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4A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, August 24,2022
Daughter of reality TV show star
arrested in Forsyth on DUI charges
Zolciak
Photo submitted to DCN
Dawson County
envisions future
Styles Park after
land donation
By Kelly Whitmire
DCN Regional Staff
The daughter of a reality
TV star was recently
arrested in Forsyth County
and charged with driving
under the influence,
according to a report from
the Forsyth County
Sheriff’s Office.
Per the report, Ariana
Lenee Zolciak, 20, of
Alpharetta was arrested
early on the morning of
Saturday, Aug. 13, on
charges of DUI, improper/
erratic lane change and
underage consumption of
alcohol following a wreck
at the intersection of
Peachtree Parkway and
Ga. 400.
Zolciak is the daughter
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
A longtime dog kennel
can now proceed with
planned expansions at its
facility on Elliott Family
Parkway in Dawson
County.
The B oard of
Commissioners unani
mously approved a spe
cial use permit on Aug.
18 for Happy Dog
Retreat’s proposed expan
sions, with stipulations
for indoor air condition
ing and heating and
soundproofing.
The land encompassing
the kennel is zoned
Residential Agriculture,
which falls within the
purview of special use.
During their July meet
ing, the Dawson County
Planning Commission
recommended approval
for the special use permit.
Current owner Laura
of “The Real
Housewives of
Atlanta” star Kim
Zolciak-Biermann.
Deputies
responded to the
wreck at about 1
a.m. on Saturday,
where a driver said
he had been travel
ing in the right lane of the
southbound exit of Ga. 400
attempting to turn right
onto Peachtree Parkway,
when a Mercedes
G-Wagon in the left lane,
driven by Zolciak,
“attempted to make a right
turn onto Peachtree
Parkway and hit his vehi
cle.”
The responding officer
said he then spoke with
Zolciak, who confirmed
Manner told the commis
sioners she bought it five
years ago and added the
previous owner operated
the facility for 20 years
before that.
Proposed additions to
the kennel include a new
office building, about 612
square feet, with an extra
three dog spaces for spe
cial needs or sensitive
dogs, and a 1,548-square
foot indoor recreation
building.
Manner said the relo
cated office is necessary
because it can be hard to
answer phones and do
similar business with
dogs moving and being
exercised so close to the
current office.
She explained that an
existing cement pad
would be the basis for a
closed-in recreational
area.
District 1
Commissioner Sharon
she had made the
right turn and
struck the other
vehicle, and
reported he “could
smell the odor of
alcoholic beverage
coming from her
breath as she
spoke to me,”
which Zolciak allegedly
denied.
“She stated that the odor
was possibly coming from
her clothing. Ariana stated
she had smoked a THC
vape pen the night before
but did not drink,” the
responding officer wrote in
the report. “I conducted
field sobriety evaluations
with Ariana and observed
signs of impairment. I
observed she had notice-
Fausett wanted to make
sure the new indoor dog
recreation facility would
also have heating, and
Manner and Farrell clari
fied that the building
would be climate con
trolled for the winter, too.
“We have a lot of dogs.
We have a lot of yard
space,” said Manner, “but
we don’t have a closed-in
area so we can give these
dogs proper activity dur
ing the cold, heat, snow
and rain that Dawsonville
gets.”
Manner also shared that
her kennel holds an aver
age of 35-45 dogs, but
that number can fluctuate
depending on how many
dogs, including singles,
doubles and/or triple-dog
families, check in at a
time.
During holidays, week
ends or other times when
people go on vacation,
the kennel has boarded up
able sway during the evalu
ations.”
After searching the car,
the deputy “located a black
vape pen in her purse.”
Another deputy per
formed a horizontal gaze
nystagmus, or HGN, eye
test on Zolciak and said
she showed four out of six
clues for impairment. She
reportedly also refused to
provide a sample for a pre
liminary breath test.
According to the report,
Zolciak first consented to a
blood test before later say
ing she “no longer wanted
to consent to the blood
test.”
Zolciak’s mother shared
a statement disputing the
incident on her Instagram
page.
to 70-75 dogs, though the
capacity is slightly higher
than that, Manner added.
“I’ve been doing this
[type of business] almost
20 years, and I don’t care
to add dogs or keep them
at a high level because
it’s more about their
care,” Manner said. “If
we start looking to add
dogs, we’re going to
water down what we have
(as a service) and I don’t
want that.”
There haven’t been
noise complaints for the
facility, as it’s surrounded
by woods and pastures,
Manner said.
