Progress 2018

EDUCATION & RECREATION

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Progress 2018

FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS

Sunday, 2C | FORSYTH March COUNTY25, NEWS 2018 | ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Sunday, March 25, 2018

School system celebrates year of diverse ideas

By Alexander Popp

apopp@forsythnews.com

In 2017 the Forsyth County School system celebrated advancements in a variety of different areas including academics, technology and programs— increasing efficiency, rewarding creativity, and promoting the diversity of ideas and approaches that make up this county.

Overall in the past year the education system has grown by more than 1,500 students, DeSana Middle School and Brandywine Elementary completed their first school year, and the district broke ground on two new high schools, Alliance Academy for Innovation and Denmark.

According to Board of Education Chairwoman Ann Crow, growth in the county shows no signs of stopping any time soon and this will lead to more challenges and opportunities in the future.

“I think that over the years, Forsyth County has looked at the challenges of the future and met them head on,” Crow said.

Crow said that one of the challenges they face is the growing student population and a shrinking area of locations for new schools.

“We are not a huge county in land mass, so we are going to have to be creative in how we teach our students,” she said.

Crow pointed to several programs like the itsLearning online education program that has been in place in the county for several years as an education method that was used creatively in 2017 and will likely continue to be used for a variety of different purposes.

This year while snow blanketed much of North Georgia shutting down whole counties, classes continued in Forsyth during Online Learning days on the itsLearning online platform.

During an online learning

Bradley Wiseman Forsyth County News

Cumming Elementary School teacher Yessica McNeeley helps a student on the computer.

The school system is planning a new immersive language program that aims to graduate a class of fully fluent, bilingual and bi-cultural Spanish and English speakers for 2018-19.

day, students were able to stay home from school, and work on assignments online from a smart phone, tablet or laptop computer. Students have three days to complete the assignments, can receive instant feedback and have virtual office hours with their teachers.

Crow said that this platform will possibly come into play in the future for students to complete whole courses online, freeing up valuable class time to complete other classes and activities.

“I think the virtual program will absolutely expand,” she said. “There are those kids, like the Alliance Academy kids, who don’t want to be in sports, don’t want to do drama or the other arts portion of school, and just want to get the education and get out. So I think next year the Alliance Academy will have a waiting list next year for that,” she said.

Crow also said that this year they completed the groundwork for a Dual Language Immersion program that has been a need in the district for years.

“In the first strategic plan the school system ever did in the 1990s, language was a huge part of that, we wanted to have foreign language in every school. But over the years found that time limits of scheduling that we could only do 20 minutes three times a week, so it was not effective,” she said.

The new program, that rolls out to three Forsyth County elementary schools during the upcoming school year, 2018-19, will put 50 specially selected students from Kelly Mill, Brandywine and Cumming elementary in an immersive language program that aims to graduate a class of fully fluent, bilingual and bi-cultural Spanish and English speakers.

According to Michaela Claus-

Nix, the head of world languages for Forsyth County Schools, the program will differ from other instructional styles because it will teach students content like math and science in Spanish.

“The difference is that they are not just learning the language from a language class; they actually learn academic content in another language,” Claus-Nix said.

If elected by a parent or guardian, the Dual Language Immersion program will take native English and Spanish speaking students and divide their day between Spanish and English instruction.

“It is not the regular word language class where there is an exposure in elementary school, and maybe a level one or a level two in middle school, then the higher levels in high school.

Students that are in the Dual Language program reach [high

school] proficiency by the time that they graduate elementary school,” she said.

Crow said that the language program was decided on after its track record in other surrounding counties was decided to be positive.

She said that with an increasing population of students, new needs will arise and new programs will need to be built on to fill those needs.

“It’s just amazing to me, what these children can learn at a young age and when you start in elementary, they are going to expect that same opportunity in middle and high school. So we can’t just do it in high school, it’s got to be across the district, so they can build on what they are learning,” she said She pointed to the new Innovation Lab at Haw Creek Elementary School which was formally opened in late February that allows students to get acquainted with the process of learning and creating their own.

The innovation lab is an augmentation of the existing media center at Haw Creek Elementary School and gives students access to smart boards, Chromebooks, a 3D Printer, a green screen, laser cutter, games and materials — all available for the students to use and learn with.

“The jobs they are going to have haven’t been created yet.

So if they have skills in any position, that’s a value,” said Julie Kelley, teacher and innovation specialist at Haw Creek.

She said that by getting kids used to creation that early in their career, it opens them up to all possibilities in the future.

“The one thing I always love about our district is that whatever challenge we have, we are deliberate in finding a solution, and we meet it. We work and research and in the end we provide the students with what they need,” Crow said.

The Alliance Academy for Innovation includes an area modeled after a North Georgia town square, where students will learn business and life skills.

Jim Dean Forsyth County News

Alliance Academy for Innovation prepares for grand opening

By Alexander Popp

apopp@forsythnews.com

Construction and preparation of Forsyth County’s seventh high school, The Alliance Academy for Innovation, is nearing completion.

According to Alliance Academy Principal Brandi Cannizzaro, the 23-acre Alliance Academy campus on Lanier 400 Parkway is in the final stages of construction and its faculty and staff are already preparing for the grand opening of the school, set to happen on July 21, 2018.

“It is extremely exciting,” Cannizzaro said while reflecting on the long road since the school’s inception. “It has been an awesome journey and will continue to be one. Every day is more exciting than before.”

Currently, the school has named its principal and assistant principal, Cannizzaro and Jim Parrish, respectively — and the school leadership team: Tom Neighbour, counselor; Anthony Tarantino, career technology and agriculture education; Theresa Adamczyk, English; Terri Cline, math; Lisa Oswald, science; Hector Jimenez, social studies; and Melanie Dunn, world languages.

According to Cannizzaro, the staff and administration will continue to grow throughout the spring and its upcoming school year. She said that more career technology and agriculture education teachers will be hired in January and February, additional core area teachers in February and March, and support

staff in March and April.

“Building is ahead of schedule, and we are excited about the interest from students and their families,” said Forsyth County School Superintendent Jeff Bearden.

The school received more than 607 applications for the 2018 school year and according to Cannizzaro the facility has accepted 600 upcoming ninth and 10th graders combined.

She said that the Alliance Academy requires students to go through three years of the school’s program, so a rising grade level each year, with the first graduating class scheduled for 2021.

She said she predicts the school will meet the max capacity of 1,200 students in that time.

Alliance aims to shake up the traditional high school experience, placing students into “five interest themed academies or schools” including, aerospace and logistics, criminal justice and law, hospitality and design, healthcare and first responders, mechatronics and energy.

Cannizzaro said that the Alliance pathways will help focus students into what they need to know for the career they want. She said that it will allow core education and pathway classes to intersect and complement each other, so students can get the most out of their classes.

“The big benefit is that if a student has an interest in one of our pathways, everything they need to succeed is going to be offered at alliance,” she said.

About the cover With nearly 19,000 students across its five campuses — Blue Ridge, Cumming, Dahlonega, Gainesville and Oconee County — UNG is one of the largest public universities in the state. The college is one of six senior military colleges in the United States and is designated as a University System of Georgia leadership institution and as The Military College of Georgia.

Jim Dean Forsyth County News

Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Bearden talks to guests during a recent tour the new Alliance Academy for Innovation.

District seventh largest in state, continues to grow From last May, Forsyth County Schools has grown 1,520 new students, making us home to 48,075 students and more than 5,000 staff members in 37 schools. Our students are joining the Forsyth County Schools’ family from across the U.S. and the globe. We are the seventh largest school district in the state above Henry and Cherokee counties and are projected to surpass Atlanta (No. 6) and Clayton (No. 5) in a few years.

Our accomplishments include: Georgia • Highest ACT score • Highest credit rating from Moody’s (1 of 77 in U.S.) • 3 out of 6 ational lue ibbon Schools Metro-Atlanta and large districts • Highest CC PI • Highest County Graduation ate • Highest SAT Score • Highest Financial fficiency ating / Stars Only district in Georgia to score above 90 on CC PI for three consecutive years.

Only district in Georgia to receive / stars for three consecutive years.

• owest millage rate • owest per pupil e penditure Maintained same millage for last four years Since 2001, we have grown 170 per-

cent in terms of student population; we have e panded/renovated e isting schools and constructed many new schools. We have not, however, changed our student-to-teacher ratio since 2012. This year our operational budget is $408 million, with 73 percent of our expenses tied to instruction.

Our current capital funding expires this year when we open our sixth traditional high school, Denmark, and the new college and career high school, the Alliance Academy for Innovation.

Using input from 7,000-plus stakeholders for the 2017-22 Strategic Plan and a list of needs submitted by school and district administrators, FCS staff worked from May through December 2017 to create a list of 2019-22 local capital improvement projects for a May 22, 2018 bond referendum.

Additionally, we completed a new State Facilities Plan during the same timeframe to maximize state funding earnings. To learn more about the capital improvement needs visit www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/bond.

I am excited for the remainder of the 2017-18 school year and look forward to continuing our mission to prepare and inspire all learners in Forsyth County Schools to lead and succeed.

Jeff Bearden Superintendent

ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH ForsythNews.com COUNTY NEWS | Sunday, | FORSYTHMarch COUNTY NEWS 25, 2018 | 3C

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Denmark will be county’s sixth high school

By Alexander Popp

apopp@forsythnews.com

Denmark High School, the county’s sixth traditional high school, located on 100-plus acres at 645 Mullinax Road between Mullinax and Fowler roads, is nearing completion.

According to Demark Principal Heather Gordy the new high school is currently in the phase of final touches to its building and grounds, final hiring, and the installation of school fixtures and technology within the school.

“A year ago, this all seemed like a distant dream,” said Gordy.

“And here we are just a few months left to go.”

Gordy said that Denmark, when opened, will have a distinct focus on relationships between students, faculty and staff.

“Let me just say that all of the schools in our county are exceptional, but we are going to focus on the relationships that we make,” she said.

She said that the new school is projected to open with as many as 1,300 students, and will offer 11 distinct career pathways, including: computer science,

For the Forsyth County News

Denmark High School is currently in the phase of final touches to its building and grounds, final hiring, and the installation of fixtures and technology. The school is expected to open for the 2018-19 school year.

culinary arts fashion services, veterinary science and web development.

Gordy said that they are especially excited about the veterinary science pathway that will be

available at the school.

Gordy said that the massive, covered, open-sided equestrian competition arena that was part of the original property has become part of the new school’s

design, and its stables, hay shed and other buildings will be kept on the property and used for instruction.

“All of that will be utilized on campus for probably a wide vari-

ety of things,” she said. “We have a lot of opportunity for how we can use our site.

“We have a lab building for vet science that sits outside between the stables and the riding ring. So that will be used within the program of vet-science,” Gordy said, talking about the advancements they have made to the veterinary science pathway.

She said that down the road, that program will be opened to all types of veterinary science like small companion animal science and equine veterinary science.

Denmark — named after the late Leila Denmark, one of the first female pediatricians in Georgia and who lived adjacent to the site — is expected to have its grand opening late in the summer.

Gordy said that they are on track to open with between 1,200 and 1,300 students and they expect that number to reach more than 2,500 students in the future.

“It has been an amazing ride and a fantastic experience,” Gordy said explaining how far the school has come in the year since she was hired on as principal at the school.

Pinecrest Academy honored for excellence For the Forsyth County News

Pinecrest Academy is a private PreK12, college preparatory Catholic school.

Founded in 1993, Pinecrest Academy opened its doors at a former elementary school in Crabapple, Georgia, with a student body of 29. At that time, Pinecrest was the first independent, private Catholic elementary school established to serve Atlanta’s expanding Catholic population.

The school moved in 1997 to its permanent campus on Peachtree Parkway in south Forsyth. Initially just a lower school, the beautiful 68-acre campus grew to also include a middle school and high school, a beautiful chapel, two gymnasiums and three athletic fields.

The enrollment at Pinecrest is close to 800 students. The school has been recognized as a Cardinal Newman Society School of Excellence since 2007 and is a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School.

Pinecrest is also a four-year winner of the Forsyth County News “Best Private School” honor.

The school’s mission is to develop Christian servant leaders who will transform society. Pinecrest provides an atmosphere of academic rigor and critical thinking, while offering personalized attention in a Christ-centered environment of faith and reason. The mission is accomplished in a gender-specific environment on a co-educational campus.

Students are challenged to use their gifts in service to others. Recognizing the parent as the primary educator of the child, Pinecrest’s mission embraces the entire family.

