Newspaper Page Text
RAIN 6 INCHES SHORT IN 2008
December Wet, But Rainfall Still Under Average For Year - Page 8A
DUELATTHE DUALS
Tiger Wrestlers Win Amicalola Classic,
FHead Into Area Duals - Page 1B
Vol. 133
No. 47
16 Pages
2 Sections
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
^ The - iani
Commerce News
Wednesday
JANUARY 7, 2009
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Walgreens
Sets March 8
Opening Date
The tentative open
ing date for the new
Walgreens is March 8,
with an official grand
opening celebration set
for April 19, a Walgreens
official says.
“Of course, this could
change," observed Lori
Kaskowitz Kenward, a
Walgreens official charged
with dealing with print
media and grand open
ings, in a response to an
e-mail query.
The building, located at
the intersection of North
Broad Street and Homer
Road diagonally across
from CVS, appears to
be almost completed. Its
parking lot is paved and
the outdoor lighting is
installed.
“They haven’t turned the
building over to Walgreens
yet," noted David Zellner,
director of planning and
development for the city.
Zellner confirmed
Monday night that the
Walgreens contractor is
also shooting for a March
8 opening.
“They were moving stuff
into the building today,"
he said.
THURSDAY, JAN. 8
m
Partly cloudy: Low, 32; high,
55; 10% chance rain
FRIDAY, JAN. 9
Sunny: Low, 35; high, 56;
0% chance rain
SATURDAY, JAN. 10
J '
Showers: Low, 39; high, 60;
40% chance rain
SUNDAYJAN.il
Partly cloudy: Low, 31; high,
52; 10% chance rain
Precipitation this month
1.88 inches
Precipitation this year
1.88 Inches
City To Back Down From Ordinance
Ordinance Oversteps State Law On Video Poker Machines
By Mark Beardsley
Score one for the video poker industry.
Less than a month after Commerce approved
an ordinance aimed at controlling pool halls
and game rooms, the city finds itself backing
down sharply.
City Manager Clarence Bryant told the city
council at Monday night’s work session that
an Atlanta firm representing the video gaming
industry fired off two letters to the city over its
ordinance threatening legal action.
“It looks like we can’t do a lot of stuff we
wanted to do," said Bryant, who later added
that the ordinance “was probably going to be
whittled down a good bit."
The ordinance was drafted by City Attorney
John Stell and apparently drew heavily upon
a similar Winder ordinance. Stell, said Bryant,
would “send over the language" necessary for
fixing problems with the document. The city
could approve the changes at Monday night’s
meeting, which takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the
Commerce Room of the Commerce Civic
Center.
The ordinance was the city’s not-so-subtle
attempt to eliminate video poker machines
altogether by levying a $500 fee per machine.
It also defined pool halls and game rooms,
slapping annual fees on billiard tables and
video games.
The gaming industry did not take the chal
lenge lying down.
Cont. on Page 3A
Commerce’s efforts to eliminate video poker
games ground to a halt after attorneys for the
gaming industry got involved.
Jackson County Regime Change
Elected officials sworn in New Year’s Day at
the courthouse in Jefferson included, left to
right, state solicitor Don Moore, tax commis
sioner Don Elrod, county board of education
member Lyn Wheeler, Superior Court judge
David Motes, board of commissioners chairman
Hunter Bicknell, board of commissioners mem
ber Chas Hardy, magistrate judge Billy Chandler
and State Court judge Jerry Gray. Probate Court
judge Margaret Deadwyler leads the oath.
Economy Cools Group's Interest
In Acquiring BJC Medical Center
By Mark Beardsley
The slumping economy
appears to have put the
brakes on negotiations by a
group of doctors to acquire
BJC Medical Center.
Representatives of both
sides confirmed that the
nonbinding letter of intent
between the Commerce
medical facility and Doctors
Hospital of Georgia was
withdrawn.
Finances appeared to be
at the root of the setback.
