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Forsyth Count •/ Ynur "Hnmptnwn Pmwr" SUnre newspaper p . Ip .r Vol. 95, No. 13 Lanier Tech expansion cut from budget By Nicole Green Staff Writer The Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget has left the Forsyth Campus expansion of Lanier Technical College out of the proposed state budget for the third year in a row. The expansion would include 90,000 square feet of classrooms and laboratories at the campus on Majors Road. Lanier Tech requested $155,000 from the state for initial engineering and design work. Construction is estimated to cost sls mil lion. according to the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE). “Our classrooms and laboratories are full. The Forsyth Campus is designed to serve north Fulton and Forsyth. There is a huge population not being served basically because we do not have any space to expand our programs and offer the kinds of pro grams that are needed in the community,” Lanier Tech President Michael Moye said. fl ■■ ■■■ ■ ■ ■’ HL ttv "".'T J kJUk *1 1j ■ |p MBjq* y Bak -4 ifiSkk \ ;■ H BBfr , Photo/David McGregor Emotions flow A Forsyth Central High School basketball player is emotional after a loss to South Forsyth High School Tuesday night. See game coverage in the Friday edition of the Forsyth County News. Cumming accepting bids to replace burned cotton gin at city fairgrounds By Nicole Green Staff Writer Cumming's mayor and City Council Tuesday authorized the Cumming Fairgrounds to accept bids for the construction of a new Cotton Gin House to replace one that flames destroyed on opening day of the annual fair in October. The old cotton gin burned beyond repair after a 15-year-old male set fire to the gin and 20,000 pounds of cotton. The structure was worth $400,000, fairgrounds administrator Dave Horton told council members during their regular monthly meeting at Cumming City Hall. The fairgrounds staff has located two gins ready to disassemble and move to Cumming. However, they first must construct a home for the 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 © 2003 Forsyth County News 90994 04001 Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 The DTAE annually submits a priority list for predesign, design and construction projects to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget (OPB). Lanier Tech was number two on the DTAE’s list for predesign money in fiscal year 2005, which begins July 1, 2004. However, Lanier Tech is not in the planned 2005 budget. “This being a very lean year, I would not have been surprised if no predesign money was given out for any projects at any technical colleges around the state,” Moye said. The governor’s office recently announced a 5 percent budget cut for the state. “I was alerted by Rep. [Jack] Murphy that there was some predesign money. Apparently the Office of Planning and Budget’s recommendation skipped over the first four priorities in the state, and they picked up the fifth priority,” Moye said. Southwest Georgia Technical College in Thomasville is scheduled to receive $860,000 for predesign and design of an Allied Health Building. new gin. Horton submitted to the council plans for a 100-foot by 50-foot steel building to house the cotton gin. The building will feature an 80-foot by 25-foot gin room with a 15-foot wide, covered viewing area on two sides. The remaining space may be used for scales and a cotton wagon. At the meeting, the North Georgia Quarter Midget Racing Association donated SI,OOO to the rebuilding of the cotton gin house. Midget racing for children ages 5 to 15 operates out of the fairgrounds. Contractor bids will determine the total cost of the building, which is included in the 2004 budget. The mayor and council approved the $10.9-million city budget for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2004. INDEX Abby 3B Classifieds 2B Deaths 2A Government 4A Horoscope 3B Kids Page 8A Opinion 7A Sports 6A THURSDAY January 22,2004 Kids Fun news, entertainment for younger readers. Page 8A Approximately $4.8 million is reserved for water and sewer capital improvements. Contractor Reynolds Inc. was awarded the contract to extend sani tary sewer lines and a pump station on Buford Dam Road for $1.5 mil lion. A bid opening was held at City Hall on Jan. 19. “There are some people wanting to buy sewer allocation in this area, so I think we need to get this done as quickly as possible,” Mayor H. Ford Gravitt said at the meeting. The council approved