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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2023
Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 16 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
Vol. 57 No. 44
Free Health
Fair planned
Saturday
The Banks County Recre
ation Department will host a
free Fall Festival and Health
Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
on Saturday, Oct. 21.
The event will include
games, bouncy houses,
food, live music and free
health screenings.
The recreation center is
located at 607 Thompson
Street, Homer.
Haunted
Walking
Tour set in
Homer
The Banks County His
torical Society will hold the
annual Haunted Walking
Torn on Friday, Oct. 20, and
Saturday, Oct. 21.
There will be three toms,
each night. The tom will
begin at the Historic Court-
house/Museum in Homer
at 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and
7:30 p.m.
Democrats
to meet
Thursday
Mike Buffington will be
guest speaker for the Banks
County Democrats meeting
at 6 p.m. this Thmsday eve
ning, October 19.
The meeting will be held
at Homer City Hall and all
Democrats are encomaged
to attend.
The topic will be “Effec
tive Use of Media.”
BCHS Governance
Council meeting
changed to Oct. 24
The Banks County High
School Governance Council
meeting scheduled for Tues
day, Oct. 17, was changed to
Tuesday, Oct. 24. The meet
ing will be held at 6 p.m.
Inside this issue:
BCHS Career Fair-Page
8B
MAILING LABEL
Pumpkin Festival planned in Homer
Saturday; scarecrows placed in park
Early voting underway
for town elections
A Homer Pumpkin Fes
tival is planned for Satur
day, Oct. 21, from 2 p.m. to
6 p.m. in downtown Homer.
The event, which is spon
sored by the Homer DDA
and North Georgia Pro
duce, will include games
and crafts for kids, pump
kin painting, games and a
pumpkin patch.
There will be a Kiddie Pa
rade at 3 p.m. for ages birth
to 12 years old. There is no
entry fee and first, second
and third place winners will
be given. Those who partic
ipate are encomaged to dec
orate their wagons, bikes or
battery operated small vehi
cles.
There will be a Storybook
Scarecrow contest. Entries
may be set up Oct. 15-16
from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The
entry fee is $5.
Photo by Angela Gary
Scarecrows were being set up in Homer this week in prepara
tion for the annual Pumpkin Festival set for Saturday.
Homer’s planned roundabout
construction slated for 2024
By HANNAH CAUDELL
The Homer City Coun
cil met last week to discuss
issues related to the round
about on the Historic Homer
Highway and the construc
tion of the well on Evans
Road.
The council gave an up
date on the roundabout that
is tentatively scheduled for
construction next year by
the Georgia Department of
Transportation. Surveyors
on the project have asked
the council if the area is in
the historic district or the
environmental overlay dis
trict, which could potential
ly have an effect on plan
ning.
The council also reit
erated that they have ex
pressed their concerns for
the businesses on Historic
Homer Highway, including
the Dollar General and the
Golden Pantry, among other
businesses.
Equipment for the well
on Evans Street is slated to
be delivered between Jan
uary 16 and January 30 of
next year. As of now, there
has been no estimate of cost
from the contractor about
installation, but quotes are
currently being collected.
Councilmember James
Dumas also said that he
wants a feasibility study to
be done in the historic dis
trict of Homer to determine
whether new sewage piping
can be available in the city.
The council originally pro
posed a feasibility study in
2021.
The council discussed the
lead piping in the town as
well. According to Dumas,
the Georgia Municipal As
sociation may provide reim
bursements for equipment
purchased and potholes dug
for detecting lead piping.
The council also heard
from Gary Reynolds, who
asked the council to consid
er accepting a one-acre lot
on his property with a 20-
foot easement to be record
ed for the future construc
tion of his granddaughter’s
family home.
According to city attorney
David Syfan at a previous
meeting, the ordinance re
quires that the council ap
prove an access easement
for a separate lot. Coun
cilmember Sandra Garrison
motioned to accept the lot,
and all the council voted in
favor of the action.
The council ended the
meeting with some words
from Downtown Develop
ment Authority Treasurer
Kellie Jones, who provid
ed further details about
the Pumpkin Festival and
the Christmas on the Farm
theme.
