Vision 2010The Times-Herald

Sunday, March 28, 2010 — 1D

By SARAH FAY CAMPBELLsarah@newnan.com

Coweta County’s government weatheredthe bruising financial year of 2009 with nolayoffs, no furloughs, no tax millage rateincrease, and no loss of county services.

And none are planned for 2010. The county has cut its budget by not

replacing some employees who retired,and not “back filling” positions whensomeone is promoted. Employees aren’tgetting cost-of-living adjustments.

The county also spent about $1.4 millionof its multi-million dollar “fund balance.”

“We’re just continuing to try and worksmarter,” said Patricia Palmer, Coweta’sdirector of public affairs. And departmentheads are also “out there thinking and try-ing to find ways to cut costs,” she said.“They are continuing to look at new wayswe can operate as efficiently and effective-ly as possible,” she said.

“Even with things being tough, we’vemaintained county services,” Palmer said.“We’ve certainly been affected,” by theeconomic downtown, however, she said.

“The sales tax revenues have been flat,and declining in some cases,” Palmer said.And “building permits are down, as theyhave been the last couple of years.”

In 2007, there were 645 new housingpermits issued, she said. In 2009, therewere only 168.

However, permits for repairs, additions,and alterations are way up. In 2008, therewere 394 of those permits. In 2009, therewere “just over 2,000,” Palmer said. A goodmany of those permits were for new roofsrelated to last year’s hail storm, but not all.“We know that people are doing things totheir homes now because they are stayingin them longer,” she said.

Revenues from the Special PurposeLocal Option Sales Tax are down slightly,but because that money is for capital proj-ects, it doesn’t have any impact on opera-tions budgets.

Currently, the total SPLOST collections

are down about eight percent from theoriginal predictions, Palmer said. The col-lections for calendar year 2009 were downthree percent from 2008.

The six year, one-percent sales tax wasoriginally expected to bring in $127 million,with Coweta County getting $88,582,000.

The decline in SPLOST revenues maymean that some of the projects planned tobe built with SPLOST won’t be. However,many projects are coming in under budget,so the hit might not be that bad.

Any reduction will likely come out ofthe transportation project list. The trans-portation projects were expected to takeup 61 percent of the total SPLOST rev-enues.

Even with the depressed revenues,Coweta is moving forward with severalprojects — and getting good deals onthem.

Work is nearing completion onGrantville’s new library. Senoia’s libraryremains stalled as it has since been sincespring of 2008.

The new, state-of-the-art fire enginesand apparatus funded through the $2 mil-lion bond referendum approved in Nov.2008, are beginning to arrive.

The county recently received severalpumper trucks, and purchased a boat forwater rescue. The three aerial platformtrucks are set to arrive April 20, said ChiefJohnny Teeters of the Coweta County FireDepartment.

The platform trucks will be like nothingCoweta County has ever had, Teeters said,and the impact will be “unbelievable.”

Coweta County Administrator TheronGay reassured members of the CowetaBoard of Health in early March that“everything’s moving forward” with theconstruction of a new $1.7 million healthdepartment facility on Hospital Road.

The new health department building —which is replacing the current facility onJackson Street — is being funded through a$1.5 million contribution by the CowetaCounty Hospital Authority and $500,000

in stimulus funds from a CommunityDevelopment Block Grant offered throughthe federal American Recovery andReinvestment Act.

The new facility is expected to open thisyear.

Coweta is also working on plans toexpand and improve its recreation facili-ties.

Field space has been at a premium forthe last few years, especially for girls’ soft-ball and soccer. Heavy rain made the situa-tion even more critical.

The Highway 34 East WhitlockComplex, the main site for both soccer andgirls’ softball, is in a flood plain. Drainagehas always been an issue, but with theheavy rains of the past year, the fieldsrarely dry out before another downpour.

In summer 2010, the Coweta CountyRecreation Department will do a drainageimprovement project at Whitlock. Thereare also plans to use property at theCoweta County Fairgrounds on Pine Road,and land adjacent to the Central Library ineastern Coweta, for practice fields.

The Central Library fields won’t be doneuntil late summer, but the Pine Road prop-erty should be available for use very soon.

And after two years of construction, the$7.5 million restoration of the 1904 CowetaCounty Courthouse is set to be completesome time this summer.

New windows were recently installed inthe clock tower, replacing the plywoodthat has filled the spaces during replace-ment of all the copper work.

When completed, the courthouse exteri-or will offer a somewhat different CourtSquare for downtown Newnan visitors.

All of the mature trees around the court-house have been removed, many becauseof health or structural problems.

The area around the courthouse will bea lawn, with some bushes for accents andscreening. The building will house CowetaCounty Probate Court and the CowetaCounty Welcome Center.

Coweta weathering financial storm

By SARAH FAY CAMPBELLsarah@newnan.com

The year 2009 was the year of roadand transportation projects in CowetaCounty, with ongoing Interstate 85 con-struction, start of a new “dial-a-ride”transit system, and two long-overdueprojects finally getting under way —widening of the Ga. Hwy. 34 Bypassand intersection improvements atGreenville Street and Spence Avenuein Newnan.

Work on the replacement of theGreentop Road railroad overpass —closed since December 2008, is in itsearly stages. The bridge, interstate, andGreenville-Spence projects are set tobe completed during 2010.

Dec. 31 was supposed to bring theend of the Interstate 85 project, but2009’s historical rainfall, a cold winter,and problems with concrete havedelayed it.

In early March, the stretch of I-85south of Bullsboro Drive to theMeriwether County line was complet-ed; but the new loop ramp onBullsboro, and the interstate lanesnorth of Bullsboro, are still under con-struction.

Last year’s historic rainfall, and avery cold winter, have slowed work onthe interstate, as well as on the otherprojects.

The $107 million rehabilitation proj-ect on Interstate 85 from BullsboroDrive to Ga. Hwy. 74 in Fairburn beganin late 2006, and was originally sched-uled to be complete Oct. 31, 2009. Thatdate was later changed to Jan. 1, 2010.

The addition of the third lane fromsouth of Bullsboro to Forest Road nearthe Meriwether County line began inearly 2007. The project also includesthe new half-loop ramp for motoristsaccessing I-85 northbound fromBullsboro Drive east-bound.

One of the first parts of the projectwas the raising of three bridges — at

Lower Fayetteville Road, Poplar Road,and Ga. Hwy. 16. The bridges werejacked up to accommodate the higherpavement to be installed below.

The contract for that project — total-ing just over $218 million, was theGeorgia Department ofTransportation’s single largest contractever.

Lane shifts as the project construc-tion proceeded were followed by seri-ous crashes. Following a string ofwrecks, the speed limit was lowered to50 mph through the construction zone.

Things calmed down as the projectentered the home stretch. The speedlimit was raised in southbound lanessouth of Bullsboro in late 2009.

Georgia DOT region spokeswomanKimberly Larson said that now it lookslike the new estimated date of comple-tion is July 31, 2010, for lanes to be opento traffic.

Widening of the Hwy. 34 Bypass,especially the Millard FarmerIndustrial Boulevard portion betweenU.S. 29 and Ga. 34, is Coweta’s mostlong-awaited major road project.

In March 2009, a month before theproject was set to go out to bid,Newnan Mayor Keith Brady said hehad long ago quit paying attention toannouncements of the bypass con-struction “because they never werekept.”

“They’ve pushed this date backcountless times” over the 13 years thatthe city has tried to get the state roadwidened, Brady said.

But this time, it did actually happen. Clearing work began in August, and

utility relocation and grading are nowunder way. Plans call for the additionaltwo lanes to, for the most part, be builtin their entirely without affecting thecurrent travel lanes.

It won’t be your standard four-laneproject, either.

Plans call for the bypass to have bikelanes, an intersection detection systemwith closed circuit cameras, and agrass median.

On a smaller project, the turninglanes and signal improvements at theintersection of Greenville Street andSpence Avenue south of downtownNewnan have been needed almost aslong as the bypass widening.Greenville Street is a portion of U.S. 29through Newnan and a route to MartinLuther King Jr. Drive and CentralEducational Center.

The city of Newnan has spent sever-al years negotiating the right-of-wayacquisition for the intersection. Inspring of 2009, utility relocation began.

Actual construction, which has beendone by state DOT maintenance crews,began in mid-summer. Because thework is being done by DOT crewsinstead of a contractor, the crews haveoften been taken off the Greenville/Spence intersection to work on otherprojects, including the interstate.

Coweta’s “dial-a-ride” transit systembegan operation in July. The service,which operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.Monday through Friday, provides door-to-door trips anywhere in Coweta for$3 each way. Rides must be scheduledat least 24 hours in advance.

To schedule trips, call 770-683-RIDE(7433).

Coweta County continues to makeslow but steady progress on a new I-85interchange at Poplar Road, and thecounty prepared an “interchange justi-fication report” for a new interchangethat would be at the junction of an

extended Amlajack Boulevard andHollz Parkway, a road off Hwy. 34 Eastacross from the Summit healthplex.

The interchange justification reportfor a new Interstate 85 interchangebetween Bullsboro Drive and Ga. Hwy.154 has been completed and is now“with the state for review,” said PatriciaPalmer, Coweta’s director of publicaffairs. Once the state completes itsreview, the report will be sent to theFederal Highway Administration.

Getting approval is not a quickprocess. The IJR for the Poplar Roadinterchange was completed in 2005,but not approved until 2008.

Hollz Parkway will be the location ofa new park and ride lot for the XpressBus system. The Xpress Bus route,which currently leaves from AshleyPark, heads to downtown and midtownAtlanta five days a week. Buses leavesix times each morning, from 5:30 a.m.to 7:30 p.m., and arrive seven timeseach evening, from 4 to 7 p.m.

