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Last Games
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Meet Three Authors In Nicholson
Vol. 134
No. 1
20 Pages
2 Sections
The
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
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Commerce News
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Wednesday
FEBRUARY 18, 2009
Fourteen fire departments and more than 100 fire The blaze apparently started when strong winds
fighters responded to last Thursday’s fire at Lanier blew an ember from the company’s incinerator
Pallet Recycling on Hwy. 334 below Commerce, onto nearby pallets.Photo by Mark Beardsley
Ember From Incinerator Believed
To Have Caused Lanier Pallet Fire
By Mark Beardsley
Thousands of pallets
burned up and a stor
age shed was destroyed
Wednesday afternoon
mmm
THURSDAY, FEB. 19
0* .
Partly cloudy, windy, Low, 25;
high, 48; 0% chance rain
FRIDAY, FEB. 20
Sunny: Low, 31; high, 50;
0% chance rain
SATURDAY, FEB. 21
Partly cloudy: Low, 26; high,
51; 10% chance rain
SUNDAY, FEB. 22
Sunny: Low, 27; high, 45;
0% chance rain
Rainfall this month
0.40 inches
Rainfall This Year
4.19 Inches
INDEX
Births 8 A
Church News 3B
Classified Ads 6-8B
Calendar 3A
Crime News 6A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 9-10A
Opinions 4A
School News .... 1 1-1 2A
Sports 1-2B
Social News 7-8A
in a fire at Lanier Pallet
Recycling, located on Hwy.
334 south of Commerce.
Officials believe strong
winds blew an ember from
the business’ incinerator
onto the pallets, starting
the fire. The wind quickly
spread the fire across the
company’s lot.
Fire departments from all
over the county responded,
with tanker trucks shuttling
between the fire and fire
hydrants — and to a fire res
ervoir at Huber Engineered
Woods — to bring water to
the scene.
“We lost 25,000 pallets,
two buildings, a tractor, a
trailer, several pieces of
equipment, but no lives,’’
commented Michelle
Lewis, who with her hus
band owns the business,
which employs 17. She said
local fire personnel “did an
excellent job’’ in bringing
the fire under control and
limiting damage.
The Department of
Transportation closed Hwy.
334 and detoured traffic
around the scene.
“Units from all fire
departments in Jackson
County, Jackson County
Rescue, Jackson County
EMS, Banks County Fire
and Madison County Fire
responded,’’ wrote Steve
Nichols, director of the
county’s Department of
Emergency Services, in
a memo to county man
ager Darrell Hampton.
“Approximately 30 units
responded with approxi
mately 100 persons on the
scene for assistance.’’
The fire started at about
12:30 and was brought
under control at about 4
p.m., according to Nichols,
although fire personnel
were on the scene until
7:30 p.m. The blaze rekin
dled early Thursday morn
ing and fire crews were
sent back. The flare-up
damaged the back of one
of the two remaining build
ings, Mrs. Lewis said.
The fire also knocked
out power for some 363
Jackson EMC customers.
Crews worked into the
night to restore power.
Using an “incident com
mand system’’ on which all
county emergency person
nel are trained, Commerce
Fire Chief Keith Whitfield
served as incident com
mander, with fireman Kevin
Dean as commander of
operations.
Upon arrival, Commerce
firemen realized they
lacked resources to put out
the blaze, and began work
ing to contain it, Whitfield
said.
“We cut it off. They lost
a building but we pretty
much saved most of the
machinery in it and cut
it off before it got to the
other building,’’ he said.
One of the other build
ings contained quantities
of Xylene and paint, so
Whitfield dedicated one
of the four pumpers to
keeping that building
cooled.
Fourteen fire depart
ments responded, sending
more than 30 pieces of fire
equipment to help out.
Every Jackson County
fire department except
Jefferson participated
in one form or another.
Whitfield explained that he
did not summon Jefferson
for fear of leaving the rest
of the county at risk should
another fire occur. As it
Please Turn to Page 6A
Advice For Those Laid Off:
Don't Waste Time, Do Something
By Mark Beardsley
Dr. Howard Ledford,
coordinator of instruction
at the Commerce campus
of Lanier Technical College,
has advice for those who
lose their jobs.
