Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 140
No. 18
24 Pages
2 Sections
Wednesday
rpj WEDNESt
I V\p JUNE 22,2016
Commerce News
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
DDA cancels
meeting for
lack of new
agenda items
Commerce’s Downtown
Development Authority has
cancelled its June meeting,
which was scheduled for
Tuesday, June 28, at 4 p.m.
Executive director Natalie
Thomas said via email that
the meeting was cancelled
because “there is no new
business.”
The next DDA meeting will
be held on Tuesday, July 26,
at 4 p.m. in the Commerce
Civic Center.
Kirby Smart
to address
Kiwanis Club
First-year University of
Georgia head football coach
Kirby Smart will address the
Commerce Kiwanis Club
Thursday, June 23, at noon in
the Commerce Civic Center.
Smart, a Georgia Bulldog
defensive standout from
1995-98, coached running
backs for UGA in 2005, then
coached for one year with
the Miami Dolphins before
following Coach Nick Saban
to Alabama where he served
as defensive coordinator.
During his tenure, Alabama
won national titles in 2009,
2011, 2012 and 2015 - the
latest a 4540 win over Clem-
son University this past Jan.
11. The University of Georgia
hired Smart after the 2015
season to succeed Mark
Richt.
Smart will present the
program for Kiwanian Ray
Lamb, who served on the
UGA staff as high school
liaison for a number of years
— including the times Smart
played for and coached the
Bulldogs.
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INDEX
Church News 6B
Classified Ads 8-9B
Crime News 6-8A
Obituaries 7 B
Opinion 4A
School 4-5B
Sports.... 1-3B & 12B
Social News...9-10A
MAILING LABEL BELOW
Commerce government
$26 million budget approved
Spending plan for fiscal year 2016-17 passes without discussion
The Commerce City Council
unanimously approved a $26.2 mil
lion budget for fiscal year 2016-17
Monday night with zero discussion.
“The budget is very similar in
scope to the budget from the prior
year with capital expenditures the
city manager outlined for each of
us, department by department,” said
Mayor Clark Hill.
The mayor reminded the council
that it might have to amend the
budget early in the fiscal year, which
starts July 1, depending on its nego
tiations with the Georgia Municipal
Association over health insurance
costs, which are increasing more
than anticipated.
Other Business
In other business during the
25-minute meeting, the city council:
•approved an update to its fire
works ordinance that mirrors chang
es in the state law. The ordinance
changes hours during which fire
works may be used on July 34 and
Dec. 31-Jan. 1, prohibits persons
under age 18 from possessing, sell
ing or using fireworks, and prohibits
use of fireworks on private property
without the permission of the owner.
•authorized Hill to sign docu
ments for a $1.4 million loan from
the Georgia Environmental Finance
Authority’s State Revolving Loan
Fund to finance the water pressure
improvement project for the south
side of town. Some $500,000 of the
loan principal will be forgiven.
•voted to make the city manager
the city’s voting delegate to Georgia
Public Web.
• approved the city’s participation
with Jackson County in a FEMA
hazard mitigation grant. The total
countywide cost is estimated at
$7,000 and successful application
will make the city (and county) eligi
ble for federal assistance in the event
of a disaster.
• agreed to close Little, Pine and
Oak streets for the July 2 Indepen
dence Day celebration at Spencer
Park. The streets will close at 3 p.m.
for stage and vendor setup and will
be opened at 11 p.m.
•voted to move the July “work
session” meeting to Tuesday, July
See “Council” on Page 3A
Sidewalk
project to
begin in July
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Beating the heat
Blake Smith, 12, of Murrayville, found the at Hurricane Shoals Park. Smith, pictured sliding
perfect cure for temperatures approaching 100 down into a pool, said his family comes to the
degrees last Thursday afternoon — a prolonged park six or seven times a summer. The park is
dip in the cool waters of the North Oconee River open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Labor Day.
Nicholson Water Authority gets
updates on available SPLOST funds
Mayor Jan Webster updat
ed the Nicholson Water
Authority on the state and
allocation of SPLOST funds
at its regular scheduled
meeting last week.
With some of its files and
paperwork tied up in the
ongoing litigation with the
GBI, Webster was asked to
provide some clarity on
what funds were available
to the water authority.
Webster reported that
$45,409 of SPLOST 5 mon
ies are available for use by
the water authority. The
Nicholson Water Authority
is permitted to use the funds
on any project that is pro
posed or ongoing, as long
as the project falls within
Nicholson’s city limits.
Webster asked the water
authority to create a list of
projects that can be approved
by the SPLOST 5 committee
upon completion.
Webster also outlined the
process for SPLOST 6 proj
ect proposals. She pointed
out that unlike the SPLOST
5 process, SPLOST 6 pro
posals and contracts must
be approved by a citizen’s
committee before any work
is started. Projects must be
submitted 14months before
contracts will be issued.
The water authority
expects to receive approx
imately $110,561 worth of
SPLOST 6 monies.
In other business, the
Nicholson Water Authority:
•appointed Walter Bar
nett as chairman and John
Ring as vice chairman.
• appointed Roger Brock
to the water authority, fill
ing the vacancy left by Mike
Stowers’ resignation.
• heard public input from
Kenneth Bridges. Bridges
asked the water authority
to use SPLOST funds to
install a fire hydrant near his
home in order to lower his
insurance payments. How
ever, the water authority
informed Bridges that such
a project would be impossi
ble unless his property was
annexed into the city limits.
By law, the water authority
can only use SPLOST funds
for projects inside Nichol
son’s city limits.
Construction of the
long-awaited sidewalk
along Jefferson Road from
Commerce Middle School
to Lakeview Drive will
begin in July. However, it
will not be completed by
the time school starts in
the fall, interim city man
ager James Wascher told
the Commerce City Council
Monday night.
“We had the precon
struction meeting with the
contractors and the DOT
on the sidewalk project,”
Wascher told the council.
“That project is set to really
get started in July.”
The $720,000 project
is partially funded by a
$250,000 transportation
enhancement grant and has
been on the city’s drawing
board for close to a decade.
The sidewalk will be on the
east side of Jefferson Road
and is viewed as providing a
complete link of all four city
schools via sidewalks.
Wascher said residents
may see some activity
along the route before July,
but actual construction will
begin next month.
He said the contractor
plans to stop construc
tion during times of heavy
school traffic for safety
and traffic flow purposes.
In addition, he said super
intendent of schools Joy
Tolbert approved a request
to use the grassy area on
the north side of the middle
school property as a stag
ing area.
1-85 bridge named for Richard Chambers
The U.S. 441 bridge over
Interstate 85 is now Rich
ard Chambers Bridge.
A brief ceremony took
place Saturday morning as
the Commerce Lions Club
and Banks County Board of
Commissioners dedicated
the bridge to a longtime
educator in Commerce
and Banks County.
The Commerce Lions
Club came up with the
project to honor its former
member, and when mem
bers solicited the Banks
County Board of Commis
sioners for support — since
the bridge is in Banks
County — that board con
sented. Rep. Dan Gasaway
shepherded a resolution
through the Georgia House
of Representatives naming
the bridge.
Mackwell Etris of the
See “Chambers” 3A
Honoring Richard Chambers
The Commerce Lions Club, with the help of
Banks County Commissioner Jimmy Hooper, ded
icated the U.S. 441 bridge over Interstate 85 as
the Richard Chambers Bridge. Left to right are
Lynn and Harold Harrison, Hooper, Maxwell Etris,
Anna Chambers, Brad Johnson, Rick Chambers,
Jack Legg, Rep. Dan Gasaway, and Carl and Jama
Beriault.