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September 9, 2015
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Coweta artist Bill Turner touches up a horse he painted behind Gray Cottage on the day of the open house at the new artist-in-residence studio.
Gray Cottage is ready for its first artist-in-residence, Peter Tudhope, a painter from Scotland. The historic home was renovated with the help of community sponsors.
Gray Cottage opens as artist-in-residence studio By WINSTON SKINNER winston@newnan.com
“Don’t you just want to move in?” Donna Brooks, a retired educator and businesswoman – as well as a former state representative, was walking through Gray Cottage. Brooks is one of the members of the board of the Newnan Artist-In-Residence Pro-
gram Inc. NAIRP spearheaded the transformation of the charming cottage on Clark Street into a suitable spot for artists to spend time reflecting, working and creating. “I love it,” Brooks said, looking at the decorated and furnished home during the open house. “I think it’s fabulous.” Gray Cottage is now ready for the
first artist, Peter Tudhope, to move in. Tudhope is a painter from Scotland. Local builder Henry Cole was in charge of the work on the house – which now has a modern kitchen, laundry room and bath. While making the house comfortable for an artist visiting in 2015 was the main goal, Cole also kept an eye on the historic integrity of the home.
County launches
I N S I DE r
text-911 service
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“CALL IF YOU CAN; TEXT IF YOU CAN’T”
By MAGGIE BOWERS maggie@newnan.com
Since Sept. 1, most citizens in Coweta County have been able to send a short message service (SMS) or text message to 911 for emergency help when unable to make a 911 voice call. A rlene W h i sen hu nt , 91 1 director for Coweta County, says that the service is meant to target those who absolutely can’t use their voice to relay an emergency. “Primarily the deaf community or maybe someone is in a situation where they are hiding and can’t use their voice, such as a home invasion, domestic violence or active shooter scenario.” Whisenhunt said. “All
wireless callers should remember to ‘call if you can; text if you can’t.’” At this time, the new service will only be available to wireless customers of Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile when within range of a cell tower in Coweta County. Other providers are expected to add this feature in the future. The text messages come in to the 911 center a little differently than the standard phone calls. Messages are slightly delayed and are received through the Internet. If someone attempts to use the text-to-911 service but aren’t in range of a tower, they will immediately get a bounce back message. Using a phone to call 911 is still the most efficient way to reach emergency help. Texting is not always instantaneous, which is critical during a life-threatening emergency. It may take slightly longer to dispatch emergency services in a
text-to-911 situation because of the time involved: Someone must enter the text; the message must go over the network and the 911 telecommunicator must read the text and then text back. Providing location information and nature of the emergency in the first text message is imperative since the publicsafety answering point [PSAP] will initially only receive the location of the cell phone tower closest to the call’s origin. Whisenhunt says the service is not intended to replace standard 911 phone calls, but simply to provide another method of contacting 911. Whisenhunt stresses that customers should only use the texting option only when calling isn’t possible. “When we get a text, the first thing we ask them is if they can call us,” Whisenhunt said. “You can hear what’s going on in the background and it’s instant.”
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One of decorative items in the house is a framed rectangle of the original wallpaper from the house’s kitchen, prepared by Cole. Local groups will be lining up visual artists, sculptors, writers and poets to spend some time at Gray Cottage. Those in temporary residence at the house will work on their art – and provide some local presentation or program during their stay. NAIRP will maintain the home, which belongs to the city of Newnan. Sponsoring groups will provide a stipend for the visiting artist. Sponsoring groups include the Heritage School, the University of West Georgia, the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society, the Newnan-Coweta Art Association, the City of Newnan and the Newnan
Carnegie Library Foundation. “We’re hoping there will be some collaboration among partners,” said board member Bette Hickman. NAIRP may also bring artists with its own funds. “Maybe once or twice a year, we’ll have one,” Hickman said. Gray Cottage is in the edge of the College-Temple neighborhood – nestled between the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society’s McRitchie-Hollis Museum and a planned children’s museum. Sitting on the comfortable back porch, a visiting artist will see the University of West Georgia’s campus in Newnan. The house was built by longtime Coweta Clerk of Superior Court Wallace Gray. Hickman interviewed Gray’s daughter, Rebecca Powell, about her memories of the house before Powell died – at 91 – last fall. Hickman gave much credit to board members Millie Gosch and Robert Hancock. The idea for an artist-in-residence studio in Newnan originated with Gosch, a local plein air painter. Gosch said she sometimes travels to paint – to “not be bothered by the daily grind.” She said a place away from home can provide inspiration and energy to an artist. “This location is so great,” Gosch said – noting the museum and university campus adjacent and the downtown area a short walk away. Hancock “found the resources to develop it into what you see,” Hickman said. Anyone interested in getting involved with the group should contact NAIRP by email – info@ newnanartistinresidence.org.
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