A
OUR REGION
Shannon Casas | Editor in Chief
770-718-3417 | news@gainesvilletimes.com
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
Friday, November 2, 2018
Ways to celebrate Veterans Day
Veterans Events
Gainesville Veterans
Appreciation Festival
When: Noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3
Where: Roosevelt Square, near the
downtown square
Cost: Free
More info: Tom Reesman, reesmanta@yahoo.
com, 678-943-6108
University of North Georgia,
Veterans Day ceremony
When: 3 p.m. Nov. 9
Where: Memorial Flail Gym, Dahlonega
campus
Cost: Free
More info: ung.edu
Lumpkin County Veterans Day parade
When: 11 a.m. Nov. 10
Where: Lumpkin County Veterans Day parade
Cost: Free
More info: ung.edu
2nd annual Veterans
Appreciation Weekend Festival
When: Nov. 10-11
Where: Dahlonega
Cost: Ride for Rangers, $40 registration fee;
park activities, $10 donation
More info: veteransappreciationday.org
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Area residents can attend both
ceremonies and celebrations honor
ing veterans over the next couple of
week.
Here’s a look at events taking place
through the area:
Gainesville to host first
veterans appreciation event
The Gainesville’s first-ever Veterans
Appreciation Festival is set for noon to
3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, in Roosevelt
Square, near the downtown square.
The free event, sponsored by the city
and veterans groups, will feature patri
otic music, a concert by the Believers
Band, vendors, face painting, bouncy
house and booths.
Attendees also can buy food and
drinks from Sherry’s Bait and Bar-
beque, Atlas Pizza and Kona Ice.
Annual Veterans Day event
at Lakewood Baptist Church
One of the more traditional local
events is the American Legion Paul
E. Bolding Post 7’s Veterans Day cer
emony, held every Nov. 11 at 11 a.m.,
the customary time that Veterans Day
is officially observed.
The ceremony will take place at
Lakewood Baptist Church, 2235 Thomp
son Bridge Road, Gainesville, which
involves somber wreath layings recog
nizing war veterans.
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville,
will be the featured speaker. The Ches-
tatee High School band in northwest Hall
County and Oakwood-based Maranatha
Christian Academy’s chorus are sched
uled to perform.
Rock Creek Veterans Park
ceremony planned
Vietnam Veterans of America Chap
ter 772 is sponsoring a ceremony at Rock
Creek Veterans Park at 223 Northside
Drive, Gainesville.
The event, taking place at 9 a.m. Nov.
12, will feature retired Marine Lt. Col.
Pat Zaudtke.
The park features war memorials,
benches and walkways dotting its land
scape. It also features an amphitheater
and has served as the site for previous
veterans ceremonies.
Veterans Appreciation
Weekend set in Dahlonega
The 2nd annual Veterans Apprecia
tion Weekend Festival is set for Nov.
10-11 in Dahlonega.
The event features foot and bicycle
races, including the Run for Rangers,
and a music festival, as well as activi
ties for kids. A golf tournament that had
been planned is now postponed until
April 2019.
The 64-mile bicycle Ride for Rangers
has a $40 registration fee. A $10 donation
is requested for park activities, including
a kids play area and vendors, set for 8
a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 11 at Hancock Park off
Hawkins Street.
Proceeds from events requiring a fee
will go to veterans and their families. All
events are free for veterans.
The event also will feature a parade,
taking place at 10 a.m. Nov. 10. The
music festival is set for 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
American Legion
Post 7 Veterans
Day ceremony
When: 11 a.m. Nov. 11
Where: Lakewood Baptist
Church, 2235 Thompson
Bridge Road, Gainesville
Cost: Free
More info: Dave Dellinger,
770-718-7676
Rock Creek Veterans
Park ceremony
When: 9 a.m. Nov. 12
Where: Rock Creek Veterans
Park, 223 Northside Drive,
Gainesville
Cost: Free
More info: Dave Dellinger,
770-718-7676
University of
North Georgia,
National Roll Call
When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov.
12
Where: Gainesville campus.
Cost: Free
More info: ung.edu
that day.
UNG planning roll call,
Veterans Day observances
University of North Georgia is plan
ning to observe Veterans Day in three
events.
The school will participate in the
National Roll Call from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Nov. 12 at the Gainesville campus.
The event, taking place on the patio in
front of the Student Center, will involve
students, faculty and staff reciting the
names of service members from Geor
gia killed in action during Operation
Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
Also, UNG’s Corps of Cadets are set
to host Veterans Day ceremonies at 3
p.m. Nov. 9 in Memorial Hall Gym at the
Dahlonega campus and at the Lumpkin
County Veterans Day parade at 11 a.m.
