Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS • THE COMMERCE NEWS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016
New Boys & Girls Club
The new Commerce clubhouse of the Boys & Girls Club of Jackson County, located on Ridgeway
Street, is connected by sidewalk to Veterans Memorial Park and is just across Ridgeway Street from the
former clubhouse. The new $1.5 million facility was dedicated last Thursday.
Community development
Boys & Girls Club facility dedicated
Enjoying refreshments
Attendees of Thursday’s dedication ceremony
at the new Commerce Boys & Girls Club building
check out the refreshments.
With more than 100 peo
ple on hand, representatives
from the Boys & Girls Clubs of
Jackson County and the city
of Commerce celebrated the
dedication of the new Com
merce clubhouse, located at
45 Ridgeway Street, last Thurs
day afternoon.
The initial work on the club
house began in 2014 when
Commerce applied for and
was awarded a $500,000 com
munity development block
grant for the facility. The club
then purchased 5.19 acres on
Ridgeway Street and began a
$1.5 million capital campaign
to build the facility.
Designed by 2WR Architec
ture, Interiors and Planning,
the 7,000-square-foot building
will allow the club to serve up
to 225 children, nearly triple
the capacity of the metal build
ing across the street that for
merly housed the club. That
building, a former recreation
facility was donated for use in
2006 by the city.
The new clubhouse fea
tures a computer learning cen
ter, an arts and crafts room
and game room for the young
er members, as well as a teen
area that includes a meeting
space, a fitness room and an
activity room.
“The city of Commerce and
the Boys & Girls Club formed
a dynamic partnership that
galvanized the support of this
community to construct this
new facility” said Mayor Clark
Hill. “The club continues to
grow because of the tremen
dous support of this communi
ty and its volunteers. This new
club’s impact will certainly be
felt by the club members who
have watched their new home
rise across the street, but it will
have a continuing impact on
the lives of our young people
as it serves future generations.
Hill reminded the group
of the vision of former Com
merce Presbyterian Church
pastor Tom Lewis, who first
broached the subject and lob
bied for creating a Boys & Girls
Club in Jackson County.
“Watching it unfold has
been really amazing,” Hill told
the gathering.
The mayor pointed out that
about a year ago he met with
Mitch Chapman, who chaired
the building committee, direc
tor Jim Shaw and then city
manager Pete Pyrzenski, the
result of which was a Com
merce application —ultimately
successful — for CDBG funds.
“Never once was there any
wavering by the city council,”
Hill advised.
Ward 1 city councilman
Archie Chaney told the group,
“Today we are honoring one
of God’s greatest gifts — our
children.”
Commerce superintendent
of schools Joy Tolbert told the
board that the city school sys
tem “could not be any more
excited about the Boys & Girls
Club in Commerce.” She gave
particular praise to the club’s
Stacey Ramsey who she said
constantly reminds club mem
bers of the importance of their
education and is in constant
contact with members’ teach
ers in regard to the members’
progress in school.
The club’s chief profession
al officer, Michael Williams,
expressed gratitude to parents,
members, directors and oth
ers “who had the vision to see
two clubs, not one.”
“In the last five years, we
have done something truly
wonderful,” Williams said.
“We were in double-wide trail
ers and a butler building.”
Williams also pointed out
the generosity of donors,
including one local compa
ny which he said wanted to
remain anonymous, that gave
almost $1 million to facilitate
the construction of the Jeffer
son and Commerce clubhous
es.
Capital campaign chair Jack
McKinney also addressed the
community support.
“The majority of the finan
cial support that built this club
came from right here in this
community” he said. “Peo
ple have stepped up in big
ways and small ways to make
sure the dream of this facility
became a reality and that our
children be able to learn, play
and grow in a safe, healthy
place. This club is a place that
our members and the com
munity can be proud of.”
Sponsors of particular facil
ity spaces include Southeast
Toyota Distributors, LLC, game
room; Commerce Presby
terian Church, lobby; David
and Lisa Lathem, arts and
crafts room, Centurion Auto
transport, the kitchen; Amyn
Meghani, the multi-complex
field; and Huber Engineered
Woods, the First Baptist
Church of Commerce, Archie
Chaney and BM&K Construc
tion, the playground.
In a special presentation,
the board surprised Williams
by naming the learning center
for him in recognition of his
more than 30 years of ser
vice to the Boys & Girls Club
organization and his eight
years as the local club’s chief
professional office. Chapman
pointed out that the room was
funded by Jackson EMC.
