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PAGE 2A FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS —Thursday, December 18,2003 Forsyth land to be kept in natural state By Kim Ash Staff Writer A Gwinnett County bank has granted a conservation easement for 30 acres of land off Hwy. 20 in southeast Forsyth County to the Georgia Land Trust allowing it to be kept in its natural state to help preserve the area’s natural resources, says a Trust representa tive. Gwinnett County-based Brand Banking Co. purchased the land which sits on Chapel Hill Way off Echols Road and Hwy. 20 —a year ago for about $350,000 for development of a subdivision, according to bank CEO Bartow Morgan. The land, which sits beside the Princeton Square subdivision, has a stream running through it and sits near Lake Lanier. The company subsequently changed its plans to develop a sub division on the property, but decid ed to keep the land natural and grant an easement to the Georgia Land Trust to keep it in its natural state, Morgan said. “We do a lot of business in the county, and we always try to give back to the county [in which we develop],” Morgan said. “We felt it was important to preserve the’land for the benefit of our county and those living in that area,” Morgan said, in a prepared statement. The property will not be public land. The company plans to donate the land to a church by the end of the year, Morgan said. The church cannot develop on the land, nor can any future owners of the property, according to the guidelines of the easement. According to Al Brashier, a rep resentative of the Georgia Land Trust who helped organize the easement, the land will not be developed in the future by its cur rent owner or future owners. The TOY from 1A said. Last year, the toy drive col lected about $30,000 in toy donations, said Julie Keeton, vice president of Technology Park Inc. According to Keeton, mem- CFO from 1A for a position where I could do essentially some of the things that I am doing now,” he said. When he starts with the county, he said he first plans to orient himself and become acquainted with department heads. “I want to spend a lot of time with the different depart ment heads," he said. “I need to understand what direction the county is going in. My goal is to reduce costs and to keep costs from rising so we don’t have to Fibromyalgia? If you suffer from chronic fibromyalgia pain, a free report is available that reveals what your doctor may not know. 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Photo/Kim Ash Bartow Morgan, CEO of The Brand Banking Co., stands in front of land which will be kept in its natural state after the bank grant ed a conservation easement for the 30 acres to the Georgia Land Trust, meaning no development can be done on the prop erty as long as the easement is in effect. easement lasts forever, he said. “We were very happy that The Brand Banking Co. was so gener ous in donating an easement grant to this property,” said Brashier, in a prepared statement. “Because of the land’s proximi ty to Haw Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River, it will protect almost 3,000 feet of riverfront. The easement will help minimize ero sion and flood problems stemming from the Chattahoochee,” said Brashier, in the statement. In an interview, Brashier said the church could benefit from the land by enjoying the natural beauty of the property, or sell the land in bers of the Fulton County Fire Department, clad in Santa hats and armed with music and sirens, pick up the toys and later carry the goodies to Hands Across Forsyth volunteers who sort and bag the toys to prepare pass on costs to taxpayers at a later date." He resides near Stone Mountain with his wife of 26 years, Susan, and teen daughters Cathrine and Christin. Quesenberry said he does not plan to relocate for at least a year. “[Forsyth County] is a great county,” he said. “I just want to make sure the position works out.” “I don't think I’ve been as excited about a job in a very long time,” Quesenberry said. reveals how to get relief as fast as humanly pos sible without drugs, shots or surgery, call toll-free 24-hour recorded message at 1-888-895-7484. Thomas Kinkade • Limited Edition Art • licensed products Store Hours: Mon-Fri 10-7 Sat 10-6 Lakeland Plaza Cumming, GA GA 400, Exit 14, @ Hwy. 20 (770) 888-9924 the future if it decides to do so. Brashier said most donors, like the bank, give the land away to preserve the natural beauty and keep the land from being devel oped. Morgan said he did not want to disclose the name of the church. “We wouldn’t keep the land in our name,” said Morgan. “The gift [to the church] is constituted by the conservation easement.” The easement is a signed docu ment that is filed with the Forsyth County Clerk of Courts. The ease ment was declared official on Dec. 8, Brashier said. Forsyth County Commissioner A.J. Pritchett said them for pick-up by families. “I feel like this is amazingly successful,” said Keeton, who helped organize the event. “I am always astounded by the responsiveness and large outpouring.” GDOT from 1A lie, will be a general business meeting for the board but also include board discussions con cerning Ga. 400 and Forsyth County. Ga. 400 most likely will be a major topic of discussion, the spokesman said. Board members will meet “MARK OF THE BEAST” Those that receive it, will receive the wrath of God. Find out who the BEAST is, and how to avoid his MARK. No obligation. No one will call. Write for free book to - THE BIBLE SAYS P.O. BOX 771 ATHENS TN 37371 Phone Toll Free 1-877-775-3808 ■K I Dr. Michael A. Tolson is pleased to announce the opening of his office, Plastic Surgery Center, PC in Cumming, GA. In association with: Premier Image Dr. William E. Silver, MD, F.A.C.S Board Certified in Plastic Surgery with 15 yrs. Experience in Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery Now Accepting Appointments: 1400 Northside Forsyth Drive Suite 220 Cumming, GA 30041 770-888-2999 4553 North Shallowford Rd. Atlanta. GA 30338 770-457-6303 he thinks the conservation ease ment will be good