The Commerce news. (Commerce, Ga.) 1???-current, March 23, 2016, Image 1

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The Commerce news., March 23, 2016, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextVol. 140 No. 5 24 Pages 2 Sections Wednesday MARCH 23,2016 www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com 50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875 County rejects Nicholson Water Authority bid for SPLOST funds The Nicholson Water Authority made a move Monday night to get a share of the recently approved SPLOST 6 funds, but faced a lot of pushback from Jackson County Board of Commissioners chairman Tom Crow. Mike Bledsoe, engineer for the NWA, told the BOC that his organization would like to get $2.3 million from the SPLOST to use for five projects. Included in those projects would be to add two more wells to the NWA system, a second connection to the Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority’s system for backup, another water tank and two projects along Hwy. 334. “People in our service area deserve some ben efits from the SPLOST they helped pass,” he said. But in a series of questions, Crow grilled Bledsoe about the request. “Last summer was the time to bring us projects for SPLOST,” he said. Crow told Bledsoe that for the county to legally give the NWA funds, it would require another countywide vote since the recent SPLOST approval allocated water and sewer funds to the JCWSA and the county’s various municipali ties. The NWA didn’t ask to be part of that process, he pointed out. Crow also asked Bledsoe if the NWA had met with the JCWSA to discuss projects in the East Jackson area. Bledsoe admitted the groups had not met. JCWSA manager Eric Klerk said that the two groups had not met in at least 10 years. He also said that some of the projects the NWA wanted to do were already on the list to be done by the JCWSA. Crow also asked Bledsoe why the NWA wanted to drill more wells when it could buy treated water from the JCWSA. Bledsoe said there were pressure problems with its JCWSA connection. But that was news to Klerk. “We didn’t know until now they have pressure problems,” he said. “We’re having to dump millions of gallons now and would like to sell to more cus tomers in East Jackson.” The BOC took no action on the request. !%.. JS/ ■tmm • IjStJ VP' '■ One of a kind Billy Atkinson, explains the details of his 1931 Ford Vicky to Ronnie Seymour during Jackson County APDD’s Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show last Saturday in the parking lot in front of Lanier Technical College. For more photos, see Page 11A. Natalie Thomas hired as city DDA manager The word “interim” can now be removed from Natalie Thomas’ title. As of this week, she is officially Com merce’s Downtown Development Authority manager. As such, she is also the city’s Mainstreet manager. Interim city manager James Wascher offered her the job on Friday at a salary of “a little over $37,000.” Thomas has served as the interim manager almost a year. Boys & Girls Club dedication is March 31 The Boys and Girls Club of Jackson County will cele brate the grand opening of its new Commerce building next week. The building dedication ceremony will take place Thursday, March 31, at 3:30 p.m., followed by an open house from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The building is located on Ridgeway Street across from the existing clubhouse. Receives clerk certification Commerce city clerk Sandra Haggard, center, accepts a certificate acknowledging her com pletion of 101 hours of training through the Georgia Clerks Education Institute offered by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. She is pictured with Dan Roach, left, of the Carl Vinson Institute, and Mayor Clark Hill, right, during Monday night’s city council meeting. City OKs bid for water work The Commerce City coun cil accepted a $332,412 bid for repairs at its water plant and appointed six people to volunteer authorities during Monday night’s meeting. The council accepted the bid of Lanier Contracting Company to rehabilitate its sedimentation removal sys tem in the raw water basins at its water plant. Interim city manager James Wascher said a second bid was slightly lower, but that bidder did not address all of the issues in the request for proposals. The council also approved the appointments Gina Hagan and Crystal Weise to the Commerce Civic Center & Tourism Authority and reappointed Cynthia New bury all for four-year terms; and named John Whitten, Neal Smith and Susan Ste phenson to twoyear terms on the Downtown Development Authority. As a result, all of the DDA members also sit on the civic center board, and all members of the civic center board, except Newbury are on the DDA, creating what Mayor Clark Hill calls a “super board” that fosters continuity between the two entities. Other Business Also on Monday the city council: •approved the engineer ing task list for the south-side water pressure project, with a cost not to exceed $90,000. That cost is included in the $1.4 million total project cost. •voted to partner with Jackson County the Jackson County Industrial Develop ment Authority, Jefferson and Braselton to provide enhanced “pictometry” (aeri al photos) for the county at a cost to Commerce of just over $17,000. The new photos will give officials threedimen sional views of buildings and properties and are expected to help in matters related to code enforcement, zoning, economic development and See “Council” on 2A Law enforcement Nude photos of wife lead to threats, stalking Parade, egg hunt set on Saturday South State Bank and the Commerce Downtown Devel opment Authority will host the city’s annual Easter parade and Easter egg hunt Saturday March 26. The parade will begin at 10:45 a.m. and will leave from South State Bank. Partici pants, with a police escort, will walk, ride bicycles and drive electric-powered vehi cles down Elm Street to the front lawn of the First Baptist Church of Commerce for the egg hunt, which will begin once all of the parade par ticipants have arrived, at or shortly after 11. Prizes will be given to win ners of the best-decorated bicycle, best-decorated electric vehicle and best-decorated wagon judging. Contestants should be at the starting point by 10:00 a.m. forjudging. Adults may enter a category of best-decorated battery-pow ered golf cart. Dog ordinance is subject of 'town hall' meeting Tues. Confused about what Com merce’s revised animal con trol ordinance has to say that might affect your pooch? The Commerce Police Depart ment has scheduled a town hall meeting next week so animal owners can get the lowdown on the ordinance and get any questions answered. The event will take place Tuesday, March 29, at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of the Com merce Public Library, 1344 South Broad Street. Police department admin istrative staff and animal con trol officer Roger Gaither will explain the ordinance and ask questions. The animal control ordi nance became effective Feb. 1 and provides a mechanism for declaring dogs “vicious” or “dangerous” based on their history and stipulates how they shall be controlled. INDEX Church News 6B Classified Ads 8-9B Crime News 6-8A Obituaries 7 B Opinion 4A School 8-10A Sports 1-4B Social News. 11-12A MAILING LABEL BELOW A Commerce man who kept nude photos of his wife on his cell phone told police that someone hacked his phone and sent the photos to every male on his (the victim’s) contact list. The unknown perpetrator is apparently stalking the woman. The man said he received 10 sep arate photos of his wife by text, along with a profanity-laced message. The victim said he had no idea who was doing it or why and told police that he called his cell phone provider to have the number blocked. Later that day, the victim called police back to the scene to report that the same person was texting him from a different number. “You will never find me since you got the cops involved I have decided to rape your wife,” the message said, in part. “Pretty soon your wife will be grocery shopping and random men will recognize her from the site I am posting them on. Both of your lives are (expletive deleted). The victim told police that one of the messages said, “I see your wife is home alone with two young chil dren right now no one to help her.” The victim said his wife was home alone and he had sent a friend to pick her and their kids up. The friend told him when he arrived at the house, a black Dodge Charger was stopped in the road in front of his house, but left when the friend pulled closer.