TONHS - The High Shoals Messenger #8 from John and Fred

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note® II

-------- Original message --------
From: Fred Johnson ilovehighshoals@yahoo.com
Date: 08/30/2013 9:54 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: Fred Johnson ilovehighshoals@yahoo.com
Subject: TONHS - The High Shoals Messenger #8 from John and Fred

The High Shoals Messenger.

                                                                                                                                                              ;         VOL. 2.1.        HIGH SHOALS, GA.,  THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013.      NO. 8.
Since 1897  

                                                                                                                                                                ;    
  
TOWN COUNCIL QUALIFYING PERIOD ENDS

The qualifying period for next year's Town Council is over and the results are in! Three posts were up for grabs, and these are the North High Shoalians who qualified for them:  Ann Evans, Post 3; John MacKay, Post 4; and Violet Dawe, Post 5. The new terms don't start until January, but if all goes as expected Violet will remain in her seat, and Ann Evans and John MacKay will take the places of David Lawrence and Steve Arnold.

Dave and Steve have served the Town exceptionally well - don't be surprised if you see them again in two years. Dave was the tip of the spear for years in getting our town on track towards normal operation; many of the improvements in the town would not have happened without him. We hope he continues to head efforts to improve our park. Steve has worked tirelessly to save the town thousands of dollars in insurance which will add up to tens of thousands of dollars over the next decades. The council may need his advice in the future to make sure they are getting the best deals for the town. Both of these council members have done much more than space here allows us to write, and we deeply appreciate their gifts to our town.

Ann Evans is one of the Town's best and brightest; she is a Nurse Practitioner at ARMC, wife of David, mother of Stella, and a professional hulahooper. John MacKay is co-publisher of The High Shoals Messenger, husband of bella Lorena de Santa, and father of Grrr. We expect big things from them.

MILLAGE RATE APPROVED

At its August meeting the Town Council approved the millage rate for the 2013 Digest. It's the same as the old rate, 1.491. Steve Holzman, David Lawrence, and Steve Arnold voted to maintain the existing rate. Jason Wisniewski voted against the rate, noting:"Each year we have such a surplus left over, which is good, but the Town is not in the business of making a profit."

MORE IMPROVEMENTS IN PLACE

The rotted, warped, and grammatically-challenged sign at Town Park is gone. It has been replaced with new enclosed signs / message boards that were specifically designed for parks and allow for sign content to be changed and updated. Be sure to check them out and to thank David Lawrence for orchestrating their installation.

We also have a second radar speed sign. Presently one is in place on Hillsboro Road, the other on Rays Church Road (25 mph? Really?) Thanks to David Lawrence and Steve Holzman for getting them set up and programmed.

Those are all great improvements for the Town. Now what we really need is the speed bumps back on Hillsboro Road.

NEW BUSINESS IN TOWN – SORT OF

Council has issued a business license to Traci Walters' Jolly Pig Pottery. Traci makes wheel-thrown pottery, which she sells at festivals and other venues. Because she doesn't sell anything out of her North High Shoals residence, this business will have no signage, no traffic, no infrastructure – in short, absolutely no negative impact on the Town. But she needs an address for tax purposes, which is why she applied for this license. Traci is a 13 year High Shoals resident, and we wish her well.

48 MINUTES!

The August 2013 Town Council meeting took just 48 minutes. Even though there were citizens present with facts to submit and opinions to express, Council got it all done without eating up the entire evening.

It's hard to keep meetings on track. While bigger cities limit citizens' comments – often to 3 minutes each – no one wants to see that here. But if we could keep the meetings to an hour or so, we would likely see more citizens get involved. No one wants to spend 2 or 3 hours at Town Hall, with no bathroom in sight.

                                                                                                                                                              ;      

THE HIGH SHOALS MESSENGER.   HIGH SHOALS,   OCONEE COUNTY,  GEORGIA

HISTORY: The original The High Shoals Messenger was a weekly newspaper first published in 1897 by Ed. N. Center, editor and proprietor. Subscriptions cost 30¢ for 6 months or 50¢ per year, and were mailed out from the High Shoals Post Office. This current version is free and is published monthly by Fred Johnson (ilovehighshoals@yahoo.com) and John MacKay (johnwmackay@gmail.com). While at times its publishers may sit on Town Council, neither the original The High Shoals Messenger nor the current one have ever served as the official publication of the government of the Town of North High Shoals.

ADVERTISING, ETC: The Messenger does not run advertising and does not involve itself in the exchange of money. It exists solely for the dissemination of political and social expression. The Messenger is not a commercial enterprise and the speech contained herein is not commercial speech.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS: Are solicited and welcomed if signed; anonymous submissions will be refused.

CONTACT THE MESSENGER: John MacKay - johnwmackay@gmail.com, Fred Johnson – ilovehighshoals@yahoo.com.

CONTACT THE TOWN: Town Hall, 108 Jefferson Road, POB 129, High Shoals, GA 30645 / 706.769.4289 / www.northhighshoals.org.

CONTACT THE COUNCIL: Mike Beall – nhsmayor.beall@gmail.com; Jason Wisniewski – wisniewskijm@gmail.com; Steve Holzman - steve_holzman@yahoo.com or 706.769.2819; David Lawrence - papalawrence@bellsouth.net; Stephen Arnold – stephen1160@bellsouth.net; Violet Dawe – 706.769.7805.

© 2013 Fred Johnson and John MacKay.

--
Fred Johnson, NBCT
Monroe Area HS