50<t • Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 24 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 45 No. 8
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Property line dispute with Jackson County heats up
BY ANGELA GARY
Property line disputes between Banks and
Jackson counties at Banks Crossing have long
been a topic of debate and controversy and the
issue has surfaced again.
Sam Moon, a member of the board of tax
assessors, spoke Tuesday night at the Banks
County Board of Commissioners meeting over a
property dispute at Banks Crossing. A business
at Banks Crossing, BIC Carwash, is being taxed
and claimed by both Jackson and Banks coun
ties. Moon said meetings with Jackson County
officials have not resolved the problem. He added
that Jackson officials want Banks to accept their
proposal or take the matter to court. He said there
has been no resolution to the issue.
BOC chairman Jimmy Hooper agreed to dis
cuss the issue with Jackson County Board of
Commissioners chairman Tom Crow and report
back to the commissioners.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the meeting Tuesday night,
the BOC:
•unanimously approved a request to accept
Oakwood Drive and Maple Drive in The Oaks at
Banks Crossing Subdivision,
•recognized county attorney Randall Frost
for receiving the Ralph Cleveland Distinguished
Citizen Award.
• approved a request from citizen David Tolar
to support the Constitution of the State of Georgia
and the Constitution of the United States in rela
tion to the Second Amendment. A statement on
this was signed by all of the commissioners and
read at the meeting.
• approved a proclamation supporting National
Donate Life Month in April to honor those who
are organ donors and to focus attention on the
need for organ donors.
• approved a proclamation recognizing
National Public Safety Telecommunications Week
April 15-19.
• heard a presentation from Todd McDuffie on
consulting services that KCI Technologies offers
for a road safety improvement program, which
includes striping, signage for bridges and guard
rails. The company’s fee would be 10 percent of
the federal funding the county receives for the
project. McDuffie said $250,000 is the amount he
expects the county would receive.
• approved the annual agreement with the Boy
Scouts for use of Uchee Lodge.
• approved a wildfire protection plan presented
by Carl Melear with the Georgia Forestry
continued on page 2A
Plans for The Pottery
Proposed plans at former Pottery site include retail, residential development
PUBLIC SAFETY
Chambers
Road shooting
investigated
Officers with the Banks
County Sheriff’s Office inves
tigated the shooting of a
Chambers Road man on
March 30.
The call came in to Banks
County 9-1-1 dispatch of an
accidental shooting at 183
Chambers Road, Commerce.
The responding deputy
reported he spoke with the man
at the residence identified as
43-year-old Mark Zohoranacky
and he stated while he was out
in his yard shooting his pellet
rifle he heard gunshots and
then felt something strike him
hard in the back.
Zohoranacky said it felt as
if someone had hit him with a
baseball bat, the officer report
ed.
The officer said there was a
small hole in Zohoranacky’s
right shoulder area.
Zohoranacky was transported
to the hospital for treatment by
his wife, after he refused medi
cal transport from a Banks
County EMS unit.
Zohoranacky had surgery
at Gwinnett Medical Center
to remove the bullet that was
lodged approximately three
inches below the entrance
wound.
Officers checked with neigh
bors in the area in an attempt
continued on page 2A
BY SHARON HOGAN
Proposed plans for the former site of
The Pottery at Banks Crossing include a
retail and residential development.
Banks County community planner
Brad Day presented a concept plan
for The Pottery site at a development
authority meeting last week. The plan
includes a hotel/conference center, ath
letic fields, grocery store, sidewalk shop
ping, residential community, central bou
levard and additional retail space.
Day said the FDIC had been supervis
ing the sale of the foreclosed property
over the past 90 days and a number of
investors/developers had shown interest
in the property. ‘
’You should see something taking
place soon,” Day said.
The site concept plan reflects a pro
jected investment of over $30 million.
“The first project will set the stage for
future projects,” development authority
chairman Scott Ledford said.
Day advised the authority that tools
need to be in place to help move any
project at this site along. One suggestion
Day made on this issue was to expedite
permitting.
“Regulators have a job to perform,
but it needs to be done with customer
service in mind,” Day said.
Day said the developers could pos
sibly look at the local community to
provide access transportation/entrances
to the property.
“We need to have the tools in the bag,
so to speak,” Day said. “We need to be
pro-active instead of reactive.”
SHOOTING RANGE
Shooting
range gets OK
Business permit approved
BY ANGELA GARY
A request for a conditional
use permit to locate a shooting
range and training facility in Banks
County was approved Tuesday
night by the board of commission
ers.
