Newspaper Page Text
Region Roundup
<Pr
^ lo the
order of
rented by the members of 1 \C JK.\
7 ELECTRIC M t MBER8HIP 7 CORPORATION -
1
S !
V* Q v
I
fU Jk Fa (U s
Jackson EI^C Foundation )
*o u <£>
t
Jackson EMC Jefferson district manager Scott Martin (left) and Jackson
EMC Foundation board member Gwen Hill (right) present a $15,000 check to
Peace Place executive director Shannon Willis that will help provide an out
reach program through the Barrow County Magistrate Court.
Five Groups
Win Grants
From Foundation
Five agencies serving
area residents have been
awarded grants totaling
$52,500 by the Jackson
EMC Foundation — a char
ity funded by the electric
cooperative’s members
through their donations to
the Operation Round Up
program.
•$15,000 to Peace Place,
a domestic violence shel
ter in Winder, to help pro
actively provide access to
services by reaching out to
Barrow County domestic
violence victims and sur
vivors through a commu
nity liaison in the county
Magistrates Court.
•$15,000 to the Salvation
Army - Lawrenceville for
the Family Emergency
Services program, which
prevents homelessness
and stabilizes families by
providing rent or mortgage
financial assistance directly
to the landlord or property
holder.
•$15,000 to the Salvation
Army - Gainesville for the
Social Services Program,
which prevents homeless by
providing emergency finan
cial assistance for rent and
clothing vouchers to indi
viduals and families who
have experienced a lack of
income or other crisis.
•$5,000 to Tiny Stitches,
Inc. in Suwanee, which uses
a network of volunteers to
make handmade tote bags
filled with 35-item layettes
that are donated to moth
ers in nine North Georgia
counties who have little or
nothing for their newborns.
•$2,500 to Cross Pointe
Food Pantry, an all-volunteer
outreach of Cross Pointe
Church at Gwinnett Center,
that provides food to needy
families in the community.
Since the Jackson EMC
Foundation began in 2005,
it has funded more than
560 grants to organizations
and more than 200 grants
to individuals, putting more
than $5.8 million back into
local communities.
1-85 Toll
Lanes To Open
On October 1
The State Road and
Tollway Authority (SRTA)
has announced that the 1-85
Express Fanes in Gwinnett
and DeKalb counties will
officially open on Saturday,
Oct. F
The opening date is con
tingent upon a successful
testing outcome for all
equipment in the Express
Fanes and weather condi
tions.
“The opening of the 1-85
Express Fanes will repre
sent a new era in trans
portation innovation," said
SRTA executive director
Gena F. Evans, Ph.D., in
a statement. “This all-elec
tronic commuting choice
gives registered Peach Pass
customers access to a more
reliable travel option in the
1-85 corridor. The Express
Fanes concept has been
proven successful in eight
other cities, and we are
excited about its ability to
positively impact 1-85 traffic
and keep Metro Atlantans
moving."
Peach Pass registration
is required for all vehicles
using the 1-85 Express
Fanes, including toll-
exempt carpools with three
or more occupants, transit
vehicles, motorcycles, on-
call emergency vehicles and
Alternative Fuel Vehicles
(AFV) with the proper AFV
license plates (not including
hybrids).
To register for an account,
motorists will need their
contact and vehicle tag
information and an initial
prepaid amount of $20
dollars for Personal Toll
Accounts.
The Peach Pass transpon
der adheres to a vehicle’s
windshield (or front bumper
if using a bumper mount
transponder) and is elec
tronically linked to a regis
tered Peach Pass account.
When customers decide to
use the 1-85 Express Fanes,
tolls will be automatically
deducted from their Peach
Pass account.
Until the Express Fanes
officially open, motorists
should continue to follow
the current HOV2+ rules,
which require vehicles to
have two or more occu
pants in order to use the
HOV lanes.
Motorists who want the
option to use the new 1-85
Express Fanes and the all-
electronic toll lanes on GA
400 can open a Peach Pass
account and conduct other
account management ser
vices at the new Customer
Service Center located on
the ground floor of 47 Trinity
Avenue, SW, Atlanta.
In addition to the new
downtown Customer
Service Center, Peach Pass
registration also is available
online at www.PeachPass.
com, by phone at 1-855-PCH-
PASS (724-7277) and in per
son at two Department of
Driver Services locations
in Gwinnett County: 2211
Beaver Ruin Road, Nor cross,
and 310 Hurricane Shoals
Road, NE, Fawrenceville.
For more information
on Peach Pass and the 1-85
Express Fanes, visit www.
