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Forsyth County News Vol. 95, No. 020 Marathon meeting brings a crowd S S I in ■ Sts I'-gMK.-. -My-, a-c -. 1 U /. - , . I ;> ' rnHH HE 7 gfgK ■ |& life MmHMMMmMMMB WB" , sPj 'W*M| v • JiTWK'.Bb IMMh. - ftu3MKw<triSilw Jt'd I't «' S yjpsf ? |F ’ Lv |y ' Jd Photo/Audra Perry A standing-room crowd filled the county administration building Monday night for a lengthy meeting of the Forsyth County Commission, which included revisions to the county’s tree ordinance and consideration of a smoking ordinance, in addition to numerous public hearings. Commissioners hear opposition to tree ordinance By Todd Truelove Staff Writer The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners conducted a marathon nine and half hour session Monday night stretch ing public hearings and regular business until 2:45 a.m. Tuesday morning drawing comments on everything from tree ordinance changes to com munication towers. Most were there to comment on proposed revisions to the county's tree ordinance which, in part, increased the number and types of trees a developer would be required to have before construction could com mence. Commissioners did not take action Monday night but said they wanted to alter the revisions after they heard from the audience. County Arborist Greg Wallace presented the board Patterson saw lake grow from infancy Dam, benefits built on his watch By Harris Blackwood Community Editor Cecil Patterson saw the development of Lake Lanier from its infancy. His 35-year career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began six years before the 1954 completion of Buford Dam and continued until 1983, when he retired as resource manager for the reservoir. Patterson, 76, of Cumming, died Saturday. He was remembered by colleagues and friends as an outgoing man who was enthusiastic about the Lake Lanier proj ect. “He had a real rapport with the counties that sur round the lake,” said Mark Williams, a Corps spokesman. Williams said that among Patterson’s legacies was the hiring of a number of professionals to guide the future of the lake. “A number of those people remain on the staff to this day,” said Williams “He hired some very talented people. Some of them are nearing retirement now.” Williams said that Patterson did not forget his work after retirement and was a regular attendee at See LAKE, Page 2A 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 J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 J /t s just one more attempt to take away private property rights. - Bobby Thomas 99 with the changes which as writ ten would, among other things, increase the density of trees in subdivisions and require inspections to assure compli ance with builders before the Planning Department would issue Certificates of Occupancy. However, based upon previ ous discussions, Wallace also recommended a host of addi tional changes before the board adopts the new tree ordinance. Those changes included placing more of the authority to INDEX Classifieds 128 Comics... 3B Deaths 2A Education 6A Events.. 4A Legate 4B Opinion 10A Sports IB WEDNESDAY February 4, 2004 assure compliance with the director of the Planning Department instead of the county arborist, allowing the required tree density in pasture land to only be based on the disturbed area, and keeping the required density for new subdi visions at its current amount of 15 units per acre. Wallace also said the board might want to consider deleting the requirement for the ordi nance to apply until staff issues a CO. He said the county would need at least two additional inspectors to enforce that requirement. Wallace also said it needs to be clarified that the ordinance is not supposed to apply to indi vidual home owners. “The ordinance is not intended to apply to the con struction of single family detached dwellings,” he said. —jgy, -ti ■' Hb ink IMk. .Lx File Photo Cecil Patterson was included in the Forsyth County News “Men of Forsyth” section in 1998. In a photo from that edition, he examines old photographs which chroni cle the construction of Buford Dam in the mid-19505. Patterson, who served as resource manager of Lake Lanier prior to his retirement in 1983, died Saturday at the age of 76. Advice Dear Abby: Girl stands her ground against molester Page3B “If you want to add a garage behind your house, you can do so without coming under the requirements of the tree ordi nance.” Six people spoke in favor of the ordinance, including Patty Durand, who sits on the tree preservation committee that helped develop the revisions, and resident Jan Hill. “I’ve been concerned, since I’ve been a resident of the county for the last 12 years, at the alarming rate the trees have been disappearing,” Hill said. Most of the attendees, how ever, were there in opposition to the tree ordinance revisions. Bobby Thomas, the chair man of the group Citizens for Property Rights, questioned why the ordinance needed to be changed. “We contend that this is not See COMMISSION, Page 3A Opinion Columnist Bill Shipp glad governor doing some straight talking. PagelOA Turner jury selection must wait Effort to whittle 125-person pool delayed By Nicole Green Staff Writer MARIETTA The highly anticipated murder trial of Julia Lynn Turner began Monday without the expected climax when jury selection was postponed 24 hours. Turner also pleaded not guilty to one count of murder on Monday. Media cameras were poised at 10:30 a.m., waiting for Cobb County Superior Court Judge James G. Bodiford to begin the monthlong trial of the Cumming woman accused of poisoning her former husband. Turner had plenty of time to converse with her attor neys and the row of family mem bers in the court room. The judge was an hour late, detained by unre lated proceedings. The court also recessed for the funeral of a prominent Cobb attor- ney, leaving no time to question jurors on Monday. “Voir dire,” the jury selection process, was scheduler for 65 of the 125-member jury pool on Tuesday and 60 today. Turner’s attorney, Jimmy Berry of Marietta, told the judge of his concern about widespread media coverage of the case. He requested a private interview with jurors who admit to having heard or read about the case. “We do not want to educate the other jurors about what one juror read,” Berry said. Bodiford said he will ask the jury pool four questions, which would indicate whether the juror could deliver an unbiased verdict at the end of the murder trial. In hopes of expediting the long trial, the judge said he will refer for attorney questioning only those jurors who show par tiality for or against the defendant. “I think perhaps you’re being too cautious, but there’s nothing wrong with being a little too cautious,” Bodiford said. “If we have to individually voir dire every individual, so be it,” he said. Berry said that as the jury selection proceeds, he will consider whether a change of jurisdiction will be needed due to media saturation. Turner's former husband, Glenn Turner, a Cobb County police officer, died in 1995 of what was thought initially to be natural causes. His body was re-examined after the similar, unexplainable death of Lynn Turner’s boyfriend and Forsyth County firefighter, Randy Thompson, in 2001. Both bodies contained high levels of See TURNER, Page 2A Poultry blood carrier spills cargo again By Steven H. Pollak Staff Writer For the second time in less than eight months, a Leon Jones Feed & Grain truck carrying thousands of gallons of chicken blood overturned and spilled its contents onto the roads of Forsyth County. The most recent incident occurred Saturday morning shortly before 10 a.m. when a 25-year-old driver named Billy Barnes II was traveling south on Old Federal Road just west of Blanton Road in a 1995 Freightliner truck owned by the feed and grain company located on Leland Drive in Forsyth County. According to a report by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Barnes was negotiating a curve in the road when he lost control and the vehicle skidded approximately 20 feet across the opposite lanes and overturned in an embankment on the north side of Old Federal. See SPILL, Page 2A Sunny LAKE LANIER LEVELS Date Level Jan. 30 1067.90 ft WHE’ Jan. 31 1067.90 ft Feb. 1 1067.92 ft Feb. 2 1067.92 ft Full lo7l.oe"ft High in the low 50s. „ . --~ Low in the high 30s. *'** sports, <b entral one, two at tourney Turner