Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. MARCH 11. 2009 - PAGE 5A
Celebrating The Opening
Officials of Walgreens, the city of Commerce, the
Commerce Area Business Association and the
Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce cel
ebrated the opening of the Walgreens Pharmacy
last Friday morning. The store is located at the
intersection of Homer Road and North Broad
Street.
Low CHS Bid Frees Up Money For Books
By Ben Munro
The benefits of a lower-
than-expected price for
the new Commerce High
School will extend beyond
construction.
With the bids coming in a
couple million dollars lower
than expected, Commerce
can afford to adopt new
textbooks for 2009-2010.
The school system needs
about $81,000 locally to buy
the new books, which can
be paid for out of the sur
plus SPLOST.
“Well be able to take care
of textbooks this year,"
Commerce Superintendent
James “Mac" McCoy said
at Thursday night’s Board
of Education (BOE) work
session.
Textbooks were written
into the SPLOST package.
Before the good news of
the low high school bid,
city school leaders had
been tasked with finding
the money for the textbook
adoption amid bleak fund
ing news from the state.
Schools aren’t required to
adopt new textbooks by the
state, but must keep up with
curriculum changes.
State Funding Dip
The school system will
incur a net loss of $319,028
in QBE funding this year
from the state, according
to school system finance
directory Ann Stokey.
The Department of
Education guaranteed
Commerce Schools in July
just over $7.65 million in
QBE to pay for teachers
and operations. But the sys
tem received a new earning
sheet in February with a
reduction of $519,000 for
the year.
However, $200,000 of that
money is “pass-through’’
money, which the school
system gives directly back
to state health, leaving
Commerce Schools with
the $319,000 net loss.
SPLOST Recovers
Following a woeful
SPLOST report in January
($82,000), the school sys
tem deposited $117,847
worth of SPLOST revenue
in February to push the city
school’s SPLOST account
to nearly $2.02 million.
“We weren’t nearly as bad
as what the state projected
their SPLOST revenue,’’
McCoy said.
Commerce Schools
deposited $121,000 at this
time one year ago.
Gym Almost Done
The school system is
close to obtaining a certifi
cate of occupancy for the
Commerce High School
auxiliary gym.
The building still needs
a fire alarm and must be
inspected.
After a certificate of occu
pancy is issued and turned
in to the state, the school
system will seek a demo
lition permit for the old
gym.
With the basketball sea
son now complete, bleach
ers can now be moved from
the old gym to the auxiliary
facility.
— Craver: Home Is Where The Heart Is
Cont. from Page 4A
Bryn Mawr was only a 20-min
ute drive from Barnett Street,
it could've been as far away as
Delaware for a kid with no real
access to transportation and a pen
chant for the dramatic.
After graduating high school
and looking back on that time, I
realized that the move my parents
"forced" on me ended up being a
godsend. The old neighborhood
had begun to deteriorate and the
area I lived in had wonderful
schools and access to all the ame
nities one could desire.
Another move followed closely
after graduating high school.
I found myself entering the
University of Georgia. Outside of
UGA Football and REM, I knew
very little about Athens. I quickly
found out that many kids were
also searching for their own home
away from home in a maze they
called a campus. For me, the feel
ing of home came awfully quickly.
I met several people that I still call
friends today, oh yeah ... I met my
wife there too. At the time, Athens
seemed to be just a steppingstone
that would propel me back into
the urban atmosphere I knew as
a kid. I could take my degrees
and move to a major city and get
back to running the streets with
my friends. I even remember tell
ing an old high school friend that
Athens is a great college town, but
far too small of a city to live in.
After a few right-out-of-college
jobs that kept me in Athens, I
came to Commerce. Although
Commerce is not the mega-city
I envisioned myself living in as
an adult, it has become home.
I was reminded of how homey
Commerce is while I was out of
town and missed the recent snow
fall. My neighbor, realizing I was
out of town and missing winter's
splendor, took the time to take a
picture of my house cloaked in a
beautiful white blanket. She also
took the time to print the picture,
put it in a Ziploc bag and place it
in my mailbox.
While I sometimes miss the
sounds and sites of the big city,
Commerce has become that place
I yearn for, that place of ease and
satisfaction; free from pain and
anxiety. Commerce is my home,
it's where my heart is. Plus, I still
get to run the streets, but now
people waive and smile at me as I
pass.
Hasco Craver is executive direc
tor of the Commerce Downtown
Development Authority. He calls
Commerce home.
On average, drivers who switched to
Allstate
saved $338 a year. Call me today.
JOEL A HARBIN, CIC
(706) 387-5030
38 SYCAMORE ST
JEFFERSON
JoelHarbin@allstate.com
Allstate
You're m good hands.
Based on information reported by 5.291 new customers who purchased directly from an Allstate Customer Information Center
Actual savings wil vary insurance ottered only with select companies and subject to availability and qualifications Allstate
Insurance Company and ARstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company: Northbrook. IL. © 2007 Allstate Insurance Company.
PRINTING
For quality
printing, fast
turn-around and
reasonable prices,
give us a try.
Custom Sheet-Fed
& Web Press
Printing
MainStreet Newspapers
PRINTING DEPT.
Located at 33 Lee Street in Jefferson, Ga.
(706)367-5233
printing@mainstreetnews.com
FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH,
YOU CAN LIST YOUR GROUP'S MEETINGS!
Let your members know when your group is meeting!
Call (706) 367-5233 to advertise your
meeting time, place and date in...
• The Jackson Herald • The Commerce Hen
• The Braselton News • The Banks Count/Hen
•The Madison County Journal
St. Catherine Laboure
Catholic Mission
Mass Schedule: Sat. 4:00 p.m., Sun. 11:00 a.m.,
Wed. 12:10 p.m.
