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| FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com
South Forsyth graduate helping at Winter Olympics
By Kelly Whitmire :
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
A South Forsyth High School
graduate is showing his skills at
the Winter Olympics, though he
won’t be competing with any
one. !
Mike Diersen, a 2001 SFHS
graduate, is in Pyeongchang,
South Korea for the XXIII
Olympic Winter Games, where
he is keeping ice clean and
smooth for competitors as part
of the crew for the games. .
Through email, Diersen said
he found out in late 2016 a
friend was going to the
Olympics to run a hockey facil
ity. Diersen said he told his
friend he “would love the
opportunity” and found out last
summer he had been selected.
“l was one of eight drivers
from North America and three
drivers from Japan chosen to go
work the 2018 Winter
Olympics,” Diersen said in an
email. “This opportunity is
amazing. I am getting the
chance to learn from the best in
the business. There are seven
NHL drivers here. I am one of
two that work for municipal
owned ice arenas.”
Working with international
crews, Diersen said, had been
both exciting and challenging.
“The best part so far has been
the guys I work alongside
with,” he said. “Everyone is
willing to help, give advice,
and work together. The Korean
people have been amazing to
work with too. The communi
cation has been a learning
FROM 1A
Summit
business topic that we as a
community face,” said
James McCoy, president
and CEO of the Cumming-
Forsyth County Chamber
‘of Commerce.
" Georgia Department of
Transportation
Commissioner Russell
McMurry said officials
with the state are facing
-ignificant traffic issues but
have plans to deal with
some of those concerns.
“Metro-Atlanta is
ranked No. 4 in the nation
in congestion — not a
ranking you want to be
on,” he said. “We’re No. 8
.ght in the world. [We]
don’t want to be on that
tcp-10 list. Georgia has
seven of the top 100
freight bottlenecks, with
the No. 1 freight bottle
neck being Spaghetti
Junction.”
The event included an
address from Rep. Rob
Woodall, a video of
Forsyth County
Commissioners going
over zonings in their dis
tricts and an opportunity
for the crowd to submit
questions.
Those interested in
more information from
the county on projects
can view the commission
'rs’ video, slides from the
resentation from Forsyth
ounty District 4
Jommissioner Cindy
Jonz ~nd a map of trans
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: : For the Forsyth County News
South Forsyth High School graduate Mike Diersen, right, stands with fellow crewmembers
Brandon Klement, left, and David Hanson at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang,
South Korea.
curve but we are working it out
every day.”
Diersen said it was ‘‘amaz
ing” to be at the Olympics,
which he said was the “best
sporting event in the world.”
He added that he still
couldn’t believe he was a part
of it.
He said he has had the
opportunity to watch some of
the world’s best hockey play
ers.
"“The hockey has been awe
some to watch,” Diersen said.”
I have seen men and women
portation projects at
Forsythco.com.
Ga. 400
Over the past few trans
portation summits, the
widening of Ga. 400 has
been a big topic, and that
remained the case on
Wednesday. The widen
ing project began in
November 2015. The
northbound side of the
project was completed in
June 2017.
GDQOT. District
Engineer Brent Cook said
work is ongoing on the
southbound side and said
a date has been set.
“We still have that
southbound section from
[Hwy.] 369 down to
[Hwy.] 141 [to be com
plete,]” Cook said. “The
contractor got caught by
the weather. They have
one little one-mile gap of
concrete slab that he’s got
to pour, but once the
weather breaks, we feel
pretty good that they’re
going to have that section
finished and all three
lanes southbound open by
the end of May.”
Cook said that would
not end the project and
work including replacing
roadway, resurfacing,
striping and other work.
He said all of it should be
completed by October.
A new interchange
replacing the Ga. 400
interchange with Hwy.
369 is also being planned.
Construction is slated
to begin in 2018 and will
play now and, wow, they are
some of the best-skilled play
ers out there.”
Diersen said he played ice
and roller hockey while attend
ing SFHS but has since relocat
ed to Park City, Utah, where he
works as head of operations for
the Park City Ice Arena.
Diersen credits his love of soc
cer for taking him all over the
country and, now, world.
“I moved to Utah because of
the outdoor lifestyle,” he said.
“I love the winter so I try to do
it all. Hockey has been a big
take about 36 months.
The estimated cost of the
project for construction,
acquiring right of way
and utilities is about $47
million. Forsyth County
is putting forth $33 mil
lion for the project.
