Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Partly Ctoudy Partly cloud and hot. Highs in the 90s. Lows in the 70s. THIS ISSUE Copyright © 1999 Fonyth County News i aw® Our annual “Back to School” special section Inside Sawnee Center 5K run draws big crowd. PagelC LAKE LANIER LEVELS Date Level Aug. 10 1066,30 ft Aug. 11 1066.24 ft Aug. 12 1066.16 ft Aug. 13 1066.08 ft Norma! 1070.00 ft set records at summer camp. Page IB INDEX Abby ,6A Births 4B Business 5A Classifieds 4C Deaths 2A Forsyth Life . IB Horoscope 6A Opinion 8A Schools m..m.. h ... m ..............7A Sports 1C e-mail address: edrtor@forsythnews.com COMING WEDNESDAY Commentary Galore Read Bill Shipp and Phil Danner in Wednesday's edition. Missed paper policy: For a replacement paper, call 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. -1 p.m. on Sunday - (770) 887-3126. riisn 90994"0400™ Forsyth CountvNews J Your "Hometown Paper” Since j D K 3f> 12/31/99 Vol. 90, No. 118 Chamber of Commerce finds new home Oldest house in Cumming soon may become organization’s headquarters By Norman Baggs General Manager A 19th century house considered the oldest in the city of Cumming may well be the 21st century home of the Chamber of Commerce. The Cumming/Forsyth County Chamber announced this week that it has a contract to buy the old Dr. Ansel Strickland home on Kelly Mill Road to serve as its office. The home is being purchased from Cumming Mayor Ford Gravitt, who bought the property about 30 years ago and has lived there for 20 years. A 30-day inspection period is under way. with a January closing expected. If the purchase is completed the Chamber would move into its new headquarters shortly after closing. The purchase includes a two-story home, a separate special events facility and approximately three acres of land. “The Chamber has been analyzing the need to purchase its own facility for more than five years now,” said Donna Wade, Wjßßr - . • , ■ 'lS.;'': Photo/ Scott Rogers Gov. Roy Barnes stands before the impressive Lanier Tech building to address the crowd at Friday’s dedication. Barnes praises technical education at dedication of Lanier Tech/Forsyth By Laura Lavezzo Carrico Lifestyle Editor “Gentlemen, remove your coats,” began Dan Willis, senior officer at Lanier Tech's Forsyth County campus, during Friday’s dedication of the facility. More than a handful of note worthy guests, including several local and state leaders, perched beneath the blazing sun for the out door ceremony on one of the hottest afternoons of summer. In reverence to the occasion, guests were professionally suited, but the near 100 degree temperature had everyone shedding their skins early in the program. Plenty of ice cold water and paramedics were on hand in the interest of health, and scheduled speakers kept their com ments brief, or opted not to talk at all. Special guest Gov. Roy Barnes spoke concisely of technical edu cation and its importance in the future of Georgia’s economic suc- Chairperson of the Chamber. "We knew that we wanted to be in the heart of Forsyth County, the city of Cumming, and that property was going fast. This is an ideal opportunity for the Chamber. “The property is perfect for the Chamber,” Wade said. “With little renova tion, the home will be suitable for the Chamber office for many years. There is also an events facility on the property which can house various meetings and events, something that is needed by the Chamber. For the future, there is ample excess land for expansion.” Gravitt and his late wife, Carolyn, reno vated and restored the historic home, which records indicate was built around 1879. The Gravitts raised three children in the house, which holds many fond memo ries for the mayor of his wife and family. “The Chamber asked me about it when they found out 1 was going to sell. I had a contract on it, but am glad the Chamber is going to get it,” Gravitt said. See CHAMBER, Page 3A cess. ‘Technical education is high on my agenda,” Barnes said. “It is the key to Georgia’s continued pros perity ... it’s clearer to me now that we can do more for technical edu cation in Geoigia.” Overall, Barnes evoked a sense of pride that Forsyth County's technical education resource will help set the example statewide for future strides in this area of acade mics. Prospects in business and industry, he said, will be drawn to the state if there is a work force equipped to support them. “Lanier Tech is responsible for training thousands of Georgians,” he said. “It is helping us meet the needs of our local communities by