The school provides a safe, moral and spiritual environment, which leads to positive peer groups and joyful, caring, confident students. In addition to a rigorous academic curriculum, Pinecrest offers an excellent fine arts program, including visual and performing arts, band and chorus.

The High School’s Symphonic Band played, by invitation, at Carnegie Hall in 2012, when the band program was just three years old. Several alumni band students are currently playing in college.

Art students have received numerous awards, including the prestigious Silver Key Award in the National Scholastic Art Competition; and this year, a senior art student was named winner in The Terance athis was formally introduced as Pinecrest Academy’s head football coach ay 5, 2017.

James Alan Cox National Photojournalist Competition.

The class of 2017 (73 students) was offered almost $5,000,000 in scholarship awards and acceptances from 82 colleges and universities. In fall 2017, the early action overall percentage of acceptances to the University of Georgia was at 53 percent, with Pinecrest’s early action acceptance rate at 58 percent.

The class boasted 36 Zell Miller scholars, produced eight college athletes, and sent several students off as missionaries, deferring college to serve the church for a year. One student was a 2017 National Merit Commended Scholar, 24 students were AP National Scholars and 20 were named AP Scholars of Distinction.

In addition, Pinecrest’s average ACT composite score was 26.7 in 2017. The school’s SAT scores in 2017 topped all high schools in the county with an average composite score of 1192.

Additionally, the class of 2017 logged more than 2,140 service hours during senior year.

The class of 2018 will be the 12th graduating class from Pinecrest’s high school.

Pinecrest offers a complete complement of varsity and recreational sports.

The Athletics Department welcomed Terance Mathis, receiver for the Atlanta Falcons from 1990-2002, as Head Varsity Football Coach in May 2017.

Additionally, the inaugural class of the Athletic Hall of Fame was inducted in September 2017.

The Varsity Girls Basketball team became a Sweet 16 contender in the 2018 State Playoffs, and three Varsity wrestlers medaled at the GHSA State meet in February 2018.

The dedicated, highly qualified and credentialed teaching staff meets state and SACS requirements, and more than half of the members hold advanced degrees. The faculty includes a reading specialist and counselors who serve students in lower, middle and high schools.

Pinecrest is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Southern Association of Independent Schools, and holds membership in the College Board and the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Contacts For more information or to schedule a tour of Pinecrest Academy, call (770) 888-4477 or visit www.pinecrestacademy.org.

Administrators • Ed Lindekugel, headmaster and high school principal, elindekugel@pinecrestacademy.org • Denise ress, middle school principal, dcress pinecrestacademy.org • adeliene lanagan, lower school principal, mflanagan pinecrestacademy.org

File photo

Students participated in Ash Wednesday recently at Pinecrest Academy.

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Sunday, March 25, 2018

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Lead where it counts.

UNG is a national leader when it comes to academic excellence and affordability, making it one of the country’s best values in public universities.

UNG offers a range of academic opportunities through its Cumming Campus, from dual enrollment for high school students to graduate programs tailored to working professionals.

Cumming Campus Admission Open House April 21 9 a.m.-12 p.m

UNG is designated as a State Leadership Institution and as The Military College of Georgia®.

Blue Ridge • Cumming • Dahlonega • Gainesville • Oconee • ung.edu

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Sunday, March 25, 2018

UNG one of largest universities in the South For the Forsyth County News

Located in Forsyth County, a hub for global commerce and international trade, University of N o r t h G e o rg i a ’s ( U N G ) Cumming campus produces leaders able to compete in a global economy.

Students have easy access to the wide range of amenities that living close to a big city provides, while studying in a smaller campus environment.

This campus is particularly convenient for students interested in dual-enrollment, which has more than quadrupled in size since the campus opened in 2012, and for adult-learners looking to begin a new degree program.

“Our Cumming campus is a tremendous example of collaboration between the University System of Georgia, government officials and community leaders to expand opportunities for higher education in this region,” said UNG President Bonita C. Jacobs.

“The campus represents the culmination of many years of effort with the city of Cumming and various Forsyth County civic leaders to bring a university presence to the area. The combination

of price, functionality, attractiveness and partner collaboration has established a new template for how to provide higher education in areas that are underserved.”

The university’s partnership with the community will take another step forward to provide expanded opportunities for Forsyth County students with the Alliance Academy for Innovation — the seventh high school for Forsyth County Schools will be adjacent to UNG’s Cumming Campus. UNG is partnering with the school system to provide dual-enrollment opportunities and other programming. The Alliance Academy plans to provide an interdisciplinary curriculum with a culture of teamwork, creative thinking, collaboration and communication. It will feature five interest-themed academies or schools including aerospace and logistics, criminal justice and law, health care and first responders, hospitality and design, and mechatronics and energy.

The high school will also house the Career Exploration Center in The Mike and Lynn Cottrell Junior Achievement Discovery Center at North Georgia, set to

open in August. Located near UNG’s Cumming campus and created in partnership with Junior Achievement of Georgia, the new Discover Center will serve 15,000-plus middle school students from Forsyth, Hall, Lumpkin and Dawson County schools, along with Gainesville and Calhoun city schools.

In fall 2017, five years after opening its doors, the campus reached an enrollment milestone.

“We have surpassed 1,000 undergraduate students. Our total enrollment (including graduate students) is more than 1,100,” said Jason Pruitt, executive director of the UNG Cumming campus, who credits expanded course offerings for helping drive growth. “The academic offerings allow students to take more courses and progress in their degree programs without having to go to another campus. And the ultimate goal is for students to persist and progress and graduate.”

High school students also account for part of the enrollment growth at the Cumming campus.

The state’s dual-enrollment program allows high school students to earn both high school and col-

lege credit by taking college courses.

A high school student who begins taking courses in his or her junior year could enter college as a sophomore, saving a year of time and college tuition.

At UNG’s Cumming campus, Pruitt has watched the program grow from 44 students in 2012 to 239 students in 2017.

In addition to dual enrollment, three UNG graduate programs are also based in Cumming: the Cottrell MBA program, the Master of Education and the Master of Arts in teaching.

Due to program and enrollment growth of the MBA program and continuing education and professional development courses, UNG leases 10,000 square feet of space in Cumming City Hall.

To maintain and strengthen community engagement UNG Cumming has also formed a campus community leadership council that works closely with university leaders to focus on a number of initiatives centered around the themes of workforce readiness, access to education, and partnerships and collaborations.

The UNG Cumming Campus Community Leadership Council

includes leaders from the Forsyth County commission, CummingForsyth County Chamber of Commerce, Northside Hospital Forsyth, Georgia Power, Forsyth County Schools, Siemens, several state representatives and the mayor of Cumming.

With nearly 19,000 students across its five campuses — Blue Ridge, Cumming, Dahlonega, Gainesville and Oconee County — UNG is one of the largest public universities in the state.

It offers more than 100 programs of study including certificates, associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as professional doctoral programs.

UNG was ranked 22nd among public regional universities in the South in U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 edition of Best Colleges. For 2017, UNG also was included on Forbes’ list of Best Colleges and was one of three public universities in Georgia on Kiplinger’s list of Best College Values.

UNG is one of six senior military colleges in the United States and is designated as a University System of Georgia leadership institution and as The Military College of Georgia.

Lanier Tech has five campuses in north Georgia For the Forsyth County News

Lanier Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, serves as the leading workforce development resource for Forsyth, Dawson, Hall, Lumpkin, Banks, Barrow and Jackson counties by providing higher education and career-technical education programs leading to associate of applied science degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit.

The college also provides customized business and industry training, economic development services, continuing education for technical and professional development and adult education services.

The college’s mission can be summed up in two words — “workforce development.” With a placement rate of 100 percent, the

college’s motto, “Great Careers Begin Here,” comes true every day.

Lanier Tech’s five campuses are conveniently located throughout northeast Georgia and offer 175 programs, including 34 degrees, 41 diplomas and 100 technical certificates of credit. Programs are available in allied health, business and computer technology, industrial and technical studies, public safety and professional services, and general studies.

Programs of study are offered through traditional, online and hybrid classes. Applications are currently being accepted for summer semester. Priority application deadline for summer term is March 27. Summer 2018 courses begin May 15. The college is also accepting applications for the fall 2018 semester, which begins Aug. 6.

Priority application deadline for fall

semester is June 14. Contact the admissions office for further information on the application process.

Lanier Technical College’s Forsyth campus, a 120,000-squarefoot facility on 49 acres, located off Exit 13 on Ga. 400, with more than 1,000 enrolled students, is an educational provider of highdemand programs of study in health care, computer technology, business technology, public safety and professional services.

The College’s SACSCOC accreditation opens the door for area students to complete core courses required by the University System of Georgia’s (USG) fouryear colleges at Lanier Tech. An articulation agreement between TCSG and USG, 27 General Education courses — such as English, math, psychology, history and public speaking — may be

completed at Lanier Tech and then accepted at any of the USG colleges and universities.

Many students taking advantage of the articulation agreement are currently enrolled high school students participating in the Dual Enrollment program. In fall 2017, the Forsyth campus enrolled 123 students. The program provides for students who are dual-credit enrolled at a participating eligible public or private high school, or home study program in Georgia, and a participating eligible postsecondary institution in Georgia.

These students take postsecondary coursework for credit towards high school graduation or home study completion and postsecondary requirements. Students who participate in Dual Enrollment will high school and college credit simultaneously while attending classes on

the college campus. Tuition and college textbooks are provided and Dual Enrollment classes do not count against the number of college credit hours for which the Georgia HOPE Grant/Scholarship will pay.

The economics of attending Lanier Tech are also outstanding for students enrolled in programs covered by the Governor’s Strategic Industries Workforce Development Grant: tuition is free for students receiving HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship funds and enrolled in Forsyth Campus programs in computer science, early childhood care and education, health science and practical nursing.

The College’s Adult Education division offers free GED training and testing, English language training for ESL residents, as well as preparation for the U.S. Citizenship test.

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Sunday, March 25, 2018

Turner talks athletic programs in local schools

By Brian Paglia

2016-17 season by the numbers

bpaglia@forsythnews.com

For 17 years, Nathan Turner bled black and silver as a coach and athletic director at North Forsyth. But Turner’s first athletic experience during the 2016-17 school year was at McEachern High School for the Metro PCS Corky Kell Classic to see South Forsyth’s football team play in the prestigious showcase that kicks off the high school season.

“You always have passion for your home school,” Turner said, “but I think I developed a love for all our schools.”

In his first full school year as Forsyth County Schools’ Athletic and Activities Coordinator, Turner had a new passion to cultivate: stewarding the county’s 10 middle school and six high school athletic programs.

The county gave him plenty to balance his allegiances out.

Lambert, South and West combined for seven team state championships. Eight athletes from North and West won individual state titles.

And Turner got to take in just about all of the county’s craziest moments, from Lambert and South’s softball teams colliding in Columbus at the G H S A S o f t b a l l Championships; to Lambert and South’s boys and girls cross country teams sweeping the Class 7A state titles, and West’s Liz Galarza winning the girls individual title; to the thrilling region championship game between Lambert and North’s girls basketball team.

And Turner is already preparing for the athletic scene in the county to get more compelling when Denmark High School

• 1 Regions Director’s Cup (by Lambert) • 7 team state championships • 8 individual state championships •17 region championships • 156 college signees • 4,777 high school athletic participants

File photo

Lambert, South and West combined for seven team state championships, while eight athletes from North and West won individual state titles.

opens for the 2018-19 school year.

FCN: What were some of the biggest issue you and county’s athletic program discussed or are discussing?

Turner: “We talk about gates, as far as prices, making sure we’re covering officials’ costs.

“We talked a lot this year about budgeting. We’ve got (Denmark High School) opening up (in 2018). We’ve got to figure out revenue and expenditures and look at what you’re spending.

“Everybody wants to upgrade facilities. We’ve looked at that.

“The dynamics of adding a new school into the district and how that’s going to impact

other schools, which is a good thing — any time you have county schools playing county schools, it’s a good thing.”

FCN: From the competition on the field, what stood out to you about this past school year?

Turner: “Let’s start with middle school, seeing the competition and competitiveness of the kids. We had some great basketball games come down to the wire in the middle school championships. Had some upsets, some thrillers, some buzzer-beaters. Just seeing kids enjoy playing at that level. That was a lot of fun.

“I think back to Little Mill (Middle School). I think Little Mill won their first championships ever in girls basketball

this year. That was fun to see them put a trophy in their building.

“At the high school level, you talk about a race; it was a race from August to May. It started with South Forsyth (football) playing in the Corky Kell at McEachern. The (football) race in the region was a lot of fun. We saw some great games, some fun games.

