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Dawson County High School
graduation keepsake edition
included in this issue.
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I MAY 25, 2022
Dawson News ► com dawsonville, GEORGIA $1.00
Vote on Etowah Bluffs rezone postponed
Developers seek to build mixed-use village at intersection of Lumpkin Campground, Ga. 400
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Just as the Planning
Commission did, Dawson
County Board of Commissioners
has delayed a decision on Fox
Creek Properties’ Etowah Bluffs
development.
At Fox Creek Properties’
request, the board postponed a
vote 60 days on the developer’s
application to rezone 518 acres
from five different classifications
into one mixed-use village at the
intersection of Lumpkin
Campground Road and Ga. 400.
In total, 986 housing units are
being proposed for the mixed-use
village, with an overall residential
density of 1.88 acres. Tentative
site plans show the multifamily
and senior units closer to the front
and the single-family detached
lots extending toward the back of
the property.
The BOC will now decide the
matter at their July 21 voting ses
sion. Because a public hearing
was held on May 19, there will
not be one at the meeting in July.
Fox Creek head developer Bill
Evans asked for the postpone
ment so his firm can “crunch
numbers,” since it would not be
financially feasible for his com
pany to do the project’s commer
cial aspects right away.
Evans further explained that
the order Planning and Zoning is
asking them to do the phases may
cause a problem, given the possi
bility of a recession later this year.
“There just isn’t a market to
put the commercial in right now,”
Evans said.
BOC Chairman Billy
Thurmond reminded his fellow
commissioners that it would be a
two-step process to fully approve
what Fox Creek wants to do, if
that ends up being the board’s
decision. After the zoning chang
es are approved, the board will
have to vote on a master plan for
the proposed mixed-use village.
District 2 Commissioner Chris
Gaines asked for the motion to
postpone a vote given Evans’
request and the board’s responsi
bility to consider all of the rele
vant facts.
“For me, I would not be ready
to make a full decision because
we don’t have the full picture...
[tabling] would allow us the time
to have all the facts and all of the
pertinent details to make the best
decision we can,” Gaines said.
Many of the stipulations were
ones that the county has already
suggested or that Fox Creek has
already incorporated into their
application.
Planning and Development
Director Sharon Farrell read all of
the stipulations as of Thursday
into the record before the com
missioners motioned to table.
The stipulations included ones
about infrastructure, such as pre
viously-mentioned buffer and
erosion/pollution-conscious rules
as well as road improvements on
and off of Lumpkin Campground
Road. Fox Creek would be
responsible for those improve
ments and need to dedicate right
of way.
Georgia Department of
Transportation and the county
engineer or a designee must
decide entrance and exit points
See Fox Creek 12A
‘Once a Tiger, always a Tiger’
Erica Jones Dawson County News
DCHS graduates process onto the football field at the beginning of the high school's Class of 2022 commence
ment ceremony on May 20.
Dawson County High School celebrates Class of 2022 graduates
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
On Friday May 20, hundreds of peo
ple gathered at the Dawson County
High School football stadium to cele
brate the graduates in the DCHS Class
of 2022.
The commencement ceremony
included the presentation of colors by
the DCHS JROTC Color Guard, the
Pledge of Allegiance and National
Anthem performed by the DCHS
Chamber Singers, and speeches by
senior class officers, DCHS Principal
Michael Negley, Salutatorian Jacob
Hamil, Valedictorian Megan Wright and
Superintendent Damon Gibbs.
In her address to the Class of 2022,
Negley commended the graduates on
their accomplishments and accolades
that they have earned over the past year.
She encouraged them to move forward
into the next stage of their lives with the
skills and knowledge they have learned
from high school, but to never forget the
community that they came from.
“Whatever you do and wherever you
settle, remember one thing: once a
Tiger, always a Tiger,” Negley said. “It’s
about time to spread your wings, Class
of 2022, but never forget your roots.
You will always be in my heart and on
my mind, and I will continue to pray
daily for each and every one of you. I
am so so proud of you.
Congratulations.”
In his speech to his fellow graduates,
Hamil reminisced on his high school
See Graduation 17A
Will Jones For Dawson County News
DCHS valedictorian Megan Wright speaks during the school's Class of
2022 commencement ceremony on May 20.
Erica Jones Dawson County News
DCHS graduates throw their caps in the air at the end of the DCHS Class
of 2022 commencement ceremony on May 20.
Council OKs
land purchase
for downtown
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
During the May 16 meeting of the
Dawsonville City Council, council mem
bers approved city staff to move forward
with a land purchase of about 17.34 acres
of land to be used for revitalizing and
growing businesses in the downtown
Dawsonville area.
According to a presentation by Council
Member John Walden, who has been work
ing alongside the property owner to
arrange details of the potential purchase,
the land is located across Highway 53 from
city hall and extends down to Highway 9,
and it would connect the old downtown to
the city hall area of Dawsonville.
“This piece of property we’re looking at
is a piece of property that would allow us
to connect old downtown Dawsonville to
over here,” Walden said. “As many people
know out in the community, as far as busi
nesses come the biggest problem is park
ing; with this it allows us to have parking
See Council 13A
Lawyers for
Roberts file for
venue change
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Attorneys for the defendant accused of kill
ing 19-year-old Kaleb Duckworth have filed a
motion in Dawson County Superior Court for
their client’s trial to be moved to another loca
tion.
Defense lawyers John
Luke Weaver and Michael
A. Ray submitted the
motion on behalf of 21-year-
old Daniel Lee Roberts.
He has been indicted on
two counts of felony murder
and one count each of
aggravated assault and
aggravated battery relating to Kaleb’s death.
Roberts also has a separate pending aggra
vated assault case in Dawson County. He was
out on bond in that case when he allegedly
punched Kaleb with a closed fist during their
fight at the Dawson County Applebee’s on
July 25, 2021. Roberts’ action allegedly
caused the teen to incur serious brain damage.
After the fight, Kaleb was taken to a hospital
with severe brain trauma and died two days
later.
Bond for the 2021 case was initially denied,
and following his July arrest, bond for the
older case was subsequently revoked in
August 2021.
In December, after a pretrial hearing, bail
for Roberts was set at $100,000, for a total
See Roberts 12A
Roberts
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Volume 8, Number 20 j 1
© 2022, Dawson County News °
Dawsonville, Georgia Opinion
Sports
2B
6B
3B
2A
6B
9A
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3A DPH: Consult
pediatrician
during formula
shortage.
6A Attentive
neighbors help
save homes
occupants.
