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VOL Z_a.>rt ‘U il —NUMBER 100
North Fulton residents protest landfill site
By Tom McLaughlin
Stall writer
After presiding over a four-hour meeting
attended by more than 900 people, and an
swering question upon question put forward
by those opposing a 476-acre landfill in
North Fulton County, Harold Reheis offered
little hope for those speaking against the
facility.
“I will say that this landfill site is very
much like a lot of other landfill sites that we
have permitted,” he said.
The meeting Thursday was the first of two
scheduled to be held by the state Environ
mental Protection Division as a result of
fierce opposition to the landfill site, which
Turnout
seen low
at vote
on water
By Kathey Pruitt
Staff writer
Holiday preparations may take pre
cedence over ballot casting Tuesday
when a sales tax-for-water proposal
goes before county voters.
Officials at the Forsyth County Vot
er Registrar’s office say they expect a
low voter turnout for the Dec. 15 refer
endum, which will decide the fate of a
1 percent sales tax increase to fund
$22 million in water and sewer
expansions.
Normally, about 35 percent of the
county’s 13,340 voters go to the polls
for a special election such as this, ac
cording to Registrar Melvin Stancil.
But because of the proximity to
Christmas and a degree of voter un
awareness on the issue, Stancil said
the turnout could be substantially
less.
“We’re not expecting many peo
ple,” he said. “We haven’t heard vot
ers saying too much about the
election.”
Forsyth County’s 11 polling places
will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Tuesday. The unofficial outcome of
the election will be announced later
that evening, and the official totals
sent for certification to the secretary
of state’s office on Wednesday, ac
cording to tabulation manager Donna
Parrish.
Since the referendum is a county
wide vote, city and county residents
wanting to vote yes or no on the pack
age must have registered at the court
house before Nov. 12, according to
staffers at the county registrar’s of
fice. If the sales tax passes, custom
ers in Forsyth County stores will pay
an additional penny on the dollar be
ginning April 1, making the total sales
tax rise from 4 to 5 percent. The in
crease can last for a maximum of five
years, but under state law would be
retired sooner if $22 million is collect
ed before the allotted time has
expired.
A $14.4 million chunk of the tax rev
enue from the joint city/county pack
age would go to a new Forsyth County
water system that would run two
loops of main water lines around the
county service area.
Tap-on fees charged developers and
residents who choose to tie onto the
beginnings of the system would pay
for installation of lines along roads not
accessed by the trunk lines. Over the
five-year period, county officials say,
water will be available to all areas of
the county as other lines branch on the
trunk line system.
The $7.6 million share that would go
Please see VOTE, page 2A
Legislative outlook
Dealing with AIDS, domed stadium proposal , Sunshine Law changes are on general assembly s agenda
By Lindsey Kelly
Staff writer
When the Georgia legislature reconvenes
in January for the 1988 session, its members
will be faced with dealing with the toughest
public issue of our time: acquired immune
deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
An omnibus bill expected to include provi
sions on mandatory AIDS testing and crimi
nal penalties for knowingly transmitting the
disease is scheduled to be presented to the
house during the first week of the session
which begins on Jan. 11.
End a Piggle steps to the front for Lady Dogs IB
Forsyth Countv News < V|
would replace the Morgan Falls landfill in
Sandy Springs.
The meetings offer an opportunity for res
idents to speak to the state officials, who
can decide to deny the permit for environ
mental reasons. The next meeting is sched
uled for Dec. 17 at 7:30 at Milton High
School in Alpharetta.
District 10 State Representative Bill Bar
nett, who spoke against the landfill, said it
looked as though the EPD was looking fa
vorably upon the chosen dump site.
“I could tell by the way they talked they
seemed to be satisfied by the site,” he said.
“I just hope we made some kind of impres
sion on them.” Residents of North Fulton
came out in force to oppose the landfill,
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Staff Photos Kathey Pruitt
Clarie Hathcock and family wade through a sea of green pines in search of the perfect tree
By Kathey Pruitt
Staff writer
Early letters to Santa written by local
Christmas tree farmers probably asked
for rain.
But despite two years of drought that have
been the bane of all farmers, those nuturing
evergreens for the Christmas season say their
losses won’t cause a shortage of locally-grown
Christmas trees.
You-cut farms, 5A
“It slowed down the growth, but we didn’t lose
any trees except for a few seedlings that hadn’t
established their root system yet,” said Alta
Davis, who with her husband owns a 12-acre
select-and-cut Christmas tree farm off Ga. 53
just inside Dawson County. “We didn’t lose any
big ones.”
The less-than-normal rainfall will translate
into less profit for tree farmers, however.
“It’s hurt growth approximately a foot a
year,” said Lloyd Boling who manages
Suwanee Tree Farm in Shakerag. “But it hasn’t
hurt business, just knocked us out of money.
We’d have made at least $3 more on each tree if
it grew as it usually would.”
Demand for live trees is strong, especially at
cut-your-own farms where families armed with
bow saws and a mental image of the perfect
Please see TREES, page 2A
The General Health subcommittee of the
House Health and Ecology Committee is
formulating that package based on recom
mendations gleaned from several AIDS
task forces following a series of public hear
ings conducted statewide by the subcom
mittee this past year.
The chair of that subcommittee, Rep.
