Newspaper Page Text
Lanier May Plunge To Below 1050 Feet
learner reached its record low
level last week and kept on falling.
The previous record low level was set
on Dec. 18, 1970, when Lake Lanier
reached 1,057.53 feet above sea level.
The lake hit a new low Wednesday
evening, Oct. 14.
Monday it stood at 1,057.16.
How far will the lake fall this year?
No one knows for sure, but Corps of
Engineers hydrologist Ed Burkett in
Mobile, Ala., told The News, “We’ll be
going near 1,050, give or take a foot or
so.”
Charge Set
For School
The Forsyth County Board of Educa
tion voted Thursday, Oct. 15, to regu
late the use of school facilities for this
school year.
After an involved 90-minute dis
cussion, the board accepted board
member Arthur Wright’s modified pro
posal as amended by member Harold
Glover.
The board also set prices for the use
of school facilities to cover energy
costs.
For 1981-82, “enrichment-type sub
jects” like dancing or photography may
be taught in school facilities after
school if they are approved by the
principal of the school and a committee
of the principals and superintendent
and if they meet six guidelines, Wright
stipulated.
The guidelines Wright put in his mo
tion are that the activities must be
legal, they must be in the best interests
of good education, the must be mutually
acceptable to all concerned, they must
not cost the school system any money,
the schools must not be legally liable,
and there must be no conflict of interest
in the student-teacher relationship.
Wright began by making a motion
that allowed enrichment subjects to be
taught if they were approved by the
school principal and sponsored by the
school parents’ and teachers’ associa
tion.
This met with some opposition and he
later withdrew it. Wright was closely
questioned by Glover, and other board
members, school principals and mem
bers of the audience participated in the
discussion.
The principals did not like the PTA as
a sponsor, and Amsler fought politely
for the authority of the board and
central office. Some worried over the
apparent conflict with existing board
policy of allowing profit-making groups
to use school facilities. Also, the
makeup of the committee to approve
enrichment activities varied during
the discussion.
At one point, board chairman Edsel
Orr suggested the board do nothing
immediately and appoint a committee
to recommend a new policy for the 1982-
83 school year.
Glover amended Wright’s motion to
limit it to the current school year.
Then the board heard Glover’s report
and accepted his recommendation to
charge $lO for the use of school gymna
siums, plus $3 an hour, and $lO for the
use of school cafeterias, plus $2 an hour.
Continued on Page 2A
Water Authority Moves
Account To Another Bank
The Cuiraning-Forsyth County Water
and Sewerage Authority ran out of
money last month and had to move its
accounts from the Forsyth County
Bank to the Bank of Cumming.
The money troubles may have had
their origin in a loan made by the
Forsyth County Board of Commission
ers to the authority in 1979 for $125,000.
The county took the authority’s only
assets to speak of, its water lines, as
collateral.
The News’ files show the county
called the loan in December 1980.
In March 1981, authority vice chair
man Horace Trammel came before the
commissioners and asked to borrow the
money back. Both he and commission
chairman Bill Barnett said at the time
they understood the authority could
have the loan again.
But the commissioners refused to
make the loan a second time, citing a
recent state law governing the security
and rate of return of the county’s in
vestments. They did, though, agree to
co-sign a $125,000 loan at the Forsyth
County Bank.
In the meantime, the authority had
niUffi
. jAI
Corps engineers have put an 80 per
cent chance on the possibility of the
lake falling to 1,052 feet by the last week
in November. The lake might possibly
go as far down as 1,049 by Jan. 1,1982.
But that figure is “a much more diffi
cult guess,” Burkett said, giving it only
a 40 percent chance of that happening.
Droughts like the record one of 1954-
56 have historically lasted two or three
years, Burkett said, and the one in
progress now has only been going on
about 18 months. The National Weather
Service in Athens recorded the driest 12
jf. * m Bfe
Homecoming Queen
Leslie Burruss, pictured right, is crowned the 1981 Forsyth County High School
Homecoming Queen for 1981 by 1980 queen, Angie Martin. Miss Burruss, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Burruss, was elected queen by students at the high school
during last week’s homecoming activities. Vicki Bowen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Don Bowen, was first runner up; Karen Lane, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Lane, was second runner up; Phyllis Anglin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James
Anglin, was third runner up; and Rhonda Sorrells, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Douglas Sorrells, was fourth runner up in the selection. Rhonda Pinson, a teacher
at Forsyth County High School, coordinated the halftime ceremony at Friday
night’s football game. (News Photo By Scott Vaughan)
Board Of Education Okays
sl4-Million Budget For Year
By JAY JORDAN
News Editor
The Forsyth County Board of Educa
tion publically read its budget for the
1981-82 school year at its monthly meet
ing Thursday, Oct. 15.
The budget was formally approved in
an executive session Oct. 6. The board
calls it a minimal, bare bones budget.
The 1981-82 budget is set at
$14,120,068.16, or $5,417,600.76 less than
the $19,537,668.92 budgeted and
$18,709,688.12 actually spent last year.
