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OPINIONS
Jackson County opinion page
SPORTS
CHS Runners Hit
The Trail
Tiger Cross Country Team Opens First
Week Of Workouts
Commerce cross country coach Mark Hale isn’t sure what kind
of numbers his team will put up as far as times go this fall
but he is happy about one number already — 11.
A few faces have changed,
but Lady Panther expectations remain the same
Some of the faces may have changed, but
when the Lady Panthers take on Apalachee this Tuesday to start
the fast-pitch softball season, their season goals will remain
the same.
Building a
solid foundation
Inaugural season of Lady Dragon fast-pitch
softball begins Monday
The Jefferson fast-pitch team do more than just take the field Monday when they travel to Clarke Central, they’ll be forming a new tradition.
News from
BANKS COUNTY
Run-off elections
ahead Aug. 10
Schaefer, Caudell in Aug. 10 run-off
Nancy Schaefer and Chan Caudell are headed for a run-off race
for the District 50 Senate seat that covers Banks County.
Popphan, Mote
face off
Winford Popphan and Ivan Mote will be
facing each other in a run-off for the magistrate judge’s
seat on Tuesday, Aug. 10.
Popphan came away with 912 votes in the recent primary election,
while Mote had 750.
News from
MADISON
COUNTY
IDA awards $2 million
water expansion contract
Madison County’s Industrial Development
Authority awarded contracts to Raco, Inc. of Getna, Va., today
(Wednesday) on a $2 million water expansion project that will
link Madico, Colbert, Danielsville and South Madison water systems,
while providing water to an area off Hwy. 29 contaminated by
petroleum spills.
Runoffs slated
for Tuesday
Bellew, Chandler to face off in BOC chairman’s
race; Mason, Skipper seek BOE seat
Madison County voters will hit the polls Tuesday for two local
runoffs — the Democratic nomination for the BOC chairman’s
race and the election of a District 5 school board representative.
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Our Time and Place:
A History of
Jackson County, Ga
A complete history of Jackson County, Georgia
from 1796 to the present. Written in narrative style for easy
reading. Includes material not found in other books about Jackson
County.
Order this book online
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The Jackson Herald
Jefferson, Georgia
Telephone: (706) 367-5233
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COLORING ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Jefferson Elementary School kindergartners Patrick
Madden, Cesar Colin and J.P. LaMaison work on coloring early
Monday morning as other students come into Nicole Martin’s
class. Jefferson City School students returned to class on Monday.
See this weeks Jackson Herald for Jackson County back-to-school
photos.
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Student
population numbers up 6% to 9%
Judging by the number of students starting
a new school year this week, the county and city school systems
are continuing to see rapid growth.
The Jefferson City School System reported a nine percent jump
in student enrollment for the first day of school on Monday,
compared to the beginning of class last year. The Jackson County
School System showed a six percent increase.
Dr. John Jackson, superintendent, said the Jefferson school system
counted 1,816 students for the first day of class. Last school
year, there were 1,660 students the first day.
Jefferson Middle School saw its student population increase the
most with 60 additional students this school year.
Jefferson Elementary School reported 915 students and Jefferson
High School opened its doors to 459 students this week, Jackson
said.
JACKSON COUNTY
Likewise, the Jackson County School System is seeing considerable
gains in student population this year.
The county school system said its student population rose by
six percent when classes started on Tuesday, compared to last
school year.
The Jackson County School System reported 5,615 students for
the first day of class, versus 5,300 students last year. That
figure doesn’t include students enrolled in the alternative
school, evening school and pre-kindergarten.
Jackson County Comprehensive High School is accommodating the
most new students in the county school system with an additional
106 students. The high school now has 1,541 students.
Other considerable student population gains in the county school
system were reported at West Jackson Primary School with 53 new
students, West Jackson Middle School with an additional 30 students
and Benton Elementary School with 29 new students.
IDA to meet
Mon. on Toyota roads
A meeting of the Jackson County Industrial
Development Authority has been scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m.
in the Grand Jury room to discuss the possible financing of road
projects for the $100 million Toyota project for the board of
commissioners.
IDA chairman Scott Martin said this week that his board wanted
to further discuss details of the financing and to get some additional
information from county officials about the status of the road
projects and the county’s financial health.
The move comes after a cancelation of a meeting scheduled last
week between the IDA and the Jackson County Board of Commissioners
to discuss a larger financing package involving several industrial
roads and other BOC projects.
The BOC had initially requested several months ago that the IDA
finance some $24 million in various county projects, including
the Toyota roads. But IDA leaders concluded that several of the
BOC projects didn’t meet the criteria as “industrial
development” projects and took those items off the BOC’s
wish list.
For the rest of this story see this weeks Jackson Herald.
At Long Last,
Commerce Opens New Middle School
Facility Is First New Commerce School
In 30 Years
A short rainfall outside didn’t dampen the spirits inside
as the long-awaited opening of the new Commerce Middle School
took place Sunday afternoon.
Students will enter classes there for the first time Friday morning,
although an open house was scheduled for this (Wednesday) evening
from 6:00 to 8:00. Teachers reported for pre-planning Monday
and the annual system-wide breakfast was held in the new school
Monday.
The 2:00 ceremony was the culmination of months of planning and
a lot longer than anticipated time of construction. Hampered
by weather and by a plumbing contractor who went bankrupt, the
construction of the Jefferson Road facility ran about seven months
late.
None of that mattered Sunday. It was time to celebrate the first
new school built in Commerce in 30 years (the last was the old
middle school).
