CMYK
SUNDAY MARCH 27, 2011 • GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA
Progress
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ARTS & COMMUNITY
Nonprofits find ways to survive Local enrichment thrives on generosity of the community By Jennifer Jackson Whitley For The Times
There’s never a shortage of things to do around North Georgia — and that’s because its numerous nonprofits keep the community active. Though a nonprofit’s largest giving season is generally at Christmas when patrons are feeling extragenerous, running one of these organizations is a yearround ordeal. “Nonprofits fulfill a valuable role in all communities by providing much-needed services when businesses cannot meet everyone’s needs,” said Lavon Callahan, the director of development and communications at Elachee Nature Science Center. A community’s needs runs the gamut: education, housing, clothing, medical services and more. Though each nonprofit has its own purpose, everyone in need can find help in Hall County. “Nonprofits fill gaps in community services. Without nonprofits fulfilling their mission every day, many people would go hungry, not have legal services who need them or not have educational opportunities to grow personally and professionally,” Callahan said. Just like a business, nonprofits need funding to run their day-to-day activities. “Nonprofits operate with best practices just like businesses do,” Callahan said. “The difference is that if they have any profit, rather than going to share holders or company members as bonuses, the funds are put back into the organization to continue its work, add more services and/or serve more people.” The Elachee Nature Science center offers the community a 1,500-acre nature preserve to use at its own leisure. “This unique community treasure is maintained by Elachee to benefit all citizens; the trails are open to everyone,” Callahan said. “We also work to restore and preserve this valuable outdoor asset so it will be here for future generations to enjoy.” Beginning March 31, Elachee will offer adult education programs through its Georgia Master Naturalist Program. “Part of our mission is environmental education; the Master Naturalist program is an extension of what we do with students every day, where adult learners
Sound of success
Gainesville Symphony Orchestra expands with a new youth ensemble BY BRANDEE A. THOMAS
bthomas@gainesvilletimes.com With roots reaching back to the 1970s, the Gainesville Symphony Orchestra has been striking a harmonious chord in the Hall County music community for decades. If public interest is any indicator, the organization’s new Gainesville Youth Symphony Orchestra is on its way toward developing a similarly extensive history. “The feedback from the community and our players is that this has been a long time coming,” said Candace Monnerie, GSO executive director. The 39 youth symphony members, who range in age from fifth- to 12thgrade students, were selected following auditions earlier this year for the inaugural season. “Originally, we planned to have the upper and little symphony, but after the auditions, we decided that
the playing level overall was very high, so we decided to put everyone together in the upper symphony, except for a few who we put in our junior strings group,” Monnerie said. “Next season, we will have both the upper and little symphony — we just didn’t have enough players to create both groups this year. The little symphony will be more for early-learning students. We’ve already gotten people signed up for the next round of auditions.” The junior strings group is exclusively for students in fourth- through eighth-grade. Current youth members are rehearsing for their first public performance, which will be a “fusion” concert on April 30. “They have been practicing some pretty challenging music,” Monnerie said. The concert will not only fuse
■ Please see NONPROFITS, 3
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Sun Ho Park practices the cello during a Gainesville Symphony Youth Orchestra rehearsal Wednesday evening at McEver Arts Academy. In addition to the new youth symphony, organizers are also planning to hold fall auditions for a new youth choral group for students in grades four through 12.
■ Please see GSO, 3
‘Without nonprofits fulfilling their mission every day, many people would go hungry, not have legal services who need them or not have educational opportunities to grow personally and professionally.’ Lavon Callahan Elachee Nature Science Center director of development and communications
WITH A
GIVING HEART
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
One way to get a sense of your community is to volunteer. On Page 4, find a list of local organizations that are seeking volunteers. We also took a look at the progress made by South Hall’s newest community center, including a photo essay on Page 5. Mulberry Creek Community Center in Flowery Branch keeps kids active and provides a wide variety of educational and entertaining classes. At left, Chaney Koons, front, and sister McKenna make spring wreaths March 11 during a children’s arts and crafts class at the center in.
INSIDE: Hall County is teeming with various arts organizations, 2
CMYK
Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
A publication of
ARTS & COMMUNITY
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
The arts in our community
Performing arts
Hall County has several visual and performing arts organizations. Some are in conjunction with Brenau University in Gainesville and Gainesville State College in Oakwood. Others are standalone organizations that aim to further the arts in the area. Here is a look at some arts organizations and the services they provide.
Visual Arts Quinlan Visual Arts Center The Quinlan Visual Arts Center exhibits local and national artists, along with providing a venue for highquality art for purchase. The center also hosts summer art camps, ongoing adult education classes and special events. Address: 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville Contact: 770-536-2575 or www.quinlanartscenter.org
Upcoming exhibitions What: Youth Art Month: Sponsored by Kiwanis Club When: Through April 9.
TOM REED | The Times
Gainesville Ballet recently performed “Aladdin” with guest performance by Victor Galuppo of the Atlanta Ballet.
What: Artist Chad Shore When: April 14 - June 4, opening Reception, 5:30 - 7 p.m. April 14 What: Juried Show, artist Ann Alexander (additional artists TBA) When: June 9 - Aug. 14, opening Reception, 5:30 - 7 p.m. June 9. What: Southeastern Pastel Society. Artists Rob Matre and Jo Bakersville. When: Aug. 18 - Oct. 9. Opening Reception, 5:30 - 7 p.m. Aug. 18.
The Gainesville Ballet Company Patti Russell | “Backlit Pines”
North Georgia College & State University What: Bob Owens Art Gallery in the Hoag Student Center Address: 82 College Circle, Dahlonega Cost: Free More info: 706-867-2746
John Amoss’ “Bloom,” digital animation using Adobe Flash actionscript random generation. For The Times
Roy C. Moore Art Gallery at Gainesville State College The Roy C. Moore Art Gallery features exhibits from faculty and students as well as special exhibitions. The gallery space is adjacent to the Hosch Theater in the school’s Continuing Education building. Address: 3820 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood
Upcoming exhibitions What: Graduating art student exhibition When: Tuesday-April 28
Theater
These galleries, on the campus of Brenau University, exhibit visual artwork from artists around the nation and the world, as well as art from current Brenau students. The Sellars and Presidential galleries are in the Simmons Visual Arts Center, just a few doors down from Pearce Auditorium’s entrance on Washington Street in Gainesville, while the Leo Castelli gallery is located in the Burd Center for the Performing Arts on Academy Street. Address: 500 Washington St. SE, Gainesville Contact: 770-534-6263
The Gainesville Theatre Alliance, a collaboration between drama departments at Gainesville State College and Brenau University, showcases theater to the public while helping students develop theater skills. Contact: 678-717-3624 or www.gainesvilletheatrealliance.org
Upcoming performances What: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” When: 7:30 p.m., April 12-16 and 19-23; 2:30 p.m. matinees on April 17 and 23 Where: The Ed Cabell Theatre, Gainesville State College, 3820 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood How much: $16-$18 adults, $14-$16 seniors 65 and older and $10-$12 for students/children More info: www.gainesvilletheatrealliance.org
Georgia Mountain Players
Contact: 770-536-4677 or www.georgiamountain players.org
Fifth Row Center This South Hall-based community theater provides an opportunity for any member of the community to get involved in drama, no matter their level of experience. Contact: 5throwcenter@gmail.com, www.fifthrowcenter.com
Upcoming performances What: “Beauty and the Beast” When: July 28-31 Where: Historic Downtown Train Depot, Flowery Branch More info: www.fifthrowcenter.com
What: Garden Party outdoor performance When: May 9 Where: Outdoor amphitheater at Brenau University What: Gainesville School of Ballet Recitals When: 2 and 5:30 p.m. May 16 Where: Pearce Auditorium, Brenau University, 500 Washington St., Gainesville More info: 770-532-4241 or www.gainesvilleballet.org
Gainesville Symphony Orchestra Led by Music Director Gregory Pritchard, the Gainesville Symphony features a range of classical concerts each year. The annual schedule usually includes a summer pops concert, a fall indoor picnic concert featuring a laid-back fiddle theme and, on occasion, a guest conductor. Contact: 770-532-5727 or www.gsomusic.com
Gainesville ProMusica
Many arts organizations in Hall and surrounding counties get a boost from The Arts Council. But this organization also holds its own concert series, including the Evenings of Intimate Jazz series, summer movies on the lawn and a songwriter series. The Arts Council also administers Arts in Schools, a program available to any school in the Gainesville and Hall County school systems that helps teachers implement a lesson plan that reinforces academic requirements with a creative twist.
Upcoming performances
In the most recent production by the Georgia Mountain Players, “Leading Ladies,” hilarious comedy by Ken Ludwig, author of “Moon Over Buffalo” and “Lend Me A Tenor,” two down on their luck Shakespearean actors
Upcoming events
What: “The 2011 Brenau Collaborative,” the undergraduate juried exhibition and portfolio exhibit When: April 12-29; reception 5:30-8 p.m. April 16
Contact: 770-534-2787 or theartscouncil. net
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Contact: 770-532-4241 or www.gainesvilleballet.org
Upcoming exhibitions
The Arts Council
Gainesville Theatre Alliance
This “family” of actors has been providing fun, family-friendly entertainment at the Georgia Mountains Center for years. Productions range from comedies to slapstick musicals, with a menagerie of characters, from a dancing vampire to a sweet little old lady.
Brenau Galleries: Sellars Gallery, Presidential Gallery and Leo Castelli Art Gallery
For 35 years, the Gainesville Ballet Company has brought dance to Northeast Georgia through theatrical dance performances as well as its relationship with the Gainesville School of Ballet. Two productions highlight Gainesville Ballet’s season, including a Christmas production of “The Nutcracker” and a springtime performance of a classic children’s tale.
What: Morgan Guerin Quartet, part of the Evenings of Intimate Jazz series When: 8 p.m. April 16 Where: The Arts Council’s Smithgall Arts Center, 331 Spring St., Gainesville How much: $30, $25 each Guerin for group of six or more More info: www. theartscouncil.net What: Steve Cunningham Trio, the finale of the Evenings of Intimate Jazz series When: 8 p.m. May 8 Where: Smithgall Arts Center How much: $30, $25 each for group of six or more More info: www.theartscouncil.net What: “The Electricity Fairy,” The Arts Council & Gainesville State College Independent Film Series When: 7:30 p.m. April 14 Where: Gainesville State College, Oakwood How much: $7 adults, $5 seniors/students More info: www.theartscouncil.net What: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s 36th annual performance in Gainesville When: summer 2011 Where: Smithgall Arts Center lawn How much: $35 adults, $32 seniors, $28 students and children
The goal of Gainesville ProMusica is to bring affordable classical music to the masses, including providing free music for kids in local schools. Each season includes three concerts with a communitydriven theme. Contact: 770-535-7342 or promusicaconcertseries.com The Lanier Chamber Singers have recently brought in a new director, C. Wallace Hinson, Professor of music and chairman of the department of music at Piedmont College in Demorest.
For The Times
Lanier Chamber Singers This vocal ensemble has been performing a cappella literature from the Renaissance and 20th century periods for more than 15 years. Its members draw from a variety of professional backgrounds, and the group recently performed at the American Choral Directors Association’s annual convention. Contact: www.lanierchambersingers.org
Voices of North Georgia The members of Voices of North Georgia are Dedicated to presenting both secular and sacred music to the Gainesville area. This community chorus not only offers an outlet for anyone who loves choral music, it also provides a forum for members to gather for fellowship. Contact: www.voicesofnorthgeorgia.com
Upcoming performances What: “Carmina Burana” by Carl Orf When: 7:30 p.m. April 29 and 3 p.m. May 1 Where: Little Theatre Georgia Mountains Center, 301 Main St., SW, Gainesville.
North Georgia College & State University What: Bob Owens Art Gallery in the Hoag Student Center Address: 82 College Circle, Dahlonega Cost: Free More info: 706-867-2746
CMYK ARTS & COMMUNITY
A publication of
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | PROGRESS | Sunday, March 27, 2011
Social seniors Hall County’s aging population has a lot of reasons to get going BY BRANDEE A. THOMAS
bthomas@gainesvilletimes.com
Photos by SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Instructor Michael Giel works with the Gainesville Symphony Youth Orchestra junior strings Wednesday evening at McEver Arts Academy.
GSO: Training camp planned in June ■ Continued from 1 together professional and budding musicians. “For this concert, the youth symphony will get a chance to perform right alongside the (professional GSO) players,” Monnerie said. Auditions for next orchestral season will be held in August. If students are interested in brushing up on their music chops before auditions, administrators have organized a training opportunity. “We are going to be introducing an orchestra camp this summer. It’s going to be a half-day camp from June 4-10. We’re going to have a big concert finale on that Friday,” Monnerie said. “We’re bringing in a bunch of professionals to come in and really help the kids learn more about playing their instrument.” Organizers are also planning to hold fall auditions for a new youth choral group for students in grades four through 12. “This is totally new for us. We’ve never done a choral component with the main symphony,” Monnerie said. Starting a chorus wasn’t on the GSO’s radar until administrators were approached by an outside group about the possibility of coming together to do just that. “We didn’t realize there was such a large demand for a youth choral group,” Monnerie said. “We knew that there were a number of choral groups in the area, but after doing a little research, we realized that there weren’t any for kids. They were all for adults.” With all of this year’s additions, Monnerie says the
Gabriela Martinez practices the violin during a Gainesville Symphony Youth Orchestra junior strings rehearsal Wednesday evening at McEver Arts Academy.
Gainesville Symphony Orchestra For more information about the Gainesville Youth Symphony Orchestra, youth chorus or summer camps, call 770-532-5727 or visit www. gainesvillesymphony.com.
GSO is outgrowing its Candler Street facility. Due to space limitations, the youth symphony has been practicing at McEver Arts Academy in Gainesville. “Interest in (our youth pro-
grams) has really exceeded my expectations,” Monnerie said. “We’re looking for a new facility to be able to bring everything together in one place for the fall.”
Just because they are older, it doesn’t mean that Hall County’s senior population has any plans of slowing down. The activities may have changed slightly from their youth, but local seniors still enjoy getting out and doing things with their friends. For those who are looking for something to do, the Gainesville-Hall County Senior Life Center provides a number of entertainment options for the 60 and older crowd. “We have several club groups that go to different places for short day trips. They also do mystery trips that are longer excursions,” said Merry Howard, center manager. “For instance, they could take a mystery trip to Atlanta and visit the World of Coca-Cola Museum or the aquarium and have lunch.” Center staff have organized an 11-day, motor coach trip to Las Vegas for interested seniors and are currently looking for a few more travellers. The trip costs $1,149 and is from May 11-22, with an extended stop in Oklahoma City, Okla. During the week, the center at 434 Prior St. hosts daily activities like computer classes, yoga, bingo and crafting. Although there are a number of leisure and recreational opportunities available, it’s not just fun and games at the facility. There are also educational presentations and other enrichment activities. “We’re pretty active in the community as well,” Howard said. “We have a group that mentors at Lula Elementary School. We raise money for Toys for Tots and we do a volunteer project where we put together flower bouquets for different Hospice organizations. Transportation to the center is available through Hall Area Transit. The senior center is located near the Gainesville-Hall County Community Service Center, which houses the Meals on Wheels operations. Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver lunches to more than 400 households with senior or disabled residents. “Some of our seniors also
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Meals On Wheels employee Ronnie Lipscomb, right, talks with volunteer Pat Hargrove March 7 before making a delivery in Gainesville.
Gainesville-Hall County Senior Life Center Where: 434 Prior St. NE, Gainesville Contact: 770-503-3331
The Legacy Shoppe Where: Lakeshore Mall, 150 Pearl Nix Parkway, Gainesville Contact: 770-538-2700
deliver food for Meals on Wheels.” Legacy Link, a Gainesville-based nonprofit, also offers a number of seniorfocused services. “We do a lot of care management to help people of all ages stay in their own homes and out of nursing homes,” said Pat Freeman, agency executive director. “We also offer employment and training programs for older workers in 23 counties across North Georgia.” The employment and training program is available for adults who are at least 55 years old and whose income isn’t more than 125 percent of the poverty level. That’s about $13,000 annually for a single-person household, or about $18,000 for a couple. “We assign them to work part time in (government) or nonprofit places and we pay them minimum wage. We also send them to (various) classes and we pay for that as well,” Freeman said. “Some people seek our (employment services) because they’ve been staying at home for so long and need to learn new skills. For others, its because of the economy, and they need to earn that extra cash.” The agency also operates the Legacy Shoppe at
Lakeshore Mall, 150 Pearl Nix Parkway, Gainesville. Shoppe staff are available to answer any questions related to Legacy Link services. It also hosts various activities like Kinship Care meetings for seniors that are raising grandchildren or other relatives. Legacy Link also contracts for services through the senior center. “We receive federal and state funds for a lot of different kinds of programs. We then administer them directly or through subcontracts with other agencies,” Freeman said. “The need for our services is increasing. More and more people are getting in that age group that need assistance, but our money certainly isn’t growing as fast.” For seniors who are looking for opportunities to share their knowledge with younger generations, Legacy Link also offers a volunteer program. “We have about 600 volunteers in about 13 different counties. They volunteer in schools, hospitals, libraries and other places,” Freeman said. “There’s really a lot of interest in giving back and sharing their expertise with the community.”
The Gainesville Symphony Youth Orchestra junior strings rehearse at McEver Arts Academy for an upcoming concert.
Maureen LaPrade, left, leads a class of chair yoga at the GainesvilleHall County Senior Life Center.
TOM REED The Times
NONPROFITS: Giving spirit needs to be year-round ■ Continued from 1 join us to learn about the habitats and ecosystems of Georgia,” Callahan said. The program is a collaborative effort of Elachee, the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and the Cooperative Extension Service of UGA. After completing the class, participants are asked to “give back” to Elachee by volunteering as trail guides or trail stewards. There are many things going on at Elachee all year and patrons are encouraged to check its website, elachee.org, to keep up with the calendar. After studying Georgia’s natural habitat, community members can check out Habitat for Humanity of Hall County, a nonprofit dedicated to housing those in need. “We are a nonprofit home builder; a first-time homebuyer program that works to take people out of substandard housing and give them a simple, decent, energy-efficient home that they can own,” said Robb Owens, the executive officer. Habitat offers housing practi-
cally free of cost to those in dire need. “We refer to this as the biblical finance plan,” Owens said. “In return, the homeowner must put in 300 hours of sweat equity to their home and other houses. Our program is often said not to be a charity, since we don’t give anything away; it is a ‘hand up,’ not a ‘hand out.’” All money that goes into each house is raised. One way to get involved is donate time or money. “Every time I see a volunteer on the jobsite that is working with a homeowner and finally gets why we do this, I form a special appreciation of this job,” Owens said. “It is exciting to talk with someone that is still proud to drive past a home they helped build or gave money towards years before.” Anyone can apply for Habitat’s services. “Habitat for Humanity is a Christian ministry that works with other organizations to help less fortunate people in the community. It is our thought that some people need a little help to enjoy the things that we take for granted,” Owens said. Nonprofits come in all shapes
and sizes. On top of Habitat for Humanity, Gainesville offers shelter, food and other services to the homeless and less fortunate through Good News at Noon. Area doctors and dentists volunteer their time and skills to those in the community who need medical care and are uninsured. According to its website, Good News Clinics is a Hall County United Way agency and receives no state, federal or local government funding. Other funding sources include donations from private businesses, foundations, churches, civic organizations and individuals. Many patients also give modest donations in appreciation for the care they receive. Though arts organizations are dwindling as the economy forces arts programs out of schools and arts purchases out of households, the Quinlan Visual Arts Center provides an arts supplement to our community. “Nonprofit organizations are vital for a culturally rich and diverse community,” said Amanda Kroll McClure, the executive director of the Quinlan. “We launched our first ever annual
fund campaign in November; it is an ongoing effort to raise funds for the center.” Services provided by the Quinlan center include exhibits, instructional classes and more. “The Quinlan Visual Arts Center has up to 20 exhibitions rotating seven times annually and admission is absolutely free to the general public,” McClure said. “The center provides a range of classes in all media for all skill levels, advanced painting workshops, summer camp and art parties for children.” Though there are many ways to serve the community through the Quinlan, McClure wants to remind all of the benefits of generosity. “An Annual Fund creates an environment of giving at the Quinlan to keep the wonderful programs, talents and energies of our members flowing,” she said. Even if the Christmas spirit of giving is long gone by now, business still need to run — both manpower and financial assistance go a long way; North Georgia’s nonprofits could use it, and your community will be all the better for it.
