Newspaper Page Text
*Ol F 006130 12/31/20
' j I K 1 a GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
Forsyth Count 1 sfa—
J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 J
Vol. 93, No. 189
Voters to decide if new libraries will be built
ByTodd'fruelove
Staff Writer
The Forsyth County Public
Library Board wants $6.79 million to
build a new library in north Forsyth
and to expand the main library in
Cumming.
The board on Monday unani
mously approved Library Director
Jon McDaniel’s recommendation to
request the capital funds from the
county if voters approve an extension
of the county’s Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax.
The Forsyth County Board of
Volunteers
make holidays
happier for
Forsyth families
By Todd Truelove
Staff Writer
With the American economy in
a downturn, the holiday season
this year will be tough for many
families.
But help is available in Forsyth
County.
Hands Across Forsyth, which
was founded in 1991 to connect
donors and volunteers with fami
lies in need during Thanksgiving
and Christmas, is in the midst of
its busiest holiday season ever.
According to program manag
er Kerry Rosewall, more local res
idents have applied for assistance
this year than in previous ones.
“As of today, we’ve had over
340 applications,” she said in an
interview late last week.
“People that have never had to
apply for assistance before are
coming to us this year.” For first
time applicants, being in the posi
tion of having to ask for help has
been difficult.
One woman whose husband
was laid off in March was in tears.
“She said, ‘We’re living off of
our life savings and it’s about
gone now,”’ Rosewall said.
Last Thursday and Friday, the
Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office
picked up boxes of food that
county schools had collected for
Thanksgiving and took them to
The Place, off Antioch Road,
where Hands Across Forsyth is
now located.
Rosewall praised the schools
for their contributions.
South Forsyth High School
alone donated 60 boxes of food.
“South Forsyth I think it
was the Key Club that sponsored
See HANDS, Page 4A
Steps in the right direction
Five-year-olds Jack Hammonds
and Kyle Briskin learn some early
lessons about keeping their hearts
healthy by participating in the
American Heart Walk at Central
Park. Biting winds kept many local
residents inside on Sunday. But
nothing could hold back 50-75
brave hearts who participated. A
group of local Weight Watchers
joined the annual three-mile walk
for the first time,raising more than
$2,000 for the North Georgia
Chapter of the American Heart
Association. More, Page 3A
Photo/Jonathan Phillips
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Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. -1
p.m. on Sunday - (770) 887-3126.
Copyright ©2002 Forsyth County N»w«
[MI
Commissioners plans to address the
SPLOST extension Dec. 9 and is
expected to call for a special election
in March 2003.
The new library in north Forsyth
would be built on four acres near the
Hampton community off Ga. 400 and
Settingdown Road. It would cost
$4.83 million to build, according to
figures presented at Monday’s meet
ing.
The library expansion in
Cumming would move administra
tive offices and allow additional pub
lic space in the main part of the
building. That improvement would
HANDS ACROSS FORSYTH
i vi
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< liSI
Photos/Audra Perry
Hands exchanged cans of food to other hands Saturday at The Place as volunteers put donations of
food on the shelves.
Becomes
Christmas sponsor
Hands Across Forsyth is looking for groups
and individuals who would like to become
sponsors to brighten Christmas for county
children from needy families this season.
Sponsors will be given Christmas “wish
lists” filled out by families listing three gifts
each child in the family would like to receive.
Kerry Rosewall, of Hands Across Forsyth,
recommended sponsors spend SSO-100 per
child.
“It’s really up to the sponsor how much they
do,” she said.
Those interested can call (770) 781-8846
to sign up.
FT ““
INDEX
Abby. 6A
Classifieds •....■«...................78
Deaths 2A
Events 9A
Horoscope 6A
Legals— 3B
Opinion 10A
Sports IB
WEDNESDAY November 20,2002
i
Local fugitive
arrested in
Tennessee.
cost $1.96 million.
If commissioners approve that
funding, pending voter approval of
the SPLOST extension, library staff
also would apply for $3.12 million in
state grants for the projects. If that
state funding were approved, it
would be used in place of some of
the local funding and leave about $3
million in reserves toward the con
struction cost for a fourth county
library in southwest Forsyth.
An additional $2 million in state
funding would be needed to con
struct that facility, McDaniel said.
A precise location for the fourth
Dear Abby
dishes out
good advice.
Page6A
library has not been determined
because of uncertainty about the pos
sible site for the proposed Northern
Arc.
Should commissioners decline the
request for the full $6.79 million in
capital funds, the library board will
ask only for the money to construct
the new Hampton Public Library.
Other business addressed by the
board at its November regularly
monthly meeting included a $20,000
grant award from Georgia Public
Library Services.
The grant will help fund a new
program the Transition Center
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High in the low 60s.
Low in the low 40s.
SPORTS, IB
2002-03 girls basketball preview
administered by the Forsyth County
School System for non-English
speaking students and families in the
old Cumming Elementary School
located on Elm Street.
Much of the money more than
$12,000 will be used to purchase
learning aids including bilingual pic
ture books and adult fiction and non
fiction books in Spanish.
Other features the grant will help
fund include a language lab and a
telephone translation service allow
ing staff and patrons access to live
translators for 140 different lan
guages.
Official vote count
Public Service
Commission District 4
• Angela Speir (R):
924,015 (47.6 percent)
Lauren “Bubba”
McDonald (D):
911,772 (47.0 percent)
Jim Harris (Lib.):
105,126 (5.4 percent)
‘The people
have spoken,’
No recount
in PSC race
By Susan Norman
Editor
The state’s “official” tally of cer
tified results from the Nov. 5 general
election have widened the gap
between local resident Lauren
“Bubba”
McDonald Jr. and
the winner in the
Public Service
Commission
District 4 race.
So McDonald
said Monday that
he will not seek a
statewide recount
after all.
“I have confi
dence in the vot
ing system, and I
don’t see any
need to go to the
expense to do
that,” he said.
“The office
belongs to the
people, and the
people have spo
ken.”
Last week, the
vote difference
was about 8,000.
On Monday, after
all 159 counties
in the state had
certified their
results to the
state, the differ
ence was 12,243.
McDonald,
the incumbent
Democrat,
received 911,772
votes, which was
McDonald
State races
To see the
state’s official
vote totals
from the Nov. 5
general elec
tion, go to the ’
Georgia
Secretary of ‘
State Web site
at
www.sos.state,
ga.us/elec
tions/ and clicK
“Georgia
Election
Results” in the
index on the
left-hand side
of the page.
47 percent of the vote. Republican
challenger Angela Speir of Gwinnett
County received 924,015 votes, or
47.6 percent of those cast.
Jim Harris, the Libertarian candi
date in the race, received 105,126 or
5.4 percent.
McDonald said he doesn’t think a
recount would change the outcome,
particularly since the difference haS
grown.
“It’s been a nice ride.”
LAKE LANIER LEVELS
Date Level
Nov. 15 1063.12 ft
NOV. 16 1063.34 ft
Nov. 17 1063.66 ft
NOVJB ft