About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 2018)
Fast start sets tone in Dawson victory SPORTS, IB Children get Christmas early during ‘Shop with a Cop’ LOCAL, 2A DawsonCountyNews WEDNESDAY I DECEMBER 26, 2018 DaWSOflNeWS ’COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00 City considering impact fees Fees wont slow down growth, consultant says By Allie Dean adean@dawsonnews.com The Dawsonville city council is considering moving forward with a study to determine if they want to implement impact fees, or fees charged to new development in order to pay for services demanded by that new growth. The council on Dec. 17 heard a presentation from Bill Ross of Ross and Associates, the same consulting company that created a study and impact fee schedule that was adopted by the county board of commis sioners earlier this year. The board of commissioners passed impact fees at the maxi mum allowable amount on Aug. 16, and have since col lected over $380,000. Ross said that if engaged by the city, his company would create a methodology report, or a study that forecasts future growth up to 2040 and selects the capital improvement proj ects that would be needed to support that growth, as well as details how much those proj ects would cost. Ross presented growth pro jections based on the city’s growth between 2000 and 2017, wherein the city grew from fewer than 1,000 people to almost 2,800 in 2017. Based off that growth, Ross said the city could have between 5,000 and 10,000 people by 2040. With the future growth in See Impact 18A Chamber president debunks Dawson County growth myths Nominations for Best of Dawson end Dec. 31 Photos by Jessica Taylor Dawson County News Several hundred homes have gone up in Dawson County and the city of Dawsonville over the past few years, but the population of Dawson County has only grown by 2,291 people in the past eight years. Population of 26,743 predicted by 2023, current number is 24,521 Apartments recently built behind the Publix shopping center off Dawson Forest Road are one of very few higher density housing developments in the county. By Allie Dean adean@dawsonnews.com With all of the growth in the Ga. 400 corridor, new neighborhoods popping up all over the city and county and traffic that often rivals its metropolitan neighbors, it’s easy to assume that Dawson County is in the middle of a population boom. But that is not quite the case, according to a recent presentation by Dawson County Chamber of Commerce President Christie Moore. Moore spoke to the Rotary Club of Dawson County earlier this month, debunking three myths about the county’s demo graphics and growth trajec tory. The numbers may sur prise you. Myth: Dawson County’s population has exploded. Truth: Dawson County’s population has grown by 2,291 people since 2010. Dawson County’s current population is 24,521, Moore said, with a predict ed population of 26,743 by 2023. “We’re looking at a 1.67 percent annual growth rate, that is very sustainable,” Moore said. “That is not putting an extra burden on any of our systems.” In the same period of time, from 2010 to the pres ent, Forsyth County has grown by 52,356 people, more than two times the entire population of Dawson County. “One of the myths that I hear a lot is ‘oh my gosh we’re going to be just like Forsyth County,”’ Moore said. “I’m here to tell y’all, it is physically impossible for us to be just like Forsyth County. We cannot build homes fast enough; if today we tried, we will never catch up.” Moore said that doesn’t mean Dawson County won’t grow, just that the growth will look different from other counties. And outside of Ga. 400 and the city, where most of the new homes are going up, Dawson County is still very rural. “One great thing about our community is how many protected acres we have,” Moore said. “I’m going to guess that some of you live next to Dawson Forest, or some of you live on the lake. So between Dawson Forest, between the Chattahoochee National Forest, we’ve also got Corps property. The amaz ing thing about those pieces of property is they cannot be touched, they are pro tected.” Myth: Dawson County’s population is not very diverse. Truth: Dawson County’s population is very diverse socioeconomically. See Growth 16A From staff reports There is less than a week left to get nom inations in for the 2019 Best of Dawson contest. Nearly 10,000 nominations have been submitted so far in the annual reader’s choice awards contest. Nominate your favorite business, organization, workplace, restaurant or person in each of our over 200 categories and give them a chance to show the world that they are the best that Dawson County has to offer. Readers can nominate a person or busi- ness at www.bestofdawson.com. Nominations will not immediately appear as they are moderated to ensure a business or person is in the correct category and that they are inside Dawson County. Nominations will close at midnight Dec. 31. Any businesses not nominated by 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31 will not be eligible for the voting period, which will begin Jan. 7 and run through Feb. 3. Winners will be announced in a special publication magazine that will insert into the Dawson County News on March 27. For information on marketing opportuni ties in this year’s contest, contact Brenda Bohn, general manager, at 706-2650-3384 or bbohn@dawsonnews.com. School safety a top priority for state legislators in 2019 By Joshua Silavent DCN Regional Staff With new federal and state reports on school security now public, Georgia law makers are looking to spotlight measures in 2019 to address the safety of students and faculty on campuses. “School safety will be a very high priori ty, and rightfully so,” Sen. Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, said. “We’ve seen violence and death and destruction in school settings as a nation al trend.” President Donald Trump’s school safety commission on Tuesday made recommendations in a report that lays out dozens of suggestions to improve safety in America’s schools. Trump created the commission in March following a Parkland, Fla., school shooting that killed 17 students and staff members. The report covers areas ranging from mental health and cyberbullying to the reg ulation of guns and violent video games. On the question of whether schools should arm teachers and other employees, the panel said it should be left to states and schools to decide, but the panel noted that schools can use certain federal grants for firearms training. “Our conclusions in this report do not impose one-size-fits-all solutions for every one everywhere,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a call with reporters. “Local problems need local solutions. This report See Safety 17A Miller 9 0 9 9 Inside Volume 4, Number 14 © 2018, Dawson County News Dawsonville, Georgia Church Events 3B Classifieds 8B Dear Abby 7B Deaths 2B Legals 8B Opinion 9A Sports 1B 4A Dawson Development Authority presents 2018 update 5A Emergency personnel recognized at banquet