In January 2009, the GeorgiaRegional Transportation Authority,which operates the system, submittedplans for the 700-space lot on HollzParkway. Last summer, it wasannounced that the park and ride lotwould receive $158,600 in federal stim-ulus funds. That money will fund infor-mation technology equipment for thelot. In June, GRTA Spokesman WilliamMecke said he expected the lot to openin late 2010.

Several other projects are in theworks for either construction or right-of-way acquisition in 2010 includingimprovements at Ga. Hwy. 154 andLower Fayetteville Road; Hal Jones,Greentop and U.S. 29; and RoscoeRoad, Jackson Street, and SprayberryRoad.

Right-of-way acquisition is currentlyunder way for the intersectionimprovement at Ga. Hwy. 154 andHammock Road, the site of severalaccidents in which cars wound updown an embankment. Coweta will bepaying approximately $1.5 million,which is just over half of the projectcost. The rest will come from state andfederal funds.

Actual construction on the project,which will include a guardrail, “shouldbegin at the end of the year or some-time in the spring of next year,” Palmersaid. The timing depends on when theright-of-way is acquired and certified.

Also in planning is extension of theNewnan Bypass from its current termi-nus at Turkey Creek Road southwardto Hwy. 16 East. Plans are to four-laneHwy. 16 from the bypass to U.S. 29, andto realign Pine Road so that Pine, Hwy.16, and U.S. 29 will become a standardfour-point intersection. Construction isplanned for 2012 and 2013. The projectwill be funded with a combination oflocal, state, and federal funds.

“The dollars are appropriated, sothey are there,” Palmer said. The feder-al government has even kicked in anadditional $1.4 million for right-of-wayacquisition, which is usually a localresponsibility. “That lets us keep ourlocal money for other projects,” shesaid.

2009 year of transportation projects

Photo by Jeffrey LeoGeorgia Department of Transportation contractors move dirt in the medianarea where a new loop entrance is being installed to Interstate 85 atBullsboro Drive in Newnan. The interchange improvement is part of themulti-year widening and rehabilitation project of the interstate throughCoweta County. A target for completion is now July 2010.

Photo by Jeffrey LeoAfter two years of construction, the $7.5 million restoration ofthe 1904 Coweta County Courthouse is set to be completesome time this summer.

Photo by Sarah Campbell Dana Gantt disembarks from Coweta's new dial-a-ride transit system in early July 2009. Gantt, who is legallyblind, scheduled the very first trip on the new system.

2D — The Times-Herald — Sunday, March 28, 2010

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land located at the corner ofGreison Trail and East BroadStreet. He says its centrallylocated near the bypass, inter-state and the Coweta CountyJail. Plus, the city’s west side isalready covered from theprecinct on Temple Avenue.Brady says the land does posesome challenges with topogra-phy.

In addition to these projects,the city is planning and execut-ing many road improvementprojects.

The intersection improve-ments at the intersection ofRoscoe Road, Jackson Streetand Sprayberry Road are mov-ing right along. The city is pro-posing the continuation ofSprayberry Road at its intersec-tion with Jackson Street to gothrough the Lenny’s Pub prop-erty and intersect with RoscoeRoad — thus eliminating thesharp turn right onto Roscoefor motorists traveling southon Jackson Street.

Brady says the city is about90 percent complete with thedesign stage — they’re waitingon the Georgia Department ofTransportation’s final designapproval. The next step will beto relocate the utilities, andthen the city can begin con-

struction. Brady says he hopesto have the project complete bythe end of the year.

Newnan is also working toimprove the connectivity of thecity by f inishing morestreetscapes on Jackson andJefferson streets. The city haslong wanted to completeMcIntosh Parkway — which isplanned to run from the AshleyPark area to downtownNewnan, parallel to and southof Bullsboro Drive — but theproject lacks funding.

Finally, the city is lookingforward to the construction oftwo new hospitals.

The new Piedmont NewnanHospital will be built on PoplarRoad and the CancerTreatment Centers of Americafacility will be built offNewnan Crossing Bypassacross from Ashley Park.

“We are excited about bothhospitals that are either inplanning stages or under way,”said Brady. “This will have ahuge economic impact on ourcommunity for the next twoyears while they’re under con-struction and then continuingafter that. This is an opportuni-ty for us to be a regional med-ical destination.”

The hospitals will not only

create jobs, but they will pourmoney back into the city viathe use of hotels/motels,restaurants and shopping.Brady is excited to welcomebusiness professionals, such asdoctors and their support staff,to take up residence in thiscommunity.

And the economic boostcouldn’t come at a better time.Brady says the city was luckythat it didn’t get into the eco-nomic recession as quickly asmost, but, even though there’stalk that things are improving,the city still faces a long roadto recovery.

The revenues on the LocalOption Sales Tax and SPLOSTare down 16 percent year-to-date. Brady says tax revenuesare always going to lag behindby a few years in times of eco-nomic turmoil.

“We’re looking at 2011 and2012 being very tough years,”said Brady. “The economy andthe job market might bounceback, but government budgetswill have to catch up. We’replanning for that, that’s why wehave a $12 million surplus — ifwe need to use it, we can.”

Newnan in good financial shape, despite economyBy ELIZABETH RICHARDSONerichardson@newnan.com

Things have definitelyslowed down in the city ofNewnan because of the econo-my, but city staff and the elect-ed officials of the Newnan CityCouncil say they’re doing thebest they can with what theyhave.

“We as a city are in reallygood financial shape,” saidMayor Keith Brady. “We have a

nice sur-plus and nolong termdebt — andthat’s veryimportantwhen writ-ing a budg-et.”

This year,the citybudget wasdown about7 percento v e r a l l

from lastyear, according to Brady. Thegeneral fund decreased 4.5 per-cent. Yet, the mayor said notonly has the city managed toavoid layoffs and furloughs, butit has increased its number ofpersonnel, absorbed a 9 per-cent health insurance increasefor its employees andincreased funding to the city’sretirement fund to offsetrecent losses.

Newnan took in about $1million less than it budgetedlast year. Even with less rev-enues, the city still finished theyear in the black approximate-ly $420,000, according toBrady.

“The staff did a really goodjob coming in and reducingexpenditures,” said Brady. CityManager Dick Bolin communi-cated his expectations to thedepartment heads who all tookthe initiative to cut costs.

The mayor said that twoyears ago, Newnan was earn-ing around $500,000 a year ininterest. In 2009, the city onlyearned $50,000. As a result ofthe financial strains, they’vehad to cut funding for capitalitems in half. This year the cityis focusing on projects fundedby the Special Purpose LocalOption Sales Tax.

“The money’s been collectedor is being collected and theseprojects are important and putpeople to work,” said Brady.Plus, the money can’t be spenton anything other than thedesignated project. “Let’s goahead and do projects that cre-ate the economic benefitderived from putting people towork.”

Some of those projects thathave utilized SPLOST dollarsinclude reopening Carnegie asa library-type facility, helpingfund renovation of the theCoweta County Courthouse,building a new pool and poolhouse at Willie Lynch Park andexploring the option of havinga conference center inNewnan.

The week-long grandreopening celebration ofCarnegie was held inSeptember 2009. The originalCarnegie library was built in1904 and operated as such until1987. The city has investedapproximately $1.5 million torestore the historic building toa library-type facility withmeeting space for communityuse. Renovations lasted fornearly a year.

“Carnegie was a big success

for us, and it’s been wellreceived,” said Brady.

The facility operates as anon-circulating reading room,however Media CoordinatorAmy Mapel started an honorsystem whereby patrons canborrow a book on their honorand “either return it, or not,”according to Brady. Book dona-tions are also welcome.

Carnegie holds regular pro-grams — including the popularchildren’s programs — andcommunity meetings.

“We think we’ve done a goodthing with Carnegie,” saidBrady.

The city is also looking for-ward to the completion of thecounty’s courthouse renovationin downtown Newnan in latesummer. The city spent about$1.8 million in SPLOST fundsof the total $8 million projectundertaken by Coweta County.

Once the renovations arecomplete, the 1904 courthousewill house Coweta ProbateCourt and an office of theCoweta Convention andVisitor’s Bureau.

“I think it’s going to beimportant to have those twohigh traffic county businessesin the center of the city,” saidBrady. “I’m looking forward tothat reopening. It will finish updowntown for quite a while asfar as major projects.”

The city is under the gun tocomplete construction on thenew swimming pool at WillieLynch Park by the end of Maywhen children get out ofschool. So far, the project is onbudget and, with recent rains,about a week behind schedule.Community DevelopmentDirector Cleatus Phillipsexpects to be able to make thattime up somewhere else in theproject.

The project was contractedout to Georgia DevelopmentPartners in the amount ofapproximately $942,000.Funding for the project is com-ing from allocated money col-lected in the 2007 SPLOST.

The Summit Family YMCAis planning to partner with thecity to provide programs at thepool at a free or reduced rate.

“This will continue tostrengthen that neighborhood,”said Brady. “It’s important tohave those kind of neighbor-hood parks.”

A milestone for the city andlocal veterans’ groups wascompletion of the VeteransMemorial Plaza at the city parkat Jackson Street and Temple

Avenue. Col. Joe M. Jacksontraveled to Newnan from hishome in Kent, Wash., to speakduring the annual Veterans Dayceremonies in November 2009.Several members of the familyof Maj. Stephen W. Pless alsowere present for the unveilingof the statues of the two Medalof Honor recipients by Dallas,Texas, sculptors Mark AustinByrd and Jenelle ArmstrongByrd.

The statue grouping showstwo children listening to Plessand Jackson. “May they repre-sent all of the soldiers who sac-rifice their lives, their bodies tomake this (freedom) possible,”Jackson said.

Newnan is reexamining thefeasibility of building a confer-ence center in the city — andpossibly on city-owned proper-ty on Lower Fayetteville Roadadjacent to the Coweta SchoolSystem’s performing arts cen-ter.