Elachee Nature Science Center When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday Where: 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville Cost: Adults $5; children 2-12 $3; Members free More info: elachee@elachee.org, 770-535-1976
Habitat for Humanity of Hall County ReStore consignment When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday Where: 1612 Skelton Road SW, Gainesville More info: 678-450-5998, habitathallcounty.org
Good News at Noon More info: 770-503-1366
Shelter Where: 979 Davis St.,Gainesville
Clinic When: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. MondayFriday Where: 810 Pine St., Gainesville More info: 770-297-5040
CMYK
Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
A publication of
ARTS & COMMUNITY
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
Volunteer opportunities Looking for a way to help out in your community? Here are some ideas of places to start; please contact these agencies for additional information. This list details volunteer opportunities submitted directly to The Times. Please contact these agencies for additional information. Listings are published in rotation on a bi-weekly basis. American Cancer Society. Drivers to transport cancer patients to and from treatment centers. Contact 770-297-1176. American Red Cross. Disaster relief teams needed to train the community in preparedness services such as CPR, first aid, baby-sitting and life guarding, to welcome and register blood donors and serve refreshments, to assist in administrative services such as fundraising, public relations, translating, interpreting and office support. Contact Barbara Barber, 770-219-0343. Angel Flight Southeast. Need pilots to provide free air transportation to medical facilities for citizens who are financially distressed or otherwise unable to travel on public transportation. Contact Scarlett Auten, 770-904-0904. Autumn Breeze Assisted Living. Help residents stay active with activities such as bingo, indoor horseshoes and music. Contact Ellen Bates, activities director, 770-297-1100. Boys and Girls Clubs. Help with general supervision of children, tutoring, art and physical education programs. Need coaches and referees. Help needed after 2 p.m. Monday-Friday. Contact 770-532-8102. BPI-Safe Rides. Volunteer to drive an impaired driver home. In need of licensed drivers 25 and older to volunteer for upcoming holidays. 770965-2870 or www.bpi-saferides.org. CASA. Court Appointed Special Advocates are needed to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children. Volunteers are trained, screened and supervised. Contact Lisa McCarthy, 770-531-1964 or casaofhall@bellsouth.net. Catholic Social Services Inc. Bilingual volunteers needed to assist in serving low-income Latino population. Needs include translation and interpretation for clients in the community, office assistance and computer class instruction. Contact 770-534-3337. C.C. Cloud Youth Center — Veterans and Community Outreach Foundation. Assist children in afterschool program with homework, arts and recreational activities. Provide computer lab instruction for children and adults. Work in community garden, office and kitchen. Weekend coaches and mentors needed for young adult basketball league. Flexible schedule. 770-5310046 or vcof@bellsouth.net. Center Point Mentor Program. Mentors Hall County and Gainesville students. Time requirements include a two-hour training session and a commitment to meet with your student one hour a week (this includes travel time) for the duration of the school year. Trainings are offered at noon and 6 p.m. throughout the year. Contact Kate Hoffmann, mentor coordinator, 770-535-1050, or mentor@centerpointgainesville.com. Challenged Child and Friends. Work in classrooms with children 6 weeks old to 6 years old at Northeast Georgia’s Early Intervention Center. Contact Joy Green, 770-535-8372, ext. 120 or joy@challengedchild.org. Compassionate Hospice. Help people an their families cope with a terminal illness. Flexible scheduling. Also looking for organizations to sponsor or participate in a charity event each year. Contact Steven Vanlerberghe, 678-7170969. Court Visitor Program. Monitor the care, condition and assets of dependent adults, work with families at problem solving and report to the court. Volunteers will be screened, trained and supervised. Contact Denise, Hall County Probate Court, 770-533-7830. Crossroads Hospice. Hold a hand, listen, sing, run errands for a family or help in the hospice office. Free ongoing training. Flexible hours. Contact Ella, 770-270-9898 or hospicevolunteer@ bellsouth.net. Disability Resource Center. Help people with disabilities remain independent through peer support, advocacy and helping with independent living skills. Also, volunteers needed to build ramps and make other home modifications. Contact Bob McGarry, 770-534-6656. The Disabled American Veterans Transportation Network. Drive veterans between Gainesville and the VA hospital in Decatur in the organization’s van. Contact Gene Boccumini, 770-869-7062. Embracing Hospice. Visit with patients in homes, read to patients, write letters, provide transportation, run errands, prepare meals, provide hair care and light housekeeping. Contact 678-5707363 or mandisha.thomas@americanhospice. com. Feed My Sheep The Grace of Christ Ministries. Help serve free lunches ever other Saturday. Contact Eric Johnson, 678-622-1458. First Steps. Volunteers needed to help support, educate and give referrals to parents in early months of parenting. Contact Angela Ricks, 770219-7959. Gainesville Action Ministries. Answer phones, schedule appointments, greet clients, help with building maintenance and entertain children while parents are being counseled. Will train volunteers to work with clients if desired. Bilingual volunteers needed. Contact Steve Napier, 770531-0144. Gainesville-Hall County Alliance for Literacy. Tutor in basic literacy class serving adults up to a fourth-grade reading level. Contact Dorothy Shinafelt, 770-531-4337. Gateway House. Work with children who have witnessed or experienced domestic violence. Contact Shelby Kinsey, 770-539-9080. Good News Clinics. Need Spanish-speaking interpreters, medical assistants, dental assistants and hygienists, nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners and volunteers to assist with administrative duties for the hours of 9 a.m.-noon or 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Contact Jean Peeples, 770-503-1369 or jpeeples@goodnewsclinics. org. The Guest House Adult Care Center. Talk with clients, help with activities and crafts. Contact Sandy Pearson, 770-535-1487. Habitat for Hall County. Assist in pickups and store inventory at the Habitat ReStore. Contact Dee Ann, 770-718-1070. Also need volunteers for builds. 678-450-5998. Hall County Animal Shelter. Volunteers needed to walk and play with animals, assist at Rabies Clinics and off-site mini adoption events. Please contact Gwen Trimmer at 678-450-1587 or 770531-6831. Happy Tails Pet Therapy Inc. Need volunteers 18 and older and their pet dogs, cats or rabbits to brighten patients’ days at local health care facilities. Orientations held periodically. Contact 770740-8211. Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Sit with terminally ill patients in their homes, run errands and provide relief for family members in Banks, Barrow, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, northern Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Stephens, Union and White counties. Also
need help with clerical work in hospice office. Free office support volunteer training is available from 12:30-4:30 p.m. second Tuesdays at the hospice office. Contact Carol Jewell, Hospice of NGMC volunteer coordinator, at 770-533-8888 or 888-572-3900. Humane Society of Northeast Georgia. Play with and walk shelter adoption pets, assist with adoptions taking place at Gainesville PetSmart on Saturdays and help with special events. Options no matter how much or how little time available. Contact Kelley Uber, 770-532-6617. Interactive Neighborhood for Kids. Supervise exhibits, lead story time or teach arts and crafts activities on a one-time or ongoing basis. Contact 770-536-1900. Judicial citizen review panel. Review the circumstances of children in Hall County who are in the custody of the State Department of Family and Children Services and work to ensure they are being properly cared for and are given the opportunity to be placed in a permanent home. Two-day training period required along with one morning a month thereafter. Contact Brenda Boring, 770-531-6928 or bboring@hallcounty.org. Junior Achievement of Georgia: Gainesville District. Present classes in kindergarten-12th grades to inspire young people to value free enterprise, business and economics. Material and training provided. Serving Northeast Georgia counties. Contact Tanya Applebaum, 770-297-1222. Keep Hall Beautiful. Assist with administrative duties, make phone calls, do outside presentations or litter pickups. Contact Cindy Reed, 770531-1102 or hallbeautiful@windstream.net. Lanierland Civitan Club. Help people with developmental disabilities and work on various area projects. Meet 12:30 p.m. first and third Tuesdays, Turnstile Deli, 109 Green St., Gainesville. Sue Andrews, 770-297-7333. Legacy Link. Help Medicare recipients getting prescription drugs and other services. Need clerical help and outside speakers. Training provided. Contact 770-538-2650. LifeLink of Georgia. Assist with educational programs pertaining to organ and tissue donation and transplantation in North Georgia and other areas of the state. Contact 800-544-6667. Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia and Alabama. Create, design and implement wishes in North Georgia. Contact Shandy Arwood at sarwood@ ga-al.wish.org or 888-517-9474, ext. 14. Meals on Wheels. Deliver meals within the city of Gainesville. Routes take approximately one hour; training provided. Contact Milon Christman, 770503-3330. Mended Hearts of Northeast Georgia. Visit with heart patients and their families at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Volunteer in Ronnie Green waiting room or attend meetings at 6 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month. Must be former heart procedure patients or spouses. Training provided. Contact Peggy Vardeman, 770-5322326. Mentor Me North Georgia. Volunteer for oneon-one and group setting programs with at-risk youth. Call Amber at 678-341-8028 or e-mail amber@mentormenorthga.org. For more information: www.mentormenorthga.org Northeast Georgia History Center. Provide assistance with day-to-day tasks — greet visitors, answer telephones, prepare mailings, help with special events, guide tours, serve on standing committees. 770-297-5900 or www.negahc.org. Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Assist with non-medical duties and provide comfort and support to patients, family members and visitors. Call 770-219-1830 to request an application and schedule a time for a brief interview. Odyssey Healthcare Athens. Provide support and companionship for patients and families. Free training required; no minimum time commitment. Contact Erin Dawkins, 706-621-9055. Pacific Intercultural Exchange. Host families for foreign teens are needed for the new school year. There are also travel/study program opportunities available for American high school students as well as possibilities for community volunteers to assist and work with area host families, students and schools. Call 866-546-1402 for more information. The Phoenix Society of Gainesville. Raise funds to support local service organizations. Meetings held at 7 p.m. third Thursdays of every month at the Gainesville Civic Center. Contact Deanna Fawcett, 770-532-4641, DDFawcett@aol.com. Premier Hospice of Georgia. Provide companionship during end-of-life vigils. Bilingual volunteers needed. Free training, ongoing support. Contact Valerie or Cecil, 770-533-4422 or 866533-4422. Prevent Child Abuse. Help in the nursery from 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays. Contact Dottie Turner, 770287-3071 or 770-536-1443. Rape Response. Respond to hotline phone calls. Training and support is provided, and oncall volunteers can maintain their own schedule while using a cell phone to respond. Contact Heather Weaver, 770-503-7273 or heather@raperesponse.com. Regency Hospice. Provide assistance and care to patients and family members. Contact Elizabeth McFarland, 888-603-1303. RSVP: Retired & Senior Volunteer Program. Looking for volunteers 55 and older to help at the following sites in Hall County: Center Point, mentors for public school children; Keep Hall Beautiful, event volunteers; Hall County Senior Life Center, computer teachers and scrap booking teachers; Meals on Wheels, delivery drivers and phone reassurance volunteers; and Hall County Emergency Management, CERT and Web site volunteers. Contact Terry Shuler, RSVP director (Legacy Link Inc.), 770-538-2650. Safe Kids Gainesville/Hall County. Help with educational programs about car seat safety, helmet safety, fire safety, poison prevention and more. Contact Kim Martin, 770-533-8095, kimberly. martin@nghs.com. Sautee Nacoochee Community Association. Meet and greet visitors at the History Museum of Sautee Nacoochee and the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia. Contact Sam Schultz, 770380-7414, or Chris Brooks, 706-878-3300. United Hospice. Provide companionship, family support and respite for caregivers in homes and nursing facilities. Training provided. Contact Sandy Hatfield, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, 800-844-9641. Veterans Community Outreach. Help with afterschool program, computer lab and homework assistance. Contact 770-531-0046. Vietnam Veterans of America. Help create a network for the local families of soldiers who will be overseas next Christmas and plan a party for next Christmas. Contact Ron Kelner, 770-5342509, or Dave Dellinger, 770-718-7676. Widowed persons volunteer aides. 5:15 p.m. fourth Tuesdays, Community Service Center. 770-536-0072. Willowwood Nursing Center. Adopt a grandparent, spend free time with residents. Contact Tina Gipson, 770-967-2070, ext. 20.
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Mason Roszel, right, watches brother Andrew, 11, climb over a wall March 12 at a playground at the Mulberry Creek Community Center in Flowery Branch.
The center of it all
Mulberry Creek offers South Hall residents a place to relax and learn By Emily Perry For The Times
Hall County’s newest community center, one of only two full-time centers, has had almost 34,000 participants enter its doors in the last nine months. Mulberry Creek Community Center at 4491 JM Turk Road in Flowery Branch, celebrated its first anniversary last fall. “We had an open house last November with good turnout and plan to have another celebration for the second birthday,” said Rozalyn Schmitt, program coordinator at Mulberry. It’s a team effort at the center for Marci Summer, facility manager, and Schmitt, as they have handled 133 programs with more than 5,600 participants during the same nine-month period. Schmitt not only teaches a P.E. class for homeschool children, but once a month she brings in a four-legged member of her family when she reads for a group of children in a class she calls “Reading with TJ the Dog.” Last month the class joined Read Across America for its annual celebration of the March birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss. Summer, whose background is in recreation therapy, is the assistant coach of Hall County’s power soccer team, a program for power wheelchair participants. The team practices on Sundays and is preparing for a national event. “We will host a tournament at Mulberry in June,” Summer said. “Leagues from all over the U.S. will be here. We’ll have nine teams.” With two full-size basketball courts, an elevated 1/10 mile walking track and game room, all of which are available to use free of charge, it’s little wonder the center is buzzing with activity. The game room features a pool table as well as ping pong and foosball tables. A photo ID is required to check out the equipment. Mulberry also offers a fitness center, with cardio and resistance workout equipment, complete with locker room and showers. Fitness center use is fee-based depending on the type of membership you need, whether it’s individual or for the family. “We’re branching out and offering fitness orientation and workshops,” Schmitt said. The programs are designed to help participants understand nutrition and diet planning as well as help them chart workout programs to fit their specific needs. A new program will be offered this summer for kids interested in exercising their brain power called Camp Invention. “My son actually took Camp Invention at Spouts Springs Elementary last summer and he loved it,” Schmitt said. “He enjoyed it so much I thought it would be great (for us) to offer it to the community.” Hall County Parks and Leisure offers many basketball camps and tournaments throughout the year. At Mulberry, the North Georgia Elite camp for boys and girls will start in June, and in May, the center will sponsor a three-on-three tournament called “Hoops-N-Scoops for the Troops.” Bruster’s ice cream will be sold and net proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Wounded War-
Mulberry Creek Community Center When: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Where: 4491 JM Turk Road, Flowery Branch More info: 770-965-7140, www.hallcountyrec.org
riors Project. The Field of Dreams spring baseball league is open to school-aged children with all levels of physical and developmental abilities. Even though the league falls under HCPL, both Summer and Schmitt take care of all the coordinating. The season is six weeks long beginning in March and meets every Tuesday at the Phil Niekro Field of Dreams in Flowery Branch. Recently a children’s playground and dog park, with areas separated for both large and small dogs, have been added to the amenities at the center. Schmitt said she’s eager to start planning events at the dog park. “People seem to really be excited about the dog park. It’s called the Mulberry Bark Park. All free,” she said. Coming in April, Mulberry will help HCPL collaborate with Elachee Nature Center and the Atlanta Audubon Society for “Bird Watch” to be held at Williams Mill Greenspace. The event is free and participants are asked to wear comfortable shoes and bring binoculars. Peter Gordon of Elachee will guide. A wide variety of classes are available at Mulberry and include beginning sign language, Zumba — a fitness dance class, baton twirling, beginning and intermediate fencing and traditional wooden boat building. Class fees vary. Other fee-based programs offered include a preschool gymnastics bus fair, which is an ongoing program that lasts throughout the school year. The course consists of six classes held Thursdays. The former South Hall Community Center continues to support the local food bank with a collection container located in the lobby at Mulberry. Schmitt said they are in their third year of participating with Toys for Tots. Folks young at heart are invited to gather free of charge to play cards, dominoes or canasta, which usually takes place in the center’s cozy arts and crafts room. There is a free Tai Chi class every Tuesday as well. The facility at Mulberry can be rented and includes use of their classrooms, gym or their large meeting room with complete kitchen. “We have everything from wedding receptions to bridal showers to birthday parties,” Schmitt said. Fees vary according to room size and need. With all the free and low-cost offerings at the Mulberry Creek Community Center, the facility continues to grow in popularity. “We are fortunate to be located in more of a neighborhood park kind of feel. I think that helps us because our goal at Mulberry is to become an extension of the neighborhood,” Summer said.
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Yee Thao, right, and Johnny Pho, left, play basketball at the Mulberry Creek Community Center.
Mulberry Creek Community Center program coordinator Rozalyn Schmitt helps Chaney Koons apply glue to a plate March 11 during a children’s arts and crafts class in Flowery Branch.
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Two-year-old Joshua Foster climbs stairs March 12 to join mother Shirleen on the slide at a playground at the Mulberry Creek Community Center in Flowery Branch. SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Chris Garcia, left, 14, and friend Mathew Gould, 14, play a game of basketball March 12 inside the Mulberry Creek Community Center.
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Noah Webb glues pieces of tissue paper onto a plate March 11 during an arts and crafts class at the Mulberry Creek Community Center in Flowery Branch.
Leyla Ozcelik practices her gymnastics and tumbling at the Mulberry Creek Community Center on a day The Bus Fair visits the center.
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
The Bus Fair owner Lora Risley, right, helps youngsters tumble as they get basic gymnastic instruction at the Mulberry Creek Community Center.
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Jobs picture mixed for Gainesville Local officials say economic recovery already under way despite increase in unemployment BY MELISSA WEINMAN
mweinman@gainesvilletimes.com The Department of Labor reports the unemployment rate in the metro Gainesville area rose slightly during January, but local officials are optimistic that economic recovery is already under way. The unemployment rate rose to 9 percent, up from 8.8 percent in December. But the employment picture has improved since this time last year: in January 2010,
Hall has tourism in sight
Gainesville’s jobless rate was 9.9 percent. The Department of Labor attributes Gainesville’s small increase in unemployment to layoffs in the construction and manufacturing industries. “Probably most of that was temporary layoffs because of the storms that came through,” said Sam Hall, communications director for the Department of Labor. “Part of the way that the labor statistics are gathered involves some activity
that occurs during the 12th of each month. That week that included the 12th of January was right in the middle of the snow and ice. People in construction would have been temporarily laid off during that week.” However, Gainesville’s unemployment rate is lower than several other metro areas due to an increase in retail trade positions over the last several months, the Department of Labor reported. Gainesville is also better off than
Georgia, which had an overall 10.4 percent unemployment rate in January. Tim Evans, vice president of development for the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, predicts that unemployment numbers will continue to decline in upcoming months. “A number of companies who announced job creation last year are doing their hiring this year,” Evans said. “I think we’re also going to see some construction jobs pick up.” Companies like King’s Hawaiian and ZF Wind Power have chosen to locate in Hall County over the past year. ■ Please see JOBS, 2
2010 Gainesville unemployment rate January February March April May June July August September October November December
9.9 9.7 9.2 8.7 8.7 9.1 9.1 9.1 8.8 9.1 9.2 8.8
Source: Georgia Department of Labor
Main mind
Thompson celebrates 1 year with Main Street Gainesville
Latest sales tax has provision for welcome center BY MELISSA WEINMAN
mweinman@gainesvilletimes.com Tourism is quickly evolving and Hall County is making it a priority to keep up. The Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau is studying ways to make Hall County’s planned visitors center as useful to today’s tech savvy travelers as possible. “Right now we’re actually working with students from Clemson University on some studies of how trends are changing for visitor services across the country. We’re getting feedback from other locations and what’s working in new and established visitors centers across the nation,” said CVB president Stacey Dickson. “We know for sure we’re going to have to incorporate things like GPS technology and Internet technology into our programs and the services there in order to be attractive to the traveling public.” In 2009, voters approved special purpose local option sales tax VI, a 1-cent tax that collects funding for capital projects in Hall County. Among the projects approved was a new welcome center. Due to the economy, collections have been coming in slower than projected. The welcome center has been put on the back burner and will likely not be started until the latter part of the six year collection period. But that’s just fine with Dickson. “Visitors’ needs as far as a welcome center experience have changed tremendously. So the shortfall of collections is a blessing and a curse at the same time,” she said. “It’s a blessing because it’s allowing us to make sure what we’re building has legs for the future and will be meaningful for visitors and locals alike, not just a center where people stop for a bathroom break. It’s going to be much more interactive, very high tech.” She said even in the few years since the SPLOST project list was assembled, travel has changed dramatically. Smart phones and portable GPS devices have become more affordable and prevalent, giving many travelers less of a reason to stop at a traditional welcome center to ask for maps or information about attractions. Though Dickson maintains the welcome center is still a viable component to the county’s tourism strategy. “All of our stakeholders are in agreement that we need a welcome mat at our front door,” she said. “We’re missing a lot of business from travelers who are bypassing ■ Please see TOURISM, 4
Photos by SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Main Street Gainesville manager Angela Thompson chats with the Next Chapter Bookstore employee Nick Cain March 9 inside the Main Street Market.
BY CAROLYN CRIST
ccrist@gainesvilletimes.com
A
ngela Thompson has learned more than she ever wanted to know about parades, skateboards and catering. It’s all a part of the job for the Main Street Gainesville manager, who celebrated her first year anniversary with the city on March 8. “Every day I come across something surprising, and I really like that aspect of my job,” she said. “I’ve learned so many things, and I’m happy to be doing something that I would volunteer to do.” No day is typical, it seems. She’s either meeting at the state Capitol with local legislators and the Georgia Downtown Association, visiting downtown businesses or setting up community events. “I’ve learned a tremendous amount about the community, and every community is different,” said Thompson, who hails from Fayetteville. “It’s been really exciting to look back and see how much we’ve done in the past year.” Seven businesses have located or re-located downtown, bringing in 21 jobs. Events on the square pulled in 18,000 people, and Thompson is always busy planning the next one, whether it’s a Blue Sky concert, Trick or Treat on the Square or the addition of a parade to this year’s Spring Chicken Festival. “You really have to be a marketing pro-
The Upper Deck Skate Shop owner Mary Paglia, left, educates Main Street Gainesville manager Angela Thompson on a skateboard set up March 9 inside the Main Street Market.
fessional, real estate agent, economic development person, historic preservation expert and so many other things,” she said. “It’s important to have a great group to lean on for all of the different aspects.” Thompson was a marketing expert a technology company in Fayetteville for more
than three years before she joined Gainesville staff last year. “I realized that I wasn’t able to make a change or difference there and wanted to have community involvement,” she said. “I ■ Please see MAIN, 5
‘Every day I come across something surprising... I’ve learned so many things, and I’m happy to be doing something that I would volunteer to do.’ Angela Thompson, Main Street Gainesville manager
INSIDE: Quality of life driving market for homes in North Georgia, 2 Braselton prepares for steady growth, 3
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Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
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‘We’re in the right place in the right time. We have an affordable mix of housing. We have great schools. We’re close to the metropolitan area but we don’t have some of the negative influences of that. ... We are receiving a disproportionate share of new industry moving in our direction.’ Frank Norton Jr., The Norton Agency president
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Prospective buyer Bob Kennamer asks The Norton Agency associate vice president Sheila Davis a question about the furniture March 12 while viewing a house for sale on Edgewood Circle in Gainesville.
Housing alive in Hall Quality of life driving market for homes in N. Georgia BY TRICIA L. NADOLNY
tnadolny@gainesvilletimes.com If anything’s a certainty in today’s housing market, it’s that Hall County is bucking the national trends. Real estate experts say the county has stayed competitive during the last year because of its thriving industry and high quality of life, and those factors are resulting in a stronger than average housing market. “We’re in the right place in the right time,” said Frank Norton Jr. of The Norton Agency. “We have an affordable mix of housing. We have great schools. We’re close to the metropolitan area but we don’t have some of the negative influences of that. ... We are receiving a disproportionate share of new industry moving in our direction.” While median home sale prices dropped by nearly 6 percent in 2010, they skyrocketed 8.4 percent in the Gainesville metro area, according to an online real estate website. The Zillow.com numbers showed Gainesville to have the second highest increase nationally, behind only Ann Arbor, Mich. Doug Carter, president of Don Carter Realty and chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, said over the last six months Hall County has seen a greater amount of home buying at various price points. As homes at lower prices sell off, demand is now moving to the more expensive homes, he said. “The person who is cur-
‘A lot of people have certainly sensed that we have reached bottom and we’re on the way back up and they’re wanting to catch that wave.’ Doug Carter, Don Carter Realty president and Georgia Chamber of Commerce chairman rently in that $200,000 house and hopes to upgrade to a ($300,000 or $325,000) house, if they’re having success selling their $200,000 they’re able to make that move upwards in the market,” he said. Norton said he expects that trend to continue, with homes in the $250,000 range becoming scarce in the next six months, followed by a stabilization of homes up to $300,000 in the next year. Norton noted homes for sale on Lake Lanier under $500,000 have nearly disappeared. “Lake houses over a million are a little sketchy,” he said. “But the positive side of that is you can’t find one under $500,000, and the resurrection of the lake market is very much tied into the water level.” The county is also straying from the statewide trend in the number of home sales. According to numbers from the Norton Agency, last year Hall County saw an increase in single-family home sales of 9.7 percent compared to a statewide decline of 8 percent and a national drop of 6.4 percent. But the county is not in the clear, experts say, as foreclo-
sures are still a concern. “We’re going to continue over this next year to deal with the foreclosure market,” Carter said. “I think what we are seeing though, finally, is a larger number of those distressed properties coming off the market. There still are new ones coming on, though.” While foreclosures are stabilizing and beginning to inch down, it’s a slow process, Norton said. “The foreclosures we’re going to see are still going to be job-related foreclosures, unemployment-related foreclosures, as people who have been living off of unemployment now start seeing that dwindling down and have burned through their resources,” he said. Ultimately, though, real estate experts agree the outlook is optimistic for Hall County. “A lot of people have certainly sensed that we have reached bottom and we’re on the way back up and they’re wanting to catch that wave,” Carter said. “And certainly if somebody is looking to purchase a home there is no better opportunity we will see then probably over this next year.”
The Norton Agency Associate Vice President Sheila Davis, front, talks with Jean Kennamer, a prospective buyer, about a house on Edgewood Circle in Gainesville March 12. Kennamer and her husband are relocating from Alabama to be closer to their immediate family.
