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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS
Midweek Edition-October 12-13, 2022 FORSYTHNEWS.COM JJforsythcountynews Q@ForsythNews (®)@ForsythNews $1.00
Forsyth maintains record-breaking grad rate
By Sabrina Kerns
skerns@forsythnews.com
Forsyth County Schools once
again earned the highest gradua
tion rates among metro Atlanta
systems and large school dis
tricts in Georgia in 2022,
according to state data released
on Thursday, Oct. 6.
The district ended the past
school year with a graduation
rate of 96.36% for the third con
secutive year, with it still being
the highest rate recorded in the
county’s history. It also ranks
high above the state graduation
rate of 84.10%.
“This accomplishment .... has
been a priority for FCS for the
past two decades,” FCS stated in
an announcement on Thursday.
Alliance Academy for
Innovation’s second graduating
class earned a perfect gradua
tion rate of 100% — a rise from
last year’s 99.25% and the high
est in the county.
South Forsyth and Lambert
High Schools also both had
graduation rates just above 98%,
with their graduation rates rising
slightly from last year alongside
Denmark High School.
See Grads 14A
Lambert
High
School's
2022 grad
uation
ceremony.
Photo courtesy
of Cady Studios
Advance voting
begins Oct. 17
Thrills continue downtown
FCN file photo
remain open
The Cumming Country Fair and Festival opened Thursday, Oct. 6 and wil
through Sunday, Oct. 16 at the Cumming Fairgrounds.
Visit Cumming Fairgrounds this week for sights, attractions
After a busy first weekend that included concerts,
daily specials and, of course, rides, the 2022
Cumming Country Fair and Festival will continue
this week.
The fair opened on Thursday, Oct. 6 and will
remain open through Sunday, Oct. 16. Here is a look
at what is still to come.
Operation hours: 4-10 p.m., Monday-
Thursday; 4 p.m. to midnight, Friday; 10 a.m. to
midnight, Saturday; 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday.
Fair admission: Ages 10 and under can enter for
free: Ages 11 and up $10; Cash and credit cards
accepted and ATMs are on-site; no re-entry once
inside fairgrounds.
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
Forsyth County voters will soon be able to cast ballots
for federal, state and local candidates.
Starting on Monday, Oct. 17, advance voting will
open for elections in Forsyth County, allowing residents
to cast ballots before Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8,
and will continue for three weeks, including three week
end days of voting.
Unlike Election Day, when voters must go to their
precinct’s polling place, registered voters can cast ballots
at an advance voting site during early voting.
Voting hours for all days except Sunday, Oct. 30 will
be 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For the week of Oct. 17-21, early voting will only be
held at the Forsyth County Voter Registrations and
Elections Office, 1201 Sawnee Drive.
Starting Saturday, Oct. 22 and continuing for the
weeks of Oct. 24-28 and Oct. 31 through Nov. 4 and on
Saturday, Oct. 29, advance voting will be held at the
voter registrations and elections office, Hampton Park
Library (5345 Settingdown Road), Midway Park
Community Building (5100 Post Road) and Sharon
Springs Park (1950 Sharon Road).
There will also be an option for Sunday voting this
year on Sunday, Oct. 30, where polls will be open from
noon to 5 p.m. at the voter registrations and elections
office.
This year’s election will include races for one of
Georgia’s Senate seats, governor, Congress and local
races, including, board of commissioners, board of edu
cation and a special election for a proposed $250 million
Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax,
orTSPLOST.
For more information on the election, go to Forsythco.
com/Departments-Offices/Voter-Registrations-Elections,
and for information on precincts, polling places and
other information for voters, go to MVP.sos.ga.gov/s/.
See Fair 16A
City approves road impact fee agreement with Sawnee village developer
By Kelly Whitmire
kwh itm i re@fo rsyth n ews.com
The Cumming City Council
recently approved an agreement
for how the city and developers
of a mixed-use project will pay
for a road project.
At their work session on
Tuesday, Oct. 4, council mem
bers approved an impact fee
agreement with Providence
Group of Georgia, developers
of Sawnee Village, a mixed-use
project planned on 152 acres
between Hwy. 9 and Pilgrim
Road.
Under the agreement,
Providence Group would pay
for road projects for the devel
opment up front and would
receive a credit for impact fees,
or charges paid by developers
to cover the cost of increased
demand on infrastructure, ser
vices and amenities.
“All of the impact fees that
they would be paying will be
paid to the city for the funding
of the road improvement,” said
City Attorney Kevin Tallant. “If
the road improvement costs less
than the impact fees they are
supposed to pay, then they still
have to pay us the rest of the
impact fees. So, the city will
get 100% of the impact fees
that this group is supposed to
be paying.”
Tallant said the agreement
only covers road projects and
other impact fees for public
safety and recreation impact
fees would be paid normally.
If costs for the projects are
lower than what the developer
would pay in impact fees, the
developer will still pay the
remainder toward impact fees,
and if the project is more than
the fees, the city will pay the
rest
Mayor Troy Brumbalow said
the agreement meant the city
would receive impact fees at
the beginning of the project
instead of them being collected
over time.
“They’re going to pay it
upfront instead of each time
you get a building permit to
where, in this project’s time-
frame, you might be getting
some of these impact fees five
See Sawnee 12A
72/61
Forecast! 2A
City to further
regulate
build-to-rent
communities, sa
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Volume 113, Number 78
© 2022, Forsyth County News
Cumming, Georgia
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