JONESBORO
Volume 24, Issue 6 June 2020
COMMUNITY NEWS “One Great Community”
Councilmembers: Pat Sebo-Hand, Mayor Protem Bobby Lester Tracey Messick Billy Powell Donya Sartor Ed Wise Ricky L. Clark, Jr., City Manager Wilfred Norwood, Acting Chief of Police David Allen, Community Dev. Director Joe Nettleton, Public Works Director Pat Daniel, Asst. City Clerk Sandra Meyers, Finance Derry Walker, Code Enforcement Fincher Denmark, Legal Counsel Keith Wood, Municipal Judge Jerry Patrick, City Solicitor City Hall (770) 478-3800 Jonesboro PD (770) 478-7407 NON-Emergency # (770) 477-3550
City Honors Jonesboro Graduates on Main Street
Anh Nguyen Valedictorian
The City of Jonesboro honors its JHS 2020 Graduates with a sign for each of the 250 graduates of the Class of 2020 (see above). Each sign bears the individual name of a student. We wish our graduates much success in their future endeavors.
Go Cardinals!
Salutatorian
Don’t Forget Our Mobile
Council Notes—May 11, 2020 Approved: *Change order relative to the Broad Street Project of $11,853.13 *Resolution 2020-010: Amendment to the Livable Centers Initiative (“Blueprint Jonesboro”) as adopted in 2017. *Advertisement in the Focus Atlanta Magazine: $7500.00 *$100 Book Scholarship to the Valedictorian, Salutatorian, & Star Student at Jonesboro High School. *Conditional Use Permit for an apartment/duplex community for active seniors 62+ by One Street Residential, LLC. *Old Ivy Place Developer’s Agreement. (O’Connor Dr., Douglass Trail) *Resolution #2020-009 to establishing Jonesboro’s Task Force on Aging. *Appointment of Corina Barbee, Ricky Clark, Ed Wise, Doug Hendrix, Tori Strauter-Tanks, Dawn M. Hartman, and Randy Daniel to the Task Force on Aging. *Ordinance 2020-010 regarding Unpaid Debts to the City. *Memorandum of Understanding with Clayton County Water Authority
Elena Bernabe
App... The City of Jonesboro has launched OneJonesboro, a free mobile app with which citizens can easily report non -emergency issues located within the city limits of Jonesboro. It also provides on-the-go access to the latest city news and info. The app allows users to submit a description, picture and location of a city neighborhood issue, such as a streetlight outage, pothole, park trail obstruction, or code violation. The report is automatically reported to the division or department head. The individual who submitted the service request will be notified when the issue has been acknowledged and closed. The app is available for download on Android and iPhone. Simply search OneJonesboro in the App store and Google Play. See more at www.jonesboroga.com. Sign up today & connect with us!
REMEMBER TO VOTE ON JUNE 9 The Statewide General Primary/Presidential Preference Primary Election is June 9, 2020. If you would like more information regarding the upcoming election, please access the Clayton County Election Board at
https://www.claytoncountyga.gov/government/elections-and-registration For additional information, call the Clayton County Elections & Registration Office at (770) 477-3372
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT!
Get to Know...
Get to Know..
JONESBORO MUNICIPAL COURT Grants AMNESTY during COVID-19 AMNESTY BENEFITS
Outstanding fees as of today? You qualify!
• FTA FEES WAIVED • WARRANT WAIVED • WITHDRAW LICENSE SUSPENSION
Amnesty Deadline:
June 5, 2020
Kelli Clark Duffy has served the City as Court Administrator since 2018. She supervises operations of court, its budget, and the deputy clerk. Kelly enjoys feeding the homeless and feels a mission to provide mentors for juveniles to prepare them with life coping skills. She is married to Morris Duffy & stepmother to three girls. Kelly’s family values & work ethics are inspired by her mother & father, Mary & John Clark, Godfather, Roy Jones and Uncle, Rufus Turner.
David Allen serves as our Community Development Director. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in Landscape Architecture. David is in charge of all Permitting, Zoning Verifications, Rezoning, and Variances as well as updating the City Zoning Code and the Comprehensive Plan. He has been married to Jennifer for 20 years. They have three children: Drew (17), Luke(14), and Lydia (10) David enjoys reading, landscaping, fishing, and genealogy.
If you have outstanding tickets and/or fines with the Jonesboro Municipal Court please contact us at jonesborocitycourt@jonesboroga.com.