“Basketball, it was really fun to watch that Lambert-North girls (region championship) game. That showed the competitiveness in our town. That was a lot of fun. I enjoyed watching South boys basketball this year too, and (Georgia Tech signee) Evan Cole.

“If you go back and look at

the accomplishments of all the state championships that we won, if you could take Director’s Cup and put our county together how strong that would’ve been. It’s fun to watch our coaches succeed, our schools succeed, and all the student-athletes in the county. It was a great year for this county.

I think we’re rolling into another year of great things yet to come.”

FCN: This time next year, Denmark High School will open with a brand new athletic program. What do you envision that school and program will be like?

Turner: “Just as when Lambert (in 2009) and West (in 2007) came on board, I envision it to be similar to the birth of a new school. I’m excited to see the make-up. You’re going to bring together some West community and part of the South community together in the southern end of the county.

“Excited for (former West principal Heather) Gordy getting to be principal there. Been able to work with her a bunch.

“It’ll be new. It’ll have to grow. But it has a lot of potential to be successful.”

Parks and recreation continues building community

By Laura Pate

For the Forsyth County News

Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department is focused on improving the quality of life for the citizens of Forsyth County by providing various recreation programs, services and amenities throughout the community.

In 2017, two new parks opened in the north region of the county.

Phase I of Lanierland Park located at 6115 Jot Em Down Road opened in March featuring four rectangular syntheticturf fields, four picnic pavilions, a playground, restrooms and a concession facility. The park is currently used for youth cheerleading, football and lacrosse programs. A natural walking path is also available for walking and jogging.

The second park to open was Eagle’s Beak Park located at 8420 Old Federal Road in the northwest region of the county.

This 226-acre park opened in August and features a canoe/ kayak launch on the Etowah River, a 1.5-mile nature trail and a restroom building as well as a large open field for special events.

The Parks & Recreation Department is also responsible for maintaining current parks and amenities throughout the year. In March 2017, a renovation project was completed at Chattahoochee Pointe adding a new restroom building and additional trail mileage. The additional mileage creates a 5K course that is available for everyday use and community races.

The safety of participants is what drove the addition of the Thor Guard Lightning Detection System during 2017.

This system was installed at nine parks, and now all of the department’s sports parks and Sawnee Mountain Preserve are equipped with the safety system. The Thor Guard Weather Warning System will provide advance warning of a lightning hazard and help to keep our citizens and park users safe during inclement weather.

Other projects that were completed in 2017 include: • At Central Park, spectator seat shading was added at the adult softball complex, and new scoreboards were installed at

Phase I of Lanierland Park at 6115 Jot Em Down Road opened in March.

• 30,026 Sawnee Mountain Preserve Visitor Center visitors • 31,368 activity/program participants • 6,019 Spray Pad visits • 4,771 facility rentals • 3,836 Shady Grove Campground reservations.

What’s coming up?

For the Forsyth County News

Eagle’s Beak Park in the northwest region of the county is a 226-acre space that opened in August and features a canoe/kayak launch on the Etowah River, a 1.5-mile nature trail and a restroom building as well as a large open field for special events.

all of the baseball fields.

• Improvements were made to the Sawnee Mountain Preserve parking lot, and the visitor center exterior was painted.

• The tennis courts at Sharon Springs Park were resurfaced, and the basketball courts at Sawnee Mountain Park were also resurfaced.

• The community building roofs were replaced at Sawnee Mountain Park and Sharon Springs Park.

• The fence at the dog park inside Windermere Park was replaced.

In addition to adding and maintaining new parks and facilities in 2017, the department achieved a major accomplishment by earning accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).

CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community. This mark of distinction indicates that an agency has met rigorous standards related to the management and administration of lands, facilities, resources, programs, safety and services. The department

is one of only 165 departments nationally to hold the recognition.

New services and programs Each year Forsyth County Parks & Recreation offers a wide variety of programs including instructional classes, camps, sports leagues, tournaments and special events. In 2017, there were over 30,000 participants that took part in the many program offerings. The department strives to offer new programs each year.

For the first time, in 2017, the department partnered with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office to provide free education workshops to the community.

The workshops were held at the recreation centers and featured topics on identity theft, women’s self-defense, home alone for kids, subdivision safety, internet safety and general crime prevention. The focus of this partnership is to educate citizens in hopes of making the community a safe place to live.

In April 2017, a new rock climbing tower opened at Sawnee Mountain Preserve.

The tower is used for camps, group programs, birthday parties and individual climbing passes. The tower allows for top-rope climbing, lead climb-

ing and rappelling. The new climbing tower was made possible by a $60,000 donation from the Sawnee Mountain Foundation.

In spring 2017, the department teamed up with National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) and the local Walk with a Doc chapter to offer a pilot program called A Walk in the Park! Forsyth County was one of eight departments in the country participating in the launch of this initiative, which aims to increase physical activity in communities through local parks and recreation. The program promotes healthy living and encourages participation in the Walk with a Doc program.

The inaugural Family Fun Fest and Haunted Trail was held on Oct. 28, 2017 at the Sawnee Mountain Preserve Visitor Center. The free event featured family crafts, games, nature-themed activities and a costume contest. The haunted trail was cancelled due to the weather; however, many people still came out to partake in the inside activities.

2017 Summary Statistics • More than 1.7 million park visitors • 198,074 total recreation center pass visits

Forsyth County Parks & Recreation Department will be working on the following projects in 2018: • At Haw Creek Park, a new play unit with swings and a bike skills park with a permanent pump track will be added.

• At Chattahoochee Pointe, a new disc golf course is being installed and improvements will be made to the canoe/ kayak launch and parking lot.

• At Caney Creek Preserve, new playground equipment with rubberized surfacing and a larger pavilion will be added, and improvements will be made to the landscaping at the existing dog park.

• At Old Atlanta Park, the spray pad surface will be replaced.

• At Matt Community Park, a six-court tennis complex with restrooms will be constructed near the existing playground, and natural surface trails are also being added.

• At Fowler Park, synthetic turf is being installed on fields 6 and 7 and a rubberized g r o u n d s u r fa c e i s b e i n g installed at the playgrounds.

• At Midway Park and Coal Mountain Park, new park entry signs will be installed. Also, the scoreboards at Coal Mountain Park are being replaced.

• At Central Park, improvements will be made to the existing disc golf course.

Laura Pate is the Marketing and Community Relations Manager, Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department.

8C | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

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Sunday, March 25, 2018

City, county leaders reflect on 20 years of change ‘We’ve come from an average county to one that is the envy of other communities around the state and the country as they watch how we handle the growth.’

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

It’s no secret that the city of Cumming and Forsyth County have seen massive growth over the last 20 years, and in that time, the two local governments have also had to catch up.

According to census records, the county currently has a population of more than 220,000 residents, a large jump in population from the estimated 98,000 residents in 2000 and 44,000 in 1990.

City of Cumming Mayor Troy Brumbalow said he has lived in the area since the early 70s and said the change in the area had been massive.

“It’s exploded in every aspect,” Brumbalow said. “It’s changed in every aspect.

In that time, the county has earned a reputation as being one of the best places to live in Georgia, and commonly ranks at or near the top of rankings for best schools, healthiest county, fastest growing county and most affluent county.

“We’ve come from an average county to one that is the envy of other communities around the state and the country as they watch how we handle the growth,” said Forsyth County Commission Chairman Todd Levent. “They most look at our school systems and how well test scores come out, our lower crime rate, our lower millage rate and the high level of services we get for those lower taxes.”

Levent sad among the other reasons for the county’s popu-

Todd Levent

Forsyth County Commission Chairman

File photo

The city of Cumming and Forsyth County have seen a lot of growth over the last 20 years.

larity are the sheriff’s office, county fire department and other governmental departments to keep the county running smooth.

A common complaint in the area is traffic, which Levent said the county and state are attempting to address through a variety of projects, many through a $200 million transportation bond approved by voters in 2014.

“It’s astronomical how well our partnership is working out, which will bring all these roads up to par,” Levent said. “Most of these projects can take 20 years from the day you talk about it until the day it gets

done, and we’re getting these done in six to eight years or possibly 10 years. It’s really moving fast.”

The city of Cumming has also seen much growth and an increase in offerings in recent decades.

“Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen pretty great accomplishment in the city,” said City Administrator Phil Higgins.

“We’ve seen the aquatic center come online, we’ve seen the fairground go from its infant stages to what it is now and we’ve got plans to go even further in the future with it. We’ve seen improvement in our parks and rec department.”

Higgins said the city’s utilities program had also grown “by leaps and bounds.”

Along with the expanded role of government, Higgins, who said he has worked for the city since 1989, said the way the city does business has also changed a lot over the years.

“I think the biggest change we have seen from our perspective is we’re just in such a great age of communication now,” Higgins said. “It’s so different from 20 years ago as to how we conduct ourselves in business each day. I remember the days when we did everything by U.S. mail, everything, and now we hardly do anything by the

mail. We scan an email or we do things that way to communicate.”

Higgins used ruptured water lines as an example of the change. He said in the past, the city had to review plans and maps to find where lines are, whereas workers can now find it out much more quickly online “It’s freed up time where our employees can focus on other duties now,” he said. “It’s just a totally different world than it was 20 years ago.”

Forsyth commissioners visit Washington, D.C. Lanier water intake among topics discussed

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

Forsyth County Commissioners returned to the county after meeting several elected officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, in Washington, D.C. and hand-delivering a request regarding a Lake Lanier water intake to members of Georgia’s delegation.

In December, Forsyth County Commissioners Dennis Brown, Cindy Jones Mills and Todd Levent went to Washington as part of the Georgia Elected Officials Conference. The event was hosted by the administration of President Donald Trump.

“This was a special invitation from the White House and the cabinet members … to brief us on intergovernmental affairs between the state and local officials and the federal government,” Brown said. “They gave us points of contact and linked us up with people to get things done in the federal government.”

The commissioners attended a conference

recently with Pence, Sen. David Perdue and representatives from many federal departments including Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Georgia’s former governor.

“It’s nice when the administration reaches out to local governments and works with them, k n ow i n g w h e n t h e y change laws, how it helps us or hurts us,” Levent said. “So, it was nice to have the feedback, the conversations [and] the interactions.”

Mills said one topic making national headlines that was discussed was the current push for a new tax plan.

“We heard a lot about tax reform,” she said.

“We heard about the changes we needed to be, I guess, a little leery of and was a little bit more worrisome than what you would just hear about in the news.”

Mills said discussions of the tax plan were over the need to reduce the deficit and what the best course of action for doing so might be.

All three commission-

ers expressed gratitude for the federal government working with and hearing concerns from local governments.

During the trip, the commissioners made stops at the White House and the U.S. Capitol and Levent said he had the opportunity to shake hands with Pence, who was a speaker at one of the meetings.

Mills said the timing of the visit was also a special treat.

“It was particularly nice to be able to tour the White House during Christmas,” she said. “All of us commissioners that were there, that were going through, we all felt very blessed and fortunate that a president would care enough about the county that he would reach out and offer this to us.”

While on the trip, commissioners handdelivered to Woodall, Collins and Sen. David Perdue a resolution passed on Nov. 28 asking for a water intake pipe into Lake Lanier.

“We also visited multiple congressmen in

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their offices and were able to hand off our resolution asking for our easement into the lake f o r o u r o w n p i p e ,” Levent said.

Levent said being able to deliver the resolution

was a good start but also encouraged the community to reach out to their representatives on the matter. It was estimated at a recent work session the intake could save the county up to $13.9 mil-

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Sunday, March 25, 2018

City of Cumming sees many changes For the Forsyth County News

The close of 2017 and beginning of 2018 brought many changes to the administration of the City of Cumming.

In December of 2017, Cumming’s longest serving mayor, H. Ford Gravitt (who served almost 50 years), was honored along with Councilman Quincy Holton (who was in office for almost 48 years) with a Lifetime S e r v i c e Awa r d f r o m t h e Georgia Municipal Association.

GMA representatives noted that Gravitt and Holton were the longest-serving mayor and council member in their statewide organization.

On Jan. 2, Cumming’s new mayor, Troy Brumbalow, and two new city council members, Jason Evans and Chad Crane, were sworn into office. They joined council members Lewis Ledbetter, who has served for 47 years, and Linda Ledbetter

Brumbalow

Crane

Evans

and Christopher Light, who have both served since January 2016.

Mayor Brumbalow, a resident of Cumming for the past 45 years, is an entrepreneur who has founded several businesses over the years including a construction company, custom cabinet business, a softball bat company and a tanning business.

