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6A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, May 17,2023
Corridor talks rekindle wider traffic dialogue
Photo courtesy of Dawson County Schools
Area residents Ann and Fred Becking, left, listen as Long Range Planning Committee acting chair Jane
Graves and Director of Economic Development Kevin Herrit brainstorm how to handle development
along Lumpkin Campground Road North.
By Julia Hansen
jhansen@dawsonnews.com
Over 20 people stopped
by Fire Station 2’s com
munity room for a May 3
drop-in meeting about the
Lumpkin Campground
Road corridor, according
to a recent Dawson
County Government
Facebook post.
Dawson County offi
cials and representatives
from consulting firm KCI
also attended the public
input session.The session
was part of the study’s
first phase. No specific
projects have been identi
fied as of yet.
Consulting firm KCI’s
study is looking at
Lumpkin Campground
Road’s southernmost seg
ment from the Forsyth
County line to the Dawson
Forest Road roundabout
and from its intersection
with Ga. 53 north to Ga.
400.
Director of Economic
Development Kevin
Herrit, who had transpor
tation planning experience
prior to his current role,
emphasized inter-parcel
connectivity where possi
ble around denser devel
opments like the new ones
on or near Lumpkin
Campground Road North.
That way, not as many
cars are on the road, he
told meeting attendees.
Herrit also mentioned
the county’s forthcoming
greenway initiative, which
county staff presented dur-
ing the Board of
Commissioners’ meeting
on Oct. 7, 2021.
A major sticking point
for citizens at the meeting
was Lumpkin
Campground Road
North’s intersection with
Ga. 400 and Harmony
Church Road. That inter
section’s X shape, delayed
light signals and develop
ment along Lumpkin
Campground
contribute to a frustrat
ing traffic backlog cross
ing or turning onto Ga.
400.
“All of the development
is coming up here, and we
live here,” Anne Becking
said, gesturing to the
Harmony Church Road
area. “We can’t get across
[Ga. 400] to come this
way.”
“They have so much
development going on on
this side of the road [such
as] apartment complexes,
and I think it’s going to
have to be a four-lane
road. I don’t know how
they’re going to forgo it, ”
Anne’s husband, Fred,
said.
Last spring, traffic engi-
neer Abdul Amer
reviewed Fox Creek
Properties’ now-with
drawn Etowah Bluffs
mixed-use project and
made note of that same
intersection.
The engineer recom
mended that left-turn sig
nal phases and signal tim
ing would have to be
updated at Ga. 400’s inter
section with Lumpkin
Campground and
Harmony Church roads
which crosses at an acute
angle.
The intersection of
Lumpkin Campground
Road and Ga. 53 presents
several challenges as well.
That part of the corridor
south to the roundabout
with Dawson Forest Road
is not the subject of the
ongoing KCI study.
Planning Director
Sharon Farrell previously
clarified during talks for
funding this study that an
older 2019 study did exist
for that middle section of
the corridor.
Industrial vehicles are
forced through that inter
section rather than having
another route to help avoid
it, District 2
Commissioner Chris
Gaines said.
Gaines also suggested
getting rid of the north
bound turn lane onto
Lumpkin Campground
Road so there could be
two lanes going toward
Ga. 400.
“It’s the lowest or least
expensive fix until we can
get a roundabout there,”
Gaines said.
Development Authority
of Dawson County Vice-
Chair Jere Allen men
tioned the idea of a second
right-turn lane so that peo
ple don’t have to queue up
for so long waiting to turn
onto Ga. 53.
Improvements requiring
more land are complicated
by the intersection’s light
signals each being close to
the street corners, Gaines
added.
Although the Georgia
Department of
Transportation owns the
intersection’s northeastern
corner, an old insurance
building occupies the
southeastern corridor, and
the historic Bethel church
and cemetery and
Lumpkin Campground
border that part of the
roadway.
As for Lumpkin
Campground South, acci
dent hot spots lie at the
route’s intersection with
Whitmire and Red River
drives. Meanwhile, some
were still pondering the
completion of
Marketplace Parkway as a
frontage road for the retail
stores there.
“This is a great frontage
road, and it just needs a
little piece added to be
complete,” said Planning
Director Sharon Farrell.
In that same way, any
major fixes to the
Lumpkin Campground
Road corridor may take
thinking outside of the
box.
In a Facebook post,
Dawson County encour
aged people to post com
ments on their April 12
announcement of
Wednesday’s meeting.
Many replies suggested
adding green-light arrows
or reconfiguring turn lanes
at the Lumpkin
Campground-Ga. 53 inter
section. Others mentioned
problematic adjacent road
ways that aren’t a part of
KCI’s current study, such
as Grizzle or Dawson
Forest roads.
Former District 3
Commissioner candidate
Deanna Dickinson sug
gested rerouting traffic to
Ga. 400 through the
movie theater parking lot;
closing off of the Crosby
Station entrance from
Lumpkin Campground to
make it emergency access
only; and promoting use
of parallel access roads.