Property taxes did go up this year,
though, by approximately 45 percent to
19.96 mills, nearly the constitutional
limit.
Projected receipts and expenditures
match each other in the new budget.
secured large grants to build the re
cently completed water lines in the
southern portion of the county. Cont
rary to popular belief, some grants are
not free, and the authority had to pay its
share. It established a line of credit at
the Forsyth County Bank for $360,000,
chairman Barnett said.
Somewhere, he said, the Forsyth
County Bank thought it secured title to
the water system, but did not. The
county actually had it.
When the authority paid back the
county commissioners, it dipped into its
line of credit at the bank.
If the authority had not paid back the
commissioners, it probably would have
been able to pay its obligations, chair
man Barnett said.
So the authority went on, living off its
savings, authority secretary and trea
surer Lanier Bannister explained. By
September, work was nearly finished
on the water lines and the authority was
running out of money.
The commissioners still held the title
to the water authority and the authority
had used up $358,000 of its credit. The
authority wanted to extend its line of
XXII—NUMBER 42 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1981 CUMMING, GA. 30130 26 PAGES, 2 SECTIONS—2S CENTS
months ever in the year that ended
Sept. 30.
So what concerns the Corps, Burkett
said, is that this winter will be dry like
the last one. If this happens, the lake
might not fill above 1,060 feet next
summer. Another dry year could drive
the lake to 1,035 by next October, Bur
kett said.
The Corps has calculated that despite
normal winter and spring rainfall,
there is a 60 percent chance of the lake
not regaining its normal level in the
summer of 1982. The normal summer
The school system started the new
financial year July 1 with a $77,262.12
deficit in the general fund. It borrowed
first $500,000 and then $700,000 last week
to operate until property taxes are
received in December and January.
Grants from the state of Georgia are
the single largest source of school
board revenue at $6,004,001.98 and are
$1,399,762.79 less than last year. Local
property taxes are next at $4,764,858.28,
$582,026.65 more than last year.
Other local receipts is the next larg
est category at $631,900. This category
includes interest on bank accounts, bills
outstanding, bills paid to the school
system, and other miscellaneous rec
eipts.
Incoming transfers total $442,071.63.
credit and pay the interest due, Bannis
ter said, but the Forsyth County Bank
would not do so unless the county com
missioners agreed to co-sign the loan.
Title to the water system was not the
problem, Barnett said; the county’s
guarantee was.
“We were getting ready to run com
pletely out of money,” Bannister
explained. The authority decided to ask
the county commissioners for help;
“we had no bargaining cards at all.”
The Forsyth County Bank wanted the
commissioners to guarantee the au
thority’s loans, chairman Barnett said.
Both the authority and the commission
ers talked with both the Forsyth County
bank and the Bank of Cumming.
The commissioners were reluctant to
guarantee the authority’s loans unless
no other alternative was available, he
said. The commissioners decided “to
shop the loan around,” and found the
Bank of Cumming would underwrite
the authority without a guarantee from
the commissioners.
At one point in the discussions, said
authority vice chairman Trammel, one
Continued on Page 2A
FORSYTH
COUNTY
NEWS
elevation is about 1,071 feet.
Burkett cautioned, “the way things
are going, unless it is an unusually
dry winter, we wouldn’t get near that
1,035.”
1,035 feet is a significant level be
cause that is the lowest level at which
the turbines at Buford Dam can still
operate.
The Corps has been trying to econ
omize water use at the dam, Burkett
said trying to release as little as possi
ble.
Since last May, the rural electric
Still PUD
Proposed Quarry Site
Zoning At Standstill
By JAY JORDAN
News Editor
The struggle over the proposed rock
quarry in southern Forsyth County is in
a temporary stalemate.
Monday, Oct. 12, the county commis
sioners were unable to rezone the land.
Commissioner Donald Glover’s mo
tion to rezone a 1,547.9-acre planned
unit development including the quarry
property for single family residential
use died without a second. Commis
sioner Harrison Tallant’s motion to
consult all 26 property owners before
taking action also died without a sec
ond.
Finally Commissioner Leroy Hub
bard’s motion came to a vote. He mo
tioned that a 500 foot strip along
Georgia Highway 141 be zoned single
family residential and that the rest of
the property be zoned agriculture. This
motion was defeated 3-2, effectively
leaving the property the way it was
(Zoned PUD).
The News incorrectly reported Hub
bard’s motion passed in last week’s
edition. The News regrets its error.
The Tri-county Environmental
Group, the citizen’s group fighting
Woodland Equities’ proposed quarry
near the corner of Highway 141 and
Bagley Road, met Sunday and decided
to do nothing for the time being, the
This category is deceiving, Supt.
B.M. “Bud” Amsler explained, because
the school just acts as the fiscal agent.
The money for lunchroom milk, for
example, arrives in the school system’s
bank account from the state school
board and is immediately paid out
again to the supplier, he explained.
Federal funds are relatively small at
$442,071.63. These go mostly for feder
ally-mandated programs like remedial
reading and math.