Councilman Crane has lived in the City of Cumming for nine years and is a project manager for a construction company i n A l p h a r e t t a , w h i l e Councilman Evans has lived in the city for 13 years and is president of ProCryo, a cryo-

Linda Ledbetter

Lewis Ledbetter

genic metallurgy and coatings business in Cumming.

A top priority for the new city leaders is the eventual creation of a walkable “city center,” which they hope would serve as a gathering spot for the entire community as well as out-of-town visitors.

Brumbalow, Crane and Evans have all said they would like the city center to feature a range of retail businesses and restaurant spaces, which would all be owned by the City of Cumming and leased to operators. They envision the center to also offer green space areas that could serve as small event venues.

Light

While establishing a city center is a long-term project, leaders hope to begin laying the groundwork for the project in 2018. The first step in the process will be securing a site for the development somewhere near the downtown area.

Also on the horizon for 2018 is offering an expanded slate of events for the community at the Cumming Fairgrounds.

The first of these new events, Fridays at the Fairgrounds, will begin on April 20. Held every third Friday during warmweather months, Fridays at the Fairgrounds will feature food trucks, a cruise-in style car show, live music, hot air bal-

loon rides and various other family-friendly activities.

Mayor Brumbalow also hopes to expand the Fairgrounds’ Fourth of July festivities, and add a Christmas parade through downtown Cumming that would end at a large Christmas festival at the Fairgrounds.

“One of my primary goals when I ran for office was to help bring back some of the small-town feel that Cumming and Forsyth County have been losing over the past several years as our populations have continued to grow and become m o r e u r b a n ,” M a y o r Brumbalow said. “I envision our city center and the Cumming Fairgrounds as two places where we can all come together as one community and renew the feel of a small, closeknit community that we had when I was growing up here.”

Accreditation reinstated County welcomes two new fire stations for local sheriff’s office

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmirte@forsythnews.com

In April, a firehose uncoupling ceremony was held for the new Forsyth County Fire Station 8 on Keith Bridge Road (Hwy. 306 east), which had been closed for more than a year as a crew replaced the former station, which was originally built in 1984 for volunteer firefighters on land adjacent to the new station.

“The fast-paced lifestyle of an urban environment has not yet made it this far north. Farmers still tend their crops and neighbors help neighbors when in need,” Fire Chief Danny Bowman said. “It is in this neighborly lifestyle that we establish this beautiful new engine house.

“Fire Station 8 will be the center-point of public safety at this same location for a half-a-hundred years or more.”

During his remarks, Bowman thanked the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners for their support of public safety and Dawson County’s commission,

fire department, and Fire Chief Lanier Swafford.

Station 8 was built with four fire apparatus stalls, which is larger than currently needed to allow for growth. Attendees at the ceremony also had a chance to tour the new facility.

The station was built at the same time as Fire Station 6 in south Forsyth, which held an uncoupling ceremony in March 2017.

Hussey Gay Bell was the architect for the stations, and construction for both was done by D.A. Edwards and Company Inc. The new stations cost a total of about $5.6 million and were paid for with SPLOST VI and impact fees funds.

Also speaking at the ceremony were Commission Chairman Todd Levent, Sheriff Ron Freeman and District 24 state Rep. Sheri Gilligan. The invocation was led by Capt. Shane Milford, and Dawson County Training Chief Danny Speaks did the ceremonial first flag-raising while north Forsyth High School’s Kendall Sosebee sang the national anthem.

MAY 12

TH

From staff reports

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office celebrated a milestone recently: the reinstatement of a national credentialing program viewed as a benchmark for professional law enforcement agencies.

Officials with the sheriff’s office announced in January the local law enforcement agency had been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

“I’m very proud of the hard work done daily by the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office. Their professionalism allowed us to quickly obtain CALEA National Accreditation,” said Sheriff Ron Freeman.

He added that the certification is “the ‘blue ribbon’ seal of approval to insure our citizens that we are meeting the highest standards of our profession and that we are constantly reviewing those ‘best practices’ to keep us at the

forefront in providing professional law enforcement services to the citizens of Forsyth County.”

In August 2015, after receiving accreditation for more than 12 years, then-Sheriff Duane Piper announced the agency would withdraw from the program.

During Freeman’s campaign for office, he said he would work to reinstate accreditation within his first 18 months on the job.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office hosted an assessment team from the accreditation group in August 2017.

According to its website, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies was the first credentialing program established by the organization after its founding.

It was originally developed to address what was seen “as a need to enhance law enforcement as a profession and to improve law enforcement service delivery.”

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Sunday, March 25, 2018

Ribbon cutting held for new elections building

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

Officials celebrated the opening of a new elections facility recently.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the new Forsyth County Voter Registration and Elections office at 1201 Sawnee Drive in Cumming.

“It went extremely well,” said Barbara Luth, supervisor of voter registrations and elections. “We had a good turnout. People enjoyed themselves. We liked the building.

We did tours of the building so everyone can see what we have

now.”

Luth, Chief Registrar and Chairman of the county’s board of voter registrations and elections Donald Glover and District 1 Commissioner Pete Amos spoke at the event.

Luth said she received a lot of good feedback from those who toured the facility.

“They thought it was a beautiful facility,” she said. “All our poll workers who came in knew it would be much better to drop off their equipment and pick up their equipment and how much it easier it was going to be us as a staff to be able to

work the elections and have it right in one building.”

Previously, the department had operated out of the office at the Forsyth County Administration Building and a warehouse facility on Piney Grove Road. All operations will now be done at the new facility.

The new building will be used as a site for advance voting in this year’s primary and election but will not be used for election day voting.

Advance voting previously held at the county administration building and Cumming City Hall will be at the new building.

For the Forsyth County News

Local officials took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony recently for the new Forsyth County Voter Registration and Elections office.

Northside Hospital Forsyth continues to expand services For the Forsyth County News

As one of the most respected and trusted health care organizations in the Southeast, Northside Hospital Forsyth is committed to balancing clinical excellence with compassionate care.

Northside Hospital Forsyth is continuing to expand its services in 2018. These projects have a common goal of providing the region and the community with greater patient access to quality medical care.

This year, an expanded and newly renovated hospital cafeteria has opened. In addition, the completion of a new orthopedic, sports medicine and physical therapy medical office building that brings expert joint replacement services under one

roof. This is the fifth medical office building completed at the Forsyth campus.

Northside Hospital Forsyth is a regional leader in same-day joint replacement, performing more surgeries than any other Georgia hospital. Northside Hospital offers expertise that ranks in the top 1 percent of all robotic surgery programs in the U.S., meaning patients with post-sports related injuries and osteoarthritis return to a better quality of life much faster.

Northside Forsyth, a 304-licensed bed hospital, recently added two patient floors to better serve the burgeoning north Georgia corridor.

The 77,975-square-foot expansion added a seventh floor to care for patients undergoing

cancer treatment and an eighth floor that serves post-surgical needs.

Northside has the No. 1 gynecologic (GYN) robotic-assisted surgery program in the country.

And Northside’s Center for Weight Loss is accredited as a comprehensive center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.

Northside is also well known and respected for its maternity services, including a Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This year will mark Northside Hospital Forsyth Women’s Center 10th anniversary. And because of a teambased approach that uses the expertise of obstetricians and gynecologists, certified nurse midwives, pediatricians, nurses,

lactation consultants and others, all babies born at Northside receive the individualized, special care that is expected from the nation’s leader in maternity services.

The Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, with a convenient location in the 1100 building, provides exceptional cancer treatment to Georgians looking for greater access to expert personalized care (including skin, lung, breast, liver and pancreas, gynecologic, colorectal and prostate cancers). Northside has among the best survival rates in the country for bone marrow transplants. U.S. News & World Report named Northside a 2017-18 High Performance Hospital for Lung Cancer Surgery.

Northside Hospital Forsyth

also continues to lead the way in heart and vascular care.

Receiving quality achievement awards for heart failure, heart attack and stroke care from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline programs.

The hospital’s cardiology team and emergency department staff work collaboratively with Forsyth County and Central EMS to ensure that patients receive access to care, with some of the fastest transfer times in the Atlanta region and ahead of the region’s average of 76 minutes.

Follow @NorthsideHosp on social media, and for more information, including free community health screenings, visit northside.com.

Children’s Healthcare continues to care for needs of young Where will you take your child?

Picture it: It’s late on a Saturday evening, and your son has fallen off his bike. You think his arm may be broken. Your pediatrician’s office is closed. But it’s a long drive to an emergency department, and you’re worried about potential wait times at the hospital.

What do you do?

You need a place that’s open evenings, weekends and holidays, a place where no appointment is necessary, a place that provides labs and X-rays.

What you’re looking for is urgent care.

Thankfully, you won’t have to look far because Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has several convenient locations throughout the Atlanta area, including Forsyth.

Our Urgent Care Centers are staffed with pediatricians who specialize in caring just for kids and teens.

If you do choose to visit one of our locations, you’ll be in good company. Just last year our Urgent Care Centers treated more than

154,000 patients. Unlike other retail clinics, Children’s Urgent Care Centers are always staffed with pediatricians who are specifically trained to treat all children — from babies to teenagers.

In addition to our pediatric-trained staff, we have equipment that is specially designed with children in mind. Our onsite lab and X-ray services help to quickly diagnose and treat your child in one location. And, if needed, we can send prescriptions electronically

to your pharmacy so your child’s medicine is waiting for you when you get there.

Since we understand how disruptive it is to have a sick child and how hard it can be for children to wait at a clinic for care,

we let you save your spot online by selecting an arrival time before you leave home. We also accept walk-in patients during business hours at all of our Urgent Care Centers.

Excited to have

Children’s at Forsyth as a convenient urgent care option, but still a little unsure when to bring your child? Use the guide below to help you choose when to seek primary care, urgent care or emergency care.

Primary care office • hen you have general uestions a out your child’s health or care • hen your child needs regular care • During weekdays and y appointment for • ell-child check-ups • Physicals • lu shots and other vaccines • ommon illnesses and minor in uries

Urgent care center

• hen your child’s pediatrician isn’t availa le like evenings, holidays or weekends • or minor in uries and illnesses like earaches, sore throats or cuts that re uire stitches • or fevers • or roken ones

Emergency department

• or serious in ury or illness like • Broken ones one coming out of skin • ead in ury loss of consciousness • uts leeding won’t stop

NEWS | FORSY NTY TH OU

2016

.COM WS NE

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CITY OF CUMMING

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From historic preservation to family-focused facilities, activities and events, the City of Cumming has always sought to maintain a small-town, close-knit community feel. At the same time, the City believes in fostering economic development to provide stability.

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TroyH.Brumbalow Ford Gravitt Mayor Mayor

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Light Councilman

A NEW CHAPTER

In fall of 2017, City of Cumming residents elected the City’s first new mayor in nearly 50 years, as well as two new City Council members. Mayor Troy Brumbalow and new Council Members Chad Crane and Jason Evans in January of 2018 joined Mayor Pro-Tem Lewis Ledbetter and Council Members Linda Ledbetter and Christopher Light in leadership of the City. Together, they hope to honor tradition while building on all the successes of their predecessors to move the City of Cumming into its next chapter of success!

COMMUNITY EVENT Cumming Country Fair & Festival

LIVE THEATRE Cumming Playhouse

Congratulations to the Cumming Country Fair & Festival and Cumming Playhouse for earning “Best of Forsyth 2018” recognitions by Forsyth County News readers! If you haven’t checked out all that the City of Cumming has to offer, you should soon!

ON THE HORIZON

In 2018, the City’s new leadership will foster our community’s smalltown feel through expanded events and activities for both neighbors and newcomers to enjoy: • Fridays at the Fairgrounds – Third Fridays beginning April 20, featuring food trucks, live music, hot air balloon rides, inflatables and more.

• Expanded July 4th Celebration at the Fairgrounds.

• New Christmas Parade through Downtown Cumming, Ending at the Fairgrounds with a Large-Scale Christmas Festival.

They’ll also be working toward a secure financial future: • Laying the Groundwork for Creation of a City Center including Walkable Retail and Restaurant Spaces Owned by the City, Green Spaces, and SmallScale Event Venues.

• Fostering Community Partnerships that Create Positive Economic Development in the City.

Like Us on Facebook! @cummingcityhall

8D | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Sunday, March 25, 2018

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BUSINESS & INDUSTRY

E

Progress 2018

FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS

2E | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Chamber leader talks business growth

‘It continues to be a very business friendly environment. The overall architecture of the county is very business friendly.’