The BOC approved the request
from Elizabeth and James Shi for a
conditional use permit for 44 acres
on Line Church Road to locate
the business. The vote was 4-1
with Sammy Reece, David Duckett,
Danny Maxwell and Jimmy Hooper
voting in favor of the request and
Charles Turk voting against it.
Mr. Shi presented the request
and said plans are to offer train
ing, including classroom time and
shooting range experience. The
classes will be offered on an indi
vidual basis or in small groups. He
will offer gun certification based on
NRA standards. The hour would be
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through
Saturdays. The firearms used will
be less than .50 caliber.
continued on page 2A
FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
Back in Time
and BlueBilly Grit
to be featured
The first annual Festival of Arts
event scheduled for Saturday, April
27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in down
town Homer will feature live perfor
mances by the Back in Time Band,
as well as the BlueBilly Grit bluegrass
band.
Back in Time is a nine-piece band
based in Gainesville. The band is
known for its classic rock, soul and
East Coast beach music. And for all
of those bluegrass fans, the BlueBilly
Grit band, winner of the 2012 Telluride
Bluegrass Band Competition, will
also be performing live during the
Festival of Arts.
The community is invited to come
out and enjoy this free event.
“Bring a lawn chair and spend
the day enjoying the great music,
delicious food and the wonderful
works of the participating artists,”
organizers state. “Visitors can even
enjoy meeting the artists who will be
bringing everything from pottery to
paintings.”
For more information and/or to
reserve vendor space, contact Scott
Peppers at 706-8704310 or email spep-
pers@windstream.net for a vendor
application. Completed applications
and vendor fees should be returned
to Scott Peppers at 389 Parson Circle,
Maysville, GA 30558. Space is lim
ited and spaces are available on a
first-come, first-served basis.
Inside
•Broome lead girls’
track
— page 1B
•Homer appoints
three officials
— page 2A
Op/Ed
• ‘The state helps the
rich get richer’
— page 4A
Other news
1 Social
1 Church
1 Obituaries
1 Public Safety
1 Legals
1 Sports
1 Classifieds
-7A
— 5B
- 10-11A
- 5-6A
- 9,11B
- 1-4B
-7-8B
BANKS COUNTY DEVELOPMENT
Development Authority approves
$230,000 in funding for entrance roads
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Banks County Development Authority
agreed at a called meeting last week to fund
$230,000 for entrance roads into the Banks
Crossing 109 industrial site and the Hudson
River Business Park.
The authority approved borrowing the
money from a local bank for the project.
Banks County Planner Brad Day advised
the council that he was checking with the
local banks to get the best rate available. The
agreed for Day to continue pursuing a formal
bid for a 15-year amortized loan with a five-
year fixed rate and no penalty for early payoff.
Three lots in the authority’s Industrial Park
will be used as collateral for the loan and
lease revenue will be used to repay the
$230,000 loan, Day reported.
The total cost of the two entrance road
projects is projected to be around $769,500.
The county has received 2012 and 2013 Local
Maintenance and Improvement Grants total
ing $539,500 to be used for this project.
The Banks Crossing 109 project will be
first one started and Day projected breaking
ground on this project in 30-60 days.
“Banks Crossing 109 will go out for bid
soon,” Day said.
Day advised the council that it would take
2040 days to get drawings for the Hudson
River Business Park project.
The authority also agreed for Day to handle
contact information signs for both properties.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the called meeting:
•the authority met in closed session for
approximately 10 minutes to discuss land
acquisition. No action was taken.
• the authority unanimously approved Day
spending up to $5,000 for website work for the
development authority. Day said he is collab
orating with the Banks County Chamber CVB
and Banks County Board of Commissioners
for a website that includes shared links and a
complimentary look.
The development authority regularly meets
on the third Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m.
in the Wilson Shoals Conference Room at
the Banks County Annex, Homer. The next
meeting is set for April 16.
Lula clean
up day set
Saturday
The City of Lula
Community Clean-Up
will be held Saturday.
Volunteers are
encouraged to meet
at 8 a.m. at the Lula
Depot to pick up litter
from the roadsides and
area parks.
On Monday, April 22,
the city will conduct a
city-wide Bulk Pick-up.
OTHER UPCOMING
EVENTS
• Railroad Days,
Saturday, May 4, 10
a.m.
• ’’Some Gave All”
5K Run, Saturday, May
11, 4-7 p.m.
•Memorial Day
Observance, Monday,
May 27, 10 a.m.
DISPATCHERS RECOGNIZED
The Banks County Board of Commissioners approved a proclamation Tuesday night recognizing
National Public Safety Telecommunications Week April 15-19. Deidra Moore, 911 director, (left) is shown
with some of the dispatchers who were at the meeting Monday night. Photo by Angela Gary
