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THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 5, 2008 - PAGE 5A
Accept Grant Funds
The City of Commerce and its Downtown Development Authority officially
accepted a $70,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture
during a ceremony Oct. 28 at Spencer Park. The money will be used to reno
vate the DDA’s Pine Street building into a business development center that
will also house public rest rooms. Left to right are Dr. Clark Hill, DDA mem
ber; Councilman Donald Wilson, Mayor Charles L. Hardy Jr., DDA member
Keith Ariail; F. Stone Workman, state director, USDA Rural Development;
Councilman Bob Sosebee (who is also the DDA chairman); Councilmen Mark
Fitzpatrick and Richard Massey; DDA member Chris Bray; Jane Ferguson,
USDA rural Development Area 2 director; and DDA member Claudine Smith.
Water Board 'Freezes' 2 Positions
By Mark Beardsley
With little engineering
work to be done and facing
financial challenges from
the economy, the Jackson
County Water and Sewerage
Authority voted last week to
“freeze” two positions in its
engineering department for
two years.
The move will result in
the layoff of an engineer
ing technician; the other job
was already vacant.
Finance director Judy
Davis estimated that the
move will reduce payroll
by almost $100,000 a year,
counting benefits.
Jackson County was once
the tenth fastest growing
county in America, but the
ongoing housing slump has
all but stopped residential
construction — and the need
for new water and sewer
lines and connections to
support it.
The board voted unani
mously to institute the job
freeze following a 48-minute
closed-to-the-public session
at a called meeting Oct. 28.
The slowdown is not
affecting the authority’s
expansion of its Middle
Oconee Water Reclamation
Facility, which is undergo
ing the first of several antici
pated expansions.
Members of the author
ity viewed slides show
ing where its $1.6 million
is being spent. As of Oct.
28, the generator had been
installed, a debris screener
completed, the headworks
are being installed and the
electrical building is fin
ished and the motor control
installed.
The project running ahead
of a schedule that would
have it completed by Feb.
1, said Mark Dudziak, chief
wastewater manager. That
will increase the capacity
of the plant to 300,000 gal
lons per day (gpd). The next
step would be to grow it to
500,000 gpd, then 1 million
gpd.
Also following the closed
session, the authority voted
to ratify its contract with
C.H. Guernsey & Company
as the authority pursues its
lawsuit against the Upper
Oconee Basin Water
Authority.
Guernsey is the engineer
ing firm that concluded that
the Bear Creek Reservoir’s
yield during a time of
drought is less than half of
what the basin authority has
assumed for years. Those
numbers are the basis for
the lawsuit pitting Jackson
County against its three
partners in the regional
reservoir, Athens-Clarke,
Barrow and Oconee coun
ties.
Pinnacle Bank served lunch, provided giveaways and had a drawing for
prizes to celebrate its acquisition of the former branch of Athens First Bank
and Trust.
Pinnacle Bank Celebrates Opening
Pinnacle Bank hosted
a grand opening celebra
tion Friday, Oct. 31, at its
new location, the former
Athens First Bank & Trust
at 1871 North Elm Street,
Commerce.
Pinnacle acquired the
bank Oct. 17.
To celebrate, the bank
Taste Of
Jackson Set
Thursday Night
The Annual Taste of
Jackson and Business
Showcase will be Thursday,
Nov. 6, from 5:00 to 8:00
p.m. at the Commerce Civic
Center.
Over 80 vendors will be
giving away specialty items
and a variety of restaurants
and caterers will offer sam
ples of their cuisine.
There will also drawings for
prizes offered by each ven
dor, including a grand prize
from Havertys Furniture at
the end of the evening.
Admission is $ 10 for adults
and children. This will buy
entry into the showcase, a
chance for door prizes, a
canvas event tote bag, two
beverages, a pen, and an
event plate and cup. Children
must be accompanied by an
adult.
Realtors To
Collect Toys
held a free lunch from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m. and provided
giveaways and prizes.
Founded in 1934, Pinnacle
Bank’s main office and
operations center is in
Elberton. It has offices in
Elberton, Royston, Bowman,
Franklin Springs, Lavonia,
Lexington, Hartwell,
By Mark Beardsley
If the agenda and Monday
night’s work session are indi
cators, next Monday’s meet
ing of the Commerce City
Council should be short.
The most pressing item on
the agenda is the request by
Perry Faison for a two-foot
variance on the height of
a fence at his Cole Court
residence.
Fiason petitioned the city
for the right to install a six-
foot-tall fence instead of
a four-foot-tall fence as a
means of deterring crime.