By Frank Reddy

freddy@forsythnews.com

What has made Forsyth County a favorable area for business?

If you ask Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce CEO and President James McCoy, he’ll say there’s a whole lot of different factors that come into play. But, the main thing?

“There are a lot of factors business look at when making a decision about where their talent pool is,” McCoy said. “Forsyth County has a great talent pool.”

McCoy, who has been with the chamber since 2005, said the changes in Forsyth County in the past couple decades have been massive.

He said Forsyth County has consistently been among the leading counties in the country for job growth and capital investment. He added that the community has also developed a “really large” international business presence.

In the past 20 years, the county’s largest employer went from being less than 1,000 people to, now, being closer to 2,000 people “with Northside Hospital Forsyth and Scientific Games taking turns in terms of who’s got the most employees (of private employers).”

On the retail side, McCoy said, “it has exploded in Forsyth County … the retail opportunities and amenities in the community were much more limited then than they are today, and you can see that in our SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) collections. Twenty years ago, SPLOST was less than half of what it is today in terms of retail sales.”

And, just why has Forsyth County seen this degree of success?

“There’s a lot of different factors at play,” McCoy said. “It continues to be a very business friendly environment. The overall architecture of the county is very business friendly.”

He said the county has the lowest property taxes among greater Atlanta region counties,

James McCoy

President and CEO of the Chamber

File photo

Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce CEO and President James McCoy said the chamber will be focusing on creating sustainable businesses as the population continues to grow.

and “when you look at the infrastructure of what we provide in terms of basic roads, data access with fiber and then layer on top of that all the things that make life interesting to live here.”

There have been many milestones in the past several decades, but a few stand out, he said.

For instance, when Georgia Baptist was acquired by Northside Hospital and Northside’s campus.

“There was a lot of foresight put into that,” he said. “It helped drive a lot of other private business investment in the community that we still enjoy.”

He also referenced the relocation of Scientific Games into Forsyth County — “another big opportunity for the community

that really was a milestone — as well as the opening of the Collection and Halcyon.”

He said about 13 years ago, the chamber hired its first economic development professional, Brian Dill, and it also made a big impact on business in Forsyth County.

“That was the first time this community had a formal economic development plan, and that is now being updated for the third time. That has helped refocus business growth.”

This year’s numbers mark “the best year that Forsyth County has ever had in economic development projects.” “[We’ve created] well over 1,000 jobs, over $150 million in new capital investment and that is a good bit more than we’ve

d n o y e B e c i v Ser h c n e B the ~ Chairperson Forsyth County Domestic Violence Forum ~ GriefShare Leader ~ Mental Health Task Force

ever had in a single year,” McCoy said. “I think a lot of that is the direct result of the investment that has been made in economic development and the partnership that we have with Forsyth County and the board of commissioners and the development authority. Where we are now is doing this big, comprehensive economic development plan. We’ve never done anything like this before — nothing of this size — and we’re engaging community members more than we ever have before.”

Ultimately, the goal is to create a “much more sophisticated strategy around how to help startups and small technology firms and have a very focused approach to those key industry segments that we know will

drive a sustainable economy over time,” McCoy said.

The chamber isn’t just focusing on economic development, though, having recently added a new position — vice president of community development — to the organization’s staff.

The role is key in creating a sustainable Forsyth County, McCoy said.

“That sort of reverses the idea of economic development,” he said. “Instead, what we’re doing is working with leaders in communities and neighborhoods around Forsyth County to identify how they want their segments to grow and then how we can help the commercial portion of that to create that vision. The comprehensive plan identified all these nodes, so how can we work with the private business community and commercial developers to create a product to achieve that vision. That is the next level of developmental maturity as a community.”

With Forsyth County expected to double in population by 2040, that development, and creating sustainable businesses, is what the chamber will be focusing on, at least for the next few years.

McCoy said after more than 10 years in the community, he hopes to continue to be a part of that vision.

“We have a blank canvas,” he said. “It’s a huge opportunity, and that opportunity is, we can make this what we want.”

“On behalf of the entire team here at Chick-fil-A Lanier Crossing, I would like to sincerely thank the residents of Forsyth for making us the #1 fast service food restaurant in the county for three years in a row! We have strived to forge a strong partnership with the local community for many years, whether it be school fundraisers, military appreciation, or just free Ice Dream for the kids. We are truly honored to serve you, and I look forward to seeing you on your next visit to Chick-fil-A Lanier Crossing.”

-Mike Ridzon, Owner Chick-fil-A Lanier Crossing

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ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 3E

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Norton gives thoughts on local real estate

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

A local economic expert recently gave his thoughts on the current state of the real estate industry in Forsyth County.

Gainesville Realtor Frank Norton Jr. recently spoke at the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce Commercial Real Estate Roundtable at the Cumming Recreation and Parks Building.

Norton gave his thoughts on the local real estate market, some of which he said he didn’t expect to be popular.

“It’s not criticism,” Norton said. “It’s challenging. I think we can all be challenged to do better.

One such projection of Norton’s: Forsyth County’s population reaching 400,000 residents within the next 30 years at current growth levels.

“You are sitting on top of

north Fulton, and you have a better school system. You have a better tax structure, so you’re sitting on top of this population base that is moving up,” Norton said.

He said the county should purchase land for future schools and other needs at current prices instead of waiting for the growth.

Norton said most new homes in the county start at around $400,000, and he recommended having several layers of pricing for homes.

“I’ve been preaching this community, as other communities, needs to have multiple price points of houses,” he said.

“That’s multiple price points of rental houses and multiple prices points of purchasable houses.”

He said the county also needs to look to expand its tax base, which is heavily based on residential property tax.

“There a lot of people who

File photo

Gainesville Realtor Frank Norton Jr. shares his thoughts on Forsyth County’s real estate market recently at the Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Real Estate Roundtable.

criticize Gwinnett County, and we don’t want to be another Gwinnett County,” Norton said.

“I want you to be another

Gwinnett County. Not in population, but in tax base. If you really study the tax base of Gwinnett County, what you see

is that they have about a third in retail-type uses, about a third in industrial-type uses and a third in residential.”

Norton also had praise for the area and said the county had an untapped residential resource in Lake Lanier.

“Our strength is the schools, the tax base, quality housing and our proximity to the lifestyle,” he said.

Meredith Young, with Keller Williams, said the information given by Norton was very informative and she thought he knew the area well.

“I am a residential real estate agent, and I’m also a residential appraiser,” she said. “So, I like to be informed on what’s going on in the county so that I could let my clients who are thinking about purchasing in the area know what’s going to be happening.”

International business booming in Forsyth County

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

Forsyth County is home to all types of businesses, and it appears the county is becoming a target for businesses originating outside the United States.

“We’ve been very fortunate that there are a lot of international companies that are located in Forsyth County, and I think it just adds diversity to your economic base,” said Robert Long, vice president of economic development for the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce.

Long said investments from other counties allowed the companies to keep afloat during economic hardship, which benefited the county.

“During the Great Recession back in 2009, 2010, Forsyth County rode it out pretty much better than any other county in

Georgia,” he said. “I think part of that was due to the number of international businesses in our community.”

He said there are more than 70 international companies operating in Forsyth and many had a unique trait for international companies.

“We actually have 74 international companies, and of those, one of the things we’ve found, which is a little unusual, is that quite a few of them have a headquarters function,” Long said. “So, this might be their one and only facility in the U.S., so by default, it has a headquarters function.”

Long said international companies are interested in Forsyth County for the same reasons people move here: the location, good schools and high standard of living.

Doug Keith, vice president for large drives for Siemens

Industries Inc., said the German-based company has operated in Forsyth County since 1989 and continued to do so because of what the county offered.

“While I can’t comment on why the site was originally chosen back then ... today, what keeps us in the area is an educated workforce, for sure, a very business-friendly environment where people like to live,” he said.

Long said the majority of international business came from Germany, though the county is getting more interest from companies in Asia.

“Germany kind of leads the pack. Of those 74 international companies, over 20 of them are German,” he said. “Once you get beyond that, we obviously have a variety [of businesses from] Korea from Switzerland, France, Sweden. We’ve had

some good activity from Asian projects last year.”

Though Germany makes up about 20 percent of businesses, Long said those companies tend to be larger and employ more than half the locals working in international companies.

Keith said workers in Forsyth County serve in a variety of roles and the company serves those in a range of industries, including oil and gas, minerals, mining, chemicals and infrastructures for cities and rails.

“The majority of the people in the site in Forsyth County [work in] engineering, manufacturing, customer services for industrial and infrastructure customers,” Keith said. “Most of our products we work with are motors, variable frequency drives and automation.”

Working with international clients, Keith said, means unique challenges for the local

companies.

“Our competitors are as likely to be from China and Korea as they are from the United States,” he said. “So, we have to be agile to compete. We have to have products that are flexible to meet the needs in other regions in the world, not just to U.S. standards and U.S. needs.”

To foster relationships with international companies, the chamber holds several events each year aimed at those companies and their interests.

“We have what’s called our International Engagement Program,” Long said. “We do a quarterly breakfast meeting. We typically will get an international company to host us and we will have a speaker on a topic we think will have an interest to international companies in our community.”

New, mixed-use village slated to open March 2019 From staff reports

Sprawling, mixed-use development Halcyon in Forsyth County continues to grow in preparation for its big opening March 2019.

Most recently, developers RocaPoint Partners announced the addition of RW Designs, an upscale interior design studio and gallery. In addition, it was announced recently that a 154-room Embassy Suites, complete with ballrooms and meeting spaces, will be built in the heart of the 135-acre project.

Design & Exchange will relocate the showroom from its current location at The Collection in Cumming, and occupy a 7,500-square-foot space at the entrance of Halcyon.

The new, mixed-use village currently under construction in Forsyth County is being developed by RocaPoint Partners and New York-based The Georgetown Company.

Founded by Rhonda White in 1987, RW Designs has become a name associated with Atlanta interior design.

I n 2 0 0 9 , RW D e s i g n s opened its first storefront, RW

Design & Exchange, allowing customers to visit the design gallery and buy products. RW Design & Exchange offers services ranging from residential and commercial design, to model home design.

“A t RW D e s i g n & Exchange, our goal is to expose our customers to a better way of life and provide design services that can match your home to your Lifestyle,” said Rhonda White, founder of RW Design and Exchange.

“With the sophisticated nature of Halcyon and the numerous new residential and commercial spaces coming to the property, Halcyon is the perfect location for RW Design & Exchange, and we think it will help us expand our customer base. We are thrilled to be part of such a vibrant, walkable community, and we can’t wait to be in our new space at Halcyon.”

JLL Retail manages the r e t a i l l e a s i n g e ff o r t s o f Halcyon. JLL is also managing the office leasing efforts.

When finished, Halcyon will include 480,000 square feet of office and retail space, a luxury movie theater, two hotels and 690 residential units.

Halcyon will include 480,000 square feet of office and retail space, a luxury movie theater, two hotels, including Embassy Suites, left, and 690 residential units.

For the Forsyth County News

Forsyth Conference Center a staple for events in county For the Forsyth County News

T h e C o l l e g e ’s F o r s y t h Conference Center continues to expand services. In 2017, this 14,000-square-foot facility hosted about 78,000 patrons during 419 events. The center can be configured to hold a single large meeting, many small gatherings or a combination of both. It offers a wide range of services, including audiovisual, wireless Internet, video conferencing, laptop rental and other services for area businesses and other guests.

For weddings and social events, the center offers flexible options to meet community needs in an elegant, affordable setting. In recent months, the Conference Center has focused

on expanding services for corporate clients up to the enterprise level. Recent clients include General Motors, Colonial Pipeline, Equifax, Travelers Insurance, L o c u m Te n e n s , J a c k s o n Healthcare and Northside Hospital. The center also welcomes local and non-profit organizations.

The college and the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring a “Food Trucks ‘N Forsyth” from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. one Monday a month from April to July in the parking lot. The dates are April 16, May 14, June 18 and July 16. Come enjoy family fun musical entertainment and kids activities with different

food trucks each month.

Open house information sessions will be held for a variety of Lanier Tech programs, including interiors, horticulture, early childhood care and education, criminal justice, business technology, computer information systems, medical assisting, certified nursing assistant, phlebotomy, physical therapist assistant and practical nursing. Program faculty will be available to provide an overview of the program, give a tour of the facilities, and educate prospective students and parents about career opportunities in their fields.

The information sessions can benefit not only high school seniors planning col-

lege, but also area adult residents contemplating beginning college or changing careers. These information sessions are scheduled 5 to 6 p.m., on the third Tuesday of each month: March 20, April 17, May 15 and June 19.