“I believe she cares
about her animals,” said
Fausett.
“I do,” Manner said.
“You can’t fake a busi
ness like this. You’ve
gotta be in it with your
heart. That’s why I’d like
to see those improve
ments for the dogs.”
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County
Board of
Commissioners
approved the accep
tance of 120 acres of
donated land for a
future park during its
Aug. 4 voting session.
This land, which is
being donated by Anne
Styles, is located along
Elliott Family Parkway
and Rock Cellar Road
in the county.
On Aug. 4, county
attorney Angela Davis
said District 1
Commissioner Sharon
Fausett, who wasn’t
able to attend, had been
“working diligently on
this for the past six
months.”
“This is a situation
where Mrs. Styles
approached the county
and graciously wanted
to donate some property
to the county for the
county’s use,” Davis
said.
BOC Chairman Billy
Thurmond voiced his
gratitude, calling Styles
a “longtime Dawson
County resident.”
Upon accepting the
donation, the county
entered into a 90-day
due diligence period,
during which time a
survey and environmen
tal site assessment will
be performed.
An estimated amount
of $16,500 will be
needed to move forward
with the work, said
County Manager David
Headley during the
Aug. 18 BOC work ses
sion. Closing is expect
ed to happen sometime
between November and
Dec. 2, according to
Public Affairs Officer
Laura Fulcher.
“I think
Commissioner Fausett
would say this is a won
derful opportunity for
the county, that it’s very
gracious of the Styles
family for thinking of
the county with this
land donation,” Davis
added. “It’s something I
think everybody has
reason to be excited
about coming to frui
tion.”
District 3
Commissioner Tim
Satterfield thanked
Fausett, Styles and
Davis’ staff for their
efforts.
“I think this’ll be a
good place for a park
for a long time,”
Satterfield said.
Dawson dog kennel can now proceed
with adding more play, office spaces
Because Coffee event raises $2,900 for school program
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Dawson County’s excep
tional students will now be
able to have more sensory
learning opportunities thanks
to a local coffee shop’s key
partnership.
From its third annual
“Birthaversary” event in May,
Because Coffee raised $2,900
for Dawson County Schools’
Community-Based Instruction
(CBI) program, which serves
exceptional students in the
county’s public schools.
Alexandria Williams from
Modern Woodmen of America
partnered with the coffee shop
again to raise $1,531 of that
total.
Previously, Because Coffee
has served as a work site for
exceptional students to work
at twice weekly and learn
Julia Fechter Dawson County News
Local businesses Because Coffee and Modern Woodmen of
America raised $2,900 for Dawson County Schools'
Community-Based Instruction program through the coffee
shop's May fundraiser. Modern Woodmen presented the CBI
program with a check on Aug. 16.
essential skills like bagging versing with customers, said
and stamping items and con- Dawson County High School
CBI Coordinator Ashley
Caray.
During Modern Woodmen’s
check presentation Tuesday,
Caray explained that CBI edu
cation helps teach students
life skills. So far, Dawson’s
CBI program has some unique
ways it’s going to put the
money raised to good use.
Caray explained that the
money will in part be used for
tower gardens at the county’s
elementary, middle, junior
high and high schools. These
types of gardens can help
teach the “farm to table” con
cept, she said.
More details linked on
Because Coffee’s website
stated that the tower gardens
use aeroponic gardening for
increased plant yields, all the
while using LED lights, less
water and ground space.
Gardens can be moved around
on a dolly to wherever stu
dents are.
The funds raised will also
go toward the forthcoming
music and art therapy initia
tives CBI is building, Caray
said.
In total, Dawson’s CBI pro
gram is looking to offer music
and art therapies to all 85 of
its children, which is project
ed to cost about $30,000 for a
whole school year, she added.
The amount raised in 2022
is over triple what the coffee
shop’s event raised for the
CBI program last year.
Because Coffee owner
Doug Cole credited the fund
raising’s success to communi
ty members “showing up big”
to his store’s “Birthaversary”
party.
“They all showed up big
and opened up their wallets
and their hearts,” Cole said.
NOTICE OF ELECTION CANCELLATION
Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 21-2-291, notice is hereby given
that the Dawson County Board of Education,
Special Election scheduled for November 8, 2022,
is cancelled. The following candidate has qualified for
office and is unopposed:
Board of Education, District 4 Barry Slaton - Incumbent
The above unopposed candidate shall be deemed to have
voted for himself.
This, the 12th day of August, 2022.
Glenda Ferguson, Election Superintendent
Dawson County
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