Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS • THE COMMERCE NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2016
Fireworks rules have changed
Georgia citizens can buy and set off real fireworks for the second year in a row, but the rules on when
they can be shot off have changed since last July 4, thanks to the Georgia General Assembly.
Fireworks users beware: new
rules limit times and dates
Jackson schools
continue to mull
high school options
The Jackson County Board of Education is continuing to
mull its options on how to transition into a future west side
high school. The BOE had a called meeting last week to
discuss design plans and the possibility of temporarily using
the facility for enrollment relief in West Jackson.
The BOE is planning a compact, multi-story facility that
can be built-out in phases. The facility will be located on the
district’s Hwy. 332/Skelton Road property in West Jackson
and will likely front Hwy. 332.
While the end goal is a high school, the district could tran
sition some of its students into the school before converting
it to a full high school.
The BOE is considering several options.
One includes constmcting the core of the building, add
ing in athletic facilities and using the site as a 10-12 academy.
The current Jackson County Comprehensive High School
could then be used for relief from West Jackson Middle
School.
Another option includes constmcting more of the build
ing, but delaying the construction of athletic facilities. The
site could then be used as an 8-9 academy giving relief to
both JCCHS and WJMS.
The new school will likely cost between $25-$35 million.
Even with Education Local Option Sales Tax and General
Fund money, the district may be forced to stretch the con
struction time until it has enough funding (possibly fall 2019).
You can celebrate July 4
with a bang — with some
restrictions.
With Independence Day
coming up on Monday, per
haps hundreds of citizens
await the opportunity not
just to see local fireworks
displays, but also to set off
their own fireworks. Legisla
tion approved in 2015 greatly
expanded not just the ability
to set off fireworks, but also
allowed their sale throughout
the state.
That said, the General
Assembly came back this past
legislative session and revised
the law with House Bill 727
after legislators were deluged
with complaints about the use
of fireworks at all hours. Those
planning their own fireworks
displays should take note of
the law’s restrictions.
Against The Law
The following are viola
tions of the law for which law
enforcement officers may
issue citations:
•selling fireworks to any
person under age 18
•possession or use of
fireworks by a person under
age 18
•sale of fireworks by a
person under 18 unless that
person is working as an
assistant to a licensed dis
tributor
•selling fireworks by any
means other than as an
in-person, face-to-face sale
•using fireworks indoors
or within the right of way of a
public road, street, highway
or railroad
• igniting fireworks on pri
vate property without permis
sion; and on public property,
including streets and parks
• setting off fireworks
between midnight and
10 a.m. and after 9 p.m. —
except — on July 3, July 4,
Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 when
fireworks can be used up
to 11:59 p.m., and on Jan. 1,
when they can be used from
midnight to 1 a.m.
•igniting fireworks where
not permitted — private prop
erty without permission, pub
lic property unless there is
a special use permit, within
100 yards of an electric plant,
water or wastewater plant,
gas stations, electric substa
tions, jails or prisons or any
other place covered by a
municipal ordinance
•using fireworks in any
state park, historic site, rec
reational area or any area
operated by the state or one
of its agencies
•using fireworks within
100 yards of a hospital nurs
ing home or other health
care facility unless the facility
grants permission in writing
•the ignition of fireworks
from 9 p.m. to midnight on
days other than July 3, July 4
and Dec. 31.
The revised law allows use
of fireworks from 10 a.m. to
9 p.m. daily but recognizes
that local jurisdictions have
the right to implement noise
ordinances that could pro
vide further restrictions.
Rep. Tommy Benton, who
voted for the bill, said that he
voted against the first version
because it did not allow sale
from temporary vendors.
“I felt like the state was
making a decision on who
could and could not sell fire
works,” Benton said “In the
end, it was the best thing
we could come up with to
get something passed to get
relief for towns and subdivi
sions.”
