About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 2022)
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
