Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
Tough Start
For E. Jackson
Hoops Teams
SEE PAGE 7 A
JCCO Holds
Annual
Awards Banquet
Vol. 133
No. 41
20 Pages
3 Sections
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Runoff
Election
Is Tuesday
Jackson County voters
will return to the polls
next Tuesday to take care
of some unfinished busi
ness.
Three runoff elections
will be on the ballot for
the General Election
Runoff Tuesday Dec. 2.
Polls will be open from 7
a.m. to 7 p.m. in all pre
cincts, and early voting is
available through Friday
at the Jackson County
Administrative Building,
Athens Street, Jefferson.
Voters will fill the follow
ing seats:
•United States Senate:
Saxby Chambliss (R) and
Jim Martin (D). Chambliss
is the incumbent.
•Public Service
Commission: Lauren
“Bubba” McDonald (R)
and Jim Powell (D).
• Court of Appeals
Judge: Sara Doyle and
Mike Sheffield, both non
partisan.
Hearing On
Zoning Draws
Zero Citizens
By Sharon Hogan
If the number of
Nicholson residents
attending a public hearing
Thursday night indicates
the number of questions
about the town’s new
rezoning and appeals pro
cedures, it would indicate
there is little concern.
No city residents attend
ed the hearing to speak on
the matter.
The Nicholson City
Council held its month
ly work session meeting
immediately following the
public hearing, but Mayor
Ronnie Maxwell said there
were no items on the agen
da for the work session.
Maxwell said the
monthly council meeting
at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec.
1, should be short. The
council will have its sec
ond reading to codify city
Cont. on Page 3A
INDEX
Births 8A
Church News 9A
Classified Ads 5-7B
Calendar 3 A
Crime News 6A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 8A
Opinions ,, 4A
School News .... 1 1 -1 2A
Sports 1-3B
Social News 10A
A White Knight For BJC?
Medical Center Authority Signs 'Nonbinding Letter Of
Intent' For Acquisition Of BJC Medical Center's Assets
By Mark Beardsley
BJC Medical Center is courting
a suitor.
The facility’s governing authority
approved a nonbinding letter of
intent Thursday that could lead to
the sale of BJC Medical Center and
the construction of a new hospital
in Commerce.
BJC has been searching for a
white knight ever since the Jackson
County and Banks County boards
of commissioners signaled that they
were not interested in underwriting
up to $35 million in bonds to build
a new hospital in Commerce.
Doctors Hospital of Georgia is
the first serious response to that
search. It is a new entity comprising
EDT Development Company, an
Atlanta-based company that spe
cializes in medical facilities, and a
number of doctors.
A lot has to take place before
an acquisition can occur, officials
stressed.
“I am guardedly optimistic,”
declared authority chairman Charles
Blair, who participated in Monday’s
meeting of the BJC Medical Center
Authority by speakerphone, “that
the citizens of Jackson County will
have an opportunity to have a first-
class hospital in the future.”
The process will be lengthy.
The letter of intent gives Doctors
Hospital 90 days to do its “due dili
gence” on the medical center and
will be a time of negotiations over
the details. The next step would
be the signing by the authority of a
final, binding agreement.
“There would be public hearings,”
noted CEO Jim Yarborough, and the
final step would be approval by the
state attorney general, whose role
would be to make sure the authority
has done everything it could do to
keep the facility operating and that
it is getting fair market value.
Yarborough speculated that get
ting the attorney general’s approval
will be the “biggest hurdle.”
He also said the boards of com-
Please Turn to Page 3/
Taking Advantage Of Low Lake Level
The drought continues to take its toll on the
Bear Creek Reservoir, which provides drinking
water for much of Jackson County. The lake, as
of Monday, was about nine feet below full. But
the low water level (and cold temperature) didn’t
keep Noy Bentley of Oconee County from trying
her luck fishing from the shore Saturday. In fact,
it made access to the lake easier. She caught one
nice catfish on crickets in an hour of fishing on the
regional reservoir. Photo by Mark Beardsley
DDA Eyes Loan Proceeds
For 'Microloan' Program
By Mark Beardsley
Commerce businesses could have
a new source of credit should pre
liminary plans of the Downtown
Development Authority bear fruit.
The DDA hopes to utilize Economic
Incentive Program (EIP) funds loaned
to and repaid by two local industries
to create a “micro-loan” program.