Benton said he received
numerous complaints from
residents of a subdivision in
Braselton and two behind
Kroger in Jefferson “com
plaining about rockets and
firecrackers going off at 1:00
or 2 a.m.”
“The biggest complaints
were from farmers about
the noise scaring chickens
in their chicken houses and
scaring horses and cows,”
he said.
Benton Elementary
principal resigns
Benton Elementary School principal Pam Shields has
resigned. The Jackson County Board of Education approved
her resignation at its June 23 meeting.
Amity Hardegree, the district’s current director of curric
ulum and instmction, will serve as the interim principal at
BES.
Also at its meeting, the BOE approved the following:
Hires
• Kathy Brown, special education paraprofessional, North
Jackson Elementary School
• Rebecca Heard, band instmctor, East Jackson Middle
School
• Kendall Steele, art teacher, EJMS
• Leslie Stephens, special education teacher, East Jack-
son Comprehensive High School
Resignations/Terminations
• Krista Buice, paraprofessional, EJMS
• Megan Cason, math teacher, EJCHS
•Lindsey Martin, custodian, Jackson County Compre
hensive High School
•Warren Standridge, health/PE teacher, West Jackson
Elementary School
The BOE also approved its 2016-17 administrative sup
plementary salary schedule. It is the same as the 2015-16
schedule but must be approved annually.
Commissioners appoint two
new SPLOST review committees
The Jackson County
Board of Commissioners
appointed 10 men to serve
on two SPLOST review com
mittees last week. At least
one more — and possibly
two more — committees will
eventually be filled.
The five-member com
mittees appointed on June
20 will oversee spending of
special purpose local option
sales tax money on water
and sewer projects and
on parks, recreation and
“other” matters (vehicle pur
chases, building construc
tion, e911 upgrade, etc.).
A third committee will
be tasked with approving
SPLOST funds for road,
bridge and sidewalk projects.
“We’re waiting on some
confirmation to put the final
guys on the road commit
tee,” Commissioner Chas
Hardy explained.
The commissioners dis
cussed the nominees during
a closed-to-the-public “exec
utive session.”
According to Hardy, BOC
chairman Tom Crow wants
to add a fourth committee,
whose task would be to pro
vide financial oversight of the
other three committees. That
matter has yet to be resolved.
The following committee
members were approved
June 20:
Water and Sewer proj
ects: Thomas Gary Dennis
Sikes, Gene Gilbert, Ralph
Brooks and Clarence Bry
ant.
Parks, Recreation and
Other: Michael Cronic, Jim
McQueen, Johnny Brown,
Jason Kim and Vance Holi-
field.
The oversight committees
were created to improve
voter confidence in the
spending of SPLOST funds
as a result of Nicholson’s
use of $10,607 in SPLOST
5 money to pave what
amounted to a driveway into
property owned by Mayor
Ronnie Maxwell’s mother.
Maxwell was subsequent
ly arrested by the Georgia
Bureau of Investigation on
a count of theft by taking
and two counts of violating
his oath of office. He awaits
trial.
The committees will over
see how the new round of
SPLOST — collections which
begin on July 1, 2017 — is
used. All SPLOST 6 projects
will be presented to one of the
committees. The committees
will review the projects and
the proposed budgets and
can publish public notices on
their findings, but the commit
tees do not have the power to
stop a project.
SPLOST 6 is expected to
generate $55 million over six
years. Jackson County will
get $38.85 million of that and
will use $21 million of it for
debt reduction. The plan is
to spend the remainder as
follows:
•water projects, $9 mil
lion (through the Jackson
County Water & Sewerage
Authority)
•road, street and bridge
projects, $3 million
• public safety equip
ment, $2.25 million
•renovation for the his
toric courthouse, $800,000
• animal shelter, $250,000
Each of the cities also gets
a share of the revenue based
on population. The break
down for each town includes
the following: Arcade, $1.5
million; Braselton, $1.3 mil
lion; Commerce, $4.6 million;
Hoschton, $1.2 million; Jeffer
son, $5.25 million; Maysville,
$600,000; Nicholson, $1.4 mil
lion; Pendergrass, $500,000;
and Talmo, $333,000.
