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PAGE 2A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2008
Lula officials offer reward for sign damage Mote to seek re-election as magistrate judge
BY SHARON HOGAN
A reward is being offered
for information on who
is responsible for dam
age to street signs in Lula.
At a council meeting on Monday,
April 21, the Lula City Council
approved a reward for anyone
arrested and convicted of damag
ing street signs in the city. The
council approved up to $1,000 as
a reward for anyone convicted of
this crime.
Mayor Milton Turner said, “I am
tired of our thugs in town. Each
sign that is damaged is costing the
citizens at least $100.”
Signs are being spraypainted, as
well as buildings around the town.
Several people have been arrested
in connection with this, the mayor
said.
“Kids as young as 10 and 11
years old are doing some of this,”
Turner said.
The mayor said the city is work
ing with the Hall County Sheriff’s
Office on this problem. “We get
one thing taken care of and some
thing new shows up.” Turner said.
Turner said the city could afford
to offer a reward. Council mem
ber Vicky Chambers made a
motion to set the reward at $1,000.
This motion was unanimously
approved.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at last month’s
meeting:
•April Yard of the Month winners
were recognized. The winners are:
Donna Lawson, Chattahoochee
Street, district 1; Tami Holtzclaw,
Hemlock Street, district 2; Lurleen
Hosch, Tower Circle, district 3;
Shyla Stratton, Cool Creek Court,
district 4; and Scott Puckett, Athens
Street, district 5.
•Turner reminded everyone
about the upcoming Railroad Days
Festival to be held on Saturday,
May 17, at the railroad park.
•the mapping continuation con
tract for manholes, water meters
and sewer meters was unanimous
ly approved with the Georgia
Mountain Regional Development
Commission. The contract amount
for mapping is $70 per hour, not to
exceed 10 hours per month or 30
hours per quarter.
•the council unanimously
approved the state law that requires
an inspection be performed on any
additions to a home. This would
‘I am tired of our thugs in town.”
- Mayor Milton Turner
include any new additions, any
water and sewer additions (new),
new heating and air systems and
electrical upgrades.
•the council unanimously
approved a credit of up to $50
for cleaning to be used by an
individual who rents the library
building four times a month. The
person would still be paying for
three rental fees. “The individual
is doing cleaning that city employ
ees cannot get to,” City Manager
Dennis Bergin said. Details will be
worked out with this person.
•Turner said the city had received
acknowledgement on Monday that
the city has received $200,000
from the Georgia Department of
Transportation for Phase I of the
streetscape project. “This is federal
money awarded through Congress
each year, the DOT is the adminis
trator of the money,” Turner said.
•Turner updated the council on
the proposed Veterans Park. The
city has $210,000 at this time to
be used on the park and $150,000
of this has to be spent by the end
of June. The city is waiting on fig
ures to come back from the engi
neers on the project. Turner said
he would like to involve the devel
opment authority on this project
also. He also said the park money
will be kept separate from any
Traffic Enhancement grant funds
received.
•the council agreed to take a
proposed amendment to the 365
Overlay District ordinances to the
zoning and planning department
for a recommendation. Turner
said there is some issues with the
fapade and should it be required
only on the front or on the sides
as well.
•the council unanimously
approved a motion to spend an
amount not to exceed $2,000 to
replace the landscape timbers in
front of city hall with a masonry
retaining wall.
•Bergin reported that Bill
Gresham, engineer for the proposed
Highland Lakes Subdivision, sent
a letter to the city saying someone
has been hired to do the transpor
tation study for the development.
Gresham said the study would not
be ready for the Monday night
meeting. He asked to have the mat
ter tabled until the May council
meeting. Council member Larry
Shuler made a motion to table the
matter until May at which time if
there is no action taken it will be
dropped. The motion was unani
mously approved.
•the council agreed to have
Bergin plan some work sessions
and retreats at city hall to work
on the city’s zoning ordinances.
