Newspaper Page Text
Rock Creek Park to host
annual Pups in the Park
LOCAL, 5A
WEDNESDAY I April 10,2019 Dawson News ► com dawsonville, GEORGIA $1.00
Black's Mill Bridge to move forward
Structure closed in July 2017 after unsafe designation by Georgia Department of Transportation
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
Movement on the Black’s
Mill Bridge project began last
week after the board of com
missioners voted to ratify a
contract with the property
owner to proceed with con
struction of a one lane bridge
on Black’s Mill Road during
the voting session.
Black’s Mill Bridge, a histor
ic bridge in southwest Dawson
County, was closed July 19,
2017 after an inspection by the
Georgia Department of
Transportation deemed the
bridge unsafe for vehicular
travel.
It has remained closed ever
since, with commuters who
used the bridge to get onto
Dawson Forest Road taking a
5.5 mile or 10 minute detour.
Nearly two years later, the
county reached an agreement
with the property owner and
began installation of the bridge
on April 5.
Commissioners heard from
county attorney Angela Davis
of the legal firm Jarrard &
Davis who outlined some of the
provisions of the contract that
was approved by a 3-0 vote on
April 4.
In the agreement the property
owner has agreed to entry upon
his property for the installation
of the bridge. The county
agreed to not damage the stone
walls and should they be dam
aged during the construction
process, the county will restore
them to the same or better con
dition than they were found.
The property owner, who
owns property on both sides of
the bridge, also agreed to any
value that might be paid for any
encroachments that may incur
will be dealt with at a later time
so that it does not hold up the
project.
District 4 Commissioner
Julie Hughes Nix seconded the
motion to ratify the contract but
said that not knowing how
much in damages the property
owner could bring before the
county at a later date was a
concern.
“If we don’t do this it’s never
See Bridge 18A
Sen. Gooch, Rep. Tanner update
gathering about legislative session
‘Heartbeat’ bill, new voting machines, 5G infrastructure among highlights
Photos by Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
Senator Steve Gooch talks to the Dawson County Republican Party about the
recent legislative session at the party's April 8 meeting.
Rep. Kevin Tanner key points during the recently
ended legislative session.
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County
Republican Party heard
updates on the 2019 legisla
tive session that concluded
this month during Monday
night’s meeting.
Fresh from Sine Die, Sen.
Steve Gooch and Rep.
Kevin Tanner met with local
Republicans on April 8
where they provided
updates on key pieces of
legislation that were passed
by the General Assembly.
As the first year under
newly elected Gov. Brian
Kemp, Gooch said the ses
sion began with a slow start
with legislators adapting to
the new administration, but
picked up traction after the
Super Bowl with big legis
lation being passed.
Heartbeat' Bill
The final passage of HB
481, known as the “heart
beat” bill, passed the state
legislature on March 29.
The bill prohibits abor
tion once a heartbeat is
detected by a doctor which
typically happens around
six weeks into a pregnancy.
It is one of the strictest anti
abortion bills in the nation.
Under HB 481, women in
Georgia would still be
legally able to receive abor
tions after the heartbeat
detection in situations
involving rape or incest
when the woman has filed a
police report, if the moth
er’s life is in danger or
when the fetus would be
unable to live after birth.
“Saving hundreds of
thousands of unborn chil
dren was probably the best
vote I’d taken in the eight
years or nine years that I’d
been there, so I was proud
of that,” Gooch said. “I
truly believe that was a vote
that will go down in the his
tory in Georgia, one I’m
proud to be a part of.”
While on the campaign trail,
Gov. Kemp said he would sup
port anti-abortion legislation
and he has until May 12 to
sign or veto the bill.
The bill received 100 per
cent support from senate
Republicans Gooch said.
“It took courage of a lot
of men and women in the
house and the senate to vote
for that,” he said.
Rep. Tanner also voted in
support of the bill in the
house, with only a couple
Republicans voting in oppo
sition.
“That was a very tough
issue,” Tanner said.
Protestors, threats and
pressure from Hollywood to
abandon filming projects in
Georgia were challenges
legislators faced while the
bill was on the table.
Ultimately, Tanner said
See Session 14A
Russell Creek
Reservoir on
Etowah Water
meeting agenda
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
The Etowah Water and Sewer Authority will
be conducting a public meeting to discuss the
Russell Creek Reservoir next Thursday.
The project was greenlit for construction in
July 2017 after obtaining a 404 permit issued
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a per
mit the authority has been working to gain
since starting the project 13 years ago.
The authority, the county’s only water pro
vider, is permitted to produce 5.5 million gal
lons a day from the Etowah River, but that
amount will not be enough to sustain growth
or see the county through a drought.
The authority is building the dam and reser
voir based on a growth projection which esti
mates the Dawson County population at
126,000 in the year 2057.
The population is around 24,000.
The reservoir will be on 137 acres of land
off Etowah River and Seed Tick roads and will
cost about $40 million.
The authority had invested $10 million in
the project so far, after being issued a $10
See Reservoir 110A
Deputy mourned
in Forsyth County
By Alexander Popp
DCN Regional Staff
The Forsyth County law
enforcement community
was in mourning Friday
after a young deputy died
unexpectedly Thursday
while attending a training
academy in north Georgia.
In an emotional press
conference Friday, Forsyth
County Sheriff Ron
Freeman announced 29-year-old Forsyth
County Sheriffs Office Deputy Spencer
Englett suffered a traumatic medical event
See Deputy 13A
Englett
0
9 0 9 9
Inside
Volume 4, Number 29
© 2019, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
3B
Classifieds
7B
Dear Abby
6B
Deaths
2A
Legals
8B
Opinion
9A
Sports
1B
All-you-can-eat
pancake event
to help veterans
Rotary Club
offers
scholarships to
students
48 CANCER
CENTERS
ACROSS
GEORGIA
Taking on cancer requires an elite clinical team. That's
why Northside Hospital Cancer Institute has the most
board-certified medical oncologists in Georgia. We diagnose
and treat more new cancer cases than any other hospital
in the state—providing care at 48 cancer centers. Backed by
expertise and experience, we're built to beat cancer.
Learn more at builttobeatcancer.com
■■BUILT
BEAT
CANCER
NORTHSIDE
HOSPITAL
CANCER INSTITUTE
