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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2008 THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS PAGE 3A — Economic Story of the Year — The Pottery closes; new development planned on site at Banks Crossing BY ANGELA GARY For more than two decades, people traveled from all across the country to The Pottery at Banks Crossing. Pottery, flowers, frames, baskets and hundreds of other items could be found in the huge store that kicked off the retail development at Banks Crossing. Owner Joe Craven is credited by many for his insight in getting the ball rolling for retail development. It was a sad day for many people when The Pottery shut its doors for the last time in 2007. But Craven said plans are to open another store, as well as a major develop ment that has not yet been unveiled. The closing of The Pottery and the plans to develop the site further have been named the Economic Story of the Year for 2007. The Pottery at Banks Crossing, which opened in 1984, closed in November. Craven said the new store he plans to open will have “low overhead, low prices and unique quality products.” It will be part of a new devel opment at the same location planned for the fall of 2008 or spring of 2009. Another headline from 2007 relating to Craven that will also impact the economy came in January when the Banks County Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning request for Joe Craven’s Diamond C Ranch property just outside of Maysville. Clear Creek Communities of Atlanta will develop the property into a large, upscale residential and commercial community. The development will be the first of its kind for Banks County — with commercial and residential mixed use. A total of 768 homes is proposed for the 230 acres of the property located in Banks County. The total acreage for the development is 1,400, with the majority being CRAVEN LONG-TIME CUSTOMERS Sonya Hancock (front), Gainesville, and Margaret Needham, Rhode Island and Florida, were among the last shoppers at The Pottery. The ladies, who said they had spent many hours shopping at The Pottery through the years, sorted through the remaining silk flowers a few days before the Banks Crossing store closed for business on November 12. located in Jackson County. The breakdown for the 230 acres in Banks County is 35 acres for multi-family hous ing, 23 acres for commercial development, 172 acres for single-family housing and 34 acres of open space. The homes proposed for this resort-style development will range from $350,000 to $800,000. Amenities will include an 18-hole golf course, pool, clubhouse and equestrian center. The homes will be marketed to the 55 and older age group. For some of the homeowners this will be a second home and for others it will be their retirement home. The project is estimated to cost $50 million in initial investment and will be a 10-year built out period. — Environmental Story of the Year — Record drought tops headlines in 2007 BY ANGELA GARY Water bans, an order from the gover nor to reduce water use by 10 percent and even the canceling of the long-time fireworks celebration in Homer can all be attributed to the drought that domi nated headlines across North Georgia in 2007. The drought has been named as the Environmental Story of the Year for 2007. While the rain at the end of the year brought some relief, it was still one of the worst droughts in the county on record. The situation first got serious in some nearby counties over the summer but it was not a major concern in Banks County until late fall. Local officials were informed by the Environmental Protection Division and the State Department of Natural Resources that the amount of water use must be reduced by 10 percent. The BOC set fines for those found violating the water bans. In November, in an effort to get a bet- ter grasp on the ongoing water crisis, the Banks County Board of Commissioners held a meeting with local school, public safety and county municipality officials. The City of Homer and the BOC both announced plans to reduce water use. Banks County leaders and city offi cials continue to urge citizens to cut down on water use. The rain did give some hope that the historic drought might be relenting, but experts warned that it would take more rain to refill the area reservoirs. — Education Story of the Year — Banks test scores among top in state BY ANGELA GARY For the second year in a row, Banks County schools have brought home test scores that top those from around the state. Writing test scores and SAT results at the high school and CRCT scores at the middle school are just a few of the top headlines of the year in Banks County. The efforts of the administration, faculty and staff, students and parents all led to the successes of the school system this year. These test scores indicate the high level of education students are receiving, which will benefit the county for years to come. For these reasons, the top test scores reported in 2007 have been selected as the Education Story of the Year. In January, it was reported that Banks Country High School stu dents excelled on the Georgia High School Writing Test taken this past fall as 96 percent of the high school students taking the test passed. The school outperformed the state aver age, as well as the average of other local systems. In July, the Banks County School System announced that it had received 100 percent on the Adequate Yearly Progress report. In September, it was reported that Banks County High School’s SAT scores averaged second among the region following only Dawson County High School. The aver age verbal score for Banks County students was 493 and it was 503 for math. The most recent writ ing scores averaged at 484. The composite total of 1,480 was shy of last year’s high mark of 1,528 but above the 2007 state average of 1,427. ' ' ^ " RUCKER ROAD Paul Rucker was murdered