County employee works to preserve history
The Jones County Board of Commissioners took a moment to thank an employee who has been working diligently to help preserve an important part of Jones County’s history at its meeting last week.
Chairman Chris Weidner called the Nov. 18 meeting to order, and the opening prayer and pledge were led by Brennan Jackson with the Jones County Extension Office.
Weidner asked Public Works Employee John Simmons to come forward. He said Simmons has been working on the Jake’s Woods project for the county.
Simmons said he had been working on the county’s project for Jake’s Woods for a couple of months but has been working on his own for about 40 years. Simmons said his interest started when his granddad drove him down in the 1980s to see the property.
“I’ve always wanted to do something to it and let the public see it. I want to thank you for letting me do this,” he said.
Jake’s Woods is the property where Jacob Hutchings harvested the stones that formed the walls surrounding the Jones County Courthouse and many other areas in Clinton and Gray.
Hutchings was born a slave in Virginia in 1831 and was sold in 1842 to Alfred George of Jones County. He was later owned by R. H. Hutchings and became a skilled stone mason in Clinton, where he worked until emancipated after the War Between the States.
Hutchings eventually became a Republican member of the Georgia Legislature in 1866, being the only black representative from Jones County.
A marker in his honor is located at the Jones County Courthouse.
Simmons said one of the first things he found on the property was a grinding stone. He also found a 24-inch steel ruler. He said he took the ruler to the stones on the courthouse, and they were actually 24-inches wide.
“This has been a learning process for me. I’m not a stone mason, so I don’t know how he (Hutchings) would accomplish things, but I’ve learned a lot,” he said.
Simmons said he has found boring tools and steel wedges. One of the big rocks on the property has 50 bore holes all around it.
He said there is a lot of work to be done to complete three miles of walking trails. Simmons did say the 1.6-mile bike trail is mostly done.
“I’d like to have something on paper and on the ground by spring,” he said.
Weidner thanked Simmons for the work he has done.
“I can’t tell you how important it is to preserve this history. There is not a lot known about all this,” the chairman said. “You have saved the county a lot of money while you are preserving history.”
New business
Jones County Development Authority Executive Director Haley Watson spoke to the board about beginning the process for creating an M3 category for the county’s land use plan.
Kitchens said there have been a lot of conversations with the development authority, and it is needed. He made the motion to begin the process to create the M3 zoning.
Commissioner John Wood said he wants to make sure the agricultural properties are protected. The vote to approve Kitchens’ motion was unanimous.
Jackson shared an MOU update from the University of Georgia pertaining to extension office personnel. Kitchens requested postponing the vote on the MOU to the next meeting, Dec. 2, to make sure it is fair to all employees involved.
The motion to postpone the item was approved unanimously.
Jones County Family Extension Coordinator Joy Carr talked to commissioners about a criminal justice grant for Operation Early Intervention. The grant is in the amount of $12,500 and is to be used for attendance issues.
Carr said Shana Backus is the OEI Coordinator and serves on the attendance committee.
“We try to divert these cases from court whenever possible,” she said.
Commissioner Daylon Martin said truancy is not always a child problem and asked what is in place for the adults.
Carr said the grant serves students ages 11-17 but most are closer to 17.
The coordinator also spoke about work being done toward a schoolbased Community Health Care Center in Jones County. She said they currently have a mobile unit.
The next two agenda items were postponed until County Administrator Jason Rizner was available.
Holidays for county employees and December meetings were the final items on the agenda.
Martin suggested giving employees Jan. 2 off in addition to the already scheduled holidays. He made the motion, and it was approved unanimously.
Kitchens did ask to make sure the convenience centers remained open.
The commissioners also voted, as usual, not to meet on the third Tuesday in December.
Weidner said there was always the option of a called meeting if needed.
Department Heads
Steve Hoyt, a member of the Jones County Planning and Zoning Commission, talked to board members about the need for a zoning attorney to assist the commission. He said the annual training sessions were good, but they need legal oversight for something like a data center.
“We have the unique opportunity to benefit from the mistakes of others,” he said. “But we don’t know what we don’t know.”
Hoyt said he understands a data center could be a revenue stream, but they cannot afford to get it wrong.
Kitchens said they have had discussions, and it is a specialized process. He said he agrees the county needs a zoning attorney, but it has to be a good fit.
County Attorney Ashley Brodie said she has already started working on it. She said there are a handful of attorneys who only do zoning work.
The Nov. 18 meeting can be viewed in its entirety from the county’s website, jonescountyga.org.
The next meeting of the commissioners is scheduled Dec. 2.
