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OPINIONS
Jackson County opinion page
SPORTS
Wrestling teams hope to build momentum heading into areas
Wrestling teams from all three Jackson County
high schools were scheduled to participate today (Wednesday)
in the Tri-County Duals at Winder-Barrow High School. The event
features teams from Jackson, Barrow and Walton counties.
Lady Tigers Hit Stride With Two Big Wins
After winning two big games on the road this past weekend, the
Commerce Lady Tigers will host two big games this coming weekend.
Neighborhood News...
MADISON COUNTY
Change of venue sought in Fortson case
The attorney for accused murderer Tracy Lea Fortson filed a motion
Jan. 15 to have the high-profile case moved out of Madison County.
County jail completion set for November
Completion of the new Madison County jail is expected for late
November.
News from
BANKS COUNTY
Baldwin finalizes waste water treatment deal
Baldwin Mayor Mark Reed told council members Thursday that the
contract with Lee Arrendale Correctional Institution on waste
water treatment had been signed by all parties involved.
Charles Blair named BJC Authority chairman
The BJC Medical Center Authority elected its first new chairman
in more than a decade Monday night.
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The Jackson Herald
Jefferson, Georgia
Telephone: (706) 367-5233
Fax: (706) 367-8056
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FATALITY IN WRECK
A Hoschton woman was killed in a two-vehicle wreck around
1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Cheryl Dawn Clapsaddle, 46, was driving a
1989 Ford Taurus when she reportedly pulled out of the QT store
at Hwy. 129 and I-85 into the pathway of a tractor trailer truck
driven by Leslie Howard Helsley, Edinsburg, Va. The truck was
carrying frozen poultry. Clapsaddle was taken to BJC Medical
Center where she was pronounced dead. No charges are pending.
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UPDATE:
 Collins decides
Michael Collins, considered by many to be Commerce High School's
best all-around athlete ever, announced Wednesday that he will
play football and basketball for the University of Tennessee
Volunteers.
The verbal commitment is not binding, but Collins is expected
to accept an athletic scholarship Feb. 7.
The 6-6 senior led the Commerce Tiger football team to the Class
A state championship, quarterbacking a team featuring Georgia's
all-time rushing leader Monté Williams. He also played
defensive back and was the punter.
Collins is expected to play wide receiver or defensive back for
the Volunteers, but he also plans and has UT's blessings to play
basketball.
Collins has been rated one of the top 100 prep football players
and one of the top 100 prep basketball players in America and
has been highly recruited the past two school years.
Among the top students in the senior class, Collins had been
recruited by schools from all over the country. By the end of
the high school football season, he had rejected more than 50
scholarship offers and narrowed his choices down to Clemson and
the University of Tennessee.
Collins is averaging 24.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game for
the basketball Tigers.
He is also the Tigers' spiritual leader, leading pre-game prayers
for both football and basketball teams.
New housing permits,
property sales soar
For the first time ever, the total of new housing units permitted
in Jackson County climbed above the 1,000 mark for a one-year
period. Some 1,097 new units were added in 2000, including 913
site-built homes and 184 mobile homes. That's a 45 percent increase
in site-built homes over 1999.
Total estimated construction values were also up over 1999 by
10.5 percent, topping $131.54 million for the year.
Property sales were also up in 2000 over the year before, hitting
$172.2 million from $153.6 million in 1999, a 12 percent increase.
Since 1996, property sales in Jackson County have soared 162
percent. In 1996, property sales were only $65.7 million.
Driving the growth in construction and property sales is a rising
demand for new homes in Jackson County. A large majority of the
homebuilding again took place in unincorporated Jackson County,
where 772 out of 913 new homes were constructed. The City of
Jefferson led new home construction among the county's towns
with 162 homes permitted. That's 101 more new homes built in
Jefferson during 2000 than were built in the town in 1999.
The towns of Braselton and Hoschton also had strong homebuilding
activity with 59 new houses in Braselton and 55 in Hoschton.
While home construction was strong during the last year, mobile
home permits were down to 184 from 249 the year before. Mobile
homes totaled 295 just four years ago, but have seen a decline
since then.
Airport expansion
on hold
The Jackson County Airport expansion will have to wait until
the airport authority and the board of commissioners can figure
out how to get $2.3 million to close on 78 acres of land.
Authority chairman Andy Byers told the authority and the half
dozen property owners at the authority's meeting Monday night
that last year the authority was able to borrow the money from
the county treasury and then wait for the Federal Aviation Authority
(FAA) to reimburse them.
Byers said because the millage rate was dropped substantially,
the county commission has "empty coffers" and excess
funds are not available to do this again.
Commission Chairman Harold Fletcher and county manager Skip Nally
were at the meeting Monday. Fletcher echoed Byers', saying that
there are no excess funds, but he assured the authority and the
property owners that the commission is very supportive of the
expansion. He suggested that the authority, the board of commissioners
and possibly the industrial development authority meet to decide
the quickest way to close on the property.
Fletcher said there are several options for closing on the property
quickly, but he could not say that the closings would occur this
month or next month or the month after.
