Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
SEE PAGE 10A
Tigers Now
2-0 Atop
Region 8-A
Immigrant's Hard
Work Pays Off
With Citizenship
Vol. 133
No. 44
18 Pages
2 Sections
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Shop Commerce
By Candlelight
On Friday Night
Downtown Commerce
will offer a rare nighttime
shopping experience
with “Commerce by
Candlelight" this Friday.
Approximately 20
stores will stay open
until 9:00, and shoppers
will be able to stroll
from store to store on
luminary-lit sidewalks,
hear Christmas carols
performed by the coun
ty’s top vocal ensemble,
see Santa, enjoy refresh
ments and maybe even
win a door prize.
All participating busi
nesses will have light
refreshments. Some will
have door prizes, and
there will also be draw
ings for more than $500
in gift certificates given
to people who sign in at
all 20 businesses.
The Jackson County
Comprehensive High
School Advanced Choral
Ensemble will sing
Christmas carols at vari
ous locations during the
evening.
THURSDAY, DEC 18
Cloudy: Low, 56; high, 73;
10% chance rain
FRIDAY, DEC 19
Few showers: Low, 52; high,
69; 30% chance rain
SATURDAY, DEC 20
Few showers: Low, 51; high,
66; 30% chance rain
SUNDAY, DEC 21
Showers: Low, 30; high, 62;
50% chance rain
Reservoir Levels
Commerce: 699 (1.4 feet above
full)
Bear Creek: 690.53 (4.47 feet
below full)
Rainfall this month
3.7 inches
Rainfall This Year
46.22 Inches
INDEX
Births 8A
Church News 7B
Classified Ads 4-8 B
Calendar 3 A
Crime News 7A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 9A
Opinions 4A
School News 8B
Sports 1-3B
Social News 8A
The Hurricane Shoals Conference Center was named in honor of Pat Bell
Monday. Bell is shown at the conference center with her husband, John; son,
Greg; and granddaughter, Hannah.
County Names Conference
Center After BOC's Bat Bell
By Angela Gary
Pat Bell has been devoted to improving
and expanding Hurricane Shoals Park. She
has been an integral part of every addition
and enhancement made at the park over
the past three decades.
Her work at the park, as well as her years
of service to Jackson County, was recog
nized Monday as the Hurricane Shoals
Conference Center was renamed in her
honor. A sign in front of the building now
reads “Pat Bell Conference Center" and
a plaque honoring Bell is located at the
entrance of the conference center.
The announcement was made Monday at
a surprise reception for Bell, who is retiring
as chairman of the Jackson County Board
of Commissioners. Bell previously served
as a commissioner, as well as a state rep
resentative and as the county extension
agent.
County officials, former 4-H’ers and
others gathered at the conference cen
ter Monday morning for the retirement
reception. Jackson County Chamber of
Commerce president Shane Short, former
4-H’ers Penny Gaultney and Wayne Reese
and MainStreet Newspapers publisher
Mike Buffington spoke on Bell’s service.
Short pointed out that Bell was integral in
forming the chamber 30 years ago.
“She has personally been involved in a lot
of economic development in the county,"
Short said.
Gaultney congratulated Bell on her retire
ment and pointed out that she has already
been to one retirement event for her — as a
county extension agent.
“I don’t think this will be the last retire
ment," she added.
Reese spoke on Bell’s drive and dedica
tion: “She’s not going to say no if something
needs to be done ... Hurricane Shoals is a
testimony to that."
Buffington said Bell has “cultivated lead
ership among young people" through her
county extension service and has been the
“driving force" behind many improvements
during her term as BOC chairman.
“Few people have impacted as many
issues as Pat Bell has," he said.
BOC Meeting
At the last BOC meeting of the year
Monday night, Commissioner Jody
Thompson read a resolution honoring Bell.
She was also presented with several gifts,
including a shadow box containing the
scissors she used at ribbon cuttings dur
ing her term and a framed map of the
South Apple Valley Road project, which
she pushed through due to safety con
cerns. Rick Sanders and Cathy Robinson
of the recreation department presented the
shadow box and Don Clerici and Darrell
Hampton presented the framed map.
Bell also spoke on her term in office and
encouraged the new commission board to
continue addressing water issues. The BOC
recently filed a lawsuit against the Upper
Oconee Basin Authority to challenge the
assumed capacity of the reservoir.
