The Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce hosted a State of the Community event last week that was well attended by Chamber members and interested residents.
Chamber Board Chairman Wesley Casteel welcomed attendees, and lunch was catered by Surcheros. Desert was catered by Ava Kate’s Confections.
The program was held at Butler Hall, and it is estimated that 50 were in attendance.
The program featured 10 speakers that included elected officials, representatives of the Jones County School System, and leaders of the city and county development authorities.
Chamber President Chloe Crutchfield has been in the position since April. After introducing herself, she thanked the sponsors of the event. She noted that the chamber has 190 members with 24 new members added this year.
Crutchfield invited participation in the upcoming golf tournament in September and talked about this year’s young entrepreneur competition that is a joint project of Jones County High School, Chamber and Main Street Gray, as is Leadership Jones Jr.
“The goal is to keep us growing,” she said.
Chris Weidner, chairman of the Jones County Board of Commissioners, was next. He talked about the improvement of negotiations with the city with the renewal of the Special Local Option Sales Tax.
“I’m grateful we have gotten to the point we can all come together,” he said.
The chairman touched on the issues with the previous board of tax assessors and the success of the new board.
“What they’ve gotten done has surprised everyone,” he said.
Weidner said he is proud the millage rate has been rolled back the last five years.
Mayor Ed Barbee, who recently qualified for a third term without opposition, said he is looking forward to the next four years. He said the city has exploded with growth but is still financially sound.
“I consider myself an ambassador for Gray. Everywhere I go, I brag on our city,” he said.
Lisa Collins is the CEO and executive director for the College and CTAE programs at JCHS that includes the College and Career Academy. She reminded the audience that Georgia is the No. 1 state to do business for the eleventh year in a row.
“To sustain that, we must continue working together to retain a strong talent pipeline, keeping in mind not only where today’s jobs are but where tomorrow’s opportunities will be,” she said.
She said JCCCA has 23 career pathways with over 400 students participating in dual enrollment. The CEO also talked about the workforce development program led by Lori Varnadoe. She said last year students combined for more than 36,000 hours working through the program.
Collins said the graduation rate for students in the CTAE program is 97 percent.
“There is power in partnerships,” she said. “check on ways you can plug in.”
Interim Jones County School Superintendent Clinton Burston was next to speak.
“Your kids are our passion,” he stated.
He said the current school system enrollment is 4,900 but it will be over 5,000 by the end of the school year. Burston said the current focus is on school attendance and student safety.
“We have a strategic system in place,” he said. “We’ve been practicing lockdowns for 20 years and are definitely ahead of the curve.”
The superintendent talked about the improvements to the JCHS gym and how nice it is to be cool while watching sports like volleyball.
Burston said they have started work on the fiveyear plan for the school system.
“We thank you for your support,” he added.
Sheriff Butch Reece reminisced about the building that was formerly Butler’s Garage.
“In 1957, my motor scooter was in the corner of this room being repaired,” he said. “There are lots of memories here.”
He became serious when talking about one of the biggest problems his office deals with, which is fraud. He said he appreciates the work of banks to protect their customers, but regrettably people do not listen and continue for fall for the schemes.
“People lose hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the criminals are overseas. They are very seldom caught,” he said.
Reece said the biggest problem in the jail is the mentally ill because there is no help for them.
“There’s a surplus of money at the capitol,” he said. “It needs to go to mental health.”
The sheriff said 32 percent of the people in jail have mental health issues. He suggested, when looking at candidates in the next election, to find out how many really “Back the Blue.”
Reece also asked the community to look at ways to help the southern part of the county. He said good people live there, and there should be ways to help improve the area.
He also mentioned the challenges of recruiting officers.
“I don’t know a sheriff’s office that is fully staffed. That can be dangerous.”
Gray Police Chief Adam Lowe was the next speaker. He said fentanyl is pushing its way into communities.
“We may be country, but it’s here,” he said. “I make sure all our officers carry Narcan.”
Lowe agreed with the challenge of recruiting officers. He said he appreciates that the city and county have given them additional money to help.
“People who risk their lives every day should not have to live in poverty,” he said.
Lowe commended Burston on the job he has done as interim superintendent.
“He’s good at communicating, which makes is easier to work with the school system,” he said.
Jones County Development Authority Executive Director Haley Watson talked about the improvements at the industrial park.
“The vision is becoming reality. Interest is strong; we have multiple prospects and projects,” she said. “Every inquiry reinforces that we are on the right track. It takes lots and lots of patience.”
Watson said she is proud of the work that has been done.
“Economic development is a team effort,” she said. “None of this would be possible without the support of our elected officials, community partners and citizens who believe in Jones County’s potential.”
Gray Downtown Development Authority Chairman Sherri Rollins said the DDA board is made up of volunteers who have a heart for downtown.
“We are not Savannah or Atlanta, but we do our best with what we have,” she said.
She said the community has been behind them and supported their efforts. Rollins said since they began, 12 buildings have been re-purposed and are filled with businesses. Six new businesses have been added this year.
The chairman said Gray has new street signs and streetlights.
“It’s the little things that make the difference,” she said.
Rollins said people come to Gray because of its safety and school system. She said they get calls every day from people who want to put a small business in Gray. “This is a great community to be in because of the people here and our leaders here,” she said.
She added that their latest project is the crossing building.
“We have been given a golden opportunity to revitalize that building, and we are excited about it,” she said.
Rollins said there is already a business ready to go into the building.
She said Butler Hall is a great example of what can be done, and it keeps on giving. It does not happen with just government. It is also about public and private partnerships.
Rollins said the key is to revitalize, keep it simple and make it clean.
“This is small town America,” she said. “People will come, and they have,” she said.
The final speaker was the editor of The Jones County News, and the meeting was adjourned.