Turner said North Metro Water
requires a conservation ordinance
and the council could pull just this
ordinance out or revamp the zon
ing book at this time. Chambers
said, “It is past time we work on
the zoning. I know it is going to
be a lot of work, but it is needed as
we are growing. We are reaching
the point where we need to pro
tect what we have.” The Regional
Development Commission did the
original zoning in 1976 and the
city has just modified the proce
dures. The law requires the city to
hold one public hearing and two
readings on the zonings.
•the council unanimously
approved amendments to the fol
lowing ordinances: 1) litter, no
change was made, this had never
been approved; 2) flood plain,
changed any references from the
county to the City of Lula; storm
water, changed any reference from
the county to the City of Lula;
and illicit discharge, change the
wording from the county to the
City of Lula. In a three to two vote
approval was given to an amend
ment to the stream buffer ordi
nance. Council member Echols
voted against this. The amendment
sets an undisturbed natural buffer
of 50 feet.
•the council unanimously
approved the fee of $4,450 for the
first year for the drinking water
permit fee with the Environmental
Protection Division.
•the council approved changing
the meeting time for work ses
sion to 6:30 p.m. on the second
Monday of each month instead of
6 p.m.
•Turner reminded everyone that
the city is still under the state
water ban. The council will hold
its May work session meeting at
6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 12, at
city hall.
Banks County woman now cancer-free
BY MARY ANN CARLAN
Special to the BCN
I have always heard cancer doesn’t
hurt, so I wasn’t worried that my
problem was cancer.
In the summer of 1979, I started
hurting in my lower stomach. I had
always been an outside person who
enjoyed working in the yard and cut
ting grass, but just standing became
unbearable for me.
The pain started only three months
after I had received a complete
exam. A friend encouraged me to go
to her OB-GYN. Within one week,
I was in his office hearing I had
cervical cancer. I went through sev
eral months of treatment. In 1980, I
finally had a hysterectomy.
MARY ANN CARLAN
My name is Mary Ann Carlan
and I have been cancer-free for
28 years. I am thankful I am able
Ivan Mote has announced that he
will seek re-election as the chief
magistrate judge in Banks County.
Mote has served as chief magistrate
since January of 2005.
Mote is a life-long resident of
Banks County. He and his wife,
Tonya, have been married for 15
years and have two sons, Jasper and
Connor. He and his family live in
the Mt. Carmel community of Banks
County and attend Gillsville Baptist
Church.
“It has been my privilege to serve
the citizens of Banks County,” he
said. “I would be honored to con
tinue serving as chief magistrate.
I appreciate the support I have
received and ask for your continued
support.”
IVAN MOTE
Thomas announces re-election plans for probate judge
Betty Thomas, who has served
as Probate Judge of Banks County
since January 2001, has announced
her intentions to seek re-election in
the 2008.
Thomas is a native of Banks
County and lives in the Hickory Flat
community with her husband of 45
years, the Rev. Jewell Thomas. They
are the parents of two children, the
late Dean Thomas and Amy Thomas
Boling.
Amy and her husband, Greg, live in
the Damascus community of Banks
County with
their two
children,
Megan and
Daulton.
Amy is
a teacher
at Lula
Elementary
School and
Greg is a
self-employed farmer and business
man. Megan and Daulton attend
Banks County schools.
BETTY THOMAS
Judge Thomas is a magna cum
laude graduate of Piedmont College
with a degree in social work. She
also holds an associate degree in
business from Truett McConnell
College and is an honor graduate
of Banks County High School in
Homer.
“I am committed to serve the citi
zens of Banks County in faithfully
discharging the duties of this office,”
Thomas said. “It has been my plea
sure to serve and I solicit your con
tinued support.”
BJC officials now look at new options for future
Having been rebuffed in its
attempts to get Jackson County to
build a new hospital, BJC Medical
Center is looking for a new part
ner.
In all likelihood, that would be
another hospital, either non-profit
like itself or a for-profit hospital.
“We’re excited about the pos
sibilities,” said authority chairman
Charles Blair. “We’ve got to move
forward. We can’t wait any longer.
Our job is to provide health care
for citizens of Banks and Jackson
counties and that’s what we’re
committed to do.”
