Coming Soon — Heritage Park Playground If you noticed some digging in the dirt going on at Heritage Park, it's because there is a new playground coming soon in the area between the mounds. The new inclusive playground will feature two play structures with slides, climbing apparatus, bridges, and shade canopies, as well as a swing set with six swings for all ages and different abilities. A turf carpet will cover the entire area of play, and a 4-ft sidewalk will circle the playground, which is expected to be complete and open by the start of summer.
New Automated Speed Enforcement at Teasley MS The City of Canton Police Department is now utilizing speed detection devices to enforce the speed limit at Teasley MS. The enforcement will be conducted using automated school zone cameras that were installed on Reservoir Drive. The program was instituted after a nationwide spike in pedestrian fatalities over the past decade in which Georgia became one of the five deadliest states for pedestrians, with the seventh-highest fatality rate. Canton PD conducted speed studies within all its school zones, which produced over 3,000 speeding violations in a single day. Automated Enforcement is endorsed as a safety tool by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, AAA, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the National Safety Council. For more information, visit CantonGa.gov/news.
Canton City Council Adopts Resolution in Opposition to HB 514 and HB 517 During the March 2 City Council meeting, Mayor Bill Grant and Canton City Council adopted a resolution seeking to keep local control over design standards, development fees, zoning regulations, and decisions related to development moratoriums at the level of government closest to the citizens most impacted. “Current legislation circulating at the State Capitol (HB 514 and HB 517) would eliminate local powers related to development and building standards and regulations,” explained City Manager Billy Peppers. “These bills would strip enforcement of decisions made through public processes at the City level in an effort to make homebuilding more profitable and faster for builders. This move for profit and productivity comes at the cost of public health, public safety, and citizen input related to the styles and standards of residential projects to be built on neighboring properties.” Canton Mayor Bill Grant added to Peppers’ sentiments, “Our citizens rely on their local government to control housing standards, quality of development, and the character of our community. House Bills 514 and 517 would undermine the mayor and Council’s control of maintenance and zoning standards in our city and, therefore, give developers an upper hand.” Among some of the items these bills seek to remove from local control include standards related to building materials, minimum lot sizes, minimum square footage requirements for residential units, and minimum requirements for road frontage for the development of a lot. Eliminating these controls removes local character from design, inhibits safety on public roadways, and impacts the property values of existing residents in favor of profiting national builders. The City Council will transmit the resolution to the local delegation and encourage concerned residents to reach out to the members of the House and Senate to voice their opinions on this preemptive legislation. A link to the resolution can be found at CantonGa.gov. Details about House Bills 514 and 517 can be found at Legis.Ga.gov.
City of Canton News To Note • Canton designated as City of Civility by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA). The City adopted a civility resolution in GMA’s new Embrace Civility program during a Council meeting in February. Canton is the third city in Georgia to make this commitment. • The City of Canton participated in the first ever More Than Murals Workshop. The workshop is a three-day intensive on using art to address community challenges and is organized and sponsored by the Georgia Council for the Arts, the City of Thomasville, the Georgia Municipal Association, and the Thomasville Center for the Arts. Participating community teams left the workshop with a specific arts-based strategy that addresses the challenges that their cities are facing. Canton also received an $8,000 Creative Placemaking Project Grant. For more information, visit CantonGa.gov.
CCFES Awarded International Accredited Status Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services (CCFES) has received Accredited Agency status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for meeting the criteria established through CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program. CCFES is one of approximately 300 agencies in the world to achieve this status with the CFAI and the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. (CPSE).“We have been able to use the CFAI accreditation process as a mechanism to plan for the future of our department and identify areas where we can improve the quality of service we provide,” said Fire Chief Eddie Robinson.CFAI is dedicated to assisting the fire and emergency service agencies throughout the world in achieving excellence through self-assessment and accreditation to provide continuous quality improvement and the enhancement of service delivery to their communities. The CFAI process is voluntary and provides an agency with an improvement model to assess their service delivery and performance internally and then works with a team of peers from other agencies to evaluate their completed self-assessment.
CSO Announces Award Winners Sheriff Frank Reynolds bestowed the following awards to Cherokee Sheriff’s Office (CSO) employees and citizens at a recent Board of Commissioners meeting: Life Saving Awards were presented to Deputies Andres Gavina and Tripp Ohar, Steven Parker (not pictured), Brett Hall, and Michael Jones. Sheriff’s Commendations were presented to Inv. Benjamin Botzong, Cpl. Tommy Thompkins, and Deputy Jeff Steer. Sheriff’s Outstanding Citizen Awards were presented to Mabel Ntiamoah, Brittany Kim (not pictured), and Jill Washburn (not pictured).Sheriff Reynolds then recognized past and present CSO Reserve deputies and announced the inaugural Eisenbrandt Leadership Award in honor of the late Reserve Capt. Greg Eisenbrandt who served Cherokee County for 25 years as a Reserve Deputy and was the commander over the unit for 15 years. The award will be presented each year to a deserving CSO Reserve deputy. The inaugural award was given to Greg’s wife Peg Eisenbrandt.
