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VOLUME LXXXiII —NUMBER 10
One more
joins race for
commission
By Kristin Jeffries
Staff Writer
A seventh candi
date, Jeffrey Chris
Bridges, has joined
the ranks of those
planning to run for
county commis
sioner of District 5.
The seat was va
cated by Barry
Hillgartner with
BridQM
the announcement of his job reloca
tion with Tyson Foods.
The candidates will be officially
qualifying with the Registrar’s Office
this Monday and Tuesday.
As it stands, Jeffrey Chris Bridges
will be running against Ron Seder,
Madonna Parrish, Howard Mathes,
Jimmy Henderson, Brownell Allman,
and Jim Avery.
Bridges has lived in Forsyth County
off of Jot ‘Em Down Road for eight
years and is a native of Knoxville.
He is married to Joan Watson
Bridges.
He makes a living cattle farming.
He also worked at General Motors for
13 years before he, along with many
others received forced retirement
Studied electrical engineering at
Southern Tech.
Bridges is the current president of
the North Georgia Cattlemen’s Asso
ciation and is a member of Salem
Baptist Church.
“I am just a typical working per
son,” said Bridges.
He believes many people are disil
lusioned county, state, and federal of
ficials who are either out of touch
with the people or looking after their
own interests.
Please see RACE, Page 2A
Weather:
Nice
The sunshine of today turns to
mostly cloudy by Tuesday with
a chance of rain Wednesday.
Lows in the 30s Monday, will go
up to nearly die 40s by
Wednesday. Highs will be in
the low 50s by Wednesday.
1*
INSIDE
Abby. 9A
Church Briefs 12A
Classified 4B
Editorials 10A
Events 9A
Sports IB
Weddings 12A
Lake Lanier Levels
Date
Jan. 27
Jan. 28
Jan. 29
Jan. 30
Jan. 31
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Forsvth Countv News u ”
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Landfill plan gets thumbs down
By Kristin Jeffries
Staff Writer
The county Planning Commission
gave a unanimous thumbs down to the
proposed private landfill to the de
light of the standing-room-only crowd
packed into its meeting last Tuesday
night
The issue has now to come before
The private landfill proposed by FSL Corporation is bounded by the Etowah River on the east and the Forsyth
County landfill on the west
Redrawing
districts
hits a snag
By Kara Sproles
Staff Writer
Computer trouble has put a hold on
plans for local redistricting, State
Representative Bill Barnett reported
Thursday.
Last week, Barnett (D-Cumming)
presented three plans to re-draw the
counties five districts to both the For
syth County Board of Education and
Board of Commissioners.
Suggestions were taken into consid
eration, but when Barnett headed
back to the capitol, he found the com
puter which assists in creating
equally populated districts was
down.
“We want to make some changes
but we can’t until we receive the fig
ures from the computer,” the state
representative said. “And the com
puter is down.”
The biggest concern with the three
original plans, Barnett said, are the
precincts within the districts. He and
others want to ensure that precinct
boundary lines stay within one partic
ular voting district This way, when
constituents head to the poll, two se
perate ballots will not be needed.
Other feedback from the boards,
Barnett said, includes objection to
plans for the Polo Fields area to be
Please see REDRAW, Page 2A
Imperial is slapped with fine
By Kara Sproles
Staff Writer
Cumming’s Imperial Food facility,
which was inspected by officials after
the disasterous fire last year at its
North Carolina chicken plant, has
been socked with $144,500 fine for vio
lating safety codes.
“It would be accurate to say it’s one
of the largest penalites in the state of
Georgia,” said Jonathan Worrell of
the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration in Atlanta.
The Atlanta-based company was re
cently hit with an $808,150 fine for vio
lations at its Hamlet, N.C. plant,
where 25 people died in a Sept 3
blaze. Federal officials later cited 83
violations there, stating that exit
doors inside the plant were found un
2.
level
1066.10 ft
1066.12 ft
1066.16 ft
1066.18 ft
1065.18 ft
Honor Rolls Pages 7A, 8A &9A
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1992-CUMMING, GA 30130-28 PAGES 3 SECTIONS
The first hurdle is cleared
the Board of Commissioners for a
public hearing and final approval or
denial in February.
More than 200 protestors were pre
sent for the 40-minute public forum
which began with a presentation from
a representative for the FSL (Forsyth
Sanitary Landfill) Corporation. The
company has an option to purchase
640 acres bounded by the Etowah Riv
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Photo by Judy H. Green
Retiring President Dr. J. Jackson Reeve is presented a plaque by Incoming
Sawnee Community Center, Inc. President Catherine Amos.
marked and locked.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and
Health Administration found more
than a dozen violations at the Cum
ming plant on Meadow Drive during
an inspection conducted the day after
the North Carolina fire.
Locally, OSHA inspectors cited 12
passageways which were not marked
with exit signs. Other exits were
found blocked. The plant’s hot oil fry
er lacked a working automatic fire
suppression system and there was no
emergency action plan for employees
to follow. Machines were also found
not to be in proper working order.
The Cumming plant closed its doors
in October, laying-off about 115
workers.
Please see FINE, Page 5A
er, Old Federal Road, and Forsyth
County’s own government-run landfill
in the northwest corner of the county.
FSL attorney David Flint outlined
court cases which he said supported
the county’s obligation to grant per
missive use for the landfill because it
is a permitted use in agricultural
zones.
