Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 9A
'ENTREPRENEUR FRIENDLY' DESIGNATION
Benefit account set up for Annie Thomas
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MEMORIAL DAY SPECIAL
Fried Chicken
Banks County is the state's newest designated 'Entrepreneur Friendly' Community. The Banks
County Chamber of Commerce led the effort for the county to receive the designation. The des
ignation means the community has developed an environment that is welcoming to small busi
nesses and entrepreneurs. Shown with the official banner are: (L-R) Jerry Boling, Brad Johnson,
Jack Banks, Doug Cheek, Gene Hart and Tara Fulcher.
Homer completes first phase of comprehensive plan
BY JUSTIN POOLE
The City of Homer has completed
the first steps of a comprehensive
plan for the city.
Adam Hazell presented the
Community Assessment and
Community Participation Program
to the council during the city council
meeting May 13.
The document covers the all the
supporting data for the city and
serves as a guide for communi
ty development between 2008 and
2030.
In short, the document is a profile
of the city, including population, eco
nomic development, housing, public
services, transportation routes, natu-
ral resources, historic identity, and
intergovernmental cooperation.
Before the council can approve
the document and move on with the
comprehensive plan, it has to name
stakeholders in the community. These
stakeholders represent the civic inter
est for the community of Homer and
will help guide the development of a
community agenda.
The council will discuss revisions
to the Community Assessment and
Participation Program during a work
session Tuesday, May 27, at 6 p.m.
Action on the Community
Assessment and Participation Program
will be at the council meeting June
10.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the council:
•approved a solid waste resolution,
which is a stop gap measure between
now and the time the comprehensive
plan goes into effect.
•informed Teddy Roberts he would
need a building permit to move a
mobile unit to use as storage shed.
•learned that the downtown project
is almost complete. Benches and
flags should be coming soon.
•learned that road construction
around the area has been finished.
•discussed the possibility of mov
ing the control panel box at the
pavilion so it would not obstruct
people’s view during celebrations.
Voters encouraged to get absentee ballots
Registered voters may request an
absentee ballot from their county regis
trar by completing an application avail
able on the Georgia Secretary of State’s
website.
The website is: www.sos.ga.gov/elec-
tions/ElectionCenter08.htm.
Voters may then submit the form to
their county registrar by mail or fax.
Contact information for county regis
trars is available at www.sos.ga.gov/
elections/ElectionCenter08.htm.
Voters can request an absentee ballot
beginning 180 days prior to an election
without providing a reason. Absentee
ballots will be mailed 45 days prior to
federal, state, and county elections and
21 days prior to elections featuring only
municipal candidates.
Voters must submit a separate absen
tee ballot application for each election,
unless they are physically disabled,
of advanced age, or exempted by the
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens
Absentee Voting Act.
A benefit account has been set up
for Annie Thomas, who worked at the
Banks County Adult Learning Center
before being seriously injured in a car
accident two months ago.
Thomas was injured in a car accident
on the evening of March 11 as she was
headed to her home on Hwy. 441 N.
After the accident, she was air-lifted to
Grady Hospital in Atlanta and remained
in the ICU for several days with a leak
ing aorta, crushed ankle, broken pelvis,
broken collarbone and bruised ribs.
After two surgeries and several weeks
in the hospital, Annie is now in a hos
pital bed at her home waiting for her
bones to mend enough for her to begin
to bear weight on them. Even though
Annie has suffered incredibly since the
accident, her spirit and faith remain
strong, friends report. She looks for
ward to getting back on her feet and
back to the work she loves at the Banks
County ALC.
“We’re all praying for Annie, and we
look forward to having her back here at
the center,” said one of the students at
the center. “She is definitely missed.”
Sharon Clark, lead instructor, describes
Annie as the type of person who “really
wants to know ‘How are you today?’
when she asks the question.”
“She always has a hug and a word
of encouragement for any struggling
student, whether it’s a math problem or
a personal issue that’s hindering prog
ress at the moment,” Clark said. “Annie
Thomas is surely the most dedicated
advocate of adult learning to be found
in Banks County.
“I will never forget the first time I
met Annie after driving through what
seemed like most of Banks County,
looking for the temporary location of
the Banks ALC, which was in a wing
of the old high school building. She
ADVOCATE FOR ADULT LEARNING
Annie Thomas is pictured at the Banks County Adult Learning
Center. She has been described as "the most dedicated advo
cate of adult learning to be found in Banks County.”
must have seen me coming because she
stood outside the door, smiling broadly
as I got out of my car and introduced
myself.
“Before, I could get my name out,
Annie said, ‘I know who you are
because I’ve been praying that the Lord
will send the right person for this cen
ter, and I believe that He has.’ Frankly,
I wasn’t so sure at that moment, but
her greeting certainly made me want
to stick around long enough to find
out more about this lady and the work
she was doing at the Adult Learning
Center.”
Brenda Thomas, executive director
of Adult Literacy for Lanier Technical
College, said that Annie kept the center
open between instructors.
“Annie knew that closing the doors
while the college searched for a new
instructor would discourage the stu-
dents, and once they got out of the habit
of coming to the center, it would be
difficult to get them back.” Clark said,
“ The longer I worked with Annie, the
more clear it became that Annie was
not working for a paycheck; she was
working because she appreciates the
value of education and enjoys nothing
more than doing a little victory dance
with students after hearing they’ve just
passed the GED test. Now, we in the
Banks County/Homer community,
have the opportunity to give back to
this wonderful lady.”
A benefit fund has been established
for Annie Thomas at Freedom Bank.
People may drop off their contributions
at any area branch of Freedom Bank
or they may mail contributions to:
Freedom Bank, Annie Thomas Benefit
Account, P.O. Box 788, Commerce,
Ga., 30529.
Conservation program deadline extended to May 30
The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service gram.
(NRCS) has extended the Conservation Security
Program sign-up deadline to May 30. This will give
farmers in Banks County who may be interested in
participating in the CSP additional time to sign up for
the program.
The CSP program rewards the best conservation
stewards with financial payments and technical assis
tance, and encourages others to implement conserva
tion practices on working agricultural lands.
All Banks County producers are eligible for the pro-
To apply for CSP, NRCS asks potential participants
to complete a CSP self-assessment workbook — avail
able on the web or from the Commerce NRCS office —
to find out if their operation meets the requirements of
the program and qualifies for program participation.
For more information on applying for CSP, farmers
may contact either Carol Boss, Glenn Head or Jimmy
Mock at the Commerce Service Center, 706-335-7145,
ext. 101, or log on the NRSC web site at www.ga.nrcs.
usda.gov under Programs.
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