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Wednesday, November 23,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B
Youth football has two Mountain League champions,
middle school pair selected to regional Army Bowl team
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
In the past month, a few local
youth sports teams and individuals
have made some notable achieve
ments.
Dawson County’s second-grade
youth football team played in their
Super Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 5,
winning a thriller against White
County 32-26.
A week earlier, the Dawson
County elementary girls flag football
team won their Super Bowl on
Saturday, Oct. 29, in a 7-6 victory
over Fannin County.
The two Super Bowl-winning
teams and a group of youth cheer
leaders were recognized at a Dawson
County Board of Commissioners
meeting last week.
In late October, a pair of Dawson
County Middle School football play
ers earned regional recognition, with
defensive back Nate Grizzle and
quarterback Brody Sorensen selected
to a U.S Army Bowl regional team
based in Cobb County.
Grizzle and Sorensen participated
in a series of competitive tryouts
held at North Cobb Christian High
School, where middle schoolers
from all over North Georgia put their
skills to the test.
The tryouts were presided by a
committee of coaches with experi
ence on nearly every level of football
— from youth up to the NFL.
In addition to their skills, Grizzle
and Sorensen were selected to the
regional team based on coachability
and attitude.
As a result of their selection to the
regional team, the two Tigers will
now have the opportunity to try out
for the Georgia state-wide middle
school team that will play at the U.S.
Army Bowl the week of Dec. 11 in
Frisco, Texas.
From the time of their selection to
the regional team until the first week
of December, Grizzle and Sorensen
will face teams from Gwinnett
County and the Macon area to deter
mine if they will get to represent the
entire state of Georgia.
Rio White Dawson County News
The Dawson County second grade youth football
team rides through the Dawsonville Christmas
parade on their commemorative float.
Residents resist industrial space near rural land
By Julia Hansen
jhansen@dawsonnews.com
While an area developer is eye
ing 32.1 acres for a proposed
300,000-square-foot industrial
park along Stowers Road West
and Ga. 400, that’s not exactly the
picture Arlene McClure and many
of her neighbors had in mind for
land close to their homes.
“That’s not the plan that the
landowners have for this proper
ty,” McClure said during the
Dawson County Planning
Commission’s Nov. 15 meeting.
“We have no intention of letting
our property go industrial.”
With a range of concerns in
mind, the Planning Commission
recommended denial 2-1 for the
land’s proposed rezone and vari
ances, with chairman Jason
Hamby abstaining as is typically
the case.
Planning commissioners Steve
Sanvi and John Maloney were not
able to attend and vote.
The proposal will now advance
to the Board of Commissioners
for a Dec. 15 hearing during the
board’s voting session. That meet
ing will take place in the Dawson
County Government Center’s sec
ond-floor assembly room imme
diately after the board’s 4 p.m.
work session. At that time, the
BOC can vote to ultimately
approve, deny or table the pro
posed rezone and variances.
Deer Run Partners LLC and
Crownway Properties LLC
requested for the 32.1 acres to be
rezoned from Commercial
Highway Business (CHB) and
Residential Sub Rural (RSR) to
Commercial Industrial Restricted
(CIR), according to a rezoning
request application.
If ultimately approved, the proj
ect would entail about 100,000
square feet of manufacturing
space, 137,400 square feet of flex
space and 81,700 square feet of
self-storage space.
Local developer consultant Jim
King and Atlanta Gear Works
(AGW) president Jack Conway Jr.
are both part-owners of the prop
erty through the LLCs.
He’s owned the land since
2002, King said during the
Planning Commission meeting.
“It’s come to the point where
we’ve been marketing the proper
ty and had a lot of inquiries on the
various uses, and all of them
require rezoning,” King added.
He estimated that the front part
of the parcel was rezoned CHB
around 2009. Then, in 2020,
Dawson County changed its zon
ing ordinance, taking uses from
CHB and putting them under the
new CIR designation.
The 100,000-square-foot area
would ideally be set aside as a
future location for AGW, given
the manufacturer’s “rapid” expan
sion over the past decade, King
said.
The company currently has
50-plus employees, making it one
of the county’s bigger employers,
according to 2022 estimates from
the Development Authority of
Dawson County.
“Where his current location on
Hightower [Parkway] is, they
have no more expansion room, so
it’s either go here or possibly up
into Lumpkin County,” King said.
When asked by Hamby, King
explained that the current request
differs from the earlier rezoning
because a proposed purchaser at
that time had the land under con
tract for a retail development.
Now, King said they plan to
keep or preserve some of the uses,
like for AGW, while selling off
some of the other ones.
DADC board member Tony
Passarello supported the industrial
proposal out of what he called
“consistency” and the develop
ment board’s plan to attract new
businesses to the county.
Passarello cited AGW’s higher-
than-average salary and benefits
packages for area employees, the
proposed space’s location along
the Ga. 400 corridor and potential
to diversify the current tax digest.
“All development projects will
have pluses and minuses, but rare
ly does a development project fit
so well and appropriately and
consistently with our goals,”
Passarello said.