Hwy. 9
During his presenta
tion, McMurry said there
were four ongoing proj
ects to widen Atlanta
Highway (Hwy. 9 south)
from the Fulton County
line to Hwy. 20.
“Those four projects
constitute about $159
million investment to
widen that roadway,” he
said.
Those four projects
would widen the road
from Fulton to
McFarland, McFarland
to Post Road, Post Road
to Peachtree Parkway
(Hwy. 141) and
Peachtree Parkway to
Hwy. 20. Construction is
set to begin in the 2021
and 2022 fiscal years.
Canton Highway
(Hwy. 20 west)
McMurry said the
project to widen Canton
Highway from Canton to
downtown Cumming
would cost about SSOO
million in state funds.
“Right of way phases
are underway on the
575/Canton end, and the
other phases of right of
way acquisition will
begin this summer
part of my life and I owe a lot
of what I havesto the sport.
When I moved to Utah, I
played for The Park City
Pioneers which was a men elite
team that traveled around the
west playing teams from Utah,
Idaho, Wyoming, California,
Nevada and New York.”
Hockey even helped Diersen
get his job.
Diersen said he was attend
ing the rink three or four times
a week to play hockey when
his predecessor asked if he
wanted a job. He said he start-
through next summer,”
he said. “Eight-hundred
parcels of property have
to be acquired ... con
struction is slated for
2019 on the Canton
end.” : -
Buford Highway
(Hwy. 20 east)
While officials are get
ting ready for construc
tion on one end of Hwy.
20, the other end is near
ing the end of its project.
Traffic on Canton
Highway recently shifted
to new lanes, though
only one lane in each
direction is open, and
both lanes of both sides
of the road are expected
to be done by May.
Bethelview Road
Cook said there were
eight active projects in
the county totaling about
$205 million.
Among those projects
is the second phase of
widening Bethelview
Road.
. “Phase two is what is
under construction now.
This is an example of a
project that was a part
nership with Forsyth
County,” Cook said, later
adding: “In the next few
months, you’re going to
see some traffic shifting
around to get it, hopeful
ly, in the final align
ment.”
Cook said the project
would be done by June
2019.
Your Source for Property in Novrth Georgia.
Bridges
Cook also updated
attendees on the status of
projects to replace bridg
es over Lake Lanier.
He said Boling Bridge
on Hwy. 53 over Lake
Lanier is currently having
beams set, and work on
the project is about 75
percent complete. The
bridge is estimated to
open in March 2019.
On Hwy. 369 (Browns
Bridge Road) bridges are
being replaced at 6 Mile
Creek, 2 Mile Creek and
on Browns Bridge over
Lake Lanier. Cook said
age was a factor in replac
ing the bridges. :
“All totaled, all three of
the 369 bridges represent
about a $54 million
investment,” Cook said.
“All those bridges have
the same birthday.
They’re all 1956 and
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Friday, February 23, 2018
ed off sharpening skates three
days a week for three months
before being promoted to rink
operator, which involved mak
ing ice and driving an ice
resurfacer. e
During that time, he worked
full-time as a carpenter, until
the economic downturn.
“In 2008, when the housing
market fell, I was offered a
full-time position as the build
ing maintenance coordinator. I
did that for about six years, and
1 left the industry to start a
business in custom woodwork
ing,” Diersen said. “I did that
for one year, and then Park
City came and asked me again
to come work full time as the
head of operations. I accepted
and now I am at the Olympics.
You never know what life has
in store for you.”
Diersen said he is making
the most of his opportunity and
will stay for the 2018 Winter
Paralympics, held March 9-18.
He said he hopes to see more
of the country in the time
between the Winter Olympics’
closing ceremony on Sunday
and the Winter Paralympics.
“I haven’t been able to get
out much yet but the area I am
staying is really nice. I am on
the coast of the Sea of Japan in
the town of Gangneung,
Korea,” he said. “The coastline
reminds me a lot of the coast of
California. I hope that I can
explore a little more once the
Olympic Games are done and
before I start the Paralympics.”
1957, so they’re all due
for a replacement.”
County projects
Mills went over projects
that are part of an ongoing
update to the county’s
traffic comprehensive
plan and projects being
funded through special
purpose local option sales
tax, or SPLOST, funds.
She said the compre
hensive plan had identi
fied several projects.
“Some of the key proj
ects that have already
been identified in the
update are widening Post
Road, widening McGinnis
Ferry Road from Sargent
Road to McFarland
Parkway, widening State
Route 306 from Ga. 400
to 369 and widening State
Route 9 from Fulton
County to the city of
Cumming,” she said.