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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL THURSDAY. JULY 14. 2016 — PAGE 3A
Danielsville properties to face
ordinance violations in city court
Area News:
Jackson County ready to
move on animal shelter
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Two pieces of property
in Danielsville in violation
of city ordinances will face
legal action by the city in
the form of clean up and
abatement orders to be pre
sented in city court next
week.
The Danielsville council
members heard some of the
details of problems with the
properties — both in the
Sherwood community — at
their regular council meet
ing Monday night.
In the first property, city
clerk Susan Payne said a
condemned sign has hung
on the property containing
a dilapidated vacant mobile
home for some time and the
city has notified the proper
ty owner numerous times to
take care of it.
Payne said the county
health and safety inspec
tor recently declared the
home uninhabitable and
determined that it must be
removed from the prop
erty. The owner has been
ordered to appear in city
court on July 19.
The second property is
currently inhabited but has
The Commerce Police
Department continues to
await confirmation from
the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation that a partial
ly decomposed body found
Thursday morning. July 7.
is that of a local man who's
been missing almost two
weeks.
Department detectives
found the body of a male
in the woods off Ila Road,
about 500 yards from an
abandoned rock quarry.
That is near the location
a malfunctioning septic
tank system, which is caus
ing health concerns for the
community. Payne said the
owners were summoned to
court last month and given
30 days to correct the prob
lem. but so far have not
done so. She said the own
ers say they do not have
the funds to repair the sys
tem. so the city and health
inspector have been work
ing with them to resolve the
issue over many months, to
no avail.
Payne said the council
determined it cannot con
tinue to allow the property
to remain a threat to the
health and safety of the sur
rounding community.
“This may be the first
property where the city has
to step in.” Payne said.
In other business, the
council heard that pave
ment damaged by a gar
bage truck on Northridge
Drive has been repaired.
The cost of the repair will
be around $4,000, Payne
said. She said the city had
to hire a paving company
because the damage was
beyond what the mainte
nance department could
repair on its own.
where Max McLinn, 54,
was last seen.
McLinn was last seen
on Monday, June 27, but
someone reported receiving
a text from him two days
later. Sellers said some
kids also reported seeing
a person who matched
McLinn’s description in the
area on June 29.
Police chief Brandon
Sellers said that the evi
dence strongly suggests
that the body is McLinn’s
but the GBI will have to
Mayor Todd Higdon
was on vacation for the
Monday meeting, but left
a message with the coun
cil expressing his thanks to
the city of Colbert for the
Independence Day festiv
ities there and to Master
Basters Barbecue and the
other city businesses that
contributed to the suc
cess of Danielsville’s first
fireworks show. He also
expressed the city's thanks
to the Danielsville VFD for
wetting down the area prior
to the show and for stand
ing by during the display.
He noted the city had an
“outstanding turnout” for
the event.
The Danielsville PD
answered 122 calls for ser
vice in June and issued 148
citations. There were also
five ordinance violations.
The police department
will host the Piedmont
Area Traffic Enforcement
Network in July, chief
Brenan Baird noted.
He also told the coun
cil that the second annual
Touch-A-Truck event plans
are progressing nicely
and have received a great
response from last year’s
participants.
confirm the identity. An
autopsy was to have been
performed Monday.
“It is a little early to say it
is him,” Sellers said, shortly
after the body was discov
ered.
The case originat
ed with Jackson County.
Commerce officers joined
the search and later Jackson
County turned the investi
gation over to Commerce
police since the victim and
his family lived on Spring
Street.
Jackson County is ready
to start working on its ani
mal shelter. The county is
still in its 90-day due dil
igence period, but once it
closes on the property, ren
ovations will begin.
The Jackson County
Board of Commissioners
approved in May the pur
chase of a former kennel for
dog and cat boarding. The
kennel sits on 2.33 acres
of property located at 131
Galilee Church Road.
The kennel was built 12
years ago and has been
unoccupied for four years.
Public development director
Gina Roy says the prop
erty is overgrown and will
need some maintenance and
cleanup before opening.
No major renovations are
needed at the site, but the
county will need to section
off some existing rooms to
create quarantine areas.
The county is waiting to
hear back from the seller on
closing and hopes the reno
vations will be complete by
the end of fall.
The BOC approved the
contract with Gentzel Prop
erties LLC in May, costing
$259,500. Renovations are
expected to total $28,000.
The shelter was includ
ed in the recently approved
Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax referen
dum. The county will be
reimbursed $250,000 from
that SPLOST.
COUNTY NEED FOR
ANIMAL SHELTER
Brad Richards, with the
code and environmental
compliance department,
said the county needs an
animal shelter.
"It’s been needed for a
while,” said Richards.
Jackson County animal
control was started in 1997.
The department picks up
25-50 dogs and cats a week,
on average. Richards noted
this is on a slow week.
He said the need for an
animal shelter will continue
to grow as the population of
Jackson County continues
to grow.
The shelter could also be
used for training and edu
cation, and it could allow
the county to expand its ser
vices. These could include
spay/neuter options, volun
teer programs and emergen
cy services.
The county has previously
relied on local veterinarians
to board animals, but given
the size of the county, Roy
said it is time for the county
to have its own shelter.
"It’s our time to step up,”
said Roy.
HUMANE SOCIETY
PLANS
The county’s animal shel
ter won’t affect the Humane
Society of Jackson County’s
plans for its own construc
tion.
HSJC plans to continue
pursuing its animal shelter
project, which it has been
planning for several years.
The group previously pur
chased 31 acres at the site to
board domestic and agricul
tural animals.
The HSJC is still in the
master planning process for
the campus, but president
Cheryl Iski hopes to break
ground this year. The cur
rent plan is for a pod design
separated by gardens, and
the project could be com
pleted in phases.
The group will likely hold
another capital campaign
for the construction of the
structures. The HSJC pre
viously held its “Raise the
Woof’ campaign, which
raised money for the pur
chase of the land.
The property is locat
ed close to the site of the
county’s animal shelter on
Galilee Church Road. Both
Roy and Iski noted the two
groups plan to continue to
work together.
“Being right around the
comer from each other is -
I think - a blessing,” said
Iski. “It’s all about the team
work.”
reelect
MADISON CIO SHERIFF
Body found in woods off Ila Road
Former Nicholson mayor get continuance for trial
Former Nicholson Mayor Ronnie Maxwell
got a continuance until November for his
trial on charges of theft by taking and violat
ing his oath of office.
“I got a voicemail from the office of the
district attorney saying it was continued until
the next session, which will be in Novem
ber,” said Mayor Jan Webster. “He said there
will be new subpoenas issued then.’’
Maxwell was arrested last August after
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation raided
Nicholson City Hall and seized documents
in connection with the use of $10,607 in spe
cial purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST)
revenue to pave a road that served only Max
well family property. His case was among
several on the trial calendar for the July term
of the Superior Court of Jackson County.
Webster said that Maxwell has not paid
the city back for the expenditure, which was
deemed an inappropriate use of SPLOST
funds by the SPLOST 5 Review Committee.
AA chapter meets 4 times weekly
The Breezy Knob chapter of Alcoholics
Anonymous meets four times a week
at 69 Central Avenue (across from First
Commerce Bank) in Commerce.
Meeting times are:
•Sunday, 7 p.m., open discussion
•Tuesday, 8 p.m., open discussion
•Thursday, 8 p.m., open discussion
•Saturday, 8 p.m., open discussion, open
literature
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