Newspaper Page Text
Food Truck night
continues to grow
LOCAL, 3A
Tigers fight for win
in football opener
SPORTS, IB
WEDNESDAY I AUGUST 22, 2018 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
Photos by Jessica Brown Dawson County News
Members of Dawsonville Civitan Club, the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce and the Dawson
County Schools Exceptional Children program gathered at Veterans Memorial Park for a ceremonial
ribbon cutting for the new inclusive playground Aug. 14.
Board sets
millage rate;
no rollback
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
Some Dawson County residents will see a prop
erty tax increase after the county commission voted
3-1 last week to set the millage rate at 8.138 mills.
The millage rate is part of a formula used to cal
culate property taxes, where one mill equals $1 for
every $1,000 in assessed property value. The coun
ty has maintained the same rate of 8.138 mills for at
least a decade.
New businesses and homes coming to the area as
well as a recent countywide revaluation of all agri
cultural and residential real property has resulted in
an overall increase in the total tax digest, or value
of all the properties in the county. Leaving the rate
the same as last year will increase the amount of
taxes the county will collect by about 12.8 percent,
or $1.3 million, over 2017.
A playground for everyone
Civitan Club creates space for kids with disabilities to enjoy
By Jessica Brown
jbrown@dawsonnews.com
Members of the Dawsonville
Civitan Club, the Dawson County
Chamber of Commerce and the
Dawson County Schools
Exceptional Children program
gathered together last Tuesday to
celebrate a milestone for inclusive
ness in the community.
Under the warm August sun,
friendly faces assembled at
Veterans Memorial Park August 14
for a special ribbon cutting dedica
tion of a new inclusive playground.
“We’re just so excited that we
were able to do this,” said Civitan
President Tiffany Muilenburg. “It
means so much to us and to our
community.”
Through the fundraising efforts
of the Civitan Club and the com
munity, four pieces of inclusive
playground equipment worth
$15,000 was installed at the park
across from the gymnasium.
Included is a “cozy cocoon”
where children with autism and
sensory processing disorders can
remove themselves from situations
of sensory overload while still
being accessible to their parents or
caretakers, as well as swing seats
that accommodate differently abled
children.
“One of the goals of not only our
chamber but our community is to
be as inclusive as possible so this is
a great day to celebrate with every
one,” said Chamber President
Christie Moore. “Just to be here
and be able to see our friends
enjoying this playground equip
ment is just a beautiful thing.”
A sign was placed in the park in
honor of longtime Civitan member
Nancy Eason, Dawsonville Mayor
Mike Eason’s late wife.
“I want to thank God for putting
The playground features inclu
sive swing sets so that all chil
dren can enjoy the park.
Nancy in my life. She’s meant so
much to me and my family and to
See Playground 18A
See Millage 16A
County reinstates
impact fees at
maximum rate
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
Dawson County could see a drastic decline in
development over the coming years after the board
of commissioners voted 3-1 last week to reinstate
impact fees at the maximum possible rate.
Impact fees are one-time fees collected on new
developments during the building permit process
that are intended to help offset the costs of capital
improvements and services. The services that will
benefit from the fees include libraries, parks and
recreation, roads and public safety.
All of the service categories will receive money
from the fees collected on residential developments,
but only roads and public safety will see fees from
commercial buildings as well.
See Impact 16A
Dawson students arrested after Lumpkin home invasion
Anderson McConnell McKinzie Sowell
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
Four Dawson County teenag
ers were accused of a midnight
home invasion last week in
Lumpkin County, according to
authorities.
According to Lumpkin County
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt.
Alan Roach, authorities received
a call just after midnight Friday,
Aug. 17, in which a resident stat
ed someone was beating on the
doors and windows of their
house.
When deputies responded to
the scene, they found the person
beating on the house was actually
the victim of a home invasion,
according to a news release.
Several suspects ran from the
scene when the deputies arrived,
Roach reported.
“There was one person there
that went to their neighbor’s
house after the home invasion
occurred and asked them for
help,” Roach said.
Four suspects were arrested
after a search of the area: Preston
Andrew Anderson, 18; Quintin
Chase McConnell, 18; Blake
Mitchell McKinzie, 17; and
Gavyne Anthony Sowell, 17.
They were charged with home
invasion, aggravated assault and
possession of a firearm during the
commission of a felony.
All are Dawson County resi
dents and all are currently in cus
tody in the Lumpkin County
Detention Center, Roach said.
The victim of the invasion was
not injured.
Dawson County Schools
Superintendent Damon Gibbs
confirmed that two of the teens
arrested are a junior and a senior
at DCHS, but did not confirm
their identities.
Gibbs said the students will be
dealt with according to the stu
dent code of conduct upon their
release.
According to the release,
Sheriff Stacy Jarrard would like
to “thank the citizens that helped
with the information provided
during this investigation” as well
as “the hard work of the deputies
and investigators for their quick
response and actions that lead to
locating all four suspects.”
The investigation is ongoing.
90994 04002
Inside
Volume 3, Number 47
© 2018, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
Classifieds
Dear Abby
Deaths
Legals
Opinion
Sports
3B
7B
6B
2A
8B
9A
1B
5A Couple joins
inaugural
hike for
Make-A-Wish
7A Dawson Vision
to host visiting
Haitian choir
for second time
PROPANE
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your hometown propane company
amicalolapropane.com
383 Highway 53 West, Dawsonville, GA
-- ^ nil i