Land use concerns
Arlene McClure, whose family
owns a farm a few parcels away
from the proposed site, told plan
ning commissioners that hers and
another family have put almost
900 acres into conservation and
plan to keep their land that way.
She pointed to Dawson
County’s Future Land Use Map,
something she said “citizens spent
countless hours creating,” and ref
erenced the agricultural and resi
dential areas on both the north
and south sides of Stowers Road.
“I feel like the community
should be grateful to those of us
who are still wanting to preserve
the natural environment and beau
ty that we have,” McClure said.
“There’s so little of it left.”
During his rebuttal, King men
tioned that the land on Stowers
Road beyond his parcel is set to
remain agricultural in the Future
Land Use Map.
“Because the conservation
property has a greatly reduced tax
rate, the county’s got to have a tax
base to support that,” King added,
highlighting the Ga. 400 corri
dor’s role in generating sales reve
nue for the tax digest.
Many residents’ concerns cen
tered around traffic. McClure
explained that Stowers Road West
is a little, narrow road that starts
paved and turns to gravel farther
away from Ga. 400. Residents,
their friends and area athletes use
the road for walking, jogging, bik
ing, so having tracks on the road
would put them in danger, partic
ularly with vehicles turning and
speeding thinking it’s Ga. 136,
she said.
In the Georgia Mountain
Regional Commission’s Oct. 24
memo to Dawson County offi
cials, about 1,264 daily trips, with
some being freight vehicles,
would be expected in the area.
Between 137-175 vehicle trips
would be expected per hour.
“This is mind boggling to those
of us that relish the peace and
quiet we have now,” said Doug
Powell, a Stowers Road resident.
District 4 Planning
Commissioner and Vice-Chair
Neil Hornsey asked if the third
driveway shown on concept plans
could be removed so there would
only be two access points.
King seemed amenable to that,
clarifying that no one from the
industrial space would need to
drive farther down the road and
suggesting signage to direct vehi
cles back to Ga. 400.
Much of Ga. 400 in the Stowers
Road area has a dividing median
and limited curb cuts to maintain
higher speed levels, which would
direct most traffic exiting the
development north via the
Stowers Road intersection, the
GMRC report stated.
McClure wondered how north
bound tracks would be able to
turn onto Stowers Road, especial
ly with cars speeding there and
called the maneuver “risky
enough, even in a car.”
She also had concerns about
traffic sight distance for vehicles
turning north onto Ga. 400, given
the hill from the Ga. 136 intersec
tion, but King called that particu
lar left turn “necessary” and said
the visibility is actually clear
looking that way.
In a traffic study for the pro
posed project, Abdul Amer of A
and R Engineering expressed sim
ilar concerns about Stowers Road
West’s and the intersection’s abili
ty to handle the amount of expect
ed track traffic.
“The intersection of Ga. 400
and Stowers Road is currently at
an acute angle with a small radius
return for traffic turning right
from Stowers Road onto south
bound Ga. 400,” Amer stated in
his report. “With increase in traf
fic, including truck traffic, on
Stowers Road, the right-turn
movement can be difficult given
the acute angle and high speeds
[of] more than 55 mph on Ga.
400.”
With potential challenges with
right-of-way availability, grading
and existing guardrail at the
Stowers Road approach, Amer
recommended a “channelized
right turn lane with a larger radius
return” be installed at Ga. 400
southbound and Stowers Road.
Fred Stowers, whose family
also has proximate farmland,
acknowledged the “for sale” sign
has been on the property for a
while but called the proposal
“spot zoning at its worst.”
Stowers critiqued the proposed
space’s removal from sewage
capacity and the “over 30 houses
within 150 feet of this property on
the west and north sides.”
He also expressed doubts about
an industrial facility being able to
contain the type of noise that’d be
expected there and disagreed with
the requested variances to reduce
the parking area by 50% and
reduce setback restrictions by
25%.
“The only reason we can see in
the application for requesting this
is so the development can make
the property more valuable,”
Stowers said.
Stowers elaborated that com
mercial or industrial is not the
only thing that pays taxes in
Dawson County and added that
“it’s supported primarily by the
residential people now,” with him
and “pleased to pay” the higher
property taxes for their land
because “we get results.”
“It’s all the more reason to hold
on to the current setbacks and
parking,” he added.
Multiple people shared con
cerns about preserving the land
for its natural beauty and habitat
for animals.
Georgia Department of Natural
Resources Commissioner Mark
Williams wrote the GMRC a let
ter mentioning the land’s inclu
sion in the high-priority Upper
Etowah watershed and habitat for
various threatened or endangered
birds, fish and bats.
The GMRC report addressed
concerns about adding 39%
impervious surfaces “to a steeply
sloped area” and an expected
increase in surface runoff into
streams, which could impact sedi
mentation, chemical pollution,
erosive flooding and reduced
groundwater recharge.
DNR suggestions included
increasing the buffer widths on
tributary streams to 50 feet and
using “constructed wetland
designs with native vegetation in
stormwater management areas.”
Other possible fixes could entail
reducing impervious surfaces or
using “alternative construction
materials that allow for infiltra
tion.”