“By opening a new school, we’re changing the future,”
declared Steve Perry, chairman of the Commerce Board of Education,
speaking in the atrium as a light rain fell outside.
Perry – and Superintendent Larry White who followed him
in the short program – thanked a number of people from construction
workers to school staff – and the voters who approved the
special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) that is paying
the $4 million plus local part of the school’s cost.
“Who knows what the future of the students who walk these
halls will be or what they will achieve?” Perry asked.
“It’s not every day you build a new school in Commerce,
Georgia,” White observed. “In fact, it’s been
30 years ... It’ll serve the youth of this community for
years to come.”
White noted that the building was constructed to hold almost
twice the number of students who are expected to arrive Friday,
a SPLOST-funded luxury; expressed gratitude for the Department
of Education in providing $3 million in funds and recognized
Mrs. Joe Griffeth, who with her husband, the late Dr. Joe Griffeth,
sold the school system the 65-acre tract right across from the
Griffeth home. White thanked the city of Commerce for its assistance
in utility-related matters and the Jackson County Board of Commissioners
for road work he said “probably saved $100,000.” He
praised architect Greg Smith and project manager Tom Graham for
their day-to-day assistance and singled out numerous staff members
for their work related to the project.
“This is a great moment for our school system and community,”
White declared.
As of the ribbon cutting, there were still punch-list items that
remained to be done, classes to be set up and supplies to be
made ready. Principal Mary Evans pointed out.
“Come Friday, when those 360 students arrive, we will be
ready for them,” she declared.
Students will find the wings color coded: blue for sixth grade,
green for seventh, purple for eighth and a cream color for the
hallway leading to the administrative area, gym and cafeteria
and containing the media center and classrooms for chorus, band
and health/physical education.
The school system purchased the property in July 2000, traded
29 acres of non-buildable land to Deer Trail Country Club for
10 acres of land suitable for construction and awarded the bid
to Aldridge Inc. Oct. 24, 2002, for $6,546,600, a price that
includes six extra classrooms in anticipation of growth. The
project was funded by $3,076,000 in state funds and a $5.5 million
SPLOST-backed bond issue. Ground was broken Monday, Nov. 25,
at which time it was believed the system would occupy the 75,000-square-foot
building by Jan. 1, 2004. That date was moved to August in the
spring of 2003 after weeks of rain.
Two state races
to be in run-off election Tues.
Two state races will be on the ballot
in the Aug. 10 run-off election.
On the Democrat ballot, voters will be asked to choose from Denise
L. Majette and W. Cliff Oxford for the U.S. Senate seat.
In a non-partisan race for the state court of appeals, Debra
Berns will face Mike Sheffield.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Advance
voting is under way through Friday of this week at the courthouse
in Jefferson.
If a person voted in the Democratic primary, they can only vote
in the democratic/non-partisan run-off.
Those who voted in the Republican primary, cannot vote for the
Democratic race, however, they can vote for the non-partisan
race. Those who didn’t vote in the primary, can vote in
either run-off.
Site plans are submitted for Kroger center
By Jana A. Mitcham
Site plans have been submitted to the City of Jefferson for a
development that will include Kroger as its major tenant.
City manager David Clabo told the Jefferson City Council Monday
night that he has the plans available from Gipson Properties
for review for the development, which will be located on nine
acres at “Loggins Corner” at the intersection of the
bypass and Old Pendergrass Road.
The Kroger grocery store will be just under 70,000 square feet,
Clabo said. In addition to a delivery area for the grocery store
and parking, the development will also include gas pumps, several
attached sites and two to three detached sites.
There is no timeframe yet for the development, but Clabo said
the city has been told that the closing on the property is scheduled
for “sometime this month.”
The developers have been doing some engineering work for the
roadway, as well as some work on the site itself, he said.
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Coming Wednesday, August
11
Water, sewer
plan urged for Jefferson ‘hot spot’
Some 3,000 lots planned for SR 11, bypass,
Middle Oconee areas
Approximately 3,000 lots are planned, or at least conceptualized,
for development in what the city engineer calls Jefferson’s
“hot spot” — the western areas of the city near
the bypass, SR 11 and the Middle Oconee River.
Jerry Hood recommended to the Jefferson City Council Monday night
that a water and sewer “mini master plan” be developed
for that area.
Hood’s engineering report states: “Large demands for
water and sewer service are anticipated in this area. Close coordination
with prospective developers regarding the infrastructure will
be important in the coming months.”
The engineer pointed out that while some of the sewer area may
be covered by the Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority,
all of the water service will come from the city.
SEWER USE ORDINANCE UPDATE
In a review of a list of other projects in the works, Hood said
the updates to the city’s sewer use ordinance is complete,
including a new industrial user surcharge system for non-compliant
BOD, TSS, ammonia nitrogen, pH and oil and grease levels.
The council clarified that the new fines system may be applied
to outstanding 2002 and 2003 surcharges for industries within
the city.
MLK JR. ROAD EXPANSION
Hood also touched upon cost estimates for an MLK Jr. Road expansion
project.
Preliminary cost estimates are for nearly $1 million and would
include $677,000 for realignment of that road. The project would
also include improvements on a portion of Galilee Church Road
and a cul-de-sac for the industrial park.
City manager David Clabo said the work would benefit industry
in the city.
WEBSITE
In other business, the council learned that a city website —
www.cityofjefferson.ga.com — is being developed by Bobby
Lacey, with a launch date of August 31.
The website will include pages on the mayor and council, as well
as on each city department and links to other related websites.
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