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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS • THE COMMERCE NEWS
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016
Housing starting to recover
New-home construction is picking up in Subdivision. Six of the 11 building permits issued
Commerce, particularly in the Belmont Park in 2016 are for Belmont Park.
Housing finally beginning
to recover in Commerce
Residential construction appears to be recovering in
Commerce after several years of stagnation during the
Great Recession.
“We have already this year overtaken what we did last
year,” noted David Zellner, the city’s planning director.
“We had nine homes last year. Right now, we’re sitting
at 11.
Okay that’s miniscule compared to the housing growth
being experienced on the west side of the county — Jef
ferson issued 60 building permits in the second quarter of
2016 alone and Braselton 55 — but after years of little or
no growth, 11 housing starts in 2016 is encouraging on the
east side of the county.
Two of the Commerce 2016 permits were for houses
in Montgomery Shores Subdivision, Commerce’s most
upscale development. Eight are on Belmont Park Drive in
one of the city’s newest subdivisions. Four of the permits
issued in 2015 were on Terrace Ridge Drive, also in the
Belmont Park Subdivision.
Commercial development continues to lag. There was
only one building permit for a commercial structure
issued in 2016 and none have been issued so far in 2016.
Supporting the Boys and Girls Club
The 1-85 North Board of Realtors recently pre
sented a $1,000 check to the Boys and Girls Club
in Commerce, a check that was matched by an
anonymous donor, bringing the contribution to
$2,000. The group raised the money by hosting a
golf tournament at Chimney Oaks Golf Course in
Winder. Due to the success of the event, the group
will host another golf tournament on Thursday,
Sept. 2, also at Chimney Oaks. The cost will be $75
per golfer or $250 per foursome. Call 770-670-6410
for information. Left to right are Ron Wright, pres
ident, I-85 North Board of Realtors; Jennifer Dees,
Boys and Girls Club director; Stacey Ramsey,
Boys and Girls Club unit director; and Michael
Williams, Boys and Girls Club executive director
and chief professional officer.
Grants still available to
rehab houses in Commerce
The deadline for
submitting news or
photographs to this
newspaper is noon on
the Monday prior to
publication.
Jackson school
enrollment up 2%
Enrollment was up on the 10th day of school this year
for the Jackson County School System. The district saw a
two-percent increase in enrollment.
Each school had an increase in enrollment except
Benton Elementary School and West Jackson Elementary
School. WJES had a slight decrease in enrollment, but Ben
ton saw an 11 percent decrease.
West Jackson Middle School enrollment topped East
Jackson Comprehensive High School this year. Jackson
County Comprehensive High School continues to be the
district’s largest school with 1,176 students enrolled on the
10th day this year.
Jackson County School System
10th Day Enrollment Numbers
School
2016-17
2015-16
Benton
295
332
East Jackson Elem.
489
485
Gum Springs
817
814
Maysville
313
308
North Jackson
349
320
South Jackson
566
565
West Jackson Elem.
819
822
East Jackson Middle
811
791
West Jackson Middle
977
925
East Jackson Comp. High
950
948
Jackson Co. Comp. High
1,176
1,114
Total
7,562
7,424
Tanger promotion to
benefit Cancer Foundation
Tanger Outlets and Northridge Medical Center have
announced that they are partnering for the second year to host
a fundraising event on Sept. 29 to benefit the Cancer Founda
tion of Northeast Georgia. The “PINK FASHION GALA’ will
take place on Thursday Sept. 29, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the
Tanger Outlet Center in Commerce. The evening will consist of
a cocktail hour featuring appetizers and treats, a silent auction,
all followed by a fashion show. Tickets to the PINK FASHION
GALA will cost $20 and will go on sale beginning Aug. 1 at both
Tanger Outlets and the Northridge Medical Center.
One hundred percent of the proceeds will go directly to
cancer patients and their families through the Cancer Foun
dation of Northeast Georgia. The mission of the foundation is
to alleviate the financial burden of cancer for eligible patients.
“Our committee has been working very hard in planning for
this year’s event since January and we are very excited about
putting on another extraordinary event where the community
can come together, have a wonderful evening out, and help
raise money for a very worthy cause,” said Tricia Massey
director of outreach for the Northridge Medical Center. “We
received such great feedback from last year’s event; we just
couldn’t wait to do it again.”
The fashion show will include a combination of professional
models from Atlanta, local business persons and school teach
ers, and will feature local cancer survivors. The show will be
produced by Poshe Productions, a top fashion and entertain
ment company based in Atlanta.
According to Tanger general manager Mark Valentine,
several local businesses have already signed on to co-sponsor
the event. Sponsors include: Q-100, CertaPro Painters, Denyse
Signs, Mastercraft Stucco, Town of Braselton, EMC Security
Advanced Stanchions, Jackson EMC, Swirlee’s Frozen Yogurt
and Legacy Landscape Management. Additional sponsorship
information can be obtained by contacting either Tricia Massey
at Northridge Medical Center or Mark Valentine at Tanger
Outlets.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at the following loca
tions:
• Tanger Outlets, 800 Steven B. Tanger Blvd., Commerce;
Shopper Services Center - Suite 201
• Northridge Medical Center 70 Medical Center Dr., Com
merce; administrative offices and hospital gift shop
2 locals named to Trump committee
Two Georgia political leaders from Northeast Georgia
have been named to Republican presidential candidate
Donald Trump’s agricultural advisory committee.
Sen. John Wilkinson, Toccoa, and state agricultural com
missioner Gary Black of Commerce were among 65 people
named to the candidate’s national ag committee.
Wilkinson represents District 50 and is chairman of the
Agriculture and Consumer Affairs committee in the Georgia
Senate.
Also on Tmmp’s committee from Georgia is former Gov.
Sonny Perdue.
Eighteen Commerce residents have taken
advantage of a federal housing initiative
for low-income residents to renovate their
homes.
“We’ve had 18 grants ranging from $34,000
to $111,400,” reports David Zellner, Com
merce’s planning director. He serves as
the city’s liaison with Home Development
Resources, Inc., a nonprofit group certified by
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development to manage the Community
Home Investment Program housing rehabili
tation grants.
Of those 18 grants, 16 were inside the city
limits.
Since the program was instituted, the poten
tial grant amounts have increased.
“There was a limit, but they keep upping it,”
said Zellner.
In fact, he said, the largest grant was not a
renovation; the recipient tore down the exist
ing house and built a new one.”
“I don’t know how they were able to pull off
the new home,” Zellner said.
The program is still being funded.
Requirements
“The main issue is home ownership,” Zell
ner said. The requirements are:
• The homeowner or someone living in the
residence must be 62 or older.
• The home must be owner occupied.
• The applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
•The applicant must meet household
income restrictions on a sliding scale that
mns from $21,500 a year for a household of
one to $40,600 for a household of eight.
Mobile homes are not eligible for the pro
gram.
Successful applicants can use the funds for
repairs to roofs, heating and air conditioning
systems, plumbing, electrical systems, handi
cap ramps, handicap bathrooms, insulation,
floor systems, leaky windows and doors,
abatement of lead-based paint and for other
repairs/improvements.
Commerce became eligible based on U.S.
census data showing a high level of poverty
Zellner said.
Applications are available at City Hall by
calling 470-228-9317. There is no application
fee. Mary Ledbetter heads up the program for
Home Development Resources Inc. in Jack-
son County. Applications should be returned
to Zellner, whose office is located in the city’s
utility department on Cedar Drive.
It takes from just a few weeks to five or
six months to get an application approved,
Zellner said
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