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     (Back Row, l-r) Economic Developer Green Suttles; Airport authority members Ed Wood, Don Boggus and Jerry Edwards; Chamber President Amberle Godfrey; Lead Edge Design Group employees Whitney Eberly, Amanda Rostin and Phil Eberly; (Front) State Rep. Rick Jasperse; DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry and Commission Chair Kris Stancil.

Submitted by Pickens County Government

The Pickens County Airport Authority will receive $1.8 million in funding for the construction of a new airport terminal at the Pickens County Airport. The grant, awarded by the Georgia Department of Transportation, is comprised of a combination both State and Federal funds, with a local match of only $275,000.

Earlier this month, District 11 Representative Rick Jasperse welcomed Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell R. McMurry to the Pickens County Airport, where he had an opportunity to address a delegation of local representatives from our community.

Jennifer Paire / Photo

This driver, who followed instructions to drive slowly through the construction zone on Gennett Drive in Jasper, gets a wave from Flagger Force's field specialist Daeshawn Covington. "I rock my paddle back and forth because it's going to help get their attention." These crews have been seen around town for months as part of Georgia Power’s Grid Investment Plan project. Ever wonder what these workers think about all day while they direct traffic? See a related story on Page 10B that delves into the day-to-day life of a flagger. 

        It’s been about 10 months since Georgia Power work began in Pickens for the company’s Grid Investment Plan, a statewide project to put powerlines underground and “enhance service and reliability in communities across Georgia.”

Georgia Power is investing $1.3 billion over the next three years as the initial phase of the multi-year project. But after so many months of construction, local motorists have grown weary of traffic delays. Work has recently

        As schools prepare to open for another year (first week of August), the Progress sat down with Superintendent Tony Young to discuss how and who decides what is taught in Pickens classrooms. The Progress has had several e-mails and calls recently from readers, citing concerns that political agendas are influencing curriculum.

Young agreed with an observation that this close scrutiny is nothing new; for much of the past decade it was novels that were the lightning rods, such as having Harry Potter and other magic/supernatural books in a school library, but now the public’s attention is on the history curriculum.

        See full story in this week's print or online editions. 

By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
    ATLANTA - Federal and Georgia transportation planners are looking to run a high-speed rail line connecting Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., via Athens.
   The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Georgia Department of Transportation, working with state transportation departments in North Carolina and South Carolina, have identified the 274-mile route as the “preferred corridor” for the Charlotte-to-Atlanta portion of a high-speed rail line that would continue northeast to Washington, D.C.
   “The projected increases in population and economic growth for the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion create a need for a carefully planned approach to improving rail infrastructure that will benefit Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, the southeastern United States and the nation,” the FRA wrote in its final environmental impact report on the project released last week.