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Pages 28-6 B
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Forsyth CountvNews
VOLUME LXXVI—NUMBER 9
County seeks end to tree planting on shoreline
For the second time this month, the
Forsyth County Board of Commis
sioners has thrown its support behind
a group of residents opposing the
planting of 10,000 pine seedlings by
the Army Corps of Engineers along
the shoreline of Lake Lanier.
It was just over two weeks ago that
the commissioners agreed to back
residents opposing the program and
“go to Washington to see this through
if that’s what it takes.”
Continuing that support, the five
man board voted Monday night to
Shady Shores roads
accepted by county
By CHUCK THOMPSOM
News Editor
Simple maintenance of roads in one
of Forsyth County’s largest resi
dential developments was approved
Monday night by the board of com
missioners, provided no legal ques
tions are involved.
It was November when the com
missioners voted to delay action on a
request by residents of Shady Shores
for maintenance of roads in their
subdivision.
The issue was not addressed again
until Monday night.
Shady Shores residents contend
their roads are “county roads” and
therefore should be maintained by
the county.
However, Commission Chairman
Leroy Hubbard said the roads were
never deeded to the county, which
was prevented by a court order from
working private roads.
Donna Parrish, spokesperson for
the Shady Shores Homeowner’s Asso
ciation, said roads in her subdivision
were listed on a Department of
Transportation map of the county
revised in April, 1973.
Ms. Parrish said the revision took
place in preparation for a law taking
Forsyth man killed
after 1-85 altercation
A Cumming man was shot and
killed Saturday night around 11:45
when an altercation developed be
tween him and another driver on 1-85
in Atlanta, according to authorities.
According to a spokesman from the
Cobb County Police Department, Mi
chael T. Smith, 21, of Cumming route
8, followed another vehicle, driven by
Johnny C. Griffin Jr. 29, of 96 Holt Rd.
Marietta, to the entrance of Post
One killed
because of
icy roads
A mixture of snow and sleet hit
Forsyth County Sunday night, result
ing in the cause of one traffic fatality
in the county, and closing local
schools for the third time in a week.
Joey Bertrand, age 29, of Cum
ming, was killed Monday morning
when his pickup apparently went out
of control on an ice slick road and
overturned into a pond in northern
Forsyth County.
According to Forsyth County Sher
iff Wesley Walraven, the accident
was reported to sheriff’s authorities
around 9 a.m. Ken Jarrard of Life Stat
Ambulance Service said the victim
died of injuries sustained in the
wreck.
The accident occurred on Riley
Road and the truck was submerged in
water.
Road conditions in Forsyth were
bad enough for the county schools to
be closed. A spokesperson for the
school superintendent’s office said
make-up days have not been deter
mined. All around the county, numer-
See: WEATHER, Page 2-A
COMIMO SUNDAY
• Water - Sewerage
properties are viewed
• Planning and Zoning
requests are made
• Legislature reviewed
by Rep. Bill Barnett
meet with Erwin Topper, the Corps’
resource manager at Buford Dam,
and seek an end to the program.
In addition, Commission Chairman
Leroy Hubbard said the commission
ers will seek permission for residents
to remove seedlings which already
have been planted.
Action by the board followed a
report from Cumming attorney John
Shinall on a meeting with Topper Jan.
21.
Shinall said Topper gave four rea
sons for the reforestation program:
effect July 1, 1973, requiring that all
county roads remain county roads.
Therefore, any roads listed as
county roads when the law took effect
would have to be treated as county
roads.
Ms. Parrish says roads in Shady
Shores received some maintenance
until the mid-1970’5. It was at this
time that the court order halting work
by the county on private roads went
into effect.
A motion by Commissioner David
Gilbert Monday night provides for
simple maintenance of Shady Shores’
roads to ensure the health and safety
of motorists.
The motion is valid as long as no
legal questions are involved with
maintaining roads in the subdivision.
The matter is being researched by
County Attorney Robert S. Stubbs, 11.
Another decision by the commis
sioners Monday night paved the way
for what could be a major issue in
upcoming weeks.
Prior to a public hearing (no date
has been set) on a new county road
map, the board has decided to display
the map in the courthouse lobby.
County Administrator Lloyd Wag
non said the map resulted from many
River Apartments off Powers Ferry
Road exit.
Once both vehicles were stopped,
Smith, according to the spokesman,
walked to Griffin’s car and began
hitting Griffin. Griffin fired one shot
which struck Smith in his left chest
and killing him, the spokesman told
The News.
Griffin has been charged with mur
der.
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Numerous cars skidded off roads around county because of icy conditions
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1985—CUMMING, GA. 30130
(1) keeping the shoreline from
looking like privately-owned prop
erty;
(2) deterring encroachments by
private individuals onto government
property;
(3) replacing existing trees which
are lost through natural attrition;
and
(4) creating a “park-like” appear
ance along the shoreline.
The only valid reason cited by the
resource manager, Shinall said, is
replacing lost trees.
hours’ work by local emergency serv
ices, and does away with duplicate
road names that now exist in the
county.
This effert required that some
county roads be assigned new names,
which could be opposed by residents.
Having no duplicate names, how
ever, is expected to make location of
fires and accidents by emergency
personnel much easier.
Following a public hearing by the
planning commission, the propped
map will be sent to the commission
ers for final action.
And, if the map is approved by the
board, the county will seek proposals
from professionals for development
of a house numbering system.