“I want the new board to be very careful
and very attuned and very resourceful with
our water," she said. “Protect our future
water. We have to find out how much water
is in that reservoir. Don’t back down on our
water."
Bell also spoke on the work the commis
sioners did during her term.
“I can truthfully say we have sat here for
four years and we’ve had our differences
but when we needed to come together, we
came together. I am proud of every com
missioner I served with. Even though we
had our differences — that keeps you on
your toes."
Group Hopes To Spur Action
On Rate Of Births To Teens
By Mark Beardsley
Every year, Jackson
County teenagers ages 15-19
give birth to 100 children —
the highest rate of births
to teens in the 10-county
Northeast Georgia Health
District.
That’s the equivalent of
six classrooms per year of
school children whose odds
of growing up in poverty
are extremely high; and 100
young women also destined
for poverty.
Yet, those stunning figures
— which are worse per capi
ta than Mexico, the Ukraine
and Romania among a host
of other countries — have
yet to spur public officials
and policymakers into any
serious attempts to confront
the issue.
Last Thursday night, at
the invitation of the Jackson
County Teen Pregnancy
Coalition, approximately 25
parents and grandparents
gathered at the First Baptist
Church of Commerce
to brainstorm ways by
which the tide of babies
born to children might be
stemmed.
They produced a host of
suggestions, ranging from
more recreation and men
toring programs to better
sex education curricula
Please Turn to Page 3A
Reservoirs Get
Boost From
Last Week's Rain
Last week’s rainfall was
good for the Bear Creek
Reservoir.
Following the 3-plus
inches of rain that fell
Thursday and Friday, the
505-acre lake rose by more
than two feet.
Operators had been able
to pump a little water out
of the Middle Oconee
River into the southwest
Jackson County reservoir
as early as Dec. 5, but
began pumping full-time
Thursday, Dec. 11.
As of Tuesday morning,
all three pumps continued
to run full-time.
“I would say we’ll get to
pump full force today and
maybe tomorrow," said
Wayne Wilson, lead opera
tor.
Wilson said the lake level
was at 690.53 feet Tuesday
morning. That’s 4.47 feet
below full, but just more
than two feet above where
the lake’s level was just a
week earlier.
The forecast for the rest
of the week offers some
hope of rain to keep the
river level high enough
that the pumps can keep
running. In addition to
a 30 percent chance of
rain today (Wednesday),
the forecast calls for 30
percent chance of rain
Friday and Saturday and
a 50 percent chance
Sunday.
The Bear Creek Reser
voir, which provides water
for Jackson, Barrow,
Oconee and Clarke coun
ties, is filled by pumping
water from the nearby
Middle Oconee River.
When river levels are suffi
cient, operators can pump
60 million gallons per day.
During the drought, how
ever, the stream flow has
often fallen to the point
where no water can be
pumped to the reservoir.
City Reservoir Full
The Commerce Reser voir
is not just full, but over full
after 3.8 inches of rain last
Thursday and Friday.
Brian Harbin, director
of water and sewer opera
tions, said the reservoir
level Tuesday morning
was at 699 feet, 1.4 feet
above full.
Holiday Cheer
A Christmas scene welcomes visitors to the
Commerce Police Department.
Newspaper Deadlines Advanced
Because of the upcoming holidays and the change in
production schedules, deadlines for The Commerce News
will be advanced for the next two issues.
The papers will be printed both Tuesdays, will be avail
able Tuesday nights at local stores and will arrive in local
subscribers’ mailboxes in Wednesday’s mail.
Deadlines, for both classified and display ads, will be
moved to noon Friday, Dec. 19, for the Dec. 24 issue and
Friday, Dec. 26, for the Dec. 31 publication.
The news deadline for both issues of The Commerce
News will be Friday at 4 p.m.
Just 2 Building Permits Issued
The Commerce Department of Building Inspection
issued two permits during November.
One is for a new house, valued at $60,000; the other
was for an addition or alteration to a house and was val
ued at $30,000. The “values" are not used to determine
taxation. The Jackson County Tax Assessor’s office will
set that figure.
The low number of permits reflects the economic slow
down, which is also seen in the number of inspections
the department makes.
During November, officials averaged 3.35 inspections
per work day.