Keep yards trimmed, city official asks
With grass, weeds and
shrubs growing rapidly
— assuming the area gets
some rain — Commerce
building official Billy Van
diver reminds residents that
they are expected to main
tain their property in accor
dance with the International
Property and Maintenance
Code and the city’s cleanli
ness of premises ordinance.
“Both list tall grass and
weeds, inoperable vehicles,
discarded tires, auto parts,
etc.,” Vandiver said.”
The code enforcement
officer also pointed out that
it is the owner or tenant’s
responsibility to keep their
yards maintained all the way
to the street.
If Vandiver spots a yard in
violation, the procedure is to
give notification in the form
of a code violation notice or
a letter.
“If anyone receives an
‘overgrown grass and
weeds’ letter or notice on
the door, they have 10 days
to cut their property” Van
diver said. “After that, the
city can take bids and hire
an outside contractor to
clean the property at the
owner’s expense. Once the
invoice is paid by the city
we will file a lien on the
property in order to recoup
the funds.”
In addition, the city can
withhold utility service
until the lien is paid, which
means owners will not be
able to rent, lease or sell the
property until they repay the
city for the cleanup.
Most of the problem prop
erties are rental units with
out-of-town owners.
2016 a good year
for Georgia peaches
It’s going to be a peachy that peach to ripen where
in o \ rrxi i r/zvalhr vArorof clnh-
summer in Georgia.
Growers from the state’s
main commercial peach-pro
ducing farms say the com
bination of cold weather in
January and late February
combined with mild weather
in March positioned them for
their biggest crop in years.
“We have not had this size
of a peach crop in many
years, so everybody’s pretty
excited out on the farms,”
said Will McGehee of Gen
uine Georgia, a cooperative
of five major Georgia peach
farms. “This is going to be a
good year.”
All summer long, then,
Georgians will be able to get
peaches for eating fresh, bak
ing pies, canning or making
jams and jellies. Peaches and
many other summertime
favorites like watermelons,
tomatoes and sweet corn are
available across the state at
Georgia Farm Bureau Certi
fied Farm Markets (CFMs).
To maximize enjoyment
of Georgia’s namesake fruit,
eat them when they’re ripe.
It’s pretty simple to tell when
they’re ready. According to
McGehee, the ripeness of
peaches is color-coded.
“Look inside the stem
cavity and if you see lime
green you’ve got two or three
days on the counter to get
you really want to sink your
teeth into it,” McGehee said.
“If you see creamy yellow or
sherbet orange in the stem
cavity, it’s ready that day or
the next morning. If you mix
up your peaches between
those two colors you’ll have
some today some tomorrow
and some in three or four
days that’ll be ripening at the
right time.”
Georgia peach growers
produce more than 40 vari
eties of peaches, and they
reach maturity at various
times into August. This pro
vides consumers access
to peaches wherever they
choose to buy them, whether
it’s in the nearest CFM or
at their local grocery store.
Helen
V
Hewell
Please Recycle This Newspaper
C
Headmaster’s
Comer
by
Steve Cummings
ACS MISSION TRIP TO
THE DOMINICAN - Next
week, ACS will be taking
a group of 13 students and
adults on a mission trip to the
Dominican Republic.
Our group will be helping
build a wall around The Ark
- a residential children’s facil
ity that hosts 65 Dominican
children in 7 different homes.
The purpose of the wall is
to deter theft that has been a
problem at The Ark.
Our goal is that our team
members will learn, fellow
ship, and encourage this
community and its workers.
This is a great chance to be
the hands and feet of Jesus
in a different culture. A big
THANKS to Lindsay Black
mon for coordinating this ef
fort.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970"
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com