Interested visitors should meet in the Atrium of the James Harrington Building (Building A).

On three upcoming Mondays — April 9, 16 and 23 — Lanier Tech’s horticulture program will hold a plant sale, offering an exceptional selection of perennials, vegetables, and herbs, all grown by the program’s students.

The greenhouse will be open all day. The horticulture faculty and students will also be

participating in the Forsyth County Master Gardener’s Plant Expo at the Cumming Fairgrounds on April 13 and 14. Contact Gary Love, Program Director, at (678) 341-6624 for a list of available plants and pricing.

Also, the LTC Interiors Program will be hosting an open house and student portfolio show from 6 to 8 p.m.

A p r i l 1 9 a t t h e Fo r s y t h Conference Center. Contact the interiors program director, Amy O’Dell, at (678) 3416630 for further information about the Interiors program.

For information about any programs offered by Lanier Tech’s Forsyth Campus, call the main number at (770) 3416600.

4E | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Sawnee EMC provides safe, reliable service Dedicated, Dependable, and World Class Service … these are just a few of the words that members use to describe our local electric cooperative, Sawnee EMC. With the stroke of his pen, and a unique vision for our country’s recovery from the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order in 1935 that established the Rural Electrification Administration. As an integral part of his “New Deal,” the administration provided lowinterest loans to groups of rural Americans who wanted to form local member-owned electric companies called “cooperatives.”

These cooperatives had one purpose — to get much-needed electricity into the unserved rural farming areas where, at the time, “for profit” utilities had refused to extend electric service.

Three years later, on July 16, 1938, a few local visionaries successfully incorporated the Forsyth County Electric Membership Corporation in Cumming. It was one of the first EMCs in the state.

Then on June 22, 1939, the first switch was thrown to energize 168 miles of power line to serve 750 homes in Forsyth and portions of three other neighboring counties. They all received electric power for the first time.

By December 1940, the service area had grown to more than 1,500 members. In August of 1950, the members unanimously voted to change the Cooperative’s name to Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation. The name “Sawnee” was chosen because of the proximity to beautiful Sawnee Mountain, near downtown Cumming.

For 80 years, Sawnee EMC has never wavered from its mission to provide safe and reliable electric service at affordable rates. Sawnee is committed to serving the changing needs of its members and enhancing their quality of life through active support of the communities they serve and exceeding the member’s energy needs. The Sawnee EMC board of directors and staff will continue to remember their heritage and

Offerings Sawnee EMC offers many products and services to help members save electricity and money:

File photo

awnee E provides and maintains electricity to more than 174,8 seven-county service territory.

perform under the best sense of cooperative values and beliefs.

My how things have changed …

Sawnee EMC, a not-for-profit electric cooperative, now provides electricity to more than 174,800 accounts within its seven-county service territory, which was outlined in the Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act, by the Georgia Legislature in 1973.

Sawnee EMC serves portions of seven counties including Forsyth, Cherokee, Dawson, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall and Lumpkin.

Sawnee is the 3rd largest electric cooperative in Georgia and the 9th largest in the United States and maintains more than 10,896 miles of distribution line.

Each day, Sawnee EMC staff members field about 800 phone calls and Sawnee’s control center is staffed and in operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Sawnee operates an Advanced Metering Infrastructure system.

This modern, two-way meterreading system uses a series of towers and collectors to monitor and read its electric meters.

These meters give Sawnee members the ability to view their detailed energy data to better assist them in managing and evaluating their daily electric use. (www.sawnee.com/usage) This innovative system also provides many other cost-saving benefits to the members.

Members can view, and take advantage of, many Sawnee EMC services at its corporate Web site located at www.sawnee. com. Tasks such as paying a bill online, stopping service, and a free energy evaluations checklist can be found on the website.

Members can also learn about

accounts within its

free services and rebates offered

by Sawnee, as well as educational programs for our youth, such as the Washington Youth Tour and the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation, Operation Round Up, Green Power EMC, Solar, and Virtual Solar. For members’ on-the-go, there is also a freeApp for mobile devices. Simply search “Sawnee EMC” in the App Store or Google Play.

Finally, as a value-added service, Sawnee EMC also offers low natural gas rates through their unique relationship with True Natural Gas. Directions Sawnee EMC’s corporate campus is located at 543 Atlanta Highway in Cumming. Office

• atural gas • Pre-pay metering • Energy alerts • In-home energy audits free to mem ers • awnee E o ile App • Energy efficiency tips pu lished in a monthly newsletter • Energy saver ooks free upon re uest • ree, do-it-yourself energy conservation videos and D Ds • lean, environmentally friendly, green power • Energy-saving Load management program • Re ates and incentives to make homes and usinesses energy efficient • awnee oundation outh cholarship Program • ashington D outh our • ace ook and witter • hat and te ting with a customer service representative Source: Sawnee EMC

hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. From Ga. 400, take Exit 14 (Hwy. 20). Go west 1/2 mile to Hwy. 9 and turn right.

The office is on the left at 543 Atlanta Hwy. Please note: When establishing new service with Sawnee EMC, there is a one-time $40 connection fee and a $5 membership fee.

A deposit may be required based on an applicant’s credit history and the type of service needed.

Contact awnee E 77 887-2 6 from 7 a.m.- p.m. onday- riday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. aturday. he e-mail address for general in uiries is customerservice sawnee.com and the corporate we site is www.sawnee.com. he mailing address is P. . Bo 266, umming, A 28.

Email ustomerservice sawnee.com and talk to our ustomer ervice representatives via hat.

Chamber works for businesses

By Kevin McDonough

For the Forsyth County News

This is an exciting and pivotal time in the history of Forsyth County. By virtually every measure, we live in not just one of the greatest communities in Georgia but one of the greatest communities in the nation. Outstanding communities and economies, such as ours, do not develop by chance. They are built on a foundation of leadership, vision, and relationships. The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber has served as an integral part of fostering leadership and facilitating relationships in our community and looks forward to doing so in the future.

Your Chamber is the sole economic development entity in our community. In this role we work closely with the public and private sector to recruit business to our county. 2017 saw the partnership between the Chamber, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, and the Forsyth County Development Authority reach new heights and achieve record breaking returns.

Over the course of last year, community leaders recognized that our county was in need of a fresh analysis to determine the community’s strengths and weaknesses as we look to attract business to the area. Recognizing this need, a commitment was made to hire a consulting firm to help develop a strategic economic development plan to guide us for the next five years. This process involved reviewing a host of materials to identify lead candidates, conducting intensive interviews with numerous agencies, and ultimately selecting the agency to aid us in developing an economic development plan. We are proud to announce that the Chamber engaged an industry leader, TIP Strategies based out of Austin, Texas to work with us in 2018. Over the course of this year, we look forward to developing a roadmap for our county’s continued success and prosperity well into the future.

Recognizing the lengthy process of developing a new economic strategic plan- from first discussion about the concept to a final report will be approximately 18 months- the Chamber worked with local leadership to develop a current surge plan for economic development. This surge plan included the Chamber hiring new personnel and participating in new business recruitment efforts.

As a result of strong local leadership and the relentless work of Chamber staff, 2017 was a remarkable year for

economic development i n o u r c o m m u n i t y.

Twenty-seven companies announced a collective $167 million in new capital investments (a 23 percent increase from 2016) and 1,364 McDonough new jobs (a 41 percent increase from 2016).

This is the largest amount of capital investment and new job announcements in a single year since the inception of the Chamber’s Economic Development Department in 2005. These firms will be paying an estimated $1,785,336 annually in property taxes or the equivalent of the net property taxes paid by 1,200 homeowners.

Additionally, the Chamber’s tourism development efforts referred 6,227 room night leads to local hotel operators.

Visitors from these leads alone generated an estimated $1,176,903 in local sales taxes. Overall visitors to Forsyth County generated an estimated $5,405,312 in local taxes. Each resident in Forsyth County would need to be taxed an additional $204 annually to replace the economic activity generated by visitors to the community.

To gain even greater success, the Chamber’s newly formed Tourism Advisory Committee and new Tourism Director are charting a course in 2018 to further bolster Forsyth County’s tourism industry in the special event and film markets.

In addition to the headline grabbing feats in economic development and tourism development, the Chamber continues to serve our community through various efforts. The Chamber holds events weekly, monthly and annually to promote general and industry-specific networking. It also hosts a variety of events to provide Forsyth County residents with both information and entertainment.

Examples of these events include legislative breakfasts, the State of the County Address, the Boulder Dash 5K/10K and the summer food truck series.

In short, 2017 was a banner year for the Chamber of Commerce. And rather than rest on its laurels, the Chamber is working to use its recent success as a springboard to even greater achievement.

Kevin McDonough is a partner at the law firm Miles Hansford & Tallant, LLC and is a member of the Executive Board of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

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Sunday, March 25, 2018

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Sunday, March 25, 2018

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Progress 2018

FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS

2F | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Sawnee Artists Association returns for classes

By Alexander Popp

apopp@forsythnews.com

T h i s J a n u a r y, t h e Sawnee Artist Association (SAA) returned to the Cumming area, offering new art classes and studio time in the historic BrannonHeard House.

Chris Straukas, past SAA president, explained that the group has been down a long road since it moved from its previous home in 2016.

“We started classes in January, so we are still trying to get things up and running and get things going,” Straukas said.

“We are just here to bring arts to the community,” she said. “We are the only non-profit visual arts organization within Forsyth County. We have been around since 1974, and we do not have any permanent home, so that’s our mission: to bring arts to the community in any way that we can.”

One participant of the open studio held in early March, Charlotte Gardner, said that she comes to the classes and studio time for fun and as a way to practice doing an art that she loves.

“Its inspiration,” she said, “You meet people and see what they are doing and think, ‘maybe I

can do that.”’

SAA has used the Brannon-Heard House for art shows and exhibits in the past, but it wasn’t until 2018 that they began to use the space for art classes and studio space.

Straukas said that the group offers a number of classes including, acrylic and oil painting, jewelry making, natural egg art and colored pencil.

Currently these classes are offered on Tuesdays and some Saturdays.

“There is a call for art and professional art classes in our community.

Right now in Forsyth County, there are adults all over looking for high quality, professional type art programs. And unfortunately we are losing instructors and students to Johns Creek, to Blue Ridge, to Gainesville, all over, to communities that have major art centers,” Straukas said.

Currently, SAA member Kristine Weeden said that she is most excited for the group’s project that is putting local art into public buildings owned by the county. She said that they are currently in the process of rotating out the artwork from the Forsyth County Courthouse into another building.

“Sawnee Preserve wants art in their location, voter registration wants

‘You are going to bring people into the art centers to see the art and those people are going to go out to restaurants to eat and do other things in the community.’

Kristine Weeden

Co-chairman, SAA Photos by Jim Dean Forsyth County News

Sandra Ford adds color to a painting she had begun work on that morning during a Sawnee Artist Association class at the Brannon-Heard House.

Kristine Weeden works on one of the rocks that the Sawnee Artists Association has been hiding throughout the county.

art in their building. So we are going to see if we can make that happen,”

Weeden said.

Weeden said that she thinks it’s important to

keep reinforcing art in the community to help inspire a new generation of artists within the community, and let people who may already have a profession find an outlet for their creativity.

Beyond cultural factors, Weeden said that there

are an economic factor to improving and adding to art programs offered by a community.

“Within the city or the county, I think what you get [with an art center] is economic growth. You are going to bring people into the art centers to see the art and those people are going to go out to restaurants to eat and do other things in the community,” she said. “We just need a home first.”

The SAA will host the Members Fine Arts Show at the Brannon-Heard House April 26 to May 5, offering the public an exhibit of SAA members work, art demonstrations, an open studio and gift shop.

Keep Forsyth County Beautiful preserves area For the Forsyth County News

Keep Forsyth County Beautiful (KFCB) was started in 1993 by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to make the environment and natural history of Forsyth County a top priority.

The residents felt that wi th the anticipate d growth of the county, resources such as parks, wildlife and waterways should be preserved and cherished.

One year later, on June 21, 1994, KFCB was certified as an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc. and the story began.

Today the award winning a ffi l i a t e p r o g r a m i s administered by a memorandum of understanding between Forsyth County Government, City of Cumming and the Keep Forsyth County Beautiful Inc. nonprofit 501(c )(3) board.

The core focus areas of KFCB programs are solid waste reduction and recycling, beautification and community greening, litter prevention, and water quality.