JOBS: Area has a diverse economy ■ Continued from 1 “We were very fortunate, last year was one of the best years we’ve had in a long time as far as attracting new jobs,” Evans said. “A lot of those companies have been adding jobs and will continue to add jobs in 2011. There were a lot of communities of our size that didn’t see any activity.” Evans also credits Gainesville-Hall County’s diverse economy for helping the community weather the economic storm better than many other areas. Hall County is home to businesses specializing in
health care, life sciences, machinery and equipment, automotive, food processing and even several international companies. “When we take a hit or downtown in one area ... we’ve got enough other things in the service sector and the economy to help balance out the pain,” Evans said. Hall said for the month of January, Warner Robins had the lowest unemployment rate at 7.8 percent; Dalton had the highest at 13 percent. “One thing we’ve found is cities that have lower unemployment rates are those that
tend to have a military base or an institution of higher education,” Hall said. One thing that has hindered economic growth is caution from employers. “They’re still cautious about increasing their payrolls until they feel the recession is truly behind us and the economy is growing again,” Hall said. “Until they know what’s coming out of Washington that could affect them as far as health care costs or taxes that could affect they’re payrolls, they’re going to want to have a clear picture of that before they start hiring.”
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Rebecca Montgomery and her husband, Daniel, look over unemployment forms at the Georgia Department of Labor Office on Atlanta Highway in Gainesville in 2009.
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A patient gets an MRI March 11 inside the “Ambient Experience MRI” at the Imaging Center at Medical Plaza 1 in Braselton.
Braselton ready for steady growth Town’s location and proximity to major interstates makes it a gem BY KATIE DUNN
Times regional staff Though the next few years promise to get a bit messy, they will also be a game changer for Braselton. Unlike other communities hit hard by the recession, Braselton has weathered the financial storm with relative luck. While for sale and foreclosure signs fill many communities and bulldozers lay idle, business in the small town is moving along. Houses still are being built and last year, three new industries, Dayton Superior Corp., TranSouth Logistics LLC and Safelite AutoGlass, moved to the community creating 350 jobs. Another, Kichler Lighting, is expected to open soon. Movement on the business, commercial and residential fronts is promising, too. Unique in that it is located in four counties — Barrow, Gwinnett, Hall and Jackson — Braselton also seems singular in its ability to thrive during the slump. Town Manager Jennifer Dees believes geography has a lot to do with that. Two exits accessing Interstate 85, being located halfway between Atlanta and South Carolina and in close proximity to attractions such as Lake Lanier and the University of Georgia has its benefits. This, coupled with the town having its own police department, library, parks and no property tax, also helps. “People like to be able to receive services at the most efficient cost available, and free is about as efficient as you can get really when you’re talking about someone’s tax bill,” said Dees. Though census numbers were not yet released at press time, Dees said early estimates indicate Bra-
selton’s population to have grown significantly since 2000. Ten years ago, just 1,200 people called the town home, but an estimated 7,200 now live there. Many of those moving in are families, a big change for a place once dominated by retirees. Population growth too has played a role in Braselton’s financial survival, according to Shane Short, president and CEO of the Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce. “It was one of the fastest growing cities in terms of households,” he said. “In the past 10 years, they experienced a 118 percent household increase from 7,541 to over 13,929 today.” Household income also spiked in the last decade, from $68,100 to $113,700, he added. “With the growth of households and income, retail opportunities help stabilize the town,” Short said. “In addition to small business, Braselton has a number of large, widely recognized companies within its city limits that help support the tax base.” With these assets, Short believes advancements will continue. “Like most of Jackson County, Braselton will continue to see a population growth,” he said. “As metro Atlanta expands, the growth up the I-85 corridor is inevitable.” Last year, the town saw more industrial jobs and businesses open, but a majority of construction involved commercial endeavors. The largest was a retail center, Friendship Springs Village, that features a Publix and is located on Spout Springs Road. Halvorsen Development Corporation of Boca Raton, Fla., cultivated the center and now has plans for a more expansive development along Ga. 211.
LeAnne Akin | Times regional staff
Zion Church Road is being rerouted to cross Highway 53 next to the Olde Towne commercial development. When weather improves, work, which had been delayed during the winter months, will pick back up.
The company is acquiring permits to develop a retail center that will encompass more than 200 acres and offer more than 1 million square feet of retail space surrounding the Vineyards Shopping Center across from Chateau Elan. Dees said the project will be the largest commercial development in Braselton. According to the corporation’s leasing plan, the development will include a hotel, movie theater, restaurants and big-box stores including Lowe’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Staples, PetSmart, Costco, Target, Kohl’s and Barnes & Noble, among others. Plans are also advancing for a 100-bed hospital to be built by the Northeast Georgia Health System off Thompson Mill Road where Medical Plaza 1 at River Place now sits. Construction should begin in 2013 with the hospital opening in late 2014 or early 2015, according to Benny Bagwell, a member of the
Hospital Authority of Hall County and the city of Gainesville. Bagwell also serves on the Northeast Georgia Health System board and is chairman of its strategic planning committee. Bagwell said the hospital will have a “tremendous economic impact on the surrounding area” once it opens. “Most likely the growth will start in the form of medical offices and other associated services that are complementary to health care,” he said. With the hospital looking to employ an estimated 500 people, Bagwell said growth in housing and retail is sure to occur. Dees agrees. “The spillover from the hospital, I think, is going to be huge for Braselton,” she said. “There’s so many businesses that like to locate next to a medical campus. We really anticipate that being a huge focus for probably the next two to three years.”
Other medical facilities are already sprouting, with Pediatric Associates recently opened off Ga. 211 and an assisted living facility planned for Thompson Mill Road. Construction on the facility should begin within two months. Two road projects also promise to boost business in Braselton’s downtown corridor. Work has begun to reroute and widen Zion Church Road bringing it closer to downtown and another project will realign the Ga. 53-Ga. 124 intersection. Other scheduled projects include building a town green and amphitheater upon completion of both road projects and expanding the town’s sidewalk network. “Downtown has some enormous investment obviously going in from the town and from (Jackson) County, which I think will spur economic development in downtown that we probably won’t see for 18 to 24 months,” said Dees. “People are going to want ... to be able to see some of that infrastructure before they invest.” Business is picking up along Ga. 53, too. Though no decisions have been made, Short said there has been increased interest from developers and retailers in the past six months regarding the stretch of the highway that passes through town. Even with these big projects, Dees said growth has slowed noticeably since the mid-2000s when the town was grappling to keep up with continuous expansions in its business and residential sectors. Today’s slower pace has been beneficial, helping Braselton prepare for the growth it knows will continue in the coming years. “I think we’re in a much better position these days because of the money that the town’s invested to get ready for growth,” she said. “I don’t think we’ll ever stop being a prime location because of geography, but I don’t ever think we’ll see the days when in a month we saw 40 to 50 homes built.”
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Business & industry
TOURISM: Vision 2030 plan identified visitors center as a ‘big idea’ for area ■ Continued from 1 Hall County to get to other destinations like Gatlinburg (Tenn.) and Asheville (N.C.) and even Helen and Dahlonega.” Dickson said the right visitors center will catch the attention of those travelers and help reroute them to destinations in Hall County. Vision 2030, a planning initiative for improving Hall County by the year 2030, identified a new visitors center as one of its 15 big ideas. The goal is “a state-ofthe-art regional visitors’ center near Interstate 985 that makes Gainesville-Hall County the necessary first stop for tourists looking to explore Lake Lanier and the North Georgia mountains,” according to the Vision 2030 web site. Vision 2030 Director Meg Nivens said tourism is crucial to the success of the program. “Some of the goal of Vision 2030 is making Gainesville a place people want to come and visit to spend their time and money,” Nivens said. “With the resources we have here in GainesvilleHall County, with the mountains so close by and the lake, it’s a natural place to attract tourists and to attract people coming to enjoy the North Georgia Mountains. To me that’s a main focus. One of the main things you would do is have it accessible, have it understandable and let
people know how to use all our resources.” Dickson said tourism is a growing industry that will be important for the future of Hall County. “We already are a destination,” Dickson said. “It’s just growing into the role that Lake Lanier has staged for us for 50 years. We’re finally getting there.” Over the past few years, there have been some key attractions developed in Hall County. Two canopy tours, which allow visitors ride a cable through the treetops, now call the county home. North Georgia Canopy Tours near Lula offered a discount for the tour through the online site Groupon, which sells coupons. “It was the best selling one that Groupon ever had,” Dickson said. “They sold over 7,000 units and they made Forbes Magazine because of it. When a local tourist attraction has that kind of success, that makes development people all over the country raise their eyebrows.” Many other developers are showing interest in Hall County, too, Dickson said. “We see things that are on the drawing table and things that are being pitched for developments along the shore line. We’re really excited and can’t wait to see what happens,” Dickson said. “We really feel like we’re right on the verge.”
For The Times
Janet Whitwell takes a ride in fall 2010 across a Lake Lanier cove at the Lake Lanier Canopy Tours.
‘We see things ... that are being pitched for development... We’re really excited and can’t wait to see what happens. We really feel like we’re right on the verge.’ Stacey Dickson, The Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau president
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau
Sites to see in Hall County Contacts: Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, 770-532-6206, www.ghcc. com; Lake Lanier Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, 117 Jesse Jewell Parkway, 770- 536-5209, www.lakelaniercvb.com. Alta Vista Cemetery, Browns Bridge Road. Final resting place of two former governors of Georgia, Confederate Gen. James E. Longstreet and other veterans of war. Smithgall Arts Center, 331 Spring St. SE, Gainesville, 770-534-2787. Original Gainesville Midland train station built in 1914 serves as the information center for the arts in Gainesville and Hall County, and Northeast Georgia and is host to meetings, performances, exhibits and events. Beulah Rucker Museum and Community Culture Center, 2101 Athens Highway, Gainesville, 404-401-6589, www.beulahruckermuseum. org, rojene@bellsouth.net. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The center features a cultural museum dating from after the Civil War to the present with rooms containing early 20th century furnishings, artifacts and pictures. Rucker, a pioneer in the education of Hall County’s black children, founded Industrial High School and Timber Ridge Elementary School at the site. Brenau University and Academy, 1 Centennial Circle, Gainesville, 770-534-6299. Campus founded in 1878 features some of the finest historical architecture in Northeast Georgia. A wide variety of cultural and educational programs, concerts and fine arts exhibits are offered throughout the year. Included on the National Register of Historic Places are: Pearce Auditorium, Wilkes Hall, Yonah Hall, Simmons Visual Art Center, and Butler Hall. Recently added attractions include a Rare Book Library; Indian Chief White Path’s Cabin; and Bete Todd Wages Museum, featuring vintage clothing and furniture, 406 Academy St., 770-534-6160. Buford Dam, holds back the waters of the Chattahoochee River, forming Lake Sidney Lanier. Take Interstate 985 to Exit 8, follow the signs. Framed by parks
on both sides for fishing, picnics. Chateau Elan Winery and Resort, off Interstate 85 north at Exit 126. 100 Tour de France, Braselton, 678-4250900, 800-233-WINE, www. chateauelan.com. A 16th century-style French chateau is the focal point of this 3,500-acre complex which contains vineyards, a winery, four championship golf courses, inn and conference center, European-style health spa, tennis center and equestrian show center. Visitors center houses an art gallery and wine museum, bistro restaurant, wine market and formal dining room, Irish Pub. Winery tours with tastings daily from 10 a.m. Allen Creek Soccer Complex, 2500 Allen Creek Road, Gainesville, 678-450-6502. Nine soccer fields for youth and adults, more than 800 parking spaces, practice areas and seating for more than 3,000 spectators, and extensive restroom and concession facilities. All fields illuminated. Operations Center contains a meeting room for officials, coaches and pre-tournament meetings. Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center, 1855 Calvary Church Road, Gainesville, 770-531-6855. Hall County park available for agricultural shows, meetings and special events. The center features a covered arena and two open arenas for livestock shows; 258 permanent stalls house cattle, horses, sheep and other livestock. Rodeos, concerts and company picnics are among additional events. A multipurpose activity building leased for parties, meetings and seminars. Olympic Center, Clarks Bridge Park. Lake Lanier park was site of rowing, sprint canoe and kayak events of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and numerous world-class events since. Used as a training and competition site and home of Lake Lanier rowing and canoe-kayak clubs. Take I-985 to Exit 24, turn right under the bridge onto Limestone Parkway; take a right at second light onto Clarks Bridge Road. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville, 770-535-1976, www.elachee.org. Private,
North Georgia Canopy Tours lead guide Kevin McCall teaches boys scouts from Troop No. 3 how to use a zip line during ground school in Lula. Thanks to a generous donation, the troop, from the First Presbyterian Church, got to go ziplining free of charge at the facility.
nonprofit environmental education center and museum located in the 1,300-acre Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve. Museum includes hands-on discovery centers, live animal displays and nature shop. Visitors can picnic, hike or walk on 12 miles of wooded trails including handicapped-accessible paved trail, or visit the aquatic study center. Elachee offers nature and environmental education programs, school field trips, scout programs, teacher education, summer day camp, family programs and special exhibitions. Trails open 8 a.m. to dusk, dogs permitted after 3 p.m. Museum, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. $5 adults, $3 children ages 2-12. Gainesville Civic Center, 830 Green St., 770-531-2689. Built in 1947, colonial facility is home to the Gainesville Parks and Recreation Department and other civic organizations. Take I-985 to Exit 22, then U.S. 129 North to the Civic Center on right. Gainesville Square, shops, boutiques and restaurants surround a Confederate statue made of bronze and white Georgia marble and erected in 1909 to honor Civil War casualties. The square was rebuilt in 1936 after a tornado destroyed much of downtown. Take I985 to Exit 20, north on Ga. 60 to Jesse Jewell Parkway; turn right, turn left at second red light at the Gainesville Midland railroad train, then turn right on the second street. Georgia Mountains Center, 301 Main St. SW, Gainesville, 770-534-8420, www. gainesville.org. Downtown forum for ongoing concerts, plays, seminars, athletic activities and shows. Green Street Historic District, 19th and 20th century Victorian and Neoclassical homes and businesses line Green Street, on the National Register of Historic Places. Interactive Neighborhood for Kids, 999 Chestnut St. SE, Gainesville, 770-536-1900, www.inkfun.org. Museum that allows children to role-play and learn through practical experiences as a banker, grocery store clerk, doctor, dentist and more. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $8 per person Monday-Saturday;
$6 Sunday; $99 for yearly membership; $125 for reciprocal yearly membership, which includes other children’s museums nationwide. Lake Lanier Canopy Tour, 7000 Holiday Road, Buford, 678622-3990, 770-828-7654, http://lakelaniercanopytours.com. Zip line through the trees and around Lake Lanier. Hours vary. $20$100. Lake Lanier Islands, 7000 Holiday Road, Lake Lanier Islands, 770-932-7200, www.lakelanierislands.com. Family recreation resort that includes beach, water park, equestrian center, campgrounds, golf, restaurants. Lanier Point Softball Complex and Park, 1530 Lee Waldrip Drive off Dawsonville Highway, Gainesville, 770287-0208. North Georgia’s premier softball complex opened in the fall of 1989, and is home to numerous tournaments. Includes IveyWatson baseball field, home of Gainesville High baseball team. Located on shores of Lake Lanier and is accessible by boat. Longstreet Society, 827 Maple St., Gainesville, 770-
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
North Georgia Canopy Tours lead guide Nick Fressell helps Jett Bishop, 11, a scout with Boy Scout Troop No. 3, onto a platform after ziplining more than 500 feet Sept. 23 in Lula.
539-9005, www.longstreet. org. . Confederate Gen. James Longstreet lived in Gainesville from 1875 until his death in 1904, and is buried in Alta Vista Cemetery. Formerly owned the Piedmont Hotel, now restored as a museum that contains historical artifacts about Longstreet’s life and career and a library of Civil War volumes. North Georgia Canopy Tours, 5290 Harris Road, Lula, 770-869-7272, http://northgeorgiacanopytours.com. A zip line tour through the tree canopy of Lula in Northeast Hall County. Open daily during daylight hours. $69$139. Northeast Georgia History Center, 322 Academy St., Gainesville, 770-297-5900, www.negahc.org. Exhibits include Land of Promise, Legacy Tributes, Cherokee Chief White Path’s cabin, Northeast Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Freedom Garden. Open 9 a.m-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission: $5 adults, $4 ages 65 and over, $3 students 18 and under, free under age 6; special rates given to schools and societ-
ies with large groups. Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St., Gainesville. 770-536-2575, fax 678-3432738, info@quinlanartscenter.org, www.quinlanartscenter.org. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Showcases traveling exhibits of regional, state and nationally recognized artists. Donations welcomed. Road Atlanta, 5300 Winder Highway, Braselton, 770967-6143. The 2.5-mile road course is the site of 12 major race events each year, including the annual Petit Le Mans. The Road Atlanta Driver Training Center is one of the most active street-driving and road-racing schools in the nation. Simmons Visual Arts Center, Brenau University campus, 1 Centennial Circle, Gainesville, 770-534-6263. This 1915 Greek Revival structure built from Georgia marble has housed YWCA, chapel and library. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the building was renovated in 1991. The gallery offers art exhibitions of work by internationally known artists.
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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | PROGRESS | Sunday, March 27, 2011
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Main Street Gainesville manager Angela Thompson, left, goes over a list of events March 9 with Corner Cottage owner Helen Loggins inside the Main Street Market.
MAIN: Thompson active in community ■ Continued from 1 was more interested in my volunteer projects than work and wanted to use what I was good at to apply it in a community and make a difference.” When driving home on her one-year anniversary, Thompson recalled what her first day was like. “I was scared but excited and had no clue what I would gain this year,” she said. “It’s been overwhelming, but I’ve learned how to work with all of the organizations instead of try to do it alone or just with the Main Street Advisory Board.” Thompson is also a part of Leadership Hall and sits on the Keep Hall Beautiful board and Northeast Georgia History Center market-
ing committee. She is part of the city’s committee that will review proposals to develop Gainesville’s downtown. “Gainesville’s community is like no other,” she said. “With the amount of community groups and nonprofits, it has the resources of a big city with the small-town feel.” As the Main Street program moves into its second year, city officials are ready to push it as far as it can go. “During the first year, we didn’t want to change anything and wanted to see what the response was and what was working,” said Catiel Felts, director of the communications and tourism office. “Now we have a better idea of what we need to do.” This will continue to include all aspects
of downtown. “So much happens behind the scenes while the public only sees events or new businesses coming in,” Felts said. “One of our goals is to work more closely with the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce on retail development downtown.” Downtown owners say Thompson’s efforts really make a difference. “Angela always keeps me informed of what’s going on in the city, such as Main Street meetings and the coffee exchange,” said Mary Paglia, owner of Upper Deck skate shop in the Main Street Market. “It helps to be a part of Main Street and downtown and hear what everyone has to say while also putting in your 2 cents worth.”
TOM REED | The Times
Main Street Gainesville manager Angela Thompson, left, and Assistant City Manager Angela Sheppard walk along the storefronts on Washington Street in downtown Gainesville.
Gainesville retail center awaits final steps for completion BY TRICIA L. NADOLNY
tnadolny@gainesvilletimes.com A new 400,000-square-foot retail center in Gainesville has received its regional impact approval, but the developer says questions of rezoning, permitting and tenants still are up in the air. David Winburn, with the developer Carolina Holdings Inc., said many details for the New Holland Market on the corner of Jesse Jewell and Limestone parkways will be
dictated by timelines laid out by interested retailers. He said tentative plans are to open the first stores at the 55-acre site in 2013, which could mean breaking ground in late 2011 or early 2012. “We’re working within (the retailers) time frames,” Winburn said. “And it’s tough for them to allocate capital. So they’re going though a little bit more of an expanded process.” Tim Evans, vice president of economic development at the Greater
Hall Chamber of Commerce, said he sees a need for this kind of development and that factors like population growth and rising household incomes should draw retailers. “I personally have been at the International Council of Shopping Centers and seen that their both, Carolina Holdings, is one of the busiest in the floor and there is a lot of interest from retailers at the Gainesville-Hall County market for a lot of reasons,” he said. The New Holland Market prop-
erty, owned by New Holland and Milliken and Co., is zoned in part for business and part for agriculture, Winburn said. Because the project is above a 300,000-square-foot threshold, it underwent and passed a Developments of Regional Impact study in October and November by the Georgia Mountains Regional. Adam Hazell, planning director for the GMRC, said the impact study includes circulating information about the development to state agen-
cies and local governments which may be affected by the project. “The idea is that these are projects that are potentially large enough that they might have an impact on other communities,” he said. “It gives them a chance to be aware of what is happening, monitor development trends, be aware of possible impacts on infrastructure, roads, traffic congestion, utilities, that sort of thing.” Hazell said the GMRC didn’t receive any negative feedback on the project.
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EDUCATION & GOVERNMENT
Colleges plan expansions in ’11 New buildings cropping up at Gainesville State, NGCSU BY BRANDEN LEFTY
blefty@gainesvilletiems.com Local colleges are set to complete several major construction projects before the end of the year. Gainesville State College in Oakwood will build its “Academic IV” building, which will give the humanities and fine arts department a needed expansion for offices, classrooms and even a television studio. “It’s predominantly for humanities and fine arts,” said David Smith, assistant professor of media studies and member of the building planning committee at Gainesville State. “It’s a great opportunity for us because we’re doubling the
INSIDE List of colleges and contact information, 7
amount of classroom space.” Due to recent budget concerns and cuts, some of the new equipment for the building, like new cameras and lights for the television studio will not be purchased until additional funds can be raised. “It’s about moving forward now that we’ll have the space for it,” Smith said. Despite any economic issues, Smith is optimistic about what the building will mean for Gainesville State’s future. “Everything has as many purposes as possible,” he said. “There’s talk about theater stu-
TOM REED | The Times
Construction workers work on the exterior of the new academic building under way on the campus of Gainesville State College in Oakwood.
dents being able to design and build set pieces for the new studio.” In addition to helping out with students’ academic ca-
reers, the new building represents a stronger connection between Gainesville State and ■ Please see GROW, 7
Shared walls Small programs in schools offer flexible learning
hall county
County adjusts to lower SPLOST BY MELISSA WEINMAN
mweinman@gainesvilletimes.com A year and a half into collections, SPLOST VI is moving along, though collections are coming in slower than expected. In 2009, voters approved the sixth installment of the special purpose local option sales tax, a onecent tax that funds capital projects. So far, a little more than $33 million has been collected and several major projects have begun around the county. Hall County Purchasing Manager Tim Sims said one of the most important functions of SPLOST is building and maintaining roads. “We’ve got several road projects under way,” Sims said. Sims “There are several new roads that are in the process of being designed. The main thing under way is the resurfacing program for local roads.” A major project under construction is the North Hall Park and Community Center. The Nopone Road facility will include traditional athletic amenities as well as a technology center. The county also has used SPLOST funds to purchase a new building that several departments will call home. The court system will be expanding into ■ Please see SPLOST, 6
Road work slows only to gear up in ’12 BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
TOM REED | The Times
Chestnut Mountain Elementary School fifth-grader Ryan Hogan, right, talks to classmate Dean Eidson about Ryan’s project about the turn of the century invention of the typewriter. The project was done as part of the school’s Creative School of Inquiry.