“We’re trying to move for-ward with that — I think it’stime,” said Brady. “I would liketo see it on Lower FayettevilleRoad run in conjunction withthe school system.”

Newnan has approximately$3.1 million in SPLOST fundingallocated for the conferencecenter project. Newnan CityCouncil agreed at its annualretreat in February to have theNewnan Convention CenterAuthority revisit the issue anddevelop a business plan.

Brady is hoping to change upthe originally proposed use ofthat land. He no longer sees anamphitheater making sense inthe business plan.

“It will be something that thecommunity will be proud ofand will be able to use the serv-ices of,” he said.

The city is also eyeballingspace to build a newpolice/municipal court facility.

“That will be our next majorproject,” said Brady. He expectsit will be feasible to move for-ward with the complex withinthe next 5-10 years, but “thesooner, the better.”

“We need municipal courtspace and the police depart-ment needs to have room togrow into a new space,” headded.

Brady said the project needsto move up in prioritization,but that there’s no fundingavailable right now. He antici-pates that it will probably be a$12-14 million project.

One of the sites under con-sideration is the city-owned

People pack Greenville Street Park for entertainment by the Royal Scottish Country Dancerscelebrating the reopening of Newnan Carnegie Library. The crowd then processed upGreenville Street to the library for an official ribbon cutting and tours.

Final touches are put on the Carnegie building in downtown Newnan in preparation for its grand re-opening in September 2009.

Brady

Photo by Bob FraleyCol. Joe M. Jackson, right, and Dick Stender, commander of American Legion Post 57,admire the work of Mark and Jenelle Byrd at Veterans Memorial Plaza at dedication cere-monies Veterans Day Nov. 2009.

Photo by Jeffrey LeoEnrique Cortes, left, and Jesus Chavez work at new pool construc-tion project at Willie Lynch Park off Richard Allen Drive. A new poolhouse is taking shape.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 — The Times-Herald — 3D

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4D — The Times-Herald — Sunday, March 28, 2010

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By JEFF BISHOPjbishop@newnan.com

In spite of a lagging economy thatstill struggles with double-digitunemployment and record numbersof foreclosures, Coweta County hashad its fair share of good economicnews this year.

At the forefront of that positiveeconomic news are the componentsof what local educator MarkWhitlock has dubbed the “GoldenTriangle” — which includes a newPiedmont Newnan Hospital facilityand medical office building onPoplar Road, a planned new WestGeorgia Technical College campusoff Turkey Creek Road, and theSoutheastern headquarters forCancer Treatment Centers ofAmerica planned for a site acrossfrom Ashley Park on Newnan

C r o s s i n gBoulevard.

“Even withthe economythe way it is— especiallywith it theway it is — weare stillpleased withthe develop-ment activitywe are see-ing,” said

Greg Wright,president of the Coweta CountyDevelopment Authority.

The proposed 50-bed, 200,000-square-foot Cancer TreatmentCenters of America (CTCA) hospi-tal had its Certificate of Need appli-cation approved by the GeorgiaDepartment of Community Healthin December, clearing the way for500 new jobs and a predicted $500million in new economic activity tomake its way to Coweta County overthe next five years.

That was quickly followed byPiedmont Hospital’s announcementthat it was taking its new hospitaldevelopment project out of moth-balls.

“I think this hospital is coming atjust the right time,” DevelopmentAuthority Chairman David Brownsaid at a recent board meeting.

“After a drought of good economicnews, this gives us all a good feeling,just knowing that we’ve got a state-of-the-art medical facility coming.”

Michael Bass, CEO of PiedmontNewnan Hospital, said that thereplacement facility on Poplar Roadwill be “highly accessible,” as well as“highly flexible,” with an “electronic,digital infrastructure.”

The new 362,376-square-foot hos-pital will include:

—104 medical/surgical beds.—18 critical care beds.— 14 post-partum beds.— 23 emergency department

treatment rooms.— 8 main operating suites.— 1,000 parking spaces.The hospital will employ about

1,100 people, Bass said.“Right now we’re at 850,” he said.

“So we’re adding 250 positions.”Yamaha recently announced an

expansion of its Newnan facility asit consolidates other operations intothe local plant, which manufacturesgolf carts, four-wheeler ATVs andpersonal water sport vehicles.

D&H Distributing, a major NorthAmerican computer products andconsumer electronics distributor,located its new regional warehouseat Coweta Industrial Park offInterstate 85 and Highway 154 abouta year ago. The new, 476,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art warehouseemployed approximately 100 work-ers on its opening day, and hopes toexpand.

The Kia automobile manufactur-ing plant in nearby West Point, Ga.,also held two rounds of hiring, andthe hiring still continues with plansfor a second line.

The Kia Sorento SUV is sellingahead of projections and has movedinto third place in the SUV category,Kia officials said at February 2010grand opening ceremonies.

That’s good news for local jobseekers as the plant ramps up pro-duction to meet demand, said Kiarepresentatives. “We’re doing quitewell,” said Michael Sprague, VP ofmarketing.

There are already 1,203 employeeson site at the West Point plant andmore than 30,000 applications werebeing processed in a second wave ofhiring as the company plans to setup production of a second vehicleline. About 350 new employees willbe sent to Korea for training inpreparation for the second shift, Kiaofficials said.

“We’re studying a second model,but we haven’t announced what thatwill be yet,” said Sprague.

On the education front, WestGeorgia Technical Collegeannounced plans to build a new 38-acre campus near Interstate 85 andTurkey Creek Road. The school andits predecessor, West CentralTechnical College, have offeredclasses at Central EducationalCenter in Newnan for several years.

The USDA dog detector trainingcenter also opened a new facility atCreekside Industrial Park offHighway 34 East, and FalconAviation Academy opened its doorsat the Newnan-Coweta Airport.

“And we expect to see even morecompanies looking to expand hereand to locate here as the economycontinues to improve,” said Wright.

“We have all the ingredients com-panies are looking for — a greatlocation, and a great work force,”said Wright. “I think we’ll continueto be one of the top communities forbusiness in the state of Georgia.”

Coweta’s economic news positive on development front

Photo by Jeffrey LeoAngelica Heard stands with her family in May 2009 at her graduation from the joint Central Educational Center/ WestGeorgia Technical College program. Heard earned a technical certificate of credit in basic dental assisting, and she wasamong the graduation speakers. WCTC, which currently holds classes at CEC, plans a new campus in Coweta off TurkeyCreek Road.

This is a rendering of the new medical office building, left, to be adjacent to the new Piedmont Newnan Hospital, right, atPoplar Road and Interstate 85. The medical building is planned to be four stories and 110,000 square feet. Projected open-ing is late 2011, before completion of the new replacement hospital.

Greg Wright

The new Piedmont Newnan Hospital, replacing the facility on Hospital Road, will be on the south of Poplar Roadjust east of Interstate 85. The target opening now is spring 2012.

Photo by Jeffrey LeoA fleet of land moving equipment sits near the site of theplanned Cancer Treatment Centers of America across fromAshley Park in Newnan. The proposed 50-bed, 200,000-square-foot CTCA hospital had its Certificate of Need appli-cation approved by the Georgia Department of CommunityHealth in December, clearing the way for 500 new jobs and apredicted $500 million in new economic activity to make itsway to Coweta County over the next five years.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 — The Times-Herald — 5D

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6D — The Times-Herald — Sunday, March 28, 2010

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Many development authorities traditionally focuson trying to lure new industries to the community,but Greg Wright, president of the Coweta CountyDevelopment Authority, said that most job creationcomes from working with what you have.

“I’ve seen different numbers on this, but about 70to 80 percent of your new job growth is going tocome from existing companies growing and suc-ceeding in your community,” said Wright.

A big part of what the Coweta CountyDevelopment Authority does involves “going outand making that connection” with companies thatare already here, he said.

“If they’re looking at an expansion project, thenmaybe we can help them put their resourcestogether,” said Wright.

“If Coweta County is competing with anotherstate, and a company is thinking about relocating itsfacility out of the county, we can help the plantmanager sell Coweta County as the best location,”he said.

There may be community resources available tocompanies “that they’re just otherwise unaware of,”Wright said.

One company recently wondered if it could qual-ify for stimulus funding. “And we were ablethrough Georgia Tech to connect them with theProcurement Assistance Center to see if theywould qualify,” said Wright.

“We want to build relationships and help thesecompanies to grow and prosper,” said Wright. “Wewant to bring in resources to fix those problemsand provide solutions, so that we’re not faced witha situation where a company just suddenlyannounces, ‘Okay, we’re closing.’”

The county’s location is still a major sellingpoint, both for expansions of existing companiesand for luring new companies, he said.

“We’re right on I-85, and we’re going to soon havea new technical college and two new hospitals,” hesaid. “The synergy of all of that is going to helpeveryone in this community.”

Wright said there’s no secret formula to enticingcompanies to come invest in a community.

“You never know where a prospect is going tocome from,” he said. He used the new Kia plant inWest Point as a prime example of how the wholeprocess can be serendipitous.

“Kia located there because they had executivesdriving from Hartsfield to the Hyundai plant inAlabama. They saw that piece of property on I-85,and the rest is history,” he said.

“You just never know where prospects are goingto come from,” he said, “or even what’s going to

Most job creation is from growth of existing industries

Photo courtesy KiaThe Kia plant in West Point, Ga. will have a $4 billion per year impact on the state, said Gov. Sonny Perdue at grand opening ceremoniesin February. It is capable of producing 300,000 cars annually for the North American and global markets.

attract them to your area.”Existing development does drive future

development, however. The announcement ofthe two new hospitals and medical office build-ing is already drawing interest from the med-ical community,” said Wright, “and that’s some-thing that’s going to be an important part ofour economy.”

