The Forsyth County news. (Cumming, Ga.) 19??-current, April 06, 2001, Image 2

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Newspaper Page TextPAGE 2A I - FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Friday, April 8,2001 Beazer Homes’ plan clears another hurdle By Phillip Hermann News Editor Despite heated objections from resi dents of the Bethelview/Drew roads areas, the Forsyth County Planning Commission has recommended approval of the rezoning to pave the way for a 230- home subdivision being planned by Beazer Homes Georgia. The action came after a lively public hearing March 27 in which about 30 opponents stood before the commission to show support for denial of Beazer Homes’ plan to rezone 104.5 acres on the east side of Bethelview Road near its intersection with Drew Road. The county commission is expected to consider taking final action on the rezoning plan at its next meeting sched- DELAYS from 1A er delays. “The rain has definitely set us back in our construction sched ule,” Grant admitted. “We haven’t been able tq get back on track completely, but failure is not an option for us. After Easter we can count on the weather settling down. With Daylight Saving Time and pulling some rabbits out of hats, we’re confident we’ll have the projects completed in time.” Grant said too many days were wasted waiting to see if rain CON from 1A for the care even though they know they can’t. So even though we have provided millions of dollars in charity care, it doesn’t count for this purpose unless the patient was identified as indigent on admission.” The hospital has taken steps to better identi fy these patients, according to Platt, but the request before the review board is based on old numbers. “With the new system, it should show that we are above the required 3 percent,” said Platt. The state currently says it is owed $1.2 mil lion by the hospital for the indigent care fund. Since Toal became commissioner in June 1999,’ he has changed the agency’s focus and altered rules for filing a CON. “We’re trying to look at the community health needs in a broader context than just the four walls of a hospital,” Toal said. “We’ve rewritten our open heart rules and regulations for how we issue CON. Historically, we focused on rules that focused on the number of procedures performed. We view this as a fail- Deaths Mildred Virginia Fresh Mrs. Mildred Virginia Fresh, 88, of Dawsonville died Wednesday, April 4, 2001. Mrs. Fresh lived in Stone Mountain for 32 years and was a member of Allgood Road United Methodist Church. She taught the sixth grade at the church for many years. She and her husband, Thomas Fresh Sr., attended North Georgia Bible Chapel in Dawsonville for many years with their daughter and her family. Mrs. Fresh is preceded in death by four sisters and two brothers. Survivors include ner husband; daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Robert Cushen of Dawsonville; sons and daughter in-law, Robert and Margaret Fresh of Snellville, Thomas Fresh Jr. of Idyllwild, Calif.; 10 grandchil dren; 16 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be PIG from 1A owner James Keefer. He suspects teens stole the pig because the parking lot in the Green’s Corner shopping center where his restaurant is located serves as a popular hang-out for local youth. Keefer received the pig after buying the Bethelview Road busi ness earlier this year from Chad Tallant, owner of Chad’s Bar-B- Que. Tallant still owns two other barbecue restaurants in Forsyth County. The $550 keepsake was creat ed at the Cumming Country Fair & Festival by artist Brian Ruth. Keefer said that, if the statue is returned, he plans to give the pig back to Tallant because it is of even more sentimental value to his barbecue competitor. The goal, he added, is to get the hand-made treasure back in one piece. Therefore, he has not filed a theft report with the sheriff’s office. Anyone who returns the pig will be paid in pork no questions asked. “I would be grateful and prob- uled for April 9. The commission is not required by county zoning law to follow the planning commission’s recommendation. The com missioners can also add or subtract condi tions attached to the rezoning by the plan ning commission and county staff. John Mobley, president of the Bethwick Homeowners Association, pro vided members of the planning commis sion with a scale model of the proposed development. Taking a stand against the large num ber of homes proposed for the tract, Mobley said it’s time for the county to impose a moratorium on considering applications that request the Planned Unit