Nov. 10.
The school’s Golden Eagle Band
will perform at the Dahlonega campus
observance.
GAINESVILLE 85 BUSINESS PARK
2SOO Alton Crtcfc Road. Gakmvilto. GA. USA
Rendering
The city of Gainesville wants to build a 1,300-acre business park off of Allen Creek Road
and will work with the Greater Flail Chamber of Commerce to recruit tenants. The city
already owns the land.
BUSINESS
■ Continued from 1A
The business park will
have a trail connecting
one end of the develop
ment to the soccer com
plex, going past a waterfall
and winding through the
business park and flood
plain land. Lots will be
developed around flood
plains and ponds on the
property.
Permits will be needed
to comply with Section
404 of the Clean Water
Act, which mandates that
steps be taken to minimize
impact to wetlands and
streams. The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers issues
those permits.
City spokeswoman
Nikki Perry said costs for
development of the busi
ness park have not been
determined yet.
The site is in the ward
of Councilwoman Barbara
Brooks, who said on Thurs
day that she was anticipat
ing the development.
“The south side of
Gainesville needs this,
and it’s going to be really
important for this devel
opment to take place and
attract other businesses to
(U.S.) 129 and that corri
dor,” Brooks said. “That is
where the action is going
to be over the next 10
years.”
DOG
BEN HENDREN I For the Forsyth County News
Flail County woman Michelle Root listens to court proceedings during her animal
cruelty trial this week in Forsyth County.
■ Continued from 1A
A little over an hour after the jury’s
verdict was read, Root stood before
judge David L. Dickinson in Forsyth
County Superior Court to receive sen
tencing and final comments in the case.
“Ma’am, you have been abusing
animals for a long time. Far too long,”
Dickinson said. “It will now stop.”
Root was then escorted from the
courtroom in handcuffs.
Meko’s owner, Mavel Blanco,
addressed the court before Root’s sen
tencing and stated that after such an
emotional roller-coaster she was happy
that Meko did not die in vain.
“Meko was a special part of my life
and my son’s life,” Blanco said. “I can’t
say that I’ll ever forget how it is that
this happened. I trusted someone with
my dog and my family member, and
they killed them. I hope that this justice
that was served today for Meko affects
every other animal moving forward. ”
After the verdict, Meko’s other
owner, Eric Francis, told the FCN that
he was happy with the outcome, even
though Root was acquitted of one of her
charges.
“Justice was served for Meko,” Fran
cis said. “But we need to have stronger
sentencing and online registration for
animal abusers.”
Root, the former owner of Paw’sh
Paws in Cumming, was arrested on
Oct. 11 and again on Oct. 18,2017, after
it was reported to the Cumming Police
Department that two dogs, Little Boy
and Meko, died under her care.
Over the two days of testimony, assis
tant district attorney Michael Mahoney
and defense attorney Rafe Banks
squared off over conflicting versions
of what happened on Oct. 7, 2017, that
ultimately lead to Meko’s death.
The state based its case on Root’s
past history at PetSmart, where three
former employees stated that they
regularly saw her abusing animals; two
eye witnesses who stated that they saw
Root kick and choke Meko on Oct. 7,
2017; and the necropsy by the Univer
sity of Georgia College of Veterinary
Medicine that uncovered damage to
Meko’s legs, abdomen, head, shoulder,
neck, brain, lungs and other body parts.
“The injuries on Meko line up
exactly with what (witnesses) say,”
Mahoney said in his closing argument.
“That’s why you should believe them
and not the three others that testified
today.”
In arguments defending Root, Banks
and his witnesses put forward the the
ory that Meko was not killed in a mali
cious attack but died in an accident
at Paw’sh Paws after acting aggres
sively toward Root and another store
employee.
“What you will find is, it was an acci
dent,” Banks said. “Yes, it’s tragic, and
it’s certainly unfortunate, but nobody
intended for Meko to die.”
Several members of Root’s fam
ily, including her husband Chris Gar
rett, her mother, brother and a family
friend spoke on her behalf on Thurs
day, but in the end Dickinson was
unmoved.
“You were in a position of trust as
you undertook to open a business and
holding yourself out as someone to take
care of the animals of this community,
and you breached that trust,” Dickin
son said.
