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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2008 THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS PAGE 5A Maysville approves variance for Dollar General store BY JUSTIN POOLE The city of Maysville is getting a Dollar General. The Maysville City Council approved a variance request at its meeting Monday which will allow the store to build on the lot next to the Golden Pantry. Before the city council made the final decision, the town planning and zoning commission met briefly to discuss the variance request. The following conditions were added to the variance: the structure must have a brick fagade, a sidewalk that is compatible with the current city plans must be included, the street cannot be blocked by deliv ery trucks and a wooden privacy fence must be built in the rear. OTHER BUSINESS In other business the council: •approved a rate increase from $2,500 to $3,050 for water and wastewater systems. •asked for detailed reports from the last six months from the water and wastewater departments. •approved a proposal for prep aration of the 2007 Consumer Confidence report at cost of $800. •approved a proposal for a com puter for the water department costing $1,631. •voted to pay $4,844 from SPLOST funds to the Jaeger Company for Streetscape Project. •voted to plant grass and plant ers with flowers along the planned sidewalks. *Clean Out Your Files Day' rescheduled due to weather The “Clean Out Your Files Day” planned for this past Saturday was cancelled due to the rain. It has been rescheduled for April 26. The event will be held from 9 a.m. until noon in front of the courthouse in Homer. Keep Our Mountains Beautiful is working with Document Destruction Service to provide free document destruction as part of The Great American Cleanup. Document Destruction Service will have a mobile shredder parked in front of the Banks County courthouse for the event. Citizens are invited to bring their documents to the courthouse parking lot and watch their docu ments be destroyed. Document Destruction Service is the only AAA Certified plant based in Northeast Georgia. They are certi fied by the National Association of Information Destruction. After the material is shredded on the truck, it will then be taken to their plant in Banks County. There, the shredded paper will then be re-shredded in their large shredder with the result ing material about the size of con fetti. Anyone requesting it will be provided with a notarized certificate of destruction which will be mailed to them. For more information, call or e-mail Keep Our Mountains Beautiful at 706-677-2344 or komb@alltel.net. Pandemic influenza 'table top exercise' held last month A Banks County pandemic influ enza “table top exercise” was con ducted on March 13. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of the exercise itself, the facilitators and scenario con tent in assisting the participants in exercising their pandemic influenza plans. A survey was given to the par ticipants asking for feedback on the event. Some 89 percent of the participants chose to comment on their perception of the most posi- tive aspect of the exercise. Their feedback included the following themes: •Excellent facilitator/facilitation. •EP staff did a wonderful job. •Good/impressive group commu nications. •Ability to identify gaps and strengths in plan. •Able to hear plan in entirety and from other segments. •Reinforcement of team and team efforts. •Good multi agency participa- tion. Some 58% of the respondents chose to comment on exercise improvements. The responses included the following: •More participant involvement. •More questions and response information in scenario. •Scenario needs to reach “critical” state more quickly. •More training. “These data indicate that 100 per cent of the respondents either agree or strongly agree that this exercise was beneficial for their segment, helping to identify strengths and gaps in their plans,” leaders said. “Additionally, respondents felt that the table top exercise was well facilitated, organized and present ed, aiding in an increased comfort level between each segment and its respective plan. Improvements sug gested for the exercise centered on taking the plan to the next level to drills and functionals with emphasis on increasing segment representa tion.” Town of Alto plans annual Spring Fling, parade May 3 The Town of Alto will hold its annual Spring Fling Parade and Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. Danny O’ Day will be the master of ceremonies for the program which will get underway at noon. Live entertainment featuring the LeFevre Quartet will be featured. Those who plan to attend are asked to bring their lounge chairs for the after noon entertainment. Food, crafts, a tractor contest, antique car com petition and activities for the kids are among the activities planned. To sign up to participate in the parade or for a vendor table, contact city hall at 706-778-8035. Regular meetings Banks citizens can attend in county The following local government agencies hold regular meetings which are open to the public: Library board to meet April 17 The Piedmont Regional Board of Library Trustees will meet on Thursday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m., at the Banks County Public Library. The library is located at 226 Hwy. 