BY ELIZABETH BURLINGAME
eburlingame@gainesvilletimes.com
T
he Creative School of Inquiry is a small school within a big school. “In the program, students focus on developing questions, researching and discovering answers to questions, which they present in a creative way,” Chestnut Mountain Elementary School Principal Sabrina May said. The school is housed inside Chestnut Mountain but the classes are self-contained, and students from across Hall County can apply for the program. This “school within a school” model has been gaining traction in Hall County
‘What we’ve done over the years is challenged our schools and our community to create their dream school and ask, “What is it that your children will get excited about being known for in a world class way?”’ Will Schofield, Hall County Schools superintendent Schools in recent years. “What we’ve done over the years is challenged our schools and our community to create their dream school and ask, ‘What is it that your children will get excited about being known for in a world class way?’” Hall County
Schools Superintendent Will Schofield said. The model, also known as a program of choice, began about five years ago. Schofield said the idea made sense for ■ Please see WITHIN, 7
Those familiar orange barrels may be gone for a while later this year, but look for them to return in early 2012 and stay in South Hall. The Georgia Department of Transportation is wrapping up the long-awaited completion of the Thurmon Tanner Parkway in Oakwood, a $16 million project still short of traffic lights and a top coat of asphalt. When that work is done, major road construction will basically halt for a few months, the first time that’s happened in several years. But work will be gearing back up for a massive project — the widening of Ga. 347, or Lanier Islands Parkway and Friendship Road, between McEver Road and Ga. 211-Old Winder Highway — likely to launch in the spring of 2012. The DOT still is busily buying up right of way for the roadwork. As of March 10, the DOT had closed on 162 of 252 parcels, or 64 percent, needed for the segment between Interstate 985 and Ga. 211. The right of way alone for that 8-mile stretch is expected to cost $66.6 million. The DOT hopes that work will go to bid by November. The agency had closed on 10 of 51 parcels, or 20 percent, needed for the 1.79-mile segment between Atlanta Highway and McEver Road. That right of way is expected to cost $5.5 million. ■ Please see ROADS, 6
Video conferencing opens new worlds Technology gives exposure to new subjects BY ELIZABETH BURLINGAME
eburlingame@gainesvilletimes.com World Language Academy students recently had the chance to visit Siberia, without leaving their classroom. The students were studying white nights, a phenomenon that occurs when the sun doesn’t completely set in parts of the world during summer. “We had a video conference with a contact in Siberia and it was 2 a.m. his time and 2 p.m. our time,” Hall
County Schools Technology Director Aaron Turpin said. “They could see the daytime in the webcam. He talked from a first-person perspective about what life is like when the sun never sets.” Giving kids a window to the other side of the world is just one advantage of video conference technology, Turpin said. A growing number of schools across the district are using the devices on a daily basis. “The technology is in every school
right now,” Turpin said. Hall County Schools expanded its language program last year after the Confucius Institute at Kennesaw State University offered Chinese teachers to begin programs. Turpin said video conferencing is allowing teachers to be in more than one classroom at once. Broadcasts for Mandarin Chinese class are held at North Hall Middle School, World Language Academy and Wauka Mountain Multiple Intelligences Academy. ■ Please see VIDEO, 4
TOM REED | The Times
A World Language Academy class watches as a class in Colombia, South America is brought into their class on a video monitor.
INSIDE: Gainesville makes headway on its Midtown project, 2
CMYK
Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
A publication of
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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
Photos by SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Construction workers begin work on a pedestrian bridge that will span Jesse Jewell Parkway at the Georgia Mountains Center.
Making headway in Midtown Pedestrian bridge construction on the horizon and greenway work under way BY CAROLYN CRIST
ccrist@gainesvilletimes.com
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As Gainesville officials track the success of the city this year, they’re monitoring a handful of specific projects linked to the midtown and downtown areas. They’re hoping for the completion of a greenway and pedestrian bridge and hoping for new ideas for downtown development in the Georgia Mountains Center area, all of which are pegged as public A new pedestrian bridge is under construction to allow foot revitalization projects to pro- traffic to cross Jesse Jewell Parkway to the new City View Center, which will include offices and a hotel. mote private investment. In 2000, Gainesville City Council members asked for strategic investments to spur business growth, and the . Ave projects may finally come to ood 11 w e W g fruition as the economy drags ils Rid hir through the recovery. eD 60 Wilshire “I think the futurer. is a lot Rock Creek Park Trails Park and Amphitheater brighter with the bridge going in and developers starting to get excited about a hotel going in across the street,” said Mayor Pro Tem Danny Longwood Park Dunagan. “We’ve got a lot Ivy Terrace Park going on in little Gainesville, Proposed connector and the future looks interestalong Main Street ing and fun.” . n St o t g 369 n When city officials first 129 hi Was Location of future decided to build a new pubpedestrian bridge lic safety building, bridge and hotel complex to spark Jo h investment in the midtownn C. M area, the greenway anchored orro w Pk the planning stages. wy 53 . A think tank proposed the Planned Midtown idea of using the old rail line multiuse trail to create a walkway to offer green space and a park area. City officials and CSX management agreed on a sale price in 2006 and finally 369 closed on the deal in 2009 af60 ter extensive environmental cleanup. The first stages of construction started in summer 2010, and workers placed several segments of sidewalk. Though physical progress was stagnant during the winter months, visible changes COLIN DUNLOP | The Times will pop up again this month as crews plant trees along the molished public safety build- ing. The complex is the final midtown trail. This summer, ing area. Construction on the bridge piece of the puzzle as city offiworkers will transform parts of the CSX railroad mainte- is set to begin this month. cials look for ideas to revamp nance yard into a stage area. Crews are currently mov- downtown development at “We’ve awarded contracts ing water and sewer lines the same time. The city issued to plant trees, and those near the Georgia Mountains a request for proposals in must be planted by the end Center to make way for the January to repurpose 4 acres of March,” said Jessica Tul- bridge’s foundation and sup- around the square, including the Georgia Mountains Cenlar, the city’s special proj- port beams. “We’re starting the grad- ter and the two parking lots at ects manager. “By the end of 2011, residents will see ing on the south side already, Main and Maple streets that signs, benches, trash cans and we can move on immedi- face Jesse Jewell Parkway. “We have no preconceived and marked street crossings, ately on the north side after making it a fully usable trail we move the utilities,” said notions, which probably in 12-15 months if permitting Tim Collins, the city’s assis- sounds like a broken record from the state comes through tant public utilities manager. by now,” said Angela Shep“You don’t know what you’ve pard, assistant city manager as expected.” Residents will also see vis- got until you get in the ground and project manager for the ible changes in Gainesville’s sometimes, and then there proposals. “The city is reskyline this summer as the are weather delays, but we’re ally open to all alternatives and ideas. We understand pedestrian bridge is put in still on track.” City View, a planned high- it will take a while to get off place by August. Similar to the design on the rise hotel or office building the ground, but we hope a sign at the demolished site, featured as the keystone of project can be completed in the bridge will feature a con- redeveloping midtown, is three to five years and would crete base, metal handrails paying for the bridge. The like to see movement even and fencing along the sides. city will reimburse up to $3 sooner.” A 2004 feasibility study Projected to be 450 feet long million for the bridge once and 10 feet wide, it will span a certificate of occupancy is recommended that the GeorJesse Jewell Parkway from issued for an office building gia Mountains Center should the west side of the Georgia or hotel that will sit in place expand, but officials were unMountains Center to the de- of the old public safety build- able to move forward before
the economy took a downturn. Most convention centers break even with operating budgets, instead looking to the overall economic impact numbers to the area, but city officials want more. “The last several years of acts have declined, and the low occupancy rate does not pay expenses,” said council member Bob Hamrick. “Somehow we need to face that, and it seems like we ought to take a look at the center really going after
new business.” Part of the solution is marketing Gainesville in general, noted Catiel Felts, the city’s director of communications and tourism. “Every community is different, and it’s hard to tell what people are going for, so you have to sell Gainesville for what it has to offer,” she said. “Many groups rotate locations for conventions, so we need to get on people’s rotations. It just takes a while, and hopefully our name is
getting out there.” As the economy picks up, council members hope to see investment in the midtown area, more retail in empty downtown storefronts and more groups at the Georgia Mountains Center. “A big factor in all of this is the economy being where it was,” council member George Wangemann said. “It’s going to take a few years to build back up, but when it gets there, I think we’ll really see some growth.”
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A Georgia Charter School System
508 Oak Street, NW Gainesville, Georgia 30501
770-536-5275
GAINESVILLE CITY AND HALL COUNTY SCHOOLS THANK THE CITIZENS FOR A BETTER EDUCATION 2011, THE GREATER HALL COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND THE COMMUNITY FOR THE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF OUR CHILDREN.
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Woods Mill Academy Woods Mill High School: E 20/20 technology Blended learning with Accelerated and Flexible instruction for Grades 9-12 Woods Mill Alternative Learning Center for Grades 6-8: E 20/20 Technology Blended Learning with Specialized Learning Support Wee Elephant Day Care: Child Care and Development Partnership with Gainesville High School Careers. net R.O.T.C. Center 273955 3-27 lm
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‘It lets teachers walk around the room and have control of their environment. They don’t have to go up to write on the board anymore.’ Jamey Moore, director of instruction for Gainesville City Schools
education & government
System keeps kids, teachers connected BY ELIZABETH BURLINGAME
eburlingame@gainesvilletimes.com
Photos by SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Woods Mill Academy student Doneshia Randolph works Friday afternoon with teacher Lisa Sheehy and a projection unit on the classroom’s Promethean interactive white board.
A smarter classroom Interactive white boards give teachers new control BY ELIZABETH BURLINGAME
eburlingame@ gainesvilletimes.com In sixth-grade teacher Eddie Nemec’s classroom, kids answer questions with what they call a clicker. The transmitters used at Gainesville Middle School provide instant feedback during lessons. Nemec said the transmitters create a bar graph on the board containing a percentage of correct answers, which allows him to know immediately where kids are struggling and judge his own effectiveness. “If I see that only 20 percent got the answer right, I say ‘OK, let’s go back,’” he said. The transmitters are one of a few technological advances made in local schools. Smart boards is another recent advance. Jamey Moore, director of instruction for Gainesville City Schools, said the boards, also known as Promethean boards, are a great way to have education meet the 21st century. The interactive boards allow teachers and students to review and share documents, lets teachers put their lessons up on the screen and surf the Web for videos related to a topic. Most of the teachers at Gainesville Middle School
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Woods Mill Academy 11th- and 12th-grade math students have a Promethean white board in teacher Lisa Sheehy’s classroom.
use “active slates” he said, which give teachers the freedom of movement. The slates are wireless, notebook-sized tablets that accept touch input from a finger or digital pen. “It lets teachers walk around the room and have control of their environment. They don’t have to go up to write on the board anymore,” Moore said. Moore said the boards help keep young people engaged. Teachers also are trying different technologies based on their classroom environment, such as a product called eBeam. EBeam is a system that transforms any standard
white board or surface into an interactive white board, Moore said. Students and teachers can use an interactive stylus or marker to add notes, manipulate images and create drawings. “It uses a sensor, sort of like the sensor bar for the Wii,” Moore said. “It knows where your pen is in relation to the sensor bar.” Moore added that students, who are accustomed to the rapid advancements in technology, don’t think much of using a digital pen to create notes remotely. “They don’t pay much attention to it; it’s usually the teachers that are amazed,” he said.
VIDEO: Schools offer more, save money ■ Continued from 1 The teachers call and connect with other schools, such as Davis Middle and Spout Springs Elementary schools, and the image of both classrooms is displayed on the screen at the front of the class. “There’s a paraprofessional or adult in the other classroom,” Turpin said. For images and video, the teacher can connect a laptop to the television screen to provide the materials to the other class. Turpin said the conference technology is also voice activated. “The person talking shows up on the big screen,” he said. Using the devices can help the district save money, and expand certain programs, he said. “Many students taking Chinese now wouldn’t have had Chinese if we didn’t have this. We don’t have the financial resources to hire Chinese teachers,” Turpin said. It also expands the classroom walls and provides students learning experiences without losing instructional time, Carrie Woodcock, a coordinator at World Language said. “If we only have one teacher we can share the wealth so to speak,” she said. “In the old days, a teacher would have to drive across town and lose an hour of instruction.” About three times a week, students at West Hall High
TOM REED | The Times
Esperanza Yejia and her World Language Academy class watch as they share a lesson with a class in Colombia, South America, by way of video conference.
‘Students could read a novel, video conference with the author and learn about ... writing style.’ Aaron Turpin Hall County Schools technology director School take Calculus 3 with freshmen from Georgia Tech. They work in small groups with a teacher and graduate student the other two days, Turpin said. “Students in several schools are also participating with nanotechnology researchers,” Turpin said of Georgia Tech. Woodcock added that ev-
ery Friday, World Language students meet with a class in Colombia. “Our kids are studying in Spanish and their students are studying in English, so sometimes they ask questions in English and our students answer in Spanish,” she said. “It allows them to communicate in their target language of study.” Hall County Schools began piloting the video conference technology about two years ago, which expanded to the full county in 2010. The devices were purchased using federal grant funding for school renovation projects. Turpin said it’s use will only continue to grow. “Students could read a novel, video conference with the author and learn about emotive or writing style,” he said. “It’s a very personalized way to learn.”
Hall County teachers will soon have a new tool for today’s wired students. The district is developing a new learning management system that would allow students to get lessons and track their progress online. It’s called Hall Connect and is part of a partnership with Dell. “We’re talking about truly creating opportunities for students to learn 24/7,” Hall County Schools Superintendent Will Schofield said. Students will log in to an online server using devices such as iPads, smart phones or computers. “A student ought to be able to log in and see a screen that shows all of their activities, all of their progress and that has safe and protected Web 2.0 resources where they can interact with their classmates and teachers in terms of getting help and problem solving,” Schofield said. The new system would be introduced to some schools as early as September, Hall County Technology Director Aaron Turpin said. Dell is currently working on an interface, and covering a majority of the cost. Turpin explained that a partnership with Dell began about one year ago. “Dell believes that Hall is one of the national leaders in education and that where we’re heading with blended learning is where the future of education is heading,” Turpin said. Hall Connect would allow teachers to include videos, text and research materials compiled from reliable Internet sources. They would also be customized to meet state standards. “We are way past the time when we should still be playing with traditional textbooks,” Schofield said. “Teachers should have all of the up-to-the-minute wiki-based resources for what they’re teaching, video vignettes of model lessons and free shareware to support instruction.” Another piece of Hall Connect will include parents, Schofield said. Parents could log on to a server-protected site and find information such as what their child is learning, what their test scores are and the resources to help them. After-school homework help is another option for the technology, Schofield said. “I find it fascinating that in 2011, if I buy a washing machine and have a problem with it, I can pick up a phone or go to my computer to chat with someone to fix it,” Schofield said. “But if I’m a parent of a student who is having difficulty in chemistry, I don’t have an option online or I can’t pick up a help line, and I know we can do that.” Turpin added that the system will be filtered and password protected to keep students safe. Turpin added that blended learning environments are key as students compete for jobs with people across the globe. “Collaboration and developing interactive performance outcomes are important skills that today’s future employers will look for,” he said. Turpin said that while iPads, laptops and other technology are useful, they are only learning aids. “They can’t replace a classroom teacher,” he said.
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ROADS: DOT hopes to resurface Ga. 365 from Ga. 52 to US 441 in summer ■ Continued from 1 The estimated construction cost for the Friendship portion of the project is $48.8 million. The Lanier Island Parkway work is expected to cost $18.9 million. The Thurmon Tanner project was supposed to be finished in December, providing the final link in a fourlane parkway connecting Atlanta Highway near Oakwood to Phil Niekro Boulevard in Flowery Branch. But several issues developed, including the timing of ordering signal lights with the completion of the overall project. “We are still negotiating a time extension with the contractor,” said Teri Pope, spokeswoman at the DOT’s Gainesville office. “But as weather permits, they are continuing to work.” This summer, the DOT is hoping to embark on a $17 million resurfacing of Ga. 365 from Ga. 52 near Lula to U.S. 441-Ga. 17 in Habersham County, a 20-mile stretch. “The project would be restricted to overnight work only, Sundays through Thursdays,” Pope said. Also, the right-of-way process has started on the eventual widening of U.S. 129 (Athens Highway) from Gillsville Highway in East Hall to the Pendergrass Bypass in Jackson County, a 6mile stretch. No money has been tagged for construction yet — an estimated $35 million is needed — but the DOT will be tied up in right of way for a while, as it has 166 parcels identified for the work. “It will take two to three years to negotiate and purchase that many parcels,” Pope said. Hall County has a big slate of other projects it would like to pursue but for which it lacks funding. Officials are hoping one source for that work will be a planned 1-cent sales tax for roads. The county was set to submit a wish list of transportation projects by March 30 to the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission. The state’s Transportation Investment Act of 2010 allows voters in regions throughout the state to decide whether they favor an additional penny tax for transportation and transit improvements. As part of the law, the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission formed the Northeast Georgia roundtable, a 26-member group made up of mayors and top county government leaders from throughout Northeast Georgia. The Georgia Mountains Regional Commission has until April 13 to submit the lists from each of the governments in its coverage area to the DOT. The projects must have some kind of regional impact, such as in health care, economic development and tourism. One fitting that description would be the U.S. 129 project, which would help route commercial traffic from Interstate 85 to I985. Several other steps must take place this year to move the tax proposal along, with the referendum set for Aug.
Photo courtesy of Ga. Department of Transportation
The nearly completed section of the extension of Thurmon Tannner Parkway looking north toward Mundy Mill road.
TOM REED | The Times
Traffic moves along Friendship Road, one of the local roads slated for widening.
Photo courtesy of Ga. Department of Transportation
The nearly completed section of the Thurmon Tanner Parkway extension as it crosses Oakwood Road and going towards Merchant Square on Mundy Mill Road.
21, 2012. If the tax is approved, the state would begin distributing proceeds in 2013, with 75 percent of the money dedicated to regional projects decided on by the roundtable and 25 percent going to local governments using their discretion on projects. In a separate but somewhat related matter, Hall County is developing a transportation plan that looks at needs through 2040, based largely on projected population and job growth. The county must develop a plan and submit it to the
Atlanta Regional Commission, which oversees federal air quality standards for a 20-county district, including Hall. The plan, which must be approved by August, features many projects that have talked about for years, including the widening of Spout Springs Road and a new four-lane road connecting the Sardis Road area to Ga. 60/Thompson Bridge Road. It estimates $2 billion in funding from federal, state and local sources, not including the proposed 1-cent tax.
SPLOST: Planned to take in $240M ■ Continued from 1 the courthouse annex where the administrative offices are now located. “We have bought the Liberty Mutual building for the administrative offices and we are paying for the space needs to try to fit everyone we can in that building and get them out of the leased spaces that we have,” Sims said. “Hopefully we will be in that building this time next year.” Collections in SPLOST VI, which was planned to collect $240 million over six years, are significantly lower than expected. “We’re not making those projections. Overall, the program is not going to make $240 million,” Interim Finance Director Lisa Johnsa said. “Looking at the history of the first 18 months, we’re going to be 25 percent down overall.” Johnsa said the finance department will create a revised SPLOST plan for the Hall County Board of Commissioners to adopt during the 2012 budget process. “We’re not going to be able to do all the projects to the magnitude they were origi-
nally spelled out in the referendum,” Johnsa said. There are many other projects planned for the remaining years of the SPLOST. “Over the course of five years as collections come in, some things are year one, some things don’t start until year five. So they don’t always get completed after you get your collections in,” Sims said. Hall County Fire Services is scheduled to purchase several new ambulances. “They are scheduled for two a year starting in year two of SPLOST,” Sims said. Money has also been set aside for a North Hall library. Following a contentious debate, the commission voted at the beginning of the year to build the library in the town of Clermont. The county is also in the process of wrapping up several projects from the previous SPLOST V, which ended in 2009. The Cool Springs Park is funded with money set aside in SPLOST V. Although the commissioners decided to halt work on the park, they voted in February to move forward with baseball fields on the property.
There is also money leftover in SPLOST V for a fire station. “They’ve held off on the fire station relocations because of the operating costs they would incur once opened,” Sims said. “With the economy being like it is, the county can’t really add any additional operating costs at this time. To operate a fire station, it’s a considerable amount of money per year to staff it and operate it.” Sims said though voters have the option of voting for SPLOST, it plays a very essential role in the county’s growth and progress. “In my opinion SPLOST is very needed in the county. Mainly the projects put in SPLOST are our roads, our sewer, fire departments, things that are capital needs,” Sims said. “If we didn’t have this vehicle called SPLOST we would have to charge more property taxes to add these. “As our county is growing, this is a vehicle that helps fund this that is fair to everyone. It’s not only our property owners that help pay for this, it’s anyone that spends money in Hall County.”
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TOM REED | The Times
Work is continuing on new academic buildings that are part of more expansion of classrooms on the campus of Gainesville State College in Oakwood.
GROW: Cadet residency hall open in spring 2012 ■ Continued from 1 the community. “I’d love to have some connection with local nonprofits,” Smith said, “and incorporate our media with the community.” Student clubs and organizations would be able to use media studies students as well as the new equipment to create promotional videos for themselves or causes they support. “They get the video, our students get the experience and the school gets outreach with the community,” Smith said. “Everybody wins.” While Gainesville State is doubling its size, North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega also will have brand new buildings completed by the end of the calendar year. These construction projects include a new dining hall, a new bookstore and a new cadet residence hall. Daniel Bentley, a Gainesville State student who is set to attend NGCSU this fall, said he is excited about all of the growth. “They spent a lot of time
on the design of the buildings, here at GSC and at North Georgia,” he said. “They really fit with the schools.” As a participant in student government and as a leader in many of the extracurricular activities at GSC, Bentley said he is always looking for ways to improve the sense of community among his fellow classmates. “These buildings make great incentives for students to stay on campus,” Bentley said, “and you just have to have these things. If you don’t, you can’t keep students on campus to help form a community.” While it might be finished by the end of this year, NGCSU’s new cadet residence hall will not see its first occupants until the spring semester of 2012. Bentley, while excited for the building, said he wishes it could be open as soon as possible for students who wish to live at the campus. “I know that I’m looking for residence at least within walking distance of my classes,” he said. “I can’t wait until they’re all finished.”
Northeast Georgia colleges Gainesville State College, Oakwood Two-year institution in the University System of Georgia Contact: 770-718-3639, www.gc.peachnet.edu. Brenau University, Gainesville Four-year private institution Contact: 770-534-6299, 800-252-5119, www.brenau. edu Lanier Technical College, Oakwood Two-year institution run by the state Department of Technical and Adult Education Contact: 770-531-6300, www.laniertech.edu Piedmont College, Demorest Four-year private institution Contact: 800-277-7020, 706-776-0103, www. piedmont.edu Truett-McConnell College, Cleveland Private institution offering two-year and four-year degrees Contact: 800-226-8621, admissions information only, 706-865-2134, 706-865-2136, www.truett.edu North Georgia College & State University, Dahlonega Four-year institution in the University System of Georgia Contact: 706-864-1400, www.ngcsu.edu North Georgia Technical College, Clarkesville Two-year institution run by the state Department of Technical and Adult Education Contact: 706-754-7700, www.clarkes.tec.ga.us
TOM REED | The Times
Will Cornett, right, a fifth-grader at Chestnut Mountain Elementary School, talks to classmate Cally Peck about his project explaining the invention of the motorcycle. The project was part of a class project about inventions from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and are part of the Creative School of Inquiry at Chestnut Mountain.