JOSHUA SILAVENTI The Times
Michelle Prater (standing left), president and CEO of the
North Georgia Community Foundation, and Margaux
Dolenc, director of grants and community partnerships,
unveil the foundation’s new Growing Roots of Wisdom
program, or G.R.O.W., to several dozen local nonprofit
leaders on Thursday, Nov. 1.
GROW program
to support, teach
nonprofit leaders
BY JOSHUA SILAVENT
jsilavent@
gainesvilletimes.com
Seminars, learning ses
sions and a luncheon series
are part of a new effort by
the North Georgia Commu
nity Foundation in Gaines
ville to educate, mentor and
prepare civic and nonprofit
leaders for success.
The Growing Roots
of Wisdom program, or
GROW, was unveiled Thurs
day, Nov. 1 to several dozen
attendees, most of whom
are already leading local
nonprofits or are working
toward becoming executive
level leaders.
According to Michelle
Prater, Community Foun
dation president and CEO,
GROW is meant to open new
opportunities through educa
tional classes, professional
development sessions and
networking to better support
nonprofits.
The Community Founda
tion already provides grants
to nonprofits, office and
meeting space, and manages
endowment funds for grow
ing agencies, for example.
The learning sessions
include workshops on ethical
decision making and how to
get the most out of collabora
tions, for example. And the
luncheon series features pre
sentations on how to manage
fundraising campaigns, writ
ing press releases and man
aging grant budgets, among
other things.
GROW also includes two
robust seminars: Lead For
ward, an intensive 12-month
executive coaching program;
and You Lead, a six-month
program that develops
emerging leaders.
Prater said the Lead For
ward program, for example,
was piloted and that she per
sonally learned a lot about
how to better manage the
Community Foundation
because of it.
“It’s hard,” she added.
“I’ve had a lot of growth.”
The program is more
than just teaching time
management, for example,
but analyzes and digs deep
to understand an execu
tive’s methods, personality
and areas for improvement
Growing Roots
of Wisdom
program
To learn more about
GROW, visit www.
ngcf.org/GROW, or
contact Margaux
Dolenc, director of
grants and community
partnerships, at 770-
535-7880 or by email at
mdolenc@ngcf.org
while highlighting positive
qualities.
Prater said she has
learned how to step back and
let her staff do their work.
“To do that, I can’t be in
their weeds,” she said.
Steven Mickens, CEO of
the Boys & Girls Clubs of
Lanier, said he had previ
ously completed an execu
tive development program
at Harvard University. But
as part of the pilot version of
Lead Forward, he found this
program beneficial for sev
eral reasons.
“Being in this leadership
program was probably the
best because it was more inti
mate and we had an oppor
tunity to network with each
other,” Mickens said.
Mickens said he also
learned about better com
munication with staff, talent
development and setting
attainable but challenging
goals.
“It’s really about personal
development,” he added.
“The accountability starts
with us and ends with us. ”
Jessica Butler, execu
tive director of Gateway
Domestic Violence Center in
Gainesville, said she almost
backed out of participating in
the pilot version of the Lead
Forward program.
But after seeing it through,
“I’m so glad I did,” she said.
Butler said she feels like
she is working more produc
tively and efficiently based
on the “eye-opening” evalu
ations she received, which
helped her better understand
some of the minor but sig
nificant structural changes
needed in her organization.
“This isn’t about right and
wrong,” she said, but rather
bringing out the best in each
leader’s individual qualities.
“I really appreciated that
philosophy.”
Flowery Branch City Council
approves pocket park
The Flowery Branch
City Council voted unani
mously Thursday to
approve a pocket park
between Mitchell Street
and Debbie Lane, near
the roundabout on Lights
Ferry Road.
The park will have walk
ing trails and seating.
About $95,000 from the
city’s parks budget will be
used for the project, and
about $4,500 of that budget
has already been paid for
the design of the park.
Baytree Landscape,
from Stone Mountain, has
been hired for the project.
Megan Reed
CVS
■ Continued from 1A
serious condition to North
east Georgia Medical Center.
Officers found the suspect
shortly after the incident, and
took him to the Hall County
Jail. Dudley is charged with
aggravated assault and
armed robbery but may face
additional charges.
Hospital officials said
the victim was discharged
Thursday.
A representative from
CVS answering a call from
The Times said employees
were not allowed to discuss
the matter.
PUMPKIN
■ Continued from 1A
the device,” Templeton
said.
The church said on Face-
book after 4 p.m. Thursday
the teenager is still in the
intensive care unit.
“We ask that you join us
in lifting him and his fam
ily up in prayer during this
difficult time. Updates will
follow as the situation pro
gresses,” according to the
church’s post.
