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6A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, March 23,2022
Top takeaways from the BOC’s March 17 meetings
Dawson County News
The Dawson County Library was built in 2001. It is located at 342 Allen Street
in Dawsonville.
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Everything from poten
tial library updates to
trash improvements came
up on the agenda when
the Dawson County
Board of Commissioners
met for their March 17
work and voting sessions.
Here are the biggest
takeaways from both of
the meetings:
Proposed library
updates
Chestatee Regional
Library System Director
Leslie Clark and
Operations Specialist
Michael Middleton spoke
to the commissioners
about much-needed
improvements to the
library building in down
town Dawsonville.
The Dawson County
Library was built in 2001.
In 2020, library system
headquarters staff moved
into the new library facili
ty in Lumpkin County,
leaving multiple
Dawsonville offices
vacant.
Clark introduced the
following renovations and
additions:
Storytime room; This
space would be made by
repurposing a former
administrative office.
There is a wall which
used to contain a large
television. Most of the
structures for that can be
removed easily, but extra
considerations would
have to be taken since the
wall is load-bearing.
Dedicated teen space;
Clark said this is “espe
cially needed” given
patron usage of the
library. A block wall
behind some computers
would be cut down to
open up space for the
teen/adult areas. She sug
gested that teen-friendly
furniture such as two-per
son study carrels, individ
ual laptop chairs or single
tables be purchased.
Community meeting
space; This space would
also be made by repur
posing a former admin
office and would serve as
a preferable space for
passive programming or
test proctoring. A wall
that’s currently shared
with a storage room
would be taken down to
create a larger space.
Better lighting would be
placed near the space so it
could be seen from the
adjacent admin hallway.
Branch manager’s
office; This room would
take up part of the current
storage room’s space. The
library system wants to
add a wall and 36-inch
door, making it the
branch manager’s office.
Storage would move into
the empty office next to
the children’s storytime
room.
Study room; The space
would be made out of the
current branch manager’s
office. Technology would
be added, and better light
ing would be placed near
there as well.
Staff workroom; The
library wants to close in
the two case openings
into the workroom and
put in doors to help pre
vent patrons wandering
into the area.
Storage and story time
prep; Those supplies and
functions would be
moved into a room next
to where the new story
time room will be. The
new storage room will
share a door with the sto
rytime room, so it will be
easier to do crafts and
things there after kids’
programs.
Remove six feet of curb
from the loading dock
and install a ramp; This
would make it easier to
perform multiple func
tions outside of the build
ing, as space is currently
limited there now.
Replace all carpeting
and fresh coat of paint
Clark requested that the
board allow the library
system to obtain pricing
information so that they
know how to proceed in
terms of funding the sug
gested changes. Once the
library system knows the
specific funding option or
options, a representative
will come before the
BOC again to request
permission to apply for
those monies.
Trash changes
Previously, Public
Works Director Denise
Parr came before the
board and spoke about
issues like the faltering
chute or secondary struc
ture at the transfer station.
In early March, that struc
ture was removed due to
issues with it pulling
away from the building’s
foundation and a notice
able gap between the
foundation and push
plates. After removal, no
visual impairment was
noticed with the founda
tion.
Commissioners contin
ued the nuanced discus
sion on trash concerns at
the county’s transfer sta
tion. They approved a
motion to allow accep
tance of garbage, whether
it’s household or com
mercial, contingent on
someone being able to
hand-unload it from their
vehicle without the need
of mechanical assistance.
Concrete or masonry
products will not be
accepted. The commis
sioners will revisit this
matter in 90 days.
Puture considerations
will also need to be made
for leachate, otherwise
known as “garbage juic
es” from primarily resi
dential trash. Right now,
there’s not really a way
for those liquids to be
contained, Parr said. Per
environmental regula
tions, the leachate cannot
be allowed to seep into
groundwater or the
stream about 550 feet
from the transfer station,
which harbors an endan
gered species of fish.
Likewise, another rele
vant issue is containing
trash within facility walls,
especially when there’s a
backlog due to factors
like packing equipment
failing. Addressing dust,
associated odors and
insect and rodent crea
tures was also mentioned.
Extra park
bathroom
Parks and Recreation
Director Matt Payne dis
cussed the need for a
bathroom closer to Rock
Creek Park’s popular
splash pad.
Currently, parents have
to leave the splash pad
and go across the parking
lot when one of their
children needs to use a
restroom.
Pacilities Director
James Tolbert added that
there’s also a need for a
proximate bathroom
given the playground on
the park’s premises.
A bid invite was
released at the end of
January for a restroom
next to the splash pad.
Only one bid was
received to build a pro
posed block building
with electrical and
plumbing, one toilet and
urinal and no air condi
tioning (but it would
have a heater).
The sole bid was for
$169,883, with $129,374
from SPLOST VI funds
and $40,509 from impact
fee funds.
Commissioners dis
cussed whether that price
may be in part due to
contractors wanting to do
bigger jobs and supply
chain strains.
“There must be a good
bit of gold incorporated
in this somewhere,”
quipped District 1
Commissioner Sharon
Pausett.
District 2
Commissioner Chris
Gaines understood the
need for a restroom, hav
ing three young kids
himself.
“But I’m also responsi
ble for taxpayer money,
and I have super hard
time spending that [kind
of] money when it’s not
an emergency,” he said.
District 4
Commissioner Emory
Dooley wondered if there
were any nearby con
struction projects at the
park that the bathroom
could be tied into, and
Payne replied that to his
knowledge, the SPLOST
projects were already too
far along for that to be
feasible, on top of their
distance from the splash
pad.
Dooley also suggested
placing a nicer version
of a port-a-john by the
splash pad, but Gaines
mentioned that that
could carry ADA-related
challenges in terms of
access.
Chairman Billy
Thurmond mentioned
that perhaps the county
could hire a construction
manager who could sub
contract out jobs to
smaller local businesses.
DCN will provide
updates on the library,
trash and park restroom
proposals when more
information becomes
available.
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