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rorsytn County
•/ Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 J
VOLUME LXXXVII, NUMBER 60 Forsyth County News
Cumming
increases
water rates
for its
customers
By Thomas W. Krause
Staff Writer
The day before a water cri
sis in Forsyth County came to
a head, the city of Cumming
voted to increase its water
rates for customers in the city
service area.
On July water bills, prices
will increase 10 cents per
1,000 gallons of water. Mayor
H. Ford Gravitt said the
increase to users of the mini
mum amount should translate
to about $1 per month.
Currently, city residents
pay $1.75 per 1,000 gallons of
water. County residents in the
city service area pay $2.20 per
I, gallons.
Even with the increase,
city water customers pay less
than county customers.
Forsyth County charges $3.54
per 1.000 gallons of water.
Cumming’s new water
treatment plant, expected to
go on-line the week of June
10, cost $5 million and was
paid for through revenue
bonds. The plant is part of $lO
million worth of renovations
to the Cumming water system.
Cumming Administrator
Gerald Blackburn said the city
debt service has increased
$292,394.87 since last year.
City officials are hoping the
increase in water rates will
help offset the increase in debt
service.
See RATES, Page 2A
WEATHER
Isolated showers
expected on Fri.,
Partly cloudy on
Sat. Isolated
showers on Sun.
Highs in 90s. L__——
INDEX
Abby 10A Events 9A
Kid's Page 4B Entertainment 8A
Church Briefs 3A Horoscope 10A
Classifieds 5B School 6A
Opinion 11A Sports IB
COMING SUNDAY. .
Update on watering ban
An update on the City of Cumming
and Forsyth County's watering bans
will be included in Sunday's edition.
See the latest on this crisis situation.
Planning and Zoning
The Forsyth County Planning and
Zoning Commission will meet on
Tuesday night. See a listing of
upcoming zonings in Sunday's edi
tion.
Missed paper policy: For replacement
paper call between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on
Wed., 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, and 9
a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sun.. 887-3126.
I I l?l 04001
CHii;
’-MR I
Lack of water reaches crisis situation
By Thomas W. Krause
and Jennifer Eskew
Staff Writers
The day after Forsyth County
and the city of Cumming enacted
total outdoor watering bans, many
residents found they were out of
water entirely.
Tuesday night, Forsyth County
received 400 messages from cus
tomers without water. By
Wednesday morning, many more
found their faucets were dry.
By late Wednesday afternoon,
water representatives had issued
a warning telling citizens to “boil
their waler until they are notified
by their water utility that the
water system has been restored to
full operation.” Due to the low
pressure experienced in some
parts of the county, representa
tives say that “a potential health
hazard may exist in these areas of
zero pressure from backflow
and/or back siphonage of water.”
Any water being used for
drinking, cooking or preparing
baby food should be boiled for at
least one minute after reaching a
rolling boil.
Butch Johnson, president of
Civil Engineering Consultants,
Inc., the city’s engineering firm,
said the cause for the shortage is
an increase in the customers’
water use due to the sudden hot,
dry spell.
When the temperature rose,
people began watering their
lawns.
“We don’t have many more
customers than we had a couple
of months ago,” Johnson said.
“The only thing that’s changed is
it’s gotten hot .and dry and people
are pouring water on the ground
Rules and tips for conserving water
By Jennifer Eskew
Staff Writer
In order to help residents in Forsyth County get
enough water pressure to take showers, wash
clothes and cook, an outdoor watering ban is now
in effect at least until June 1. County officials hope
the ban, imposed Tuesday, will increase the water
supply and therefore the water pressure to residents.
The Forsyth County Marshal's office will be
patrolling all areas and will issue citations to any
one using water outside their home. The ban does
New principals named at
South High, South Middle
and Big Creek Elementary
By Karleen Chalker
Editor
Many of Forsyth County’s
schools will be seeing some new'
faces this fall. Among those new
faces are three new principals
which were announced this week
by Forsyth County School Supt.
