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Local Militia District Lines
To Be Studied By Committee
BY JAY JORDAN
News Editor
The Forsyth County Board of Com
missioners voted to establish a com
mittee to study changes in the militia
district lines prior to adopting an offi
cial map of voting districts at its Mon
day afternoon meeting.
Citizens present at the meeting spoke
in favor of an official map, but said any
move to adopt one now, immediately
prior to the November general election,
would force a Republican, presumably
school board candidate Ron Wood, out
of the race.
The Forsyth County Board of Com
missioners voted to establish a com
mittee to study changes in the militia
Tyson Foods Gets Extension
Of Lease On Oxidation Pond
The Cumming City Council voted to
extend Tyson Foods, Inc.’s lease on a
city sewage oxidation pond for 10 years
at its Sept. 16 meeting.
A new rent will be set at the next reg
ularly-scheduled meeting.
Earl Whitaker of Tyson Foods ex
plained the company was expanding
and needed to legally secure the long
term use of the pond to financing.
Under the expansion plan, Tyson
may spend almost $6-million, employ
about 150 new workers and in two
years, may produce 50 percent more
chickens, Whitaker said.
Tyson recently renewed its lease on
the oxidation pond for 10 years, from
1980 to 1990. The extension runs until
2000.
The city first leased the pond to Ty
son in 1970 at S2OO monthly. Tyson is
one of the largest sewer users in the
city. Now, Tyson uses 600,000 gallons of
water a day, Whitaker said, When the
expansion program is complete, the
firm will use around 900,000 gallons a
day, he said.
The city is paying off bonds on the
pond until 2004, while Tyson pays for
Business License
Law Is Discussed
The Forsyth County Board of Com
missioners worked through a lengthy
agenda at its Monday meeting.
The board discussed support for a
proposed business license ordinance,
and purchasing a computer terminal
and vote recorders.
The business license ordinance is in
the form of an amendment'to the
Georgia constitution which will be on
the ballot in the November general
election. If the amendment is approved
by the voters and the General Assem
bly, the the board will be able to pass a
law establishing fees and other details.
The board decided to form a commit
tee to gather facts about the business li
cense ordinance and to seek public
support for it.
The ordinance was voted down in
1978 by a substantial majority.
The board stressed repeatedly the
business license ordinance is not in
tended to produce income for the
county, but to ensure orderly growth
and fly-by-night, disreputable busi
nesses.
Fees would be set only high enough to
support the program, board chairman
Bill Barnett said.
A business license ordinance would
“put alot of extra teeth into the zoning
ordinance,” chairman Barnett said.
“We are not doing our duty if we
don’t support it,” commissioner James
Harrington said. The business license
ordinance would uphold the zoning law.
Business licenses were one of the few
ways to control building, he explained.
The board voted to spend $4,695 to
purchase a new computer terminal for
Cumming Girl Hit
By Car In Athens
A 17-year-old Route 4 Cumming girl
was struck and hit by a car as she
crossed the street in Athens Thursday.
Authorities said Shelia Lee McClure
Was pdmitted to Athens General Hospi
tal in critical condition after being
struck by a car at the comer of Broad
Street and College Avenue.
The accident was termed unavoid
able and no charges filed, authorities
•aid.
Miss McClure attends the University
of Georgia in Athens.
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VOLUME LXXI—NUMBER 38
district lines
The committee is to consist of one
member from each of the 13 Georgia
militia districts in the county and one
each from the Democratic and Repub
lican parties. The committee is to re
port when it has finished, but not before
the November general election.
The committee was formed after the
Forsyth County Democratic Party sent
a letter to the board asking it to adopt
an official map of election districts.
The official map should be forwarded
to state officials, Democratic secretary
J. Lanier Bannister wrote. An official
map would ensure both political parties
were using the same map and would
avoid future litigation.
the maintenance and upkeep.
The city needs additional revenue
and must pay off the bonds, Mayor
Ford Gravitt said. The city will consult
with its accountant before setting a
new rent, the mayor said.