Child Abuse Awareness Month and the Importance of “Prevention in Partnership” April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Everyone has a role in ensuring children have positive experiences and families have the resources they need when they need them, well before they are in crisis. The theme of this year’s awareness and impact campaign, led by Prevent Child Abuse America and its national network of state chapters, is “Building Together: Prevention in Partnership.”Prevent Child Abuse Georgia and Prevent Child Abuse Cherokee invite community members to help raise awareness and impact through the following action items:Share the Find Help Georgia online resource hub with families. Users can search online or talk to trained professionals who will connect them with area programs.On April 11, visit Big Dan’s Car Wash (305 Ridgewalk Parkway, Woodstock). A percentage of all proceeds on this day will be donated to The Children’s Haven, a Prevent Child Abuse chapter in Cherokee County, to support child abuse prevention services in our community. During the month of April, shop at the Shoe Station (2243 Cumming Highway, Canton) and ask to round up your change. Proceeds will be donated to The Children’s Haven. Follow The Children’s Haven on social media and share its posts. Encourage friends and family to do the same. Use the hashtags #BuildingTogether, #PreventionInPartnership, and #CAPMonth to signify your commitment to helping children, families, and communities to thrive. For more information, please visit CherokeeChildrensHaven.org.
Canton Rotary Club Honors Community Leaders The Rotary Club of Canton honored two community leaders with top awards for professional excellence. The Robert S. (Bob) Stubbs II Guardian of Ethics Award was presented to Cherokee County School Board member Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison, and the W. Lee Arrendale Vocational Excellence Award was presented to Cherokee County Acting District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway. Both now advance for consideration for the regional awards presented by Rotary District 6910. Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison took office in January for a four-year term on the Cherokee County School Board following her election last November. Treadaway is serving as acting district attorney following the appointment of Shannon Wallace to a Cherokee County Superior Court judgeship.
Highlights of State of the County Addresses Cherokee County School District Superintendent Dr. Brian Hightower, Cherokee County Commission Chairman Harry Johnston, and Cherokee Office of Economic Development President Misti Martin delivered State of the County speeches in January. Hightower shared metrics illustrating the strength of the District, which serves more than 42,000 students. The graduation rate increased 17 points to 92.3%, with 97% of students being college ready. Students outperform 90% of other Georgia students. Hightower also pointed out the strong financials of the District, highlighting the reduced use of bonds and a reduced millage rate.Johnston’s address focused on the natural gifts in the community, as well as its great manmade resources, infrastructure, and plans for the future. His focus is to keep making Cherokee County the best place to live by gradually reducing the growth rate over the next 30 years and catching up on transportation infrastructure while continuing to be fiscally responsible.Martin spoke about Cherokee By Choice (CBC) 2.0, a continuation of the endeavor that has businesses choosing to relocate to Cherokee County. The initial program brought in more than $467 million and 2,175 jobs. A survey completed in preparation for the launch of CBC 2.0 indicated a focus needs to be made on advanced manufacturing, corporate/regional headquarters, and entrepreneurship/innovation. All three State of the County presentations can be viewed at CherokeeGa.com.
Chamber Announces 2023 Leadership and Teen Leadership Cherokee Classes The 20 members of the Leadership Cherokee (LC) class were chosen following participation in a nomination, application, and interview process. After attending a nine-month program, the class will graduate in September.Members of the Leadership Cherokee Class of 2023 include Delease Chester, Canton Tire & Wheel; Sheila Keeffe, His Hands Church; Barbara Corey, Wellstar; Kristin Norton Green, City of Canton; Jenna Geary, MUST Ministries; Anna Teal, Teal Marketing, LLC; Rebekah Gibson, Soil Erosion and Education, LLC. Jenn Goddard, RE/MAX Town & Country; Katy Leggett, City of Woodstock; Laura Gentilello, Woodstock West by Walton; Heddy Proctor, Next Step Ministries, Inc.; Mark Smith, Cherokee County School District; Chyretta Fullmore, Georgia Division of Family & Children Services; Courtney Argo, Goshen Valley Foundation. Chad Davis, Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services; Kayla Cleveland, Cherokee County Office of the Solicitor-General; Casey Barton, City of Holly Springs; Lynne Saunders, Encompass Ministries; Michelle Meek, The Children's Haven, Inc.; Marc Liscio, Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services. The Chamber also selected its 2023 Teen Leadership Cherokee Class (TLC). The applicants, all high school sophomores who live in Cherokee County, were asked to submit an in-depth application including their school and community involvement as well as a video answering the question “Why should I be selected for Teen Leadership Cherokee?” After reviewing the applications and videos, local business leaders selected the class.Students of the Teen Leadership Cherokee Class of 2023 include Zuri Maina, Woodstock; Brett Fillar, Woodstock; Lavanya Shankar, River Ridge; Abby Gillis, Woodstock; Riley Schultz, River Ridge; Elizabeth Hebert, Sequoyah; Felisa Vazquez, Cherokee; Emma Miller, Cherokee; and Isabella Benavides, Creekview. Leia Lankford, Woodstock; Caleb Miller, Creekview; Cade Smith, Creekview; Revis McClairen, River Ridge; Carrington Presley, River Ridge; Isabel Harper, Sequoyah; Melanie Rein, Sequoyah; Emily Wilson, River Ridge; Lois Dwomoh, Woodstock; Chair Emili Roman; and Vice-Chair Todd HayesFor more information on the Chamber and its programs, visit CherokeeChamber.com.