He often heard his predecessor, BillHarrison, say that he liked to “shoot at every-thing and see what falls,” when it comes to eco-nomic development. Wright said he appreci-ates that philosophy, but he brings a slightlydifferent approach.

“We’re putting together our new marketing

materials right now,” he said. “And while I tendto agree somewhat with what Bill said, I’m a lit-tle more in the middle. There are ways to pro-mote the assets that we have to particularindustries, and build on those specifically, andat the same time to ensure that we grow into adiverse economy, so that we’re not tied to anyone industry or sector.”

Failure to diversify can have devastating con-sequences for any community, he said.

“We want to do what’s good for CowetaCounty,” he said.

Prospect activity seems to be picking up late-ly, he said.

“During Christmas you’re usually going to

see a slowdown, but after that it’s picked rightback up,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of interestand a lot of activity, both from new companieswanting to locate here and from existing com-panies wanting to expand.”

Even when the community isn’t trying to digits way out of a recession, “there’s always pres-sure to bring in more jobs,” said Wright.

With an escalating unemployment rate, itmakes the situation much more acute.

“I’m talking to people all the time who needjobs, so I always feel that pressure,” saidWright. “And that’s what we’re here for — togrow jobs in this community.”

By ELIZABETH RICHARDSONerichardson@newnan.com

Not surprisingly, major capi-tal projects are essentially onhold for Coweta’s law enforce-ment agencies until the eco-nomic situation improves.

However, Coweta CountySheriff Mike Yeager andNewnan Police Chief DouglasL. “Buster” Meadows are takingthis time to focus on the basics— training, programs and theless-costly improvements —that will help make this com-munity safer.

The Coweta County Sheriff’sOffice is awaiting a much over-due jail expansion that remainsin the planning stages. TheNewnan Police Department ispreparing to implement a state-of-the-art crime suppressioncamera system.

“That’s a big thing right now— to prepare for our futureexpansion,” said Sheriff Yeager.“It’s not going to happen in thenext year or so, but it’s proba-bly three or more years downthe road.”

The Coweta County Jail hasa capacity of 350 inmates andconsistently operates at orabove capacity — sometimesgoing above 400 inmates.

The sheriff would ideally liketo double the capacity of thejail.

When the jail opened in 1991,there were 200 beds — one bedper cell. Now that the popula-tion of the county has morethan doubled from 60,000 in1991, “we are double bunked, insome cases, triple, and we’reeven looking at quadruple,”Yeager said.

Since the jail is landlocked,the plan will be to demolish theneighboring old jail buildingbuilt in 1976, which is located

behind the jail and was mostrecently used by the CrimeSuppression Unit.

Yeager believes the “mostfeasible” plan would be to uti-lize vertical space to increasetheir inmate capacity. Hismodel for success isCarrollton’s correctional facili-ty.

Yeager envisions the expand-ed facility to be a total of fivestories and house at least 75inmates on each floor.

In February, the county hiredMark Goldman and Associatesto do a needs assessment/spaceanalysis for the sheriff’s officeand jail expansion.

In the meantime, Yeager isworking on plans to temporari-ly expand capacity until the jailexpansion can be completed.

He is presently creating adormitory for the inmatetrusties, which will free up 32beds, according to the sheriff.In the women’s section, he’sadding some additional bedspace.

“If we can move them backinto one section, we’ll free up32 more beds,” said Yeager.

The sheriff’s office alsoworks closely with the GeorgiaDepartment of Corrections tomove inmates into other cor-

rectional facilities whenCoweta needs more bed space.Jail officials work with Cowetacourts to push cases throughthe pike as quickly as possible.

In addition to working toremedy the jail situation,Yeager assures the public thathis employees are always try-ing to improve their trafficsafety initiatives.

“We’re trying to make roadsas safe as we can here inCoweta County, by reducingthe number of accidents andfatalities,” said Yeager. “A lot ofthis depends on the public —we need their help.”

The sheriff said that theCriminal Investigation Divisionis continuously looking forways to keep criminal activitydown. They frequently docu-ment crime trends to identifyareas at greater risk for thefts,burglaries and drugs.

“We’re looking at the areaswith problems to see what wecan do to reduce the number ofcrimes,” said Yeager.

The sheriff’s office is closelywatching the state legislatureto monitor changes in law,especially sex offender and gunlaws.

“The sheriff’s association isworking with the state to makea safer Georgia, but we’re also

trying to clean up [the sexoffender law] a little bit inorder to focus our energies onthe people who need to begone after,” said Yeager.

The state legislature recentlyconsidered a bill that wouldallow some low-risk sexoffenders to petition the courtsto remove them from the sexoffender registry after complet-ing their sentences. Amongthose who would be eligibleare the disabled, those con-fined to a hospice and so-calledRomeo and Juliet statutoryrape cases, in which the teensare close together in age.

“We’re focused on keepingand maintaining the programswe’ve got in order to maintaina quieter, safer communityhere as we continue throughthis economic downturn andface an expanded population,”said Yeager.

Keeping in line with thatvision, Chief Meadows saidNewnan police are about toimplement a high visibilitycrime suppression camera sys-tem in the city.

Wind ChannelCommunications will replaceand upgrade the camera systemat a total cost of $183,982. Theproject will be funded by a$75,430 Justice AssistanceGrant, with the balance comingfrom the city’s drug condemna-tion funds.

The current system consistsof 20 cameras, but the new sys-tem would give the departmentthe capability of adding up to60 camera sites within the cityof Newnan over time as moneyallows, according to Meadows.

Meadows said the depart-ment has installed cameras inhigh crime areas where drugsare frequently sold and in highvolume intersections.

The cameras have the capa-

Project would double capacity of Coweta jailbility of filming in real timeand archiving information for14 days. Officers can review thedata and archive video to a CDpermanently. Police haveupgraded the capabilities of thecameras at entrance ramps tothe interstate so they will beable to capture tag numbers.

The cameras are also a mat-ter of officer safety, accordingto Meadows. Officers respond-ing to the scene of a crime willnow be able to view imagesfrom the scene ahead of timeby uploading them directly totheir in-car computers.

“This will be real helpfulbecause responding officerscan get an idea of what’s hap-pening before they arrive at thescene,” said Meadows.

Implementation is expected

to begin in April. Meadowsanticipates that some, if not all,of the cameras will be up andrunning by summer.

Additionally, the chief sayshis men and women are usingthis time to focus on policetraining and on ways toimprove their department.

“We’re pushing to get asmuch advanced training forour officers as we can with theeconomy like it is,” saidMeadows. “We’re keepingabreast of the current changesin technologies and laws. Westrive to have a professionalpolice department that worksto serve the community and toset a professional standard forothers to follow.”

Yeager Meadows

Photo by Bob FraleyAdjacent to the current Coweta County Jail is the old 1976-era jail building, at right, most recently used by the CrimeSuppression Unit. Plans are to demolish the old building to make way for a new wing beside the current jail to double thefacility’s capacity.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 — The Times-Herald — 7D

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With sales tax revenues attheir lowest ebb since 2006, it’sperhaps good to know that stu-dent population growth hasslowed down in lockstep withthe economic downturn, saidCoweta County School SystemSuperintendent Blake Bass.

“Student population growthhasn’t been an issue — it hasn’tbeen here because of the reces-sion,” Bass said. “So we haven’thad a building need in the lastyear or so.”

The newest school is BrooksElementary, which opened inthe fall of 2008 in north Coweta.The school system doesn’t seeany more new schools on thehorizon, at least in the foresee-able future.

That doesn’t mean the schoolsystem won’t have other needs— especially as the state cutsfurther into local school system

budgets. “We’re in

a little bet-ter shapethan mostcounties atthis time,”saidWinstonDowdell,CowetaCountyBoard ofEducation

member and former administra-tor. “But we’re waiting to seewhat comes our way in the 2011budget,” which is likely to beannounced by the state in April,he said.

Sales tax revenues are “notgood,” said school systemfinance officer Keith Chapman.That’s the same tune school sys-tems are singing all over thestate of Georgia.

Right now the school systemis bringing in about $1.5 million

per month — or $19.1 millionbetween March 2009 and Feb.2010, compared to nearly $21million during the same periodfor the two previous years.

“But even with the reducedcollections we should haveenough money in the bank torepay our bonds with the salestax,” said Chapman.

School board member HarryMullins said that the school sys-tem has been a good steward oftaxpayer dollars and as a result“we’ll have no more debt soon.”

When the bonds are paid off,the school system will be in a“pay as you go” situation withthe incoming sales tax revenue,Bass pointed out.

“Hopefully when we get tothe point of ‘pay as we go,’ we’llhave more coming in than $1.5million per month,” Bass said.“We do have some transporta-tion needs and some otherneeds.”

The school system is in good

shape when it comes to meetingthe requirements of the federalNo Child Left Behind legisla-tion: all 27 county schools andthe school system as a wholemet AYP (Adequate YearlyProgress) last year.

“That was exceptional,” saidBass. “All of our schools, andour school system as a whole,exceeded every standard set outby No Child Left Behind.”

Bass noted Coweta’s schoolshave done well by the standardsof No Child Left Behind sincethe accountability standardsbegan in 2002. Each year, only afew of Coweta’s 27 applicableschools do not meet AYP, gener-ally because of performance insmaller subgroupings of stu-dents examined by the stan-dards.

Schools are judged by the per-centage of students who meetor exceed NCLB standards instatewide testing during theschool year. The performance of

students is also tracked by sub-groups including Students withDisabilities, EconomicallyDisadvantaged Students,English Language Learners, andethnic subgroups.

But national NCLB standardsmay be about to change, if anew proposal by PresidentBarack Obama goes forward.

Obama’s proposal would castaside much of the 2002 NoChild Left Behind law andwould move away from punish-ing schools for not meeting fed-eral benchmarks and insteadfocus on rewarding progress.