Three streams ran through the
proposed site property and con
verge into a big creek that then
intersects Grant Road and flows
through McClure’s property and
eventually into the Etowah River,
she said.
That part of Grant Road near
her family farm hosts a problem
atic culvert that frequently floods.
When it does, heavy rains bring
water and often debris into her
family’s farm pastures, said
McClure, and then runoff from
chicken and cow manure, fertiliz
er and pesticides are taken toward
the Etowah River.
She explained that talks with
the county had yielded a potential
two-culvert fix that ended up
being a concern for area fish and a
bridge option which would be
expensive.
“Even if they do mitigation and
collect the water, treat it and then
let it out, the water’s going to flow
downstream through that culvert,”
McClure said. “Does the county
or the developer have $250,000 to
$1,000,000 to speed up replace
ment? There’s also no retention
pond planned.”
She urged the county not to
“make the mistake of approving
this manufacturing facility that
will rain the rural atmosphere and
ecological value of Stowers Road
West.”
Tanya Wallace, who lives in a
subdivision across from the site,
suggested a “better purpose” for
the land than stripping it and con
structing “a bunch of useless
buildings for money,” particularly
in light of recent economic con
cerns.
“For the folks like us that have
always had family here and want
to have kids and grandldds enjoy
this land...we’re opening that up
to a huge mess,” Wallace said to
the Planning Commission. “If this
passes and it gets stripped, it’s just
a matter of time for everybody,
even maybe where you folks live.”
Good memories get me through the hard times
It’s been a trying year
because there have been
too many loved ones
leave us. Some stunning
ly unexpected.
With each, I’ve found
that the way to survive is
to search for the good
and cling to that.
Years ago, we had the privilege
of meeting a new couple who
joined our church. Kay and
Stanley were fixated on the good
they could do for the Lord, their
community, and the employees in
their business. Though unusual
for our kind of country folks, they
were devoted to good health.
They hiked, exercised, and ate
healthy — including a regime of
juicing, regularly. Both were slim
with youthful looks and amazing
complexions. I have never seen a
man with a more beautiful com
plexion than Stanley’s. It was
exceptional and, often, when I
was talking with him, I
couldn’t concentrate on
what he was saying for
marveling at his skin’s
crystal perfection.
It happened in the
spring. Stanley and Kay
had entered a Chamber
of Commerce 5K as a
fundraiser. They were about half
way through when a photogra
pher approached and asked for a
photo. They obliged. Photo taken,
they returned to the walk. Kay
said that in a few seconds, she
realized that Stanley wasn’t
beside her. She looked back and
saw him tumbling into the grass.
A long-respected Sunday School
teacher, he, in seconds, had met
the Jesus of Whom he had taught
for so long.
Our hearts were broken over
the grievous, unexpected loss of
such a fine Christian man. But
what continues to marvel for me
is that Kay possesses a photo of
the two of them - smiling and
happy - in the last two minutes of
their time together on earth. What
a rare gift.
Later, she told me that Stanley
had taken a photo of her with a
camera phone a few minutes ear
lier. When, some time after, she
looked at the picture, she was
astounded to see that her hus
band’s shadow was cast over her.
“God is good,” she said with a
smile. “God left this to remind
me that Stanley will always be
looking over me.”
For the funeral, Tink and I
joined the church choir since it
can be hard to get a lot of people
together for a choir on an after
noon. One of the songs chosen
was “Victory in Jesus.” It has
never been one of my favorite
hymns because it is normally
sung slow and mournful. Not that
day. My brother-in-law, Rodney,
led the full choir in a robust,
hopeful version. It was uplifting.
For me, there have been other
heartbreaking losses - the former
First Lady of Georgia, Sandra
Deal, whose father had been my
high school counselor. And she
was one of the kindest, humblest
people I’ve ever known. My for
ever memory of her will be a Los
Angeles night when the state of
Georgia hosted an event to
encourage television and movie
filming in our Deep South, and
she, shy among the Hollywood
crowd, came over to sit with Tink
and me. Like every country
woman I’ve ever known, she had
her purse - we refer to it as a
“pocket book” - on her lap, with
her arms wrapped tightly around
it. God bless people like Sandra
Deal who stay true to their roots.
Hollywood, be darned.
It will be a long time before I
recover from the homegoing of
my precious friend and mentor,
Vince Dooley, a legendary foot
ball coach. He was a football
hero, historian, humanitarian, and
he spotted potential in me when I
was in college.
However, behind on earth, he
left his wife, Barbara, who is one
of my best friends. Dooley used
to say, “You two are quite the
pair.”
I’ll be honest - this
Thanksgiving, it is hard to be
grateful for too many mournful
journeys to the cemeteries though
I am immensely thankful for the
blessing of their lives.
But I still have Barbara Dooley
and that’s a huge Thanksgiving
blessing.
Ronda Rich is the best-selling
author of What Southern Women
Know About Faith. Visit www.
rondarich.com to sign up for her
free weekly newsletter.
RONDA RICH
Columnist