The council also tabled the proposed
budget of the Forsyth-Cumming Plan
ning Department until the next meet
ing so part of it could be checked
further.
The council understood Forsyth
County would charge “rent” to the
planning department for the space it
occupies in the courthouse.
Gail Davis, the planning department
head, said at the meeting she had
learned of the “rent” requirement
when county officials told her she
would have to revise upward the $3,500
budgeted for utilities.
The matter was straightened out
later, she explained, after the “rent”
turned out to be what Mayor Gravitt
suspected a utility charge based on
the size of each office in the court
house. Every office in the courthouse
would be charged its snare of the court
house utility bill based on the space it
the sheriff’s department. The old one
has been broken for over a week and
would cost $4,270 to fix, county admin
istrator Donald Major said.
The computer terminal is linked to a
state crime control computer and is
used by patroling deputies to check
auto registrations and other records.
The board also voted to buy 12 voter
recorders at a cost of about $225 to $250
each.
The recorders were refused by an
other county which had ordered them.
Normally, they would cost $290, Major
Continued on Page 3A
8- -
I |
WILLIAM (BILL) REED IS SELECTED
... Forsyth County Teacher of the Year
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24,1980- CUMMING, GA. 30130
This was in apparent reference to thg
dispute over post five board of educa
tion candidate Ron Wood. Wood, a Re
publican, lives in the Cumming
precinct, according to the most recent
Georgia Department of Transportation
county road map. Earlier maps, dating'
back to the 19205, show Wood living A
post five, though. f>
No legal descriptions of the militia
district and voting district lines are
known to exist.
Wood was not present at the board
meeting, but did send a brief letter
which was read by county administra
tor Donald Major. Wood asked that an
official map and legal descriptions of
the district boundaries be chosen to
occupied, explained Ms. Davis.
The council also was displeased with
other items in the planning department
budget. The free use of planning de
partment office machines by other
county offices drew criticism.
The planning department should be
operated on non-profit basis, Mayor
Gravitt said. Its office equipment is for
its own use and not for other depart
ments. If the department is making
money, the fees it charges should be
lowered, he said.
The city also took action against the
owners of buildings Mayor Gravitt
Continued on Page 2A
avoid possible litigation.
Several of those who spoke against
ah immediate change said there was a
move afoot to change the rules at the
last minute to have a Republican candi
date, apparently Wood, thrown out of
'the race.
* Some of the speakers said voters who
live in the Shady Grove area are tech
nically in the Cumming election dis
trict, but are separated from it by Lake
Lanier. To vote, these people must
drive past the Chattahoochee district
polling place.
Everyone who spoke agreed the
county needed an official map, but
urged no action be taken until after the
November election at the earliest.
Republican Jim Weatherby, who is
running for the county commission
from post five, said the move to adopt
an offical map now “strikes me as a
rather shabby political attempt at a po
litical trick.’” If the board acted now,
he said, it could be accused of gerry
mandering, or changing the voting dis
trict lines to affect the outcome of an
election.
The county already had an official
map, from 1928, which needed to be up
dated, Weatherby said. But six weeks
before the general election was not the
time to do it, he added.
Horace Beasley identified himself as
a political independent. He said he un
derstood there was a movement under
way to throw a Republican candidate
out of the November election.
He suggested the board wait until af
ter the election to choose an offical
map. The 885th militia district boundry
should be changed to the middle of
Continued on Page 2A
SISTER ANNE OF ‘THE PLACE’ WEAVES IN FRONT OF DISPLAY
... this display placed first in the theme for falling leaves festival
By LANE GARDNER CAMP
Staff Writer
“I love teaching. I love to work for
these young people. They keep me
thinking young.”
These are the words of the Forsyth
County School System’s 1980-81 Tea
cher of the Year (TOTY), William
(Bill) Reed.
