Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 140
No. 42
20 Pages
2 Sections
rpl WEDi
[jg DECEMB
Commerce News
Wednesday
DECEMBER 7,2016
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Commerce
tree lighting
set for Thurs.
The rain that local residents
were praying for due to a
severe drought forced Com
merce to postpone its Christ
mas tree-lighting ceremony on
Saturday. The event has been
rescheduled for Thursday
night.
Rain began to fall minutes
before the ceremony in Spen
cer Park on Saturday night, dis
persing the crowd.
The Thursday event is open
to the public. Downtown
Development Director Natalie
Thomas said there will be hot
chocolate, music and chil
dren’s crafts in the park, start
ing at 5:30 p.m.
Officials will light the tree
at 6:30.
Wet weather also led to the
cancelling of the city’s annual
Christmas parade on Sunday.
The event was not resched
uled.
At the city council meeting
Monday night, city manager
James Wascher said that in the
future the city will try to schdule
a rain date for the parade.
‘“The parade is not can
celled forever,” he said. “This
is a good event we want to
have.”
Parade, Santa
set Saturday
in Maysville
The Maysville Community
Club will host Christmas in
the Park on Saturday, Dec. 10,
from 3 to 8 pm.
There will be craft ven
dors, horse-drawn carriage
rides and a lighted parade at
6 p.m. with Santa to follow.
The event is free and refresh
ments will be available.
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INDEX
Church News 4B
Classified Ads..,
... 5-6B
Crime 6-7A & 8B
Obituaries
...11A
Opinion
4A
School
... 12A
Sports
.. 1-3B
Social News...
..8-9 A
MAILING LABEL BELOW
Commerce government
City, MGAG to offer interest-free
financing on natural gas appliances
Commerce residents who use natural gas will
soon be able to get interest-free financing on new
gas appliances through the city and the Municipal
Gas Association of Georgia.
The council appears ready to approve the city’s
participation in the Main Street Efficiency Financ
ing Program offered through MGAG. Approval is
expected to occur at the council’s Dec. 19 meeting
at 6 p.m. in the Commerce Room of the Com
merce Civic Center.
Under the program, natural gas customers can
apply for financing to purchase gas water heaters,
furnaces and heating and water heating systems.
If MGAG approves the application, customers
will repay the loan over 60 months through their
monthly utility bills. While the loans carry no inter
est, MGAG charges a $3 monthly “loan charge” in
addition to the payment.
The program is only for homeowners; it is not
available for rental properties.
City manager James Wascher told the council
at its Monday night “work session” meeting that
once the program is in place, city staff will meet
with contractors in the hope of getting their help
marketing the program.
Asked what happens when a customer defaults,
Wascher said: “The city will make every effort to
collect the loan, just like we would on a utility bill.”
He also said MGAG’s $3 monthly loan fee helps
cover defaults.
2 To Be Reappointed To Recreation Board
The council appeared ready to reappoint two
members of the Commerce Recreation Board to
three-year terms. They will approve the reappoint-
See “Council” on Page 3A
Chatting with Santa
Santa was unable to make his official arriv
al in Commerce Sunday when the city’s
Christmas parade was cancelled due to
rain, but he made an earlier appearance at
the Commerce Civic Center where he had
his hands (and lap) full Saturday morning
during the Donuts with Santa event. Lolee
Bowen, Demetris Dorsey and Georgia and
J.C. Bowen, all of Maysville, were among the
first to chat with Santa about what they want
for Christmas. For more photos of Saturday’s
holiday events, see page 3A
Hail to the chief
Taking the oath of office
Commerce’s new police chief, ZachArdis, takes Mandy and Miles look on. Monday was his first
the oath of office from Magistrate Judge Billy day on the job.
Chandler as his family — Sydney, Ethan, Miah,
Zach Ardis sworn in as
new Commerce police chief
Zach Ardis took the oath of office Monday night during
the Commerce City Council’s “work session” meeting to
officially assume his duties as Commerce’s new chief of
police. Magistrate Judge Billy Chandler administered the
oath.
Ardis, 40, who was captain of administration for the
Douglasville Police Department before coming to Com
merce, took the oath as his family stood beside him. He
and his wife, Mandy, a nurse, have four children: Sydney,
15; Ethan, 12; Miah, 10; and Miles, 6.
For his part, Ardis commended the police department
staff, acting police chief Ken Harmon in particular, for keep
ing the department functioning during the interim period.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve alongside them
and to serve the citizens of Commerce,” he said.
“Zach and Mandy, we’re excited to have you and your
family in Commerce,” said Mayor Clark Hill. “We didn’t
know you had four kids, but we’re excited to have four more
Tigers in Commerce.”
Later in the meeting, city manager James Wascher also
addressed the new chief.
“It is the first day on the job for Zach and we’re excited
to have him on the team. We appreciate you coming in and
grabbing the reins and look forward to working with you.”
Nicholson
OKs concrete
work on
split vote
BY CHARLES PHELPS
The Nicholson City Coun
cil approved Walter Barnett
Construction’s bid of $8,925
for the removal and replace
ment of concrete at the civic
center at Monday night’s
city council meeting.
The bid wasn’t the lowest
bid for the project. Wilker-
son Concrete Construction
had a bid of $8,700.
The vote was 3-2. Coun
cil members Max Whitlock,
Judy Kesler and Mayor Jan
Webster, whose vote broke
a 2-2 tie, voted for Walter
Barnett Construction.
“In looking at all three of
these bids ...I too felt that
my vote would be for Walter
Barnett, even though he was
a little bit higher,” Webster
said when breaking the tie.
“But he has a good track
record with the jobs he has
done for the city. So, my
vote would be for Walter.”
Council members Lamar
Watkins and Mike Barfield
voted for Wilkerson Con
crete Construction.
“I’ll just add that nobody
will ever have another track
record with Nicholson as
long as he gets all the bids,
whether it’s high or low,”
Barfield said.
The council also tabled
plans to dump dirt at the city
cemetery until it hears from
the Georgia Department of
Transportation. At the last
work session, the council
discussed the idea of pur
chasing the land next to the
cemetery for dumping pur
poses but had yet to hear
back from the GDOT.
Library Event
The Nicholson Library
will host Here Comes Santa
on Tuesday, Dec. 13, from
6-7:30 p.m. There will be a
selfie booth as well as crafts
and cookies and Santa and
Mrs. Claus.
BOC approves
$1.1 million
in road work
The Jackson County
Board of Commissioners
reviewed a proposed list
of road resurfacing projects
for 2017 Monday night.
The projects total 10
miles, with the county put
ting in $326,100 and the
state paying $767,200.
The board will vote on
this and other proposals at
its Dec. 19 meeting.
The road projects
include:
• 1.2 miles of Thomp-
See “Roads” on 3A