Brody's Journey
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Sunday Edition July 7, 2019 BARTOW COUNTY’S ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER $1.50 Watkins to be sworn in as new judge July 10 BY JAMES SWIFT in business law, civil and commercial litigation, real [email protected] estate and zoning and land use matters. “I’ve been practicing, I believe, over 25, 26 Considering the Frank Moore Administration years,” he said. “I’ve done litigation in the past, I’ve and Judicial Center is literally across the street done transactional work in the past, I did appointed RANDY PARKER/DTN from his old law fi rm, Jeffrey A. Watkins won’t be juvenile work in the past. I’ve done work for the Longtime local traveling too far to start his next job as the Chero- City and the County — zoning work, buying and attorney Jeffrey A. kee Judicial Circuit’s newest judge. selling businesses, commercial real estate … I’ve Watkins is set to Watkins, who was appointed to the bench by done a lot of things over my legal career.” be sworn in as the Governor Brian Kemp on May 31, will offi cially A product of the University of Georgia and Cherokee Judicial Circuit’s newest be sworn in as a superior court judge for Bartow Mercer University’s School of Law, Watkins also judge at a ceremo- County and Gordon County at a ceremony sched- served as a senior associate for the Marietta-based ny at the Georgia uled for Wednesday, July 10, at the Georgia State fi rm Moore, Ingram, Johnson and Steele, where he State Capitol Capitol in Atlanta at 1:30 p.m. specialized in areas such as workers’ compensation building in Atlanta “And I’ll be starting as the judge of the Cherokee and insurance defense. RANDY PARKER/DTN on July 10. Judicial Circuit the very next morning in Gordon Watkins will fi ll the vacancy resulting from the Good Neighbor Homeless County,” the 54-year-old said. death of former Cherokee Judicial Circuit Judge Shelter Executive Director Watkins, a founding member of the the fi rm George Carey Nelson III, who died May 18 at the Jessica Mitcham said the local White, Choate, Watkins and Mroczko, LLC, opened age of 71. nonprofi t has plans to open a Jeffrey A. Watkins, P.C. in 2014. In his roughly quar- new facility off Townsley Drive ter century-long legal career, he has primarily dealt SEE JUDGE, PAGE 6A — pending changes are made to the City of Cartersville’s Code of Ordinances. Cartersville New homeless City Council Brody’s shelter eyed approves 200 for Townsley acre-plus Journey Drive Carter Grove BY JAMES SWIFT rezoning [email protected] Cartersville Good Neighbor Homeless Shel- BY JAMES SWIFT ter looks to open a new facility [email protected] off Townsley Drive later this year 9-year-old — but before that can happen, the The Cartersville City Council, nonprofi t has to clear a few hurdles with members Kari Hodge and at City Hall. Jayce Stepp absent, voted unani- At a Cartersville Planning Com- mously to approve a Florida-based seeks heart mission meeting scheduled for developer’s request to rezone more Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., the board than 212 acres along Belmont Drive will vote to approve or deny two at Tuesday night’s public meeting. transplant requests from the local nonprofi t The proposal from Avanti Prop- — a proposed text amendment and erties Group rezones the former BY MARIE NESMITH a special-use permit allowing a Parkside at Carter Grove property [email protected] homeless shelter to open within the from R-20 residential to R-10 res- multiple-use (M-U)-zoned district. idential. According to a City of Praying their son’s “story will continue Currently, the City of Carters- Cartersville analysis, the rezoning to inspire and point others to Christ,” Dan- ville allows homeless shelters in would increase the density of the ny and Courtney Parker are grateful to their general-commercial zoned dis- property from 0.86 units per acre Cartersville community for its unwavering tricts, but not those zoned M-U. to 1.6 units per acre. support. Known for his athletic abilities “The text amendment is to “The applicant is proposing ap- and friendly nature, 9-year-old Brody is in add ‘homeless shelter’ as an eli- proximately 330 residential units, need of a heart transplant. gible use in the multi-use code,” who were previously approved for “When Danny and I bought our fi rst Good Neighbor Homeless Shel- 247,” said City of Cartersville Di- home in Cartersville over 15 years ago, ter Executive Director Jessica rector of Planning and Development