WITHIN: Families have to arrange transportation ■ Continued from 1 Hall County, given the district’s geography. “If you’re a small district and have a handful of schools and you want to let people choose, it works. Because with minimal transportation, you can shuttle students around the district,” he said. “That was impossible for Hall County. It can take an hour to get from our northernmost school to our southernmost school.” The model allows parents to choose a program that best suits their child, regardless of where they live, he added. Families who live outside the school zone generally provide their own transportation. “We realized very quickly to offer complete choice in Hall County wasn’t going to work so what we decided to do is create these niche programs of choice, but encourage it in every area of Hall County,” Schofield said. The Creative School of Inquiry has been in operation for about a year, and has nearly 75 students. One thing that sets the program apart from traditional classrooms is the level of integration, May said. Subjects such as social studies and reading are infused in every unit. “For example, if a student is learning about the Civil War, they might read books about the war, write scripts about the characters and learn social studies about the Civil War,” she said. There is also a high level of technology, May said. Students have used green screens to create videos and recording equipment for various research projects. May added that her school is entertaining the idea of becoming a charter school. “We hope to use this model for all kids in the school,” she said. While the schools have flexibility when it comes to programs of choice, they still adhere to the Georgia Performance Standards, Schofield said.
‘What we’re admitting is we can’t offer everyone everything but that should not stop you from continuing to offer choices where you can. We firmly believe choice is a good thing.’ Will Schofield Hall County Schools superintendent Hall County high schools have also made the move to develop niche programs geared toward students’ interest. Late last year, the Hall County school board approved three new programs at Chestatee High School, West Hall High School and Johnson High School. The “schools within schools” were developed to meet the needs of students graduating from the county’s charter schools. Some schools of choice, such as Da Vinci Academy, have smaller class sizes and innovative ways of teaching.
School leaders at the high school said they envision their programs will offer the same. West Hall High School has been working on a program called the Innovation Institute, which would allow students to learn holistically. The five classes would be taught by gifted-endorsed teachers, who will visit Da Vinci for inspiration. The newest “school within a school” addition will be the Advanced Scholars Academy at Riverbend Elementary School. The Hall County school board approved the pro-
gram last month. School leaders said it will provide accelerated instruction, customized schedules and fluidity within and between grade levels. Schofield said the district has made a commitment to offer more choices for families. “What we’re admitting is we can’t offer everyone everything but that should not stop you from continuing to offer choices where you can,” Schofield said. “We firmly believe choice is a good thing.”
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Rising costs stifling growth USDA projects only slight increases in broiler, egg markets BY DAVID B. STRICKLAND
dstrickland@poultryandeggnews.com
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
An Eskimo Cold Storage forklift moves down the narrow isles toward a specific pallet of frozen food to be moved for shipping. Eskimo Cold Storage’s system makes it more efficient in locating and retrieving shelved product. The warehouse handles all types of frozen foods from poultry to seafood with the ability to blast freeze products for shipment the next day.
Cold storage warehouse provides a frigid, vital link to Hall County poultry industry BY EMILY PERRY For The Times
The chicken truck is a daily sighting in Gainesville but few realize just where in the world that poultry ends up. Enter the cold storage warehouse. Facilities in Hall County handle the freezing, storage and transportation of millions of pounds of poultry a year. “We handled in and out in 2010, 545 million pounds,” said Karen Reece, vice president of Eskimo Cold Storage on Athens Highway. “We average about 80 to 90 trucks in and out of here a day.” Eskimo has 125,000 square feet of space. “It’s 4.4 million cube, we get our volume from the height. Inside the freezer it’s about 40 feet high,” Reece said. Eskimo handles mainly poultry but “we will do anything edible,” she said. Cold storage is just what the name implies, it’s a giant warehouse with a constant temperature rivaling Georgia’s coldest winter. The freezer at Lanier Cold Storage on Cornelia Highway is maintained at minus 10 degrees. But that is nothing compared to their “blast cells,” which are closet-like rooms adjacent to the massive freezer storage space. Blast cells thoroughly freeze fresh poultry over a 24-hour period by means of a refrigeration unit that forces icy wind to circulate around the product. “You’re going to see temperature in the blast cells of about 30 below zero, 36 below zero,” said Preston Bowen, co-owner of Lanier Cold Storage. “We check and make sure everything gets down below zero. Everything export has to be zero degrees or colder.” Bowen and his business partner, Larry Glover, built Lanier Cold Storage in 2001 and they were able to double the company’s size by 2005. They have approximately 100 employees and operate according to their customer’s schedule. “We open at 7:30, 8 a.m., and we pretty much have to run until the customer gets finished producing for the day,” Bowen said. “We don’t just store poultry,” said Leslie Pinion, office manager at Lanier. “We have pharmaceutical, seafood, we have pies.” They store product ranging from precooked breaded chicken used at local chain restaurants to drugs that require refrigeration, all of which is kept in their 230,000-square-foot facility.
‘Nobody wants to grow up and be a warehouseman. It kind of just happens to you. There’s two kinds of warehousemen; there’s the kind that get in, hate it and get out. And then the kind that gets in, loves it and stays forever. Steve (Williams) and I love it forever.’ Karen Reece, Vice president, Eskimo Cold Storage The large amount of frozen storage space is necessary to handle the volume of poultry grown in Hall County for consumption, over 5.5 million birds in 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture. Cold storage warehouses are a vital link in the supply chain between the producers and the consumer. “We can’t make it without them,” said Tom Hensley, president of Fieldale Farms in Baldwin. “They’re critical to our continued success.” Fieldale uses both Eskimo and Lanier. “When (the product) gets to the cold storage, the most important thing is keeping track of it and keeping it secure,” Hensley said. “When it gets there, we don’t want any broken boxes and we don’t want them to get lost. We don’t want it to warm up. They do a great job.” Larry Glover of Lanier said they provide the stability needed for the producers. “We’re the balancing act for them. When you hear on the news that Russia’s cut off imports of chicken, or the issue with China, it takes a poultry producer some time to adjust production to accommodate that,” he said. “In the meantime, this freezer can hold that production until they can do something with it. We may be building inventory while the market’s getting adjusted or worked out to actually ship somewhere. But when that market opens up, we’re slammed with trying to load containers or get trucks out,” he said. Bowen said corn and fuel costs are at the top of their list of concerns. “It could lead to higher prices, less production, pulling back until things settle down. The high energy costs affect everybody. It costs me more to freeze it and you more to buy it,” he said.
Eskimo and Lanier handle fresh and pre-frozen product for their customers. They provide blast freezing for the fresh product, storage and then oversee the eventual shipping of everything they take in. Reece said 70 percent of what they handle is exported to other countries such as Russia, Kuwait, Iraq, Singapore and Japan. “We have the West Indies, Panama, huge amounts going to China,” he said. “Anywhere the U.S. is allowed to go we are approved, including Mexico and Canada.” If poultry is going to be shipped to the Middle East, it has to be Halal certified, or blessed, before it is slaughtered. “That’s up to the customer; we don’t have any way here to bless. It has to be blessed as it’s slaughtered,” Reece said. “There are two processing methods that use that, and that’s for Muslim or Jewish customers,” Hensley said. “We don’t sell in either one of those markets. Kosher markets particularly are burdensome because you have to employ (something) like 15 rabbis in your plant, you’re not allowed to use hot water in the scalding process. It’s a very burdensome process. It’s a great market but it’s just too complicated for us.” The governments of each country require numerous amounts of documentation, such as verification of compliance, flock health certification, ante-mortem records and laboratory test results, which must accompany every shipment. A requirement of the U.S. is a full-time USDA inspector at each cold storage warehouse. Reece said when a customer requests that their product be shipped, her company has to provide the proper
WASHINGTON — Moderate increases are being projected for broilers for the first half of 2011, with production forecasts declining for the second half of the year, notes USDA’s Economic Research Service in its February “Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook” report. However, the department anticipates table egg production to increase slightly for the year, and reach 6.6 billion dozen. Turkey production may be similar to broilers with increases for the first of the year, and declines in the second half, ERS said.
Broilers “The estimate for broiler meat production in 2011 is 37.3 billion pounds, up about 1 percent from 2010,” the report said. “The broiler industry is expected to face conflicting pressures during 2011. Broiler product demand is expected to gradually increase as domestic consumption growth is supported by an improving economy and gradually falling unemployment rates.” Broiler producers, in response to higher feed prices, have reduced expansion plans, ERS adds. “In December 2010, broiler meat production was reported at 3.17 billion pounds, up 6.9 percent from a year earlier,” the department noted. “The number of birds slaughtered increased year-over-year by 3 percent, and additionally, the average liveweight at slaughter rose to 5.85 pounds, 3.5 percent higher than in December 2009. “Broiler meat production in fourth quarter 2010 totaled 9.48 billion pounds, up sharply (7.4 percent) from fourth quarter 2009. The growth was again due to both an increase in the number of broilers being slaughtered (up 3.5 percent) and a strong increase in the average liveweight at slaughter (up 3.6 percent).” A record was noted for the average liveweight, per bird, at slaughter in the fourth quarter of last year — 5.87 pounds, ERS said. In regard to broiler exports, 2010 saw many challenges being faced, primarily in regard to trade issues with Russia and China, the report added. “These issues brought about great fluctuations in broiler shipments, but the resumption of trade with Russia contributed to large shipment volumes toward the year’s end,” ERS said. “In December, broiler shipments totaled 619 million pounds, an 8 percent increase from (December 2009). Most of the increase in December 2010 broiler shipments came from Russia, Mexico, Hong Kong and Angola, four of the U.S. top seven broiler markets. The reported noted that broiler shipments to Russia increased 63 percent from the same time the previous year. Mexican trade increased 22 percent; Hong Kong trade increased 143 percent; and trade to Angola increased 345 percent. In regard to Eastern Europe, the report noted that, “In December 2009, lower exports to Georgia, Lithuania and Ukraine accounted for 7 percent of U.S. broiler shipments, but one year later their combined share dwindled to less than 1 percent.”
Eggs The slight increase in table egg production being forecast for 2011, 6.6 billion dozen up from 6.5 billion dozen last year, ERS said should be spread throughout the course of the year. And the increase is “expected to come from small increases in the number of hens in the table egg flock, combined with relatively little change in the rate of eggs produced per bird,” the report noted. “The number of birds in the table egg flock
■ Please see STORAGE, 2
INSIDE: Egg industry puts focus on safety program, 4
■ Please see OUTLOOK, 2
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Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
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OUTLOOK: Turkey meat market is facing decline ■ Continued from 1
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Eskimo Cold Storage Loader Lucio Gomez moves a pallet of frozen chicken into waiting trucks on the loading dock of the Athens Highway cold storage facility.
STORAGE: Warehouse keeps various items on ice ■ Continued from 1 documentation for the inhouse USDA inspector as part of the formal shipping process. Recently they moved to a 24-hour, six-day week operating schedule to handle the volume. “It is interesting, every country has its own set of rules,” Pinion said. “Interesting or difficult, whichever one you want to call it. Those rules change constantly and it is up to us to keep up with it.” Pinion said the USDA has a website that allows them to stay current with the ever changing rules, and they have to be in compliance at all times. “We may have 24 hours, we may have a week. But it’s just a matter of reading the library.” Lanier ships most of its product from Savannah and occasionally they use ports in other states. “It depends on the destination,” Bowen said. “Some ships can’t come into Savannah because it’s not deep enough. So they have to carry it to Gulf Port or up to South Carolina.” Once a shipment is approved for export, then the process of hand stacking
and loading the product begins. “The most containers we’ve loaded a day is 15. A semitrailer box will hold 55,000 to 56,000 pounds on a container,” Pinion said. That amounts to 3,100 cases of product. “What we do here is fairly labor intensive. We do a lot of stacking and restacking and unstacking and stacking again,” Glover said. Loading dock temperatures are kept at a maximum of 38 degrees and sometimes colder depending on the weather. “We fill (semitrailers) up, and they’re just on rails with tires. They get to the port, take them off the rails and set them on the ship,” Glover said. “I would guess that we ship 100 to 125 million pounds a year export,” Bowen said. Pinion added, “Once these doors are shut on a container, they’re not opened again until they reach Singapore or they reach China.” Lanier also has the capability to ship via the railroad system. “That’s something unique about us, I guess we’re the only freezer that has rail service tied directly to the facility. We’ve got a spur in and
we load two cars at a time. We probably average shipping three to four railcars a week now,” Glover said. One railcar will hold about three tractor-trailer boxes he said. As far as what kind of poultry is generally exported, Americans are keeping the white meat and sending the rest overseas. “What we export mainly is dark meat and paws, which is the chicken foot. There’s a huge market for paws in China,” Reece said. “Steve Williams, my business partner, and I, we’ve been in this business more than 30 years each, we never saw a chicken paw come through. It was junk and sent to the rendering plant.” Although cold storage is an industry that is predominately male, Reece said she enjoys it. “I asked (the men) ‘who thought they were going to grow up to be a warehouseman?’ Nobody wants to grow up and be a warehouseman. It kind of just happens to you. There’s two kinds of warehousemen; there’s the kind that get in, hate it and get out. And then the kind that gets in, loves it and stays forever. Steve and I love it forever,”
she said. Cold storage warehousing has come a long way when it comes to educating owners and employees. Reece said in the beginning “there was no such thing as ‘warehousing 101.’ But, now, as part of the (International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses), they have a three-year class called The Institute located at Georgia Tech.” Both Eskimo and Lanier are members of the IARW, established in 1891 to help its members keep abreast of new technology, safe food handling and transportation practices, regulations and legislation that affect the industry. “Thankfully poultry is still big in this area and I think it will continue to be big for a while because it is labor intensive,” Glover said. “This area still has a lot of labor. Although we’re seeing the chicken houses move further away from Gainesville, a lot of product is hauled back in here for processing.” “Basically warehousing is pluses and minuses. You add product, you take product away. But the things that happen in the middle are what’s exciting to me,” Reece said.
was higher in 4 of the 6 months in the second half of 2010, and the flock is expected to remain above year-earlier levels through the first several months of 2011.” Egg production is also being impacted by higher feed costs, but the price of eggs may get some support from the increased prices for beef and pork, the department adds. “With only a small increase in egg production and a strong gain in exports, domestic wholesale egg prices averaged just over $1.06 per dozen in 2010, up 3 percent from the previous year,” the report noted. “Prices in fourth quarter 2010 averaged $1.23 per dozen, a gain of 4.7 percent from fourth quarter 2009. In January 2011, table egg prices declined to around $1.03 per dozen in the New York market . . . however, by February 2011, prices had strengthened somewhat, to just over $1.10 per dozen.” In response to production growth and an anticipated decrease in export trade, ERS projects wholesale table egg prices for 2011 to average 98 cents to $1.04 per dozen.
Turkeys “Turkey meat production in 2011 is forecast to total 5.62 billion pounds, down slightly from 2010,” the report noted. “The current forecast is an increase of 65 million pounds from the January forecasts. If realized, this would be the third year in a row with declining turkey meat production.” The department adds
that this decreased turkey meat production will be from fewer birds slaughtered and average liveweight will be similar to levels from the previous year. “Turkey producers, like other livestock producers, will be faced with sharply higher feed costs and the uncertainty over whether wholesale prices will be high enough to maintain positive margins,” ERS said. There were 243 million turkeys slaughtered in 2010, which is just slightly more than 1 percent fewer than in 2009, the department added. “In 2010, turkey meat production fell marginally (down 0.3 percent) to 5.6 billion pounds,” the report noted. “The lower number of turkeys slaughtered was the reason for the decline, as the annual average of liveweight for turkey at slaughter in 2010 was 29.1 pounds, a small increase (0.7 percent) from the previous year.” For whole frozen turkey hens, the average national price was 88.1 cents per pound in January, this marked a 21 percent increase from the previous year, but was a 10 percent decline from December 2010, ERS said, adding that it’s the traditional trend for turkey prices to decrease at the beginning of the year. “With only slightly higher production expected during the first half of 2011 and much lower beginning stocks of whole birds and other turkey meat, national prices for frozen hens are expected to remain above year-earlier levels at least through the first half of 2011.”
Egg production is also being impacted by higher feed costs, but the price of eggs may get some support from the increased prices for beef and pork.
CMYK poultry
A publication of
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | PROGRESS | Sunday, March 27, 2011
CMYK
Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
A publication of
poultry
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
Egg industry focused on safety Deal calls for
withdrawal of federal rule
BY GENE GREGORY For The Times
ALPHARETTA — In anticipation of the FDA Egg Safety Rule becoming effective last July, United Egg Producers had provided several means of communications to educate egg farmers on the rule’s requirements. Additionally, UEP assumed management of the Egg Safety Center and revised the www.eggsafety.org website as a communication tool for producers, retailers, media, consumers, etc. During preparation for the Egg Safety Rule, we had no way of knowing that our industry was about to be hit with the largest egg recall in history nor the national media coverage this recall gained for more than a month. Making the egg recall even more newsworthy was the political initiative in Washington to use this as further reasons to pass federal food safety legislation. It became a crisis that first caused market prices to increase with eggs being diverted from the shell egg market to pasteurization, followed by a loss of consumer trust and a severe market price decline. While two Iowa farms were the center of the story and severely impacted, the entire industry suffered from the negative news. Never had the industry experienced such a crisis. But as we reflect on the actions of UEP, the Egg Safety Center and the American Egg Board, we feel confident that we did a rather good job. Can we learn from this and do a better job in the future, most certainly. Immediately after the crisis, UEP’s board of directors passed a motion urging FDA to require that all flocks for shell egg markets be vaccinated for Salmonella enteritidis. UEP met with FDA and conveyed this message along with a willingness to partner with the agency to improve on-farm egg safety programs. With FDA’s support, UEP is now embarking upon writing a national food safety program with auditing and certification. The program will be submitted to FDA in hopes of achieving their support or endorsement. My viewpoint on food safety is that our customers expect us to do everything possible to produce a safe food product. At the same time, whether we like the FDA Egg Safety Rule or not, it is the law and every egg producer must understand that a lack of compliance on their part or any future major egg recalls will have a negative impact upon the entire industry. Our industry is also once again facing potential decisions about animal welfare and the acceptable housing of the future. Legislation in California and Michigan has caused egg farmers
From staff reports
McClatchy Tribune file photo
in those states to question what kind of housing they may use after 2015 and 2020. The American Humane Association and others are promoting the idea of the European-style enriched colony housing. We know that the enriched colony housing will provide comparable performance in terms of egg production, livability and feed conversion. We also know that the hens will use the perch and nest in these systems. We also know that the capita investment and on-going production costs are considerably higher than conventional cages. The question that must be answered, however, is if there sufficient science to justify the European standards of 116 square inches of floor space and 4.7 inches of feeder space per bird. These European standards were mandated for cage systems after Jan. 1, 2012, with very little, if any, scientific research having been conducted. UEP is calling for scientific research projects of enriched colony housing to be conducted and completed as
quickly as possible. One such project that UEP’s board of directors is urging producers’ support is a new research facility at Michigan State University. Other research projects are already in the process and others will come along to answer the much-needed questions. Our industry just needs time and patience from our customers and legislators to find the scientific answers. We have proven that we will make changes that are scientifically supported. My viewpoint on egg-laying housing systems is that all systems have their advantages and disadvantages. Some have more advantages than others, but our job is to produce the product that is in demand by consumers. Consumer choices should not be taken away by misguided legislation or market intimidation imposed by animal activists with a vegetarian and political agenda. Gene Gregory is president of the United Egg Producers with offices in Alpharetta.
WASHINGTON — Gov. Nathan Deal has recommended that the U.S. Department of Agriculture withdraw its proposed rule on the production and marketing of poultry and livestock because it would be “costly and disruptive” and goes beyond the intent of Congress. “Gov. Deal’s comments are right on target and should be considered seriously by the Agriculture Department,” said , the National Chicken Council President George Watts said. “The proposed rule should be withdrawn and reworked.” In a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Deal said the rule proposed by USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration would “drastically change” the long-standing contractual relationships between poultry companies and the farmers who work with them to raise birds. “Such a change would undoubtedly create a very costly and disruptive situation in Georgia and across the country where poultry is grown,” Deal wrote. Deal, an attorney who served in Congress for 18 years before being elected Georgia’s governor last fall, said the GIPSA rule “goes
well beyond” the intent of Congress when it directed the agency to make certain changes in its regulations as part of the 2008 Farm Bill. He said Congress had already considered the issue of what is called “competitive injury” and decided that it was being handled appropriately by the courts. “It would be not only inappropriate but an action exceeding the Department’s regulatory authority to not honor Congress’ mandate on this issue,” Deal said. He said USDA should craft a final rule that “more closely adheres” to Congressional intent. “Permit me to suggest that the best way to do this is to withdraw the current proposal and reissue a much more acceptable, pragmatic rule,” he wrote. USDA is in the processing of considering the thousands of comments that were filed on the proposed rule. The agency has set no deadline for finalizing its process. The National Chicken Council represents integrated chicken producerprocessors, the companies that produce and process chickens. Member companies of NCC account for more than 95 percent of the chicken sold in the United States.
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Bettcher Industries regional salesman Dallas Watson demonstrates one of the functions of the Whizard Trimmer Jan. 26 at the annual International Poultry Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
CMYK poultry
A publication of
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | PROGRESS | Sunday, March 27, 2011
Broiler industry has eye toward future expansion BY WILLIAM ROENIGK For The Times
WASHINGTON — Analysts are offering a variety of reasons why the broiler industry is gearing-up to be in a significant expansion mode for 2011, especially when other animal agriculture producers, such as beef, pork and turkey are curtailing marketings or, at best, maintaining stable production plans for the new year. What do broiler producers see in the tea leaves that generates optimism that will likely lead to a 3.5 percent or even a 4 percent increase in broiler production in 2011? Broiler production in 2010 is seen by USDA to be 3.1 percent above marketings in 2009. At the same time, however, department analysts foresee only a trimmed-back 1.5 percent increase in production for 2011. Obviously, USDA doesn’t share the broiler producers’ optimist for the new year. In terms of pounds available to domestic U.S. consumers, the net increase for 2010 is actually more than the 3.1 percent more pounds from stepped-up production because an additional 1.3 percent pounds became available to the domestic market as broiler exports in 2010 were reduced. The result was that these non-exported pounds remained on the home market. So, together between higher production and lower exports, there were 4.4 percent more pounds of broilers being marketed to U.S. consumers in 2010. Despite the 4.4 percent increase which is about the same rate as the long-term annual rate of increase in broiler production until 2005, most broiler companies were profitable for at least the first three-quarters of 2010. Whether companies remained profitable in the fourth quarter of 2010 and will continue to stay out of the red ink in 2011 is much dependent on when they bought corn relative to the early October run-up in corn prices. Higher soybean prices add to the challenge of
Marie Price of Levy Restaurants cuts cake Jan. 26 at the exhibit for the Jamesway Incubator Company Inc., based out of Cambridge, Ontario, at the annual International Poultry Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
managing feed costs.
Exports If broiler production does increase 4 percent in 2011, up to 1 percent of the increase could go to an expanded export market if overseas sales improve as many analysts believe. So, can the broiler industry be profitable in 2011 with a net increase of 3 percent in terms of pounds available to the domestic U.S. market? Better export markets in the new year are likely, but certainly not assured. Until 2010, Russia for the previous dozen years or more was the top export market for U.S. poultry. Depending on the size of the tariff rate quota that Russia assigns to the U.S. for 2011, Russia may or may not be the top destination for U.S. poultry in 2011. China, until it imposed very high import duties on U.S. poultry in early 2010, had also been a top market with expectations of becoming a larger market for U.S. poultry. It is unlikely the issues involving China’s decision to impose these high duties will be sufficiently resolved in 2011 so that improved trade can occur in the new year. With the Russian and Chinese markets disrupted in 2010, U.S. exporters worked diligently to find expanded marketing opportunities in other countries, such as Mexico, Africa and other destinations. Many broiler companies are counting on these alternative export markets growing in the new year.
