Newspaper Page Text
4A
| FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | forsythnews.com
Billboard policy
stands intact
county.’”
In Forsyth County,
billboards are not
allowed to be built or
rebuilt, and existing ones
are considered legally
nonconforming. The dis
tinction means that they
are an exception to code,
since they were there
before it was adopted.
“We no longer allow
billboards in the coun
ty... we don’t allow them
to come down or be
rebuilt at all,” Jarrard
said. “So in Forsyth
County, if you want to
lower a sign ... we don’t
allow that because our
code doesn’t allow it.”
To stop sign owners
from getting the benefit
of cutting down the trees
without having to actually
lower signs, the commis
sion considered allowing
signs to be lowered. .
“What the board was
grappling with was
whether ... to change the
sign ordinance,” Jarrard
said. “The board, at least
for the time being, decid
ed against that.”
Some commissioners
considered lowering bill-
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
After some recent dis
cussion, the Forsyth com
mission has decided
against revising the coun
ty’s billboard policy.
_The matter came to the
commissioners’ attention
after a change at the state
level earlier this year.
“The issue was that
[Georgia], and I believe
this is the product of the
last legislative session, is
now allowing certain
billboard companies or
billboard owners to seek
a vegetation management
permit that will allow
them to ... cut down or
cut back trees that are
basically blocking view
ing of the billboards,”
said County Attorney
Ken Jarrard.
“The state law also
says, ‘However, if you
take us up on securing
one of these ... permits,
in order to do this you
also must lower a sign.’
You have to lower it to
75 feet, but then it says
‘so long as such lower
ing is allowed by the
Psychiatrist convicted of child sex crimes
Press.
“Once he was caught,
other people came forward
with allegations of abuse
dating way back,” said
Sandra Partridge, Forsyth’s
chief assistant district
attorney.
However, Neale could
only be tried for one case
in Georgia since the other
incidents occurred in
Tennessee.
Partridge said Tennessee
did not bring charges
against Neale, but alleged
victims were able'to testify
in the Georgia case
because of a state code that
allows relevant offenses to
By Kayla Robins
krobins@forsythnews.com
A Tennessee doctor
accused of sex crimes
against a minor in Forsyth
County was sentenced to
40 years in prison.
According to court
records, John C. Neale was
convicted of three counts
of child molestation that
involved a 6-year-old
female relative. *
The well-known psychi
atrist from Johnson City,
Tenn., was 74 at the time
of his arrest in November
2012, according to an arti~
cle in The Johnson City
paid. Cheren said this fur
thers the organization’s
basic mission — to help
the people who live there.
“The best people to do
the work are those who
are on the ground,”
Cheren said. “The value of
work is so much better if
they’re the indigenous”
because then they won’t
have to rely on Partners to
continue to receive servic
es.
Sammy Wanjau, execu
tive director of the Kenyan
staff, visited the U.S. for
the first time this week. He
joined the organization in
2008 and echoed Willis
and Cheren in their mis
sion to provide equipment
that prevents child mortali
ty and helps prepare adults
to create their purpose.
“At the end of the day,
[everyone] wants to bring
food to the table,” Wanjau
said. “If you're not edu
cated, you can’t progress
in life.”
Also on the trip was
Linus Ndegwa, an epide
miologist and program
manager for Infection
FROM 1A
Cris Willis and husband
Gary, the owners of
Parsons, are U.S. board
members. She has traveled
to Kenya several times to
support the organization.
When she decided to
make her first trip, Willis
said she was scared she
would hear the “mission
ary’s calling” to stay in
Africa to help the cause.
Although she felt a deep
connection to the place
and people, she realized
her resources and contacts
were in the U.S., where
she likely can make a big
gest impact.
“I had a calling to stay
here because I can make
as much money as | want
here and send it to Africa,”
Willis said. “My money
goes so much further in
Kenya than it does here.”
One way she spends
that money in Kenya is
through the organization’s
recently developed
Lifesaver Kit. Each SSO
kit contains a PackH2o, or
a water backpack with a
plastic lining and shoulder
straps used for safe and
more accessible drinking
water.
Instead of carrying
heavy, dirty cans in search
of clean watér, women
and children can use the
water pack. Lifesaver kits
also have a mosquito net
so familiés can sleep pro
tected from malaria-carry
ing insects.
A solar lamp comes in
every pack to protect
against toxic fumes and
fire and burn hazards that
come with kerosene
lamps.
Partners for Care also
provides job skill and
computer training and lit
eracy programs, said
Connie Cheren, co-found
o
All of the U.S.-based
board members and staff
work on a volunteer basis,
but the Kenyan staff are
T
For Lease
Office/Professional
516 Dahlonega St.
Cumming, GA 30040
770.530.1679
STOCK MARKET UPDATE
MARKET IN BRIEF
R T T
TYBoO T 1 P -
__Stock . Symbol Last . Change % Change Volume Market .
Apple AAPL $97.67 141 A 146% 67,705,583 NASDAQ-GS
Delta Air Lines DAL $34.39 1.07 A 321% 21,447447° NYSE ;
Ford Motor Co. F $14.02 0.04 - 4 0.29% 31,424,376 NYSE
AGL Resources GAS $52.09 0.15 A 0.29% 911,274 NYSE
- Google GOOG $511.17 13.34 v 254% 5,521,016 NASDAQ-GS
Home Depot HD $90.24 1.36 & 1.52% 6,978,044 NYSE
intel Corp. INTC $31.38 0.53 A 172 36,627510 NASDAQ-GS
CocafolaCo. KO $4288 032 4 ° 23163266 NYSE .
