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THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012
Ballots and EMS: Town hall topics By LEANNE AKIN lakin@clickthepaper.com At last week’s town hall meeting hosted at the Hoschton Depot by Jackson County District 3 Commissioner Bruce Yates, Jackson County Elections Supervisor Lori Wurtz said 1,181 in-person ballots had been cast in advance of Tuesday’s election. “We are encouraged that we will have a really good turnout,” said Wurtz, who noted that some are predicting statewide turnout could top 60 percent. The two-page ballot will take voters considerably more time casting their vote than it took for the Presidential Preference Primary earlier this year when the ballot was abbreviated. Because longer waits are anticipated,
Wurtz said early voting should be a priority. You can cast a ballot through Friday at one of Jackson County’s three early voting locations: the Administrative Building, located at 67 Athens St., in Jefferson, the Parks & Recreation Building at 204 Carson St., in Commerce, or the Police Court Building located at 5040 Highway 53, in Braselton. Voters are also urged to study their sample ballot before selecting a ballot at the polling location. At the town hall session, Wurtz said some confusion has been noted when voters select a Democratic ballot and don’t find the Jackson County Sheriff’s race on it. All seven candidates for the county’s highest law enforcement office are on the Republican ballot. If you want to vote in the Sheriff’s race, you must request a Republican ballot.
At the town hall meeting, there were several questions seeking clarification about the different ballots. Poll workers will not be able to tell voters which ballot to request, said Wurtz, who had contacted the Secretary of State’s office for guidance. Poll workers will direct voters to look at their sample ballot if they have questions about which ballot to request. Wurtz said the Admin Building auditorium walls are “wallpapered in sample ballots” because Jackson County has 117 different ballots because of splits. The county’s elected fire boards also present an additional complication for ballot creation. Visit the website of Secretary of State Brian Kemp to view a copy your sample ballot. Visit http://mvp. sos.state.ga.us/You will type in your first ini-
Road widening project awarded after a delay
voters head to the polls EARLY
GAINESVILLE – Major transportation improvement projects all across the state have been initiated by the Georgia Department of Transportation, and one project which will impact this area has cleared an environmental hurdle which permitted awarding of the bid on Tuesday. The widening of State Route 347 has been awarded to E.R. Snell Contracting of Snellville, the low bidder. Friendship Road from Interstate 985 to State Route 211 in Hall County will be widened and sidewalks will be constructed. Contract construction cost for the project is $38,446,332.61 and the work is slated for completion on July 31, 2015. Construction will likely begin late this fall, according to Teri N. Pope, Communications Officer for the Georgia Department of Transportation’s District One - Northeast Georgia. Other bidders and their bids included G.P.’s Enterprises, $39,911,394.05; Pittman Construction Company, $41,995,600.81; CMES, $42,373,980.15; Baldwin Paving, $46,810,964.43. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) had been reviewing the construction plans, and Pope said GDDOT was hopeful approval would come quickly so that the contract could be awarded. The widening of Friendship Road figures prominently into the plans for Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s new hospital which is in the early design stages. The new hospital is expected to open in River Place where Medical Plaza 1 is located in early 2015. As road construction begins, Georgia DOT will be sending email updates on the project.To receive project information, email tpope@dot.ga.gov On Tuesday, voters will decide if 12 designated districts across Georgia will be authorized to collect a 1-cent sales tax for the next 10 years to be devoted exclusively to local and regional transportation projects. Funds collected in a district could only be spent in that district and only to move forward projects chosen by local elected officials. Visit www.dot.ga.gov/transportationreferendum.
LeAnne Akin The Paper
The early voting location in the Braselton Police Court Building welcomed voters this week as a number of Jackson Countians heard Jackson County Elections Supervisor Lori Wurtz’ appeal to avoid expected lines on Election Day, July 31. You can vote early through Friday but no early voting is permitted on Monday. The Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum is among the special ballot questions.
