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DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I FEBRUARY 22, 2023 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
Commission pauses property rules rollout
Public health, government overreach are cited as top concerns with revisions
By Julia Hansen
jhansen@dawsonnews.com
After several citizens shared
their heartfelt concerns
Thursday, it became even clear
er that Dawson County officials
will have to balance public and
environmental health with fac
tors like property rights when
crafting revised land use rules
— a task easier said than done.
During their Feb. 16 voting
session, the Board of
Commissioners tabled the roll
out of the county’s property
maintenance ordinance 3-0.
District 2 Commissioner
Chris Gaines, who’s spoken up
previously on land use-related
matters, did not vote because he
was not able to attend.
District 4 Commissioner
Emory Dooley motioned for a
temporary, 90-day moratorium
to “put a pause on the property
maintenance ordinance and any
related or similar provisions in
the litter control or solid waste
management ordinances.”
Dooley’s language in the
motion harked back to Gaines’
motion this past July to approve
the county’s moratorium on
residential rezoning applica
tions.
“This [extra time] will ensure
the county is meeting its goals
without there being unintended
or harmful consequences to the
citizens,” Dooley added. “Any
pending notices of potential
violations by the marshal’s
office will be paused as well,
and there will be no enforce
ment during the temporary
moratorium period.”.
Now, the property rules will
be heard again on May 18, dur
ing the same voting session as
the residential moratorium.
That voting session will begin
See Rules 14A
Julia Hansen Dawson County News
Vietnam War veteran and local resident Michael Deweese, right,
tells commissioners on Feb. 16 that a Dawson County property
ordinance would infringe on homeowners' rights.
Wings, brews ready to be served
Erica Jones Dawson County News
Members of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce,Taco Mac representatives and community members
cut the ribbon for the new restaurant's grand opening on Feb. 13.
Taco Mac officially opens doors in Dawson County
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
Taco Mac officially opened
its new Dawson County loca
tion on Feb. 13, bringing a
new dining option for com
munity members craving
wings, burgers and other
bites.
The newest location of
Taco Mac is located at 314
Marketplace Blvd. and will
serve fresh, locally sourced
wings, house-made sauces
and a wide selection of “craft
on draft” options with taps of
craft and local brews. The res
taurant also offers dozens of
TVs for watching sports, and
boasts its “Brewniversity”
program, which allows mem
bers to join several different
tiers, enjoy a rotating menu of
beer offerings and earn
rewards and credits.
During the restaurant’s
grand opening on the morn
ing of Feb. 13, Taco Mac
CEO Harold Martin said that
he’s excited to be able to
finally open the newest loca
tion after several years of
work toward this goal.
“I remember the first time
we walked this site was two
years ago, and in that time
just a tremendous amount of
work has gone into making
this restaurant open,” Martin
said. “Dawson County is one
of the fastest-growing coun
ties in Georgia and one of the
fastest growing counties in
the country, and we desper
ately wanted to be in
Dawsonville, Georgia.”
From the initial steps of
getting the property to build
ing and finally opening,
Martin said that reaching this
goal is a huge accomplish
ment for him and his team.
“As you know there aren’t
a lot of available parcels and
there was fierce competition
for this one,” Martin said.
“We’re so grateful to be here
— we will be a wonderful
neighbor and we just thank
you for all of your support
thus far. We are proud, proud,
proud to be able to open
today.”
General Manager Tim
Barnes added onto Martin’s
comments, applauding the
team of local employees who
have been hard at work train
ing and getting ready for the
grand opening day.
“The team that we got to
build through this community
is exciting; everybody that
See Taco Mac 13A
Ex-teacher is
now accused of
bond violation
By Nick Watson
DCN Regional Staff
A former Gainesville High School teach
er charged with child molestation has been
arrested on new charges he
violated his bond order,
according to court docu
ments.
Cameron David
Millholland, 27, of
Dawsonville, was accused
in August of child molesta
tion after allegations of
inappropriate conduct over
Snapchat with a student.
The bond order included conditions that
Millholland
See Teacher 14A
Dawson names
its next public
works director
By Julia Hansen
jhansen@dawsonnews.com
Following an extensive search, Dawson
County has now found the next person to lead
its public works department.
During the Board of
Commissioners’ Feb. 16
work session, Robert Drewry
was announced as the coun
ty’s new public works direc
tor.
Drewry brings more than
three decades of relevant
experience to the role. He
was selected following prior director Jeff
Hahn’s departure this past fall.
Drewry graduated from Georgia Southern
University with his bachelor’s degree in civil
engineering. He worked for five-plus years as
an assistant county engineer in Fowndes
See Director 13A
Drewry
o
90994 04002
Inside
Volume 9, Number 8
© 2023, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
2B
Classifieds
6B
Dear Abby
4B
Deaths
2A
Legals
6B
Opinion
7A
Sports
1B
4A Authorities
investigate
sudden death
of planning
director
5A Dawsonville
collecting
feedback on
downtown
"We all try and go above
and beyond and give that
five start treatment, so it's
rewarding to know that
what we do matters."
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B. MANZUR, D.M.D.
754 HWY. 53 WEST, DAWSONVILLE, GA
706-265-2505