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o o 20 Pages, 2 Sections, Plus Preprints A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County, Georgia $1.00 Copy Wednesday, September 22, 2021 COVID-19 County death toll up to 167; new case totals dip As of Tuesday, Sept. 21, the Georgia Department Public Health had con firmed 167 deaths from COVID-19 among Barrow County residents since the start of the coronavirus pan demic, with several more confirmed over the past week. It’s not clear exactly when each of the deaths occurred, as some of the higher number of newly-reported deaths may be the result of a lag in reporting from the state, though the latest one listed by the DPH occurred Sept. 9. In addition to the 167 confirmed deaths, five “probable” COVID-related deaths in Barrow are listed in the state’s numbers. The state also confirmed 63 new COVID cases in the county Tuesday with a sev en-day rolling average of 49.9 new cases. That con tinued a recent drop from the high point of the most recent surge of the virus — 128 new cases reported Sept. 3 — and a seven-day average of 73.6 on Sept. 9. In all, there have been 12,157 cases confirmed among county residents, in cluding 780 in the last two weeks with a rate of 903 per 100,000. COVID-related hospital izations at Northeast Geor gia Health System facilities have also dipped in recent days. The system was treat ing 253 confirmed-positive patients across its facilities as of Tuesday morning, including 17 at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Barrow in Winder and 60 at NGMC Braselton. Those figures were down from the recent peak of 333 patients on Sept. 9. NGMC Barrow was up to 22 patients Sept. 17. See COVID, page 2A Index: Public safety 5A School/social 6-8A Classifieds 7B Legals 9-11A Obituaries 4-5B Opinion 4 Sports 1-3, 6B MAILING LABEL Barrow Co. planning commission backs multi family development near future hospital site By Scott Thompson sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com A planned multi-family residential project that would be marketed largely toward employ ees at a future Northeast Georgia Health System medical campus south of State Route 316 re ceived the backing of the Barrow County Plan ning Commission last week. During its Thursday, Sept. 16 meeting, the panel recommended approval of a request to change the future land-use map designation for and rezone 31.76 acres of open land to the southeast of the intersection of Carl-Bethlehem Road and State Route 81 — directly behind the Applebee’s and IHOP restaurants — in order for Meridian Development to build a gated apart ment community with 275 units, a pool, fitness center and other amenities. The request now heads to the county board of commissioners for a scheduled public hearing and final vote at its Oct. 12 meeting. The development would be known as Dillard Farms, a nod to the family that has owned the land since the 19th century, said Michael Cow art of Meridian Development. Construction is planned to be completed in 2023. according to a letter of intent for the project. If approved, the development would eventually sit across High way 81 from Accent Springs, another planned residential development with a mix of more than 400 apartments and townhomes that gained ap proval from the BOC in May and is also sched uled for a 2023 completion. Brian Rochester of Rochester and Associates, a Gainesville-based land surveying, civil engi neering and project management firm, said the project would include a community park that would be available for public use and also con nect the apartment community to the medical campus. The health system, which owns the tract of land directly to the south, plans to build a new hospital at the location, though there is currently not a firm timetable for when that site will be built out, an NGHS spokesman said, adding that there also are any current firm plans for whether it will be an additional hospital for the system or a relocation of Northeast Georgia Medical Center Barrow. Rochester, whose firm has NGHS as a client, said the firm and the developer have met with health system officials about the project and “how we can integrate those plans together” into essentially a master plan. He said the health system believes the apartments could help with recruiting employees, allowing them to walk to and from work and nearby restaurants and stores. “This will round out the live, work, play com munity (concept) very well,” Rochester said. Cowart’s company has worked on similar projects in the past with multi-family housing near hospitals and medical facilities and said the See Planning, page 2A Photo courtesy of Barrow County School System Officials broke ground Sept. 16 on the future elementary school at the Bar- row County School System’s innovation campus on Austin Road in Winder. The school is scheduled to open in August 2023. Officials break ground on new Barrow elementary school By Morgan Ervin For the Barrow News-Journal A groundbreaking ceremony was hosted by the