The Commerce Planning
Commission voted unani
mously to recommend
that the council refuse the
request. It is the first item
on the agenda for Monday
night’s meeting at 6:30 at the
Commerce Civic Center.
Planning official David
Zellner explained that
Faison seeks the extra
height for security.
“He’s afraid, that’s what he
Monroe, Covington, Social
Circle and Athens.
The employees who
staffed the former Athens
First Commerce branch
will remain in place with
Pinnacle Bank.
For information, visit
www.pinnaclebank.com/
commerce.
said,” said Zellner.
When he went before the
planning commission Oct.
27, Faison said his wife has
been attacked twice while
working in the yard. He
told the council that “sub
stance abusers” routinely
cut through his yard before
he began his fencing proj
ect and recounted several
crimes that occurred in the
immediate area.
The rest of the agenda
includes:
• certifying the results
of the Ward 1 special elec
tion and the referendum
on expanding homestead
exemption from school
taxes for low-income elderly
residents. Both were on the
ballot Tuesday.
•approval of a federally-
required ordinance to cre
ate an “identity theft preven
tion program” for all city
employees who take credit
cards or deal with personal
information.
Not Much On City
Council Agenda Monday
— Feeling Helpless Over Economy
Cont. from Page 4A
sided by a falling econo
my, and they are left wor
ried and hurting.
Band-Aids, kisses and
cold cloths won't help fix
this hurt. All of us who
are parents worry about
keeping our families safe
and secure, but when job
loss, impending foreclo
sure, and instability hit
all at once; life has come
at you hard. Strong mar
riages are tested; weak
marriages shatter. The
young children we try to
protect from worry hear
enough from the media
to be aware there is a
crisis, but are not sure to
what degree or if any their
own families are involved
or affected. Insecurity is a
lonesome feeling not lim
ited to children. Parents
wonder from day to day
when or if things will
get better. Those parents
and I share that feeling
of impotence. How did
this happen and how can
we fix it? In which direc
tion should we point for
blame for our hurt?
We have just had an elec
tion. In the months and
years ahead, we will learn
if the rhetoric we have
heard for months is the
hogwash I think it is, or if
there truly is a magic cold
cloth and Band-Aid that
will restore life to going
along smoothly again.
Claire Gaus is a retired
educator and volunteers in
the community in a num
ber of capacities. She lives
in Commerce.
TRUCK DRIVING SCHOOL SSSSS-*
846 Jefferson Highway, Winder, GA 30680
Phone: 770*868*0021 www.cdlofga.com
Licensed by State of Georgia Department of Driver Services
EMS Toy Drive
Toys will be collected
for the Jackson County
Emergency Service’s annual
toy drive in front of KB Toys
at Tanger II several dates
this month.
The schedule is as follows:
9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday,
Nov. 8; noon to 6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 9; midnight to
6 a.m. Thanksgiving night;
and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday,
Nov. 29.
The North Georgia Board
of Realtors, Commerce, is
collecting “Toys for Tots”
for the foster children in
four surrounding counties,
including Jackson County.
To donate toys, look for
the “Toys for Tots” signs at
any participating real estate
office in Jackson County.
The North Georgia Board of
Realtors office will also be a
drop-off point.
For more information,
contact Miranda Moody at
706-335-3044.
Banks-Jackson Risk Reduction
DUI SCHOOL
706-336-6777
DEFENSIVE DRIVING
1728 North Broad Street, Commerce, State Certified 5010 and 2007
Next DUI Class begins on November 15,2008
Next Defensive Driving Class will be held on November 8, 2008
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4th Annual
Jefferson
Holiday Market
A One Stop Holiday Shoppe
At the Jefferson Civic Center
Preview Sale &
Dessert Reception
Friday, November 7, 7-9 p.m.
Friday Night admission $5.00
Holiday Market
Saturday, November 8, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday admission - $ 1.00
arts & crafts, custom jewelry, purses and totes, baked
goods and holiday items, floral designs, ladies &
men’s gifts, embroidery, pottery, fused glass,
collectibles & antiques, wood working, children’s
gifts, activities and stocking sniffers, Tastefully
Simple, Pampered Chef, Southern Living, Premier
Jewelry, Cookie Lee Jewelry and much more!
Admission to benefit:
Humane Society of
Jackson County
Sponsored by: Better Hometown Jefferson
and Jefferson Civic Center
For information:
Michele Head, 706-367-5754
mhead@cityo5efferson.com
Jefferson Civic Center
... where every event is special.
65 Kissam St. • Jefferson, GA 30549
706-367-5754
www. cityofjeffersonga. com