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VO - II—NUMBER 79
plans high school at South Forsyth
Big Creek, Chestatee
will get additions
By Laura McCullough
Managing Editor
The Forsyth County Board of
Education has tentatively paved the
way to create a high school in south
Forsyth by 1990, and without calling
for a bond referendum.
South Forsyth Junior High School
will be turned into a combined middle
school and high school, housing
grades 6-12, and providing needed
relief to an overcrowded Forsyth
County High. The facilities plan was
adopted by the board during a called
meeting Wednesday.
The plan also calls for new addi
tions at Big Creek and Chestatee
elementary schools by 1988. Grades
throughout the system will be re
structured with K-5 in the elementary
schools, 6-8 at North, Otwell and
South, and 9-12 at Forsyth County
High and at South.
The county is about 350 students
short of minimum requirements for a
separate high school and middle
school, and when enrollment reaches
this point a middle school will be built
in the south end of the county.
The facilities plan calls for 24
classes added to South Forsyth, 11 at
Big Creek and nine at Chestatee. The
total project will cost $9,035,745 with
$2,322,316 coming from local funds.
Board members had to act quickly
on the building plan to get funding
from the state in 1988. The South
Forsyth project will be included in
the state Board of Education’s budget
for 1988-89 with money appropriated
through the General Assembly. Ches
tatee and Big Creek construction will
begin immediately with state re
imbursement coming over the next
three years.
The board, Superintendent Robert
County’s budget
exceeds $8 million
By Kathey Pruitt
Staff writer
Forsyth County’s 1988 budget will
increase expenditures by just over
$500,000, add four deputies to the
sheriff’s department, give all county
employees a 5-percent raise and keep
the millage rate constant with 1987
figures. Commissioners completed
the final draft of the budget Thurs
day.
The proposed budget allows for SB,-
383,133 in expenditures for the 49
departments that receive a portion of
the county’s monetary pie. That fig
ure represents a $550,318 increase
over the 1987 budget.
Commissioners served the largest
slices of the increase to the county
sheriff’s department and the depart
ment of bridges and roads, but all
county employees will see a 5-percent
salary increase beginning Jan. 1.
However, these departmental bud
get increases will not cause an in
crease in the millage rate used to
compute 1987 taxes.
“With the growth we’re having
and we’re certainly having a substan
tial amount there’s been enough of
an increase in property assessments
Sheriff’s department to receive $1.5 million
By Tom McLaughlin
Staff Writer
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department will
see an increase in its 1988 budget, but it is still
lower than requested, according to information
from the county’s budget.
Walraven had asked the county commission to
approve a budget of $2,154,917 which would allow
29 additional deputies and 10 patrol cars.
However, the sheriff’s department will receive
$1,596,711 for 1988, representing a $360,000 in
crease. According to Commissioner James Har
rington this money will be used to add four new
deputies and two new cars. It will also provid.
across the board raises of $2,400 to certified
officers and $1,200 to non-certified officers.
“The raises have already been approved and
will go into affect Jan. 1,” Harrington said. “This
will offer a tremendous incentive for those getting
qualified.” The starting pay for a qualified officer
will be $15,878.25 beginning January 1.
Harrington said that the budget was not what
Walraven had requested, but that it is a step in the
pulldogs are 2-2-!■ after loss to Dulu*h page IB
Forsvth County New s H
Otwell, and Associate Superintendent
Clarence Lambert met Monday with
state facilities directors and were
told that a decision must be made this
week on one of four building plan
proposals. Other options included:
leaving schools and grades as they
are and adding classrooms where
needed; creating three high schools
North, South and Forsyth County
High; and building a new high school.
The board selected the middle
school/high school combination be
cause it provides immediate relief
from overcrowding, immediate fund
ing and is the most cost efficient.
“We can get advanced funding on a
middle school in about three years, of
course we’re three years behind
now,” said Otwell. “But we won’t
have to ask for a bond referendum
and we are getting the most state
money available.”
South Forsyth will become a tran
sitional school, a concept used to
combine two schools until enrollment
is high enough to split them. The 6-12
idea is being used in Hall County,
White County, Towns County, Wilkes
County and others, said Marlin
Smith, state facilities director for the
Department of Education.
“If the growth occurs, by the time
you finish with this project you could
be ready to make application for a
new middle school,” said Smith. “If
the growth doesn’t come as quickly,
you will be in the school for several
years. I don’t think that is going to
happen. I believe Forsyth County is
on the verge of being another Gwin
nett or Cherokee.