T-SPLOST crosses regional lines By JEFF GILL Regional staff You can only vote once and in the region where you live, however, some of the projects on the transportation initiative on the ballot will have crossregion impact. Consider that Hall County is in the 13-county Georgia Mountains region, but at least one project on the list developed by the Northeast Georgia Re-
gional Transportation Roundtable will benefit Hall as well as Jackson and Barrow counties. Some Hall County supporters will be pulling July 31 for the passage of the 1 percent transportation sales tax in the Northeast Georgia region as well as the Atlanta region because of the potential for traffic congestion relief. Hall would receive about $300 million for regional projects if the tax passes, but if the sales tax passes in the
tial, last name, select your county and plug in your date of birth to get your sample ballot. Yates attempted to keep politics out of the town hall meeting when questions about the budget for three EMS stations to be constructed were raised. Jackson County EMS Station #3 will be built in the West Jackson area using a prototype architectural design which will also be used for two other stations. While the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax is expected to generate $1.2 million, the board of commissioners had previously voted to utilize public safety funds left from a previous SPLOST to fund the remaining costs. Commissioner Tom Crow, who is challenging Chairman Hunter Bicknell’s reelection bid, was in opposition.
Northeast Georgia region, Hall also would pick up the $15 million widening of Ga. 211/Old Winder Highway from Hall to Interstate 85. If the T-SPLOST passes in the Atlanta region, Hall could see the $28 million widening of Ga. 13/Atlanta Highway from Sawnee Avenue in Buford to Ga. 347/Lanier Islands Parkway in South Hall.
See T-SPLOST, page 2A
Pastor will pull double duty as military chaplain By ROXANE ROSE rrose@clickthepaper.com This Fourth of July was different from all the rest for Pastor Darrel Rewis of Corner-Stone Church in Jefferson. This year he looked at it from the new perspective of a U.S. Navy Chaplain.
For The Paper
Earlier this month, Pastor Darrel Rewis of Corner-Stone Church in Jefferson was commissioned as a U.S. Navy Chaplain.
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Earlier this month, Rewis completed the lengthy process of commissioning as a lieutenant and chaplain, and now he will be attached to the 4th Marines Logistics headquarters in Atlanta. “Navy chaplains serve all departments of the Navy including the Coast Guard and the Marine Corp,” Rewis said. The Navy Chaplaincy is an opportunity to bring spiritual values and guidance to the men and women in the sea services and offers the opportunity to minister to people in diverse and dynamic settings. Chaplain Corps officers work in collaboration with all Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard commands throughout the world to deliver religious ministry to active duty personnel and their families. Navy Chaplains conduct religious services, provide pastoral counseling, give spiritual leadership, supply religious education, facilitate the free-exercise of religion for all faith groups, serve men and women of many religious backgrounds and work in a truly interfaith setting. Rewis is a reserve chaplain, and he has to complete his military orientation training at Newport, R.I. within two years of commissioning. Reserve duty leads to a commission as an officer in the Naval Reserve and a commitment of two days each month
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for drills and two weeks of annual training. Naval Reserve chaplains have the opportunity to serve their country and accumulate points toward retirement while continuing in their civilian careers. Naval Reserve chaplains also may apply for temporary or full-time active duty assignments. Since Rewis grew up in a Marine Corp family, he expects to feel right at home in his new role. “Every man in my family served in the Marines at some point. I was on my way as well, but I received an opportunity to go to college instead. Nobody in my family had ever attended college, so that was an opportunity I needed to take,” he shared. “Turns out God was directing my path, and now I feel like he has brought things full circle. I think he had always intended me to serve in the military, just not in the way I originally thought.” Rewis sees what he will be doing with the military as an extension of his pastoral role. “I’ve been challenging our congregation to ask God how he would have them give their lives away. This was the biggest thing God has asked of me and my family since we were called to start Cor-
See CHAPLAIN, page 6A
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For The Paper
(L-R) Darrel Rewis and his wife, Kimberly, with their sons Corbin, 5, and Grady, 7.
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