Allene Magill.
Hired to serve as principal of
South Forsyth High is Art
Wheaton, 111, w'ho is coming to
Forsyth from Jefferson High and
Middle School in Jefferson, Ga.
Taking over at South Forsyth
Middle School this summer will
be Dr. Mary M. Chandler, who is
coming to the system from the
Fulton County School System.
And, taking over at Big Creek
FCN/Coaches All-
County Soccer Teams
SPORTS, IB
FRIDAY EDITION
outside.”
Ron Seder, chairman of the
Forsyth County Board of
Commissioners, said growth in
the county over the past decade
has added to the increased water
use.
Likewise, when Cumming
Mayor H. Ford Gravitt announced
the outdoor watering ban Tuesday
night, he pointed to the increase in
area population as a cause.
“The problem is really
growth,” he said.
Regardless of the cause for the
increased usage, Johnson said the
city and county’s elevated water
storage tanks drained. When the
tanks went dry, water pressure
dropped. Areas in higher eleva
tions and areas serviced by lines
with many twists and turns lost
water service.
Gravity helps move water to
customers downhill from the
Cumming plant. Areas in the
north end of the county, however,
are at a higher elevation and
therefore lost waler.
The lack of water became a
major inconvenience for some
and became life threatening for
others.
Wendy Beasley is trying to
take care of her sick grandfather,
Delbert Copeland, who lives on
Truman Mountain Road. Water to
their home has been almost
entirely cut-off since Sunday.
“How do you take a shower?
How do you clean? How do you
go to the bathroom?” Beasley
asked rhetorically.
Copeland has diabetes and has
suffered a stroke. He needs spe
cial meals prepared and needs to
keep clean to fight infection.
Beasley said she has been using
bottled water but stores in her
Elementary will be the present
assistant principal at South
Forsyth High School, Dr. Terri
Klemm.
David Adams is currently
principal at South Middle, and
Kay Dodd is principal at Big
Creek Elementary. Magill would
only comment that the two were
being transferred from their pre
sent schools.
South Forsyth High School’s
principal Scott Smith was tran
ferred from the school to the cen
tral office several months ago,
and the school has been operating
with a team of assistant princi
pals.
Other changes in administra-
Page 2A
Cumming, GA / May 24,1996
I'vyjT ■ ——i
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area are running low.
Pastor Hugh Cauthen, of
Cumming United Methodist
Church, said a pump in the
church’s plumbing overheated
when the pipes went dry. When
water relumed, a pipe burst.
“Water just went everywhere,”
he said.
The choir room and sanctuary
became flooded.
Water pressure was low at
many area schools Wednesday
including Chcstalee, Big Creek,
North Forsyth and South Forsyth.
School officials will be con
serving water by preparing sack
lunches for all elementary, middle
and high school students.
Officials also have bottled and
jugged water on hand to take to
not apply to those with well water.
A county resident caught violating the ban a
second time will be fined SIOO and a third violation
will result in waler to the home being cut-off com
pletely and the meter removed, said Marshal John
Pickclsimer. City customers will be warned once
and then will have their water shut off.
Civil defense volunteers, Red Cross volunteers
and sheriff’s deputies will also be patrolling for vio
lators of the ban. The Marshal’s office will be creat-
See RULES, Page 2/
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Photo/Tom Brooks
Some Forsyth Central High School students and teachers wore black on Wednesday and
staged a quiet, brief sit-in at the school’s flagpole expressing their sadness at the transfer
of two of their assistant principals. y.
See WATER, Page 2A
Summer Preview
INSIDE
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Photos/Tom Brooks
At top, Deputy Marshal Chris Barrett tries to find the owner
of this property in South Forsyth County so the sprinklers
can be shut off. At bottom, Dillion and Valerie Holtzclaw
came with their mother to Ingles on Hwy. 306 to get water.
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50 Cents