Newspaper Page Text
Commerce News RegiOil RoUndttP
PAGE2A • MARCH 4,2009
Commission
Discusses
Expenditures
Renewing the county’s
annual $100,000 contribu
tion to the chamber of com
merce and approving more
than $280,000 for furniture
at the new jail were among
the items discussed by the
Jackson County Board of
Commissioners Monday
night.
The BOC will take action
on these items when it meets
at 6 p.m. Monday, March 16,
at the courthouse.
At this week’s meeting, the
BOC heard a request from
the Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce to
again provide $100,000 for
the year. This money was
included in the budget and
recognizes the chamber’s
role in leading the county’s
economic development
effort.
Planners Nix
Request For
Welding Shop
In a split vote Thursday
night, the Jackson County
Planning Commission rec
ommended denial of a
Nicholson man’s request to
use his property to operate
a small welding business.
The Jackson County Board
of Commissioners will take
action on the request at its
March 16 meeting.
Marvin A. Gaines asked
for a home business license
to operate B&M Welding in
a building on his property
at 1105 Cabin Creek Drive.
He said he had discussed
his plans with his neighbors
and no one is opposed to
the business. No one spoke
in opposition at the plan
ning commission meeting.
Planning members John
Gaissert, Don Segraves and
Tim Cornelison voted for
denial. A1 Venable voted in
favor of the project.
In other business, the plan
ning commission:
• unanimously approved
a request from John Adams
to rezone one acre at 10216
Commerce Road from A-2
to HRC. Adams plans to
construct a pole barn.
• approved an amendment
to the unified development
code to clarify permitted
uses in each zoning dis
trict and to consolidate the
inactive A-l and A-3 zoning
districts into the AR zoning
district.
• approved an amend
ment to the comprehensive
plan to revise the zoning
classification of 221 parcels
along Hwy. 124 and Hwy. 53
to more accurately reflect
their current uses.
•learned that a request
from Fred Willis for a home
business license to operate
a dental lab at 91 Hunter
Drive had been withdrawn.
United Way
Surpasses Goal
In Jackson Co.
The Jackson County
United Way Advisory Board
recently announced that
it exceeded its 2008 goal
of raising $75,000 for the
United Way of Northeast
Georgia.
Jackson County has
raised at least $90,659 for
the United Way, according
to the group.
Donations received from
residents and businesses in
the county help Northeast
Georgia residents receive
services from the many
agencies supported by
United Way of Northeast
Georgia.
Last year, United Way
support assisted more than
9,483 individuals, provided
511,905 pounds of food and
provided $81,987 in services
to the residents of Jackson
County.
The top donor honor for
this year’s campaign goes
to Publix #1188 in West
Jackson and store man
ager James Neese. Publix
pledged $26,190 this year.
The United Way is still
accepting donations and
pledges.
To make a donation to
United Way of Northeast
Georgia, whether it be by
one-time gift by cash or
check, a payroll deduction
at work, or direct billing,
contact Bonnie Jones at
Jackson EMC at 706-367-
6114.
Action Urged To
Prevent Pine
Beetle Damage
Local forest landown
ers are being urged to take
advantage of available assis
tance that helps combat the
destructive southern pine
beetle. The Georgia Forestry
Commission is offering
a number of solutions to
battle the pest, which has
caused more than $250
million in Georgia timber
losses since 1972.
“Forest landowners
should contact us now to
arrange for any of several
services that can improve
the health of their stands
and increase their value,’’
said James Johnson, for
est health coordinator for
the GFC. “For the seventh
consecutive year we are
offering a cost-share pro
gram that provides signifi
cant assistance for preven
tion and relief from south
ern pine beetle attacks.’’
April 15 is the deadline
by which landowners must
sign up for the Southern
Pine Beetle Cost-Share
Program, according to
Johnson.