Among the more importantrevisions was Obama’s proposalto call for states to adopt stan-dards to ensure students arecollege or career ready ratherthan grade-level proficient, asthe current law does.

“Unless we take action —unless we step up — there arecountless children who willnever realize their full talent

and potential,” Obama said, theAssociated Press reported. “Idon’t accept that future forthem. And I don’t accept thatfuture for the United States ofAmerica.”

Obama’s plan also involves a$4 billion increase in federaleducation spending, money thatwould be given to statesthrough competitive grants. Itrepresents a movement awayfrom the current formula-basedfederal funding.

The administration’s blue-print would also allow states touse subjects other than readingand mathematics as part of theirmeasurements for studentprogress, appeasing critics ofNo Child Left Behind who saidthe law put too much pressureon schools to focus on just thosetwo subjects at the expense ofhistory, art, science and socialstudies among other subjects.

Coweta school system finances better than most

Blake Bass

By ALEX McRAEalex@newnan.com

Plans for new constructionand repairs to existing taxiwaysare in the works for Newnan-Coweta Airport, located offU.S. Highway 29 nearMoreland.

At the recent March meetingof Coweta County AirportAuthority, Airport ManagerCalvin Walker reported that

bids are due on March 30 forexpansion of taxiways on theairport’s east apron, a projectthat has already beenapproved.

The full four-phase expan-sion project would includeabout 22 new 100-foot by 120-foot hangars, three taxiways,and a 35-foot wide apronextending south from the exist-ing Thomas Enterpriseshangars and the new FalconAviation Academy. When com-pleted, the project could open30 acres for new development.

The authority currently has$283,000 in its account for thetaxiway project, which wouldimprove areas adjacent to theFalcon Aviation Academy andopen space for the construc-tion of new hangars that couldgenerate much needed revenuefor the airport.

If bids come in at or underbudget construction couldbegin this spring. It is antici-pated there could be enoughfunding left after phase oneconstruction to pay for designwork necessary to begin

Plans in works for airport taxiway project

Photo by Jeff BishopEngineer Reg Weaver, right, discusses plans with the Coweta Airport Authority. At left is Newnan-Coweta Airport ManagerCalvin Walker, and back right is member Ronny Jones.

repairs to the airport’s westside taxiway, which serves themajority of airport traffic.

Airport authority engineerReg Weaver said it was possi-ble that in May, some so-called“fallout funds” not used onother projects across the statemight come available for use bythe Newnan-Coweta Airport.

Those funds could be used torehab the existing taxiway.Weaver said the funds wouldonly be awarded to “shovelready” projects with completedplans and bids.

Authority Chairman Dale

Pepper said he was ready toproceed with the west siderehab project, but advisedagainst making a commitmentuntil the bids were received forthe eastside expansion to makesure that project was fullyfunded before beginninganother job.

Walker also said it was timefor the authority to perform areview and re-bidding of engi-neering services, which has tobe done every five years.Walker had contacted firmswho currently meet state quali-fications for such work and

was advertising the bidding inMarch.

Bids for engineering servicesare due April 2. An engineeringfirm will be selected for a 5-year term after review and dis-cussion by the authority.

Plans for a new landing guid-ance system for the airport arealso being studied. The author-ity hopes to upgrade the cur-rent landing guidance systemsoon but is awaiting final wordfrom vendors and the FAA asto what systems will be mostcost effective and suitable forthe airport.

Gary Rower, of Rower AirShows has approached theauthority about the possibilityof staging an air show at theNewnan-Coweta Airport in thespring of 2011.

Rower, a Fayette County resi-dent, briefly outlined theprocess and scope of his pro-posal at the March authoritymeeting and inquired about theauthority’s interest.

All comments were positiveand it was agreed Rower wouldmake a formal presentation fora proposed air show at a forth-coming authority meeting.

Pepper

Photo by Bob FraleyNew construction and repairs to existing taxiways are in theworks for Newnan-Coweta Airport. Bids are due March 30 forexpansion of taxiways on the airport’s east apron, a projectthat has already been approved.

www.savannahcourtnewnan.com

8D — The Times-Herald — Sunday, March 28, 2010

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Vision 2010The Times-Herald

Sunday, March 28, 2010 — 1E

By W. WINSTON SKINNERwinston@newnan.com

A small but stately monument on the south side ofNewnan’s downtown Court Square is dedicated “tothe thousands of tireless volunteers who have helpedsustain the growth and prosperity of the City ofHomes.”

The monument was placed in 2003, duringNewnan’s celebration of the town’s 175th birthday.Volunteerism, however, is far more than a tradition inCoweta County.

Across the county, local citizens give of their timein a wide variety of ways.

Sharon Hazel, manager of the Newnan-CowetaHabitat for Humanity ReStore, said the store —which sells building materials and household appli-ances — could not operate without volunteers.

A visit to one of the local museums will more thanlikely involve interaction with a volunteer docent orshop clerk.

At the recent Trivia Bee to raise funds for local lit-eracy group Certified Literate Is Coweta’s Key, LisaJohnston, CLICK’s executive director thanked themany volunteers who do a variety of things forCLICK. Many provide one-on-one tutoring for peo-ple learning to read or studying for the GeneralEquivalency Diplomas.

Auxiliary members man the front desk, keep thegift shop humming and deliver flowers at PiedmontNewnan Hospital. At area schools, volunteers put upbulletin boards and chaperone field trips.

Churches have lots of places for volunteers toserve — depending on the size and focus of the con-gregation.

Almost all non-profits have a need for volunteerswho help raise funds to keep programs going. In thecurrent economic downturn, supporters have dug alittle deeper to help local charities and arts programs.Volunteers have also stepped forward to see thatwork gets done even when there are fewer dollars.

Amelia Rivers, 9, and her sister, Seiler, 7, help mostweeks with the Feeding Our Friends ministry atCentral Baptist Church. The Tuesday outreach pro-gram takes a hot and tasty meal to people who willenjoy one.

“It’s really fun,” Amelia said. “We get to meet newpeople.”

The girls’ parents, Todd and Helen Rivers, decidedto homeschool their daughters — in part becauseTodd’s job allows for travel as a family that can beworked into homeschool lesson plans but is hard tocoordinate with a traditional school schedule.

A recent trip to Egypt elicits lots of interesting sto-ries from the Rivers sisters, but they also are excitedabout volunteering with their church to reach out toothers.

Helen Rivers said the girls were eager to takeadvantage of “the opportunity for service” that beinghomeschooled offered. Soon after lessons began attheir home, the family realized there was “a flexibili-ty we weren’t taking advantage of” that could beused to make other people’s lives better, Mrs. Riverssaid.

They often deliver meals to Dr. Howard Glover,local retired pediatrician, and his wife, Margaret. “Ilove them,” Seiler said. “They’re really, really nice.”

“They’re my favorite part of the trip,” her big sister

BUILDING A BETTER COWETA

Volunteers stepping up to help

Photo by Jeffrey LeoAmelia Rivers, 9, standing and her sister, Seiler, 7, play the piano to entertain Dr. Howard Glover and his wife, Margaret, after deliveringa meal for the Feeding Our Friends ministry sponsored by Central Baptist Church.

From STAFF REPORTSnews@newnan.com

Newnan-Coweta Habitat forHumanity is taking steps toimprove substandard housingconditions and address homeless-ness in Newnan and CowetaCounty.

In February, the Newnan CityCouncil approved the

Neighborhood StabilizationAgreement — something city,Newnan-Coweta Habitat forHumanity and Newnan HousingAuthority officials have beenworking toward for severalmonths.

Under the NeighborhoodStabilization Program, $3.7 millionin federal stimulus dollars willflow through the city to the hous-

ing authority and Habitat.The local Habitat affiliate will

use $2.2 million to purchase fore-closed homes, improve them andsell them to families approvedthrough Habitat’s family selectionprocess. The housing authoritywill use $1.5 million to buy fore-closed homes and use a lease-to-buy program to move housingauthority residents in the Family

Self-Sufficiency Program frompublic housing to home owner-ship.

Leslie Merriman, NCHH execu-tive director, said Habitat hasalready begun purchasing homesand drawing on the funds.

Habitat for Humanity wasfounded in 1976 in Americus to

Habitat working with foreclosed homesNon-profit working in Newnan, Coweta on neighborhood stabilization

See HABITAT, page 2E See VOLUNTEERS, page 2E

By SARAH FAY CAMPBELLsarah@newnan.com

Ten years after the propertywas acquired by the state ofGeorgia, work has finally begunon Chattahoochee Bend StatePark.

Construction on the park’samenities began in late 2009,and completion of major workis expected in the summer of2011.

Hopes are that the park willbe open to the public in sum-mer 2011, but that will dependon whether or not there is fund-ing available in the state budgetfor operations.

The nearly 3,000-acre statepark property, located along FlatRock Road and theChattahoochee River in western

Coweta, sat for several yearswithout any funding.

And it likely would haveremained so for many moreyears, if not for the work ofCowetans.

In 2003, members of theCoweta County Convention andVisitors Bureau were discussingCoweta’s marketing assets fortourism, and they got to think-ing about the park property.Since the purchase, “it had satthere and we hadn’t heard any-thing more about it,” saidFriends of Chattahoochee BendState Park President DeanJackson, who was the chairmanof the CVB at the time.

So they called Georgia’s StateParks and Historic Sites divi-sion, and had someone come toNewnan to discuss the future of

Development begins on Chattahoochee Bend State Park

Photo by Jeff BishopHelping drive stakes for new trails at Chattahoochee Bend State Park at September 2009 ceremonies are, from left, WarrenBudd, DNR board member; Chris Clark, DNR commissioner; State Rep. Lynn Smith and State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh. the property.

“We said, ‘We have 3,000acres. When is it going tobecome a state park?’” Jacksonsaid. “And he said, ‘Well… even-tually, down the line, the statewill fund a development plan.”