“Some of the language in
the letter required them to
show proof of the ability
to finance and the avail
ability of funds," explained
BJC CEO Jim
Yarborough.
“There was a win
dow of opportuni
ty they needed to
show proof. They
were not able to
meet that require
ment within the
deadline."
Doctors Hos
pital of Georgia
is an investment
group that hoped to
acquire BJC Hospital and
build a new version at the
Maysville Road medical
complex being developed
by Atlanta podiatrist Dr.
James Bouchard. Bouchard
is not a part of
Doctors Hospital,
but he had offered
to donate land for
a hospital at the
site.
Yarborough
thinks the would-
be buyers ran into
the credit crunch.
“As we all know,
(lending insti
tutions) have a
tight hold on funds," he
commented. “I think they
(Doctors Hospital) found
out the hard way how tight
that hold is."
The withdrawal of the let
ter of intent does not neces
sarily rule out some future
agreement, but it indicates
the difficulties caused by
an economy in recession.
First, the economy has
hit BJC Medical Center
hard. Its bad debt and
uncompensated care have
put operations deep into
the red. Secondly, a tight
er credit market makes it
more difficult for groups
like Doctors Hospital to
borrow money.
According to Yarborough,
the medical center had
provided a lot of its cur
rent financial data to the
Cont. on Page 3A
Jim Yarborough
City To
Take A
Hard Look
At Finances
By Mark Beardsley
Like most businesses
and families, the city of
Commerce is keeping a
close eye on its finances.
Facing a deep recession
and declining revenues, the
city council will get a more
detailed financial summary
than usual when it meets
Monday night at 6:30 in the
Commerce Room of the
Commerce Civic Center.
“We will be taking a very
close look at our financials
in the next couple of days,"
reported City Manager
Clarence Bryant at this past
Monday’s work session.
Bryant went into few
details, other than to report
that the Electric Department
has been doing well and that
while the Gas Department
had a “fantastic" November,
the current warm weather is
not helping.
“It’s going to be tough (this)
year," Bryant concluded.
The good news for cash
flow is that during December
the bulk of city property
taxes came in. However, at a
rate of 1.5 mills, that doesn’t
amount to a lot of money —
about $260,000.
The city enacted a “spend
ing freeze" last fall, in the
face of declining revenues.
Monday night’s agenda is
short. The council stands
poised to amend its bud
get to pay for a $38,000
Cont. on Page 3A
INDEX
Births 3B
Church News 7A
Classified Ads 6-7B
Calendar 3A
Crime News 6A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 8B
Opinions 4A
School News 3B
Sports 1-2B
Social News 3B
Nicholson Finalizing New Charter
By Brandon Reed
The Nicholson City
Council held the first read
ings of two resolutions
Monday night at its first
meeting of 2009.
The first was a resolution
for a local emergency oper
ation plan that maps out the
combination of resources
throughout the county in
the event of an emergency.
The plan also coordinates
what agencies will work
together if an emergency,
such as a natural disaster,
were to occur.
Each city must approve
the plan by resolution.
The second reading and
a vote on the resolution are
expected at the council’s
next meeting.
The council also had the
first reading of a resolution
to make changes to the city’s
charter. The new 28-page
charter will provide for the
incorporation, boundaries,
power of the city, election
terms, as well as ordinances
and procedures. It also spe
cifically delineates powers
between the mayor and the
Cont. on Page 5A
Blood Drive Next Tuesday
The American Red Cross will hold
a blood drive Tuesday, Jan. 12, from
noon to 6:00 p.m., at the First Bap
tist Church of Commerce Family Life
Center, 1345 S. Elm Street.
The American Red Cross provides
blood services to all area hospitals, including BJC
Hospital, Athens Regional Medical Center and the
Gainesville and Atlanta hospitals.
Potential donors must be 17, weigh at least 110
pounds and be in good health.
All donors will receive a Chick-Fil-A coupon and
have their names entered in a drawing for a pair of
airline tickets.