“I suspect in two or three years
from now you’ll be sitting here wres-
Please see SCHOOL, page 2A
to add to the digest without having to
raise the millage,” said commis
sioner Michael Bennett. “Continued
growth requires more services, and
that’s the reason we haven’t been
able to actually decrease the millage
rate.”
Some property owners will be pay
ing more in taxes because a recent
reappraisal brought land assess
ments used to figure taxes closer in
line with actual market value.
The millage rate has not received
the commission’s approval, but com
missioners informally agreed Thurs
day night that the portion set by
county officials should remain at 5.76
mills, the same figure used for the
past two years. School board mem
bers will submit a figure which will
be added to the county mill rate to
form the millage figure used to calcu
late taxes.
Commissioners will meet Oct. 12 to
adopt the 1988 budget and set the
millage rate, according to County
Administrator Roberts. The new fig
ures will become effective Jan. 1.
Budget breakdown
If the budget gains appro
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1987—CUMMING, GA. 30130—88 PAGES 3 SECTIONS
right direction.
“We extended ourselves a little bit for the
sheriff’s department,” he said. “I know they’re
not going to be completely satisfied, but it is a
good start toward bringing the sheriff’s depart
ment to a higher level.”
Walraven said that he could not comment on the
1988 sheriff’s department budget until he had an
opportunity to see it.
Harrington said the commissioners thought that
establishing a good nucleus to build around was a
starting point for the future.
“We don’t plan to stop here,” he said. “I told
him, (Walraven), that I felt like we had a good
sheriff’s department, but we felt a committment
to those who had been there for a while.
“Now we have a good nucleus to build around. If
we did it all at once we wouldn’t have given them
as substantial a raise as we did.”
Commissioner Michael Bennett agreed, he said
the goal of the commission was to build the morale
of the men they have and to keep the experienced
officers on the force.
In addition to the four new officers, the depart-
■ ■■■- . ‘ I
Staff Photos Molly Read
Forsyth County High School houses over 1,300 students, grades 10-12
Deadline catches board by surprise
School board members were
surprised, and somewhat upset,
over having to make a quick deci
sion on building plans by Wednes
day night.
State facilities directors have
been working with Superintendent
Robert Otwell and Associate Su
perintendent Clarence Lambert on
the study for over a year.
Lambert said the report has
been at the state office since June,
but officials hay® been working on
other ■projects #*l reports.' Facili
Roads
Sheriff’s
Administration
Parks & Rec.
Landfill
Tax commission
Planning Dept.
Tax assessors
Clerk
val as commissioners expect, the
largest chunk of the budget increase
will go to the department of roads and
bridges. Commissioners called for
$1,610,726 to be used by the road
department, an increase of $403,378
over 1987 figures. The additional
money will be used to purchase heavy
equipment and continue road mainte
nance, according to commissioner
James Harrington,
val as commissioners expect, the
largest chunk of the budget increase
will go to the department of roads and
ties directors met with Otwell and
Lambert Monday for two hours
going over the four proposals.
That afternoon, the board met
with the directors in a work ses
sion for approximately three
hours. This was the first time the
board had seen the report.
The board’s decision is only ten
tative and its application can be
withdrawn. Public hearings will
be scheduled.
—By Laura McCullough *
1988 Budget
bridges. Commissioners called for
$1,610,726 to be used by the road
department, an increase of $403,378
over 1987 figures. The additional
money will be used to purchase heavy
equipment and continue road mainte
nance, according to commissioner
James Harrington.
Sheriff’s Department will receive
$1,596,711, almost $1 million short of
the $2,154 million budget requested by
Sheriff Wesley Walraven. The money
Please see BUDGET, page 2A
ment has applied for a federal grant for traffic
enforcement.
“We’re meeting Friday to see if we received it,”
said Captain W.C. Forrest. “If we get it we’ll get
an additional four men and two radar units. But,
50 agencies have applied for it and only 12 get it.”
No one has denied that the sheriff’s department
needs men. A Staffing Analysis and Growth Pro
jection of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Depart
ment compiled by Carl F. Travillian and David E.
Siemens of the Criminal Justice and Management
Unit of the Georgia Department of Community
Affairs stated: “The conclusion drawn from this
analysis is that the staffing strength of the patrol
and jail at the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Depart
ment should be increased substantially.”
