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Forsyth County News J Your "Hometown Paner" Since 1908 J Vol. 94, No. 202 New chief financial officer’s first day Jan. 5 By Todd Truelove Staff Writer Administrators of the Forsyth County government have chosen Jeff Quesenberry to head the county’s financial department. Quesenberry’s first day will be Monday, Jan. 5. The 49-year-old replaces Dick Russell, who retired last August. County staff changed the posi tion’s title to chief financial officer and increased responsibilities after efforts to hire a new finance director last summer failed. His starting annual salary is $96,200. “My duty is to work with the Board of Commissioners to develop ways to ensure that we’re fiscally responsible, that we find way to con trol costs, and that we ensure the dol lars that are given to us by the tax payers are used in the appropriate way,” Quesenberry said in a tele phone interview Tuesday. He currently works as the manag er of financial services with the inter national organization CARE one of the largest relief organizations in the world. ’ He said he decided to change jobs in the early fall. “I'd been with CARE nine years,” Quesenberry said, “and I had basical ly reached the highest position I could hold domestically within the U.S.” As a result, Quesenberry said he told officials within the organization he would be looking for a job and discovered the county’s search through a corporate search agency. “They knew that I was looking See CFO, Page 2A Post-Kelly Mill intersection to be improved; GDOT to meet here in 2004 By Kim Ash Staff Writer The Georgia Department of Transportation plans to improve the intersection at Post Road [Hwy. 371 ] and Kelly Mill Road, a GDOT spokesperson said Tuesday. The project, along with 26 other road projects in Georgia, will be placed up for bid within the next oupie of weeks, said GDOT spokesman Bert Brantley. A notice will be placed Friday for contractors to see the projects up for bid, said Brantley. “We anticipate it will be in the January [bid] letting,” said the 14th Johns Creek Toy Drive will make season happier for some fly Kim Ash Staff Writer Santa Claus and his elves will provide toys and goodies to needy families of Forsyth County this Christmas with the help and outpour ing of support from about 40 busi nesses in the Johns Creek area. Tuesday kicked off the 14th annu al Johns Creek Toy Drive organized by Johns Creek developer Technology Park/Atlanta Inc. The annual toy drive, which con tinued Wednesday, helps needy fami lies through the Hands Across Forsyth program, which is operated under the umbrella of The Place of Forsyth County, a nonprofit social service agency. Toys will be distributed to fami- 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. Copyright 0 2003 Forsyth County News 90994 04001 Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 J THURSDAY December 18,2003 PUZZLED?!? , . -J-,. ® ■ ftf * iliWi < NN I 1 | Photo/David McGregor Lauren Henry, 2, assembles a puzzle at the new Primrose School on the corner of Steeplechase and Bethelview roads. spokesman. Work on the project could begin within the next few months, possibly in mid-February or March, he said. Improving the intersection includes updating traffic signals, pos sibly adding more lanes, and provid ing for overall better traffic flow, said Brantley. GDOT officials also announced last week that Forsyth County has been chosen, along with two other counties in Georgia, to host a Georgia Department of Transportation Board meeting in 2004. According to Brantley, a date or place for the Forsyth County meeting lies Saturday at The Place on The Place Circle off Antioch Road and Dahlonega • Photos See Page 10A Highway north of Cumming, according to officials. Every year, businesses in the Johns Creek area are encouraged to bring toys for needy families in Forsyth County to be donated to Hands Across Forsyth. This year there are more than 500 families in Forsyth County that need toys, said Kerry Rosewall, program coordinator for Hands Across Forsyth. “This is a tremendous program. It’s such a weight off shoulders that they are coming [to donate],” she See TOY, Page 2A INDEX Abby 5B Classifieds 3B Events .4A Government 8A Horoscope...- 5B Kids Page 5A Opinion ,9A Sports 6A has not been decided yet; however, officials could know more details about the meeting early in 2004, he said. Mike Evans, 10th district GDOT board member and representative of Forsyth County for the board, said he is hoping the meeting will be sched uled in the fall, perhaps in September or October. Evans said he will be working with city and county officials to set all the details into place for the meet ing. The meeting will be hdsted as a joint effort between the county and city governments, he said. The GDOT board, which includes one member from each of the state’s : llt Wfe®’ ,-gsg ■■ Ok JMjHwKS., v A » | Bh' RW s *« i zh™® a-** .. *•' lx.**!!’ m ms" : Jfej County considers buffer revisions for residential plans Page 3 A 13 congressional districts, typically meets the third Thursday of each month. Nine monthly meetings are held in downtown Atlanta in the board’s facility across from the Capitol, and three meetings are held in other counties the board approves. According to Brantley, holding the meetings in other counties is helpful to members because they can see what transportation changes are being made in the counties in Georgia, or what issues need to be addressed. State Sen. Casey Cagle, R- Chestnut Mountain, whose district includes a portion of Forsyth County, said in a prepared statement, “We’re Lanier National Speedway under new ownership Page6A 50 Cents iY OF GEORGIA MAIN LIBR L-- 30G0E. Fy SPLOST feud now affecting water, sewer By Nicole Green Staff Writer Water and sewer have become the new battle grounds in an ongoing dispute between the city of Cumming and Forsyth County governments. The two governments have been at odds over an allocation agreement for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). Now city officials are withholding action on the county’s request for more water and looking into its use of sewer capacity until the two sides can work out their differences. At a regular meeting on Tuesday, the Cumming City Council voted to table all discussions of county water and sewer needs until the two local govern ments resolve questions over the SPLOST Intergovernmental Agreement and can meet to dis cuss other intergovernmental agreements. “We need to get all these agreements worked out with the commission before we go making any more agreements,” Mayor H. Ford Gravitt said. In late October, the Forsyth County Commission requested documentation for city spending on proj ects funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales tax, of which the city receives 15 percent, and made an opens record request for five years worth of city financial records related to SPLOST projects. In addition, county attorneys were instructed to file for a declaratory judgment to determine the valid ity and enforceability of the SPLOST Intergovernmental Agreement. The city-county SPLOST Intergovernmental Agreement was signed in December 2002 by Mayor H. Ford Gravitt and former county commission chair man John Kieffer. Gravitt said that once the validity of the SPLOST Agreement is evaluated, the city and county must sit down and talk about the validity of water and sewer agreements. In March 1997, the county paid the city $3 million to use 500,000 gallons per day of city sewer capacity, See FEUD, Page 2A very excited to be in the position to be able to host a board meeting. This will certainly give the board an opportunity to hear some of the needs and concerns of Forsyth County.” Evans said in a prepared state ment that he “personally thanks the Forsyth County Legislative Delegation for lobbying the trans portation officials and board mem bers in making this happen.” According to Brantley, the meet ing, which will include GDOT board members, GDOT staff, interested legislators and members of the pub- See GDOT, Page 2A Partly Cloudy High in the mid-80s. Low in the high 60s. - • , m come tHjg Oh, fudge! Dwight Lewis, left, jokes around with Steve Matthews of Ginny’s Fudge as Ginny Matthews works in the background during Friday’s opening day of the Christmas in Cumming Arts and Crafts Festival at the fairgrounds. Photo/David McGregor LAKE LANIER LEVELS Date Level Dec. 13 1069.42 ft Dec 14 1069.51 ft Dec 15 1069.53 ft Dec 16 1069.52 ft Full 1071.00 ft