Parish Council meetings: 2nd Sunday of the month
after 11:00 mass
Stations of the Cross Wednesdays
after Mass during Lent
First Friday Adoration 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Website: www.stcatherinelabourega.org
706-335-2622 Pd.03/09
BANKS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
meets first Monday each month
7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial
Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441
North in Homer pd.-07/09
Citizens Organized for
Pipeline Safety
investigating the health risks to citizens from
underground pipelines and booster stations in
Madison Co. Meetings 6:30 p.m. at the Colbert
Grove Baptist Church the 2nd Thurs. of each
month. 706-783-4702. Pd.04/09
JEFFERSON
Ip AMERICAN LEGION
Albert Gordon Post 56
Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Harvie Lance, Commander
Phone (706) 654-1274 3io
BANKS COUNTY
fj§ AMERICAN LEGION
Post 215
Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 Pd.oe/09
HI VETERANS OF
W FOREIGN WARS
Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr.
Each 4th Tuesdasy, 7:00 p.m.
Lamar Langston, Commander
Phone 706-652-2627 ao
JEFFERSON EIONS CEUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
Jefferson City Clubhouse
6:30 p.m.-(706) 387-1156
Mack Cates, President
542
A UNITY LODGE
F & A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Dwayne Potts • 706-367-4449
Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260
JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB
Meets Tuesdays
Jefferson City Clubhouse
12:30 p.m. *(706) 367-7696
Gina Mitsdarffer, President
547
BANKS COUNTY
®j§ AMERICAN LEGION
Riders Club Post 215
Meets each 2nd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 pam/io
Georgia Real Estate Investors
Association, Inc. - Athens
Meets the third Thursday each month
6:30 pm at the UGA Conferen ce Center
1197 South Lumpkin Street,
Athens, GA 30601
Tom Hewlett - Chapter President
thewlettl@charter.net Pd. 12/09
Lights, Camera,
Wrecking Ball
Lewis Sanders Show To Broadcast
Trom Doomed CHS Gym
By Ben Munro
A local television pro
gram will host something
of a wake for the soon-to-
be-demolished Commerce
High School gym.
The “Lewis Sanders
Show’’ on cable Channel
54 will air an episode on
location at the longtime
home of the Commerce
basketball teams before it
is leveled later this year.
The Commerce Board of
Education was receptive to
the idea at its Thursday
night work session.
Special guest cameos
are apparently part of the
send-off.
“They said they have some
legends lined up to come
talk about it,’’ Commerce
Schools Superintendent
James “Mac” McCoy said.
The request came from
Dave Wiley at Channel
54.
“He said it will give us
some positive publicity,’’
McCoy said.
There’s no word yet if a
live broadcast is planned.
“I don’t know if y’all
have ever seen the Lewis
Sanders show, but it is
sometimes pretty comi
cal,’’ McCoy said.
library Director Applicants
Being Interviewed This Week
Commerce city man
ager Clarence Bryant was
scheduled to interview the
top four candidates for
library director this week.
Two were interviewed
Tuesday and two were
to be interviewed on
Thursday.
The four finalists are
Janis Smith, Donna Butler,
Carole Frankum-Riley and
Miguel Vincent.
“I hope to make an offer
by the end of the week,’’
Bryant said. “If our candi
date comes out of these
four, we’ll turn around and
write a letter (offering the
job) at that point.’’
The Commerce Library
Board screened scores of
applicants, held interviews
and presented Bryant with
a “scored’’ list of six final
ists.
He had not precluded
calling the other two final
ists for interviews.
The position was vacated
by the Feb. 28 retirement
of Susan Harper.
BJC Hospital Lab Is Certified
The Banks-Jackson
-Commerce Medical
Center Clinical Laboratory
recently announced that
it has received certifica
tion and the Basic Sentinel
Laboratory Certificate from
the Laboratory Response
Network (LRN).
The BJC lab technicians
participated in special edu
cation and training neces
sary to be certificated as a
Sentinel Laboratory.
According to laboratory
director Pat Miner “all certi
fied Sentinel Laboratories
have the potential to handle
materials that may contain
agents that threaten the
public’s health.
“Certified laboratories
act as sentinels in the
local community, State of
Georgia’s Laboratory, and
the Nation’s Response
Network. Banks-Jackson-
Commerce Medical Center
is proud to be recognized
as a Sentinel Laboratory to
be part of the LRN. When
sentinel clinical labora
tories are unable to rule
out possible bioterrorism
agents using standard LRN
methods, they immediately
refer suspicious isolates or
specimens to their collabo
rating LRN reference labo
ratory.
THE ROOF
DOCTOR
Written Warranties
• Commercial • Residential
• Metal & Shingle Roofing
• Roofing Maintenance & Repairs
• New Roofs • Reroofs
ROOF VENTS‘SKYLIGHTS
CHIMNEY CAPS • ROOF FLASHING
“We Make House Calls’
“We Stop Leaks!
“Roof Repair Specialist” J
Locally Owned & Operated j;]
FREE ESTIMATES
Emergency Repairs
Your Event Moonwalk Rentals
Cordially invites you to an
Open House
Sat., March 14, 2009
11:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M./
Join us on Saturday, March 14, 2009 at
Mount Olive Baptist Church Family Life Center
in Commerce for our Open House.
During this event we will be showcasing our new line of
partiesfor your preview. We now offer Posh Princess. Dancing
Diva. Princess Tea, Pirate Parties and Spa Parties Jor ad of
your party needs, or we can customize a packageJor you as
well.
Our packages are ALL INCLUSIVE. You provide
the location and we provide eveiything else.
Please visit our website or give us a call Jor
more information or if you need directions to
the Open House.
Come see what the "FAthy TALE"
is all about...
Our Pirate will be on hard periodically
making balloon animals.
IT