Cherokee Board of Commissioners Progress Highlights - At its November 1 meeting, the Board unanimously approved the design services contract with Arcadis US, Inc., for the I-575 at Towne Lake Parkway interchange improvement project for $1.35 million. Construction of the project will be paid with federal funding, and the county has applied for funding through the Federal Highway Administration. Design is expected to take up to 24 months. It’s too early to estimate a construction start date. - The Board also unanimously approved a design services contract to Southeastern Engineering, Inc., for the Ball Ground Highway roundabout project totaling $115,000. The City of Ball Ground will reimburse the county for the project located at Old Highway 5 and Howell Bridge Road. The county is coordinating with the city and Georgia Department of Transportation to design and construct the project to adhere to local administered projects requirements. The design is expected to take 12 months. - Construction of a new fire station in the Sutallee community is underway. The Board of Commissioners approved the $6.2 million construction contract with a 10% county-controlled contingency. The project is estimated to be completed by late November 2023
Cherokee County School District Announcements CCSD Police Chief Named to State CommitteeChief Buster Cushing, who has led the CCSD Police Department since 2019 after a 22-year career with the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, has been asked to serve on a Georgia POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training Council) ad hoc committee formed to review school safety.The Council, which was established in 1970 by the Georgia General Assembly, trains and certifies law enforcement officers for agencies statewide. Chief Cushing is one of three Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police representatives who will serve on the ad hoc committee along with three representatives from the Georgia Sheriff’s Association. The committee will review possible changes to POST training programs in response to lessons learned from the Uvalde school shooting.After the Uvalde tragedy, Chief Cushing reviewed CCSD Police Department operations and school safety plans and made recommendations to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower for further improvements. These recommendations, all of which were approved, included hiring more police officers to provide expanded coverage at elementary schools. The first phase of this new officer hiring has been completed, allowing for seven officers to be assigned solely to elementary schools, with additional officers to be hired next semester to further increase coverage.------------Falcons, Dairy Alliance Present CCSD with $10,000 Hometown Grant On behalf of the National Football League (NFL) and dairy farm families of Georgia, the Atlanta Falcons and The Dairy Alliance presented the CCSD School Nutrition program with a $10,000 Hometown Grant. The grant will enable the department to expand its smoothie menu items to more schools, and a portion of the funds will also support CCSD's girls flag football programs.The check presentation and celebration were made in the Cherokee HS gym. Falcons’ offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom joined PE students along with the team’s mascot, Freddie Falcon, and two Falcons cheerleaders. Members of Cherokee HS’s girls flag football, tackle football, cheer squad, and band also participated.-------------CCSD Schools Earn $12K in "Bright Ideas" Grants The competitive Bright Ideas grants are awarded by Amicalola EMC to the most innovative ideas from schools in their service area. Seventeen CCSD projects won a total of $12,020 in this season’s cycle of funding. Classroom projects, which can each earn as much as $1,000 in funding, must propose a “creative learning experience for students, benefit and directly involve students, contain a clearly defined plan of implementation, and encourage teamwork among students” to be eligible for the grant program. The winning teachers and projects are Ginny Baldwin, R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy, Math by the Book; Ana Cahill, Creekland MS, Who Am I; Rhys Coury, Cherokee HS, Game Club; Elise Creech, Creekland MS, The Grizzly Growl Podcasting Studio; Mary Beth Cronan, R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy, For the Love of Reading and Soft Starts; Anne Cross, Clayton ES, Brain Ball; Jennifer Frady, Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy, VersaTiles Math Activity Books With Answer Cases; Cheryl Gazaway, Clayton ES, Birds of a Feather Learn Together; Terri Hancock, Creekview HS, Junior Solar Sprint; Dana Leverette, Cherokee HS, High Sensory Garden; Mary Marble, Ball Ground ES STEM Academy, 3D Printing Station for STEM Lab; Hollen Pope, Ball Ground ES STEM Academy, DASHing Through the School; Traci Rollman, Creekland MS, Grizzly Community Health and Wellness; Lisa Spence, Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy, Printmaking for All; Amanda Stewart, R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy, Building Math Fluency; Valerie Wallace, Clayton ES, Master Meteorologists; Kailey Webb, Cherokee HS, Incentives for At-Risk Students.---------------------Etowah HS JROTC Wins Raider National ChampionshipThe 12-member team that won this multi-event military style athletic competition is made up of Austin Brice, Kendrick Brice, Preston Brundage, Davis Clanton, Trynt Dean, Thomas Driskell, Luke Foresman, Caleb Frankovich, Jeffery Meadows, Trey Petrey, Wes Rountree, and Maison Ward. Lt. Col. (Retired) Stephen Bergey, who is the 2022 Overall AFJROTC Instructor of the Year, leads the team with fellow instructor Technical Sgt. (Retired) Ciarra Malto. There were more than 50 teams from across the country at the event. -----------------Creekland MS Wins CCSD Middle School Academic Bowl for Second Consecutive YearThe event, which qualifies winners for regional competition, provides all CCSD’s middle school academic bowl teams an opportunity for head-to-head competition to answer questions from all areas of knowledge including history, literature, science, fine arts, current events, sports, and popular culture. The matches feature a blend of individual competition and team collaboration while reinforcing classroom lessons and encouraging players to go beyond their assignments to master other knowledge areas as well.------------Board Approves Next Step for Cherokee HS Construction — The school board voted to hire NJ Wilbanks Contractor, Inc., at a cost of $23 million, to complete the site development work for the project. Sitework began last month. Next, proposals will be requested for construction of the new school, with the school board expected to select a company this winter.
