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PAGE 8A - THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 21. 2011
EPD OKs Use Of
Restrictions On
Outdoor Watering
Restrictions Affect County, Jefferson,
Braselton, Hoschton Water Customers
Jackson County residents
whose water comes from
the Bear Creek Reservoir
are now subject to restric
tions on the use of outdoor
water, including an odd-even
schedule.
The Environmental
Protection Division late
last week finally gave the
Upper Oconee Basin Water
Authority — and its four
member counties (Jackson,
Barrow, Clarke and Oconee)
permission to enter Level
1 of their drought manage
ment plan.
The plan outlines steps
by which officials hope to
reduce water usage by 2.5
percent over usage in July
and August.
Basically, the major change
is that the irrigation of lawns
and landscapes — other than
those recently installed — is
relegated to the hours from
10 p.m. to 4 a.m. on an
odd-even schedule based
on address. At addresses
ending in an odd number,
irrigation may take place
on Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Sundays, while those ending
in even numbers may water
on Mondays, Wednesdays
and Saturdays.
The authority and county
restrictions would also apply
to golf courses (except for
the greens and tee boxes)
and ball fields that were
previously exempted. Since
virtually all golf courses
irrigate from ponds that is
largely a moot point.
People will still be allowed
to water new lawns and
shrubs as needed for the
first 30 days, irrigate their
gardens as needed, and
nurseries and stores that sell
retail plants will be able to
water them as needed. The
restrictions will not affect
commercial car washes or
power washing.
They apply to all customers
of the Jackson County Water
and Sewerage Authority and
to municipal water custom
ers of Braselton, Hoschton
and Jefferson.
The EPD letter also grants
the regional authority and
its member counties the
ability to go to subsequent
levels in their drought plans
as circumstances warrant.
The Bear Creek Reservoir
was at 686.53 feet — 8.47
feet below full — as of
Friday and falling at a rate
of about three inches a day.
Meanwhile, the National
Weather Service was pre
dicting a high probability of
rainfall through Thursday.
Nicholson Council
Reaches Agreement
On Ethics Complaint
The Nicholson City
Council finally made a
decision Monday, Sept.
12, on the ethics com
plaint filed against council
member Lamar Watkins
several months ago by for
mer council member Faye
Seagraves.
Seagraves filed the com
plaint alleging Watkins
received pay for mile
age to the annual Georgia
Municipal Association con
ference in Savannah when
in fact he actually rode with
another council member -
Howard Wilbanks - to the
annual conference.
The city’s ethics board
presented the council with
its recommendation regard
ing the complaint. The eth
ics board recommended
that Watkins repay the city
for the two years - 2008
and 2009 - in which there
were signed records in the
amount of $480. Watkins
has already paid the city
back $210 of the $480 total.
At the meeting, Mayor
Ronnie Maxwell asked
the council for a decision
regarding the complaint.
Watkins was excused from
the discussion and decision
since he was involved.
Council member Chuck
Wheeler stated he would
like to give the $210 back to
Watkins, that he has already
paid, send him to an eth
ics class and disregard the
remaining $270 the board
recommended he pay back.
Wilbanks agreed to that sug
gestion, but Maxwell said he
didn’t think that would be
acceptable and denied the
request.
Then Wheeler made a
motion that the city accept
the $210, Wilbanks second
ed the motion and all were
in favor of this.
In other business, the coun
cil unanimously approved
the subdivision and land
development ordinance.
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Recycling Bin Now In Operation
Commerce’s recycling bin, located just below the all kinds of paper, cardboard, food cans, alumi-
Public Works Department facility on Waterworks num beverage cans, plastic containers and most
Road, is now open. Residents are invited to dump kinds of glass into the bin.
Business Association Members Get
Briefed On Fall Downtown Lineup
By Mark Beardsley
Members of the
Commerce Area Business
Association got not only
an update on what the
Downtown Development
Authority has planned for
the next few months, but
also a plea to volunteer to
help the DDA with those
events.
Denise McKay, the execu
tive director of the DDA,
went over the fall sched
ule of events, announced a
major new spring initiative
and made the pitch for vol
unteers.
“We do have a lot going
on this fall,” she said. “There
is a lot we have added to the
schedule.”
Events include:
•Sept. 25: Movie in the
park, dusk at Spencer Park.
The DDA will show “Cool
Runnings,” the story of the
Jamaican bobsled team.
• Oct. 13: Fall Block
Party, 5-7 p.m. throughout
downtown. The event will
feature bluegrass music, fall
decorations and merchants
showcasing their fall mer
chandise. “We’re just trying
to get everyone to come
downtown and see what we
have,” McKay said.
• Oct. 15: Downtown
cleanup in conjunction
with the city’s annual
“cleanup week.” Volunteers
will power wash sidewalks,
weed planted areas and
install fall plants. The DDA
hopes to get help from the
Commerce Kiwanis Club
and other organizations.
