About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2020)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Exit 14 could be fully open Saturday Final touches being made this week on bridge project BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Waiting for Exit 14 to fully open appears over. The Georgia Department of Transportation announced Wednes day, Jan. 22, that the overpass is set to open to motorists Saturday, Jan. 25, meaning the entire Inter state 985 interchange will be fully operational. The $34 million interchange in South Hall will connect Martin Road at Falcons Parkway on the east side of 1-985 to H.F. Reed at Thurmon Tanner Parkway on the west side. “Final striping, guardrail and the activation of the traffic signals will take place over the next few days,” a DOT press release stated. The interchange had been par tially open since Sept. 3, when area officials held a ceremony naming it the Atlanta Falcons Training Facil ity Interchange. Motorists have only been able to use Exit 14’s entrance and exit ramps. The overpass was delayed because three of the driving sur face’s four spans had failed strength tests in early 2019. Then-District Engineer Brandon Kirby said in a May 2019 interview the bridge’s problems were “really a material issue,” not contractor error. The concrete “wasn’t workman ship” quality, he said. “It wasn’t that the contractor didn’t do a good job pouring the bridge deck or that our technicians did a poor job inspecting the pour itself,” Kirby said. “I don’t want to get into who’s at fault in mixing it or anything like that. I don’t have that information. We just look at the end product.” The DOT recently announced that the overpass’ concrete driving surface had passed strength tests. SCOn ROGERS I The Times Traffic cannot yet use the new Exit 14 bridge as final preparations are taking place Wednesday, Jan. 22. ‘One-of-a-kind’ facility Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Land is being graded Wednesday, Jan. 22, on the new outdoor stage and pavilion at The Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center in downtown Gainesville. Arts Council outdoor stage, pavilion will be ready for summer Group plans 308 ‘elegant’ senior homes BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com A touch of English manor and tudor may be coming to the Hall-Gwinnett County line. A Hoschton developer, VDC Development Group LLC, is looking to build a 308-unit gated retirement community off Thompson Mill Road in Gwinnett at the Hall border, off Friendship Road. The development also would be near Deaton Creek Parkway, which leads to The Village at Deaton Creek, an active-adult community in Hall. VDC’s project calls for 14 buildings totaling 544,950 square feet, with 22 one- and two-bed- room, 1,136-square-foot units in each building. Several small “pocket” parks would be built throughout the development. Each building will have underground park ing and a large lobby area on the first floor “for entertaining guests or activities and meet ings with other residents,” according to VDC’s application. ■ Please see RETIRE, 5A Hall to move BY LAYNE SALIBA lsaliba@gainesvilletimes.com Instead of the sounds of a band or orchestra, most of what you’ll hear over at The Arts Council is the sound of construction. A new outdoor stage and pavilion is being built and will open this summer, ready to host perfor mances, fundraisers and weddings. A groundbreak ing ceremony is planned for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, at The Arts Council. “We have been planning it for so long,” said Gladys Wyant, executive director at The Arts Coun cil. “We are working feverishly on it right now.” It’s a venue Wyant said is “one-of-a-kind” in Gainesville. She’s not aware of any other covered, outdoor venues in Gainesville, especially at this size. The 6,300-square-foot stage and pavilion is a ■ Please see ARTS, 5A Fire Station 1 BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com As East Hall grows, Hall County wants to expand its fire services to fit the changing popu lation --- which officials hope to do with the relo cation of Fire Station No. 1. The station, built in 1973, currently sits at 2460 Athens Highway. It was Hall County Fire Services’ first station and once housed county dispatch. But on Thursday, the Hall County Board of Commissioners will vote to acquire a 9.6-acre property at 3126 Gillsville Highway near the former Tadmore Park site and Tad- more Elementary School. The response area for Station No. 1 will be ■ Please see FIRE, 7A INSIDE 0 40901 06835 Advice 6B Business 8B Calendar 2A Classified 1C Comics 7B Get Out 4B Lottery 2A Opinion 4A Sports 1B TV/puzzles 6B WEATHER 2A High Low 5^46 38 Lake Lanier level: 1,070.99 feet Full pool 1,071. Down 0.23 feet in 24 hours DEATHS 6A Richard Burdine, 74 Harold Edmond, 67 Anthony Ellison, 62 Alma Fisher, 95 Charles Gibbs, 95 Annie Holland, 78 Walter Langhans Jr., 49 Martha Sorrells, 90 Ronald Terry, 71 Ronald Turner, 89 Shelby White, 19 Victor Zegarra, 94 DID YOUR FAVORITES WIN? FIND OUT TOMORROW IN YOUR COPY OF THE TIMES! £hc Omes gainesvilletimes.com