George Hooks (D) of Americus, said that
though all the exact provisions of the bill
have not yet been worked out, the measure
will definitely call for mandatory AIDS test
ing of certain groups deemed to be at high
risk for the deadly disease.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1987-CUMMING, GA. 30130-84 PAGES 3 SECTIONS
though only three people from Forsyth
County voiced their opposition. Residents
were angry not just because they felt the
landfill would contaminate water in the
area, but also because many believe that
Fulton County is incapable of properly
maintaining the facility.
“Fulton County, by your own records, is
one of the worst, if not the worst county in
the state at maintaining a landfill,” said one
of the 34 people who signed up to speak. He
told members of the state environmental
protection division, “Fulton County has
shown total disregard for your office. Can
you make them operate it correctly?”
Reheis, deputy director of the state Envi
ronmental Protection Division, responded
The tree’s the thing this season
Familes forsake artificial for the real thing
Robert Hoffman secures his family’s pick for the drive home
Under the proposed bill, male and female
prostitutes would have to submit to blood
tests if they are convicted or plead no con
test to prositution charges. The same would
hold true for those convicted of drug
charges who show signs of intravenous drug
abuse. The bill would also allow for the test
ing of state prison inmates both when they
enter and are released from state prison
facilities.
Though blood and organ donors are not in
themselves considered to be a high risk cat
egory, Hooks said all donors of all bodily
fluids as well as all organ donors would be
to the resident that the EPD was confident
it could make Fulton County operate the
landfill properly, if a permit was approved.
Reheis was later asked by resident Bob
Smith if he would agree that Fulton Coun
ty’s operation of its last landfill, at Morgan
Falls, was poor and miserable.
“I wouldn’t say miserable but I will say
poor,” he responded.
Reheis then stated that when a landfill is
poorly operated, starting over at another
sight is one way to remedy the problems
caused by poor operation.
Fulton County management of landfill fa
cilities was but one of many questions
raised at the meeting.
Also brought to the attention of the EPD
tested if the proposed bill is passed.
Other provisions Hooks said will definite
ly be included in the bill are those making it
a criminal offense for an AIDS victim to
knowingly transmit the disease as well as
the establishment of civil remedies for peo
ple who have been intentionally infected.
Hooks said he also expects the bill to pro
vide “some type of provision” for the legal
exchange of information about an AIDS car
rier within the medical community and the
public health sector. Such a provision would
likely make it legal for a doctor or a mental
health professional to tell another health
was the possible contamination of the many
wells in the area and the entire Little River
basin; the possible leakage of poisonous
methane gas; the danger of wild animals
and dogs which could converge on the most
ly unfenced dump site; the depletion of
property values and the destruction of a sce
nic wilderness area.
The contamination of water in the area
was the topic most discussed. The EPD told
the audience that monitoring wells would be
placed on the site as one of the restrictions
imposed on Fulton County. These wells
would be used to test and document the
quality of the ground water in the area.
Please see LANDFILL, page 3A
January
marches
rumored
Williams, Barrett
may demonstrate
By Tom McLaughlin
Staff writer
As January approaches, rumors have be
gun to spread of a reenactment of last
year’s brotherhood march through For
syth County, or, perhaps a white power ral
ly at the courthouse.
So far those rumors remain just that,
rumors.
Last year, a Jan. 14 march in the county
turned violent when pro-white demonstra
tors threw rocks and bottles at the Rev.
Hosea Williams and those with him. A sec
ond march was held the next week, and
over 20,000 demonstrators converged on
the county along with scores of media
members from all over the world.
Barbara Morgan, spokesperson for Gov
ernor Joe Frank Harris, said it was almost
too early to comment on a possible repeat
of last years activities.
“There is no need to worry about some
thing that seems to be evolving at the hands
of the media,” she said. “The governor
would encourage everyone to keep their at
tention on the biracial committee report
and hope for the peace, progress and unity
that members of that committee sat
around a table and worked to accomplish.”
Morgan said that the community and its
leaders had made great strides in the last
year and that the emphasis should be on the
positive and not the negative.
“There is no need to go overreacting or
getting up in arms,” she said. “We need
just to work toward cohesiveness in our
community.”
The two major organizers of previous
demonstrations in Forsyth County, Rich
ard Barrett of the Forsyth County Defense
League and civil rights activist Williams,
have announced plans to hold some type of
event in January. Williams said he has cho
sen Jan. 16 as the day he will hold a “nonvi
olent demonstration.”
“I am planning to conduct a nonviolent
demonstration of some religious magni
tude to celebrate our first anniversary of
our brotherhood march in commemoration
of the life of the late Martin Luther King
Jr.,” he said. “We will seek the participa
tion of the religious community, the busi
ness community and the government com
munity. I hope that all those good white
folks projected on the Oprah Winfrey show
will be present to show there are good white
folks in Forsyth County.”
Barrett said that he has tentatively
scheduled a Jan. 23 date to hold a march of
his own to the Forsyth County Courthouse,
where he plans to conduct a rally.
“I would be willing to say that all sys
tems are go for Jan. 23 but I’m respectful
enough of the law that I certainly don’t
want to usurp the county before they have a
Please see JANUARY, page 2A
professional that a patient has the virus.
Hooks added that it is possible that such
legal protection could be extended to allow
health professionals to alert law enforce
ment authorities that a patient is infected
with AIDS if that patient is deemed to be
dangerous to the community.
But he emphasized that any measure re
garding the release of medical information
about an AIDS victim would be limited and
would not allow for the general release of
that information “on the street.”
Please see LEGISLATURE, page 12A
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