The dollars to fund the program
would come from the money repaid
by SKAPS and Quick Response for
federal EIP grants they received years
ago through the Georgia Department
of Community Affairs. Under the pro
gram, the money went to the indus
tries in the form of loans, but the
loan payments were made to the city.
Commerce must use the money —
over $300,000 according to Sosebee —
to promote economic development.
To date, they have not used any of
the money.
“We’re getting pressure from DCA
to either spend it or send it back,”
remarked DDA chairman Bob Sosebee
at the DDA’s Nov. 19 meeting. “Of
course, we’re not
going to send it
back.”
Sosebee envi
sions a program
that would offer
small loans of
$3,000 to $5,000
to businesses who
need short-term
working capital or
money for inven
tory. The money could not be used for
renovations.
Sosebee acknowledged that the pro
gram will likely have a high default
rate.
There remains some question about
whether the DCA will approve that
use of the EIP money, but executive
director Hasco Craver indicated that
DCA is leaning toward approval.
In other business last Wednesday, the
DDA approved a $2,500 facade grant
to Paul Kinetra to cover part of his
Please Turn to Page 3A
Reworking Of
Intersection Set
Back By One Year
The Georgia Department of
Transportation’s revenue shortfall
has pushed a Commerce project
back a year.
The DOT delayed improvements
to the intersection of B. Wilson Road
and Hwy. 98 from this December to
December of 2009, according to Don
Clerici, Jackson County’s capital proj
ects consultant.
“With the funding shortfalls, the
project has been re-prioritized,”
wrote Clerici in response to a request
for information from Commissioner
Jody Thompson. “They plan to
release funds for (right of way)
acquisition next month and the new
let date is December 2009. They are
giving themselves 12 months to buy
R/W and certify the project. My
guess is you are looking at mid-2010
before it goes to construction.”
“I am still very pleased that we
were able to get some traction on
this,” commented Thompson. “I
know there are several people out
there who really want to see it hap
pen. It is a very dangerous intersec
tion.”
Bob Sosebee
Maysville
Getting
Closer On
'09 Budget
By Mark Beardsley
The Maysville City
Council continues to
work on its 2009 budget,
with the goal of approving
it at its Dec. 1 meeting.
The council will meet at
7:00 p.m. at the Maysville
Public Library.
While the council has
agreed on the tax rates,
there are two main issues
yet to be resolved.
One is water and sew
erage rates; the other
is the appropriation
for the Maysville Fire
Department.
The city council dis
cussed both at a work ses
sion last Thursday night;
another work session was
planned for Tuesday night.
Details of that were not
available by press time.
The tentative millage
rates are .81 for Banks
County residents and
1.764 for Jackson County
residents. The Banks
County rate is the same
as last year, while the
Jackson County rate is
down slightly.
Facing a projected water
and sewerage revenue
shortfall of $184,000, the
council had discussed
raising water rates as
much as 40 percent. But
last Thursday, councilman
Stephan Lewis suggested
that figures presented by
Chip McGaughey from
Engineering Management
Inc. at a prior work ses
sion “just didn’t add up
for me.”
Lewis and Council-
woman Lynn Villyard
have been working on
the figures and hoped to
Cont. on Page 3/
CONTACT US
Phone: 706-335-2927
FAX: 706-387-5435
E-mail:
news@ma i nstreetnews. com
ma rk@ma instreetnews .com
brandon@mainstreetnews.com
teresa@ma instreetnews .com
Mail: P.O. Box 459,
Commerce, GA, 30529
Drought Watch:
Reservoir Levels
As of Monday, Nov. 24
Commerce: 698 (.2 feet above full)
Bear Creek: Not Available
Rainfall this month
.74 inches
Rainfall This Year
40.15 Inches
THANKSGIVING WEEK WEATHER OUTLOOK
THURSDAY, NOV. 26
Mostly sunny: Low, 39;
high, 58; 10% chance rain
FRIDAY, NOV. 27
^ y V \\
Showers: Low, 45; high, 55;
40% chance rain
SATURDAY, NOV. 28
/
Few showers: Low, 39; high,
63; 30% chance rain
SUNDAY, NOV. 29
/
Partly cloudy: Low, 34; high,
60; 10% chance rain