A Guest Story: I’ve Always Loved You! (This story was submitted by one of our readers who desires to remain anonymous)
This true story goes back to the 1940’s. M.H., a teenager in high school, had such a crush on me! He sent me love notes, describing his good habits and other things, endearing. This was during WWII; many young men joined a branch of the military. Gasoline was rationed—-as were many other items. We had a few dates before M.H. joined the Navy, and we lost contact with each other. Both of us married with good spouses and had children. About 1973, we began to have Class Reunions. Such joyful experiences to connect again with my schoolmates! There were only 12 of us when we graduated high school. You could say we were entering the category of elderly persons. Many classmates died and their absences left a void of sweet recollections. In about 2010, at our final reunion, M.H. brought me a vase of beautiful red roses. He said, “I’ve always loved you. Thanks for arranging these reunions for us.” My response was, “M.H., thanks for the wonderful tribute; it has been my pleasure to get all of us together.” When M.H. died, I went to the funeral carrying a vase of beautiful red roses to his family. I’m sure my spouse, James, wouldn’t care since we were married 63 years before his death. Thank you, God, for beautiful memories.
SKIEBEL LAW 161 South McDonough St. (770) 872-4329 Skiebellaw.com
Enlargement and beautification underway at Skiebel Law! We look forward to seeing the finished product. Specializing in worker’s compensation, work-related accidents, motor vehicle accidents, & Social Security issues.
Mark A. Skiebel
Congratulations to Amber Marie Pierce (Valentine), who graduated from Clayton State University in May 2020. Amber earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Minor in Music. She is a native of Jonesboro and an accomplished vocalist, as well as a certified Yoga instructor. Amber is the daughter of Kim Mayo Dixon of Jonesboro. We wish her much future success!
THE COMMUNITY NEWS is looking for items of interest. City Residents, if you have a graduation, anniversary, marriage, birth, award, accomplishment, or other item of interest, please let us know. Email: jday@jonesboroga.com or call Mayor Joy Day at (770) 478-3800. Thanks!
Purchase a Commemorative Brick! Broad Street
Wedding Bells
We invite you to memorialize your place in our community by getting your very own Broad Street Plaza Street Brick. Broad Street represents the heart of the Downtown District, an environment for both pedestrians & cars. Perfect to purchase for your family or as a gift for friends, a special occasion, and in remembrance of those who loved our Community. This project, made possible by a joint public/private effort, is the catalyst for economic growth and improved quality of life for all Jonesboro citizens. This is your chance to be a part of this important development in our City’s history. All funds raised will be reinvested in our downtown effort. Thanks for your support. Call (770) 478-3800 or contact rclark@jonesboroga.com
Cost: $40 for (1)
Happy Anniversary
To Bonnie & Clarence Mann of our City Who recently celebrated their
57th Wedding Anniversary. We wish them many more years of wedded bliss!
$70 for (2)
Thoughts to Ponder -Burn the candles and use the nice sheets. Don’t save them for a special day. TODAY is special. -It’s never too late to be happy. -Make peace with your past so it won’t ruin the present. -Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. -Your children only get one childhood. -Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
Congratulations to Amber Marie Pierce and William Valentine, who were married on May 3, 2020, in Macon, Georgia. Mrs. Valentine is the daughter of Kim Mayo Dixon, a resident of our city. We wish the couple many years of happiness.
If you feel you may have Covid-19, contact your personal physician before going anywhere. If you do NOT have a private physician, contact the Clayton County Board of Health (678) 479-2223. CALL BEFORE GOING TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. They can facilitate testing.
SPOTTED IN THE CITY
Sunnybrook Drive
Spring Street Batiste Garden Circle
College Street Main Street
North McDonough St.
Sunnybrook Drive Sunnybrook Drive
Batiste Way
Jonesboro City Hall
Pre-Sorted Standard U.S. Postage Paid Jonesboro, GA Permit No. 7
124 North Avenue Jonesboro, GA 30236
Make our City Count!
CITY ARCHIVES
RESPOND TO THE 2020 CENSUS TODAY. http://my2020census.gov By Phone: English: (844) 330-2020 Spanish: (844) 468-2020 Vietnamese: (844) 461-2020 Residents may still reply by means of the mailout each home received last month. → NO CENSUS INFORMATION CAN BE SHARED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OR IMMIGRATION.
Community Calendar
(Note: Work Session and Council Meetings are open to the public via ZOOM. See www.jonesboroga.com meeting notes. JUNE 1
Council Work Session, 6 pm (ZOOM)
JUNE 8
Council Meeting, 6 pm (ZOOM)
ALL CITY BUSINESSES ! Are you interested in being our BUSINESS FEATURE of the month? Send pictures/ info to jday@jonesboroga.com
Brantley Day & Phillip Gurley 1981 Time to renew your GOLF CART permit for 2020.Carts may be driven on any street in the City except Tara Blvd. Deadline: July 15 City resident: $25 Non- City: $35 Over age 65: 50% discount fees
The Community News Published at Jonesboro City Hall . Written & Edited by Mayor Joy B. Day. To submit news email jday@jonesboroga.com