Educate and cooperate best describes the KFCB approach to these community issues. KFCB is only able to accomplish their mission due to the hard work and dedication of its many volunteers and financial sponsors. Over the past twenty-three years KFCB has worked with preschoolers, teenagers, seniors and every age in between.

Even, bugs, frog s , worms and dogs have been involved. Churches, civic groups, families, schools, individuals and almost every kind of group you can think of has in some way partnered with KFCB through the years. Here are a few highlights of where we have been, where we are now and where we are going.

The signature event for

KFCB since the beginning has been “Bring One for the Chipper” Christmas tree recycling.

Since 1994 KFCB has collected over 105,380 trees which were turned into wood chips or used for fish habitat. This event begins December 26th and runs thru late January each year at several locations around the county.

There is no charge to drop off a tree.

KFCB has several programs and events that help control litter in Forsyth County. Over 80 miles of roadway are adopted as part of our adopt-a-road program. In this program volunteers commit to a quarterly cleanup on their adopted stretch of roadway and in return they receive signage on the road designating their adopted area.

The Great FoCo Cleanup is held every spring as part of the national Great American Cleanup. This year The Great FoCo Cleanup will be held on Saturday, April 21 in honor of Earth Day. Last year’s event yielded 277 bags of trash, collected by 215 volunteers from 37 different roadways within the county. This year we hope to break a record so come be a part of this fun event and receive a T-shirt and lunch for your efforts.

Litter goes way beyond the roadways. For this reason KFCB partners with the Lake Lanier Association each fall to help remove litter from the shores of Lake Lanier and its tributaries. This is only a few of the volunteer opportunities to help with litter removal offered by KFCB throughout the year.

It is no secret that Forsyth County has some of the best schools in the state. KFCB has a long standing history with Forsyth County Schools as a consultant in recycling and environmental education. KFCB introduced recycling to the schools in the late nineties when recy-

cling was not so cool.

Since then KFCB has developed several successful programs in the schools. Today, recycling is common practice in Forsyth County Schools and is supported by a sustainable infrastructure provided by the Board of Education.

KFCB’s current role is to encourage schools to recycle and engage their students in hands on environmental education beyond the classroom. The KFCB Green School program is a way to recognize schools that achieve required goals in these areas.

KFCB has one of the strongest Adopt-A-Stream water quality education programs in the state. In 2013 and 2017 staff member Kevin Smith received t h e G e o r g i a Environmental Protection Division “Trainer of the Year” award.

In 2018 KFCB received the “Water Shed” award signifying that KFCB adopt-a-stream program exceeds program standards. Also, in 2018 two KFCB volunteers received the “Innovation” award for the design of a remote water monitoring sensor which was placed in Saw Mill Creek in Forsyth County. The sensor is part of an educational program with W h i t l ow E l e m e n t a r y where the students participate in citizen science and learn about water quality.

In 2004 KFCB held its first electronics recycling event at the Cumming Fairgrounds. This event continues to be held every spring and fall. Residents drop off computers, televisions, radios, laptops and about every electronic device you can imagine and some you forgot ever existed.

To date over 840,000 lbs of electronics have been collect for recycling.

The next event is scheduled for Saturday May

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19th from 9am – 1pm at the Cumming Fairgrounds Parking Lot #3. So clean out your old electronics and come on down. Some fees apply.

Last but certainly not least in the fall of 2015 KFCB added paint recy-

cling to the electronics event. The response has been overwhelming. In just five events over 10,000 gallons of paint has been collected for recycling and proper disposal.

This is just a highlight

of the events and programs KFCB offers.

For more information and to see how you can e involved in helping to keep Forsyth County beautiful visit keepforsythcountybeautiful.org or call (770) 205-4573.

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ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 3F

Sunday, March 25, 2018

PUBLIC SERVICE NOTICE TO THE FORSYTH COUNTY VOTERS S.R. 400

CITY OF CHESTATEE

S.R. 20

CITY OF MATT

CITY OF BETHELVIEW

Propose Forsyth County be divided into: 20

S.R

.

CITY OF SHARON SPRINGS

.

S.R 0 40

City of Cumming (County Seat) (Existing Boundries) City of Sharon Springs (East of Hwy 400, South of Hwy 20) City of Bethelview (West of Hwy 400, South of Hwy 20) City of Matt (West of Hwy 400, North of Hwy 20) City of Chestatee (East of Hwy 400, North of Hwy 20)

ICE TO THE FORSYTH COUNTY VOTERS

Proposed Duties of each newCounty City (not all inclusive): Forsyth Services not replicated

Forsyth County Services not replicated (not all inclusive):

- Forsyth County Office (F.C.S.O.) - Create a new Unified Development CodeSheriff’s (UDC) replacement ordinance which - Forsyth County Board of Education implements and regulates the new Comprehensive Plan.

- Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office (F.C.S.O.) - Forsyth County Board of Education - Forsyth County Parks & Recreation - Forsyth County Water & Sewer - City of Cumming Water & Sewer - Forsyth County Administration - Forsyth County Recycling Centers - Forsyth County Public Library - Forsyth County Health Department - Forsyth County Fire Department - Forsyth County EMS - Forsyth County Animal Shelter / Animal Control - Forsyth County Magistrate, Probate, State, & Superior Courts - Forsyth County Voter Registrar - Forsyth County Tax Assessor - Forsyth County Tax Commissioner - Forsyth County Tag Office - Forsyth County Park Rangers - Forsyth County Senior Services

- Create a new Comprehensive for land use, housing, economic development, (not allPlan inclusive): transportation, and quality of life standards.

OF CHESTATEE

- Forsyth County Parks & Recreation

- Code Enforcement of ordinances, building inspections, and soil erosion & pollutants. - Forsyth County Water & Sewer

- City of Cumming Water & Sewer - Forsyth County Administration - Issue all [ordinance] permits andCounty [business] licensesCenters (excluding those issued by - Forsyth Recycling the F.C.S.O., Health Dept., Fire Dept., water & sewer, etc.).

- Forsyth County Public Library - Obtain Georgia EPD Local Issuing Authority (LIA)Department certification to issue Land - Forsyth County Health Disturbance Permits (LDP).

- Forsyth County Fire Department - Forsythpower County EMSand waste transfer stations, MARTA, - Govern all sanitation, landfills, plants, roads, bridges, storm -water, etc.County Animal Shelter / Animal Control Forsyth Forsythand County Magistrate, ose Forsyth County be divided into: use,- permit, - Collect all zoning, license fees. Probate, State, & Superior Courts of Cumming (County Seat) - Forsyth County Voter Registrar ting Boundries)- Forsyth County Voter approved SPLOST shall be used to construct each new city - Forsyth County Tax Assessor hall complex. of Sharon Springs - Forsyth County Tax Commissioner of Hwy 400, South of Hwy 20) - Redistribution of Forsyth County Maintenance and Operation (M & O) Real Estate of Bethelview - Forsyth County Tag Office tax of and SPLOST to each new city. No Real Estate tax increase for property owners to t of Hwy 400, South Hwy 20) Forsyth County Park Rangers create four new cities,- but possibly a decrease by trimming government fat. of Matt - Forsyth County Senior Services t of Hwy 400, North of Hwy 20) - Govern all zoning actions using the Comprehensive Plan to eliminate Spot Zoning.

- City elections outsourced to Forsyth County Voter Registrar.

of Chestatee of Hwy 400, North of Hwy 20)

hat ong ghts, e consent ctive of ute new wers in iness…” ependence

Cut Out & Mail In PLEASE TELL OUR FORSYTH COUNTY STATE LEGISLATORS TO ADD TO THE NOVEMBER 6, 2018 BALLOT A VOTE BY FUTURE CITY RESIDENTS FOR:

1. Creation Of The New City Of Bethelview 2. Creation Of The New City Of Chestatee 3. Creation Of The New City Of Matt 4. Creation Of The New City Of Sharon Springs (May 2018)

Name:

“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.-That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…”

The Declaration of Independence

Address: Mail To: 4 New Cities, P.O. Box 422, Cumming GA 30028-0422

e):

nomic development, transportation, and quality of life standards.

ordinance which implements and regulates the new Comprehensive Plan.

oil erosion & pollutants.

Paid for by Hank Hanson, Forsyth County Voter

4F | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Cumming Playhouse entertains year-round From staff reports

The Cumming Playhouse, located inside the 1923 Cumming schoolhouse at 101 School St., is the heart of performing arts and history in Forsyth County.

The facility was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 through the efforts of the Historical Society of Forsyth County.

This school was the first high school in Forsyth County, issuing the first diplomas to graduates.

The facility, which is owned by the city of Cumming, was restored through local 1-cent sales tax revenue in 2004.

As a center of history, the facility also houses the Historical Society of Cumming-Forsyth County and Tam’s Backstage restaurant.

As a performing arts venue, the Cumming Playhouse opened its doors in 2004, providing quality entertainment throughout the season, offering plays, musicals and concerts.

The playhouse provides a wide range of entertainment, serving around 15,000 patrons every year. Everything from

concerts and traveling shows to fullscale, main stage plays and musicals grace the historic stage each year.

The year 2018 will be no exception; this year’s schedule is packed with plays, musicals, concerts and comedy shows that every member of the family can enjoy.

Some upcoming highlights include: “Camelot,” a large-scale musical retelling of the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Roundtable, July 12-Aug. 5; Playhouse favorite “Smoke on the Mountain” from Sept. 6-30; Broadway classic “Annie,” Oct. 19-Nov. 11; and “Christmas in Dixie,” a Southern musical by Dahlonega-based playwright Alicia Croxton Dutton, Nov. 29-Dec. 16.

Other shows include: “Positively Funny Inc.: Comedy with Attitude” on March 16; “Always a Bridesmaid,” a Southern comedy, May 10-20; Peppino ‘d Agostino and Carlos Reyes in concert on Aug. 11; and “The Return,” a Beatles tribute band, on Aug. 18.

For more information about upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, go to www.playhousecumming.com.

Alden Kennedy for the Forsyth County News

he Playhouse provides a wide range of entertainment, serving around 15, patrons every year.

Library welcomes a future 20 years in the making For the Forsyth County News

Public libraries have a special knack for adapting to changes in the communities they serve and even reinventing themselves when necessary. Just over 20 years ago, Forsyth County Public Library split from a regional system and reinvented itself as an independent system with just one location, the Cumming Library.

That was only the beginning. With increasing demand from the blossoming population of south Forsyth, FCPL opened its second branch, the Sharon Forks Library, in 2000.

“That was such an exciting time for our community and our libraries. Even now, our patrons still seem to get so much enjoyment from wandering the stacks and joining in programs that help connect them to their neighbors in the community,” said Anna Lyle, library director.

The next decade brought sweeping changes in technology and FCPL added to its online presence of educational and research databases to form a virtual eLibrary that now includes more than 27,000 eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines and eVideos.

“Our job as a public library is to give patrons access to books, materials and technologies so they can use those resources to shape their own education and work or leisure pursuits, but the reality is that our patrons also play a vital role in shaping their libraries,” Lyle said.

Library leaders pay close attention to trends in education and technology to make sure the library is best prepared to serve all its patrons. Demographic changes also influence where libraries are built. In 2010, a third branch was

opened at the Hampton Park Library and then the Post Road Library opened in 2013.

FCPL also serves its patrons by hosting popular and educational programs for all ages, such as visits from bestselling and local authors and STEAM programs for students. The needs and desires of patrons are taken into account when adding to its collection of materials and resources as well.

“The materials on our shelves are a reflection of the communities we serve.

We’ve added a World Languages collection that now includes materials in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu,” says Lyle.

Lyle says FCPL branches are equipped with assistive devices for patrons with visual or physical impairments and the Hampton Park Library hosts a monthly program for patrons with sensory processing sensitivities, such as autism.

“Twenty years ago, we were planning our second branch and imagining the distant future to come,” Lyle said.

Sharon Forks Library, which checks out more items than any other public library branch in Georgia, outgrew its original building. After a year-long construction project, the building nearly doubled in size.

“It’s a good feeling to be celebrating the reopening now. I’m reminded that no matter how much our county changes, everyone is welcome at a public library and there’s something for everyone here. Whether you’re looking for an educational program for your child, a good book for yourself, or simply a place to meet your neighbors, you know you’re in the right place when you walk inside a Forsyth County Public Library.”

For the Forsyth County News

Patrons of the umming Li rary view the eclipse in August.

Upcoming shows at the Cumming Playhouse • Positively unny Inc. omedy with Attitude arch 16 at 8 p.m.

• hris ollins John Denver ri ute arch 17 at p.m. and 8 p.m.