In other business Monday night, the
commissioners:
• Agreed to maintain a Department
of Transportation project on Wallace
Tatum Road once it’s completed. The
project involves a bridge over Setten
down Creek.
• Approved resolutions honoring
Yvonne Smallwood, Cecil Castle
berry, Fred Pruitt and Glennon Gro
gan for their service on the county
recreation board.
• Approved the appointment of
James Gilbert to the county recrea
tron board. Gilbert was appointed by
Commissioner Marcus Whitmire and
will serve the remaining two years of
Fred Pruitt’s term.
• Accepted a low bid of $4,150 from
Thomas Tractor of Gainesville for a
trailer to transport a new backhoe for
the county road department.
• Turned four bids on a new back
hoe over to the county administrator
and county road supervisor for re
view. Bids on the backhoe were as
follows: $24,389, from Thomas Trac
tor; $26,321 and $32,732 on two sizes of
backhoes from Metropolitan Tractor
of Gainesville; and $26,770 from
Vaughters Tractor Company, also of
Gainesville.
L yp '
During his meeting with Topper,
Shinall reportedly gave the resource
manager a list of 17 objections to the
reforestation program.
“In response to these objections,
Topper said there would be no more
planting adjacent to privately owned
property during 1985, or until a more
workable reforestation plan is devel
oped,” he said.
According to the attorney, Topper
has agreed to consider landscaping
plans from property owners affected
by the program.
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Barbara Dooley chats with Larry Kohn during chamber banquet
New chamber officers are
installed at annual meet
By EDDIE STOWE
Editor
Using the theme “This Land is
Your Land”, Ivan Sibley took the
chair as president of the Cumming-
Forsyth County Chamber of Com
merce Thursday evening, during an
annual banquet and installation of
officers for the coming year.
Before a large crowd of approxi
mately 175 at the South Forsyth Ju
nior High School Cafeteria, Blue
Ridge Judicial Superior Court Judge
Stan Gault installed new officers,
TRIVIAL PURSUIT
Forsyth Countian
Danny Cobb and friends
win contest vacation
SUNDAY IN FORSYTH
He added, however, that the only
reasonable action is termination of
the program and permission for adja
cent private property owners to re
move the seedlings if they so desire.
The reforestation program was
conducted this year along the shore
line in Bald Ridge and Young Deer
parks.
Topper says the program stems
from the Corps’ duty to manage Lake
Lanier, which involves keeping the
shoreline in a natural condition.
He contends that the shoreline is
charging them with their responsibil
ity.
In addition to Sibley, officers for
1985 are Jim French, vice president
and president elect; Hugh McMillian,
secretary and Joyce Barry, trea
surer.
Directors for the coming year are
Catherine Amos, Phil Bettis, Hank
Burzynski, Perry Bush, Julian Grav
itt, Mike Montgomery, Keith Howell
and Jim Otwell.
One of the first duties as new presi
dent, Sibley appointed a nominating
committee consisting of Charles In
Education board
has new chairman
The Forsyth County Board of Edu
cation has elected a new chairman
and vice chairman for 1985 during its
organizational meeting of the new
year.
Arthur Wright will serve as chair
man and L.C. Day will serve as vice
chairman. Wright assumes the
chairmanship from Edsel Orr, who
has served for the past several years
in that capacity.
Also during the January meeting,
the board took care of housekeeping
matters by agreeing to keep its meet
ing date the third Thursday night at 7
o’clock in the central office confer
ence room on School Street; agreeing
to keep Phill Bettis as the board’s
attorney; and agreeing to keep the
board members’ per diem at SSO.
At the recommendation of new
school superintendent Robert Otwell,
the board voted to pay the expenses
incurred by any board member while
that member is on official board
business.
Otwell, who officially resigned as
principal of South Forsyth Junior
24PAGES —35 CENTS
“public property,” meaning activity
on that property is not limited to
private landowners along the lake.
TWo objections to the reforestation
program have involved the use of
pine seedlings and restrictions on
mowing in reforested areas.
Topper, however, has reportedly
agreed to allow replacement of pine
seedlings with hardwoods if a suita
ble plan can be worked out with
adjacent property owners affected by
the program and allow some mowing
in reforested areas.
gram, who is out-going president;
Jim French, Julie Moore and Sheriff
Wesley Walraven.
The nominating committee will
meet to submit eight names to be
placed on a ballot for voting by the
entire membership. The ballots will
be mailed out to all members and will
hold the list of eight names. The top
four vote getters will be selected for
membership and will replace four
existing members whose terms ex
pire.
Behind the background singing of
See: CHAMBER, Page 7-A
High during the meeting, told the
board and those attending that he is a
dedicated public school official who
wants “to make education number
one in Forsyth County.”
Otwell told the board, “I will try my
dead level best to be a leader.”
During other business at the meet
ing, the board upon the recommen
dation of the superintendent
decided not to accept any of the three
bids submitted for installation of fuel
pump stations for board vehicles.
Otwell said he would need to study
the budget further before he could
recommend accepting any bids.
Otwell told the board he has not had
an opportunity to interview a poten
tial replacement for himself as prin
cipal at South Forsyth. Don
Trammell is serving as principal on
an interim basis.
At the close of the meeting, On
asked Otwell to “look into” the last
pay raises authorized by the board
“and see that they are carried out
according to the board’s” intentions.