About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2020)
LOCAL The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Tuesday, September 1,2020 3A Record enrollment for Lanier Tech Back to class for two week; nearly 10% increase in students over last year SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Elian Mosqueda works on a diesel motor Monday, Aug. 31 at Lanier Technical College. BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Pandemic concerns don’t seem to have slowed enrollment at Lanier Technical College. The trade school in northeast Hall County began its semester on Aug. 17 with record enrollment numbers, according to school President Ray Perren. Perren said the school has seen about a 10% increase in students from last year, jumping from 4,616 last fall to 5,040 this semester, with about 50% of those students taking fully online courses. “It’s a record in a big way,” he said. “It’s not just barely over what our previous record was, so cer tainly we’re thrilled with that. ” Perren said most of the students who have been attending classes on the campus off Ga. 365 have been taking lab-oriented courses that could not be completed remotely. As a trade school, Lanier Tech nical College offers many classes involving hands-on work that can not be simulated in a virtual set ting, Perren said. “You can’t teach welding remotely; you’ve got to put your hands on a welder, for example,” he said. “You can’t teach nursing remotely. You’ve got to actually get in and work with patients or simulated patients. So, we’ve got a lot of students who are on campus for those lab experiences.” Lanier Tech’s in-person students have been adhering to a variety of precautionary measures to help stem the potential spread of COVID-19. All students and employees are required to wear masks in school buildings and are required to have their temperature checked upon arriving on campus. Desks in class rooms have been spaced 6 feet apart when possible, according to Perren. He said that students and employees are required to report to the school any instances when they have potentially been exposed to COVID-19. Anyone making such a report has been asked to quar antine “in accordance with CDC and Georgia Department of Public Health guidelines.” Perren added that he is not aware of any inci dents at Lanier Tech during which a potentially infected individual has come to campus against the school’s instructions. Jay Maughon, director of the construction management and carpentry technology program at Lanier Tech, said teaching with a mask on has been an interesting adjustment for instructors at the school. “Never thought I’d have to know what doctors and nurses go through every day,” he said. Maughon said keeping the entire Lanier Tech community healthy would be a group effort among Lanier Tech students and staff, likening the school to a workplace environment where a business is dependent on all of its employees working in tandem to find success. He said instructors at Lanier Tech try to simulate real-world situa tions in the classroom as often as possible, and the pandemic is pro viding an opportunity to do so. So far, according to Maughon, Lanier Tech students have been doing well. He said he’s gotten “100% compliance” regarding mask wearing in his classroom and has seen much of the same from students walking the school’s campus. “I have to give credit to our students with this,” he said. “The students have actually responded very well.” Perren said employers of trade positions are hiring at high rates right now, “particularly in manu facturing fields.” He said Lanier Tech’s commit ment to putting its students directly into the workforce is as important as it’s ever been right now, call ing the school’s work “critical and essential.” And while he acknowl edged Lanier Tech was dealing with “the same problems every one else in the world is facing right now,” Perren said that two weeks into the school year, the reopening has gone as smoothly as he could have hoped. “Students were ready to come back to school, and were ready to learn, ready to engage with us,” he said. “That’s been just such a posi tive experience.” CarMax proposing dealership on Browns Bridge Road BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com CarMax is planning a store in Gainesville. The pre-owned automobile deal ership chain is proposing to put up a 7,590-square-foot building and 936-square-foot car wash on the nearly 8-acre site at 2602 Browns Bridge Road, west of Memorial Park Drive and near Cherryhill Drive. CarMax “has identified the Gainesville area as a good fit for our current growth plan,” the company said in an email to The Times about the project. As for a schedule for the proj ect, “it can often take two to three years to get all necessary approvals, complete construction and open for business, once we decide to move forward on any location,” the com pany said. CarMax said it would announce the new store opening “about one year in advance of the anticipated grand opening date.” The property, which is also next to Absolute Trailers, contains an “older home and various outbuild ings” that would be torn down as part of the project, according to a Gainesville planning staff report on the project. The project is set to go before the Gainesville Planning and Appeals Board on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The applicant, Colorado-based devel oper CenterPoint Integrated Solu tions, is seeking to annex the prop erty for the store. CarMax’s “business model is to promote a high-end retail expe rience and a welcoming experi ence,” said Brad Lauth, develop ment manager for CenterPoint, in a description of the project. “As such, CarMax does not use outdoor loud speakers ... and does not use flags, balloons, inflatables, placards in open car hoods, painted window let tering or the like in its marketing.” The company has more than 200 locations nationwide, Lauth said. Gainesville Planning and Appeals Board What: Annexation for proposed CarMax Auto Superstore at 2602 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8 Where: Public Safety Complex, 701 Queen City Parkway, Gainesville Advanced Eye Center We Welcome a New Ophthalmologist William C. Ackerman, Jr., M.D. and Advanced Eye Center are pleased to announce the addition of Taylor E. Rossow, D.O. as a new ophthalmologist with the practice. Dr. Rossow was born and raised in Michigan and then went on to attend University of Michigan-Ann Arbor where she earned a bachelors degree in Neuroscience. Dr. Rossow graduated with her medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania. After completing her medical school training, she returned to Michigan where she completed a surgical residency in Ophthalmology through Michigan State University/Ascension Health System. She served as Chief resident in her final year of training. During her time in residency, she volunteered to work with the underserved population of Detroit by providing free eye exams and screening. Dr. Rossow practices comprehensive ophthalmology with a sub-specialty in premium cataract surgery. She also specializes in cosmetic and functional oculoplastic services including blepharoplasty, fillers, Botox injections, and Kybella. She is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Young Eye Surgeons, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and the American Osteopathic Association. In her free time, Dr. Rossow enjoys paddle boarding, spending time at the lake, exercising and walking her two goldendoodles with her husband. Taylor E. Rossow, D.O. Dr. Rossow is now accepting New Patients Call 770-532-0292 to schedule your appointment AiwancedEyeCenter 625 South Enota Drive • Gainesville, GA 30501 • 770-532-0292 www.aeceyecare.com William C. Ackerman, Jr., M.D. Board Certified Ophthalmologist Sponsored by Northeast Georgia Health System HEALTHY AGING VIRTUAL EXPO Starting SEPTEMBER 2, 2020 UUednesdays 10 a.m. - I I a.m. HEALTHY AGING ZOOM FORUM Sign up today at gainesvilletimes.com/healthyaging and learn hoiu to keep that inner child glowing!