The beginning balance in the sys
tem’s bank account July 1 was
$1,335,214.02, which was all committed
to be spent. This was over $5 million
less than the previous year.
Estimated expenses for the 1981-1982
school year are broken down into 14
A young Forsyth County man prepares to make his purchase
at the annual Cumming Creations Bazaar, held Saturday and
Sunday at the Cumming Elementary School. The bazaar
featured booths from local churches, garden clubs and civic
membership cooperatives and the
Southern Company haven’t been taking
the full amount power and water they
are entitled to under their contracts,
Burkett explained.
To cut water use even more, the
Corps has been paying power custom
ers to buy energy elsewhere. This has
been going on since the second week in
September.
Buford Dam is part of a chain of
dams which regulate the flow of the
Chattahoochee River to supply electric
power and a sufficient depth of water
Rev. John Robinson, president of the
group said.
Atlanta attorney Richard Newton,
who represents Woodland Equities, de
clined last week to discuss his future
plans, saying the press was not the
proper place. He did say, “We will
follow proper legal procedure to per
mit us to use our property as we see fit
to use it.”
The stalemate may come to an end,
though, because there is a dispute about
what the quarry land is actually zoned,
and thus whether or not a quarry can be
built there.
Zoning first appears in county re
cords on Sept. 24, 1973, explained
county attorney Woody Jordan. In the
next few years, he and other county
officals began to study the zoning ordi
nance closely and: "Lo and behold we
found during this examination that
there was no records on the minutes of
the Board of Commissioners and Plan
ning Commission concerning the adop
tion of zoning maps which you need to
have zones. So during this period of
time there was a real serious question
about whether or not we even had
zoning in Forsyth County at all and it
concerned a lot of people.”
So a new zoning ordinance was drawn
up and adopted by the county commis
sioners on Dec. 10, 1979, he said. “On
categories.
Instructional payments, that is teach
ers’ salaries, is the largest category at
$5,627,994.31.
Transportation, mostly bus costs, is
budgeted at $786,104.59. Gas and oil are
allotted s2so,oooand parts and repairs
are estimated to cost $95,000. Drivers’
salaries are $353,391.36.
New texts will cost $140,797.58 Li
brary books are set at $15,255 and
magazines and periodicals are bud
geted at $975.
Salaries for the five school board
members total $3,000.
Funds set aside for maintenance and
operation of the schools themselves are
$825,622.
Continued on Page 2A
Busy At Bazaar
for navigation by barges to Columbus.
Water is released through Buford and
the other dams to supply both power
and navigational needs, Burkett said.
The needs are generally balanced and
"navigation rarely drives the system.”
Navigation now is essentially shut
down, and has been since September,
Burkett said, although one barge com
pany has bought an old - fashioned
shallow draft paddle wheel river boat to
keep operating on the lower Chattahoo-
Continued on Page 2A
that zoning map (adopted with the
ordinance)," Jordan explained to a
planning department hearing recently,
whether it was by mistake inadver
tence whatever, there were some zones
shown PUD (planned unit devel
opment). “
PUDs are planned, restructured com
munities, often consisting of homes,
stores, offices and other facilities, and a
number of them were shown on the
zoning map. One, Meadow Lake Vil
lages, comprised 1,547.9 acres in and
around the quarry property. It and
another development, East and West
Shore villages of 875 acres filled the
quarry property and most of the land
between Brannon Road on the north,
Highway 141 on the west and Old At
lanta Road on the east.
These developments were authorized
in the early 1970’s and were some of
those carried over to the 1979 zoning
map by mistake or inadvertence that
Jordan referred to.
Under the terms of the 1979 zoning
ordinance, PUDs that are not devel
oped within two years lapse and revert
back to their original zoning.
The expiration date is Dec. 10, and
the county planning and zoning com
mission recommended the PUDs be
zoned single family residential, effec
tive blocking the quarry, after their
PUD status expired
Meadow Lake Villages and another
large PUD on the Fulton County line
were on the commissioners’ Oct. 12
agenda.
“Now the problem that I explained to
you first was with the adoption of the
original maps," Jordan said. “If we
can’t find adoption of the original maps,
we can’t show what these PUDs were
supposed to revert back to.”
County Commission Chairman Bill
Barnett stoutly maintains the quarry
land is zoned PUD.
Attorney Newton said the PUD on the
land expired in 1974 and it should revert
back to agriculture zoning, which would
permit the quarry.
Dec. 10 is rapidly approaching. “So
what happens on that date?” Jordan
asked. "Does the PUD lapse? If it does
lapse, what does it go back to?”
Jordan continued, “So sometime be
fore Dec. 10, we’ll have to figure out
what to do.”
To confuse things even more, the
county planning and zoning board has
scheduled a public hearing on Oct. 29 to
consider taking mining, which includes
quarrying, out of the agriculture zoning
altogether.
organizations. This booth, sponsored by the Mothers' Auxil
iary of local Boy Scout Troop 225 was one of about 30 booths at
the bazaar. (News Photo By Scott Vaughan).