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THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2019 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com
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FLOWERY BRANCH
Church building could be rejected
City staff recommends denying relocation of Methodist church to busy intersection
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Flowery Branch staff is oppos
ing McEver Road United Method
ist Church’s proposal to build a new
church off McEver Road at Gaines
ville Street, saying it believes that
corner should be reserved for
neighborhood shopping.
City officials are recommend
ing denial of the church building
off McEver Road and Gainesville
Street as it is set to go before the
Flowery Branch City Council at
6 p.m. today.
The city’s land-use plan
“calls for this site to be
neighborhood commer
cial,” says a staff report,
citing area subdivisions
under construction. “It
should be a commercial
development that serves
nearby neighborhoods and
the city as a whole. ”
McEver Road UMC, currently
at 3606 McEver Road, is trying to
rezone the 11.3-acre site, which is
also across from Jim Crow Road,
from agricultural to insti
tutional to enable the
project.
The busy intersection,
which serves as a main
gateway to downtown
Flowery Branch, includes
a subdivision being built,
a gas station, restau
rants and other retail.
Hall County and Flowery
Branch rebuilt the intersection a
couple of years ago, adding turn
lanes.
“The large influx of residential
Flowery Branch
City Council
What: Proposed rezoning for
new church building
When: 6 p.m. today
Where: City Hall, 5410 W. Pine St.
feeds the need for local services to
be provided,” the report states.
The report also cites concerns
over road issues, saying “McEver
Road itself has issues that will need
to be addressed sooner rather than
later.”
The city came out in opposition
to the project at the City Council’s
meeting last week, as City Man
ager Bill Andrew was talking about
the city’s stake in a bigger picture
concerning the development of
McEver Road, a main traffic artery
running from Buford to Gainesville.
Andrew also expressed concerns
over a rezoning in Hall County con
cerning a proposed boat and RV
storage off McEver at Lights Ferry
Road.
■ Please see CHURCH, 8A
Andrew
AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
Carolyn Layfield, a volunteer with Meals on
Wheels, has her fingerprints taken during a
background check at the Community Service
Center in Gainesville on Wednesday, June 26.
Caregiver
law burdens
charity staff
BY JOSHUA SILAVENT
jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com
When former Gov. Nathan Deal signed
a law in May 2018 to require background
checks for care
givers, it was met
with a no-brainer
kind of reaction.
The law,
which will take
effect this Octo
ber, aims to root
out abuse of
elderly and dis
abled individuals
through the cre
ation of a regis
try that catalogs
criminal back
ground checks
on owners and
employees of
long-term care
facilities.
But that law, its extent unknown at first, is
now ensnaring even volunteers for popular
charity and community-based programs.
“It was recently brought to our attention
that staff and volunteers of programs such
as Meals on Wheels and the Senior Life Cen
ter are also subject to this new background
■ Please see CHECK, 8A
Meals on
Wheels
always looking
for volunteers
If interested, contact
theGainesville-Hall
County Community
Service Center by
calling 770-503-
3330, in person at
430 Prior St. SE,
or by contacting
Stephanie Hood,
program coordinator
at 770-506-3335
or email at shood@
gainesville.org.
New parks director settles in
Wants to make Gainesville more walkable, trail friendly
SCOn ROGERS I The Times
Kate Mattison has been on the job as Gainesville’s new parks director for about a month. She
comes from Dublin, Ohio, where she was a recreation services administrator.
BY MEGAN REED
mreed@gainesvilletimes.com
After about a month on the
job, Kate Mattison, Gaines
ville’s new parks director is
settling in and looking ahead.
“Everyone has been so
welcoming and so kind. It has
been a really wonderful expe
rience so far,” she said.
She started working with
the city on May 28 and was
previously a recreation ser
vices administrator in Dublin,
Ohio, her home state. Matti
son fills the position formerly
held by Melvin Cooper, who
retired in May after 47 years
working in Gainesville’s parks
department.
“There has been so much
to learn. I feel like I’ve been
overwhelmed with informa
tion, but in a good way. There
has been so much to learn,
especially stepping in after
Melvin’s exit,” Mattison said.
“He has actually been so kind
and wonderful as well, and
I’ve seen him several times
and talked to him and gotten
some advice and opinions.”
Mattison joins the depart
ment as it is finalizing its master
plan, which will guide decisions
on parks facilities and pro
grams for the next decade.
“It’s going to be really help
ful for me as a professional
but for the department over
all, it lays out the framework
for us for the next 10 years,”
Mattison said. “It provides
us a path, and it gives us a
plan to move forward and
implement.”
Trails were a top request
from community members
as the city gathered public
input for the master plan.
Walking at Linwood Nature
Preserve, Wilshire Trails
Park, Ivey Terrace Park and
along the Midtown Greenway
have been some of Mattison’s
favorite experiences since
coming to Gainesville, she
said.
“That is a beautiful walk.
It’s not even like you’re in a
■ Please see DIRECTOR, 8A
Coroner: Remains found are older male
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
With scant details being
released, Hall County Deputy
Coroner Kevin Wetzel said
Wednesday, June 26, the
human remains discovered
in a wooded area last week
belonged to an older male.
Police said the remains were
found in an area off of Lee
Street around 11 a.m. Friday.
“A local government agency
provided information that led
to the discovery of the human
remains. This is still early in
the investigation and the Geor
gia Bureau of Investigation is
assisting the department in this
case,” police said Friday.
Police have not answered
questions since Friday related
to any possibility of foul play,
the length of time the remains
might have been at this loca
tion or what government
agency provided information.
Cpl. Jessica Van said the
local agency was “pertinent to
the investigation” and “cannot
be released during the active
investigation.”
Investigators are awaiting
the autopsy report from the
GBI, though Wetzel and police
have not provided an esti
mated time of completion.
Anyone with information is
asked to call 770-534-5252.
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