for the fast growing area. “I don’t think we’ve got enough green space in the county, especial ly in the south end,” he said. “Any opportunity we have to get more acreage [set aside for green space], we want to take that. We want to preserve what we have left.” According to Brashier, the ease ment benefits the public because nondevelopment of the land will help preserve the stream, which is a tributary of the Chattahoochee River, and the natural beauty of the property. The Georgia Land Trust, which was originally known as The Chattowah Open Land Trust, works to preserve water quality, natural habitation and recreational activities. It also controls flood and soil erosion damage and makes other efforts to preserve the envi ronment, according to a press release announcing the easement. According to Brashier, the 30 acres is not a large area, but big enough to make a positive differ ence on the environment of neigh boring areas and the whole county. “It’s just a little speck on the map,” he said, noting even the small preservation is good for the county. According to Morgan, the land would have been worth at least $1.5 million if developed. The Brand Banking Co. pur chased the land from Atlanta-based developers Doug Cotter and David Moss, business associates of the bank, Morgan said. According to the press release, “The Brand Banking Company is the oldest locally owned bank in the Gwinnett and Hall County area. “Founded in 1905, the bank’s goal is to combine old-fashioned personal service with modem tech nological conveniences,” the release said. Hand Across Forsyth, a pro gram that operates only from Oct. through Dec., is organized by The Place to help Forsyth County families during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. in committees the day before the meeting in Forsyth County to discuss the next day’s meet ing and upcoming transporta tion issues, said Brantley. The board always meets the day before the meetings to hold discussions between the committees, he said. FEUD from 1A 350,000 of which was designated to be used in the Bethelview area. The location of use for the remaining 150,000 gallons was not speci fied in the agreement. Currently, the 150,000 gallons is being used at Hammond’s Crossing, a business com plex near the intersection of Hwy. 369 and Hwy. 306. On Nov. 18 at the regular city coun cil meeting, the city initiated its investigation into the usage of this 150,000 gallons of unal located sewer capacity. The county has in place agreements for both purchasing fresh water from the city and using sewer capacity. The county hopes to bro ker an arrangement between the city and Dawson County for 500,000 gallons of water for Dawson. According to the existing agreements between the city and county, Forsyth County cannot sell city water to another county. “Dawson [County] wants to buy water from Forsyth County, which is prohibited under the contract with the city,” the mayor said. The mayor said that major improvements on the Sawnee Creek pump will be needed before additional usage can be added. The city will look at providing water to Dawson County on an interim basis. Gravitt said the county has failed to realize that SPLOST is not the only thing affected by city-county relations. “There are a lot of things that affect city and county governments. I think they need to realize that before they start withholding SPLOST money like they did last month,” Gravitt said. The issue of county water and sewer allo cations will be tabled until the “problems are worked out” with the city-county intergovern mental agreements, Gravitt said. “Basically the mayor wants a meeting with the county commissioners and the mayor and council to discuss what’s going to happen and what needs to happen,” city administrator Gerald Blackbum said. In other business, Capt. Gene Sams was appointed by the mayor and council to the position of assistant police chief. Cumming Police Chief Buck Jones recommended Sams, who has been with the department 22 years. The position had been vacant since 1997, when Jones was promoted to chief after serv ing as assistant chief for 10 years. The Place has been provid ing services to the needy in the county for 27 years, according to Rosewall. *O2)JA & L Antiques 'W® 'f aml S Rent a tree info avail. • Drop off service avail • Shrinkwrap service avail • Buy a tree avail New Shipment of Furniture and Household Accessories, just in time for the holidays! Mark Down Sale Through Christmas Sale Items Not To Be Used w/Any Other Coupons! Holiday Hours We offer full service interior decorating, Closed Monday fine antique furnishings & accessories from Tues-sat noveau to new. Interior holiday decorating 10:00-8:00 & take down service available. Sunday Now taking reservations! Book early! 770-887-5320 Wendy Keenan Cell: 770-317-7479 - Circa Style Larry Kohn -JA & L 1575 Dahlonega Hwy • Highway 9 North • Cumming 30040 -- Forsyth County News J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 J USPS 205-540 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Cumming, Georgia 30040 Phone: 770-887-3126 Fax: 770-889-6017 Internet Address: www.forsythnews.com e Publisher DENNIS STOCKTON General Manager NORMAN BAGGS Editor TOM SPIGOLON Advertising Director MARTI BARNES 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, $52 per year; $35 for six months; other Georgia and out of state subscriptions are SBS 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 Forsyth County News/P.O. Box 210, Cumming, Ga. 30028. A Swartz-Morris Media Inc. publication Miss your paper? Call 887-3126 We deliver replacement papers within Forsyth 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 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. If your call is received during these times, a replacement copy will be delivered to your home. Calls received after busi ness hours will be checked the following business day, and credit will be extended to your account. 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. The Hands Across Forsyth program has been in existence in the county since 1991, according to Rosewall.