Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current, April 06, 2022, Image 1

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Dawson County news., April 06, 2022, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextKurtz takes DCHS record in Pole Vaulting SPORTS, IB Blue Duck Cider brings new drink offerings to Dawson INSIDE, 4A DawsonCountyNews WEDNESDAY I APRIL 6, 2022 DaWSOflNeWS >COnri DAWSONVULE, GEORGIA $1.00 Resort’s appeal of new order More details needed before permitting By Julia Fechter jfechter@dawsonnews.com After Paradise Valley Resort Club previously protested stop- work orders on five of its struc tures, the nudist establishment decried another such order with mixed results during a recent Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals meet ing. The board meets twice a year and then for other specific events like the March 31 meet ing, said Planning Director Shannon Farrell. Last month, Greg Brock, Rory Cunningham and Chris Meade were appointed to the board to serve through December 2024. Greg Scott was appointed to serve through the end of 2023, and John Lee was reappointed until the end of that year, too. Cunningham and Meade were voted chair man and vice chairman respec tively. This time, Jeff Wasserman and his lawyer, Joseph “Joey” Homans, argued against a stop- work order from Feb. 17, 2022 regarding work above a resort hot tub area. The key issues centered around determining if ceiling and electrical work was solely cosmetic and if a building per mit was necessary for work thus far or would be required in the future. At the end of Thursday’s hearing, attending board mem bers Cunningham, Meade and Scott voted 3-0 to deny Paradise Valley’s appeal. Following a request for clari fication from Homans, the board voted 3-0 on a motion for the resort to supply the county with a stamped-and-sealed engineering assessment of the freestanding structure above the hot tub and electrical engi neers’ approved plans for a cir cuit. Thirdly, the resort must supply these materials to the county in order for a permit to be issued. Past construction The hot tub is encompassed in a less-than-500-square-foot room, Wasserman said. The building around and above it is between 30 and 40 years old. Twelve years ago, he went to county planning officials with the intention of having an observation deck constructed so that members could see volley ball and pool areas while sitting out of the sun. The resulting deck was free standing of the older building, denied so both structures were approved by the county. Inside of the hot tub room, tongue-and-groove pine was used on the drop-down or tray ceiling and the walls. The ceil ing’s raised part corresponds with the location of the hot tub. Last year, Wasserman said he noticed the ceiling had some give or sway to it, and a few boards started to become undone. He had David Kobor of Kobor Contracting Services temporarily brace it. The resort owner maintained that the hot tub room’s roof and deck above See Resort 14A A phenomenal success’ DCJHS ninth graders watch a car rollover simulation during the April 1 "Teen Maze" event at the junior high school. r Connection, local organizations host ‘Teen Maze’ event s n i. jd Ail.... r i By Erica Jones ejones@dawsonnews.com Dawson County Emergency Services personnel simulate a car crash sce nario during the April 1 "Teen Maze" event at DCJHS. On Friday April 1, Dawson County Family Connection, in partnership with the Dawson County School System and several other local organi zations, hosted “Teen Maze”, an event for students to learn about the impact that one choice can make on the rest of their lives. The event was for ninth graders at Dawson County Junior High School and provided them each with different scenarios demonstrating the effects their choices can make on their lives. In each hour-long session, groups of students rotated through stations cov ering all different topics and situations. “Teen Maze” started out with two simulations by Dawson County Emergency Services, one of which included a rollover simulator showing what could happen if a driver gets in a car crash and isn’t wearing a seat belt, and the other with a simulated car crash and extraction illustrating the consequences of texting while driving. Following the DCES simulations, each student was asked to follow a script in a booklet they were given, which were assigned at random and took the students along the path of life with several different situations along the way. The situations, which were set up at booths around the DCJHS gym nasium, covered a wide variety of top ics and included: • Suicide prevention • Electronic footprint • Funeral home • Relationships/Sexting • Family violence • Pregnancy • Parenthood • Graduation • Sheriff/Alcohol • Department of Juvenile Justice • Dawson County Magistrate Court • Mental wellness • Rehab/Treatment • Drugs/Vaping • Gaming addiction Photos by Erica Jones Dawson County News • Cyberbullying/Bullying • Continuing education • Workforce In each station, the students learned how one choice, good or bad, can have an impact on the rest of their lives, and were encouraged to graduate and obtain a career without getting blocked by the many obstacles students face that could ultimately prevent them from achieving those goals. Dawson County Family Connection Coordinator Rebecca Bliss said that Man arrested on domestic charges By Julia Fechter jfechter@dawsonnews.com A Dawsonville man booked last year alongside his father for allegedly stealing jewelry through their business has been arrested again and accused of committing different crimes. Frank Robert Kunkel III, 38, was arrested by the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office the eve ning of March 21. He was charged with one misdemeanor count each of harassing communica tions, stalking and criminal trespass of a family violence nature. Warrants from DCSO accuse Kunkel of repeatedly calling the victim, leaving voicemails and sending messages through texts and Facebook messenger from March 10 to 17, 2022. Kunkel allegedly kept contacting the victim after being asked to stop and cease communications by a DCSO deputy on March 13, according to the misdemeanor stalking warrant. Between March 11 at 11 p.m. and March 12 at 1 a.m., he supposedly entered the complex where the victim lived to photograph the person’s front door “for the purpose of threatening, harassing or intimidating,” stated the criminal trespass warrant. A review of records for Kunkel III and his father, Frank R. Kunkel Jr.’s criminal case revealed no updates as of March 31. Two days after his March 21 arrest, Kunkel III was released from the Dawson County Detention Center on a $16,700 bond. 'Best of Dawson' honors top businesses, leaders By Julia Fechter jfechter@dawsonnews.com Tuesday’s “Best of Dawson” awards gala showed that what makes the county excel are the people that live in and con tribute to it. “The community is what makes the Best of Dawson special year after year, and I'm blessed to be a part of it,” said DCN editor Erica Jones. The 2022 awards gala was hosted at Dawson County’s Filly Creek Farms the evening of March 29. Earlier this year, local residents voted for community favorites across 204 cate gories to determine Dawson County’s premier businesses. "We at the Dawson County News are incredibly honored to have been able to host the 2022 Best of Dawson awards See Best 13A See Maze 12A Kunkel 9 0 9 9 4 Inside Volume 8, Number 14 © 2021, Dawson County News Dawsonville, Georgia Church Events 2B Classifieds 7B Dear Abby 5B Deaths 2A Legals 8B Opinion 9A Sports 1B Reynolds named National Outstanding Assistant Principal 6A DCHS College and Career Academy holds first Adulting Day’