• ray Dahl and he Jugtime Ragtime Band arch 24 at p.m. and 8 p.m.

• rances ooney ontanna unset ospel how arch 25 at 7 p.m.

• umming Playhouse ingers pring oncert arch 27 at 8 p.m.

• Remem er undraiser for Age ell orsyth April 1 -22 at p.m. and 8 p.m.

• Always a Bridesmaid ay 1 -2 hursdays, ridays and aturdays at 8 p.m., undays at p.m.

• Banks and hane in oncert ay 26 at p.m. and 8 p.m.

• orth eorgia Bar ershop ingers pring oncert ay 1-June 1 at 8 p.m.

• he Bird Dogs Everly Brothers ri ute June at p.m. and 8 p.m.

• amelot July 12-Aug. 5 hursdays, ridays and aturdays at 8 p.m., undays at p.m.

• Peppino d Agnostino and arlos Reyes in oncert Aug. 11 at p.m. and 8 p.m.

• he Return Beatlemania Beatles ri ute Aug. 18 at p.m. and 8 p.m.

• moke on the ountain ept. 6hursdays, ridays and aturdays at 8 p.m., undays at p.m.

• Annie ct. 1 - ov. 11 hursdays, ridays and aturdays at 8 p.m., undays at p.m.

• hristmas in Di ie ov. 2 -Dec. 16 hursdays, ridays and aturdays at 8 p.m., undays at p.m.

• hristmas lassics 2 18 Dec. 18 at 8 p.m.

• orth eorgia Bar ershop ingers hristmas oncert Dec. 1 at 8 p.m.

• umming Playhouse ingers hristmas oncert Dec. 2 at 8 p.m.

• ounds of awnee hristmas oncert Dec. 21 at 8 p.m.

• orsyth Philharmonic rchestra hristmas oncert Dec. 22 at p.m.

• he Atlanta Pops rchestra ew ear’s Eve Dec. 1 at 8 p.m.

For more information and to order tickets, go to www.playhousecumming.com.

United Way of Forsyth County has bold goals for 2018 For the Forsyth County News

United Way of Forsyth County is celebrating its 27th year of serving local residents. Known for fundraising, the organization was created to identify and resolve challenges in the local community and to make measurable change through partnerships with schools, government, businesses, volunteers, other nonprofits and others organizations.

United Way has four primary roles in the community: 1. Project Manager for a strategic vision. It also serves as a fiscal agent for community projects, such as our local Drug Awareness Council.

2. Capacity Builder, providing educational opportunities and hosting seminars for community nonprofits.

3. Investor/Evaluator to allocate funds raised to local programs and strategic initiatives. It also collects data and evaluates performance of funded programs.

4. Convener to gather stakeholders for visioning, decision making and knowledge sharing.

United Way of Forsyth County’s investment last year of $1.4 million supported the impact areas of education, financial stability, health and basic needs, and touched the lives of more than 52,000 members of our community. These impact areas play a key role in building a good quality of life. In fact, the belief is that a quality education will lead to a stable job, the ability to afford the basic needs and to be self-sufficient, all leading to good health for the individual and community.

Education Under the education impact area, a committee helped to determine that a Boys and Girls Club is needed to provide children with a safe, positive and engaging environment with programs that prepare and inspire them to succeed in school, live healthier and become leaders.

Within the new Alliance Academy resides Junior Achievement’s BizTown and Finance Park, a simulated town that allows middle school students to explore industries and careers through immersive simulations and acquire foundational knowledge for real world experiences.

The philanthropy store will be operated

by United Way of Forsyth County, North Georgia Community Foundation and United Way of Hall County.

Health United Way of Forsyth County is continuing this work into 2018 and is moving forward with identifying additional

needs within the health impact area.

In collaboration with Forsyth County Schools, United Way is investing in our students’ overall health by providing funding for on-site therapeutic services when costs are more than the family can afford.

United Way is also funding a program with Forsyth County Schools that addresses bullying, substance abuse and suicide prevention awareness.

Basic Needs In the basic needs impact area, a need was identified for “resource sharing” between nonprofit partners within the community. Through an online program called Charity Tracker, the school system, nonprofits, churches, etc., can share information about any resources available to help individuals or families they serve. Last year, United Way hosted informational and training meetings with organizations interested in joining the Forsyth County collaborative on Charity Tracker. Currently there are 16-member agencies and 25 agents in the Collaborative.

Financial Stability Initiatives within the financial stability impact area saw an increase in activity.

Once again and in partnership with the AARP Foundation Tax Aide volunteers, free income tax assistance was provided to low- to moderate-income families (those earning $54,000 or less) and those individuals 60 years and older.

The youngest client was 17 years old and the oldest was 97 years young.

Last year, 293 tax returns were prepared, with the total amount refunded $276,541 in federal and state returns.

AARP volunteers logged more than 658 volunteer hours during 18 tax preparation sessions, deterring the preparation costs that can take a bite out of the income needed for participants to support themselves and their families.

United Way’s mission is to improve lives in the community by mobilizing the caring power and spirit of residents.

The organization does this by bringing together donors, volunteers, community leaders, large and small businesses and many others to find ways to meet the most crucial needs.

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ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 5F

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Fairgrounds home to more than just the fair

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

The city of Cumming is home to only about 6,000 residents, but the city’s biggest event of the year — the Cumming Country Fair & Festival — can bring crowds of more than 200,000.

Since 1995, each fall the fairgrounds come alive with food, entertainment, rides and more.

“We are a year-round special events facility, and our signature event is the Cumming Country Fair and Festival, which is in October,” said Fairground Administrator Dave Horton. “It runs 11 days, and we’ve got a big carnival midway, a lot of fair food vendors and other vendors.

We have ground acts, which are different specialty shows that do two to three shows a day. That’s free with admission to the fair.

We also bring in major entertainment several days throughout the fair.”

Concerts are also free with admission to the fair. Acts like Atlanta Rhythm Section, The Oak Ridge Boys and the Charlie Daniels Band have performed in recent years.

The fair also memorializes the area’s history with a Cherokee Indian Village, which consists of two historical log cabins and

other buildings and traditional performances and demonstrations and a year-round exhibit at the fairground is Heritage Village, a “living history exhibit” with a blacksmith shop, sawmill, cotton gin and many other historical buildings and exhibits.

“We have what we call Heritage Village, which is like a turn-of-the-century town. We have several different venues within that people love to watch,” Horton said. “We also have a native American Village [where] we have an encampment set up and some of the vendors down there doing demonstrations and dance and that sort of thing.”

Despite a one-day closure, the fair brought more than 172,000 in 2017. The attendance record was set in in 2016 at 222,007 visitors.

“If you have 11 good days of weather, then we’re going to be in a 200,000-250,000 [attendance] range,” Horton said. “On some of the other events, it just depends on the event ... all events are a little bit different, but they’re always well-attended. It’s been amazing to see how the community receives it and supports all the events out there, whether they are our events or community events that are being

File photo

The Cumming Country Fair & Festival is just one of the events held every year at the Fairgrounds.

put on.”

While the fair is the biggest event of the year, it is far from the only exciting thing happening at the 30-acre campground.

Each spring, Taste of Forsyth is held at the fairgrounds, as well as an Easter egg hunt.

“We always do it on Easter weekend, so we also coordinate an Easter egg hunt for the kids,” Horton said.

To celebrate Independence Day, the fairground is the site of a fireworks display — usually held on July 3, meaning visitors can have two straight days of fireworks — and is the ending location for the annual ThomasMashburn Steam Engine Parade.

Outside groups also use the

fairgrounds venue for charity events, such as Relay for Life, Ride for Kids Motorcycle Ride, races, the National BBQ Cup’s Que’n In Cumming event, graduation ceremonies for Forsyth Central High School and other community gatherings, such as church-sponsored car shows.

“We have some that we’re trying to put together right now that will be new events for this year,” Horton said.

Recently, the Cumming City Council approved using the fairgrounds for Ghost Out through 2019. Ghost Out is an annual program put on by local agencies at county high schools that aims to prevent intoxicated and distracted driving.

The event will be open to students in eighth grade and up and could include a simulated DUI and arrests. Local agencies including Forsyth County Sheriff ’s Office, Forsyth County Fire Department, Cumming Police and the Georgia State Patrol will be involved.

The event will also have a teen maze — a life-size game in which students will deal with the results of randomly-selected lifestyle choice.

The North Georgia Quarter Midget Association plays host to 16 to 17 races for competitors, ages 5 to 16 when the fairgrounds isn’t otherwise being used.

The fairgrounds typically hosts a rodeo on the final nights of the fair, in addition to the IRPA World Championship Rodeo, which will be held this year Aug. 31- Sept. 2.

Horton said the fair and fairgrounds aren’t just popular for those living in Cumming and Forsyth County.

“We have a lot of support from outside the county,” he said. “We’ve had comments that [visitors] come from a surrounding county, and they have their own fair, but they come to ours because they just like ours better.”

Senior services aims to help residents age well For the Forsyth County News

The purpose of Forsyth County Senior Services is to help those 50 and older age well in the community. And, aging well is much more than physical health. It is the full integration of physical, mental and spiritual well-being. To that end we promote wellness through activities that enhance engagement and enjoyment of life.

The Department has three community centers, two are focused on active adults: Sexton Hall and Hearthstone Lodge and one is focused on

older adults, Charles Place. The community centers are a focal point where mature adults may gather for services and activities that enhance their wellbeing, support their independence and encourage involvement in the community. They facilitate socialization, provide nutritional health and/or wellness education, promote recreation and lifelong learning, and enable access to resources meaningful to older adults, their caregivers and families.

Charles Place serves about 100 congregate meal and activity program members, many

coming several days a week, who enjoy a four-hour program that includes wellness activities, fitness, arts & crafts, games, daytrips, and life celebrations. The center also hosts a respite care memory support program, with about 15 persons enrolled, most coming several days a week. The Meals on Wheels program for the county is run out of this center, serving about 150 people and kindly delivered by 90 volunteers. The center has a small fleet of vehicles and drivers and provides rides to participants.

Hearthstone Lodge, a fitness

facility for those 50 and older, has a covered, warm water pool, a work out fitness equipment room, locker rooms, and a multi-purpose room for fitness classes, card games, parties and events. The center has around 200 patrons who come for fitness activities, including a hiking club and to socialize.

Sexton Hall had a renovation completed in the spring of 2017. This center is known as an active adult life enrichment center, geared to those 50 and older with weekday classes and activities, and often open on the weekends for events and rent-

als. The center offers day trips, concerts, presentations, and all kinds of programming to entertain and inform.

With adults age 65 and better being 11 percent of the county population, there are around 20,000 older adults in Forsyth County. Senior Services is happy to serve several generations of this segment of the population. It is our goal to provide opportunities for all mature adults to age well and enjoy life in community. Please visit one of the centers or go on the county website for further information.

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6F | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Sunday, March 25, 2018

JULY 4TH

3RD FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH (APRIL - AUGUST)

Celebration Admission: $5.00 (13 & up) Street Dance | Food & Craft Vendors Childrens’ Activities 10am - 10pm Fireworks 9:30 pm at Fairgrounds Annual Steam Engine Parade @10 am

AUGUST 31ST - SEPTEMBER 2ND IPRA (International Professional Rodeo Association) World Championship Rodeo

Friday & Saturday 8 PM • Sunday 7 PM Admission: 13 & up - $15.00, 5 - 12 - $10.00 4 & under - FREE, Seniors 65+ $10.00 8 Event Rodeo includes: Bull Riding, Barrel Racing, Steer Wrestling, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bareback Riding, Calf & Team Roping, Cowgirls Breakaway Roping

OCTOBER 4TH-14TH

Free Concerts & Shows with Paid Admission Heritage Village Cumming Country Fair & Festival Indian Village Working Exhibits Mon- Thurs 4 pm - 10 pm • Friday 4 pm - Midnight Cotton Gin | Sawmill | Sorghum Mill Sat. 10 am - Midnight • Sunday 12:30 - 9:00 pm Cider Press | Blacksmith | Grist Mill Fair Admission: Quilters | Schoolhouse | Churches 11 & up - $7.00, 10 & under - FREE Doctor’s Office | Dentist’s Office Advance Tickets Available Sept. 3rd- 28th Barber Shop | Post Office | General Store Parking - $5.00 Printing Press | Midway Rides Handicap Parking Available- $5.00 Daily Ground Acts Petting Zoo & Local Entertainment Grand Concert Lineup

235 CASTLEBERRY ROAD CUMMING, GEORGIA

770-781-3491| WWW.CUMMINGFAIR.NET