Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2016
THE COMMERCE NEWS • THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 3A
Rabies clinic
coming up
in Banks Co.
A rabies clinic is planned
for Banks County on Satur
day May 7.
The schedule is as fol
lows:
•1 to 1:30 p.m, New
Salem United Methodist
Church.
•2 to 2:40 p.m., Boling
Farm Supply.
•3 to 3:30 p.m., Irvin’s
Store, Hollingsworth.
•3:45 to 4:15 p.m., old
courthouse lawn, Homer.
•4:30 to 5:15 p.m., Mt.
Carmel Church.
• 5:30 to 6 p.m., Lula City
Hall.
A make up day will be
held at the Commerce Vet
erinary Hospital from 10
am. to 5 p.m. on Wednes
day May 18.
Georgia law requires that
all dogs and cats that are at
least three months of age be
vaccinated once each year
for rabies. All other yearly
vaccinations and testing will
be available during the clin
ics at an additional charge.
From December 2014
through February 2016,
21 animals were tested in
Banks County for rabies.
This includes six skunks,
six raccoons, four cats, four
dogs and one goat. Of those,
positive rabies reports came
back for six skunks, three
raccoons and one dog.
For more information,
call the Banks County
Health Department at 706-
677-5009 or Commerce
Veterinary Hospital at 706-
335-5111.
Lula 'Spring
Cleaning' set
The City of Lula will be
offering its “Spring Clean”
program for household bulk
waste on May 2.
Items that can be picked
up include: mattresses, box
springs, chairs, tables, sofas
and other household furni
ture.
Items should be placed
neatly by the curbside to
be picked up at no charge.
Items should not be placed
curbside earlier than May 1.
The city will not pick up
the following items: yard
trash or trimmings, engines
containing gas or oils, con
struction debris, propane
tanks, tires or large metal
appliances.
How to submit
items for
publication
The Commerce News
and The Banks County
News publish local church
news, public safety news,
funeral notices, school,
sports and social news of
interest to the Commerce/
Banks County area. They
welcomes submissions
of news items and photo
graphs from readers.
Such items should be
emailed to mark@main-
streetnews.com or angie@
mainstreenews.com or
mailed to The Commerce
News or The Banks County
News, P.O. Box 908 Jeffer
son, GA 30549. All submis
sions are subject to editing
for, length, grammar, style
and relevance and publica
tion is subject to the avail
ability of space.
Deadlines for all items
are at noon the Monday
before publication except at
times when the publication
date or production sched
ule is affected by a holiday.
Road to be named for Patterson
BY ANGELA GARY
Former Banks County Board of
Commission chairman Milton Pat
terson is going to be recognized
with a road named in his honor
at the new sports complex in the
county.
The BOC agreed at its April 12
meeting to name the road going to
the Windmill Park Sports Complex
off of Thompson Street as Patter
son Way.
Patterson was instrumental in
purchasing 832 acres in the 1980s
where the sports complex is being
located.
Other business
In other business on April 12,
the BOC:
• held two alcohol violation hear
ings and gave La Hacienda and Koji
a six-month probation period due
to alcohol being sold to under age
customers.
• approved a request from John
Ingersull for a conditional use per
mit to operate an ATV repair and
parts sales shop at 417 Highway 326,
Commerce.
• approved a request from Jason
Hensley for a conditional use per
mit to reduce the required setbacks
for a chicken house at 516 Christ
mas Tree Road.
•approved a request from Van
guard Truck Center for a sign to
exceed the allowed square footage
of 64 feet.
•approved an alcohol license
for Blazer’s Hot Wings.
• approved a bid from S&D Solu
tions for $17,864 for a generator for
the E-911 department.
•approved a bid of $421,964 to
Stratton and Sons Construction for
resurfacing of Sims Bridge Road
and Garrison Shoals Road.
•voted to officially dissolve the
BJC Hospital Authority.
•held a 35-minute closed ses
sion to discuss land acquisition and
personnel.
Child Abuse Awareness Month
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Pinwheels placed in park
A pinwheel planting ceremony was held last week in in downtown Homer to represent the 34 substantiated cases
Banks County in observance of child abuse awareness of child abuse in the county last year,
month. Banks County children placed pinwheels in the park Photos by Angela Gary
Helping out
Aubrey Shirley
is one of the
children who
helped out at the
pinwheel cere
mony last week
in Banks County.
Her grandmother,
Kim Savage, is
shown with her.
Take a Stand
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Last year there were
34
substantiated cases
of child abuse in
Banks County
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34 substantiated cases
Banks County had 34 substantiated cases of child abuse last
year. This marker was placed in the park in downtown Homer
in observance of child abuse awareness month in April.
Homer approves construction
of spec houses at Chimney Oaks
Homer officials voted last week
to permit the construction of two
spec houses in the Chimney Oaks
golf development, in spite of the
fact that the lots have not been
approved for septic systems.
Mayor Doug Cheek said the
developer “is willing to build the
houses with no certificate of occu
pancy. If something went wrong
and the EPD (Georgia Environ
mental Protection Division) would
not approve, he would eat those
two houses.”
“I don’t see any problem with
that,” the mayor concluded.
Cheek has expressed interest in
the council “supporting” the golf
course and told the council on
April 12 that the owner of the devel
opment thinks getting two houses
built could jumpstart sales of lots.
“They’re taking the risk. Nobody
can occupy it,” Cheek said.
Councilman David Dunson
asked if the city had any legal
options if the developers “go
around this.”
“Yeah,” Cheek replied.
The permit limits use of the
houses to two hours a day — pre
sumably for an office or a model
home.”
After the vote, Cheek appeared
pleased.
“That’s good,” he said. “It shows
we are promoting this. If they can
sell one, maybe somebody will
build another. If they can get the
EPD permit, life will be good.”
No Help For
Canon Creek Road
The council concluded that it
cannot fulfill a request made by
Greg Minish at the March meeting
for the city to assume maintenance
of Cannon Creek Road, a half-mile
privately-owned road in a fore
closed subdivision.
Minish did not appear at the
April 12 meeting, but the council
discussed the situation. Essentially,
it concluded that the city cannot
intervene unless it accepts the
road, which it cannot do until the
road is brought up to city specifica
tions and a right of way is deeded.
“I really don’t see how we can
start cutting other people’s grass,”
Cheek commented.
“I would say our hands are tied,”
added Sandra Garrison. “It’s a pri
vate street.”
“In other words, he’s going to
have to spend several thousand
dollars to bring the road up to
specs, and he’s not going to do
that,” Dunson observed.
“That could be the reason
they’re not selling lots, because of
the condition of the road,” offered
Jerry Payne.
Other Business
In other matters, the council:
•voted to send a letter to the
Department of Transportation
agreeing to provide lighting and
to maintain the roundabout being
designed for the city’s five-forks
intersection on Historic Homer
Highway near the Golden Pantry.
The DOT required that commit
ment before proceeding with engi
neering.
•approved an ordinance that
will allow the city to regulate use
of its rights of ways by companies
installing communications towers
for cellular and Internet service.
• expressed a need for citizens
to offer themselves for service on
the city’s downtown development
authority, code enforcement board
and planning board. The city has
a number of vacancies to fill on
those volunteer groups.