training people for jobs - jobs that build families, and that build com munities.” He cited the local effort to involve high school students in technical career preparation as an See TECH, Page 3A SUNDAY AUGUST 15, wWMSS Civil Service: Fired officers ‘pawns’ in power struggle between Sheriff and county One major is rehired, second dismissal upheld By Colby Jones Staff Writer Two former ranking officers with the Sheriff’s Office were the “unwitting pawns of a power strug gle” between county administrators and the sheriff that “reportedly cost our county approximately a quarter of a million dollars,” according to the Civil Service Board. The board issued the statement in a ruling on the termination appeals of Mark Thomas and Ron Casper, both former majors with the department. Sheriff Denny Hendrix fired both men in December 1998. County Commission Chairman Bill Jenkins said the Civil Service Board’s estimate of costs associated with the dismissal and appeals by the two employees was inaccurate. Settles Bridge expected to open Oct. 4 By Laura Lavezzo Carrico Lifestyle Editor It’s “settled,” you could say. Settles Bridge Elementary School, the local school district’s newest project, is expected to open for busi ness on Monday, Oct. 4. “That would be the first day for the students,” said Facilities Director Jake Grant at the regular Aug. 12 work session of the Forsyth County Board of Education. Despite struggles against last spring’s poor weather conditions and the anticipation that the build ing may not have been ready until closer to the holiday break. Grant said maintenance crews are only a fft'. z 1 ?' , ~ Photo/Tom Brooks Animal Control Officer Mary Swisher with a lion cub taken into custody with the arrest of a fugitive wanted by Gwinnett County last week. The suspect faces more charges. Story, 2A. .MM w • j - n , Photo/Tom Brooks This house on Kelly Mill Road, the oldest in Cumming, may become the new headquarters for the Cumming/Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce. few short weeks away from opening the school. Crews are working diligently, Grant said, to add finishing touches, clean up any remaining construction messes, move furniture in and set playground equipment up outside. “On the first day of school,” Grant said, “the building will be cool, it will be bright and it will be clean. The kids should be proud of this new school.” In related business, Grant report ed that the classroom additions at North Forsyth Middle School are running ahead of schedule. It is expected that NFMS students and faculty will inhabit these rooms near the end of October. “It is ridiculous and unfounded. I think the Civil Service Board should base its decisions on fact and leave their opinions out of it,” Jenkins said. Repeated attempts to contact Sheriff Hendrix were unsuccessful Friday afternoon. In the ruling, board members overturned the sher iff’s termination of Casper, but upheld the termina tion of Thomas. Both men were informed of the board’s decision in Aug. 13 letters, with copies sent to the sheriff and each county commissioner. The legitimacy of the December dismissals quick ly became a part of the sheriff’s ongoing legal battle against county commissioners. Hendrix sued com missioners in 1997 claiming, among other things, that his advisors or command staff did not fall under civil service policies. The exemption means the sheriff can hire and fire command staff members at his discre tion. However, county officials disagreed, holding com mand staff members did fall under civil service. See BOARD, Page 3A Superintendent of Schools Dr. Allene Magill said the much-need ed classrooms would not have been built had the school board not approved money from the general fund to do so last spring. “We would literally have been in trouble out there,” Magill said of the overcrowded middle school’s situa tion. “We would definitely have had to put some mobiles out there.” The school board has approved a $125 million bond referendum to be put before voters on Sept. 21. This money, should it be granted to the school board, will play a major role in the future of local schools and their ability to handle Forsyth County’s growth. Timetable for roads pushed up By Jim Riley Staff Writer After some serious lobbying by members of the Forsyth County Commission, the Georgia DOT and the Atlanta Regional Commission have placed some much-needed road projects back on schedule. Commission Chairman Bill Jenkins and District 5 Commissioner Julian Bowen, along with former DOT See ROADS, Page 2A h)0 Cents