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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS • THE COMMERCE NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016
Nicholson Water Authority
seeks a share of SPLOST revenue
Thomas, Thurmond
tell election plans
BY ANGELA GARY
The Nicholson Water
Authority wants to use spe
cial purpose local option
sales tax (SPLOST) money
for projects that are outside
the city limits.
A portion of SPLOST
funds is allocated to Nichol
son but it is used for projects
inside the city limits. The
NWA wants to get SPLOST
funding that would benefit
residents outside the city lim
its of Nicholson.
The NWA has requested
to be on the agenda of the
next Jackson County Board
of Commissioners agenda to
discuss the issue. The next
meeting will be held at 6 p.m.
Monday at the courthouse.
The city water authority’s
customer base is half inside
the city and half outside the
city limits. The authority is an
independent and legislative
ly-created body whose pur
pose is to provide water for
a service area that includes
the City of Nicholson and
outlying areas along U.S. 441.
The NWA sent a letter to
BOC chairman Tom Crow
outlining its position on this
issue. The letter states that
the authority does not have
“direct access or a ‘place at
the table’ with respect to dis
tribution of SPLOST funds.”
“For our customers and
new, potential customers
who live outside the Nich
olson city limits in Jackson
County, no such SPLOST
funds have been available
for our use,” the letter states.
“We have a list of projects
that are delayed due to
SPLOST funds not being
available for the benefit of
our customers and new,
potential customers who live
outside the Nicholson city
limits but within our service
delivery area. Completion of
these projects with the help
of SPLOST funds could result
in the lowering of the ISO
rating for our rural customers
and new customers who live
outside the Nicholson city
limits and within our service
delivery area.”
Proposed Projects
The proposed projects
Downtown ...
“We asked them each to
bring one person back to
the next meeting,” added
Thomas, who said the
group expressed “many new
ideas.”
“One thing was, how to
improve our (DDA) events
to give people a reason to
come back, how to add a
new little twist.”
Another was a summer
concert series, utilizing out
door venues and the Bill
Anderson Center for the Per
forming Arts at Commerce
High School. One of the
committee members, Ste
phenson said, has connec
tions to the music industry.
“They were so excited,”
Stephenson said. “They want
to do something. They want
to get involved. They had
some of the neatest ideas.”
Stephenson said her group
would report on those ideas
at the DDA’s March meeting.
Any success in revitalizing
the downtown will involve
new ways of promoting it,
including a consistent logo.
Gina Hagan reported on
discussions from Promo
tions Committee members
about “branding” the city uti
lizing the logo on the new
gateway sign at the intersec
tion of U.S. 441 and Homer
Road on the north side of
town.
“We were up in the air
about what the logo would
be but as soon as that sign
went up, that’s what our logo
is going to be,” she said,
adding that every posting
on social media and every
printed item from the DDA
should carry that logo.
She also encouraged the
group to make sure that the
DDA’s presence on social
media “is extremely engag
ing, that whatever we put as
a profile photo is what peo
ple will talk about, with cool,
funny postings.”
Hagan mentioned a cell
phone app that could be
used with a walking tour, and
interim city manager James
Wascher told about being on
a hike where markers had
phone numbers that, when
called, explained what was
relevant about the location.
Hagan reported encoun
tering a similar situation in
Montana.
Jay's ...
to put all my efforts into this
first,” he said. “It is the hardest
decision I ever made, but I
made it and I gotta go with it.”
The store will stay open
through the high school prom
season, which is a profitable
time of year, but the precise
time when Minish will lock
the doors for good depends
on how long it takes him to
dispose of a store full of mer
chandise.
Men's club
sets chicken
mull Saturday
The Sanford Men’s Club
will have a chicken mull fund
raiser on Saturday, March 5,5
to 7 p.m. at the Sanford Com
munity Center. The cost is $8
per quart, take out; and $8 for
dine in (all you can eat).
He’s had the building up for
sale for several months.
“I’ve got a couple people
interested,” he said. “We’re
dickering.”
At the corner of Central Ave
nue and Broad Street, Jay’s
location is about as good as it
gets for downtown Commerce
and could be divided into at
least two smaller stores. It also
has a full upstairs, along with a
basement.
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to be funded with SPLOST
include:
•redundant water sourc
es, $150,000: This project
will provide for two addi
tional ground water drinking
sources. The redundancy
will provide security as well
as additional capacity. The
additional water sources
will also allow the existing
wells more time to recover
between cycles.
•Highway 334, 250,000
gallon water tank, $570,000:
This project will provide
additional storage and con
tribute to enhanced fire flows
in the northeastern corridor
of the service area. The
tank will provide greater fire
protection for residents and
more consistent pressures.
•Highway 334, waterline
extension, $915,000: This
project will extend the NWA
water system approximately
18,500 linear feet with eight-
inch water lines to service
residential, commercial, and
agricultural facilities. The
project will also loop the
water line connecting Har
ris Lord Cemetery Road with
Hwy. 334 and Berea Road to
improve distribution quality,
quantity, and pressure and
eliminating dead-end lines.