Development zoning designation. He said his association’s opposition to the PUD classification centers on the fact would hamper the completion of roofs. He said frequent communi cation with each contractor is nec essary to make sure the projects don’t get even farther behind. “Each week we meet with the individual contractors. They update their schedules regularly so we get a good idea of where we are in the process,” Grant said. Grant and his staff utilize a solution-oriented partnering phi losophy in their relationship with the architect and contractor on ure of the community health. “If a hospital wants to be in the heart busi ness, we want to see them demonstrate a com mitment to the cardiac health of the communi ty. We want to see that they will work to identi fy those people at risk and get them to a prima ry care provider. We want the emphasis to be on keeping people well, not just treating dis ease.” In 1999, the state health plan did not cover preventive health care. That is now included. Part of the duty of the community health agency is preventing redundancy of services that add to health care costs. “If we can get the issues on the table resolved, I see no reason that all three CONs can’t be approved,” remarked Toal. He was referring to the fact that Joan Glancy Hospital in Duluth was recently approved for renovation and Emory Johns Creek, a proposed 110-bed hospital in north Fulton, also received approval. Toal acknowledged his department looked Saturday, April 7, at 2 p.m. at the McDonald & Son Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Dale Crawshaw officiating. Interment will be at Sawnee View Gardens. L.W. McDonald & Son Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Forsyth County News April 6, 2001 Ruby Floyd Grogan Mrs. Ruby Floyd Grogan, 80, of Cumming, died Wednesday, April 4, 2001. A lifelong resident of Forsyth County, she was preceded in death by her husband, Loy James Grogan. Survivors include her children, Dr. S.J. and Lori Grogan of Blue Ridge; Peggy and Larry Anderson and Tricia and Earl Gignilliat, all of Cumming; grandchildren, Linda and Charles Cole, Sharon and Cam Edwards, Cindy and ably buy them all a free lunch for realizing it needed to be returned,” Keefer said. jfeSYCHIC ALEXgj 1 ; ■ i it allows for more homes in a smaller area, provided a developer agrees to maintain 25 percent of a subject tract as greenspace. Mobley argued that the requirement then allows developers to cluster smaller homes on smaller lots, presenting a threat to the property values of nearby home owners. He added roads and nearby Vickery Creek Elementary School would be over burdened by adding so many new resi dents so quickly. At the March 27 public hearing, Beazer Homes’ representative, local attorney Emory Lipscomb HI, said his clients have met several times with near by residents to try and resolve the con flicts. He noted those meetings have pro- each capital construction project. A checklist is covered at each meeting with the contractor on items ranging from change orders and material deliveries to ques tions of whether they are being paid properly and treated fairly. “Adversarial relationships will only hurt the triangular relation ship between the parties,” said Grant. “This partnering concept clears the way for open commu nication for all involved and it David Nolan, all of Cumming, David and Missy Anderson, Liz and Cory Walls, Tammy and Marcus Reynolds, all of Dawsonville, Olesia and Terry Pelfrey of Woodstock, Mandi and Eric Ballinger of Jasper; 11 grand children; sister, Kathleen Harbin of Cumming; sister-in-law, Betty Wheeler of Cumming; and a num ber of other relatives also survive. Funeral services will be L.W. McDonald & Son Funeral Home = Family Owned & Operated Since 1997 • Who should I call? aHB • What documents are needed? ■ • When do I call the funeral home? HHF • Where does our family go? • What, When & Where? Your choice. 150 Sawnee Drive, Cumming, GA 30040 • 770-886-9899 www.mcdonaldandsonfueralhome.com J fguie 59 N. Main Street • Alpharetta • 770-475-6554 Alpharetta’s only funeral home since 1899 • Advanced Planning Specialists • Affordable Excellence jn Personal Service • Cremation ' . • Local and out of town transportation Your Local Hometown Staff Available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 770-475-5554.24 Hour Obit. Information 770-475-6555. Professional and Supportive Staff Available tor Immediate Consultation. Gilbert Phillip* Mike Castleberry Randy Jones Jason Sanders Richard Bobo ■ MOVIES 400 ■ itSSwBl Atlanta>fwy ® Buford Dam Rd. 