The Pumpkin Festival
will be held on Saturday.
Oct. 21. The event is catered
to children ages zero to 12
and will have free activities
such as a scarecrow con
test, parade, free games and
crafts, a pumpkin patch, and
more. Jones also informed
the council that the closing
of Yonah Homer Road for
the event is likely.
This week, the Downtown
Development Authority will
also begin preparations for
the Christmas theme this
year, which is Christmas on
the Farm. The event will be
held on Thursday, Dec. 9.
More details will be provid
ed at a later date.
This week, the council
will have a called meeting
on Tuesday, Oct. 17, to hear
from Banks County Golf
LLC and the citizens of Ho
mer concerning the applica
tion for rezoning submitted
to the City of Homer Plan
ning Commission. The re
zoning application asks the
council to amend the plan
for the Planned Community
Development District zon
ing classification to allow
367 residential units and/or
to allow 22 townhome res
idential units on Chimney
Oaks.
Mayor’s race set
in three towns
Early voting is underway
for the town elections on
the Nov. 7 ballot.
Absentee ballot requests
may be submitted until Oct.
27.
In Maysville, incumbent
mayor Richard Presley will
face challenger William S.
McLeish Jr.
One council seat in Mays
ville will also be on the bal
lot. In Ward 4, Brodriche D.
Jackson and Roy Dean will
face off.
In Alto, incumbent PJ.
Huggins, Pattcia Gail Ar
mour and John Smith will
be on the ballot in the may
or’s race.
In Baldwin, Stephanie
Almagno and Tom Whit
ney are seeking the mayor’s
seat.
In Lula, incumbent Gar
nett Smith and Roy Henry
Jr. qualified for District 4.
In District 5, which is va
cant, Juliette Leone Talley,
Joseph Michael Headrick
and Debbie Parker-Presley
qualified.
Lula axes rezoning
request for hatchery
By SHERRY LEWIS
The Lula City Council turned down a zoning request
Monday night to change a 16.99-acre piece of property
from Hwy. Business to Heavy Industrial for a poultry
plant at Cornelia Highway (365) and Belton Bridge Road.
Developers had said 11 acres would be used for the plant
leaving additional property for green space.
Former Lula Mayor Jim Grier spoke in opposition of
the request.
“I object to rezoning valuable commercial business
land,” he said. “This is the most valuable plot of land
available for commercial use that we have in Lula at this
time. This would be rezoning good property for less than
it’s greatest use.”
Grier noted that many people would love to see a gro
cery store on that site. Other citizens echoed Grier’s sen
timents.
“I’d say 50 percent of the people in Lula would like to
have an actually grocery store without driving to Gaines
ville or Cornelia,” stated Robert Grizzle.
The council listened to the citizens and unanimously
voted to deny this request.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the city council:
•approved a bid of $110,362 for architects to design the
Belton Bridge water line.
•agreed to take applications for a seat on the Lula Devel
opment Authority.
•noted that bid development is underway for culvert re
placement at Chattahoochee and Carter Street.
•announced that the Lula Ladies will offer a community
meal on Sunday, November 12, from 2-4 p.m. to recognize
veterans. The Lula Ladies will host a lunch at noon and
dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25.
•noted that the Historical Society will meet on Monday,
October 23, at the Depot at 7 p.m.
Baldwin Fall Festival set
The City of Baldwin will host its sixth annual Fall
Festival on Saturday. Oct. 21. The event will kick off at
9:30 a.m. at city hall with a “JEEPers Creepers Monster
Bash Decoration Contest and Currahee Fall Crawl.”
Starting at noon, local food, crafters, live music, a visit
from Heroes in Force and Barbie, games and more will be
offered at the Farmer’s Market. There will be a fireworks
show at 7:30 p.m.
Pumpkin time for students and seniors
Students from the Banks Mountain Education Campus recently visited the Bountiful Hills Senior Living Community. They enjoyed a presentation from the
Healthcare Administrator and helped decorate pumpkins as they visited with the residents.