In addition to hopes for an increased export market, many broiler companies are anticipating support from two other areas: less competition from other meats and a more robust foodservice market. USDA expects a 1.6 percent decline in beef production in 2011 with some analysts saying the cut may actually prove to be deeper. Also, beef exports in 2011 may increase more so than USDA’s forecast. With average per capita beef consumption estimated for 2011 to be under 58 pounds person, the lowest since 1952, and pork consumption pegged at less than 47 pounds per person in 2011, the lowest since 1976, broilers may be have an enhanced market environment to gain a greater share of stomach. Higher corn costs are more difficult for red meat producers to manage because their feed conversion rates do not compare favorably to broiler conversion rates. Broiler companies’ optimism is based also, in part, on the expectation that a recovering U.S. economy, albeit at a measured pace, will provide a much needed lift to the away-from-home food market. As the food service market improves in 2011, especially for the demand for products like chicken that offer value, variety, convenience and nutrition, broiler companies plan to be fully poised not only with a few more pounds but also with a few new and interesting chicken products for foodservice, especially
the take-out and ready-toheat-and-eat markets.
GIPSA Dampening the industry’s optimism is one of the most troubling issues that the broiler industry has confronted since vertical-integration became the business model of efficiency more than five decades ago. This potentially-burden-
some issue is the prospect that in 2011 USDA’s Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration will finalize and implement its regulations governing the contractual relationship between broiler companies and their growers. Much effort is being devoted to convincing GIPSA to withdraw its proposed regulations and re-propose a new set of regulations that are compatible and responsive to Congress’ instructions that were laid-out in the 2008 Farm Bill. If, however, the new regulations are enacted as proposed, the cost of meeting these requirements will be substantial and companies will begin to re-structure the way they contract to grow live broilers. While this rule may not by itself change the outlook for the increase in broiler production in the new year, it will, nonetheless, begin a chain-of-events that will sig-
nificantly impact production plans over the next several years.
Bottom line The bottom line for the broiler industry in 2011 is that many companies are cautiously optimistic about staying out of red ink for much of the new year despite a significant increase in production. At the same time, certain industry observers urge the broiler industry when planning for 2011 to remember the “Charge of the Light Brigade.” To paraphrase Lord Alfred Tennyson, there were cannons to the right, there were cannons to the left, and there were cannons to the front, but boldly they rode on into battle. William P. Roenigk is senior vice president of the National Chicken Council,. More information can be obtained at www.nationalchicken council.com.
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CMYK
Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
A publication of
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SUNDAY MARCH 27, 2011 • GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA
Progress
A publication of
Your news. Your Times.
HEALTH & SAFETY
northeast georgia medical center
Medical Center is top ranked Latest poll says hospital is best in 6 of 15 areas BY TRICIA L. NADOLNY
tnadolny@gainesvilletimes.com Photos by SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Crime Scene Investigator Dan Schrader of the Gainesville Police Department talks about the benefits of using the AFIX Tracker, a fingerprint and palmprint identification system used for crime scene investigation.
A public safety department with all the
bells & whistles BY ERIN ROSSITER
erossiter@gainesvilletimes.com
To the outside observer, the special building features and tools used by some local emergency workers may seem like toys. But men and women tasked with protecting residents of Hall County
While Northeast Georgia Medical Center has consistently been known for its quality cardiac care, administrators say the hospital has recently gained statewide and national recognition for a wider range of medical specialties. In December, ranks by a leading health care rating organization published in “Georgia Trend” showed the center at the top of Georgia hospitals in six out of 15 specialties, two of which weren’t related to cardiac services. “We have gotten a lot of recognition around the cardiac program but as the cardiac program continues to progress and elevate the number of services it’s provided, the other clinical specialties have risen as well,” said the hospital’s interim CEO, Carol Burrell. “It just speaks to the growing tertiary services that we’re providing.” The list by HealthGrades ranked Northeast Georgia Medical Center as the best in the state in gastrointestinal medical treatment, overall gastrointestinal services, coronary intervention procedures, cardiology services, cardiac surgery and overall cardiac services. The hospital ranked in the top three Georgia hospitals in four of the other nine categories: gastrointestinal surgery, overall pulmonary services, critical care services and treatment of stroke. The HealthGrades ratings are just one of a
don’t play in a virtual game of “shoots” and ladders.
■ Please see POLL, 3
Firefighters, police, and 911 communicators rely on modern training, equipment and techniques to help them do their jobs, which is protect, serve, and sometimes save, members of the public. “The criminals are constantly thinking of new and different ways to elude us ... we constantly have to stay ahead of the game,” said Master Police Officer Joe Britte, spokesman for the Gainesville Police Department. Keeping up as well as anticipating the next move requires commitment, he said. Technology is a key tool. Patrol cars often are equipped with laptops. Improved methods for handling evidence have strengthened the integrity of cases. Studying clues has improved with facility upgrades including better software for crime scene recreation and sophisticated lab equipment, which enables investigators to do more with less. Cutting edge methods of crime analysis offer police ways to predict the damage criminals may cause in the future. “Crime analysis is the next step in the new wave of policing, where we are able to somewhat hopefully predict crimes where they are going to happen and were they are going to occur,” Britte said. Hall County’s 911 center dispatchers have benefitted considerably from modern tools suited for men and women who work 12-hour shifts with little relief from their telephones and desks. Various computer applications help operators juggle multiple tasks quickly in ways that suit their individual talents. They talk, take notes, record and discover information as well as track
INSIDE ■ Gainesville Police Sgt. makes sure all weapons are ready if they’re needed, 4 ■ Firefighters trade in pole for a big red corkscrew, 5 ■ New crime lab a high-tech dream come true, 6 ■ High-tech call center gets personnel on the scene fast, 7 various emergency scenes and the officers working during their shifts. Operators today can even do what they never could before, which is far more than say “help is on the way.” Communications officers can walk people through routine medical procedures for CPR, choking, and childbirth as well as ask formal medical questions that enable paramedics to prepare “on the way.” The ultimate aim for all public safety workers, they say, is putting people in place quickly and arming them with the equipment and information they need to serve the public. While critics may scoff at the cost of such tools, those who use them day in and day out realize their uncommon perspective. “Can you put a dollar figure on the preservation of life?” Britte asked.
Braselton hospital still going forward Construction may start in 2013, officials say BY TRICIA L. NADOLNY
tnadolny@gainesvilletimes.com
Top: This Sig Sauer P229 .40 caliber handgun has been completely taken apart in order to undergo an annual cleaning. Bottom: This twisting red slide has replaced the traditional fire pole at the new Fire Station 1 off Queen City Parkway in Gainesville.
Northeast Georgia Medical Center officials are continuing to rethink plans for the new Braselton hospital after receiving their certificate of need last year. But soon, they say, it will be time to move forward with hiring contractors, architects and engineers for the project. “We’re very excited,” said Anthony Williamson, vice president of service line and the greater Braselton development. “It’s obviously been a waiting game through the entire (certificate of need) process.” The hospital initially filed its request for a 100-bed hospital with the Georgia Department of Community Health in 2006 and was approved in 2007. Barrow Regional Medical Center appealed the approval twice before the Barrow County Superior Court and won their case. They argued the medical center didn’t follow the application rules when they initially asked for replacement beds (transferring some of the system’s total patient capacity from the Gainesville hospital) but then requested new beds. In March 2010, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Northeast Georgia Medical Center and approved the need for ■ Please see RULING, 6
INSIDE: A full listing of area support groups, 2
CMYK
Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
A publication of
health & safety
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
support groups The community in and around Hall County has many groups offering support for issues dealing with weight management, relationships and addictions. If you or someone you know is affected by a health or addiction issue, one of the following organizations may be able to help. Addictions
Al-Anon. Noon and 8 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 p.m. Fridays, 781 Green St., Gainesville. Shannon, 678770-9450. Al-Anon. 9 a.m. Saturdays, Unitarian Universalist Church. 439 S. Park St. Dahlonega. 706867-6869. Al-Anon Serenity Seekers. 4 p.m. Mondays, Lanier Village Estates, intersection of Thompson Bridge Road and Price Road. 678-4503000. Al-Ateen/Nar-Ateen. 8 p.m. Tuesdays, 781 Green St., Gainesville. 770-5343777. Alcoholics Anonymous. 2 and 8 p.m. Sundays; noon, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays; noon, 8 p.m. and midnight Fridays; 7:30 a.m., noon, 8 p.m. and midnight Saturdays. 781 Green St., Gainesville. For closed meetings schedule, call 770-534-3777. Alcoholics Anonymous. 8 p.m. Mondays and Saturdays, Laurelwood, 200 Wisteria Drive, Gainesville. 770-531-3800. Alcoholics Anonymous. 8 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, St. Luke Church, Gainesville. 770-983-3057. Alcoholics Anonymous — Chestatee group. Meetings every day at noon and 6:30 p.m., 9 a.m Sundays. Intersection of Warhill Road and Dawsonville Highway. For information call 770983-3057. Adult Children of Alcoholics and/or other dysfunctional families. 7 p.m. Mondays, St. Luke Church, 113 Washington St. NW, Gainesville. 404432-5512. Celebrate Recovery. Christian-based recovery group; gender specific; child care is provided. 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Lakewood Baptist Church, 2235 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville. 770-532-6307. Celebrate Recovery. Christ-centered recovery group; gender specific; child care is provided. 7-9 p.m. Fridays, 6:30 p.m. Coffee-house, Lifepoint Church, 1537 Pine Valley Road, Gainesville. 770-534-2888, www. lifepointgainesville.com. Celebrate Recovery. Christian-based recovery group; gender specific; child care is provided. 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Blackshear Place Baptist Church, 3428 Atlanta Highway, Flowery Branch. 770-534-7058. Celebrate Recovery. 6-10 p.m. Thursdays, Chestnut Mountain Church, 4903 Chestnut Mountain Circle, Flowery Branch. Meal at 6 p.m. followed by large group and small group fellowship time. Child care is provided. 770-967-3197. Emotions Anonymous. 6:45 p.m. Tuesdays, Laurelwood Hospital, 200 Wisteria Drive, Gainesville. 770-531-3800. Alcoholics Anonymous, Gainesville Classic Group. 5:30 p.m. daily, 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, St. Luke Church, 113 Washington St., Gainesville. 770-5408710. Nar-Anon. 8 p.m. Sundays, 781 Green St., Gainesville. 770-534-3777. Narcotics Anonymous. 6:30 and 8 p.m. Sundays; 8 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. 781 Green St., Gainesville. 770-534-3777. Narcotics Anonymous, Addicts in the Attic. 8 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, 1137 Ridge Road (upstairs), Gainesville. 770-287-7249. Reformers Unanimous. 7 p.m. Fridays, Bible Baptist Church, 145 Clarks Bridge Road, Gainesville. 770503-4784 or 770-534-2456. Serenity House of Buford Inc. Alcoholic recovery programs. 12:15 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 6:30 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, 6 p.m. Sundays, 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and Sundays and 9:30 p.m. Thursdays. 4295 Ga. 20, Suite 1 D, Buford. 770-9329064. Veterans and Community Outreach Program. 7/12-step program. 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Veterans Community C.C. Cloud Center, 996 Athens Highway, Suite E, Gainesville. 770-531-0046.
Diet, weight
Overeaters Anonymous. 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Laurelwood, 200 Wisteria Drive, Gainesville. 770-5313800.
Public information lectures on weight loss surgery. 9-10:30 a.m. first Saturdays, Gainesville Civic Center, Sidney Lanier Room; 6:30-8 p.m. third Wednesdays, Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Lanier Park campus, Blue Ridge Room, Gainesville. Both sessions presented by ObesitySolutions. 770534-0110. Weight Watchers. 5:45 p.m. Mondays; 5:15 p.m. Tuesdays; 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Wednesdays; 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Thursdays; 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Fridays; 8 and 9:30 a.m. Saturdays,975 Dawsonville Hwy Suite 14 Gainesville. 800-651-6000 or www. weightwatchers.com.
Grief
Bereaved Parents of the USA, Northeast Georgia chapter. 7 p.m. third Thursdays. Open to those who have lost a child, grandchild or siblings. Contact Bill Patterson for locations, 770-402-5294, moreinfo@negabpusa.com. Educational bereavement support group. Led by Tom Fish at Premier Hospice of Georgia. Noon-2 p.m. Tuesdays, Gainesville and Hall County Community Service Center, 430 Prior St., Suite 200, Gainesville. 770-533-4422 or 800-5334422. Good G.R.I.E.F. Giving Resources Individually and Enjoying Friends, for widows and widowers. Contact Billy Hendrix, 678617-2760. Grief support group. Noon fourth Tuesdays, Gainesville Community Center, 430 Prior St., Gainesville. 770-533-4422. Grief support group. 4 p.m. each Tuesday, Oct.19 through Nov. 23. Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, 2150 Limestone Parkway, Suite 222, Gainesville. Free. Registration required. Jennifer.Sorrells@nghs. com. Helping Other Parents Endure, prenatal loss support group. 7 p.m. fourth Thursdays, Northeast Georgia Medical Center. 770-531-3881, ext. 2035. Pet Loss Support Group. Aiken-Harrison Conference Room, Adoption Center, Humane Society of Hall County, 845 W. Ridge Road, Gainesville. 770532-6617. Widowed persons volunteer aides. 5:15 p.m. fourth Tuesdays, Community Service Center. 770-536-0072.
Relationships
Adolescent young men’s sexual recovery support group. Access Christian Counseling, 101 Pilgrim Village Drive, Cumming. Contact Jeffrey Stull, 770888-7754. Divorcecare ministry class. 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Fountain of Faith Worship Center, 6028 Spout Springs Road, Flowery Branch. 770-5726152. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Relatives Raising Nieces and Nephews. 10-11:30 a.m. fourth Mondays, Habersham County Senior Center. Contact Julia Jessee, 770538-2650. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Relatives Raising Nieces and Nephews. 10-11:30 a.m. fourth Wednesdays, The Legacy Shoppe, Lakeshore Mall, 150 Pearl Nix Parkway, Gainesville. Contact Julia Jessee, 770-538-2650, or Jenise Proctor, 770-5033330. Help for Women Bullied at Work or Church. Dates and place to be determined. helpforthebullied@yahoo. com. Infidelity support group. For women seeking emotional healing following infidelity. Meets the first Tuesday of each month, 7– 8 p.m. at Gainesville Care Center, 434 Green Street Place N.E. isggainesville@ yahoo.com. MOMS Club of Gainesville. 10 a.m. first Tuesdays, Family Life Center, behind the First Baptist Church of Gainesville. momsclubgainesville. homestead.com Mothers of Preschoolers. Moms can call for child care reservations. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. second Thursdays, First United Methodist Church, 2780 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville. 706-867-1573 or www.gainesvillemops. com.
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Northeast Georgia Medical Center is home to a cancer support group that meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of the month. Mothers of Preschoolers. 9:30 a.m.-noon first and third Thursdays, First Baptist Church, Gainesville. 678-677-8066 or coordinator@fbcgmops. org. Gwinnett Area Mommies. Online group with monthly playdates and support meetings. www. GwinnettAreaMommies. com. Newborn parenting. 6:309:30 p.m. second Mondays of every other month, Northeast Georgia Medical Center. 770-535-3357. Operation Patriot’s Call. For the families of local U.S. Army troops in Charlie Company who will be deployed to Afghanistan in the spring. 4 p.m. Thursdays, 153 Alta Vista Road, Gainesville. Parenting support group (English-speaking). Sponsored by Family TIES — Gainesville, for parents who have children ages from infancy to 17. Learn coping skills, new discipline techniques, anger management and managing stress. 6:30 p.m. Mondays and 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays. 770-287-3071. Parenting support group (Spanish-speaking). Parenting Support Group (Spanish Speaking). Sponsored by Family TIES — Gainesville, for parents who have children ages from infancy to 17. Learn coping skills, new discipline techniques, anger management and managing stress. 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. 404-452-4803. Spouses of sexual betrayal support group for women. Access Christian Counseling, 101 Pilgrim Village Drive, Cumming. Contact Jeffrey Stull, 770888-7754. Teen parent support group. 6 p.m. Wednesdays, The Veterans & Community Outreach Foundation and C.C. Cloud Youth Center, 996 Athens Highway, Suite E, Gainesville. Contact Victor Lamar Johnson, 770531-0046. Women’s sexual recovery support group. Access Christian Counseling, 101 Pilgrim Village Drive, Cumming. Contact Jeffrey Stull, 770-888-7754. Encourage Me support group for single moms. Dinner, childcare provided. 6:30 p.m. first Tuesday of each month, Lakewood Baptist Church, Thompson Bridge Road. E-mail Jessica Hart, hartjn@ yahoo.com or call 770-5351413.
Health, disease
Alzheimers support group. 2-3:30 p.m. second Tuesdays, The Guest House, 320 Tower Heights Road, Gainesville. 770535-1487. Alzheimer’s/dementia caregiver support group. 1011:30 a.m., first Tuesdays. First Presbyterian Church, 800 South Enota Drive NE, Gainesville. Contact: Roger or Barbara Ray, 770-5367243. Alzheimer’s Caregiver Luncheon Program. Noon1 p.m. third Tuesdays, Bentley Center, 135 Hoyt St., Athens. 706-549-4850, eanthony@accaging.org or cboozer@accaging.org. Asperger’s Syndrome support group. 7-8:30 p.m. first and third Thursdays, Rooms 1 and 2 on the third floor, Barrow Regional Medical Center, 316 N. Broad St., Winder. Marcia Singson, 770-307-0672, or www.georgiaaspergers organization.org. Breast cancer support group. 6:30 p.m. second Thursdays, Gainesville Civic Center, 830 Green St. NE. 770-538-7210. Breast cancer support group. Includes newly
diagnosed or longtime survivors. 7 p.m. third Tuesdays, Dahlonega Community House, 111 Park St. N. Corner of Hawkins Street and Park Street North. Contact Reita Snipes, 706-864-1708, or Jessie Souther, 706-8646696. Breast Cancer Survivors’ Lunch Bunch. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. second Thursdays, 4293 Skyline View, Oakwood. Contact Vicki Castleberry, 770-535-8331 or 678-3159216. Breastfeeding support group. 11 a.m. second Thursdays, Hall County Health Department. 770531-5600. Breastfeeding support group. 12:30-2 p.m. second Tuesdays, White County Library conference room. Contact Liane Varnes at 706-969-0999 or elvarnes@ yahoo.com; or Alisa Weakley at 706-200-6651 or alisaweakley@yahoo. com. Burn survivors support group. 7:30-9 p.m. first Tuesdays, Suite A-2, 621 Washington St., Gainesville. 770-287-1356 or 770-983-3593. Breastfeeding support group. 12:30 p.m. second Tuesdays, Cleveland Library; 6 p.m. third Thursdays, First Baptist
Church, Cleveland; 11:30 a.m. every 2nd to last Monday, Dahlonega Library. Open to all moms. Contact Amanda Bales at 770-530-7138. Cancer support group. 7 p.m. second Mondays, Radiation Therapy Waiting area-Outpatient Services Building, (ground floor) Northeast Georgia Medical Center. 770-535-3563. Cancer support group. 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Stephens County Senior Center, Toccoa. 706-8864740. Celebrate Recovery. Hurts, habits or hang-ups. KJV Bible-based. 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays, Refreshments. 28 Industrial Blvd., Cleveland. 770-900-5110 or 678-677-6352. Diabetes support group. 10 a.m. third Thursdays, Blue Ridge Room at Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Lanier Park campus; 6 p.m. third Thursdays, Diabetes Education Classroom at Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Lanier Park campus. 678-343-4887. Fibromyalgia support group. 2 p.m. first and third Thursdays. Room S-12, Gainesville First United Methodist Church, 2780 Thompson Bridge Road. Contact 678-630-5635. The Gainesville Lake
Country Shakers. First and third Thursdays at St. Paul United Methodist Church. Contact Bob and Marie Bridges, 770-532-8849, or Ray and Louell Roper, 678546-5455. GA Galt support group. For anyone suffering from the metabolic disorder galactosemia. Join at gagalt.webs.com. Gainesville Parkinson’s support group. 11 a.m. first and third Thursdays, St. Paul United Methodist Church. 770-532-8849 or 678-546-5455. HIV/AIDS education and prevention seminar. 6-7 p.m. Tuesdays, Boys & Girls Clubs, Gainesville. 770297-7755. Insulin pump support group. 7 p.m. every other third Tuesday, Blue Ridge Room, Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Lanier Park campus. 770-5313899. Mended Hearts. For heart patients and caretakers. 6 p.m. first Tuesdays, Auxiliary Conference Room, Northeast Georgia Medical Center. 678-450-9223. National Alliance on Mental Illness — Hall. 7 p.m. last Tuesdays, and beginning Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. each Thursday, Room 210 and Room 208 (family), First Baptist Church, 751 Green St. NW, Gainesville. 678617-1332 or 706-429-4006. Nursing Mothers support group. 12:30 p.m. second Wednesdays in the conference room at the Cleveland branch of the White County Library. Contact Liane Varnes, 706969-0999 or elvarnes@ yahoo.com. Post Abortion Support and Treatment. 6:30 p.m. Mondays. 770-535-1245. Parkinson’s support group. 11 a.m. first and third Thursdays, St. Paul United Methodist Church, Washington Street, Gainesville. 770-532-8848. Thyroid support group. 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays, Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Room ED3-1, third floor, Ocie Pope Building, Gainesville. Contact Deborah, 770-965-9224.
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PHotos by SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Interventional Cardiologist with Northeast Georgia Heart Center Dr. Mark Leimbach, right, and Hank Conner RRT, left, perform a cardiac catherization procedure on a patient at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center. The Northeast Georgia Medical Center was recently named No. 1 in the state for overall cardiac services in 2011.
POLL: Hospital has won many awards ■ Continued from 1 series of accolades the hospital has received over the past year, the most significant being its rating as one of the nation’s top 100 hospitals by the independent news organization Thompson Reuters. In its study, the organization rated hospitals on 10 criteria such as medical complications, mortality, expenses and patient satisfaction. But Burrell said the accompanying Everest Award from Thompson Reuters, which was awarded to 23 of the 100 hospitals that showed the greatest sustained improvements, was truly the crowning achievement. “That certainly was an award and recognition that
meant a lot not only to the hospital but the community,” she said. “It involved our medical staff as well as our staff here.” In February, the hospital also was recognized for its commitment to community service at the National Charitable Service Awards in Atlanta. Burrell noted that the programs the hospital was recognized for, the Health Access Initiative and Good News Clinics, were started in the community and show the power of collaboration. “We really do have a heart of caring,” Burrell said. “And again it speaks from a community perspective of how working with our medical staff, volunteers throughout
the community and all of our health care entities, what we can do in giving back.” Doug Carter, chairman of the Northeast Georgia Medical Center Board, said the hospital has made great strides in the last year and a high bar has been set with these recent awards. “My focus as a board member as well as our entire leadership is looking ahead now toward the next five years,” he said. “…How are we going to grow the system? How are we going to focus on patient safety and patient quality to make sure that we are delivering the very best health care not only for this region but certainly as we grow in our statewide presence?”
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
A view outside Medical Plaza 1 in Braselton. The building houses an urgent care center, imaging center, outpatient rehabilitation center and full service lab.
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This Sig Sauer P229 .40 caliber handgun has been completely taken apart in order to undergo an annual cleaning.