a sewerline easement in the city service area to provide sewer for the new Publix shopping center at the intersection of Hwy. 369 and Hwy. 306. The city will proceed with the condemnation See CITY, Page 2A The tentative budget also provides Valdosta Technical College with sl6 million for design and new construction of a classroom building. “Consequently the Forsyth Campus expansion of Lanier Tech has been passed over for the third year in a row,” Moye said. Murphy, who represents parts of Forsyth, Dawson and Cherokee counties in District 14, Post 2, met with Gov. Sonny Perdue on Tuesday about the Forsyth Campus expansion. Basically, there is little predesign money avail able to technical colleges in the 2005 budget. To fast track project completion, the budget groups $92,000 in predesign money with the rest of the planning money for Southwest Georgia Tech. A member of the Thomasville community is provid ing matching funds for the project, the governor told Murphy. See FUNDS, Page 2A New tree ordinance hearing is Monday Revisions would raise minimum numbers for residential and commercial properties By Todd Truelove Staff Writer An ordinance revision under con sideration by the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will require developers and builders to have more trees on building lots if approved. The revised ordinance does not restrict individual home owners from cutting and planting trees on their property; it would, however, require developers and builders to retain and plant trees to meet a set minimum of tree volume. Revisions on the tree ordinance began more than a year ago, accord ing to Patty Durand, one of five members appointed by commission ers to a tree board. “We changed it from 15 to 20 basal units per acre [for residential developments].” Durand said. That doesn’t necessarily mean 20 trees per acre. Instead, the amount of trees needed would be based on the size and type of the tree as well as whether the tree is an existing one, or one that’s been planted. In general, a newly planted tree with a 2-inch diameter would count as half a basal unit; existing trees with a diameter of 8 to 9 inches also count as half a unit. Commercial properties would be required to have 15 basil units per acre. Mandated buffer zones cannot be counted toward meeting the tree requirements. ■ '• ’wM UK C 5 £ i. Photo/Audra Perry Sudden impact An emergency worker inspects a tan 2001 Ford Explorer after ft was struck as it attempted a left turn onto McGinnis Ferry Road and into the path of a white Ford F 250 that was traveling north on Hwy. 141 Tuesday. The Explorer driver, Donald Shaw Queen, 18, of Suwanee, was cited for failure to yield. He received minor injuries while his passenger, Darrell Williams, 18, suffered serious injuries' Both were taken to North Fulton Regional Hospital, sheriff’s deputies say. Sports NASCAR steals a page from NFL marketing playbook. Page6A WNIER TECHNICAL COLLEGE There is a huge population not being served basically because we do not have any space... BUS Lanier Tech President M Michael Moye i If trees do not exist on the proper ty on which building is taking place, they must be planted. Tom Brown, the assistant director of the Forsyth County Planning Department, said it was his under standing that planted trees are given more unit credits to account for the cost of buying and planting the tree. Larger trees that are preserved can earn credits for developers, but there also are more penalties in the new ordinance if they are taken down. One of the changes in the ordi nance that will have a major impact, Durand said, is requiring builders, in addition to developers, to meet the tree ordinance. An inspection would be needed to ensure compliance with the tree ordinance before a Certificate of Occupancy permit would be issued for a building. Brown said that’s one of the issues the board is going to have to consider because the planning department does not currently have the staff necessary to perform the additional inspections that would be required. “We did over 3,000 residential permits last year,” Brown said. “If we [had this tree ordinance] last year, it would have involved over 3,000 additional inspections.” “Essentially, there’s no way this year that with the staff that we See TREES, Page 2A Sunny LAKE LANIER LEVELS Date Level Jan. 17 1068.13 ft Jan. 16 1068.04 ft Jan. 19 1068.01 ft Jan. 20 1067.91 ft Full 1071.00 ft High in the mid-40s. Low in the mid-20s. k BUSINESS, 1B Zaxby's adds new location.