The report called for an immediate increase
ranging from 15 to 35 employees and another
increase of 11 to 14 over the next four years.
County businessmen, especially those owning
conveniece stores which have been victimized by
armed robbers four times in th last three months
Please see SHERIFF, page 2A
$1,610,726
$1,596,711
$527,768
$413,935
$380,965
$354,768
$342,542
$334,037
$318,037
By Lindsey Kelly
Staff Writer
Saying that they don’t believe Ga. 20
is ready for more major commercial
development, the Forsyth County/
Cumming Planning Commission this
week voted against recommending
the rezoning of over 140 acres along
the highway that developers want to
turn into two separate business parks.
However, the commissioners did
vote to recommend the rezoning of 117
acres on Bethelview road, to be used
for an industrial and commercial de
velopment, despite the objections of
some homeowners residing in a near
by neighborhood.
The rezoning applications the com
missioners declined to recommend
were submitted by Greenland, Ltd.
and involve a 106.98 parcel on Ga. 20
(Buford Highway) approximately a
quarter of a mile east of James Bur
By Tom McLaughlin
Staff writer
The Cumming City Council voted
to make two minor corrections in its
parade ordinance Thursday night,
and in doing so its lawsuit with the
Forsyth County Defense League has
been dropped.
“The city of Cumming has allowed
the people their constitutional rights,
and barring any unforseen circum
stances we have dismissed them
from the lawsuit,” said Richard Bar
rett of the defense league.
Barrett said that he initiated the
dismissal by sending papers to the
city’s attorney Gordon Smith.
“There were only two minor actual
changes made,” said Cumming City
Manager Gerald Blackburn. “We
changed the response time for an
application from 15 days to 10 days
and we took out the clause charging
for extra police protection.
“We can charge for things like job
johnnies and administrative time,”
Blackburn said. “But we cant charge
anybody for police protection when
they’re expressing thier First
Amendment rights.”
Barrett said that the city will be
%
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wmmuiim, ii
if,"
South Forsyth will be high school by 1990
Commission denies
commercial rezoning
Parade ordinance changed,
lawsuit may be dropped
News draws
different
reactions
By Laura McCullough
Managing Editor
Reaction was mixed following the
Forsyth County Board of Education’s
decision this week to create South
Forsyth into a middle school/high
school.
While community leaders and most
principals were pleased with the
adopted building plan, some parents
expressed regret over the quick deci
sion where they had no input.
“As a taxpayer, I think we should
have been told before now of a meet
ing where the board has to make a
decision by tommorrow,” said one
parent at Wednesday’s called board •
meeting.
The board voted on a facilities plan
which would turn South Forsyth into
a middle school/high school by 1990,
housing grades 6-12; build additions
at Big Creek and Chestatee by 1988
and restructuring the grades in all
Please see REACTION, page 2A
gess Road and a 33.48 acre parcel on
the same highway near the intersec
tion of James Burgess Road. The ap
plications requested this land be re
zoned from agricultural to a
commercial business district.
Though representatives for the pro
jects stressed to the commission that
the developments would maintain
strict restrictions including land
scaped buffers around all adjacent
property, allowing no signs or bill
board's that do not blend in with the
environment, and the disallowing of
metal buildings the commissioners
said their primary concerns were not
about aesthetics but rather about lo
gistics, particularly the amount of
traffic that would be generated on a
highway that is already suffering
from congestion.
Commission chairman Jim Ponder
Please see PLANNING, page 8A
dismissed from the lawsuit, but he is
still battling the county over a SIOO
rally charge for using the courthouse.
The defense league plan to march
from the high school to the court
house a rally afterward on Jan. 23.
Barrett said that unless the county
decides to drop the SIOO fee, a hearing
on the issue will be held Monday at 2
p.m. in Federal Court in Gainesville.
The called meeting Thursday was
used mainly to settle the litigation
issue; however, because October’s
meeting promises to be lengthy with
budget issues pending, the city used
the opportunity to get some other
business out of the way.
In other council business:
The city authorized Blackburn to
accept a bid from Billy Howell Ford
for a new city truck, provided the
truck could be available by the coun
cil’s Oct. 20 meeting.
The council authorized Blackburn
to accept a bid from Tri-State Metal
Builders to erect a new building be
hind the water department for equip
ment storage. It gave him the
authority to negotiate each item
listed as necessary for construction.
Please see CITY, page 2A
35 CENTS