Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE 5A
SEE PAGE 8A
Maysville's
Festival Draws
A Big Crowd
One Will Be
Crowned
At Homecoming
Vol. 133
No. 34
20 Pages
2 Sections
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Keith Burchett Archie Chaney Aretha Hill
3 Qualify For
Special Ward 3
Council Election
Three candidates will be on the ballot Nov. 4 for the spe
cial election to fill the Ward 1 vacancy on the Commerce
City Council
They are Keith Burchett, Archie D. Chaney Jr. and Aretha
Hill.
Burchett and Hill are political newcomers. Chaney served
22 years on the city council, including 10 years as mayor
pro tem. All three are natives of Commerce.
Burchett, 52, lives at 139 Windy Hill Road and attended
Commerce High School. He is the owner of Commerce
Janitorial Service and he and his wife, Lynn, have two
grown sons and four grandchildren.
Chaney, 69, lives at 57 Ridgeway Drive and is retired from
General Motors. He and his wife, Vivian, have three grown
daughters and five grandchildren.
Please Turn to Page 3A
Busy Day At The Airport
Frank Darby, center, talks to visitors at the third
annual Autumn Fly-In Saturday at the Jackson
County Airport about the virtues of his Helicycle
helicopters. Darby, from Gainesville, brought two
ultra-light helicopters, which were among scores
of aircraft on display. The event, sponsored by
the Jackson County Aviation Association, drew
several hundred people to see airplanes, take air
plane rides and to learn about general aviation.
Photo by Mark Beardsley
Miss East Jackson Homecoming
Briana Thompson was crowned homecoming
queen Friday night at East Jackson Comprehensive
High School.
Group Seeks Nicholson's
Help Restoring Courthouse
Hotel-Motel Tax
On Agenda
For City Council
THURSDAY, OCT. 9
Showers: Low, 57; high, 74;
50% chance rain
FRIDAY, OCT 10
Few showerrs: Low, 57; high,
79; 30% chance rain
SATURDAY, OCT. 11
Partly cloudy: Low, 57; high,
83; 20% chance rain
SUNDAY, OCT. 12
Partly cloudy: Low, 59; high,
81; 30% chance rain
Reservoir Levels
Commerce: 697.4 (.2 feet below
full)
Bear Creek: 686.12 (10.88 feet
below full)
Rainfall this month
0 inches
Rainfall This Year
37.15 Inches
INDEX
Births 8 A
Church News 9A
Classified Ads 7-1 OB
Calendar 3A
Crime News 6-7A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 6B
Opinions 4-5A
School News 7-8 B
Sports 1-3B
Social News 9-1OA
4 8 7 9 1 4 1 4 1 " 9
Ash Responds
To Suit, Denies
Wrongdoing
Former BJC Medical
Center surgeon Dr. Keith
Ash has denied any
wrongdoing or negligence
in a malpractice suit filed
by four former patients.
In a response to the July
lawsuit, Ash’s attorney,
John A Dickerson, has
also asked that the claims
of the plaintiffs be sepa
rated into four suits to be
heard individually.
The response was filed
in the Superior Court of
Jackson County Sept. 15.
BJC Medical Center, a co
defendant, had previously
filed an answer in which it
denied all allegations per
tinent to the institution.
Former patients
Stephanie Floyd, Karen
Hunter, Billy Ray Hawkes
and Debra Kraft filed
suit in July, alleging that
surgical procedures per
formed by Ash at BJC
amounted to malpractice.
They sought actual and
punitive damages.
The response asks that
sections of the suit dealing
with previous malpractice
allegations be stricken as
“unduly prejudicial.’’
Ash denies claims made
in the suit that he and
his Commerce Surgical
Associates were “engaged
in a joint venture’’ with
BJC Medical Center.
Those allegations were the
basis for the defendants
seeking triple punitive
damages under the RICO
(Racketeer Influence and
Corrupt Organizations)
Act.
While the response
does not deny that the
four suffered post-surgical
complications, it specifi
cally denies that Ash was
responsible — or liable —
for those problems.
The response also denies
Cont. on Page 3A
By Sharon Hogan
Several members of the
Jackson County Historic
Courthouse Restoration
Committee attended the
Nicholson City Council
Thursday night to request
that the city partner with
the committee in restoring
the historic courthouse in
downtown Jefferson.
Member Charlotte Mealor
said the committee is issu
ing a challenge to each
city in Jackson County to
sponsor a room for resto
ration. Mealor added the
Jackson County Historical
Preservation Commission
has set aside $10,000 for the
project already and it con
tinues to hold fund-raisers.
Mealor said the court
house will be used to house
historic documents and
county offices once the res
toration is complete.
Buzz Ward, commit
tee member, said the
Jackson County Board of
Commissioners adopted a
resolution Aug. 8 that set
aside $2 million in bond rev
enue for use on the court
house project.
“Sixty days ago, the envi
ronmental study was let on
the project,’’ said Ward. He
added that the first issue on
the restoration is to repair
the roofs and the clock
tower.
By Mark Beardsley
The Commerce City
Council may have found
the closest thing to a tax
no one will oppose.
When it meets Monday
night at 6:30 in the
Commerce Civic Center,
the council anticipates ask
ing its attorney to draft
an ordinance that would
levy a five-percent tax on
hotel and motel rooms in
the city
There are no hotels or
motels in Commerce,
which is one reason why
the council wants to enact
the tax.
“Through annexation
or development, there is
a strong probability we
will have one,’’ explained
Downtown Development
Authority executive direc
tor Hasco Craver.
Craver briefed the
city council on its tax
options, having attend
ed a Department of
Community Affairs semi
nar on the tax.
Actually, the city council
may have already passed
such a tax, but if so, it is
not “on the books.’’
Mayor Charles L. Hardy
Jr. recalled that in his first
meeting as mayor the sub
ject came up and the coun
cil passed an ordinance.
“But they can’t find any
record of it,’’ the mayor
said.
If the council follows
through, the tax could be
in place by the end of the
year.
While there are no hotels
or motels in the city, a sign
on developer Jon Purcell’s
property just south of the
Tanger Factory Outlet
Centers has been promot
ing the future placement of
a Microtel hotel for more
than two years.
If the tax passes and if a
hotel or motel comes into
the city, 40 percent of the
revenue generated by the
tax would have to be used
to promote tourism. The
rest could go into the city’s
general fund.
Light Agenda
Otherwise, the agenda
for Monday night’s meet
ing is rather sparse.
The council will act on
Danny Allen’s request
to rezone 1.62 acres on
Harmony Street from R-3
(residential) to R-5 (mobile
homes) so the owner of
a mobile home on the
property can occupy it.
The city’s planning com
mission has recommend
ed that the city deny the
request.
Also on the agenda are:
• a request from Pinnacle
Bank to hold a grand
opening “tailgating party’’
in the city parking lot off
North Elm Street from 11
to 2 Friday, Oct. 31, as
part of its grand opening
event. Pinnacle has bought
the Commerce branch
of Athens First Bank &
Trust.
•approval of an amend
ment to the Municipal
Electric Authority of
Georgia’s (MEAG) rules
that would give the city
the ability to place money
in a fund reserved for
capital projects. The coun
cil apparently plans to
approve the amendment,
but has no interest in using
such a fund.
•discussion of a street
lighting ordinance precipi
tated by the residents of
Cont. on Page 3A