• Oct. 31: Downtown
Trick-or-Treat, 4-6 p.m. Kids
12-under are invited to
solicit treats from partici
pating merchants and other
groups.
•Nov. 3-12: The Cold
Sassy Players will present
“Christmas Belles,” at the
Commerce Cultural Center.
Tickets are $5 at Jay’s
Department Store.
•Nov. 5: Meet the Artist
event. Building off an
annual event by Our Town
Antiques, there will be art
ists at Our Town Antiques
and H.R McGoo.
•Nov. 11: Fall and
Winter Fashion Show, 7
p.m., Spencer Park. Tickets
are $6 from merchants in
the downtown. Since the
event falls on Veterans
Day, there will also be a
tribute to veterans and ser
vice personnel. “We out
fit everybody completely
from the downtown,”
McKay pointed out.
•Nov. 18-20: Savannah
River Productions will
present “Smoke on the
Mountain Homecoming”
at the Commerce Cultural
Center.
•Nov. 18-19: Let it
Go: stand-up comedy by
Dannette Flint and James
Eubanks of Commerce
and Steve Mills of Atlanta,
7 p.m. both nights at the
Commerce Civic Center.
Tickets for the adults-only
event are $10 and it’s a
BYOB event.
•Dec. 3: Breakfast With
Santa at 10-11:30 in the
morning at the Commerce
Civic Center; Secret Santa
Workshop, Commerce
By Candlelight 5-9 in the
evening; and a 2 p.m. free
Christmas movie at the
Commerce Public Library.
•Dec. 4: Commerce
Christmas Parade, 3 p.m.,
downtown. The theme is
“Winter Wonderland.”
• Dec. 8: Girls Night Out,
downtown Commerce, 7-9
pm. This builds on a Gift
Works at the Joy Shoppe
annual event
•Dec. 16: Late Night
Shopping Party, 7-9 p.m.
downtown. This is designed
as “a couples’ night out,”
said McKay.
“We are really working
hard trying to bring people
into Commerce and mar
keting our town,” McKay
told the CABA members.
“We are working very hard
to get Commerce out there
in a lot of publications.”
3-Day Art Festival
Planned In March
McKay said the DDA —
with a lot of volunteer help —
will sponsor a “Folk to Fine
Art Fair” at the Commerce
Civic Center Friday through
Sunday, March 1-3.
According to McKay, she
went with Claudine Smith
of Our Town Antiques (and
a member of the DDA) to
a folk festival in DeKalb
County and “worked it
for three days,” talking to
the artists, who encour
aged them to hold such an
event.
“We talked to them about
time, and they recommend
ed the first week in March,”
McKay said. “The artists
picked the time, and we
talked to other artists and
they agreed.”
Admission will be $15
Friday night, which cov
ers all three days of the
event and a reception that
evening; or $7 per day
for Saturday and Sunday.
Vendors will pay $125 to
reserve a 10x10 space. The
DDA is seeking sponsors
at rates ranging from $100
to $1,000.
They already have a
number of artists commit
ted, McKay said, and are
reaching out to others. She
said the DDA will “adver
tise heavily” to promote the
event.
Appeal For
More Volunteers
Noting that Smith is leav
ing the DDA’s Economic
Restructuring Committee
and Keith Ariail has resigned
from the DDA and from its
Design Committee, McKay
asked members to consider
volunteering to serve on the
DDA committees.
Other Business
In other business:
•The group learned that
its board of directors decid
ed to discontinue its annu
al New Year’s Eve dance
because it has been losing
money on the event.
• McKay announced
that businesses are invited
to submit a short descrip
tion of members’ business
es to be featured on the
groups “Commerce CABA”
Facebook page.
•The group learned that
tickets are on sale for $5
apiece (five for $20) for
a raffle on an original
pencil drawing of the new
Commerce High School,
with proceeds to benefit
CABA. The group will
sell tickets at Commerce
High School home athletic
events and unveil the draw
ing at a CHS home football
game.
I Believe In Ci
Elect
Clark Hill
COMMERCE MAYOR
ommerce...
Moving Forward
Tke time lias come for Commerce to emerge as a
progressive city witk opportunities for new kusinesses and
developments. As department keads retire and new officials
are elected, tkere is a unique opportunity for Commerce to
again kecome tke leading city in Jackson County.
As past DDA ckairman, I led tke searck for a new
Executive Director and kelped run tke department during
tke interim. As President of tke Georgia Med ical Directors
Association, I led tke searck for its new Executive Director
and wken my term was completed, tke organization kad
doukled its cask reserves and was stronger tkan ever.
Tkese experiences kave prepared me to lead Commerce
tkrougk tkese ckallenges and I am excited akout tke future
of our city. To learn more, join me on facekook or contact
me at clarkkill2011@yak oo.com or (706) 423-9550.
Vote November 8, 2011
...Lets move forward together!
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