Speaking to the Commerce
Area Business Association
last Wednesday, Ledford
said those laid off during the
ongoing recession should
make the Department of
Labor their first stop.
There they can sign up
for unemployment benefits,
but the jobless should not
stop there.
“Contact the
Regional Devel
opment Center’s
Office of Workforce
Development,’’
Ledford urged.
That group runs
the Workforce
Investment Board
which, though cur
rently out of money,
is putting names on
a list for funding for retrain
ing of the jobless.
“Don’t wait to get on the
list,’’ Ledford urged. “When
money is available, then
you’ll be on the top of the
Dr. Howard
Ledford
he
list for retraining’’
Ledford also urged
the newly jobless
not to sit at home
and wait for the tele
phone to ring.
“Do something.
Get a certificate (at
Lanier Tech), be pro
ductive. Volunteer.
The schools all need
volunteer mentors,’’
said, adding that such
activities will only enhance
the applicant’s resume.
He also recommended
Please Turn to Page 3A
Town Hall Meeting
Wanted: Public
Input On Future
Of Downtown
Downtown Development
Authority Solicits Ideas
From ResidentsTaxpayers
By Mark Beardsley
Do you have a sugges
tion for improving down
town Commerce?
Are their too few parking
places, are the trucks rip
ping through town getting
on your nerves or do all
those garbage containers on
the sidewalk turn you off?
The Downtown Develop
ment Authority wants to
hear your gripes and your
suggestions as it tries to
figure out what the public
would like to see down
town.
It will host a “town hall
meeting’’ Thursday night
at 6:00 in the Commerce
Room at the Commerce
Civic Center so the public
can have its say.
It’ll be a repeat of a
similar meeting held three
years ago, from which the
DDA created a program
of work based on public
comments.
“Downtown restrooms
and parking were the top
priorities,’’ recalled Hasco
Craver, executive director
of the DDA.
The DDA will have the
restrooms done by July 1.
It formed an ad hoc park
ing committee and has
worked to improve park
ing lots. The lot behind the
Commerce Civic Center
was re-striped and patched,
and the lot across from
Hasco Craver
Craver noted.
“Since
then downtown has added
more than 4,000 square
feet of upper floor space.
People wanted more res
taurants. We’ve seen two
new restaurants opened,
Common Road Bakery is
coming back, Little Italy
is doing well and Subway
just obtained a building
permit.’’
The participants three
years ago wanted more
downtown activities; the
DDA added the Fridays
after 5 series. They asked
for a farmer’s market
— and the City to City
Farmers Market shared
with Jefferson started
(this year Commerce will
have its own market every
Saturday starting in late
spring).
After everyone has an
opportunity to suggest
projects, the group will
vote to determine an order
of priority.
Please Turn to Page 3A
County Lays Off 6
In Planning Department
By Angela Gary
Six positions in the
Jackson County Planning
and Building Department
were cut last week due to
the slowdown in the build
ing industry In addition,
two other department
employees, senior planning
manager Frank Etheridge
and planner Toni Smith,
are on paid leave pending
the outcome of an internal
investigation.
On Monday night, the
Jackson County Board of
Commissioners contract
ed with consultant Don
Clerici of BM&K to man
age the county’s planning
office.
Six people were laid off
in the planning depart
ment Friday — two inspec
tors, two clerks and two
employees in the engineer
ing division of the public
development department.
“Over the last several
months, Jackson County,
like many parts of the state
and nation, has experi
enced a significant decline
in the construction indus
try; specifically in housing
construction,’’ said county
manager Darrell Hampton.
“The result of this has been
a decline in the number
of housing starts, resto
rations, renovations and
additions. The result is
a larger staff of building
inspectors and related
staff than the demand of
the market dictates. There
is never a good time for a
reduction in force, but this
change is the appropriate
action in the tough eco
nomic times. It will hope
fully position these depart
ments to weather this hard
time, while still delivering
service as needed.’’
Monday night, the BOC
agreed to pay BM&K,
which is owned by former
planning director Clerici,
to manage the county plan-
Please Turn to Page 3A