The BJC Medical Center
Authority, the nine-member gov
erning board, has contracted with
DECOSIMO, a Tennessee-based
accounting and consulting firm, to
find “options” for what has previ
ously been described as a $37 mil
lion project.
“The ultimate intent of the author
ity board is to seek a mechanism to
obtain financial support,” said a
news release issued Tuesday.
According to the news release,
DECOSIMO has contacted “a sam
ple number of potential entities,”
which led the authority to let the
consultants develop a request for
proposals to be submitted to those
groups. The board maintains the
following conditions:
•continuance of acute inpatient
care
•construction of a new hospital
within a mutually agreeable time
period not to exceed 48 months
•agreeable financial terms
•commitments to maintain and
invest capital into the current hos
pital and nursing home facilities
•continued provision and support
of charity care in the community.
The deadline for written propos
als will be May 29. The author
ity expects to require six to eight
months to make a decision.
The authority had hoped to get
Banks and Jackson counties to issue
bonds to build a new hospital on a
site donated by David Chatham on
his holdings between old U.S. 441
and the bypass at the north end
of Hospital Road. While Banks
County officials expressed interest,
Jackson County’s commissioners
were split on the issue, dooming
that support.
Blair says the Chatham offer is
intact, and the authority would like
to see a new hospital built on that
site.
“We think that’s an attractive deal
for anyone who comes in and wants
to build a hospital,” he said, adding
that use of the site is “not a prereq
uisite.”
He noted that the authority realiz
es that “whoever comes in and puts
up the money will want the control.
What form that control takes shape,
we don’t know.”
Blair said the authority’s consul
tant is “pretty confident” that some
entity will come forward.
Blair did not rule out the possibil
ity that any future partner might uti
lize the Maysville Road site being
developed by Dr. James Bouchard.
Bouchard has previously offered
land to the authority, but the author
ity accepted the Chatham offer
instead.
Recently, Bouchard brought his
plans for more than 100,000 square
feet of medical facilities to the
Commerce Planning Commission
for rezoning.
Bouchard told the planning com
mission that he would donate a
site to a nonprofit hospital if one
expresses interest.
Annual A Day at the Fort scheduled for May 24
to spend time with my husband,
Jimmy, and children and grandchil
dren, Kim, Kurt, Carly, Cole, Tim,
Becky, Ben, Brooke, Pam, James,
Cody and Katie.
I have always lived in Banks
County and am a member of Homer
Presbyterian Church, where I helped
organize our Relay for Life team,
Friends Helping Friends. We have
raised money by selling barbecue
plates, hot dogs, hamburgers and
baked items.
This month, the Relay for Life will
be held in Banks County. Come sup
port us at the relay in memory of or
in honor of a loved one.
A Day at the Fort will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
on Saturday, May 24, at Fort Hollingsworth/White
House, located in Banks County, just off Hwy. 441
between Cornelia and Homer in the Hollingsworth
community.
Activities for this year’s event will include: Tours of
the frontier fort built in 1793, music, storytelling, old
fashion arts and crafts. Civil War re-enactment, 1860s
vintage dance and food, including barbecue and fried
pies.
“Bring a lawn chair and spend the day,” organizers
said.
For more information, call 706-754-4538 or email -
fort@forthollingsworth-whitehouse.com.
Relay for Life
night planned
Relay for Life night at the Banks
Crossing Sonic will be held Thursday
from 5-8 p.m.
Ten percent of sales during this
time will benefit the Banks County
Relay for Life.
Sonic is located on Steven B.
Tanger Boulevard.
Now Open
Bows offered for upcoming relay event
Event organizers want to paint Banks County pink and purple with Relay
for Life bows. Everyone is asked to put them on mailboxes, fence posts,
doors and trees. Pink bows indicate breast cancer and purple bows are for
any other kind of cancer.
“By placing the bows around the county, this is a wonderful opportunity
to honor a cancer survivor as well as in memory of a loved one,” organizers
state.
Glory Baptist WMU have the large, weatherproof bows for sale at $10
each. To purchase one, contact Wanda Logan at 706-677-3207 or Charlotte
Maxwell at 706-335-6948. All proceeds go to the Banks Relay for Life.
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