Guardian of guns Gainesville Police Sgt. Parrish makes sure all weapons are ready if they’re needed BY ERIN ROSSITER
erossiter@gainesvilletimes.com
S
gt. Jay Parrish was the sort of kid who didn’t play with toys as much as dismantle them. “I always liked the electronic ones,” he said. Because those were the ones he could take apart and put back together over and over again. Now the Gainesville police officer works in a room where he gets to do that for real. The key difference: The weapons he dissembles, rebuilds, cleans, counts and tracks are not toys at all. They could be the difference between life and death for him and his colleagues. “An officer truly never wants to use his gun,” Parrish said, “but when he has to, it has to work.” Parrish is the armor for the department, a job that takes a lot of training. He is responsible for cleaning and servicing every weapon used by the nearly 115 sworn officers. Those include pistols and shotguns for each man and woman in the field as well as another 50-60 rifles, and a number of “nonlethal weapons” such as air guns that shoot pepper and bean bag rounds. “I was told to find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life and I did,” Parrish said. His main work space inside the city’s new Public Safety Complex enhances his mission. Appearing like a workshop, the armory is a long, narrow room that features peace, quiet, locked metal cabinets, a long work table and plenty of cabinetry and storage space. Stationed above the table are dozens of small plastic drawers, which hold an array of small parts that appear like random metal scraps and springs. At the armory each tiny piece has a specific place in a weapon that Parrish works with. While officers are trained to take apart, put together and clean the weapons they holster and the shotguns they carry with them in patrol cars, it’s largely Parrish’s responsibility to keep track of the many weapons belonging to the department. In addition to cleaning and servicing weapons, Parrish fields requests to fix or replace broken parts such as grips and gun holsters. “On the outside they (guns) may look the same,” he said, referring to the 10-year-old pistols. “But on the inside, they are new.” Working in the armory and servicing weapons is not Parrish’s only job. He is assigned full time to the training division. He plans and coordinates all the training related to firearms and nonlethal weapons. He also inventories the weaponry and ammunition stores. Exposed cabinets inside the armory display the nonlethal guns. Locked metal cabinets on castors house the rifles and ammunition. Securing the ammunition
Photos by SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Gainesville Police Department Sgt. Jay Parrish, a departmental armorer, uses a screwdriver to take apart and clean an officer’s Sig Sauer P229 .40 caliber handgun. Parrish cleans all weapons on an annual basis as part of a preventive maintenance plan.
Gainesville Police Department Sgt. Jay Parrish, a departmental armorer, uses a screwdriver to take apart and clean an officer’s Sig Sauer P229 .40 caliber handgun. Parrish cleans all weapons on an annual basis as part of a preventive maintenance plan.
— both training rounds and rounds used for day-to-day work on the streets — is a job in and of itself, Parrish said. Orders that used to take two to three weeks now take months. “It’s extremely hard to get ammunition,” he said, “because of the wars between Iraq and Afghanistan.” Parrish estimates an of-
ficer shoots roughly 2,000 rounds before going to work on his or her first patrol shift. They train routinely with those weapons not only to better their aim but keep their guns in shape. To not fire a weapon would be “just like if you left your car in the driveway for three years and never started the car,” the armor said.
Old screws, pins and springs from Gainesville Police Department handguns sit in a box inside the armor room at the Public Safety Complex.
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A slide to their ride Firefighters trade in pole for a big red corkscrew BY CAROLYN CRIST
ccrist@gainesvilletimes.com The red corkscrew slide inside Gainesville’s Fire Station 1 may not belong on a playground, but it sure does look like it. When fire officials were planning the new public safety complex on Queen City Parkway, they wanted to create a building similar to the two-story fire station on Jesse Jewell Parkway. But they had to find another way to move from the second floor to the first floor. “The old station had a traditional firefighter pole, but about 10-12 years ago, we could no longer use it,” said Fire Chief Jon Canada. “Our insurance carrier had concerns about possible injuries, and when we wanted to give our guys another option to get to the ground floor safely, we started to search for a slide.” Firefighter slides are a growing trend across the nation as an increasing number of insurance providers worry about liability. Canada and others visited several stations in Forsyth and AthensClarke counties to figure out what worked in other communities. “One in Athens was shorter and straight because they had the space, so we had to go through a lot of avenues to finally find a company,” he said. City officials found a company in Indiana that manufactures playground and designed slides for several stations in Minnesota. They settled on a design that would fit in the space — a large 18-foot corkscrew. “It took awhile to get used to, and during the first few trips down, we tried to position ourselves in different ways like sitting upright, laying back, pulling our knees in or out,” he said. “I was the first to go down, and I didn’t turn upside down, but it was very quick.” During the first few tries, the firefighters would shoot off the end of the slide for a clumsy landing or twist sideways as they zoomed through the loops. After trial and
‘I was here the day it was installed and ready to go. When they asked if I wanted to give it a go, I wasn’t about to say ‘no.’ I wanted to get a jump on all the firefighters.’ Jon Canada Gainesville Fire Chief error, they decided the best way is to sit upright, place your left hand on the center pole and easily glide down the slide. “I was here the day it was installed and ready to go,” Canada said. “When they asked if I wanted to give it a go, I wasn’t about to say ‘no.’ I wanted to get a jump on all the firefighters.” The slide was part of the overall $20.4 million for the public safety complex, and construction started in early 2009. The floor plan of the fire station was designed to help response time. Built as a cube, all the hallways upstairs and downstairs connect in a big square, allowing firefighters to quickly run to the fire trucks no matter where they are in the building. “It’s nice to have another way down to the engine bay,” Canada said. “We still have two sets of stairs, but it gets crowded with 1214 people all trying to be in a hurry and get on a truck and out of the station in a minute or so.” The station’s larger space helps with productivity and efficiency, and the slide isn’t bad either, said Lt. Joey Spain. “It’s better than Six Flags,” he said. “It’s really the fastest way to go downstairs.”
SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Gainesville Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician Shane Cleveland goes down the slide March 9 at Fire Station 1 off Queen City Parkway.
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CSI: GAINESVILLE Property and evidence custodian Annthonese Hughey shows the area where evidence is placed into lockers by Gainesville Police Department officers.
Gainesville’s new crime lab a high-tech dream come true BY ERIN ROSSITER
erossiter@gainesvilletimes.com The 20-by-20-foot room has the feel of a science classroom. Waist-high tables circle the space. A large square island topped with a non-porous surface serves as the main work area. Computers and other pieces of equipment are built to process high-tech information and chemical reactions. But here’s the difference between what goes on at school and what takes place in the Gainesville Police Department’s new crime lab: Work in this room could be the difference between a crook or killer being caught or roaming free. “It’s a challenge to find that one piece of evidence that could link a series of crimes together,” said Dan Schrader, lead investigator in the crime lab. “To me it’s a challenge I enjoy.” It’s easy to see why Schrader, who helped design the lab space at the city’s Public Safety Complex that opened at the end of last year, enjoys working in the room. After all, the former “crime lab” was a converted garage where officers once walked suspects from patrol car to interrogation. New finger print terminals allow Schrader to compare and contrast the evidence lifted from Gainesville crime scenes to people booked at the Hall County Detention Center and numerous other jails in Georgia and beyond. An older version of the machine used for this purpose used actual finger print cards and appears in a corner of the room today like an outdated microfilm machine. A nearly 6-foot “fume hood” takes up most of one whole wall at the lab. Schrader uses it for various techniques such as using glue
‘It’s a challenge to find that one piece of evidence that could link a series of crimes together.’ Dan Schrader lead investigator in Gainesville’s crime lab and its fumes to discover fingerprints. The chamber is air tight, clean and more efficient for Schrader, who’s received advanced training to do his job. Before the hood he used a fish tank, which now sits on the floor. The large chamber can also help Schrader protect evidence from cross contamination. Bloody clothes, for instance, can be quickly dried in the machine so the fluids do not bleed literally onto other evidence. Schrader has a safe in the room, where sensitive materials and small amounts of marijuana can be stored for later testing. And there’s also a computer application that can recreate crime scenes into three-dimensional images. While Schrader continues to learn the various ways the new facility can enhance his brand of crime fighting, he easily recalls his most interesting case at the former lab where evidence he processed broke a case. One drop of blood found at a jewelry store robbery led to a major East Coast crime syndicate. “That was a good one,” Schrader said. He’s on call 24 hours a day and is called mainly to handle more serious cases. Fingerprints taken at routine
crime scenes are done by officer technicians on shift. Schrader’s routine at a crime scene is methodical. He secures the scene, takes photographs, marks the evidence, photographs again, collects and packages the evidence, and sketches the scene as well. “I start from the outside and work in. If it’s a body that’s usually the last piece of evidence I deal with,” he said. As guardians of the evidence, Annthonese Hughey and Mark Ezuka manage the property and evidence room, which less than five people have authorization to enter at the complex. Their process begins on one side of a two-way wall of lockers. On one side officers write their reports and place the evidence they collect into one of dozens of various-sized lockers. Once those doors are closed, they cannot be reopened — from that side. Hughey works on the other side of the locker wall. She unlocks each unit from the general receiving room, cross-checks reports, tags, and assigns case numbers and barcodes to each case. Then she and Ezuka make sure the evidence is stored properly. Stolen property, bloody clothes, and baby formula — submitted into a twosided refrigerator next to the lockers — are examples of real evidence turned in by officers to the property and evidence rooms. More sensitive pieces such as guns, drugs, money and jewelry and fire arms have their own secured areas within secured rooms. “There is no margin for error,” Hughey said. “We are very much aware of that.” Purging evidence is a huge part of her job as well. “Because there just
RULING: Hospital may open in 2014 ■ Continued from 1 the new hospital. But a lot has changed in the four years since the initial certificate was filed, administrators say. And it’s been necessary for staff to look over the initial plans and make revisions. “We felt, given that it had been a good four years since we submitted it, that it would be wise for us to go back and look at all of that planning,” Williamson said. “...The world is a little bit different now. Obviously the economy took a downturn and we now have some health care reform that we’re also dealing with that we didn’t have before.” Carol Burrell, the hospital’s interim CEO, said the changes have not affected
the need for services in Braselton. “We are pleased and have been affirmed that in fact there still is a need for a hospital in the area and we are moving forward with that planning and looking at sequencing of services,” she said. “And obviously there is a lot of work to be done. But we are moving forward in a progressive manner.” Planning will take until late 2012 or early 2013, Williamson said, with construction beginning soon after. The hospital is expected to open in late 2014 or early 2015. Williamson said the appeals process has not caused the hospital to change its initial time line. “We built in a lot of the time that we anticipated we would
have to go through with these challenges into our overall time table,” he said. Also in the works for the 119-acre hospital site off Thompson Mill Road is an additional medical office center. Medical Plaza 1 opened there in 2009 and Williamson said the building is already 85 percent full. Although no time line has been set, Williamson said the hospital hopes to have Medical Plaza 2 open before the new hospital. “We‘ve been adding medical practices in (Medical Plaza 1) and a lot of physicians have wanted to be in that location to get a better ability to take care of that population closer to where they live and then to also be a part of this project going forward,” Williamson said.
wouldn’t be enough room in there for it all,” she said. To do that Hughey researches court cases, speaks with officers, and tries to comb through the pieces no longer needed in the future. “Murder evidence has to be kept as long as a suspect could be alive,” said Lt. Carol Martin, commander in charge of criminal investigations. “There are more than 100 years of murder evidence in there.”
These are just a few of the chemicals used in collecting and processing forensic evidence at the Gainesville Police Department.
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The face of 911
High-tech call center gets personnel on the scene fast
BY ERIN ROSSITER
erossiter@gainesvilletimes.com Operations manager Leigh Stallings-Jarrell sat down on a recent Friday morning and faced four computer screens at a work station inside Hall County’s 911/Central Communications center. She was tasked with following a group of Hall County Sheriff’s Office traffic deputies. A colleague, meanwhile, monitored the Gainesville Police Department traffic unit. The officers’ collective effort on the street related to a special enforcement operation called Operation Thunder. But for Stallings-Jarrell it was a routine day for anyone who mans a station as a communications officer. Wearing a wireless headset and manipulating foot pedals that patched her into the radio, Stallings-Jarrell let her hands fly on the keyboard. She issued declarations about warrants and background checks; typed in quick notes about each traffic stop; and conducted safety checks on the men and women listed by their patrol numbers on her computer screen. A computer prompt told her when time was up and a routine check was necessary. “It’s a juggling act,” she said. It’s a juggling act that’s made possible not only because of the skill of those who work at the center but the technology established in the center the past six years, she said. Technical Operations Manager Gail Lane is in position to explain how all of the improvements fit together to better transition emergency calls to the agencies in position to help. She has worked in the same job for about 14 years and remembers the days when a simple phone call into 911 would register a telephone number on their monitors and that’s all. Today, as part of a series of software improvements established when the new center was opened in 2005, addresses, phone numbers, and map locations appear on the call monitor showing every phone call. For an example of how that can help operators, consider the recent ice event that caused nearly 100 car accidents throughout Hall County during the early morning commute. Call takers could tell
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Call taker John Hanes answers a call at 911/central communications in the Hall County Fire Services Building.
where wireless calls were coming from because they showed up on a map already marked as an emergency call. This enabled operators to quickly negotiate calls giving repeat information. Additionally, the system houses Rolodex-like databases of phone numbers along with point-andclick line transfers to help operators connect with other agencies faster when there is a need. Foreign language services, Georgia State Patrol assistance, and emergency management officials are examples of useful contacts to have at a moment’s notice, Lang said. Computer stations and screens are customized according to the user’s preferences, because only a dispatcher knows how best they can process information, she added. For physical comfort, desks can be raised to a standing position or
‘It’s so much more accurate because we’re asking the necessary questions to validate what we’re being told... This is what the public truly expects. They call 911 because they need help.’ Sterling Strickland, Emergency Medical Dispatch Instructor lowered for dispatchers who work 12-hour shifts. Wireless systems allow them to step away from their desks briefly, too. “(This is for) their comfort,” Lang said. “The technology means nothing if you don’t have someone who is trained and knows how to handle those calls.” Call times have improved as a result of these advances, Lang said. The average length of time in February for the handling of emer-
gency phone call and personnel dispatch was 1 minute, 12 seconds, she said. How operators handle medical emergencies has been overhauled, too, said Sterling Strickland, Emergency Medical Dispatch Instructor for Hall County. He spoke specifically about a standard EMD system he helped install in 2008. It features approved sets of medical questions and instructions that operators can relay
to a caller. CPR, childbirth and choking cases are examples of calls operators can begin handling until paramedics arrive. Additionally, when emergency calls are made, call takers can negotiate computer prompts that tell them exactly what questions to ask a caller in order to determine the type of trauma. “Now we don’t have ambulances and firefighters, running lights and sirens if a call is not a high priority. So many times you’d go out to a fall, you would get there and it would actually be a cardiac arrest. Now falls tend to be falls, cardiac arrests tend to be cardiac arrests,” Strickland said. “It’s so much more accurate because we’re asking the necessary questions to validate what we’re being told... This is what the public truly expects. They call 911 because they need help.”
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sports & leisure
US recovery drives a golf revival Younger players fueling the return to the green BY BRENT HOLLOWAY
bholloway@gainesvilletimes.com In the depths of the recession, golf’s outlook was gloomy. The number of golfers had been trending upward for the better part of two decades, but in 2007, the trend reversed. By August 2010, USA To- INSIDE day reported that 140 See a list of golf courses across the regional golf country had been shut- courses, 3 tered in the last year. But as the economy rebounds, the prospects appear brighter for the payto-play sport, both nationally and in northeast Georgia. According to a study by the National Golf Foundation fore-
casting the next decade, participation has already bottomed out and should resume pre-2007 levels of growth in the coming years. The study cites a variety of factors, but locally, golf pros see the evidence of a healthy future every day. It starts with a surging interest in junior golf, and across the area, course directors say the game is skewing younger than ever. “Just in my years here at Chattahoochee I’ve seen a big increase in the traffic of kids playing golf,” said Rodger Hogan, director of golf at Chattahoochee Golf Course. He’s not alone. Every spring afternoon, teenagers can be found on Hall
County’s courses as Chattahoochee, Chicopee Woods and Royal Lakes in Flowery Branch open their grounds for local high schools teams’ practices and tournaments. “We’ve always had high school teams and a few, occasional small colleges play here and practice here for no charge,” said Jim Arendt, director of golf at Chicopee Woods. “We do that because we’re a community golf course and we feel like that’s one of the reasons we exist. “We’ve all been junior golfers at some point, and we feel like it’s important to help grow the game and serve ■ Please see GOLF, 3
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Gainesville High’s Grant Lasseter makes his approach to the 10th green during the Hall County Championships at Royal Lakes golf course on March 15 in Flowery Branch.
TOM REED | The Times
Hudson Mitchell pushes off from the dock for a practice session with the Lanier Canoe and kayak Club developmental team.
Paddling club gets kids in the water Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club works to instill confidence BY BILL MURPHY
bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com Part of Kalen Lee’s job as development coach at the Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club at Clarks Bridge Park is to maintain a vibrant group of athletes coming into the program. Without the infusion of young paddlers and canoers into the program, it would be hard to hard to pinpoint the INSIDE future competitors that will eventually ■ See travel to global com- a list of upcoming petitions, and just events for maybe the Olympics the Lanier one day. Canoe While paddling & Kayak and rowing have to Club, 5 compete for time with the traditional ■ Rowing team sports — and also big also fit into a fami- on Lake Lanier, 5 ly’s budget — they do seem to have traction with younger athletes. Athletes have a chance to compete in the K-1 (oneperson kayak), K-2 and C-5 (fiveperson canoe) at the LCKC during the Junior Olympic Canoe/Kayak Program. “The main thing is that it’s fun and the kids seem to enjoy it a lot,” said Lee, who came up through the ranks of the LCKC herself in middle and high school. To achieve the goal of kids young people excited about the sport, this program was designed specifically for ages 10-15 running and runs through May 7. Teams of 20-25 athletes will meet twice a week on all the aspects of canoe and kayak, as well as being taught by experienced coaches. During the season, participants
Photos by SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Dozens of boats crowd the waters of Lake Lanier at Laurel Park on Aug. 5 in preparation for the first day of the Forrest Wood Cup.
Not floundering After a crippling drought, Lake Lanier is back to hosting big fishing tournaments BY ADAM KROHN
akrohn@gainesvilletimes.com
It’s no secret when national organizations want to host a fishing tournament, Lake Lanier is a prime location. Two years removed from the drought that brought Lanier to levels that required cancellations of major events, the lake is now back and stronger than ever. The 2011 calendar is packed with events, most notably an FLW Outdoors Bass Fishing League tournament that was held March. 5. The lake is now better equipped than ever to handle events, thanks to the efforts of Hall County, the Corps of Engineers, non-profit organizations and many others that made improvements to the shoreline and boat ramps during the drought. “They basically made lemonade out of the drought situation,” Stacy Dixon of the Lanier Visitor’s Bureau said. “They pulled debris and trash, cleaned it and it looks the best it has in 50 years. All of that makes for a better habitat for fish.” Renovations also created a better venue for fishing tournaments. “We lengthened the boat ramps that lead into the lake and made them more usable at
INSIDE See a list of fishing guides, 5
lower water levels,” Chris Lovelady of the Corps of Engineers said. “Now if there’s a scheduled tournament, they can still utilize the lake. The way it was before, if the lake got down enough, the ramp wasn’t usable. “That’s not so much of an issue now.” With the lake in top shape, scheduling events there is a nobrainer, FLW Outdoors spokesman Bill Taylor said. “I choose (to host events) at Lanier for several reasons,” he said. “They have a very diverse fishery regardless of the conditions, ■ Please see FISH, 5
Angler Luke Clausen of Gainesville fishes in Lake Lanier on Aug. 5 during the first day of the Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
■ Please see PADDLE, 5
INSIDE: Hall County now proudly sports baseball for middle schoolers, 2 Area organization gives kids a new way to unleash their aggression with boxing, 4
CMYK
Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
A publication of
sports & leisure
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
Training grounds Photos by TOM REED | The Times
Spectators surround the field at Laurel Park during a recent middle school baseball games between West Hall Spartans and Johnson Knights.
Hall County now proudly sports baseball for middle schoolers BY JAMES WOLFE
Hall County Middle School Baseball League 2011 schedule
jwolfe@gainesvilletimes.com
W
hen former University of Georgia baseball coach Robert Sapp took a look at the baseball program in Hall County in the fall of 2008, he noticed something was missing. While the county had a bevy of strong high school baseball squads, there were no middle school teams for the majority of the schools. Now, three years later, the Hall County middle school baseball league is thriving. With six teams, a 15-game schedule, and a tournament and champion at the finale of the season, seventh and eighth graders in Hall County can now take part in the rich tradition that is baseball in northeast Georgia. And, as Sapp said, those in charge of the league try to do everything “first class.” “I’m a volunteer, sort of like the commissioner. I’m in charge of getting the schedules set and making sure the teams have somewhere to play,” Sapp said. “We have programs, trophies at the end of the season, schedule cards, everything. We even use high school umpires.” The involvement of high school aspects, such as umpires, uniforms, equipment and practice space, comes out of the goodwill of the high school coaches in Hall County. “Jeremy Kemp at Gainesville, Wes Gentry at Chestatee ... those guys had a lot to do with getting this middle school league going,” Sapp said. “They actually meet before the season and have input all the way, as far as rules go, and they help support it financially. “They even go to the games to they can get to know the kids who will one day play on their teams in high school.” Some of the coaches, like Kemp, take their involvement even further. “I’m at as many practices as I can be,” Kemp said. “Our whole coaching staff was out there for tryouts and we ran the kids through their first drills while the middle school coaches watched. “We try to structure everything just like at the high school level, so when they are freshmen the adjustment period is easier.” While most of the middle schools in Hall County only formed their teams when the league began play in the spring of 2009, Gainesville Middle has had a team for over eight years, according to Kemp. “We’ve had a team, but having these other teams in the county to play against makes things a whole lot more convenient,” Kemp said. “We would have to go to Blairsville and Ellijay and Jasper to find teams to play before this league started, now we can stay closer to home.” The teams in the league do not signify themselves as being from specific middle schools, though the players all come from the same school. Instead, they go by mascot names: Knights, Spartans, Falcons, Red Elephants, War Eagles and Vikings. Each team has about 15 players on it, according to Sapp. The Falcons took home the championship in the league’s inaugural season, winning the single-elimination postseason tournament that usually falls during the last weekend of April. The Knights won last season. To Kemp, the most important aspect of the league isn’t winning a championship but learning how to practice and tryout for a team. “Most of the kids who try out as seventh graders have never had to try out to make a team before, and it really helps to get that out of the way before their freshman year,” Kemp said. “The tryouts and practices in middle school mean that they aren’t starting at square one when they get to high school.” Brian Kovach, the coach of the Red Elephants’ middle school team, said that the help and support of Kemp and his staff has been invaluable. “We talk on a daily basis,” Kovach said of Kemp. “He knows all the kids on the team and follows their improvement. And the kids know that too.” Kovach said that, while Gainesville Middle has had a team for a long while, participation has gone up now that the high school coaches are involved. “We didn’t even have to cut anyone when we first started,” Kovach, who has been the middle school coach for the past six years, said. “But we’ve seen in-
Feb. 26
March 26
Knights vs. Spartans, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Falcons vs. Red Elephants, 1:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1 War Eagles vs. Vikings, 4 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1
Falcons vs. Spartans, 11 a.m., Alberta Banks Park Knights vs. Vikings, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 1
March 1 War Eagles vs. Falcons, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Vikings vs. Spartans, 6:30 p.m., Alberta Banks Park Red Elephants vs. Knights, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 2
March 5 Falcons vs. Vikings, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Knights vs. War Eagles, 11 a.m., Alberta Banks Park Spartans vs. Red Elephants, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 2
March 8 Matt Sparman, of the Spartans, pitches to a Knights batter during a recent middle school baseball game at Laurel Park.
