About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2020)
Grace Episcopal Church offers community chance to reflect, grieve with new installation. INSIDE, 3A (the mmts Tuesday, July 21,20201 GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Water service to be interrupted on some Gainesville streets. INSIDE, 5A Chamber of Commerce commits to Gov. Kemp’s business safety program, inside, sa Honestly Local Schofield: Return to school fluid situation BY KELSEY PODO kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com Superintendent Will Schofield took a moment at the beginning of the Monday, July 20 Hall County school board work session to express his hopes for the community, as well as insight into the pandemic, but delayed any updated recom mendations for a return to school. “In the near future, I will make a recommendation to our board. They will accept, reject, or modify that recom mendation and that will be our plan moving forward,” Schofield said in a statement. Schofield said that the health crisis has opened a door for people to unite, learn Schofield from their neighbors and draw strength from one another. “In the past, similar crises shaped our coun try and brought out the best in us,” Schofield said. I continue to hope that our community may instead commit to listen and share, seek ing to accomplish our common goal of what is best for our Hall County families.” Schofield said that he knows people are fall ing ill from COVID-19 and methods exist to slow its spread including social distancing, practic ing personal hygiene, contact tracing, sanitiz ing high-touch surfaces and wearing masks in crowded spaces. ■ Please see HALL, 5A East Hall coach faces charges of sexual battery BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com An East Hall teacher and coach has been charged with sexual battery by the Hall County Sheriffs Office. Mark Eric Fowler, 32, who goes by Eric, was arrested Friday, July 17, and is at the Hall County Jail without bond, according to jail records. He has been charged with aggra vated sexual battery and sex ual battery of a person over 16 years old. Fowler teaches at East Hall Middle School and is the head baseball coach for East Hall High School. He was named to that position in 2016. ■ Please see FOWLER, 3A New NGMC unit opening Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Northeast Georgia Medical Center Nurse Manager Betsy Ross visits the hospital’s new mobile COVID-19 unit Monday, July 20, as it nears completion. The unit designated for COVID-19 patients will remain near the center’s north tower for up to the next two years. COVID-19 patients to move into 20-bed mobile space today BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville is set to open its new mobile medical unit at 7 a.m. Tuesday, July 21 as COVID-19 patient numbers with the Northeast Georgia Health System have doubled in recent weeks. The 20-bed unit, situated in a gravel parking lot near the North Tower, will be used to treat COVID-19 patients, freeing up space in the main hospital building. The unit was provided by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, a state agency that has also supplied similar units for hospitals in Albany, Rome and Macon. Patients are due to move in Tuesday following a building inspection by the hospital’s plant operations and infection control and prevention teams. The unit, which will be a traditional medical space rather than intensive care unit, opens as the health system experi ences an increase in COVID-19 patients. On Monday, July 20, the system was treat ing 127 COVID-19 patients at its facilities. A month ago, on June 20, that number was 67 patients. Since the pandemic began, the health system has treated 1,249 patients and sent them home, while 138 have died, according to data on the NGHS website. The system’s peak was on April 29, ■ Please see UNIT, 3A Above: Nurse Manager Betsy Ross inspects a patient room inside the hospital’s new mobile COVID-19 unit Monday, July 20. Left: Northeast Georgia Medical Center nurses work inside the mobile COVID-19 unit. A man and his dog were uninjured after a house fire Sunday, July 19, in South Hall, according to fire officials. Photo courtesy Hall Fire Services Man, dog escape S. Hall fire unharmed BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A man and his dog were unin jured after a house fire Sunday, July 19, in South Hall. Hall County Fire Services is investigating the fire in the 6000 block of Oak Hill Drive, which is near Lake Lanier. Sherry McAdams said she and Leah Long were out working on a documentary on Jim Crow Road when they got some unex pected footage. The project is try ing to portray the history of the area through local interviews as Flowery Branch City Council has decided to rename the section of road within its city limits. “We’re just getting the shots of the actual Jim Crow Road (Sun day), and then when the fire trucks came through, we followed them,” Long said. Long noted the fact that Crow advocated for water service in the area. Firefighters arrived at the home about 7 p.m. and found heavy fire in the second floor and attic of a two-story home. They were able to put out most of the fire by 7:18 pm., then continued to put out hot spots, according to a press release. “My first thought was I hope everybody is OK and all the ani mals were out,” McAdams said. “My second thought was it’s pretty traumatic to the home- owner to watch their home go up in flames.” Division Chief Zach Brackett said the fire was deemed acciden tal and caused by a gas grill. Reporter Jeff Gill contributed to this report. This e-edition sponsored by:
