July later made AYP
after a final report was
available or an appeal was
approved.
The Jackson County
School System appealed
a decision that Jackson
County Comprehensive
High School didn’t meet
AYP, due to its graduation
rate.
The state department of
education listed JCCHS’s
graduation rate as 67.4 per
cent in 2008. High schools
need a graduation rate of
at least 70 percent to make
AYP.
Superintendent Shannon
Adams has said the appeal
centered on the fact that
JCCHS’s graduation rate
includes students from East
Jackson Comprehensive
High School, which opened
in August 2007.
The Georgia DOE
grouped the graduation
rate from the two county
high schools for JCCHS’s
AYP report, Adams said
in July. Officially, EJCHS
won’t have a graduation
rate accounted for its AYP
status until the fourth year
after its opening.
Adams said the county
school system learned
Tuesday morning that the
appeal was denied. Since
JCCHS didn’t meet AYP,
the entire district is des
ignated as failing to meet
AYP.
“We had been assured all
along that we had an excel
lent basis for appeal since
we opened our second
high school last year, but
obviously there was some
misunderstanding,’’ Adams
wrote in an e-mail Tuesday
afternoon.
The school system is cur
rently hosting a team from
the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools
(SACS) to determine the
district’s accreditation. The
team will finish its visit
today (Wednesday).
Adams said after the
team leaves, he will speak
to the state DOE about an
explanation.
A Different Look For Tiger Stadium
Commerce Tiger fans who show up for Friday
night’s football game will find a different look
at Tiger Stadium. Coach Steve Savage cuts
the grass in front of the west endzone, behind
which the concession stand and restrooms
have been demolished for the construction of
a new gym. That project is the first phase of an
$18 million new Commerce High School. Once
the gym, which will become a practice facility
upon completion of the project, is completed,
work will begin on the rest of the new struc
ture.
2 Qualify For Election To Ward 1 Seat
A former city councilman
and a political newcomer
have qualified for the Nov.
4 city election for the Ward
1 council seat.
They are Archie D.
Chaney Jr., 69, of 57
Ridgeway Drive, and Keith
Burchett, 52, of 139 Windy
Hills Road.
Chaney served 22 years
on the city council, includ
ing 10 as mayor pro tem,
before being ousted three
years ago by current mayor
pro tem Dusty Slater.
Burchett has not sought
office in the past.
The two are running to
fill the unexpired term
of Wayne Gholston, who
moved out of Ward 1 when
he purchased a house. That
term of office expires Dec.
31, 2009.
Qualifying ends Thursday
at 4:30. The qualifying fee
is $81.
Old Collins Cleaners
Building To Be Transformed
41st Autumn Leaf Festival
Set This Week In Maysville
Work should begin in
early 2009 to transform a
city-owned building into a
“business information cen
ter.’’
The Commerce
Downtown Development
Authority last Wednesday
authorized executive direc
tor Hasco Craver to solicit
a contract with an engi
neering firm to help pre
pare bid documents. The
project would renovate the
old Collins Cleaners build
ing on Pine Street under
a grant from the United
States Department of
Agriculture. Craver would
bring the proposal back to
the DDA for a vote.
According to Craver,
the city’s Public Works
Department should be able
to assist in the demolition
phase. When the project is
completed, there will be a
meeting room, storage and
public restrooms.
The grant is aimed at
the business development
aspect, but the DDA’s top
interest in the project is to
provide public restrooms
to support its activities at
Spencer Park.
In other business,
Claudine Smith of
the DDA’s Economic
Cont. on Page 3A
The 41st annual Maysville Autumn Leaf Festival
will be held Friday through Sunday, Oct. 3, 4 and 5,
in downtown Maysville.
Monika Kelly, daughter of the well-known clown
Emmett Kelly, will be the grand marshal of the
parade. She will also have a booth with prints and
other Emmett Kelly memorabilia.
The parade theme this year is “Clownin’ round in
Historic Maysville.’’ The parade will feature clown-
themed floats and an Emmett Kelly impersonator.
A cakewalk sponsored by the Maysville Elementary
PTO will be held Friday evening and again Saturday.
“Doc Holliday, Shadows of the Past’’ will pres
ent a wild west bank robbery show three times on
Saturday.
A climbing wall, pony rides, Papas Choo Choo,
moonwalk and other games will be available for chil
dren. Many crafts and food vendors are expected.
There will be a street dance Friday and Saturday
nights.
Odds Of
Water Suit
Appear High
For Jackson
By Mark Beardsley
The chairman of the
Jackson County Water and
Sewerage Authority says
there’s a 60-70 percent likeli
hood Jackson County will
sue over the Bear Creek
Reservoir.
That call will be made by
the county commissioners,
pointed out Hunter Bicknell.
“We’re awaiting a response
to the letter they took a vote
on last Wednesday,’’ said
Bicknell. ‘That is a response
to the letter we sent request
ing that they recalculate the
yield.’’
Just how much water is
available determines how
much water each of the four
county partners can use
each day. Based on an esti
mate of 58 million gallons
of water per day, Athens-
Clark would get 25.5 million
gallons per day (mgd) and
Jackson County 14.25 mgd.
Jackson County has data
suggesting that the regional
reservoir can produce only
24 mgd — less than half the
yield previously assumed. If
those numbers are accurate,
Athens-Clarke would find
its share cut to 10.5 mgd.
With a demand of up to 18
mgd daily, it means Athens-
Clarke is using water daily
that belongs to Jackson
County, and Jackson County
expects to be paid for that
water.
The regional author
ity voted last Wednesday
to instruct its attorney to
respond.
“Basically, we’re thinking
we’ll receive a response that
will not be acceptable,’’ said
Bicknell. “We’ll get together
with the commissioners and
decide our next course of
action.’’
What would that be?
“In all likelihood, whatever
it takes to force them to
recalculate,’’ said Bicknell.
Jackson County also asked
that the regional authority
hire a third party acceptable
to it and Jackson County to
conduct yet another analysis
of the yield. The group voted
to deny that request.
Cont. on Page 3A