The program helps fund
practices that support forest
health, including non-com
mercial thinning (reducing
the number of stems per
acre to an optimum level),
pine release treatments
(removing unwanted hard
woods from the stand and
lowering the number of
stems per acre), prescribed
burning, southern pine bee
tle infestation treatments,
and replanting stands har
vested due to southern pine
beetle attacks.
These healthy forestry
practices are also known
to increase wildlife benefits
for many species, including
deer, turkey and quail.
For more information,
contact a GFC office
or visit GaTrees.org/
ForestManagement/spb.
cfm.
— Reservoir
Cont. from Page 1A
their property.
What’s next?
The authority could go
to court to get access.
“I won’t know what’s
next until I meet with the
board,’’ Klerk said.
The manager said a num
ber of citizens raised the
valid point that the cur
rent status — three poten
tial sites — leaves a lot of
people facing uncertainty
in regard to what could
happen to their land.
“I would like to see the
county pick one site so
we don’t keep three areas
where people are on pins
and needles,’’ Klerk com
mented. “The people
were saying 'we’re in
limbo. How long before
you decide whether it is
or is not the site.’ That’s a
valid complaint.’’
The problem is that
the county and its engi
neering consultant can’t
select the site until they
get access to all of the
proposed locations.
While the authority did
not achieve success in get
ting more access, Klerk
said he was “heartened’’
by the response of those
who turned out, the vast
majority of whom were
cordial, polite and asked
a lot of questions.
Cities Postpone
Meetings Due
To Storm
Southeast Toyota Cutting Work Force, Wages
By Mark Beardsley
Southeast Toyota Inland
Processing in Commerce
will trim its workforce by
33 by March 25 and is cut
ting pay for all remaining
employees.
Facing declining sales
and with no expecta
tions of improvement
in the near future, SET
will reduce its workforce
by 110 at its processing
plants in Jacksonville and
Commerce.
“The automotive industry
is facing its lowest levels
in 40 years and analysts
do not predict an upturn
in the foreseeable future,’’
said Bob Moore, vice pres
ident and general manager
of SET vehicle process
ing. “As a result, we are
adjusting our organiza
tional structure to align
with the current market
and significant declines in
the number of vehicles we
process.’’
To achieve the reduction,
SET has offered volunteer
severance packages to its
173 hourly production work
ers with the goal of enticing
31 to accept.
“If we get more than 31
takers, we will base our
decision on tenure,’’ Moore
said. “If we get less than 31,
we will need to implement
some mandatory separa
tion packages.’’
The supervisory staff was
offered the same options,
with the goal of reducing
it by two persons, Moore
said.
The announcement was
made Monday, Feb. 23.
Employees have until March
25 to make a decision.
The pay cuts were
announced Tuesday. They
range from four to 10 per
cent, with lower-wage
employees receiving small
er percent cuts and higher-
level employees the greater
amounts, Moore explained.
Some entry-level wages
were not cut.
One person on the admin
istrative staff was laid off
Tuesday.
The severance package
includes “a generous separa
tion package, outplacement
assistance and extended
health benefits,’’ Moore
said.
SET processed 145,000
vehicles in 2007. That fig
ure dropped to 104,000 in
2008, and projections for
2009 are 90,000, according
to Moore.
“The good news is that
one of the measuring sticks
of manufacturing success
is market share,’’ Moore
said. “Fortunately, we are
gaining market share. Our
hopes are that when the
larger numbers return, we’ll
still have that larger market
share of a bigger market.’’
SET is a subsidiary of JM
Family Enterprises, which
is eliminating 500 jobs due
to the automotive sales
slump.
Moore pointed out that
industry-wide in North
America, the number of new
vehicles sold has dropped
from 16 million a year to a
projected 10.5 million.
City council meetings in
Nicholson and Maysville
that were scheduled for
this past Monday night
were cancelled due to the
snowstorm.
The Nicholson City
Council meeting has been
rescheduled for 7 p.m.
Thursday.
The Maysville City
Council meeting has been
rescheduled for 7 p.m.
Monday.
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