Reed, a social science teacher at For
syth County High School for 14 years,
has recently received this honor be
cause of his “contributions to education
and the teaching profession.”
A special committee chose Reed to
represent the Forsyth County School
System in Georgia’s 1981 TOTY pro
gram which gets underway this fall.
There were teachers of the year se
lected at each of the county’s nine
schools.
Reed, who is originally from Atlanta
and now lives in Doraville, travels to
Forsyth County each school day to
teach a variety of subjects: economics,
psychology, sociology, criminology,
and marriage and family adjustment.
According to Betty Benson, curric
ulum coordinator for the Forsyth
County School System, “Mr. Reed is
one of the most versatile teachers that
I know.” She says that in addition to so
cial studies, he is also quite capable of
teaching English and history.
“He’s the kind of person you like to
William Reed Is Selected
Forsyth’s Teacher Of Year
28 PAGES, 2 SECTIONS-25 CENTS
|r JgH * W 1
Happy Homecoming Queen
Angie Martin squeezes her dad’s arm with delight after hearing her name called
as Forsyth County High School’s Homecoming queen. Angie, daughter of Rev. and
Mrs. Robert Martin, was named during halftime of Friday night’s football game
at the stadium here. Angie, a senior, is captain of the football varsity cheerlead
ers.
have in the classroom academically
and morally,” she adds.
Johnny Otts, principal of Forsyth
County High School, says of Reed,
“He’s really a fine teacher,” pointing
out his “outstanding classes,” his “ex
cellent rapport with his students,” and
his “conscientious” attitude toward
teaching.
Describing his teaching philosophy,
Reed states, “If I can get the child to
enjoy whatever we’re doing, he/she
will learn more readily as well as more
maturely.”
“Learning is a pleasure,” he says,
“and I teach with that in mind.”
33-Year-Old Forsyth Man
Dies In Car Accident Here
A 33-year-old Forsyth County man
was killed in a one-car accident here
late Saturday, according to the Forsyth
County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities identified the victim as
Stanley Ray Little, of the Haw Creek
Community near Cumming.
Investigating officers said Little was
apparently killed instantly when the
car he was driving ran off the road and
overturned several times.
The accident occurred at approxi
Winners Are
Announced
For Festival
Hundreds of folks gathered at Lanier
Village Shopping Center in Cumming
Saturday for the annual Falling Leaves
Festival, the largest in its six-year-his
tory.
More than 33 artists, craftsmen and
civic clubs and groups participated in
displays and booths around the store
fronts of the shopping center.
Several participants receive awards
in the contests of the theme, best all
around and best country dress.
First place winner for the theme
went to “The Place,” second place was
awarded to “Judy and Renees” and
third place went to “Forgotten Crafts”.
An honorable mention was made to
Joyce Holtzclaw.
For best country dress, Lamar Smith
was the first place male winner. In the
female division, Stephanie Long re
ceived First Place, Clara Thomas re
ceived third place and Debra Gallard
won third place. Honorable mentions
went to Betty and Helen of The New
comers’ Club and to Mary Samples.
Continued on Page 16A
Also, to maintain or develop his stu
dents’ interests, Reed says he’ll do
most anything.
In the past, he’s strummed on a gui
tar and arranged a dill pickle party.
“I’ll even dance for them,” he says.
Reed enjoys “laughing with” his stu
dents, but at the same time, he believes
in “proper discipline and maintaining
an atmosphere that’s conducive to
learning."
“I am in charge. I respect my stu
dents as young adults. And I will be re
spected as their teacher,” he explains.
“I’m not dictatorial, but I am the tea-
Continued on Page 2A
mately 11:45 p.m. Saturday at the in
tersection of Brookwood Road and
Georgia 141 in southern Forsyth
County. No other vehicles were be
lieved to be involved in the accident,
according to Sheriff Wesley Walraven.
However, the accident is still under
investigation by Forsyth sheriff’s dep
uties.
Sheriff Walraven said the traffic
death was Forsyth County’s third of the
year.