51 South, Homer. The Piedmont Regional Library System serves Jackson, Barrow and Banks counties. •Maysville City Council, 7 p.m., first Monday of each month at the Maysville Public Library. •Banks County High School All Sports Booster Club, 6:30 p.m., first Monday of each month, BCHS library. •Maysville Planning and Zoning Commission, 7 p.m., last Monday of each month, Maysville library. •Banks County Planning Commission, 7 p.m., first Tuesday of each month at the courthouse. •Gillsville City Council, 7 p.m., first Tuesday of each month at city hall. A work session is held at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month. •Banks County Board of Education, 7 p.m., third Monday of each month at the BOE office. The work session is held on the Thursday prior to the regular meeting. •Baldwin City Council, 7 p.m., second and fourth Monday of each month at city hall. A work session is held at 6:30 p.m. on the Thursday preceding each regular meeting. •Homer City Council, 6 p.m., sec ond Tuesday of each month at city hall. •Banks County Board of Commissioners 6:30 p.m. second Tuesday of each month at the court house. A work session is held at 3:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month at the courthouse. •Alto City Council, 7 p.m., second Tuesday of each month at city hall. •Lula City Council, 7 p.m., third Monday of each month at city hall. A work session is held at 11 a.m. on the Thursday preceding the regular meeting. •BJC Medical Center board of directors, 1:30 p.m., third Monday of each month in the conference room of the hospital. •Banks County Middle School Booster Club, 6:30 p.m., third Monday of each month at the Banks County Middle School lunchroom. 339 Hwy. 82 South (Across from Subway) 1 0% OFF All Items with this coupon *We are also looking for good reusable items for our thrift store. L All proceeds go to the Peace Place Shelter. A $5 00 OFF Ticket Of t 2O J0 Or More. Valid with coupon Mon.-Thurs. only. The Original Mexican Restaurant! Not affiliated with any other restaurant. La Hacienda Jefferson 605 Athens Street 706-367-5095 La Hacienda Commerce 173 Steven B. Tanger Blvd. 706-335-7458 Have Underbrush & Hedge Taken Over? ENVIRO-GRIND Can Make Your Property Have A More Park-Like Appearance. 706-680-0346 www.enviro-grind.com • Mitchell Owensby Howell Orthodontics Emily F. Howell, DMD, PC (706) 387-0606 Orthodontics for children and adults www.howellortho.com 2614 Hwy 129 North Jefferson, GA Lordy Lordy, Look Who's 40! Tracey King HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We love you! k' Mama & Daddy Greg, Cameron, Cailynn & Brandon Tim, Dee, Jordan & Jesse Your patronage helps provide for those in need. Qualifying for local elections set April 28 BY CHRIS BRIDGES Banks County voters will go to their respective voting polls this summer for another primary election with 11 county posts up for vote. Candidate qualifying for the General Primary Election will begin Monday, April 28, at 9 a.m. and continues through Friday, May 2, at noon. Offices which can be contested in the primary election and the qualifying fee for each is as follows: •sheriff, $1,616.40 •tax commissioner, $1,392.24 •clerk of superior court, $1,392.24 •probate judge, $1,392.24 •magistrate judge, $1,392,24 •coroner, $72 •county chairman, $1,080 •county surveyor, $25 •board of education, post 1, $64.50 •board of education, post 2, $60 •board of education, post 4, $60. The qualifying fee for each office is based on three percent of that office’s base salary. Relay For Life Fundraiser Sponsored by: Glory Baptist Church 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament Registration Form Saturday April 26, 2008 Banks County Recreation Department Gymnasium Commences: 9 a.m. ••• Be there by 8:45 a.m. AGE BRACKETS: 12-15, 16-29, 30 & ABOVE Team Name: Team Color: Team Captain: Phone #: Player’s Name : Age: 1. 2. 3. 4. Registration is $40 per team. Make checks payable to: American Cancer Society. Send registration form, release waiver, and fee to P.O. Box 566 Homer GA 30547 by noon on Wednesday, April 23. Registration the day of the event is not guaranteed. E-mail glorybaptist1@aol.com for rules, release waiver or more info or contact Eric Rogers at 706-319-2138. Got a local news tip? Let us know at 706-367-2490 “ROOF DOCTOR" Roofing & Repair - Metal - Shingles - Flat Roofs - Flashing - Maintenance - Inspections HOMER CARVER OFFICE 706-677-1986 CELL 678-617-4503 FAX 706-677-1369 [a****] BEAUTY PAGEANT, BABY CONTEST & MODEL SEARCH Call to have an entry mailed or email: DIAMONDUSA@AOL.com Commerce Civic Center, May 3, 2008 EVERY CONTESTANT RECEIVES A GREAT PRIZE! Girls - from birth to 27 years old Guys - from birth to 6 years old DIAMOND USA "Celebrating 25 years of Pageantry" (912) 897-6529 It's time for 'riant Thrift Sale Athens Giani PREVIEW NIGHT: FRIDAY, APRIL 11 • 5:30 - 9:30 P.M. Tickets $5 • all items double price - Pmcee ds benefit Prevent Child Abuse Athens SATURDAY, APRIL 12*8 A.M. - 2 P.M. Tickets S2.50 Baubles for Bargainza Raffle Win Jewelry from Foster's Jewelers. NEW LOCATION! Perimeter Square Across from Georgia Square Mall It's Bargainza Only Better! SPONSORED BY: longtundttign Athetis Banner-Herald •Classic Center • Always, Always Flowers • Center Stage Catering Classic City Chef • Foster's Jewelers • McClure Studios • Srxithem Broadcasting • Athens Printing Company