Still others voiced a
desire to stop or slow local
growth and development.
Within the past few
months, Dawson County
commissioners and com
mittee members have
explored possible tools to
help tackle traffic issues
such as a wider road study
or Transportation Special
Purpose Local Option
Sales Tax. Both efforts are
still forthcoming as of this
publication.
In that same way, others
explained that any major
fixes to the Lumpkin
Campground Road corri
dor may take thinking out
side of the box.
“More pavement may
not be the answer,” said
Public Works Director
Robert Drewry, citing the
obstacle of redirecting
traffic where existing busi
nesses or residences are.
“See the undeveloped land
up there?”, Drewry said,
gesturing to largely wood
ed areas north along
Lumpkin Campground
Road and Ga. 400.
“Now’s the time to start
thinking about what it’s
going to look like there
with traffic [in the
future].”
In related news, the
board unanimously
approved Drewry’s
request to apply for almost
$83,0000 in GDOT Safety
Action Grant funds.
This state grant is a type
of Local Maintenance
Improvement Grant or
LMIG.
This money would spe
cifically address low-cost
safety fixes that help
reduce the frequency of
crashes, the BOC’s May 4
work session agenda stat
ed.
According to a list made
by county staff, fixes
would include updates
and/or the addition to
striping and reflective
pavement markers.
Dawson County would
have to match 30% or
roughly $24,800.
If awarded, these GDOT
LMIG funds plus the
county’s match would
total over $107,000.
The money would cover
repairs to striping or relat
ed road markings along
the following routes:
• Auraria Road from
Ga. 136 to the
Lumpkin County
line
• A.T. Moore Road
from Ga. 9 to Kelly
Bridge Road
• Burt Creek Road
from Ga. 136 to
Shoal Creek Road
• Grant Ford Drive
from Ga. 136 to its
end
• Harmony Church
Road from Ga. 400
to Ga. 136
• Henry Grady
Highway from Ga.
400toGa. 136
• Lumpkin
Campground Road
North from Ga. 400
to Ga. 53
• Lumpkin
Campground Road
South from Ga. 53
to the Forsyth
County line
• Oakmont Drive
from Carlisle Road
to the end of the
right of way at turn
around point
Of the requested funds,
more than $32,000 alone
would go to Lumpkin
Campground’s northern
most and southernmost
segments.
DCN will continue fol
lowing Dawson County’s
study of Lumpkin
Campground Road.
Ga. BOE adopts new English/language arts standards
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
The state Board of Education
adopted a new set of “Georgia-
grown” standards for English/
language arts (ELA) instruction
in public schools Thursday, the
last step in abandoning the fed
eral standards known as
Common Core.
As was the case with new
math standards the board
adopted in August 2021, the
ELA standards were driven by
teachers with input from educa
tional leaders, parents, students,
business and industry leaders,
and community members.
“These updated and
improved standards - created
to prioritize learners with the
input of parents and educators
- will give students a strong
foundation for both literacy
and success,” Gov. Brian
Kemp said after Thursday’s
vote.
“Georgia’s new ELA stan
dards eliminate the final rem
nants of Common Core in
Georgia, fulfilling Governor
Kemp’s and my commitment
to Georgia-owned and
Georgia-grown, clear, and
developmentally appropriate
standards for Georgia stu
dents,” added State School
Superintendent Richard
Woods, who recommended the
new standards to the board.
“Knowing that early literacy
is essential to all future learn
ing, the standards place a
strong emphasis on the funda
mentals in the early grades.”
The General Assembly put
an emphasis on reading during
this year’s legislative session,
passing two literacy bills
aimed in part at an approach
called the “science of reading.”
About 36% of Georgia third
graders read below grade level,
according to the state’s 2022
Milestones test results.
Teachers will receive train
ing on the new ELA standards
during the next two school
years. New resources will be
developed, assessments will be
aligned to the updated stan
dards, and communication will
be provided to parents to
ensure a smooth transition.
Photo courtesy of DCS0
Recently, six men from Dawson and Lumpkin counties completed the
Dawson County Sheriff's Office 52-hour SWAT school.
DCSO hosts SWAT school
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
Recently, the Dawson County Sheriff’s
Office hosted a 52-hour SWAT school for
attendees from Dawson and Lumpkin
counties.
According to information provided by
the sheriff’s office, the school pushed the
men to their mental and physical limits,
and six men were able to successfully fin
ish the school and celebrate their gradua
tion upon completing it.
“I am extremely proud of these men and
their commitment to our county, our office
and our chosen profession,” Dawson
County Sheriff Jeff Johnson said in a
Facebook post. “These newly certified
SWAT Operators are truly a testament to
the selfless character of our public servants
and are the embodiment of dedication and
service. What an honor it is to serve with
all the men and women of our DCSO. We,
as a county, have a lot to be proud of.”
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