Vol. 140
No. 7
24 Pages
2 Sections
Wednesday
APRIL 6,2016
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Jackson among
fastest growing
U.S counties
Barrow and Jackson coun
ties are among the 100 fastest
growing counties in America
between July 1,2014, and July 1,
2015, according to information
released last week by the U.S.
Census Bureau.
Athens-Clarke and six other
Georgia counties also made
the top 100 list.
Barrow County which grew
by three percent from 73,190
to 73,370, was the 53rd fastest
growing county in the U.S.,
while Jackson, with a 2.4 per
cent growth rate, ranked 96th.
Its population grew from 61,848
to 63,360 during the one-year
timeframe.
Other Georgia counties and
their growth rankings include
Athens-Clarke, ranked 80th,
with a 2.6-percent growth; For
syth, 11th, 4.2 percent; Bryan
County 22nd, 3.6 percent;
Columbia, 28th, 3.4 percent;
Long, 39th, 3.2 percent; Eff
ingham, 51st 3.0 percent; and
Fannin, 93rd, 2.5 percent.
Farmers'
market
meeting set
Local gardeners, farmers,
crafters and others interested
in selling their wares at the
Commerce Farmers’ Market
this year are asked to attend
a meeting Thursday, April 14,
at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will
be held at the Commerce
Business Information Center
at 12 Pine Street.
Information on the 2016
market will be distributed,
along with information about
new plans for the market
— including potential open
ing dates. Paper registration
forms will be available.
To pre-register, visit the
Commerce Farmers’ Market
Facebook page (www.face-
book.com/CommerceGA-
FarmersMarket) under the
“Registration Form” tab.
Information about the farm
ers’ market mles, regulations
and costs are noted on the
form.
For more information, con
tact the Main Street office at
706-335-2954.
INDEX
Church News 5B
Classified Ads 6-7B
Crime News 6-7A
Obituaries 1 1 B
Opinion 4A
School 9-10A
Sports 1-4B
Social News 8-9A
MAILING LABEL BELOW
City to form hospital authority
Move would give Northridge Medical Center access to state, federal funds
The Commerce City Council is pondering a move that would make it the legal
owner of all Northridge Medical Center’s property.
No, the city is not getting into the medical business, but city manager James
Wascher outlined a process Monday night that would create the Commerce Hos
pital Authority—strictly as a means by which Northridge could attract federal and
state funds available to authority-owned hospitals.
First though, the city council — along with the commissioners in Banks and
Jackson counties — will vote to officially disband the Banks-Jackson-Commerce
Hospital Authority a nine-member group that governed then-BJC Medical Center.
Interim city manager James Wascher said creating a new authority “goes along
with our retreat — helping the hospital get access to funds from federal and state
sources.”
The new authority would comprise all six members of the city council,
Mayor Clark Hill and two other members yet to be named.
According to Wascher, the city would become the legal owner of the
Northridge Medical Center facilities and Northridge would sign a lease with
the city to operate the medical center. He also said that the agreement will
include a provision for “payment in lieu of taxes” to ensure that the city and
the Commerce School System do not lose revenue from taking the medical
center property off the tax digest.
Northridge is the city’s largest employer and among its largest utility cus
tomers.
The city council is scheduled to take action on both resolutions Monday April
18, at 6 p.m. in the Commerce Civic Center.
student
SECTION
Winter guard second in class
Commerce High School’s winter guard squad
warmed up last Friday for a weekend competi
tion in Chattanooga against teams from across
the Southeast with a performance at CHS. Left
to right are Alexia Rucker, Halie Davison, Allie
Harmon, Megan Morris, Brandi Herrin, Laura
Hankins, Shelby Crane and Joshua Fouche
during the CHS performance. Their competition
performance show, depicting the story of the
Three Little Pigs, is choreographed to “Our Own
House,” by the Misterwives and showcases
dance and technical work with flags, sabers, and
rifles. The group returned with silver medals,
taking second in its division.