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(PG13) 4:45,7:35,9:55 ■ Exit Wounde (R) 6:50,9:30 See Spot Run (PG) (FRI-SUN 12:05)2:15 ■ Crouching Tiger (PG13) 8:55 ■ ‘Additional seating available Visit us online for a chance to see movies for a year - FREE Tickets On Sale Up To 7 Days In Advance , , Adults $7.00 Chlld/Sr $5.00 All SEATS BEFORE 6PM $5.00 I Seethemovies.com j 678-513-4400 J ■■ works for us.” Grant said that, in his 14 years of experience in working on vari ous school facilities, he has never failed to complete a project on time. Construction crews are now working six, 10-hour days per week to make up for lost time. Grant concluded, “We’ve had them out there a few times on Sunday, but we can’t and wouldn’t ask them to do that on a regular basis.” at the impact on surrounding hospitals. “We did not conclude that it will have a negative impact,” said Toal. “We think [Baptist Medical Center in Cumming] will continue to serve a growing population that’s primarily north, not south. But, for approval, we have to see the commitment to community health pro grams and financial accessibility. We don’t have any concern that Johns Creek makes all the need for health care services in Forsyth or Dawson disappear.” Concern was expressed about the inaccessi bility of Johns Creek to Forsyth County because of road congestion. “I agree,” said Toal. “That’s why we don’t think the Johns Creek Hospital will compete with Baptist.” “We are sensitized to the needs of the com munity and the growth of the area in terms of demand for medical services,” Toal assured. “We would like nothing better than to have an application in front of us that we can approve. But that’s in your hands, not ours.” Friday, April 6, 2001 at 11 a.m. in the Ingram Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Robert Martin, Roger Townley and Dennis Bottoms officiating. Interment will be in Sawnee View Memorial Gardens. Ingram Funeral Home in Cumming has charge of arrange ments. Forsyth County News April 6, 2001 duced a reduction in the number of homes earmarked for the land from 240 lots to 230 and an increase in the minimum lot size. Lipscomb said the new houses will be comparable in size and value to those in surrounding subdivisions. Other concessions include removal of a design plan to build alleyways behind homes on the outer boundaries of the pro ject and extension of natural buffers along the borders between the Bethwick and Ribbondale subdivisions to provide for more privacy. “We have changed the original pro posal a lot and we’re close to agreement with those in opposition,” Lipscomb said. “This is not everything they have asked for, but it’s close.” Some of the concessions agreed to by Beazer Homds were not finalized until FYSON from 1A bination of IBP and Tyson would have created the premiere protein company in the world, we simply cannot endorse a decision to com plete the transaction under the facts as we understand them today,” stated John Tyson, chair man and CEO. “My decision was based on what I felt was in the best interest of our company and its shareholders.” According to Tyson Foods, the decision to quit the merger agree ment came after the company received information from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Comm ission that “raised important issues concerning IBP’s financial state ments and reports filed with the SEC.” The information provided by the SEC dealt with financial changes at DFG Foods, a Chicago based subsidiary company of IBP. According to IBP, prior to the signing of the acquisition by both companies, it informed Tyson there would be an additional pre tax charge to DFG assets of at least S3O million and possibly more. IBP ultimately took a $44.9 million pre-tax charge but officials said it wouldn’t affect the sub sidiary’s cash flow or make a sig nificant negative impact on the company’s equity. Tyson officials said the initial information provided by IBP and CLEANUP from 1A efforts. Those who wish to get involved can contact Dean at (770) 205-4573. “It has been very successful,” she says of past efforts. “We had more than 100 people cleaning up last year during this time.” The week will conclude with Earth Day Celebration on April 21 at the Cumming Fairgrounds. The annual event, says Dean, will include “big yard sales plus lots of displays.” Forsyth County News J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 J USPS 205-540 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Cumming, Georgia 30040 Phone:77o-887-3126 Fax: 776-889-6017 lnternet Address: www.forsythnews.com Publisher DENNIS STOCKTON |Ol Ww I*l General Man NORMAN BAGGS Advertising