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4A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, May 16,2018
Jessica Brown Dawson County News
Rangers take their positions in the National Guard UH-60 Black Hawks and prepare to parachute into
Lake Lanier.
FROM 1A
Jump
The coordinated mission is
a collaborative effort
between the Rangers and
local agencies from Dawson,
Hall and Forsyth counties.
“It’s a big partnership to be
able to support the military
and what they’re doing and
all the local agencies that you
have here working together
to make sure everything goes
smoothly,” said Sgt. Lee
Brown from the Georgia
Department of Natural
Resources law enforcement
division.
Representatives from
Dawson, Hall and Forsyth
County sheriff’s offices, fire
departments and emergency
services were on standby,
making sure everything went
smoothly during the May 9
operation.
Also making sure the
drills went according to plan
were the Georgia Army
National Guard, Georgia
Department of Natural
Resources and Army Corps
of Engineers.
“These types of events are
great events to bring the
community together,” said
Battalion Executive Officer
FROM 1A
Plan
Citizens will have an
opportunity to speak
about local needs and
issues at the meetings,
held at 2 p.m. and again
at 6 p.m. on May 17.
The meetings will be
held in the city council
chambers on the second
floor of Dawsonville City
Hall.
According to Joe
Rothwell, regional plan
ner with the GMRC who
has been guiding the city
in the process of updating
the comprehensive plan,
citizens who were
appointed to a study com
mittee have been meeting
Maj. David Chamberlin.
“North Georgia is a huge
military supporter and using
each other’s strengths we can
make up for each other’s
weaknesses and it makes us
a better team.”
With Lake Lanier lapping
monthly since January to
update the document
from 2008.
Rothwell said the
update will include the
vision statement and an
evaluation of
Dawsonville’s needs and
opportunities, with focus
on population, economic
development, housing,
natural resources, cultural
resources, community
facilities and services,
transportation, intergov
ernmental coordination
and land use.
“It also includes an
examination of any areas
of the city that require
special attention, such as
future road construction
through (the Georgia
Department of
Transportation) that could
have an impact, neighbor-
at the borders of Dawson,
Hall and Forsyth counties,
local and state agencies were
able to come together as a
team to support the Rangers.
“All the agencies are
working well together with
the U.S. Army, who are very
hoods that require
improvement or areas of
the city that could benefit
from future development
and enhancement,”
Rothwell said.
The city has been col
lecting input from citi
zens through an online
survey, but will also have
printed surveys available
for meeting attendees.
Rothwell said the city has
received more than 100
responses so far.
Thursday’s meetings
are the only scheduled
public comment hearings
at this time, though citi
zens are welcome to
attend the monthly meet
ings and observe the work
being done.
Rothwell said the docu
ment will be submitted to
the Department of
well organized, being mili
tary, but for us to be able to
support them in a training
mission is kind of a unique
situation to have civilians
working with the military to
do a training mission,” said
Brown.
Community Affairs in
July for review. The DCA
requires and approves the
comprehensive plan so
that the city can maintain
its Qualified Local
Government Status and
be eligible for grants and
other economic develop
ment incentives.
The county is also host
ing a public comment
hearing at 6 p.m.
Monday, May 21 for citi
zen input on its compre
hensive plan update,
which must be completed
every five years.
The meeting will be
held in the second floor
assembly room of the
Dawson County
Government Center.
Adam Hazell, planning
director for the GMRC,
has been spearheading the
While the water jump is an
important part of Ranger
training, it has also become a
fun community event as fam
ilies set up tents and chairs
on the beach to cheer on the
Rangers gracefully parachut
ing from the sky.
county’s efforts to update
the plan, with public
meetings held each month
since March.
The county’s compre
hensive plan must be
updated to maintain the
county’s Certified Local
Government Status, and
must be submitted to the
DCA by August.
The county also posted
a survey on its website
and has collected over
500 responses so far.
The more responses
there are, the better the
comprehensive plan will
represent a consensus
from the community,
according to Hazell. The
plan in turn will help
elected officials prioritize
capital projects and get
the most out of taxpayer
money.
“It’s good for (the
Rangers) to come out for the
community and the family to
come out and see what
they’re doing and to see what
the military does, because a
lot of times the public
doesn’t get to see that." said
Brown.
Many of the Rangers’
young children splashed
around in the water as they
cheered their fathers on, and
while the helicopters went to
refuel, Rangers took the
opportunity to build sandcas-
tles and play with their chil
dren on the beach.
“Not only is this event for
us and for our airborne profi
ciency but for the families
and community as well,”
said Sorrells. “It’s a great
experience for families to
bring their kids out, have a
good time and enjoy seeing
what we do on a regular
basis.”
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—. Kevut-jsr=.
Tanner
STATE HOUSE
Kevin Tanner Delivers
Just as Kevin Tanner stood up for us for years on the
frontlines of law enforcement, he stood up again in the State
House.
"The entire Evans family is sincerely thankful and
appreciative for Kevin Tanner's relentless and diligent
work. We are extremely proud to have him as our 9th
District State Representative and will support him in the
upcoming election."
-The Evans Family
When the Evans Family Needed Kevin Tanner,
He Stood Up For Them And Delivered.
The violent murder of Keith Evans rattled our entire Dawson
County community. So did the decision of the Pardons and
Paroles Board 23 years later to commute the death sentence
of his killer with no reason.
Kevin delivered a new law to increase transparency and
accountability in the Pardons and Paroles process—requiring
all board decisions as well as their reasoning to be made
public.