(x£lS***
The first and third projects
will be on the agenda for
approval on Monday April 18,
and can be funded by gas
system reserves, while the
Clayton Street project will take
place in the next fiscal year
and be funded through the
budget.
Sidewalk Project
The council also appears to
be ready to award a $719,840
bid on April 18 to Georgia
Development Partners LLC
for the sidewalk (and land
scaping) running from Com
merce Middle School to
Lakeview Drive. The city has
a $250,000 federal transpor
tation enhancement grant to
help with the funding and will
take the rest out of its SPLOST
revenue.
Other Business
The council also discussed
(but took no action on) the
following items that will be on
its April 18 agenda:
•the elimination of the
city’s “application fee” charged
when property is annexed.
Wascher recommended that
the fee, which is $250 for resi
dential property $350 for com
mercial property and $450 for
industrial property be eliminat
ed entirely.
•renewal of the city’s ser
vices contract with the Jack-
son County Senior Center
under which the city pays
$1,500 to the center to provide
transportation of city residents
who attend the senior center.
• the reappointment of
Nicky Wilbanks, Christy John
son and Tracey Newcomer to
four-year terms on the Com
merce Library Board.
•the “due diligence” being
done regarding the possible
purchase of The Gov. Hard
man House. The council
agreed to spend $4,600 with a
company that will analyze the
building’s needs and “give us
a real good idea of what we’ll
have to do to the house if we
move forward,” Wascher said.
• naming members to rep
resent the city on three new
SPLOST review committees,
with Wascher asking the coun
cil to consider names he’s
come up with and/or send
him names.
WAN TED!
NEW CUSTOMERS
We have money to lend.
Installment loans from
$238 to $1,516*
SECURITY
FINANCE
1816 N Broad St
Commerce, GA 30529
(706) 335-3551
wwwsecurity-flnance.com
'All loans are subject to credit limitations and our
underwriting policies. Actual loan proceeds may vary based
upon loan terms and any ancillary products selected. Dollar
amounts are rounded to the lowest whole dollar.
Political forum
Candidates rip
absent incumbents
By Cameron Whitlock
“The incumbents have
failed you,” was the message
that echoed throughout the
night at Nicholson’s political
forum last week.
District 9 U.S. Repre
sentative Doug Collins and
State Senator Johnny Isaak-
son were the subject of an
onslaught of verbal attacks
by candidates and spectators
during Tuesday’s Tea Party
event. District 9 candidates
Paul Broun, Roger Fitzpatrick,
Mike Scupin and Bernie Fon-
tain worked hard to distance
themselves from Collins, who
was referred to by the can
didates as a “sell-out,” and
“Washington insider.”
“Folks, we aren’t being rep
resented by Doug Collins,”
said Broun. “We need some
body that will go to Washing
ton and fight for you, not the
establishment.”
“(Collins) is not honoring
something he took a sworn
oath to uphold - the Consti
tution of the United States of
America,” added Scupin.
Scupin also pointed out to
Collins’ personal relationship
with Governor Nathan Deal
and suggested that both are
establishment Republicans
and fail to represent their con
stituency.
While all four of the chal
lenging candidates attacked
Collins, they made few
attempts to differentiate them
selves from one another.
All four candidates claimed
to be political outsiders and
strict constitutionalists, while
they took similar positions on
the issues of abortion, immi
gration and defense.
After each candidate was
given five minutes to speak
and introduce their platform,
they were allowed to pose a
question to any of the other
candidates that warranted a
one-minute answer.
Fitzpatrick used his ques
tion as an opportunity to
challenge Broun on the topic
of changing districts. Broun
previously served as a District
10 representative, but gave up
his seat in favor of running
for Senate in the last elec
tion. Broun, who grew up in
Athens, responded by point
ing out he recently moved
to Clarkesville and always
viewed northeast Georgia as
his “backyard.”
“These are the people I
need to be representing,” he
added. “I’m the most con
servative congressman in the
most conservative district.”
Scupine and Fontaine also
directed questions to Broun,
addressing his previous time
served in congress. Broun
responded by claiming the
role of a Washington outsider
and an impediment to estab
lishment Republicans.
“People ask me all the
time, why I never cave,” he
said.
The political forum closed
Mary Kay Bacallao
Roger Fitzpatrick
Derrick Grayson
Mike Scupin
with an audience-submit-
ted-question session. The
moderator read questions
submitted by members of
the audience which ranged
in topics.
One of the most prevalent
issues of the night was immig-
See “Forum” on 12A
ELECT
Shannon
Gowder
Probate Judge
Banks County
Paid for by the candidate.
^ w