They asked when that mighthappen and “he said it’s going tohappen when it happens,”Jackson said.

Jackson said they got theimpression the plan would bedone in the 2010 to 2015 timeframe, and that the plan mightsit for several years before any-thing else happens.

“He pretty much gave us the

impression that if this became apark, it would be 2020, 2025, or2030,” Jackson said.

The CVB members askedwhat would happen if CowetaCounty would fund the devel-opment plan. They were toldthat was a great idea.

The planning process beganin 2005, and in the spring of2006, thanks to the work ofCoweta legislators State Rep.Lynn Smith, Sen. MitchSeabaugh and State Rep. BillyHorne, $7 million was appropri-ated for park construction.

It took nearly two more yearsto work out access to the park

property. The state parks divi-sion originally wanted to havethe main entrance of the park beon Bud Davis Road, near theriver amenity area.

But residents of the remotearea weren’t very happy withthat idea, and the access planwas changed. Instead, CowetaCounty agreed to improve FlatRock Road to the park property;the county also pledged itsinmate labor crews to pave theroads at the park, providing atremendous savings.

And though the changenecessitated more road build-ing, it opened up much greater

portions of the property to visi-tors.

That includes access to thevast areas of exposed granite,inhabited by vast colonies ofmosses, lichen, pine trees andother plants, that give the areaits traditional name.

Another move to stretch thebudget was the removal of alltrail building from the construc-tion contract. Instead, all of thetrails will be built by volunteers,coordinated by the local volun-teer Friends of ChattahoocheeBend State Park.

For more information, visitwww.bendfriend.org.

Photo by Sarah CampbellBuilding a trail along the Chattahoochee River is the first majorproject for the Friends of Chattahoochee Bend State Park.

2E — The Times-Herald — Sunday, March 28, 2010

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provide simple, decent andaffordable housing. Volunteershelp build homes; and individu-als, businesses, churches andorganizations donate funds tohelp with construction of thehomes.

Families selected to live in aHabitat home must put “sweatequity” — approximately 500hours of work — into a Habitatproject. Homes are sold at mar-ket value but without interest,enabling people who would notqualify for a traditional mort-gage the opportunity to owntheir own home.

The family selection processensures applicants can afford to

make the monthly payments.Habitat also provides trainingthat helps families understandresponsibilities of home own-ership.

In addition to donations ofcash and materials, the localaffiliate operates the HabitatReStore, which sells usedbuilding materials and supplies,and home furnishings. TheReStore on Pine Road acceptsdonations of used goods anditems, which are resold to raisefunds for future projects.

Monthly payments fromhomeowners also help Habitatkeep its building projects mov-ing forward. The sale of thehomes purchased and rehabili-tated through the neighbor-hood stabilization program willadd to that ongoing fund.

Merriman said the federalprogram identifies areas with

high percentages of foreclo-sures. The areas identified forthe local program are in zipcodes 30263, 30220 and 30259— Newnan, Grantville andMoreland.

Houses in all three areas maybe purchased and repaired.Because the city of Newnan ishandling the funds, 35 percentof the homes must be inNewnan.

The federal money can beused for purchase of the homesand repairs to make them readyfor occupancy. “It’s going to putsome money back in the econo-my,” said Bob Peebles, chair-man of the Habitat board.

It is estimated the neighbor-hood stabilization funds willenable Habitat to buy andupgrade at least 20 houses.Peebles said he believes “a lotmore than that” will be done.

HABITATContinued from page 1E

added.Amelia and Seiler Rivers got

involved with Feeding OurFriends in December. TheGlovers “were our first peoplewe visited,” Amelia remem-bered.

The sisters both are musical-ly inclined, and the Glovershave a fine piano. Trips todeliver a meal almost alwaysinclude a time at the piano, too.

Mitch Huguley and his wifemoved to Newnan in July 2007.Being retired from the military,Huguley was used to stayingbusy and he looked around foran opportunity to stay busy andhelp someone.

The Habitat ReStore on PineRoad has become an outlet forHuguley’s time and energy.

“A friend at my church wasvolunteering here. I asked himabout it,” Huguley said.Huguley came to the store andsoon found a place to give ofhimself. “I fell in love with it,”

he said.“I started out driving the

truck and doing pick-ups,”Huguley said. When he injuredhis back a few months ago, hebegan working in the store.

Nicole Echevarria, volunteercoordinator for Newnan-Coweta Habitat, noted Huguleyhas also helped with theredesign of the local Habitataffiliate’s Web site.

Huguley is one of many vol-unteers with Habitat. AndreiaChapman “volunteered lastsummer on the Thrivent buildin Grantville,” Echevarria siad.“Then, in December, she beganvolunteering at the ReStore.”

A couple of weeks ago,Chapman began working part-time at the store as a cashier.

“Connie Singleton is fairlynew to Habitat, also. She is onour grant writing committeeand has recruited her Sundayschool group to begin volun-teering at a construction site,”Echevarria said.

Huguley is enthusiasticabout what he gets in return forgiving his time and effort. “Ienjoy meeting people and talk-

ing with them,” he said. He saidhe often talks with people “whoare working hard to make itthese days” and is glad to beable to offer a word of encour-agement.

The other Habitat volunteersare also part of the experience.“There are a lot of nice peopleworking here — volunteering,”Huguley said.

Volunteering is somethingthat has been memorialized indowntown Newnan, but theconcept also is one that can belearned and nurtured.

Amelia and Seiler Rivers geta gift from their grandfatherevery year for their birthday —a check to the charity of theirchoice. That experience startedan early understanding thatthere are people who needhelp.

The birthday tradition alsoengendered a special love andappreciation for a wise grand-father. “He’s really awesome,”Amelia Rivers said.

So are his altruistic grand-daughters and all the volun-teers who touch lives acrossCoweta County day by day.

VOLUNTEERSContinued from page 1E

Habitat working with foreclosed homes

Volunteers stepping up to help build a better Coweta

Teresa Brooks, left, accepts house warming gifts from Leslie Merriman, center, of Newnan-Coweta Habitat for Humanity, and Linda Satter at ceremonies in August 2009. At right isMary Elsner, a future Habitat homeowner.

Photo by Jeffrey LeoVolunteers, from left, Ryan Grubbs, Win Clark, Jason Burns and Josh Davis take a break atthe Newnan-Coweta Habitat for Humanity ReStore thrift shop on Pine Road.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 — The Times-Herald — 3E

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4E — The Times-Herald — Sunday, March 28, 2010

VISION 2010

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By NICHOLE GOLDENnichole@newnan.com

Coweta offers many newand unique opportunities forthe families who call it home.

Newnan’s Summit FamilyYMCA is a place where fami-lies and fitness goals cometogether.

More than 900 people comethrough the YMCA doorseach day, says ExecutiveDirector Jeff Alevy.

In December, the CharterFoundation of CharterBankawarded grant money to theSummit Family YMCA in theamount of $21,250. TheYMCA used the grant fundsto purchase Hop Sportsportable fitness equipmentfor the Youth Fit for Life pro-gram. Alevy describes thenew, interactive equipment asa “Wii concept on steroids.”

Alevy says that the non-profit YMCA is “uniquelypositioned” to help promotefitness as Georgia’s obesityrates are among the highest inthe nation.

The YMCA’s CoachApproach program offersindividuals “yet to be fit” tai-lored plans and coaching tohelp achieve fitness goals.While moms and dads areworking out, or taking classes,children are supervised bythe YMCA’s Child Watchstaff.

Membership scholarshipsare available to single parents,senior citizens on a fixedincome, or those families fac-ing a job loss.

The YMCA is about morethan fitness. Its teen outreachand summer camp day pro-grams also teach participantsabout character developmentand making lasting friend-ships.

The Y also offers ways forits members to be involvedwith volunteering throughcan drives, collections to helpthose serving overseas, andgently used clothing drives.The YMCA staff and mem-bers will help build a Habitatfor Humanity Home this sum-mer.

The YMCA’s Partner WithYouth Campaign is currentlyunder way. The campaignraises funds for scholarshipsfor those in need. For detailson Partner With Youth, or anyYMCA program, call 770-254-9622.

Last fall, Newnan’sCarnegie Library re-openedoffering a central gatheringplace for all ages. The historicjewel, which had only been

used in past years as court-room overflow space, is locat-ed at 1 LaGrange St.

Travel across the globe vic-ariously by attending the newArmchair Travelers program,or learn about health topicswith Medical Mondays.Patrons can wander theupstairs art Gallery at thelibrary to see changing artexhibits by members of theNewnan-Coweta ArtAssociation. A Sack Lunchcinema is also offered regu-larly.

Story time is held eachThursday morning at 10 a.m.for pre-school age children.Dancing, stories and arts andcrafts are part of each pro-gram.

One woman bringing hergrandchild to a recent storytime commented that it was“nice” to see the old Carnegiebeing used as a library again.

The staff of the Carnegie iscurrently collecting old pho-tos, and mementos of thelibrary’s history for a memorybook. Newnan’s Carnegie isoldest Carnegie Library in thestate of Georgia.

Call 770-683-1347 for moreinformation on the library’sprograms or meeting roomspace, or visit at www.new-nancarnegie.com .

Coweta’s other libraries,Asa Powell Jr. in Newnan,Central Library in EastCoweta, and the SenoiaLibrary also offer programsfor children and adultsincluding teen programs,book clubs, geneaology class-es, and job-hunting assis-tance.

A new Grantville library isunder construction adjacentto the town’s new ball fieldwith the Grantville LibraryBoard anticipating a mid-2010opening.

The wide variety of pro-gramming offered by theCoweta County RecreationDepartment also lends to thequality of life experienced byfamilies.

