Entries by Mark Beardsley

CHS Class of 2013 graduates

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Mark Beardsley

in Top Stories

Friday, May 17. 2013

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Board meets tonight to hire search firm

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Mark Beardsley

in Top Stories

Friday, May 17. 2013

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The Commerce Board of Education will have a called meeting Friday at 6:00 p.m. to hire a firm to lead the search for a superintendent to replace James E. “Mac” McCoy, who is retiring June 30.

At its May 9 work session, the authority heard a proposal for such a service from Dr. Sandy Addis, King, Cooper & Associates, who estimated the cost of the search at $4,000-$6,000.

“You’ll get a good pool of applicants,” he told the board. “It’s really about what do you need, what do you want and who embodies that?”

Addis said he led a recent search for a superintendent of schools in Habersham County, which resulted in 54 applications.

Addis is the former director of Pioneer RESA.

OPINION: Coaches' value reaches beyond the field

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Mark Beardsley

in Opinions

Wednesday, May 15. 2013

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By Mark Beardsley

Kudos to sports mom Sandi Flint for challenging the Commerce Board of Education to hire more coaches.

Flint’s words carry weight. She’s a 27-year teaching veteran, coached 14 years and all four of her kids attended (or attend) the city school system. And she did her homework, presenting evidence that participation in sports improves academics and behavior. [Full Story »]

OPINION: Revisiting our history

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Mark Beardsley

in Opinions

Monday, May 13. 2013

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By Tricia Massey

On Sunday afternoon, Jon and I were quickly making last-minute plans for our upcoming summer vacation, which begins in less than two weeks.

We have known for several months that our family would be traveling to Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone for a week of sightseeing and family bonding, but have just finished making all the final arrangements.

[Full Story »]

OPINION: Those subtle influences

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Mark Beardsley

in Opinions

Saturday, May 11. 2013

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By Mark Beardsley

We complain of “special interest” groups that influence politicians and decry all sorts of prejudices, but every human is susceptible to countless influences and prejudices that color how we view our world. And often as not, we’re not aware of those things that shape our outlook.

In “Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave,” Adam Alter recounts scores of experiments that demonstrate how susceptible we are to being influenced by the known and unknown keys, to signals we’re not aware are being sent or received, to cues that on the surface seem absurd.

[Full Story »]

Updated: Road grinding project set for Commerce

Posted by

Mark Beardsley

in Area Headline News

Friday, May 10. 2013

Updated: 4 days ago

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Driving through downtown Commerce will get a lot more challenging starting Monday, May 20.

That’s when crews under the Department of Transportation is scheduled to begin milling about four inches of pavement off Hwy. 98 in a project that will ultimately result in new pavement and striping. The work will continue through the downtown and out to Hwy. 334 near Ingles.

“They will be working at night, but it is going to cause major interruptions during the day because of the uneven pavement,” city manager Pete Pyrzenski told the Commerce City Council during its work session Monday night.

The last time the DOT milled down Broad and Elm streets it created an obstacle course of raised tops to water valves and sewer manholes that caused many a vehicle to need a new front end alignment.

Also on the topic of roads, the city manager reported that the DOT has responded to a request for yet another modification to the intersection of Hwy. 98, Broad and Elm streets and South Broad Street Extension that will allow drivers approaching from the east on Ila Road to turn left on South Broad Street Extension. The DOT’s recent change to the intersection made the left turn illegal.

Turning left onto South Elm Street will still be illegal.

Commerce to slash water, sewer tap fees

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Mark Beardsley

in Top Stories

Friday, May 10. 2013

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The Commerce City Council appears ready to trim about $5,000 off the cost of building a house or commercial building in the city.

The council voiced support during its work session Monday night for a recommendation by city manager Pete Pyrzenski that the city reduce the combined cost of its basic water and sewer tap fees — currently $2,500 and $4,000 respectively for a single-family residential structure — to a combined $1,500.

Pyrzenski told the council he’s “noticed right away that our water tap fees and sewer tap fees were really astronomical in price.” He also pointed out that during 2012 the city sold zero water or sewer taps. [Full Story »]

Proposed city budget — no tax, utility hikes

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Mark Beardsley

in Top Stories

Wednesday, May 8. 2013

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As of last Monday night, the proposed Commerce budget for the upcoming fiscal year contains no utility rate increases and no tax hikes — and it’s balanced.

City manager Pete Pyrzenski walked the city council through the $20 million, 126-page budget one page at a time, pointing out major highlights and changes.
[Full Story »]

OPINION: Superintendent search is critical

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Mark Beardsley

in Opinions

Wednesday, May 8. 2013

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The Commerce Board of Education faces the task of finding a new superintendent of schools since James “Mac” McCoy is taking a job in Alabama. Finding the right person to guide the city school system will be the board’s most important task for the foreseeable future and ought to be done very carefully.

During McCoy’s tenure, the Commerce School System built the wonderful new CHS building and greatly increased the number of Advance Placement courses available at the high school, but CHS students continue to lag behind other area schools — and often the dismal state average score — in the Scholastic Assessment Test, and the system continues to produce too many graduates who elect not to pursue post-secondary education.

[Full Story »]

Linda Foster latest to leave chamber

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Mark Beardsley

in Top Stories

Friday, May 3. 2013

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The Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce is losing its most senior employee.

Linda Foster, vice president for member services for the past nine years, will leave May 21 to become the executive director of Family Connections.

“Linda facilitated the Leadership Jackson program for the past five years, organized and directed the annual awards banquet, STAR and Teacher of the Year, Jackson Derby, Chamber golf tournament, Partners in Education, Taste of Jackson and Woman of the Year Luncheon,” noted an announcement on the chamber’s Web site. “She also facilitated programs and committees of the chamber, such as, Education Committee, Women in Business, chamber breakfast, Tourism Development Council, and Drug-Free Workplace seminars.”

Foster is the third key chamber official to leave in the past year. Former president Shane Short resigned in August, and Courtney Bernardi, the chamber’s director of economic development, resigned effective April 12 to take a job in Newton County. Neither has yet been replaced, but the chamber has combined those positions in the hopes of attracting more applicants for the president’s job.

For the full story, see the May 1 edition of The Commerce News.

Entries by Mark Beardsley

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