Commissioner Supports New 9th District, Plans for Courthouse Renovations

At its monthly meeting Thursday, Pickens County’s Sole Commissioner Robert Jones passed a resolution supporting the new ninth district congressional map. On Wednesday Governor Deal signed the state House and Senate legislative maps during an August Special Session at the state capitol. Legislature reconvenes next week to sign congressional maps and will soon release the finalized maps to the public.

Commission Chair Robert Jones said the county supported a modification of the boundaries of Georgia’s ninth congressional district. The resolution of the reapportionment includes Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Murray, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield Counties. These counties are true to the north-south corridor, following Highway 515 starting in Pickens and running north to Fannin, while the other counties huddle around this route. The justification, here, is that all these counties share a common geography and similar economic interests. In a Tuesday press release, Deal said that the maps pass the “’optic test,’ meaning that a casual viewer could look at the district and tell they make sense.”

Chairman Jones also signed an agreement with JKH Architects of Dalton for the Pickens County Courthouse renovations and addition to the site of the courthouse. JKH Architects is in charge of the preplanning for the courthouse renovations. Regarding the same project, the board signed a commercial lease agreement by and between Old Towne Developers, LLC and Pickens County. The lease is for the old federal building on 35 W Church Street in Jasper, which will provide office space for the duration of the renovations. The building will house the probate and magistrate courts, a jury room, the District Attorney’s office, a room for Superior Court Judge Brenda S. Weaver and the Sheriff’s office. The county will keep the current annex operational during the renovations. According to Jones, the county will begin to utilize the office space in the building in November, at which time the county will also start taking bids for the actual construction of the renovation project. No indication was given to the length of the renovation project.

In addition, the county signed an agreement with Global Controls Solutions for the installation of a global controls system for the administration building and 911 facilities. Jones explained that Global Solutions works with several different items. First, it offers one master system, which allows the county to monitor and control the heating and air conditioning units in the administration and 911 buildings. Jones noted that the administration building has 21 units and the 911 building, four. Second, the system allows the county to monitor and repair the fire alarm system. The cost of the system is $30,000, Jones said, and is expected to reduce energy and save on operating costs.