Barrow County School System on Sept. 16, marking the start of construction for the district’s 10th pre-K through fifth- grade elementary school. Scheduled to open in August 2023, the new school, which has the working title “Barrow Innovation Campus Elementary School,” is intended to alleviate the crowd ed student populations on the county’s south side, including Bethlehem, Kennedy, Yargo and Auburn elementary schools. “We just registered over 1,200 students this year. It was a huge increase for us — almost an entire middle or high school.” said superintendent Chris McMichael. Although the district doesn’t show a need for another elementary school right now, “there is no timeline,” McMichael said. “We’ve got crowded schools with Kennedy and Yargo being the main two really pushing capacity right now, so we decided we really don’t need to wait on this,” he said. The rezoning process for the new school will begin in August 2022. The 11,150 square-foot, single-story building will feature 50 classrooms, an art room with an outdoor patio, a caf eteria with a stage and full-size kitch en, two separate playfields, two STEM labs, a multidisciplinary computer lab, a full-sized basketball court and “state- of-the-art” energy management, fire alarm and computer network systems. Additionally, a secure vestibule at the main entry will be installed as well as card reader access to selected doors. Local tax dollars and ESPLOST proceeds will fund the project, except See School, page 2A Photo by Ben Munro ANSLEY-CURETON IS 2021 WBHS HOMECOMING QUEEN Winder-Barrow High School senior Destiny Ansley-Cureton was crowned the school’s 2021 homecoming queen at halftime of the Bulldoggs’ homecoming game against Cedar Shoals on Friday, Sept. 17. Ansley-Cureton is pictured with fellow senior Jareth Dominguez, who was announced as homecoming king during a com munity pep rally at W. Clair Harris Stadium on Sept. 16 that followed the annual homecoming parade. For coverage of the game, see this week’s sports section. For more football and homecoming photos, go to barrownewsjoumal.com and click on the “Sports” tab. Auburn council tables rezoning request for large townhome development By Morgan Ervin For the Barrow News-Journal The Auburn City Council tabled discussion Thursday, Sept. 16, on a rezoning request by a developer seeking to build almost 400 townho mes south of Atlanta Highway and the down town area. Corridor Development is seeking to rezone 57.5 acres at 100 Lyle Rd. to allow for up to 399 units, multiple pocket parks, an amenity area, trails and 11.5 acres of open space. The coun cil’s decision to table the request for further dis cussion at its work session scheduled for Oct. 21 came a day after the city’s planning commission also tabled it without a recommendation. The development, which would be accessed from Lyle Road/Main Street, would include a variety of sizes for the units and a mix of front- and rear-entry garages, according to the applicant’s letter of intent. Sidewalks would be included along the interior streets, and there would be other pedestrian paths to provide di rect access to the amenity area. The amenity area would include a swimming pool, cabana, pickleball courts, enclosed dog park and playground, according to the letter. Each unit would be an average of 1,750 square feet and listed for sale in the high $200,000s, according to the letter. COUNCIL APPROVES PROCLAMATIONS Also at its Sept. 16 meeting, the council pro claimed Sept. 17 as POW/MIA Recognition Day in honor of U.S. servicemen and women who were or are missing from action or prisoners of war. “It’s important to pay tribute to the service members who have not returned home from the battlefield and make it clear that we stand be side their families and honor those held captive as prisoners of war,” said Auburn police chief Chris Hodge. “We will not cease our efforts to seek answers about the fate of those still missing in action until our humans return safely to our shores or a full accounting is provided to their loved ones.” The council also is proclaiming Oct. 24-30 Red Ribbon Week, during which communities nationwide are encouraged to wear red ribbons to show their support for a drug- free commu nity. “There is hope in winning the war on drugs and that hope lies in education and drug demand reduction, coupled with the hard work and de termination of organizations such as the city of Auburn to foster a healthy drug-free lifestyle,” said Hodge. “Citizen support is one of the most effective tools in the efforts to reduce the use of illicit drugs from our communities.” OTHER BUSINESS In other business during its meeting last week, the council: •heard a recommendation to keep the city’s Barrow County millage rate at 4.931 mills, where it has been since 2008. •heard a recommendation to accept a trailer donation from Pastor Kevin Carter on behalf of the Union Grove Baptist Church. The police de partment plans to use the trailer for storage and to conduct training and public safety courses, Hodge said.