Spartans vs. Falcons, 6:30 p.m., Alberta Banks Park Vikings vs. Knights, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Red Elephants vs. War Eagles, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 2
March 12 Red Elephants vs. Vikings, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 1 War Eagles vs. Spartans, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 2 Falcons vs. Knights, 11 a.m., Alberta Banks Park
Round 2 March 15
Shane Burdette, of the Knights, slides safely into second as the Spartans’ Baldo Garcia takes the throw during a recent middle school baseball game at Laurel Park.
‘We try to structure everything just like at the high school level, so when they are freshmen the adjustment period is easier.’
Isiahi Torres, of the Knights, heads to third base during a recent middle school baseball game against the Spartans at Laurel Park.
school squad.” Gentry had nothing but praise for Sapp, the other high school coaches in the county, and Hall County Parks and Recreation. “If it wasn’t for everyone working together like we have, there wouldn’t be a middle school league,” Gentry said. “And we really needed one for these kids.” The Hall County middle school baseball league plays games Tuesday and Saturday at Laurel Park and Alberta Banks Park. The fields are provided by Hall County Parks and Leisure.
Vikings vs. Red Elephants, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Spartans vs. War Eagles, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 2 Knights vs. Falcons, 6:30 p.m., Alberta Banks Park
March 31 Spartans vs. Knights, 6:30 p.m., Alberta Banks Park Red Elephants vs. Falcons, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Vikings vs. War Eagles, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 2
April 12 Falcons vs. War Eagles, 6:30 p.m., Alberta Banks Park Spartans vs. Vikings, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Knights vs. Red Elephants, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 2
April 16 Vikings vs. Falcons, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 1 War Eagle vs. Knights, 11 a.m., Alberta Banks Park Red Elephants vs. Spartans, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 2
April 19 Falcons vs. Spartans, 6:30 p.m., Alberta Banks Park Knights vs. Vikings, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1 War Eagle vs. Red Elephants, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 2
April 23
Falcons vs. War Eagles, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Spartans vs. Vikings, 11 a.m., Alberta Banks Park
Red Elephants vs. Vikings, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Spartans vs. War Eagles, 11 a.m., Laurel Park Field 2 Knights vs. Falcons, 11 a.m., Alberta Banks park War Eagles vs. Red Elephants, 1:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1
March 22
April 26
Vikings vs. Falcons, 6:30 p.m., Alberta Banks Park War Eagles vs. Knights, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Red Elephants vs. Spartans, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 2
Knights vs. Red Elephants, 6:30 p.m., Alberta Banks Park
March 19
Jeremy Kemp Gainesville High School baseball coach volvement rise pretty much each season and even more so now that the league is in Hall County. We have to cut the team down to about 13 now, because we want everyone to get quality time on the field so they are ready for high school.” Gentry, the coach of the Chestatee High team, doesn’t just help with the middle school team: the younger War Eagles practice with the older War Eagles almost every day. “We try to absorb the middle school program into our full program,” Gentry said. “They practice daily at our facility and we really try to combine the practices as much as we can. The high school and middle school teams are together, but separate. We are very hands-on from the beginning, down to the point of me having the final say on who makes the middle
Spartans vs. Knights, 6:30 p.m., Alberta Banks Park Red Elephants vs. Falcons, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 1 Vikings vs. War Eagles, 6:30 p.m., Laurel Park Field 2
March 29
Post Season Tournament April 30, May 1, May 2.
‘If it wasn’t for everyone working together like we have, there wouldn’t be a middle school league. And we really needed one for these kids’ Wes Gentry Chestatee High School baseball coach
CMYK SPORTS & LEisure
A publication of
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | PROGRESS | Sunday, March 27, 2011
GOLF: Courses offer clinics, camps to youth ■ Continued from 1 the community.” To that end, Arendt said Chicopee Woods offers two free clinics geared toward beginning golfers each summer and charges a discounted rate for junior golfers 15 and under who play with a paying adult golfer. “We feel that strongly about getting young people playing and families playing golf together,” Arendt said. There’s also, according to Hogan, an element of self-preservation at work. Though local pros say the game’s popularity is healthy among area youngsters, the National Golf Foundation numbers show participation declining among 6-17-year-olds nationwide. “(Kids are) the future of golf,” Hogan said. “If we don’t teach them the game, the golf industry’s going to die. We’ve got
to introduce them to the game and get them hooked, because if you can do that, they’re going to play the game for the rest of their life. “In football or basketball, once you reach a certain age, you’re not going to play anymore, but golf is the one sport you can play as long as you can walk.” To better serve the younger demographic, and to meet the demand of the paying customer, kid-friendly golf business is booming in Hall County. Jim Frasier is in his sixth year as the director of instruction at Chicopee Woods, where he oversees camps, clinics and runs a 2,000-square-foot-learning center. He estimates 65 percent of his business is from juniors. “When I started here I would guess that number was less than 10 percent,” he said. “There’s just an
Achasta Golf Club 150 Birch River Drive, Dahlonega, GA 30533, 888-988-6222, www. achasta.com. Semi-private. Rates: Tuesday-Thursday $65; Friday-Sunday $80; $55, every day after 2 p.m. Length: Gold, 6,964; Blue, 6,425; Birch, 6,034; White, 5,796; Red 4,999.
Apple Mountain Resort 901 Rock Ford Creek Road, Clarkesville, GA 30523, 706754-2255, www.applemountaingolfga.com; Rates: MondayTuesday $34; Wednesday-Friday $39, $34 after 1 p.m.; SaturdaySunday, $45, $39 after 1 p.m. Length: Blue, 6,428; White, 5,902; Gold, 5,105; Red, 5,003.
Brasstown Valley Resort 6321 US Highway 76, Young Harris, GA 30582, 706-379-4613, www.brasstownvalley.com/golfing. Length: Gold, 7,047; Teal, 6,593; White, 6,011; Red 5,028.
Butternut Creek Golf Course 129 Union County Recreation
‘There’s such a high demand for junior golf services. I feel like if I didn’t offer them, I’d be losing money, to be honest. But also, this is the future of golf. These kids are going to grow up playing golf and come back ...’
unbelievable number of juniors involved in golf here in Hall County. “It’s a great revenue source,” Frasier added. “There’s such a high demand for junior golf services. I feel like if I didn’t offer them, I’d be losing money, to be honest. But also, this is the future of golf. These kids are going to grow up playing golf and come back and associate themselves with Chicopee Woods.” At Chattahoochee, Next Level Golf, a junior golf development service, recently opened an office. Hogan said about 40 juniors between the ages of 8 and 18 have signed up for the program. “Golf teaches such good core values,” Hogan said. “You learn life lessons on the golf course. That’s why as long as I’m here I’m going to push junior golf big Jim Frasier time. We’ve got to get kids involved and keep them Director of instruction at involved.” Chicopee Woods
Road, Blairsville, GA, 30512, 706-439-6076, www.butternutcreekgolf.com, Rates: 18 holes, $32, nine holes $18. Length: Golf, 6,536; Blue, 6,023; White, 5,459; Red, 4,715.
Chattahoochee Golf Club 301 Tommy Aaron Drive, Gainesville, GA 30506, 770-5320066, www.gainesville.org/golf-1. Rates: Monday-Friday $45.50, Saturday-Sunday $55.50; Twilight after 2 p.m. $36, after 4 p.m. $27. Length: Black, 7,004; Blue, 6,526; White 6,104; Gold, 5,526; Red, 4,851
Chateau Elan 100 Rue Charlemagne, Braselton, GA 30517, 678425-6050, www.chateauelan. com/energize/golf. Two 18-hole public courses, one 9-hole public course. Rates: Monday-Thursday $70, before 11 a.m.; $50, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; $40 after 3 p.m.; Friday-Sunday $85, before 11 a.m.; $50, 11 a.m.-3p.m.; $40, after 3 p.m.; Length: Chateau course, Gold 7,030; Green, 6,484; White, 5,900; Burgundy 5,092. Woodlands Course, Gold,
6,735; Green, 6,355; White, 5,927 Burgundy, 4,850.
Chestatee Golf Club 777 Dogwood Trail, Dawsonville, GA 30534, 800-520-8675, chestateegolf.net, Rates (cart included) Monday-Thursday $49, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; $39, 2-5 p.m.; $27, after 5 p.m.; Friday-Sunday $59, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; $49, 2-5 p.m.; $27, after 5 p.m.; Length: Black, 6,877; Blue, 6,475; White, 6,065; Gold, 5,597; Red, 4,947
Chicopee Woods 2515 Atlanta Highway, Gainesville, GA 30504, 770-534-7322, www. chicopeewoodsgolfcourse.com. Rates: Monday-Thursday $43; Friday $49; Saturday, Sunday and holidays $55. Seniors ages 62 and older, Monday-Friday $39; Saturday, Sunday and holidays $55. Twilight (times change monthly) $37 after 12:30 p.m.; $30 after 1:45 p.m.; $21 after 3 p.m. Mill/School, Gold, 6,926; Blue, 6,509; White, 6,002; Red 4,913. School/Village, Gold, 7,040; Blue, 6,606; White, 6,050; Red, 5,001. Village/Mill, Gold, 7,008; Blue, 6,559; White, 6,052; Green, 4,888; Red, 4,888.
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
North Hall High golfer Ryan Matthews watches his drive from the Royal Lakes golf course 11th tee during the 2011 Hall County Championships on March 15 in Flowery Branch.
Deer Trail Country Club Legacy Golf Club 224 Country Club Lane, Commerce, GA 30529, 706-335-3987. Nine holes. Rates: 18 holes, Tuesday-Friday $22; SaturdaySunday $28.50. 18-hole length: Men’s 6,200; Women’s 5,300.
Double Oaks Golf Course 3100 Ila Road, Commerce, GA 30530, 706-335-8100, doubleoaksgolfclub.net. Rates: MondayFriday $30.95; Weekends and holidays $40.95. Length: Gold, 6,823; Blue, 6,525; White, 5,945; Silver, 5,221; Red, 4,717.
Innsbruck Golf Club of Helen Bahn Innsbruck, Helen, GA 30545, 800-642-2709, www. innsbruckgolfclub.com. Rates: Weekdays $34 from open until two hours before twilight; $29 from two hours before twilight; $24 from twilight to close; Weekends $44 from open until two hours before twilight; $39 from two hours before twilight; $34 from twilight to close. Length: Blue 6,502; White, 5,991; Gold, 5,472; Red, 4,725.
7000 Holiday Road, Lake Lanier Islands, GA 30518, 678-3187861, www.lakelanierislandsgolf. com. Rates: Monday-Friday $54, until 12:50 p.m.; $74, 1-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday $44, until 10:50 a.m.; $64, 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.; $84, 1-4 p.m. Length: Black 6,580; Blue, 6,193; White, 5,706; Red, 4,852.
Mossy Creek Golf Course 7883 Ga. 254, Cleveland, GA 30528, 706-865-2277. Rates: Tuesday-Friday $30 before 2 p.m., $25 after 2 p.m.; SaturdaySunday $37 before 2 p.m.; $30 after 2 p.m. Length: Blue, 6,100; Men’s, 5,700; Senior, 5,000; Red, 4,500.
Royal Lakes Golf and Country Club 4700 Royal Lakes Drive, Flowery Branch, GA 30542, 770-5358800, www.royallakesgolfcc. com. Semi-private. Rates: $35 and up. Length: Championship, 6,871; forward 5,325; middle, 6,327.
CMYK
Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
FIGHT A publication of
CLUB
Area organization gives kids a new way to unleash their aggression with boxing
sports & leisure
Gerardo Gonzalez delivers a punch to a heavy bag during practice Feb. 24 as part of a youth boxing program at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hall County in Gainesville.
BY JONATHAN ZOPF
jzopf@gainesvilletimes.com With his hands in a pair of sparring gloves, Joe Norman bobs and weaves as Gerardo Gonzalez delivers punch after punch. Following Norman’s instruction, Gonzalez throws jabs, crosses and uppercuts with each hand, finding his sparring partner’s gloves every time. With every move, Norman provides positive feedback, which motivates the 15-year-old to keep going no matter how much sweat is dripping from his shirt. Gonzalez is one of several area youths involved in the boxing program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County, which is designed to help young people stay in shape and off the streets. The program is open to boys and girls in middle and high school and currently has students between the ages of 11-17. “Boxing is the perfect sport,” said Norman, who used to work with current professional boxer Tyrone Hendrix. “These kids have to be motivated themselves. They have to do it here, go home, and keep training.” Boxing also helps these youngsters in another aspect of life. “I do it because it teaches them how to pray,” said Norman, who volunteers his time to run the program five days a week. “When they enter the ring, they’re praying they make it out.” Norman was clearly joking on that matter — he later said the events are extremely safe and match each kid by experience and weight class. “They’re equipped so the blows don’t hurt too much,” he said. “They also get a check-up before they enter the ring and a physical when they leave.” While safety concerns might have some parents skeptical about signing their child up for boxing at a young age, Norman and some of his current and former students believe the rewards of boxing outweigh any presumed risks. “It teaches you how to be obedient and faster than your opponent,” said Norman’s granddaughter Ebony Norman, who is now 18 but boxed from the age of 6 to 15. “Boxing gives you confidence in yourself because you can’t be afraid to make mistakes.” The sport also promotes a healthier lifestyle, which is the main focal point of the majority of the programs at the location. “We want to implement things to help kids stay in shape,” said teen center director Derrick Caldwell, who helped start the program once he found out there were interested youngsters. “Boxing is a way to let off
Photos by SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Jonathan Turcios, left, 16, and Joseph Smith, 13, spar during practice Feb. 24 as part of a youth boxing program at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hall County in Gainesville.
Jonathan Turcios, left, 16, and Joseph Smith, 13, practice their punches during a youth boxing program Feb. 24 at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hall County in Gainesville.
Youth sports The Georgia Mountains YMCA of Gainesville: 770-2979622; gamountainsymca.org Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County: 770-532-8102; boysgirlsclubs.com Hall County Parks and Leisure:770-535-8280; hallcounty.org/parks Gainesville Parks and Recreation: 770-531-2680; gainesville.org
steam, frustration and stay in shape,” Caldwell said. “It’s positive all the way around.” Just ask Gonzalez. “It helps you get your anger out and it calms me down from stress,” he said. “I try to
come everyday to train.” Gonzalez is also helping to spread the word about the youth boxing program, as his friend William Razo joined him in the program two years ago. Razo also said
that it helps relieve stress, and that once he started boxing, he “got into it fast.” “It’s different, not seen very much and way out of the ordinary,” said Razo, 16. “There’s no place I can think better than in here. I’m just relaxed.” As beneficial as the program is for the participants’ state of mind and physical well being, it also allows them to get in the ring with their peers. Norman said he tries to take his students to three or four meets a year in places like Atlanta, Macon and Augusta. Those competitions provide an added
Jose Jackson, 14, practices on the speed bag during a youth boxing program Feb. 24 at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hall County in Gainesville.
motivation to stick with the training. “It taught me how to be more responsible,” Ebony Norman said. “Boxing taught me how to have self control and maintain the right weight.”
Caldwell thinks that aspect of the program is the most important. “These days a lot of kids are fighting obesity,” Caldwell said. “Boxing is a great way to overcome that.” Noe Jackson, left, 10, Christopher Alexander, 8, and Shawn Ellison, 13, jump rope Feb. 24 during a youth boxing program at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hall County in Gainesville.
CMYK sports & leisure
A publication of
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | PROGRESS | Sunday, March 27, 2011
John Hunter Regatta is a highlight for local rowers BY BILL MURPHY
bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com
TOM REED | The Times
Ashlyn Balch paddles along a dock with other members of the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club developmental team recently.
PADDLE: Many kids come in shy, leave confident ■ Continued from 1 will get a chance at a pair of regattas to test what they’ve learned against others. The first regatta is April 23, which is the Junior Olympic Canoe/Kayak fun race. Then on May 7, there’s the Olympic Canoe/Kayak Fungatta, in which athletes will earn awards for individual and team races. While it’s nice for coaches to be able to pinpoint which athletes have the most potential paddling, the main draw, according to Lee, is that it instills confidence for athletes in a social network. “A lot of kids come out really shy and it’s amazing to see how they grow up and become more confident, feeling like they belong,” Lee said. “A program like this is appealing to a wide variety of kids.”
For those who are past the developmental stage, there’s also a wide variety of activities at the LCKC this spring and summer, including adult learn-to-kayak classes, private lessons, canoe and kayak rentals, moonlight paddles and recreational memberships. Once the weather warms, there will also be a bevy of United States Canoe Association sanctioned events. There’s a Lanier Dragonboat Series with races planned in Gainesville on June 4 and June 25. These races are open to the public and cost $300 for the races and three practice sessions. The dragon boat is an elaborate boat, usually made of teak wood and molded in ancient Chinese lore that dates back more than 2,000 years. It can contain up to 20 pad-
Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club Upcoming events May 6-7
USACK collegiate national championships
June 4
Lanier dragon boat racing series begins
June 11
Southern invitational regatta
June 25
Lanier dragon boat racing series No. 2
Aug. 4-6
USACK sprint national championships
Aug. 7
USACK masters national championships
Sept. 10-15 Atlanta Hong Kong dragon boat festival For more information: Call the LCKC at 770-287-7888 or go to its website, www.lckc.org.
dlers, with a drummer at the front and a steerer paddling in the rear. On May 7, the LCKC will also host the National Collegiate championships, hosted
by Georgia Tech. For the masters division, those 25-and-older, the US Canoe & Kayak Nationals will be held at the LCKC on Aug. 7.
Rowers also have their crack at a fair share of activities on Lake Lanier. The John Hunter Regatta, hosted by the Georgia Tech and the Saint Andrew Rowing Clubs, is held each year at the Lake Lanier Olympic Rowing Center. Open to college, scholastic and youth rowing teams, the event is set up on a 2,000-meter course with six lanes. Regatta director Nils Thompson, a coach with the St. Andrew Rowing Club out of Sandy Springs, anticipated 1,500 ath- Lake Lanier letes on hand and 26 different events divided among 4s (four Rowing Club rowers and a coxswain) and 8s Where: 3105 Clarks (eight rowers and a coxswain). Bridge Road, In its 25th year, the John Gainesville Hunter Regatta, named after Contact: 770-287-0077 the man instrumental in build- or go online www. ing rowing in the Atlanta area lakelanierrowing.org and at Georgia Tech, brings in about 18-22 college crew clubs, including the Yellow Jackets, Georgia, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and Rollins College. Along with the Southeastern Junior Regional Championships on May 14-15 these are the two biggest rowing events of the season on Lake Lanier, according to Thompson. What makes the John Hunter event unique is that all the action is packed into one day for fans, and usually brings in as many fans as competitors. Having the event on Lake Lanier is beneficial for competitors since it’s on flat water. “The John Hunter Regatta is probably the biggest single-day regatta in the southeast,” Thompson added. This event is also known for drawing in youth programs evenly from across the southeast with teams from Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and the Carolinas. While the John Hunter regatta is not a qualifying event, it is a big stepping stone for participants looking to perform at regional and national competitions. “Lake Lanier is a top-level venue for rowing,” Thompson said. Rowing is not designated for regattas on Lake Lanier. The Lake Lanier Rowing Club also offers youth and adult programs, learn-to-row classes, as well as indoor rowing classes.
‘We’re in receptive mode. We’re handling the business that comes in, not actively pursuing tournaments. We haven’t had to with the lake coming back because it’s very desirable. People want to fish here so we don’t have to sell it.’ Stacy Dixon, President of the Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau
Need a guide? These Lake Lanier fishing guides can help you find the right spots for that lunker:
Photos by SARA GUEVARA | The Times
Angler Scott Martin, left, of Clewiston, Fla., fishes alongside co-angler Mike Iloski of Escondido, Calif., during the first day of the Forrest Wood Cup on Aug. 5.
FISH: Lake Lanier has sponsors come looking for tournaments ■ Continued from 1 whether it’s hot, cold, windy or rainy, there’s always fish to catch and there’s a consistency to the catch. “Another reason is the tremendous infrastructure surrounding the lake, the housing facilities and the media support, which is second-to-none.” It’s reasons such as these Lanier basically sells it self. Other lakes may have to search hard for a sponsorship to pay for an organization such as FLW Outdoors to come to their lake, with Taylor estimating about 90 percent of them doing so. At Lanier, the sponsorship comes to them. “We’re in receptive mode,” Dixon said. “We’re handling the business that comes in, not actively pursuing tournaments. We haven’t had to with the lake
A bass boat picks up speed on the waters of Lake Lanier on Aug. 5 during the first day of the Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, at Laurel Park.
coming back because it’s very desirable. “People want to fish here
so we don’t have to sell it.” Dixon said studies funded by the visitor’s bureau show
the average overnight visitor in town for a fishing event spends $103, and those
staying for one night spend $76. During the drought, that money went elsewhere. Events were put on hold because the boat access ramps weren’t accessible. The would-be four-day FLW tour event of 2007 went elsewhere. “Those tournaments have about 200 contestants, Dixon said. “So four days of 200 peoples spending $103, we lost. They went to Alabama. “But since the lake is back, almost daily we get phone calls and inquiries about tournaments.” Kit Dunlap of the Chamber of Commerce said though Lanier hit rock bottom, future prospects are looking bright. “With the improvements of the ramps, as we go forward, we’re going to attract bigger names in fishing,” she said. “With the lake
Unicoi Outfitters, fly-fishing rentals, P.O. Box 419, Helen, (706) 878-3083, unicoioutfitters.com Bill Vanderford, (770) 2891543, fax (678) 475-1214, fishinglanier.com. Fishers o’ Men Fish Guide Service, (706) 283-7448 Harold Nash Guide Service, (770) 967-6582, hnashfishing.com Lake Lanier Guide Service, Doug Youngblood, (770) 945-0797, fishlanier.com Mack Farr’s Guide Service, (770) 271-0851, fax (770) 271-2277, fishing-boating. com/farr Mark’s Guide Service, (770) 887-0238, (770) 401-1899, thestriperguide.com Shane Watson Striper Guide Service, (770) 8895549, (770) 235-9829, lakelanierstripers.com Stripers on Lanier, Dawsonville, (770) 8877475, stripersonlanier.com Sunshine Charters, Glenn Woll, (678) 316-5558, sunshinecharters.info Wendell Wilson, (706) 2833336
River, stream fishing Blackhawk Trophy Trout Stream, blackhawkflyfishing.com Cannon Falls Lodge, Cleveland, (706) 348-7919, cannonfallslodge.com River North Fly Fishing, Clarkesville, (706) 8787469, (706) 754-1740, (404) 403-2808, (404) 317-9002, rivernorthflyfishing.com Nontootla Creek Farms, (404) 412-1002, ncfga.com Orvis Georgia Fly Fishing School, orvis.com Riverside Trophy Stream, (706) 947-3364 Spring Creek Anglers, (404) 412-0250, springcreekanglers.com Upper Hi Fly Fishing & Outfitters, Hiawasee, (706) 896-9075, upper-hi-fly.com
full, the new ramps and the economy improving, we’re going to attract top fishing tournaments. “The drought affected everyone, period. But we’ve got a full lake and we’re staying positive.”
CMYK
Sunday, March 27, 2011 | PROGRESS |
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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
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