McDonald's Corp. MCD $91.04 1.13 7,036,611 NYSE:
Microsoft MSFT $43.63 089 = A £ 40,654,696 NASDAQ-GS
Pepsico Inc. PEP $91.51 0.72 “ 6,228,483 NYSE ;
Regions Financial RF $9.1 0.04 A 0.44% 25257793 NYSE
Scientific Games -+ SGMS $9.06 0.35 v 3.72% 1,901,811 NASDAQ-GS
SwemOo. SO $4622 015 V 032% 8872348 NYSE -
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ~ WMT $741 028 0.38% 11444244 NYSE =
gL e
BW= R= 5 -
e R O S g B et s e "3 L
boards to be counterpro
ductive, as doing so could
make them more visible.
" “Are you [visually] pol
luting more when they’re
way up high, or when it’s
more down in your face?”
Commissioner Cindy
Jones Mills asked. “I hate
to change it and then
everyone’s mad because
we changed.”
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com :
A proposed change to Forsyth
County’s unified development code
could remove the limit on model homes
in subdivisions.
“Right now, we give one model home
for every 40 houses built in a neighbor
hood with a maximum of five,”
explained Tom Brown, the county’s
planning and development director.
“The direction [we] got from the
commissioners at [a recent] work ses
sion was to bring back a draft that
would eliminate that cap.” .
The change was brought up by
Commissioner Todd Levent, who had
been contacted by a developer in his
district whose subdivision had soid all
of its medel homes during the economic
downturn.
“Now you have a particular subdivi
sion, which is the Vickery, a large subdi
vision, and went through the bankrupt
cy,” Levent said. “And now, all the
model homes that were built during that
time ... have recently gone through
bankruptcy and sold out. All the model
homes they're allowed to have are sold.
“Now they’re not allowed to have
model homes prior to the platting,” he
said. “They would like to have anoth
be used as evidence.
His 50 years of psychia
try practice gave him
expertise in keeping his
victims quiet, Partridge
said.
While the trial was
expected to last until
Thursday, the verdict
arrived two days earlier.
Chief Judge Jeffrey Bagley
presided over the proceed
ings.
“We were all pleased
there was justice in this
case finally,” Partridge
said. “He’s gotten away
with it for 50 years, and it’s
about time.”
l Want Help A FFORDING LIFE 9 '
S E
Control at the Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention. He has served
as chair for the PFC
Kenya board for two
years and assisted in
researching the impact of
the PackH2o backpacks
on relieving waterborne
illnesses.
Like Cheren, he has a
full-time job. His employ
ment at the CDC does not
prevent him from com
mitting a significant
amount -of time to the
cause. .
“[PFC] is doing the
right job,” Ndegwa said.
“We don’t want to have
them wait for handouts if
we give them a way to
fish and continue it them
selves.”
He said the hospital
where they provide services
and training used to be able
to accommodate 10 moth
ers. Now between 100 and
150 can stay. If mortality
rates are reduced in infants
and young children, they
can be immunized and
educated. And have a
“second chance.” .
| Then
- ¥ Switchto 1
' ‘
i 3 . / |
| : . )
i i i .
GO
' SWITCH your loan to a Georgia credit union
| and SAVE money!
| Bring in your monthly statement for any type of loan
! : and we will review it so you can see how we can help :
i you save. '
|
|
| Anyone who is a member or interested in becoming a
i member of a Georgia credit union can take advantage
[ : of this offer during the month of October.
At the close of Oct. 17, 2014
Model home limit could be relaxed
TR &/
Offer valid at participating Georgia credit unions. Minimum loan balance
of SSOOO. Copy of most recent loan statement(s) must be provided. Loan
qualifying criteria must be met according to individual credit union policy.
I oan must be closed at the credit union. Available loan products may differ
among credit unions.
TI R R
%
GEORGIAUNITED®
CREDIT UNION SW"Ch TO":'Y'{"(? .
Georgia Credit Unions...
Helping People Afford Life®
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2014
er one.”
Brown noted that the change would
require two public hearings before it
could be adopted, adding that one
“would take .place at the planning
[board], the other ... at the [commis
sion].” : .
Model homes are built by developers
to show potential buyers what its homes
look like, and allow them to get build
ing permits before the neighborhood is
built. i
“For our unified development code,
we have a provision about model
homes, and what it basically allows is a
builder to obtain a building permit prior
to recording the final plat for the neigh
borhood,” Brown said. “For a typical
home, you can’t pull your building per
mit until the final plat is recorded and
all the lots are created.”
After being built, most model homes
are used as offices until they are eventu
ally converted to regular homes
“They usually build one of their stan
dard homes, but they’ll take the garage
and make it into a sales office,” Brown
said. “Once they’re done with it from a
sales standpoint, they’ll then finish up
the inspection process with us, and do
the inspections and do the work to-con
vert that model into a standard dwelling
unit.”