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Forsyth County r
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I Utih New face for arts group | 1C
Later 2011-12 school start
Proposal would shorten Thanksgiving break
By Jennifer Sami
jennifersami@forsythnews.com
Some parents could get what
they asked for if the Forsyth
County Board of Education
approves the proposed 2011-12
LEGISLATURE
Dudgeon
AT DOME Yt
4 -
■
Lawmaker settles ■
into first session
By Jennifer Sami
jennifersami@forsythnews.com
ATLANTA — Sometimes, Mike
Dudgeon feels like he’s right back in
high school.
Wednesday was one of those days,
said the freshman District 24 state rep¬
resentative from Cumming as he
roamed the Capitol.
Like a class change between bells,
Dudgeon went from committee meet¬
ing to the floor to another committee
meeting, with just a few minutes in
between to enjoy a snack and stack of
mail.
It was the busiest day for Dudgeon
since the 2011 legislative session began I
Jan. 10, though it started like any other.
“I’m 5:30 and driving A '
up at a.m. at A
6:15 a.m.,” he said. “I’m here early just
to beat the traffic."
See DUDGEON13A
Photos by Jennifer Sami Forsyth County News
District 24 state Rep. Mike Dudgeon checks
constituent e-mails at his office in the
Coverdell Legislative Office Building, with the
state Capitol in the background.
Dudgeon
visits with
4k ; Ava Leavitt,
w left, a Shiloh
Point first
grader hon¬
Ik ored for her
"1 art work.
r ■ -.Aar aBWi v 4 :
------------------
Dudgeon talks with District 23 state Rep. Mark *
Hamilton, also from Cumming, on Wednesday.
A renewed hope for Hyde
Boy among first
to get treatment
By Crystal Ledford
crystalledford®
forsythnews.com
The family of a
Cumming 4-year-old is
hoping to have him home
soon following a history¬
making medical procedure.
On Feb. 1, Hyde Talbot
underwent a kidney trans¬
plant and began an experi¬
mental drug treatment.
He’s the first person in
inside Classifieds Abby Deaths 4C 6B 2A 4 \ Childrens Board to help V A Opinion: College will - k'
Volume 102, Number ForsythLife 1C Healthcare be great asset 58/31
26 Horoscopes 2A facility.
0 7 C Cumming, 2011. Forsyth Georgia County News Opinion 6A open to county. Forecast 12A
Weddings 2C
t
school calendar this week.
But not everyone will be
happy with the new plan,
which would push back the
start of the school year by one
week.
Instead of Aug. 8, school
Georgia and third in the
nation to undergo the com¬
bined efforts, which could
lead to helping him and
others with a rare condi¬
tion.
Talbot’s transplant took
place at Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta at
Egleston, where he has
been recovering, with a
team of international lead¬
ers in transplant surgery
and immunology.
“He’s doing great,” said
his mother, Phyllis Talbot.
See HYDE 13A
2A
would begin Aug. 15. The later
start is something parents have
asked for en masse, said Joey
Pirkle, associate superintend
ent.
The trade-off would be los
ing the full w eek of vacation
ym 1
u
lijy
7
For the Forsyth County News
Four-year-old Hyde Talbot received a kidney trans¬
plant from his uncle, Warren Chase, as part of
treatment for a rare blood disorder.
at Thanksgiving.
“I’m sure if we were to put
this draft out again for more
feedback, probably the people
that we didn’t hear from in the
first 842 responses, we’d prob
ably hear a lot about, ‘Well, we
don’t want to start later because
we want that full week,”’ Pirkle
told the board Thursday.
INDUSTRY
Athletics
company
setting up
hub here
Distribution center
to serve East Coast
By Crystal Ledford
crystalledford@forsythnews.com
A California-based maker of athletic equip¬
ment announced plans Friday to open a distribu¬
tion center in Forsyth County.
The Collins Company soon will move into a 2
acre site on Weber Industrial Boulevard, said
James McCoy, president of the Cumming
Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce.
The move represents a $1.5 million expansion
for the Chino, Calif.-based company, which man¬
distributes and installs athletic field
accessories such as windscreen
and protective netting.
McCoy said the project could
eventually bring about 20 to 25
new jobs to the county.
Friday’s announcement is the
second major local economic
boost of 2011, coming just
weeks after Academy Sports
Outdoors unveiled to build
a 71,796-square-foot store at The Avenue
Forsyth.
The store at the outdoor shopping mall on
Peachtree Parkway is projected to create 150
jobs, plus some 300 construction positions, and
$19 million in revenue.
A family-owned business, the Collins
Company has been in operation for 37 years. Its
customers range from high-profile athletic facili¬
ties to schools, clubs, homes and parks.
The company has hired an operations manager
and will be expanding the local work force
throughout the year. McCoy said the facility in
south Forsyth will not focus on manufacturing.
“There will be some light assembly, some put¬
ting together of raw materials from other sites,
but mostly distribution,” he said.
According to the chamber, the local site will
“serve as the company’s East Coast hub for ship¬
ping and receiving.”
Owner Larry Collins said in a statement that
the Collins Company chose Forsyth County for
due to “the warmth and friendliness” of residents.
“Everyone I met was very reassuring,” he said.
“Through the resources and help provided, the
permit and licensing process was painless, and
everyone I spoke to within the county offices
couldn’t have been more cooperative and friend
iy- **
McCoy said the county is equally pleased to
welcome the company.
“They’re a great company. Any community
would be very proud to have them,” he said.
Randall Toussaint, vice president of economic
development for the chamber, added that the
project is “indicative of the economic vitality of
our community.”
“The responses from the
feedback to start later were
overwhelming, compared to
people talking about the
[Thanksgiving] week.”
Pirkle said parents' input was
a big factor in the proposed
school calendar.
See START 13A
McCoy