Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 140
No. 15
28 Pages
2 Sections
Wednesday
JUNE 1,2016
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Jackson
jobless rate
falls again
Regional commission to help
DDA get hotel project moving
While Georgia’s seasonally
adjusted unemployment rate
stayed at 5.5 percent in April,
the Georgia Department of
Labor reported last week
that Northeast Georgia saw
a sharp decline in unemploy
ment.
That includes Jackson
County, where the April rate
fell to 4.1 percent, down
from 4.5 percent in March.
Jackson was tied for the sec
ond-lowest rate in the state.
Other area counties fared
similarly:
• Banks, 4.6 percent, down
from 5.0
• Barrow, 4.3 percent,
down from 4.7
•Hall, 4.2 percent, down
from 4.5
• Athens-Clarke, 4.9 per
cent, down from 5.2
• Madison, 4.4 percent,
down from 4.7
Oconee County, with
a 3.7-percent jobless rate
(down from 4.0 in March)
had the lowest jobless rate in
the state for April. Clay Coun
ty, with a 10-percent unem
ployment rate, was highest in
the state.
Remembering
Jackson County pays
tribute to military per
sonnel who died in the
service of their country.
See Page 16A
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INDEX
Church News 4B
Classified Ads 6-7B
Crime News 6-8A
Obituaries 9B
Opinion 4A
School 8-1OA
Sports 1-3B
Social News. 12-13A
MAILING LABEL BELOW
Oxford building redevelopment
This is an architect’s rendering of a plan two University of
Georgia design students created for the redevelopment of the
former Oxford building. The plan also includes condominium
units.
Members of the Commerce
Downtown Development Authority
continue to express optimism about
getting the former Oxford property
on State Street developed into a
hotel complex.
Reporting to the DDA on May 24,
Johnny Eubanks, who chairs the
DDA’s Economic Restructuring Com
mittee, said officials of the Northeast
Georgia Regional Commission in
Athens are anxious to help with the
project.
Eubanks and DDA executive
director Natalie Thomas met with
Burke Walker, director of planning
and government services, and Jor
dan Shoemaker, a project specialist.
“It was a real good meeting; they
were just as excited as we were,”
Eubanks said. “They talked about
Appalachian Regional Commission
(ARC) grants and went into a lot of
details. They’re ready to get started.”
The DDA has a conceptual draw
ing prepared by two University of
Georgia graduate students, show
ing a small hotel, restaurant, out
door dining and condominium/
townhouse housing. The property
is located across the street from the
Commerce Civic Center.
Thomas said the DDA can apply
for a grant from the ARC, which
would require a 50-percent match.
The property itself could count
toward the match, she added.
“They were excited about con
tinuing with the Oxford building,
so we’re working for that,” Thomas
said. “They just completed one a
little while ago for Elberton — a hotel
on the square. ...Burke was very
excited. When he saw the site, he
said it was perfect.”
In the past, the DDA proposed
virtually giving away the property
to a developer who would commit
to the concept, but Eubanks said
the NGRC officials were “adamant”
about the DDA retaining 49 percent
ownership.
“Burke is very, very convinced
that this is going to go somewhere,”
Eubanks said. “We can do the ARC
grant, put it out there for bids and
see what becomes available. He
doesn’t think we’re going to have
any trouble at all.”
The next step is to get a plan from
an architect. Thomas said Walker
and Shoemaker are offering some
See “Hotel” on Page 3A
Secret to a beautiful garden
John Webber says his 2016 garden is his most beautiful ever, a fact
he attributes to God blessing it because Webber gives all of the produce
away to the needy.
At 90, John Webber
gardens for others
It’s an immaculately laid out garden:
one 40-foot row of Big Boy tomatoes,
three of okra, two of butter beans, four of
string beans, three rows of squash, two of
cucumbers and one row of radishes, plus
miscellaneous tomato plants and yellow
wax beans. Every plant looks healthy.
That’s an ambitious project for any
gardener, but this Hillcrest Street food plot
belongs to Rev. John Webber, who turns
90 next week.
And Webber may be retired after 59
years as a preacher, over 20 of them at
the Commerce Church of God, but he’s
still serving God. His garden is part of that.
“This is my most beautiful garden ever,”
he said one day last week.
Why?
“The reason God blesses it is we give
everything away,” Webber replied. “One
year I gave food to 37 different families.
That’s the reason God blesses it — we
give.”
The garden is not without its challeng
es. A row of beets failed to germinate, and
the garden was dry last week. “We’re four
inches short of rain,” Webber remarks.
Webber grew up on a farm, which fed
the family during the Great Depression,
so he knows about the labor of farming.
Today though, he’s more of the fore
man of his garden. Longtime friend Steve
Cotrell, who at one time lived next door,
does most of the manual labor, and neigh
bor Charlie Wheeler pitches in. They keep
the garden virtually weed-free and other
wise properly maintained.
“Steve does most of that,” Webber said.
“I lay it off and tell him what to do.”
Webber is legally blind. He can no
longer drive and needs a big magnifying
glass — which is currently lost — to read,
but he stays busy doing what he’s always
done, trying to save souls.
“I’m preaching more now than when
I pastored, saving more souls,” Webber
said. He’s been the chaplain coordina
tor (and serves as a chaplain) for the
See “Webber” on Page 3A
Jackson seeks
savings through
bond refinancing
Jackson County expects to reduce its annual debt costs by
$80,000 to $90,000 following action last Thursday to refinance
$22.3 million of its 2008 economic development bonds.
Bryan Huskey of Merchant Capital explained that the coun
ty is shaving two points off its interest rate, trimming the rate
from 3.7 on the bonds currently held by Bank of America to
1.6 percent.
The gross savings through 2024 amount to $765,206, he said.
The refinancing did not include $9.6 million in bonds that
were recallable through 2019.
“Anything up to 2019, you’re not going to get any savings out
of them,” he said.
The Jackson County Industrial Development Authority
approved the transaction in a called meeting Thursday morn
ing, and the Jackson County Board of Commissioners —
which makes the bond payments — approved it in a called
meeting Thursday afternoon. The IDA is the county’s vehicle
for bond projects that enables it to avoid putting such projects
before the voters.
In 2008, the IDA, at the request of the commissioners, issued
$45 million in revenue bonds to finance infrastmcture, primar
ily roads, to make the county more attractive to industry. At
one time, the county had $82 million in such projects on the
drawing board, but the financial crash of 2008 eliminated a
number of the projects.
Crow's re-election
confirmed pending
Thursday recount
Incumbent Tom Crow has apparently held onto his lead
over challenger Ben Stephens to keep his seat as chairman of
the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.
No military ballots were received by the Friday afternoon
, May 27, deadline, leaving only four provisional ballots to
be counted by the county’s board of elections. With Crow
holding an eight-vote lead, those four ballots won’t change the
outcome. Two were rejected and one approved as of 4:22 p.m.
Friday afternoon.
Stephens has requested a recount, which will take place
Thursday beginning at 9 a.m.
Officials had to wait until 4 p.m. Friday in the event that bal
lots were received from U.S. military personnel. At one point,
officials said there could be 15 military ballots to count.
Farmers' market opens
The Commerce Farmers’ Market opened its 2016
season Saturday. See Page 2A.