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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. We Buy All Gold & Silver ROOF DOCTOR Roofing & Repair 99 - Metal - Shingles - Flat Roofs - Flashing - Maintenance - Inspections HOMER CARVER OFFICE 706-677-1986 CELL 678-617-4503 FAX 706-677-1369 Purchase A New Home With No Out 0/Pocket Expenses! 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