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Filming continues in 1950s downtown Filming for “The House with the Clock in its Wall” took place on East Washington Street in downtown Newnan last Tuesday. The vacant building at 8 East Washington was transformed into a 1950s candy store. Buildings along the Court Square, which had been transformed into a grocery, Greyhound station, barber shop and Woolworths were back to normal on Wednesday. Filming returns Nov. 1-2 around the Alamo and side streets. The movie stars Jack Black, who was seen downtown last Tuesday and Wednesday, Cate Blanchett and Kyle McLachlan. PHOTO BY SARAH CAMPBELL
Public gets look at design Newnan to for first segment of LINC trail revisit rental CITY COUNCIL
BY REBECCA LEFTWICH becky@newnan.com
Maps and plans for the Newna n (Nixon) Centre Connection, the initial 1.6mile segment of the planned multi-use LINC trail system, were on public display at Newnan City Hall Tuesday as members of the community heard an update and were invited to comment. The Newnan Centre segment is one of 15 that make up a 25-mile trail system project jointly undertaken by the city of Newnan and Coweta County. Originating at the intersection of Newnan Crossing and Summerlin Boulevards, the initial LINC trail plan shows bridges, boardwalks and a tunnel as the path winds a lon g L ower Fayet te ville Road and connects to Newnan Crossing Elementary School and residential neighborhoods along Highwoods Parkway and Shenandoah Boulevard before its terminus in SummerGrove. A master plan creating LINC was approved by the Newnan City Council and the Coweta County Board of Commissioners last sum-
The Newnan Centre segment is one of 15 that make up a 25-mile trail system project jointly undertaken by the city of Newnan and Coweta County.
of designing the first segment,” Newnan City Manager Cleatus Phillips said Tuesday. “This is going to be our process every time we are getting ready to unveil a f inal design, before we start construction of every segment, is to have an open house to solicit your feedback and comments.” The initial connection will link Newnan Crossing Boulevard to the Nixon Centre, Newnan Crossing Elementary School, and the PHOTO BY REBECCA LEFTWICH residential neighborhoods Residents and supporters packed the Newnan City Council chambers along Highwoods Parkway Tuesday for an update on the city’s proposed LINC trail system. Ed and Shenandoah Boulevard. McBrayer of the PATH Foundation and Greta deMayo of KAIZEN Begi n n i ng w it h a n atCollaborative are shown at right. g rade crossi ng t h roug h the intersection with Summer, forming a partnership business district. merlin Boulevard, the trail for funding and maintain“Over the past 12 months, will follow the east side of ing the trail system aimed we’ve identified the overall Newnan Crossing Boulevard at connecting the east and master plan for LINC, and to August Avenue, becoming west sides of Newnan with the city council has authoeasy access to the downtown rized us to go in the next step LINC • 2
Re-examining mental health protocols The newly formed Coweta Behavioral Task Force is working together to find a better way to respond to behavioral health emergencies By SARAH FAY CAMPBELL sarah@newnan.com
Part one of a story looking at issues with responding to behavioral health emergencies that the newly formed Coweta Behavioral Task Force hopes to address. This story looks at how the initial response to a crisis is handled. In the next story, we will look at where patients end up. Nobody is happy with the way that behavioral health emergencies are handled in Coweta. I n a n ef for t to i mprove
response a nd outcomes for patients a nd f irst responders, a group of representatives from multiple agencies have come together to form Coweta’s behavioral health task force. The task force includes repre s ent at ive s f rom C owe t a Fire Rescue, the Newnan Fire Department, the Coweta County Sheriff ’s Office, the Newnan Police Department, Piedmont Newnan Hospital, Pathways Com munity Ser vice Boa rd, Coweta 911 and Riverwoods Behavioral Health System.
agreements for city facilities BY REBECCA LEFTWICH becky@newnan.com
After questions were raised about the particulars of renting out the Howard Warner Center earlier this month, the city of Newnan is taking another look at rental/use policies for all of its facilities. A ssi sta nt Cit y M a n ager Ha sco Craver presented the Newnan City Council with two facility-use policies to consider: one no-charge policy for the Howard Warner community rooms and gym and one requiring a rental fee. Some council members expressed their support for a fee-based use policy. “I think they ought to pay something,” Rhodes Shell said. Mayor Keith Brady suggested waiving a rental fee in exchange for a deposit. “I think there needs to be some skin in the game for someone using the facility,” he said. “It would be refundable, so if you leave it as you found it, it’s all
PHOTO BY SARAH CAMPBELL
Chatelé Chester of Pathways talks about her goals for the Coweta County Behavioral Health Task Force. Listening are, front to back: Melanie Kirby of Piedmont Newnan Hospital, Newnan Police Chief Douglas “Buster” Meadows, and Sharon Gilmore of Riverwoods Behavioral Health System.
The group had its first meeting on Sept. 14. Assistant Chief Jeff Denney, who oversees medical services for Coweta Rescue, said he would hear from law enforcement officers with concerns about how medics were handling behavioral health emergencies, and would hear complaints from medics about how law enforcement would handle them. Many of the complaints seemed legitimate, Denney said. Denney said there have been multiple conversations between Coweta Fire Rescue and local
law enforcement about the need to do things differently. In particular, Firefighter/Medic Eric Fusan and Newnan Police Chief Douglas “Buster” Meadows contacted Denney with concerns. And the task force was born. Law enforcement gets bombarded with behavioral health calls, Meadows said. There are issues with deciding which agency will transport patients. And regardless of who was involved, behavioral health calls tie up a lot of public safety resources. Having a mental health
RENTAL • 2
Georgia Crisis and Access Line – to get help, information about resources, or just to talk to someone, call 1-800-715-4225. For the Mobile Crisis Team, call 877-566-5470.
emergency is not a crime, said Major Mark Fenninger of the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office. “A lot of times we question our involvement in it,” he said of responding to calls. Their goal is to make sure people get the right help. But unless a patient is threatening somebody or has a gun, “a lot of time law enforcement doesn’t need to be involved,” Fenninger said. People involved in a behavioral health crisis often look at
MENTAL HEALTH • 2