Byers said one option would be borrowing the money and paying
interest until the FAA and the state reimburses them. The properties
are ready to close as soon as the money is available. Byers said
that many corporations have already expressed an interest in
the airport once the runway extension reaches the 5,000 foot
mark, which would bring in more revenue to the county and cost
it very little. The five year plan that Byers passed out at the
meeting reflects a total county cost of $1 million. The FAA has
agreed to cover 90 percent of all costs excluding the construction
of a new terminal. The Georgia Department of Transportation has
agreed to cover five percent. Byers said that the remaining five
percent that the county must cover can be reduced by using county
machinery and bringing funds in from different avenues.
Nader Bagheri, fiscal engineer of Robert and Company and consultant
to the authority, has presented the five-year plan to the DOT
and the FAA and he will continue to work with them.
Under the five-year plan, all property will be purchased by July
1, 2003. The runway extension will be graded in 2003 and paved
in 2004. A new terminal building will be constructed in 2006
though the site for it has yet to be determined.
Byers told the property owners that though it looks like a long
time away, that fiscal year 2002 actually begins July 1, 2001.
He also said that the plan is a rough estimate and will change
as time goes on. If the authority and the commissioners agree
to go ahead with purchasing all of the property, then the authority
would have to wait up to a year and a half for total reimbursement
based on the timeline.
For the rest of this story, see this week's Jackson Herald.
Chamber Approves
Program Of Work, $241,850 Budget
The Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce has a new program
of work for 2001 and a $241,850 budget to finance it.
The chamber's board of directors approved both items at its January
board of directors' meeting Friday at Braselton's town hall.
Highlights of the program of work include the creation of an
advertisement-supported membership directory, revamping the chamber's
web site, assuming its role in helping new small businesses as
the anchor in Commerce's small business incubator, its continuation
of the Leadership Jackson County program and its emphasis on
building the Partners in Education program.
To accomplish these things and the many other ongoing projects
and services the board of directors approved a budget that
is 4.8 percent higher than the 2000 budget and 9.2 percent higher
than 2000 actual revenue.
The chamber projects income of $241,850 for 2001. During 2000,
expenses amounted to $184,449, compared to budgeted expenses
of $185,480. The chamber anticipates expenses of $207,300 for
the new year.
On the revenue side, the budget projects $115,000 in dues payments,
compared to $87,500 actually paid in 2000 and $110,000 budgeted
that year. Other sources of income include $29,000 for events
such as its annual meeting, the Taste of Jackson and other chamber
functions; $40,000 from Jackson County for representing the county
in economic development; and a variety of miscellaneous sources.
On the expenditure side, the budget projects $20,000 for various
events, $5,000 for economic development, $10,250 for community
programs, $3,000 for advertising, $36,100 for facilities and
office administration, $119,950 in salaries and benefits and
$10,750 in miscellaneous expenses.
Were the chamber to be on the mark for both revenues and expenses
this year, it would end 2001 with more than $34,000 left over.
The budget was accepted with the condition that the Executive
Committee review salaries and benefits after director Keith Ariail
questioned whether the chamber "is doing anything to keep
its qualified people."
While the new budget did offer small increases for personnel,
the chamber does not offer health insurance. The 2001 budget
contains but $3,600 for health insurance, a figure not likely
to provide coverage for three employees.
For the rest of this story, see this week's Commerce News.
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January
24, 2001
2000 Jackson County
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Jefferson selected
as 'Better Hometown Community'
The City of Jefferson is one of 12 cities across the state selected
this year as a "Better Hometown Community."
Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor made the announcement Monday during the
Georgia Municipal Association's annual mayor's breakfast at the
Atlanta Hilton. Jefferson was selected from the 60 applicants
seeking the designation.
The Better Hometown Program is a public-private partnership between
the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Power, the
University of Georgia and several other public and private agencies.
The designation allows Jefferson to receive technical assistance
designed to stimulate the community's overall economic health
from the federal and state government as well as from many private
corporations.
Accepting the award on behalf of the city were Jefferson councilman
Jim Joiner, Jefferson Downtown Development Authority manager
Janice Wilbanks, Jefferson Police Chief Darren Glenn and Jefferson
Police sergeant Rob Russell. This group handled the application
to the DCA. Others from the community assisted in the application
process.
The group from Jefferson was also able to meet with members from
all levels of state government and leaders from several major
corporations.
Health department
gives inspection totals for 2000
Sewage site evaluations and permits and subdivision lot reviews
accounted for the majority of health department-related inspections
in 2000.
The Jackson County Board of Health received an environmental
health report of services when it met Wednesday that showed a
month-by-month breakdown of all inspections conducted in Jackson
County in the year 2000.
For example, there were a total of 813 site evaluations and permits
issued for sewage systems and 445 subdivision lots reviewed last
year for environmental health. The report showed 759 residential
sewage systems installed last year. Among complaints investigated,
sewage concerns ranked highest with 61 reports, followed by 18
solid waste (trash, garbage) complaints. There were 136 complaints
investigated, with 29 re-checked, 40 abated, 53 referred and
12 deemed invalid.
Other investigations and actions included: 95 formal food facility
evaluations; four permits issued for tourist accommodations;
three institutional sanitation evaluations; 86 water supply samples;
13 animal bites investigated; three animals impounded; 22 animal
heads sent to lab; and 8,604 communication items (including conferences,
correspondence, reports, materials distributed and administrative/clerical
items).
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