Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 140
No. 30
26 Pages
2 Sections
rpl WED
j[ SEPTEMI
Commerce News
Wednesday
SEPTEMBER 14,2016
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Kelly Moates
Moates is
new CEO
of Habitat
The Jackson County affili
ate of Habitat For Humanity
has announced the hiring of
Kelly, Moates as its new exec
utive director.
A resident of Braselton
and a graduate of Jackson
County Comprehensive High
School, Moates has a bache
lor of arts degree in nonprofit
leadership (and a minor in
entrepreneurship). He served
one year with ACTION, Inc.,
Athens.
Habitat “seeks to put God’s
love into action. Habitat for
Humanity brings people
together to build houses,
communities and hope,”
according to its mission state
ment. The group seeks volun
teers to serve on committees
dealing with family selection,
construction, the Restore,
fund development, public
relations, faith relations and
family support.
“Please take some time to
consider being a part of a
committee and helping us
to make a greater impact on
Jackson County,” Moates
said.
He can be reached at 706-
336-0061 or at director@jack-
soncountyhabitat.org.
Contact Us
•News: news@mainstreet-
news.com, call 706-621-7238
Online
B Follow us on
Facebook by
liking The
Commerce
News
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
INDEX
Church News 6B
Classified Ads 8-9B
Crime News 6-8A
Obituaries 7 B
Opinion 4A
School 9-1OA
Sports 1-5B
Social News...9-11A
MAILING LABEL BELOW
Maysville
opens its
new park
— Page 5A
Tigers have
week off after
42-7 victory
— Page IB
Alcohol downtown
Commerce council to make beer, wine
more accessible in city events downtown
The Commerce City Council
stands ready to amend its alcohol
ordinance to expand the ability of
local restaurants to offer beer and
wine by the drink during city-spon
sored events.
The council will vote on the agen
da Monday night, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m.
in the Commerce Room of the Com
merce Civic Center.
“We want to open the business
for our restaurants instead of hav
ing a single beer garden in Spen
cer Park,” explained city manager
James Wascher at the mayor and
council’s “work session” on Sept. 6.
“They (imbibers) would go into our
restaurants and get a special event
cup, which they could carry through
the zone.”
The ordinance provides five
potential zones in which people
could carry plastic or paper cups
(provided especially for the event)
without mnning afoul of the law. The
zones would be authorized on a per-
event basis, depending on the size
and location of the event.
For example, during the upcom
ing Cruisin’ Commerce on Oct. 1,
people buying beer or wine for the
occasion in any of the city’s down
town restaurants would be able to
carry the beverage — in the special
ly marked cups — throughout the
event.
There are no provisions for liquor
or mixed drinks.
Under the ordinance, patrons
of the Concerts on Cherry events
would be able to buy beer or wine at
the Commerce Sports Bar and Grill
or El Parian Mexican Bar and Grill
and consume them in the parking
lot where the concerts take place.
The ordinance calls for the zones
See “Council” on Page 3A
Remembering radio days
Bill Anderson and former WJJC general manager, Grady Cooper,
93, shared memories of their days at the radio station when Anderson
was in town last week promoting his new autobiography. Cooper hired
Anderson, then a 19-year-old student at the University of Georgia, to
serve as a disk jockey. See Page 3A
City school
board cuts
' 16 tax rate
Commerce residents can expect their school tax bills to be
slightly lower this year.
The Commerce Board of Education set its 2016 tax rate Mon
day night at 19.139 mills for maintenance and operations and
three mills for school bonds.
That compares to 19.845 mills for M/0 last year and three
mills for bonds.
The board did not discuss the bond rates, having covered
the issue in previous meetings and held public hearings.
Monday night’s meeting took just seven minutes.
In other business, the board:
• approved an update of its policy on complaints and griev
ances that superintendent Joy Tolbert termed “just a revision
from an earlier policy that we have.”
• approved a fundraiser for Commerce Elementary School,
selling wrapping paper, kitchen items and popcorn, with pro
ceeds going to pay for tables in the cafeteria
• approved a fundraiser for the Commerce High School bas
ketball program — a 5K race on Dec. 3 — with proceeds going
for training equipment, supplies and a video program
•learned that after receiving a $117,114 disbursement from
the education local option sales tax, its ELOST balance is
$498,999
Personnel Moves
The board also made the following personnel moves:
• New hires: Dawn Gary, part-time assistant principal at CES;
Tara Simonton, a 49-percent fourth-grade teacher; Nancy Wag
ner, CES cafeteria staff; Shelita Summerour, a special educa
tion paraprofessional at the Rutland Academy; Alicia Varga, a
kindergarten paraprofessional at Commerce Primary School;
Tim Nunn, bus driver for field trips; Bobbie Jo Hanshaw, sub-
Photo by Angela Gary
See “BOE” on Page 3A
26th annual Art in the Park
festival coming up this weekend
The Tumbling Waters Society will present its
26th annual Art in the Park festival Saturday and
Sunday at Hurricane Shoals Park, featuring arts
and crafts, entertainment and food.
Proceeds for the event are used for park
improvements.
Saturday
The festival will kick off Saturday with a 5K Mill
Race at 8 a.m. Late registration/check-in will be
held from 7 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. in Pavilion 4. The
Maysville entrance will be closed to traffic for the
race. The race awards will be presented in the
amphitheater at 9 a.m.
The festival will be open on Saturday from 10
a.m. to 6 p.m. with arts and crafts, including paint
ings, pottery jewelry, wooden carvings, bowls,
signs and painted glass. Food booths will be open
offering a variety of dishes. Barbecue will be sold
at the concession stand.
In the Kids’ Zone, located on the Maysville
side, inflatables, face painting, ponies and puppet
shows will be offered.
The Tumbling Waters Society table, located on
the Maysville side, will feature the sale of tickets for
the Duck Dash, along with corn meal and T-shirts.
The historic gristmill will be in operation and
corn meal will be offered for sale. Cornbread,
beans and cobbler will be sold in the Pethel Cabin.
Miniature golf will be offered at the “Spirit of
the River” golf course at $3 for adults and $2 for
children.
In the Heritage Village, a living history presenta
tion of an 1800s village will take place. Handmade
items from the 1800s will be offered for sale.
There will also be tours of buildings in the Historic
Village, a blacksmith demonstration, folk art and
historic craft demonstrations, a produce and plant
stand, hit-or-miss engines and a jail wagon. Civil
War Union and Confederate camps will be in the
village presenting drills, discussing history cook
ing and haversack displays. Military and civilian
wares will be offered for sale from sutlers and
period apothecary. The Chuck Wagon Gang will
See “Festival” on Page 3A