“This is more of an informational
• V,-.- ■ :
James Harrington
meeting as far as we can determine,”
said Flint
The proposed landfill would help
Forsyth County deal with its critical
need for landfill space, he said. It
would also comply with the rough
draft of the county’s Solid waste Man
agement Plan which encourages pri
vatization wherever practical.
“If you search the county you would
not find a site more suitable that
would meet the needs of the county
for the next 10 years,” Flint
Ben Carter, of Moreland Altobelli
which is designing the landfill, as
sured residents the system has been
designed to eliminate concerns about
the Etowah River and that all state
Environmental Protection Division
rules would be followed.
Clearly this did not relieve the con
cerns of the crowd. Opposition leader
Linda Solomon presented the board
with petitions of more than 1,300 sig
natures. Residents from all areas of
the county came out to support the
landfill opposition including many
members ofthe Concerned Citizens of
Southeast Forsyth County.
As well as residents of Forsyth
County, representatives of Cherokee
County officials were present to pro
test the landfill.
On behalf of the Cherokee County
commissioners, county attorney Mark
Mahler addressed the Planning
Board.
The Etowah River supplies drink
ing water for Canton and Cherokee
County, he said. The intake for Canton
is below the proposed landfill.
“No matter how well-constructed,
they (landfills) still leak,” he said.
Engineer Jim Carpenter, for the
Please see LANDFILL, Page 2A
Applause
given many
for help with
SCCI dream
By Judy H. Green
Managing Editor
The annual membership meeting of
the Sawnee Community Center, Inc.
Tuesday night was like a pre-game
celebration for the official opening of
the new Sawnee Community Center
the end of February.
White linen-draped tables centered
with silk magnolia blossoms and light
ed candles set the tone for the gather
ing at the Magnolia Manor where the
purpose was to witness the changing
of the guard, present plaques, and to
hear the annual update from those
chairing the various activity and busi
ness committees.
Retiring president Dr. J. Jackson
Reeve expressed his appreciation to
the people who “have given of them
selves to make it happen and build it
(the new community center.) It is truly
an idea whose time has come. And
thank you for allowing me to serve you
as your president”
“... In the middle of all this, in Jan.
19911 retired from Orthodontic prac
tice, accepted the presidency of the
SCCI, directed the Triathlon again af-
Please see CENTER, page 2A
Harrington
joins council
By Kara Sproles
Staff Writer
Another Forsyth Countian, Com
missioner James Harrington, has re
ceived an invitation from the Gover
nor’s office to join the Advisory
Council for the Tri-State Water Re
sources Issues.
Harrington will join 29 others from
across the state, including local resi
dent Ron Seder, in sitting on the
committee.
“There is no doubt that we are all
tied together in the water consump
tion process,” said Harrington, who
received his invitation Wednesday.
Please see JOINS, Page 2A
Wrestlers
set for
tournament
Pagelß
Fire destroys
local industry
The Forsyth American Manu
facturing Corp., the former Ox
ford Industries factory at 2024 At
lanta Highway has been
destroyed by fire.
According to CapL Tim John
son, the initial page was received
by the Forsyth County Volunteer
Fire Department at 1:30 a.m. Sat
urday. As yet the cause is un
known. He added that firefighters
would be monitoring thesite
throught the weekend.
The plant was closed at the time
the fire broke out and as of pres
stime there were no known
injuries.
Fire Inspector Don Thomas
said at the heightofthe fire Satur
day morning there were 10 fire
fighting units present Fire fight
ers were being assisted by the
Alpharetta Fire Department
which brought a tower ladder and
two chiefs cars. An estimated 50
firemen helped in fighting the
fire.
A more detailed report from
Fire Chief Norris Bennett will be
available in Wednesday’s edition
of the Forsyth County News.
Farm land
is part of
tax digest
lawsuit
By Kristin Jeffries
Staff Writer
County Commission Chairman Mi
chael Bennett is one of the principles
in a suit which is opposing the 1989
tax digest
He and the Bobby Bagley family
have appealed their tracts of agricul
tural land and are also challenging
alleged inequalities in the 1989
digest
The combined cases include almost
1,100 acres of agricultural land.
However, the litigants have agreed
to handle the issues of appealing the
values on the land and the challenge
to the digest in two separate hearings,
said Julius Hulsey, the attorney rep
resenting the county.
The cost to the county taxpayers for
the challenge to the digest could run
up to $50,000, said Hulsey. However,
thus far, the county has been billed for
only about $3,600 which does not in
clude hours spent last week in
depositions.
Additionally, Chief Appraiser
James Payne has spent two weeks
away from his work on the 1991 and
1992 digests gathering information for
the cases.
Bennett pointed out he is one of the
Please see SUIT, Page 5A
Register to vote
Deadline
is Monday
For those who did not register
to vote at the Polo Fields Satur
day, there is still one more chance
to do so.
Monday is the last day to regis
ter to participate in the presiden
tial preference election, election
of a county commissioner for Dis
trict 5, or the vote concerning the
$19.6 million school bond
referendum.
All will these issues will be on
bailpt for the Tuesday, March 3
election. .
Two locations will be available
for registration Monday:
•The Voter Registrar’s Office,
in the Forsyth County Govern
ment Building, is open from 8 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. Their phone number
is 781-2118.
•The Forsyth County Library
will take your registration from
9:30 am. to 8:30 p.m.
As of Friday Forsyth County
had 16,917 registered voters.
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