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SUNDAY
IUNF'3,2012
Forsyth County News
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File photo
Ga. 400
focus of
summit
Thursday
Three chambers
sponsoring event
By Crystal Ledford
clecflordsWorsythoews com
Residents of Forsyth, Dawson
and Lumpkin counties are invited
to discuss the future of Ga 400 this
week.
The Cumming-Forsyth County
Chamber of Commerce, in conjunc¬
tion with the Dawson and
Dahloncga-Lumpkin chambers, will
hold the 2012 Georgia 400 Summit
at 11:30 a.m Thursday.
The event at the Lanier Technical
College Forsyth Conference Center
is open to the public. Tickets are $30
for members of any of the three
chambers, or S35 for non-members.
James McCoy, president and CEO
of the Forsyth chamber, said the
event is largely geared toward busi¬
nesses and individuals with high
stakes in the future of the corridor.
"I suspect we ll have 100 folks or
so, hut what’s going to be more
important is the real focus on making
sure that folks from Forsyth, Dawson
and Lumpkin counties who consider
Ga 400 to be the most important to
them are there and are engaged," he
said.
McCoy noted the event will pri¬
marily consist of a panel discussion
by representatives from the State
Transportation Board of Georgia, the
state Department of Transportation,
and the State Road and Tollway
Authority.
See SUMMIT | SA
Plans for Walmart in south Forsyth resurface
Retailer eyes different site on Peachtree Parkway
By Alyssa laRenzic
alaren/ie4*forsythnews com
Four years after withdrawing
its plans for a south Forsyth
store. Walmart has submitted a
new proposal for a superccnter
about a mile to the north on
Peachtree Parkway (Hwy. 141).
The big-box retailer has
applied with the county for a site
development permit for a nearly
172,(XX) square-foot structure on
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Two dead after wreck
Head-on collision along Old Alpharetta
By Jennifer Semi
|sami@forsythnews com
The Forsyth County
Sheriff’s Office is investigat
ing a two-vehicle, head-on
wreck that claimed the lives
of both driven early Friday in
HEALTH
A BIG
FIRST
YEAR
Childrens
celebrates
anniversary
By Crystal Ledford
ctedfotcMMorsythnew* com
Every young patient who visited
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Jt
Forsyth on Friday got to leave with a
shiny red. green or blue balloon
The helium-filled treats were
given out to celebrate the one-ycar
anniversary of the 20.000-squarc
fool outpatient facility at The
Avenue Forsyth on Peachtree
Parkway.
Linda Cole. Children's vice presi¬
dent of ambulatory and emergency
services, said it was hard to believe
the children's medical center has
been open a year
"We feel very grateful to the com¬
munity that has embraced us and
[for] the partnership we have with
the community and with the other
nonprofits in the community," Cole
said
On Friday, the facility received a
$7,500 donation from the Sawnce
Cumming Optimist Club as a result
of its inaugural golf tournament May
i;
Cole said the gift is one of many
the nonprofit facility has received
since its opening. Many have gone
24 acres at Peachtree and Mathis
Airport parkways.
Eight properties, none of
which Walmart owns, make up
the site in the plans submitted
last week
A site development permit
allows a developer to make all
the improvements to the land as
indicated in the plans, but not
the building, which requires a
separate permit, said Tom
Brown, director of planning
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south Forsyth.
According to the sheriff’s
office, the collision occurred
about midnight at Old
Alpharetta Road and Wind
Haven Drive,
A sheriff’s report said a
northbound 2002 Toyota
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toward the purchase of a pediatric
ambulance, which will be stationed
at the facility to serve Forsyth and
other northeast Georgia counties.
The highly specialized vehicle
costs about $700,(XK). and leaders
w ant to raise $1 million to also cover
the operating and maintenance costs
associated with it.
“The ambulance itself is now paid
for," Cole said Friday. “But we still
are working to complete some of the
bells and whistles for it.
and community development.
During the application pro¬
cess. staff will review ihe plans
to ensure all zoning conditions,
water and sewer needs, neces¬
sary road improvements and
other requirements are met in
the plans before they will issue
a permit. Brown caul.
The site is zoned commercial
as a result o( a county initiated
rezomng in late 200b as an
alternate fixation to Walmart's
Camry Solara, driven by
50-year-old Cathy Jones of
Suwanee, crossed Old
Alpharetta and struck a 2005
Nissan Murano.
Both Jones and the driver of
the southbound Nissan,
53-year-old Samuel Chi
Wk*o* by Autumn VMM* Forsyth County Nuws
Nurse Kathy Vinson, right, talks
with Cassie Mills about son
Ashton Friday at Children's
Healthcare of Atlanta at Forsyth.
The facility is marking its one
year anniversary serving the
area. Left, Dani Powell delivers
balloons for the celebration.
"It's very close. We'll probably
have it here tn the next few months.”
Cole said donations for the ambu
lance and other Children's programs
have been "phenomenal."
“It ranges from ... Tommy
Bagwell with American Proteins
who donated $360,000 for the ambu¬
lance to .. little girls having lemon¬
ade stands and bringing us $17 in a
little plastic baggy," Cole said.
"We've had the gamut of community
support."
Beth Buurscma. Children's com¬
munity outreach liaison, said the site
has also received heavy support from
area businesses.
She said a number of restaurants,
including Norman's Landing, Tam’s
Backstage, Moc's, Chick-til A anti
Mellow Mushroom, have held fam¬
ily nights" or other fundraisers for
the facility
See YEAR 14A
original planned site, which
was at what is now Mathis
Airport Road near the Laurel
Springs subdivision
That location was contested
by nearby residents and the
then-newly formed Smart
Growth Forsyth County, a local
watchdog group
Current managing director
Claudia Castro said Smart
Growth presented the current
site in question as an alternate
to the spot near Laurel Springs.
The original opposition was
the proximity to two neighbor¬
Epcagba of Alpharetta, were
pronounced dead at the scene,
according to the report.
The report noted that both
drivers were wearing seat¬
belts and traveling alone.
There were no witnesses.
Authorities haven't deter¬
mined what caused the
Toyota to cross over to the
other side.
hoods, existing road infrastruc¬
ture and water found on the
site. Castro said
"It turned into an argument
of you can come, but you need
to build the store smaller." she
said. "They didn’t want to build
a smaller store."
Walmart removed its plans in
2(K)X after commissioners sided
with Smart Growth to uphold
stream buffers, which would
have reduced the maximum
size of the store
See WALMART 15A