our plan was to stay a year or two and then Mitcham said. “Multi-use has a Randy Mannino. “The planning move closer to Atlanta,” Mrs. Parker said. long — probably three and a half commission did recommend ap- “However, we quickly realized that Car- pages — list of eligible uses and proval with six conditions on that.” tersville was going to be a forever home for ‘homeless shelter’ is not present Avanti Properties representa- us based on the community. on there, but many similar uses tive Joe Harris said the developer “We could never thank everyone enough are on the list … ‘nursing home’ had no problem with fi ve of those for the support we have received. We see is on there, ‘daycare’ is on there, conditions — which, among oth- so many families here at Egleston fi ghting ‘rehab facility’ is on there.” ers, includes provisions that the to- their battles alone, and we are time and Mitcham said her organization tal number of lots on the property time again humbled that we have so many SPECIAL has the property under contract, A rising Cartersville Elementary School third-grader, Brody Parker is await- do not exceed 330, the minimum fi ghting ours alongside of us.” ing a heart transplant. with closing expected in August. amount of green space on the prop- As the rising Cartersville Elementary Pending the City approves the nec- erty will meet or exceed 98 acres School third-grader continues to regain his care of Atlanta at Egleston. town and can’t wait for Brody to be back essary code amendments, she said and that amenity construction will footing after experiencing heart failure and “To see Brody’s face light up as he re- home doing all of his favorite things — in- she’s optimistic the new shelter can not begin until 40% of permits an embolic stroke, she shared it is uplifting ceives cards, gifts, videos from those he cluding cheering on his favorite Canes! be operational by September. have been pulled. for him to receive an outpouring of well loves is such a huge blessing to this mom- But the provision requiring wishes while staying at Children’s Health- my’s heart,” Mrs. Parker said. “We love our SEE BRODY, PAGE 7A SEE SHELTER, PAGE 8A homes on the property to have a minimum of 2,000 square feet of heated fl oor area, however, gave Harris some concern. “The only change that we would BCSS employees take same cruise but never run into each other like to make with their recommen- dation is that we’re fi ne with the 2,000 square feet for a two-lev- BY DONNA HARRIS el, but for a ranch-style house, we [email protected] would like to move that back to 1,650,” he said. What are the odds that two groups of co-workers would be on the same cruise ship at the same time with cabins on the SEE CARTERSVILLE, PAGE 5A same deck and never see each other? If you’re Stephen Revard, Dot Frasier and Lynn Huskins, the odds are pretty good. Revard, principal of Cass High School, and his wife, Mar- sha, were celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary on a cruise to Italy, France and Spain on the Norwegian Epic in early June while, unbeknownst to them, Huskins, Superinten- dent Dr. Phillip Page’s executive assistant, and Ms. Frasier, executive director of the Bartow Education Foundation, were traveling together on the same ship with their families. And they weren’t just on the same ship — their cabins were all on the 11th deck. But the two groups didn’t discover they’d been on the same trip until after they got home. “I couldn’t believe it,” Revard said. “We had to put two SPECIAL and two together. I knew Ms. Huskins and Ms. Dot went on Left, from left, Dale Selvidge, Bartow Education Foundation Executive Director Dot Frasier and Lynn Huskins, executive assistant to Bartow School Superintendent Dr. Phillip Page, visited the a cruise in Europe, but when I found out they spent an unex- Sistine Chapel during their stop at the Vatican. Middle, Marsha and Stephen Revard, principal of JAMES SWIFT/DTN pected extra day at sea, we started to put it together from there. Cass High School, enjoy a gelato at the Piazza Navonna, where the ancient Romans held chariot Carterville Mayor Matt Santini Our rooms were even on the same deck.” races, during their trip to Italy, France and Spain. Right, Lynn Huskins, executive assistant to presides over Tuesday’s city Bartow School Superintendent Dr. Phillip Page, and her husband, Larry, toured Tuscany in cen- council meeting. SEE CRUISE, PAGE 2A tral Italy during one of their cruise-ship excursions. 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