at his home on this rural road in Banks County. Rucker Road is located just off of Hwy. 326. Many members of Rucker's family also live on the dirt road. — Crime Story of the Year — Murder dominates headlines in 2007 Also in September, the Georgia Department of Education released state-wide comparison scores of last spring’s Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). When comparing systems within the local RESA area, Banks County School System took first place in the three areas of seventh grade science, sev enth grade math and eighth grade math. Leading the pack of schools within the Pioneer RESA area was BCMS in many subjects. BY ANGELA GARY Murder dominated the crime headlines in 2007 in Banks County. The year started with the week- long emotion-filled trial of three young people accused of brutally murdering a Banks County man. They were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives behind bars. By the year’s end, another murder was reported with the sister of the victim being one of those accused of committing the crime. The murder trial of Paul Rucker and the murder of Randy Rylee have been selected as the Crime Stories of the Year for 2007. The Rucker murder trial got under way in late January. Donald “Donnie” Murphy, 21, Arcade, pled guilty to the crime and agreed to testify against the three others charged in the September 2004 murder of Rucker, 64. Murphy will have to serve at least 50 years in jail before he will be eligible for parole which means it is likely that he will be in jail for the rest of his life. Roderick “Rock” Cooper, 23, Athens, Terrell Young, 34, Athens, and Carla Simmons, 24, Jackson County, went to trial for the murder of Rucker. During the five days of testimony, Simmons and Young both testified. Cooper did not. Before announcing the verdict at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, after an eight-day trial, Judge Motes said it had been a “long, complicated, emo tional” trial. “It will be an emotional verdict,” he said, as he cautioned the 100 or more people in the courtroom to remain quiet as the verdict was announced. Young was found guilty on one count of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of burglary, one count of armed robbery, two counts of attempted armed robbery, one count of aggra vated battery, three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of tampering with evidence and one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Young, who showed no emotion when the ver dict was read or when he was sentenced, was given two life in prison sentences, two 20-year sentences, one 10-year sentence and one five-year sentence. Since this is his third felony conviction, he will not be eligible for parole. Cooper, 23, Athens, was found guilty on the same charges as Young. He was given two life sentences and a 45-year sentence. He will not be eligible for parole for 95 years, which means he will spend the rest of his life in jail. Cooper also showed no emotion as the verdict was read and the sentence given. Simmons, 24, Jackson County, was found guilty on two counts of felony murder, two counts of burglary, one count of armed robbery, one count of attempted armed robbery, two counts of aggra vated assault, two counts of tampering with evi dence and one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Simmons, who cried as the verdict was given and she was sentenced, was found not guilty on one count of malice murder, one count of attempted armed robbery, one count of aggravated battery, one count of aggravated assault and one count of tampering with evidence. RYLEE MURDER In late August it was reported that the death of a Banks County man was being treated by law enforcement officials as murder. Randy Lynn Rylee, 47, of a Carson-Segars Road address, was found dead by his sister in a small trailer he was residing in. Banks County sheriff Charles Chapman said a call was received at the 911 center at 1:48 p.m. at which time BCSO officials responded to the scene off Hwy. 98 outside of Homer at 384 Carson- Segars Road. Officers cleared the scene and discovered Rylee dead inside the trailer lying in his bed with his legs hanging out. He had been shot once in the head. Chapman said evidence gathered at the scene appeared to rule out suicide. In early October, two people were arrested last week in connection with the murder, including the victim’s sister. William Thomas Mason, 52, and Kathy Elaine Rylee, 49, both of Maysville, were arrested. The case has not gone to trial yet. Courthouse annex groundbreaking set Jan. 10 An official groundbreaking cer emony for the new Banks County courthouse annex is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 10, at 11:30 a.m. at the site near Eagles Nest Drive, off Thompson Street. The new courthouse annex is being funded through Special Local Option Sales Tax Funds. A total of $8 million has been designated for the courthouse annex as well as renovations of the current Banks County court house. 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Monday-Friday 9 - 6; Saturday 9 - 12 Noon; Sunday Closed Banks County Board of Commissioners REQUEST FOR BIDS Bid Number (208-0107) Sealed bids will be received at the Commissioner’s Office, Banks County Courthouse, 144 Yonah-Homer Road, Suite 1, Homer, GA 30547 up to 10:00 A.M. on January 7, 2008, at which time they will be opened for the following: BANKS COUNTY FIRE DEPT. BREATHING AIR MODULE MODEL BAM06HE1 Bid packets may be obtained from: Banks County Commissioner’s Office 144 Yonah-Homer Road Suite 1 Homer, GA 30547 706-677-4407 All bids must be submitted in a sealed envelope and marked with the words, Bid Number 208-0107, Opening 10:00 A.M. January 7, 2008. Any bid received after 10:00 A.M. will be rejected. The Banks County Board of Commissioners reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids and to waive any formality or informality in the bid process.