Director BARBARA SCOHIER Circulation Director PHIL JONES MEMBER Published Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday by the Forsyth County News Company, Veterans Memorial Blvd., Cumming, Ga. Second Class Postage paid at Cumming, Ga. and additional offices. Subscription rate for Forsyth County, $46 per year; other Georgia and out of state subscriptions are $75 per year. Any unused portion of a subscription balance will be gladly refunded. However, all refunds due the subscriber are subject to a processing fee, which will be automatically deducted from the subscription balance refund. Advertising rates and deadlines available upon request Postmaster: Send address change to Fbrsyth County News/P.O. Box 210, Cumming, Ga. 30028. A Swartz-Morris Media Inc. publication Miss your paper? Call 770-887-3126 We deliver replacement papers within Fbrsyth County. If your newspaper is not delivered by 6:30 a.m., please call the circulation department at 770-887-3126. Service calls will be taken from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, replacement papers will be delivered from 2p.m. to sp.m. Sunday calls taken from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Sunday, replacement papers will be delivered from 11a.m. to 2p.m. if your call is received during the above listed times, a replacement copy will be delivered to your home. Calls received after the above times will be extended credit to their account or delivered with next issue. Any changes in publication will be announced in preceding issues. Advertising Deadlines For Sunday’s paper retail and classified display ads are due by noon Thursday. For Wednesday’s paper retail and classified display ads are due by 5 p.m. Friday. For Thursday’s paper retail and classified display ads are due by noon Monday. For Friday’s paper retail and classified display ads are due by noon Tuesday. Classified Line Advertising Deadlines (Help wanted, garage sales, rentals, etc.) For Sunday’s paper classified line ads are due by noon Friday. For Wednesday’s paper classified line ads are due by noon Monday. For Thursday’s paper classified line ads are due by noon Tuesday. For Friday’s paper classified line ads are due by noon Wednesday. Legal advertising is due by Friday noon and runs only in Wednesday's paper. shortly before the March 27 public heat ing. Copies of those changes were given to the planning commissioners and plan ning and development staff at that meet ing. One of the conditions recommended by the county staff would have changed the proposed zoning classification from Residential/Planned Unit Development to Conservation Subdivision. The CS designation mandates resent-' ing a larger portion of a site for green space and the preservation of more trees than normal residential zoning classifica tions. That recommendation went by the wayside, however, because the planning' commission deleted it in voting unani mously to recommend approval of the R2/PUD application with conditions. subsequent changes in that infor mation made known by the SEC was “misleading.” In a letter to IBP dated March 29 announcing the decision to void the agreement, Tyson General' Counsel Les R. Baledge stated: “Ultimately, IBP restated its finan-. cials and filings to address the SEC’s issues and correct earlier misstatements. Unfortunately, we relied on that misleading informa tion in determining to enter into the merger agreement. “In addition, the delays and restatements resulting from these matters have created numerous breaches by IBP of representa tions, warranties, covenants and agreements contained in the merg er agreement that can’t be cured. “Consequently, whether inten ded or not, we believe Tyson • Foods Inc. was inappropriately • induced to enter into the merger agreement. Further, we believe IBP cannot perform under the agreement. Under these facts, Tyson has a right to rescind or ten-’-' minate the agreement and to receive compensation from IBP. ' We have commenced legal action 4 in Arkansas seeking such relief.” Tyson Foods is the world’s largest producer and marketer of • chicken and chicken-based conve-; ■ nience foods. It operates facilities ■< in 18 states and 15 countries. In addition, a scrap tire collec tion for recycling is scheduled for May 8-12. Each person is invited to bring four old tires to Old Federal Transfer Station for conb. plimentary recycling. The pro gram is sponsored by a grant from the Environmental Protection Division. “You think it’s a litter mess now,” says Dean of the roadways. “Without these educational and. participation programs, so much more would get dumped out.”