The recreation departmenthas several parks and fieldswhere children can partici-pate in team sports such asbaseball, softball and soccer.When the Latin-inspired fit-ness dance Zumba gainedpopularity, the departmentbegan to offer classes in twolocations.

Art classes, Mommy andMe Activity Classes, dog obe-dience courses and seniorprogramming are just a few ofthe other RecreationDepartment-sponsored activi-

Coweta offers plenty for families

Angela Decker works with a YMCA Titans swimmer during a practice in last June. Decker, who swam varsity at NorthgateHigh, was one of two college students helping YMCA swim coach Buzz Kuhn during summer 2009.

ties.Coweta children are also

fortunate to have access to theGeorgia Youth Science &Technology Center (GYSTC)in Grantville. Elementary andmiddle school studentsenrolled in the public schoolsystem often take sciencefield trips to the center.GYSTC brings its summercamps to various locationseach year.

An addition to the summercamps offered in 2010 will beCSI Newnan, covering generalscience and problem-solvingfor students enteringKindergarten through fifthgrades in the fall. The campwill be held at Jefferson

Parkway Elementary June 21-24. A crime scene filled withcurious items, and new dailyclues will fill this week aseager campers investigate tosolve a mystery of a missingteddy bear.

Other camps are Robots,Rockets and Electricity forstudents in grades fourthrough nine, and Bugs forBreakfast for younger stu-dents.

Register online by May 1 atwww.shenandoahgystc.org .This year, the GYSTC Campswill be held at three differentlocations: Jefferson Parkway,Moreland Elementary, and theUniversity of West Georgia,Newnan campus.

Enjoying karaoke at the recent father/daughter SweetheartDance at the Summit Family YMCA were, from left, MadisonLecuona, Isabella Walters, Rebekah Logan, Macy Morganand Stella Gerson. The YMCA plans to make the dance anannual event.

Photo by Nichole GoldenStory time leader Dianne Oliver reads a tale to youngsters attending a recent program at the Carnegie Library in Newnan.Stories, music and crafts are offered at the story time events each Thursday at 10 a.m.

Tracy Maddox creates new learning centers using papersacks while attending “Bag of Science and Math Tricks” atGYSTC in Grantville.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 — The Times-Herald — 5E

Cargill Newnan“Where Great People Come to Meat”

www.cargill.com Paid Advertisement

Join Our Team! Now Accepting Applications! Stop by 33 Dart Road, Newnan.

Employees of Cargill Newnan

Cargill Newnan volunteers from left to right – Jacky Carstairs, Accounting; Terri Baker, Health Services Manager; Jennifer Overstreet, Accounting Manager.The Cargill Newnan plant recently enjoyed an authentic Ethiopian celebration.

Employees prepared delicious African dishes to share with everyone and the authentic handmade clothing was beautiful. Celebrating diversity has become a tradition for all of us at Cargill.

Cargill Newnan has HEART! Health Services used February Heart Health Month to encour-age our employees to take a closer look at their heart health! We kicked

off our month with a Red Cross blood drive on February 4th. We had over twenty employees donate the gift of life, which will in turn benefi t more than sixty individuals! WOW!

February also kicked off our new, month-long, heart health education series. Employees participated in a heart health screening each week and gained entry into a drawing for a great prize. Prizes include athletic shoes for one lucky winner each week, as well as an extra drawing for a great prize like a bicycle, a Wii Fit, a trip to Gatlinburg, or even a heart-healthy meal basket! We know our employees have HEART, and we want to make sure they are keeping it healthy and strong!

Jennifer celebrates with all of the winners on her team.

Volunteers from Newnan worked as lane monitors for Special Olympics Masters Bowling Tournament! A great time with great people!

Cargill is a drug free, equal opportunity workplace.

The Cargill Team has been a proud member of the Newnan community for twelve years. We began operations in October of 1998. While providing employment for over 350 persons, we have been blessed to successfully maintain a competitive business while never experiencing a work force reduction.

The Newnan Cargill Team takes pride in giving back to the surrounding community. We are engaged in many areas of the community and hold part of our mission as “Nourishing People.” We try to focus on this each day.

Our employees are our most valuable asset. We promote participation and engagement in many aspects of our daily operation. We look forward to sharing with you more information about our Team in future issues of The Times-Herald. Some things we will be highlighting are our team members, work and recreational experiences, and community involvements. We look forward to many more years of being an even greater asset for Newnan as we continue to grow and develop in this great community.

A huge THANK YOU goes out to all of the Cargill Team members who have helped along this journey. Also, we must recognize the great community in which we work for allowing us the opportunity to be part of something really special.

Cargill Community

Shannon NorrisShannon NorrisComplex Manager

CARGILL NEWNAN AT A GLANCECargill Newnan started production in October of 1998. We are a U.S.D.A. inspected facility with 364 employees. We feed approximately 4 million people per week. We provide consumer-packaged meat products serving retailers in the southeast and southwest United States.

Name: Petra Fuhrmans

Areas of Responsibility:As Controller it is Petra’s responsibility to safeguard the assets of the company. That not only includes providing timely and correct fi nancial reports, but also ensures that all compa-ny property in Newnan is well-managed and accounted for. She is active in every production process, ensuring effi cient and cost effective transactions. Effi ciencies are daily challenges to keep the business competitive. As Controller she is a member of the BMT – Business Management Team – providing leadership and counsel to all areas of the plant operations.

Personal Bio:Petra has been with Cargill for 21 years in various fi nance positions. She worked in a num-ber of locations in the US as well as four years in Germany, and joined the Newnan team as Controller in 2000. Petra was born in Hamburg, Germany. She is a US citizen and has lived in the United States for almost 50 years now. She and her husband, Hans, have three children and two grandchildren. Petra is active in the community and has served on the YMCA Board of Directors and as a member of the local United Way Board. Petra is a daily

visitor to the local YMCA, where she participates in weights, yoga, core exercises and speed biking. Petra and Hans love the Atlanta Symphony and especially the chorus which she says is “the best in the world.”

What you like about working at Cargill Newnan:“At Cargill, customers and employees come fi rst. At Cargill we are proud of producing high quality and wholesome food. In Newnan, we produce Case Ready meats for supermarkets. It gives me great satisfaction to know that our meat products are the best for cus-tomers to enjoy. I love working for Cargill because we are part of a large family of employees and the well-being of each employee is vitally important. Cargill provides a network of benefi ts for employees. As a result, people at Cargill are highly engaged and proud of their work.”

What coworkers have to say about Petra: “Petra is an exceptional boss/person.” “She is strong, confi dent, and extremely sup-portive. She strives to do her best, and to get the best out of others.” “Great person to work with. Strong and fair leader with a big tender heart.”

Name: Gail Warner

Areas of Responsibility:Gail is responsible for checking bar codes on the products and ensuring that all products are tightly sealed and labeled correctly. This is a vital responsibility to ensure a good quality product for our customers.

Personal Bio:A life time resident of Coweta County, Gail works in our Beef Department as a Quality Monitor. She has been with Cargill since the plant fi rst opened in October 1998. Gail and her husband, Jarvis, recently visited her son, David and daughter-in-law, Shoba, in Japan. These young people are currently serving in the Air Force and David has since been deployed to Iraq. Gail enjoys traveling and studying history and especially had a wonderful time on the trip to Japan. Gail also has a daughter, Tiffany, who recently achieved her Master’s degree in business management. Gail attends Wesley Chapel AME church and has been an active member her entire life.

What you like about working at Cargill Newnan:Gail likes the people at Cargill and loves their warm hearts. She says, “They are always willing to work with you on all occasions.” As an added bonus, work is conveniently closeto home.

What coworkers have to say about Gail: “A great team member with a good attitude.” “Someone you can count on.”

6E — The Times-Herald — Sunday, March 28, 2010

VISION 2010

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Towne Club Peachtree City.Many active retirees considering a move to a senior living community wonder if they’ll be giving up their freedom. But Towne Club Peachtree City residents have found that they’ve simply changed their address, not their lifestyle.

Towne Club, a new concept in independent senior living for adults 55+, offers resort-style living at an affordable cost. “When I came to Towne Club, I wondered how long I would stay,” resident George Anderson explains, “but this is a great place, and I wouldn’t think of leaving.” The community has won awards both for its breakthrough design and its unmatched Peachtree City location.

Residents of Towne Club enjoy country club dining, spacious apartment homes, countless activities, a gorgeous setting, supportive services if needed, and much more. Earl White, one of Towne Club’s first residents, compares

Towne Club to the Waldorf Astoria. “The things that really attracted me were the beautiful surroundings, the well appointed apartments and the beautiful grounds,” said White. “We even have a garden where we can grow vegetables and flowers in the spring. And the friendly staff would do anything for you.” George Anderson agrees, saying “You can go around the world and find beautiful places but that’s not what makes a nice area. The people are what make it nice. Now this is a beautiful edifice, but the thing that makes Towne Club are the residents and the staff.”

There is no buy-in fee at Towne Club. Residents only pay a $1,500 community fee prior to moving in, and then a monthly lifestyle fee which covers a range of services. Peachtree City amenities are just a short walk or golf cart ride away.

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By JEFF BISHOPjbishop@newnan.com

Senoia continues to thrive inspite of the economic down-turn, and that trend is going tocontinue as visitors flock therelater this year to see theSouthern Living “Idea House,”say members of the communi-ty.

Walls on the “four-storybrownstone” are already up.The brownstone — somethingnever before seen in a small,Southern town like Senoia —eventually will be used on aday-to-day basis as a residen-tial property, but will alsoallow film crews to use thestreet in front of it as a set todouble as a Boston,Philadelphia, or New York Citylocation.

Senoia is home toRiverWood Studios, whichserved as the home base for therecently-filmed “Killers” moviestaring Katherine Heigl andAshton Kutcher. The moviewill be a major summer 2010release.