PeachPass.com.
Jackson Is
'Camera Ready'
For Film Industry
Jackson County is now
among the majority of coun
ties in Georgia that have
been designated as Camera
Ready Communities — a
program that offers film and
TV production companies
access to local resources
and information.
Gov. Nathan Deal and
the Georgia Film, Music
& Digital Entertainment
Office — a division of the
Georgia Department of
Economic Development
(GDEcD) — designated 23
Georgia counties, including
Jackson, as Camera Ready
at the annual Governor’s
Tourism Conference last
week.
The state’s Camera Ready
Community Program was
started in October 2010 to
support the growing film
and television industry. The
program now includes 112
counties across the state.
“Our aggressive tax incen
tive, new infrastructure and
expanding crew base make
Georgia the leading lady for
film and television produc
tion," said GDEcD commis
sioner Chris Cummiskey.
“At any given time you can
find multiple productions
providing jobs and invest
ment in numerous commu
nities across the state."
The Camera Ready pro
gram is a special designa
tion given to participating
Georgia communities inter
ested in attracting entertain
ment productions. Focal
economic impact from pro
ductions can be significant,
including hiring of local
residents, hotel stays and
purchases of goods and
services. A Camera Ready
Community must designate
one point person who can
assist film and television
production companies on a
local level.
The 2008 Georgia
Entertainment Industry
Investment Act helped
the state’s entertainment
industry achieve record
numbers. Georgia is now
among the top five states
in the nation for film and
TV production with more
than 327 productions shot
in Georgia from July 2010
through June 2011, bringing
in more than $683.5 million
in investment to Georgia.
These projects have gener
ated an economic impact of
$2.4 billion.
Georgia-filmed movies
slated to hit theatres in the
coming months include a
remake of “Footloose" on
October 14 and “Wanderlust"
starring Jennifer Aniston
and Paul Rudd on February
24, 2012. Georgia can also
be seen on television sets
across the world with multi
ple television series now call
ing Georgia home. Season
3 of the CW’s “Vampire
Diaries" aired last week
and AMC’s record-breaking
“The Walking Dead" returns
on October 16.
For more information,
visit www.georgia.org/cam-
eraready.
Vendors, Parade
Participants
Being Solicited
The organizers of the
Maysville Autumn Feaf
Festival are seeking ven
dors for this year’s festival,
which will be held Friday,
Sept. 30, through Sunday,
Oct. 2.
Participants are sought for
craft and food booths and
for the parade. All crafts
and food items must be
homemade.
Applications are available
at victorianmaysville.com.
Volunteers
Needed To
Deliver Meals
The Jackson County
Senior Citizens Center is
seeking volunteers for its
meals on wheels program.
For more information,
call director Shirley Smith
at 706-367-5101.
NEWS DEADLINE
NOON ON MONDAYS
Get the local school, chinch, sports and other community news delivered to your home each week!
Just clip the coupon below to begin saving today over the newstand price!
Name
Address.
City
State
Zip
Subscription rates for The Commerce News are as follows:
$19.75 per year for Jackson and adjoining counties; $17.75 per year for senior citizens in Jackson and adjoining
counties; $38.85 per year for delivery elsewhere in Georgia; $36.85 per year for delivery elsewhere in Georgia with
senior citizen discount; $44.50 per year for delivery out of Georgia; $42.50 per year for delivery out of Georgia with
senior citizen discount; $42.20 per year for the military with APO address.
Enclosed is my check for I
Expiration
Phone
or □ MC or □ VISA #
MainStreet Newspapers. Inc.
33 Lee Street, P. O. Box 908 Jefferson. GA 30549
706-367-5233 Fax: 706-367-8056
Website: www.mainstreetnews.com
In Their Shoes
«
In Their Shoes Walk
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Athens, Georgia
706.475.3301
intheirshoesathens.org
"I walk for my grandmother who died of
breast cancer when I was a year old. I can't
help but wonder if today's technology and
support systems were around for her, things
might have been different."
- Lindsey Whitelaw, participant
In Their Shoes is a 13.1 mile,
one-day walk recognizing and
honoring those who have
experienced cancer.
All proceeds from the walk
remain local, benefiting the
programs and services for all
cancer patients at the Loran
Smith Center for Cancer
Support.
WHO WILL YOU
WALK FOR?
Title Sponsor
a r
V
GEORGIA CANCER
SPECIALISTS
Local Beneficiary
Athens Regional
LORAN SMITH
CENTER FOR CANCER SUPPORT
»