• Sanford Road water
line extension, $673,000:
This project will extend the
water system approximately
13,500 feet with eight-inch
water lines to service res
idential, commercial, and
agricultural facilities. It will
also loop the water line con
necting Sanford Road with
Watkins Farm Road and GW
Wilson Road to improve
distribution quality, quantity,
and pressure and eliminat
ing dead-end lines.
• City of Nicholson Central
Sewer, $2,300,000: This proj
ect will develop a new col
lection and treatment system
for the commercial district
in Nicholson. The existing
developments, schools, and
retail establishments are lim
ited by the lack of a cen
tral sewer system. A central
sewer system will require
support from the city, NWA
and Jackson County.
Reporting for the Econom
ic Restructuring Committee,
Crystal Weise proposed uti
lizing local artists and art stu
dents to paint murals and art
work on the backs of build
ings, particularly those along
South Broad Street behind
which the city is expanding
the parking area.
Thomas reported getting
an email from a South Car
olina couple that tours small
towns and has a website
related to their findings. They
told her they found Com
merce “very rundown, very
disappointing.”
Thomas said she thanked
them for their comment and
invited them to return in the
summer “ to see the differ
ence.”
“This really hit me,” she
said of their comment.
Weise said she would con
tact area paint stores to see
if they would donate or oth
erwise sponsor a downtown
artistic effort.
Oxford Building
John Whitten told the
group that developers inter
ested in the Oxford Building
and the former McDonald
Hardware site spent “ hours
looking at all of Commerce”
recently. He said they told
him that building the hotel
proposed for the Oxford site
“would be a two-year proj
ect” while developing town-
houses and condominiums
at the former hardware loca
tion “would take two to four
years, but when it was done,
it would be spectacular.”
“I don’t know what they’re
going to do, but a decision is
being made,” Whitten said.
Two candidates have announced their plans to seek election
in the May 24 primary.
Canunie Wilkes Thomas
Camie Wilkes Thomas has announced she plans to seek
re-election for her fourth term as cerk of Superior Court of
Jackson County.
Thomas also serves as clerk of state and juvenile Courts and
the Jury Clerk of Jackson County. Thomas, who has been clerk
of Superior Court since 2005, was employed in the clerk’s office
for six years before being elected as Jackson County clerk of
courts. Thomas, who will qualify as a Republican, ran unop
posed for her second and third terms as clerk.
She is the daughter of the late Luther Wilkes, Jefferson, and
Shirley Harris Jamison, Flowery Branch. She has two sons and
two granddaughters.
Thomas is a lifelong resident of Jackson County was edu
cated in the Jefferson City School System and completed the
University of Georgia, Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s
certified superior court clerks certificate program in 2008. She
is a member of the 10th District Clerks of Georgia, COAG, Clerks
Association of Georgia along with numerous other community
activities.
Sherri Thurmond Smith
Judge Sherri Thurmond Smith has announced that she will
seek election as chief magistrate judge of Jackson County.
Smith is a lifelong resident of Jackson County and is the
daughter of Ted and Peggi Thurmond, South Jackson. She and
her husband, Chris, live in South Jackson with their family.
She attended Jefferson High
School, Lanier Technical School and
Gainesville College. She and her fam
ily are members of Mt. Tabor Baptist
Church.
She started her career with Jack-
son County in 1994 as clerk of the
magistrate court. In 1998, she received
appointment as a magistrate judge of
Jackson County and has retained that
appointment since that time.
Chief magistrate Judge Billy Chan
dler will not seek re-election.
“Judge Chandler has served the people of Jackson County
honorably for 33 years and will be missed,” said Smith. Smith is
running for the vacated office.
Sherri Smith
SPLOST proceeds off for January
Jackson County leaders have reason to hope that January
retail sales are not a harbinger of things to come for 2016.
According to a report from finance director Trey Wood, pro
ceeds of the local option sales tax for sales primarily made in
January are down almost $50,000 over January 2015.
“We have received our February 2016 LOST distribution
from the Georgia Department of Revenue in the amount of
$397,168 for sales made primarily in January 2016,” Wood wrote
last week in an email to county officials. “This marks the first
month’s collections to be included in the FY 2016 budget.
“Our budgeted FY 2016 goal for local option sales tax
receipts is $5,600,000. The first month of LOST revenue for FY
2016 is down $49,263 over the same period last year. Overall,
collections are still slightly under budget by 15 percent or
$69,498 through the period.”
Jackson County also received a $661,709 distribution from
the DOR from proceeds of the special purpose local option
sales tax.
When Dr. Dale Threadgill, retired Dean of Engineering at UGA, was diagnosed
with atrial fibrillation (AFib), he elected to receive treatment from a new heart
lab at Athens Regional Medical Center. The new technology allows doctors to
dramatically reduce radiation exposure by close to 90%. “I’m an engineer, I like to
look at doing things differently,” said Dr. Threadgill, “I have always felt that Athens
Regional provided excellent healthcare. That’s why, when I retired, I elected to
remain close to Athens.”
Dale Threadgill
To make an appointment with
Athens Regional Cardiology,
please call 706.475.1700.
See Dale’s story
and share your own at
AthensHealth.org/YourStory
We put people first.
Athens Regional
HEALTH SYSTEM
