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Parking deck to reopen Monday
Businesses on square praise more parking
spaces, Main Street reopening to traffic
BY MEGAN REED
mreed@gainesvilletimes.com
Finding a parking spot in down
town Gainesville will get a little
easier on Monday, when the first
three floors of the Main Street
parking deck reopen after the
deck closed in September for an
expansion.
Main Street will also reopen to
traffic, opening up a path from the
square to Jesse Jewell Parkway.
The deck has been closed for
about two months so two new
floors can be added, bringing 180
new spaces that will allow the deck
to fit about 600 cars. The top three
floors of the deck, as well as new
restrooms on the ground floor, are
expected to open in January.
The closure of the deck took
about 400 parking spots away from
the square. The city offered a shut
tle so people could park in outlying
lots and get a ride into the square,
but the service was shut down after
about three weeks due to low rid-
ership. Several businesses outside
the square opened up their lots for
public parking to compensate for
the shortage.
Local business owners said
Wednesday that the closure of the
deck had made it more difficult
to find parking on the square, but
having more parking spaces down
town could only help downtown
businesses.
“I’m just grateful that we have
loyal customers. I think in the long
run, it’s going to be better for every
body,” said Albert Lunalover,
owner of Avocados restaurant. “I
think it’s a positive thing that the
city of Gainesville is doing.”
Erin Demeter, a supervisor at
Purchase Effect, said business had
slowed down at the shop since the
deck closed, and several business
owners had expressed concerns
about slowing traffic on the square.
■ Please see PARKING, 5A
scon ROGERS I The Times
Crews are preparing for the upcoming opening of Main Street and the first
three floors of the deck Wednesday, Nov. 21, in downtown Gainesville.
‘We re still there’ in Afghanistan
SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
Members of Charlie Company set off on a two-mile run Tuesday Nov. 20, at the Gainesville high track during early morning
physical training.
Gainesville’s Charlie Company preps for Middle East deployment
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
For those thinking Afghanistan is
off the U.S. radar, Gainesville-based
Charlie Company’s commander has a
simple message.
“We’re still there,” said Capt. John
Whitmire, a Flowery Branch native.
And Charlie Company, 1-121 Army
National Guard unit with the 48th Bri
gade, based at 153 Alta Vista Road, will
be there next year — its first deploy
ment to the country since 2009-10.
Soldiers will be leaving Gainesville
on Monday, Nov. 26, for Fort Stewart
Charlie Company
What: Send-off for Army National
Guard unit for final training at Fort
Stewart, then eventual deployment
to Afghanistan
When: 10 a.m. Monday
Where: 153 Alta Vista Road
near Savannah to complete training for
deployment. Loved ones and support
ers are planning a send-off at 10 a.m.
along Alta Vista Road at John W. Mor
row Jr. Parkway.
The unit will spend about a year as
part of an effort to improve the Afghan
army.
U.S. forces have been involved in
Afghanistan since 2001 — or after 9/11
— in what has become America’s lon
gest war. Withdrawals in recent years
have reduced America’s presence to
about 14,000 troops
As the Afghans take over militarily,
“we’re taking a step back,” Whitmire
said. “We’re doing advising, primar
ily. We’re handing over the reins and
giving them the ability (to operate) on
their own.”
Charlie Company soldiers have stick
ers sporting the unit’s motto they plan
■ Please see CHARLIE, 4A
Nonprofits,
experts offer
tips for giving
BY JOSHUA SILAVENT
jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com
The holiday season is, of course, a time for
giving.
But with so many nonprofits and charities
clawing for your attention and money, figuring
out who to support, who is legitimate and how to
get the most bang for your buck can be tricky.
This is especially true now that Giving Tues
day (Nov. 27), like Black Friday, Small Business
Saturday and Cyber Monday for retailers, has
become a day for nonprofits to reap the gener
osity of Americans.
The Better Business Bureau released a
list of 12 common scams and frauds that are
prevalent during the holiday season as some
individuals prey on the kindness and generos
ity of others.
For example, the BBB
warns that emails and pop-up
ads offering free gift cards
should raise alarm bells, while
“emergency scams” claiming
to be fundraising to support a
family member or friend in
distress are also widespread.
Michelle Prater, president
and CEO of the North Geor
gia Community Foundation
in Gainesville, which supports local nonprofits,
said a good place to start when trying to deter
mine whether a charity spends its donations
responsibly is using the online tools provided by
Guidestar and Charity Navigator.
The search functions on these websites allows
views to “ensure that the nonprofit has 501(c)3
status and that they are in good standing” with
the Internal Revenue Service.
“That’s absolutely something you want to do,
especially in a world where there are so many
nonprofits,” Prater said.
It will also provide information about how
much a charity spends on its purported mis
sion versus how much it spends on overhead,
■ Please see GIVING, 4A
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Lake Lanier level: 1,070.47 feet
Full pool 1,071. Down 0.03 feet in 24 hours
Roy Gabrels, 77
Mary Loggins, 97
Henry Rue, 49
Virginia Butler, 68
Rickey Jenkins, 66
Shineea McDonald, 38
James Munday, 71
Mirna Palacios-Garcia, 44
Shirley Satterfield, 82
Tommy Smith, 59
■I i
1
We're all
grown up.
\
m
NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL
FORSYTH WOMEN’S CENTER
Celebrating
10 years
of delivering precious gifts