New ordinance puts burden
on owners of vicious animals
Commerce’s new animal control
ordinance has teeth designed to cur
tail vicious and dangerous dogs and to
make their owners responsible.
Police chief Brandon Sellers led a
30-minute “town hall” meeting on the
ordinance last Thursday. Sixteen citi
zens plus elected officials heard Sellers
indicate that, in essence, it does not pay
to own a dog prone to biting or attacking
people.
“Owners of vicious dogs who main
tain their dogs out of doors shall fence
a portion of their property with a sec
ond perimeter or area fence,” the doc
ument states. “Within this perimeter or
area fence, the vicious animal must be
humanely confined inside a pen or ken
nel of adequate size. The pen or kennel
may not share common fencing with
the area or perimeter fence. The kennel
or pen must have secure sides and a
secure top attached to all sides. The
sides must either be buried two feet into
the ground or sunken into a concrete
pad. The gate to the kennel shall be
inward opening and shall be kept locked
except when tending to the animal’s
needs...”
How does a dog earn “dangerous”
status?
“The dog has got to do something
overt, he’s got to act dangerous, got to
bite somebody or do something for us
to label him as a vicious or dangerous
dog,” Sellers told the group. However,
Sellers also said that a dog won’t be
declared vicious if its action was the
result of protecting people or property
or because someone was harassing the
dog.
“We’re not going to come and take
your dog and quarantine your dog,” Sell
ers said. “He’s doing what a dog is bred
to do — protect his owner.”
A dog or cat that bites someone will
See “Ordinance” on Page 7A
Boys & Girls Club celebrates opening
Boys & Girls Club of Jackson County chief
professional officer Michael Williams cuts the
ribbon officially opening the new Commerce
Clubhouse as Mayor Clark Hill, members of the
club and others look on. As part of the event
Thursday, March 30, the Michael R. Williams
Learning Center was dedicated in his honor. See
Page 2A.
Gas pains:
City to spend
$625,000
on upgrades
Between adding new lines
and replacing old lines, Com
merce stands to spend more
than $625,000 on its natural
gas system over the next cou
ple of years.
The city council got briefed
on three projects at its Mon
day night work session.
One would involve installa
tion of 14,800 feet of four-inch
lines to serve poultry hous
es on Wheeler Road, Sandy
Creek Road, Ila Road and
Blacks Creek Church Road
in an effort to expand the city
utility.
Interim city manager
James Wascher, said the
extension up Blacks Creek
Church Road could provide
service to a large number of
poultry houses, both existing
and being planned.
“We need to build out our
gas lines to attract custom
ers,” he told the council.
The city would extend a
high-pressure line out Ila Road
and serve some side roads in
the process. He estimated the
cost at $250,000 to $260,000.
Mike Mihalick, who mar
kets gas for the Municipal Gas
Authority of Georgia, said the
city has verbal agreement
from poultry growers, includ
ing several “megahouses”
to sign up for gas service.
Customers would sign two-
year contracts for price and
five-year service contracts.
Mihalick said the city would
recoup its investment in “a
little over five years,” just from
the poultry houses.
Poultry houses in the area
now heat with propane,
which is more expensive.
The second project
involves replacing a Clayton
Street line that is fraught with
maintenance issues. Wascher
estimated that cost at $250,000
and proposes abandoning
the current line and serv
ing the area from the city’s
high-pressure line at Bouch
ard Farms, coming through
the Commerce 85 Business
Park and installing fiber optic
cable in the process.
Wascher said staff is pre
paring to fund the work in the
next fiscal year budget.
The final gas project
involves the fourth (and last)
leg of a line replacement
on New Kings Bridge Road,
which was ordered by the
Georgia Public Service Com
mission. He recommends
that the city accept the bid
of Harrison & Harrison at
$111,378 for the project. That’s
the same company that did
the work on the first three
sections.
See “Gas” on Page 2P