“They say that the IdeaHouse could have 300 to 400visitors a day” after it opens totourists, said David Brown,

chairman of the CowetaCounty DevelopmentAuthority.

Atlanta magazine will alsouse Senoia for an upcoming“House of Dreams” project,Brown said.

“It was originally supposedto go in a subdivision north ofAtlanta,” but that fell through,Brown said, and now the maga-zine is looking at Senoia for itsnext annual “House ofDreams” feature.

“It’s going to be a big event,”especially when it’s cross-fer-tilized with the SouthernLiving ‘Idea House,’” Brownsaid.

He said the eastern Cowetatown is doing amazingly well,with the latest addition beingthe upscale FoundersRestaurant on Main Street,owned and operated by Toddand Tray Baggarly, descendantsof one of the town’s earliestfamilies.

“That place is first-class,”said Brown. “It’s a white-clothrestaurant, and it can be usedas a movie location,” just as thenearby Maguire’s pub has beenused as a regular location forthe Lifetime network TV show“Drop Dead Diva.”

Fans of big Hollywoodmovies like “Apocalypse Now”can find memorabilia such asCol. Kilgore’s surfboard on dis-play at the Senoia RedneckGourmet. On the sidewalk out-side the eatery, there’s a “walkof fame,” with bronze stars not-ing the growing number offilms made in the town.

Brown said with all theongoing activity there, Senoia’sfuture looks particularly bright.

With growing national atten-tion on small-town life and“family-oriented, walkablecommunities,” said KristenPayne, director of SouthernLiving Homes Group, when themagazine announced Senoia astheir choice for 2010, “we setour sights on finding a historictown under revitalization.”

She described Senoia as “asmall Georgia town where themain street looks like a sceneout of the movie ‘Driving MissDaisy’ — but look deeper andyou will f ind a communitycommitted to eco-friendly con-struction right down to theelectric cars parked in front ofthe diner.

“This town is blending thebest of today with the nostalgiaof yesterday,” said Payne. “It’s

Senoia thriving, despite economic downturn

why we chose this location totell our story with this year’sIdea House.”

The home in Senoia will bethe first-ever Southern Livingbrownstone project. The housewill open for tours in earlyJune 2010 with ticket proceedsbenefitting The AmericanCancer Society Cattle Baron’sBall 2010.

Jamie Elliott McPherson ofHearth and Home Interiors ofNewnan was selected bySouthern Living as the interiordesigner for the project.

“His sophisticated style andunique ability to blendantiques with urban style issimply innate,” she said.“Jamie’s work as a notedkitchen designer has earnedhim recognition both locallyand nationally.”

The Historic Senoia Projectis a downtown redevelopmentinitiative in the Senoia historicdistrict, undertaken by theprinciples of RiverWoodStudios, who describe the newproject as “an in-town urbanliving, dining and culturalexperience that includes shop-ping, attractions and ambi-ence.”

Many of the vacant parcels ofland in Senoia’s HistoricDistrict have been acquired forthe purpose of constructingperiod infill development,designed to blend seamlesslywith the town’s existing archi-tecture set between the late1800s and the early 1900s.

Scott Tigchelaar, president ofRiverWood Studios, said theHistoric Senoia Project’s ginproperty development’s recog-

nition by Southern Living is“thrilling.”

“You just can’t buy that typeof exposure,” he said. “It shouldbe phenomenal,” and couldlead tens of thousands oftourists “to come visit the site.”

The 3,700-square-foot, 3.5-story idea house will be thefirst of five such luxury brown-stones to be constructed. It willfeature a courtyard, a plungepool and a grilling pavilion. Itwill also feature a rooftop ter-race and an elevator. Thebrownstones will be pricedaround $600,000-$1 million.

Tigchelaar said the magazineestimates that “anywhere from30,000 to 40,000-plus people”will come to Senoia and tourthe home.

Photo by Bob FraleyThe 3,700-square-foot, 3.5-story Southern Living Idea House in Senoia will be the first of fivesuch luxury brownstones to be constructed. It will feature a courtyard, a plunge pool and agrilling pavilion. It will also feature a rooftop terrace and an elevator. The brownstones will bepriced around $600,000-$1 million.

Photo courtesy Gary GrubyApproximately 800 people gathered in downtown Senoia New Year’s Day for the Stand by Me portrait.This year’s photo commemorates the town’s Millennium Portrait, taken Jan. 1, 2000.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 — The Times-Herald — 7E

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Photo by Sarah Campbell Wood carver and painter Cecil Cornwall and his wife,Maxine, relax at the opening reception for the Newnan-Coweta Art Association’s juried show in June 2009 at theCentre for Performing Arts.

Photo by Jeffrey LeoKelsi Adams practices her song during rehearsal at the Centre for Performing and Visual Artsfor the July 2009 STAR production “One Sensation.”

By W. WINSTON SKINNERwinston@newnan.com

Although the economy hasbeen at a low ebb, CowetaCounty’s arts communityremains active and vibrant.

Leaders in the arts locallyhave lots planned for theremainder of 2010 and arealready looking at options for2011. Variety and affordabilityare key issues for people plan-ning arts events.

“We have had some wonder-ful events and some greatopportunities,” said Don Nixon,director of the Centre forPerforming and Visual Arts.Ginny Lyles, 2010 chair of theCity of Newnan’s Cultural ArtsCommission, said “a nice, broadappeal” is the aim of that group.

The tight economy hasbrought arts supporters a newreason to contribute theirmoney and support. Economicconditions may also actuallyhave helped with attendance atarts events.

Lyles said historically, peoplehave attended and supportedcultural events in tough eco-nomic times. “Cultural interests— people will continue to dothose things. People want somekind of outlet,” she said.

Both Lyles and John Thrasher,

who chaired the Newnan CACcommittee for this year’sCharles Wadsworth andFriends Concert at WadsworthAuditorium on Jefferson Street,noted the great attendance atthat annual event. “We werepleasantly surprised — in fact,overwhelmed,” Lyles said.

Thrasher said there wereserious concerns about supportfor the Wadsworth event thisyear — because of the econo-my. While some past contribu-tors were unable to help — orto help as much as in the past— the concert was a rousingsuccess.

“To our delight, we were ableto reach out to the broadercommunity and actually had asell-out for the first time in sev-eral years,” Thrasher said.

Don Nixon, director of theCentre for Performing andVisual Arts, said the arts cen-ter’s patrons have beenextremely supportive in 2009and continue their hard workthis year. The Centre is operat-ed by the Coweta CountySchool System, which — like allschool systems in the state — ishaving a lean time. The patronsare helping to make sure thelocal arts center continues itswork — providing a space forperforming arts and for paint-ing, sculpture and other visualarts.

“We’re very excited about theprogramming opportunities,”Nixon said. The Centre has anauditorium that seats almost1,000 and is home to theFrancoise Gilot Gallery, namedfor the famed artist who hasvisited the facility twice. Thearts center is a regular spot forart exhibits, including severalby the Newnan-Coweta ArtAssociation.

Nixon said he is working tomake sure the offerings at theCentre appeal to a wide rangeof Cowetans. The Centre isworking with the CAC to bringthe Wenlan Orchestra fromChina for a concert. The stu-dent orchestra planned to givea concert at the Centre lastyear, but had to cancel becauseof the swine flu epidemic.

Other events planned at the

Centre in coming monthsinclude a concert by RalphStanley and a one-woman showabout Ethel Merman by KleaBlackhurst.

Stanley brings a bluegrasslegacy — his father wrote“Brother, Where Art Thou?”Blackhurst has been to theCentre before for a perform-ance of “Annie, Get Your Gun.”

Fayetteville author FerrolSams will be giving a talk andinteracting with the audience ata Sunday afternoon event. Sams,a retired physician, is known forsuch novels as “Run With theHorseman” and his short storycollection, “The Widow’s Mite.”

Another Centre event will bethe Three Redneck Tenors. Thethree trained singers will inter-sperse a wide range of musicstyles with comedy — finishingwith three operatic arias.

Michael Shinn, a Juilliardinstructor, will give a piano con-cert. The Annie Moses Band,the Chamber Orchestra of theKremlin from Russia and theVoices of Lee, a college groupwho were runners-up in “TheSing Off” on television are alsocoming to the Centre.

The National Theatre pro-duction of “The Scarlet Letter”is also on the CPVA schedule.As part of events surroundingthe sesquicentennial of the CivilWar, the Centre will be the loca-tion for the American PlaceTheatre presentation of a one-

woman show, “Incidences in theLife of a Slave Girl.”

Nixon noted all of thoseevents are in addition to theprogramming aimed at stu-dents. Planned school eventsinclude productions of“Ferdinand the Bull,” “AngelinaBallerina” and “Tales of aFourth-Grade Nothing.”

While the CAC is workingwith Nixon on the WenlanOrchestra visit, Lyles said themain goal of the CAC is “to pro-vide cultural arts experiencespromoting the WadsworthAuditorium.” The downtowntheater space — renovated inpart with funds raised throughthe Wadsworth concerts — is“such a magnificent facility forus to have,” she said.

Lyles said the all-volunteerCAC is keeping its plans simplebut working to have a series ofcultural events each year. Oneof the upcoming projects is“some collaboration with stu-dents from several of the col-leges around us.” Lyles said allthe area colleges have talentedstudents who could provideentertainment for the commu-nity.

A big band show and aBeatles tribute band perform-ance are also planned by theCAC for 2010. Next year, thegroup hopes to mount a coun-try music concert of some kind.

Variety, affordability bywordsfor Coweta arts community

Photo by Bob FraleyCharles Wadsworth accompanies cellist Kristina ReikoCooper who flew in from Tel Aviv, Israel for the 2010Wadsworth and Friends concert in Newnan’s WadsworthAuditorium, and was flying back the next day.

http://bankofcoweta.com

8E — The Times-Herald — Sunday, March 28, 2010

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