City of Canton News The Downtown Parking Deck at City Hall Is Now OpenIn addition to providing double the number of spaces as the previous lot, the second level features a solar canopy to power 10 EV charging stations and offset the utility charges of City Hall.Infrastructure Enhancements for the FutureLast month, during the open house to discuss the Transportation Master Plan, residents had the opportunity to provide input on the citywide plan as well as learn about projects including improvements on SR 140 at the intersection of Marietta Highway/Riverstone Parkway and the intersection of SR 140/Reinhardt College Parkway.Etowah River Trail Eastward ExpansionPortions of the Etowah River Trail Eastward Expansion from Heritage Park to Boling Park have been poured, and bridge abutments are underway. The City anticipates much of the new trail to be completed by the end of 2022, depending on weather and other logistics.
Sponsorship Program Launched To Provide Food Boxes to Families in Need SERV International (SERV) has launched Food Local, a monthly sponsorship program, to provide food boxes to 800 families in Cherokee County and surrounding areas.Individuals and organizations that would like to be a part of this program can sponsor a local family in need for just $35 a month, which covers the entire cost associated with supplying a weekly food box. The Food Local program goal is to fill all 800 sponsorship opportunities, with plans to increase the number of food boxes if funding allows. To sponsor families through SERV Food Local, please visit ServOne.org/foodlocal
New Cherokee County History Center Set for Hey Day Opening On November 5, get ready for some educational fun, as the brand new Cherokee County History Center opens for you to explore. From 11:00am-3:00pm, the Center will present a Hey Day celebration, featuring food and festivities for the whole family. Inspired by the 1958 Denim Day Carnival, Hey Day will have games, crafts, raffles, food trucks, educational opportunities, and, of course, the museum exhibits. For more information, visit HistoryCherokee.org.
Leadership Cherokee Graduates Class of 2022 A program of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Cherokee has graduated its 33rd class, bringing the total alumni count to 690. Over the course of a nine-month period, Leadership Cherokee exposes the group to a range of topics such as economic development, infrastructure, government, justice, arts, education, recreation, tourism, public safety, health care, and social/human services.
Highway Named in Honor of Local World War II Veteran In 1942, Roger W. Cavender joined the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. Now, 80 years later, he has been honored with the dedication of a highway in his name. The memorial highway is the portion of State Highway 372 that connects Highway 575/515 to Old Highway 5 between Ball Ground and Nelson. A resolution to name the highway in Cavender’s honor was passed and then signed by Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this year.The naming of the highway, which is located in both Cherokee and Pickens Counties, is an appropriate gesture, as Cavender was born in Jasper and had close ties to both counties. For most of his life, he lived on a hill in northern Cherokee County that overlooks the highway
Five Locals Selected for Prestigious 40 Under 40 List Congratulations to five of Cherokee County’s best and brightest who made this year’s Georgia Trend magazine “40 Under 40” list:Kyle BennettTourism Manager City of Woodstock and Visit WoodstockMichael CaldwellMayor of WoodstockCo-Founder and Managing PartnerBlack AirplaneRajpal SagooManaging Partner, MDD Holdings CIO, Rugby AtlantaMarcie SmithExecutive DirectorThe Children’s HavenHeath TippensVice President Cherokee Office of Economic DevelopmentThese five individuals were selected from a large pool of statewide nominees, which “represent the government, health care, legal, and nonprofit sectors, as well as large corporations and startups while also finding time to give back to their communities,” (Georgia Trend).
Rotary Club of Canton Honors Public Safety Heroes The Rotary Club of Canton honored community heroes at its Fifth Annual Public Safety Appreciation Luncheon, which included awards for service, leadership, and valor.“We call upon those honored today as heroes. They step into scenes of chaos only thinking of who they can help,” said Cherokee County Chief Marshal Jamie Gianfala, a Rotary Club member who also served as the program emcee. “You make the community a better and safer place. Thank you for your loyalty, and thank you for your service to our community.”The Club presented a Posthumous Public Safety Medal of Valor, the highest honor presented at the event, to late Officer Joseph “Joe” Burson of the Holly Springs Police Department, who died last year in the line of duty. His award was accepted by the police department.The Col. George Bailey Distinguished Leadership Award, named for the late Rotarian and community leader, was presented to four public safety employees to recognize their leadership within their agency and in the community: Sgt. Randy Fifield of Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services; John Haile of the Woodstock Police Department; Sgt. Travis Palmer of the Holly Springs Police Department; and Terrance Stallings of the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office.Public Safety Employee of the Year Awards were presented to at least one representative from each community agency: Canton Police Department, Officer Carlos Henao and Sgt. Tiffanie Cromer; Cherokee County E-911, Heather Bradberry and Penny Daniels; Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services, Chad Huff; Cherokee County Marshal's Office, Lt. Richard Ricketts; Cherokee County School District Police Department, Officer Keith McGraw; Holly Springs Police Department, Cpl. Jay Burns; Woodstock Police Department, Officer Josh Collie.
Cherokee County Launches 2023 Comprehensive Plan Update During a recent Board of Commissioners meeting, Cherokee County kicked off the 2023 Comprehensive Plan Update. Updated every five years, the plan highlights intended land uses over a 20-year period and is a guiding document for county planners and leaders, as well as property owners and developers. “The 2023 Comprehensive Plan was named ‘Our Cherokee,’ because it’s important to have involvement from the county as a whole: residents, business owners, elected officials, and those doing business in the county” said Kevin Turner, deputy director of Cherokee County’s Planning Department. The process begins with an online survey at CherokeeGa.com/ourcherokee. The survey will remain open until November 18. A series of in-person public input meetings are taking place, with two more meetings this month:• Waleska area, November 3, 6:00-7:30pm, Waleska Fire Station Community Room, 9080 Fincher Road, Waleska• Free Home area, November 10, 6:00-7:30pm, Free Home Fire Station Community Room, 9253 Freehome Highway, Canton