The Lakepoint Effect
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Sunday Edition June 17, 2018 BARTOW COUNTY’S ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER $1.50 The LakePoint Effect while Cartersville-Bartow County Convention and Officials weigh in on economic Visitors Bureau Executive Director Ellen Archer impact of facility’s bankruptcy said local hotel revenue increased 64 percent be- tween 2013 and 2016 alone. BY JAMES SWIFT With eight LakePoint Sporting Community affil- [email protected] iates filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy June 11, how- ever, questions have arisen over how the financial Shortly after the $1 billion complex opened in wellbeing of LakePoint may — directly or indi- Emerson in 2014, it didn’t take county and munic- rectly — impact the financial wellbeing of Bartow ipal officials long to begin celebrating “the Lake- County in the future, particularly in terms of infra- Point effect.” structure development and tax revenue. According to some reports, the complex is adding Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor said RANDY PARKER/DTN almost $100 million in economic impacts to the re- the bankruptcy announcement earlier this week With a major resurfacing gion each year, with an especially palpable impact wasn’t unexpected. project set to begin in July, Department of Transportation JAMES SWIFT/DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS on local businesses. Over the last five years, Bartow “We’re not really surprised at all and we’re not County Administrator Peter Olson said food, bar officials anticipate daily I-75 County and city officials say LakePoint’s Chapter 11 filings will lane closures in Bartow for at and hotel revenue in the county is up 80 percent, SEE LAKEPOINT, PAGE 5A have little impact on the local economy. least two months. BCSS’s Page I-75 lane reorganizes closures central WORTH THE WAIT expected Tom Shinall office staff in July BY DONNA HARRIS [email protected] celebrates first BY JAMES SWIFT [email protected] Less than two weeks after tak- Father’s Day ing the reins, Bartow County Georgia Department of Trans- School Superintendent Dr. Phillip BY MARIE NESMITH portation (GDOT) officials antici- Page has reorganized the central [email protected] pate a major Interstate-75 office staff. resurfacing project will get under- “The goal of this reorganization Wearing a white T-shirt bearing the phrase way in Bartow next month — and is to allow our district office staff “Worth the Wait,” Walter Douglas “WD” with it, daily lane closures for at to be intentional in our areas of re- Shinall soared like a superhero with his fa- least two months. sponsibilities and to provide more ther’s assistance Thursday evening. GDOT announced that Marietta- efficient and effective services to For Tom Shinall, who happily lifted his our local schools, parents and based C.W. Matthews Contracting 10-month-old in the air, the tiny garment Co. Inc. was awarded a $10.3 mil- community,” he said. says it all. After he and his wife, Elizabeth, Chief Academic Officer Dr. lion contract earlier this week to experienced infertility and later watched as resurface about 14 miles of I-75, Kimberly Fraker has moved to the their newborn son “battled and fought might- new position of chief of leadership stretching from exit 278 at Glade ily,” Shinall is thrilled to be celebrating his Road up to exit 293 for U.S. 411. and learning, which replaces the first Father’s Day today. long-vacant assistant superintend- “The project was let and we’re “The title of father is the greatest achieve- actually having a pre-construction ent position, and former Cobb ment of my life,” the 34-year-old Adairsville County Assistant Superintendent meeting on the 21st,” said GDOT resident said. “I remember the day we found area manager Keith Day. “We’ve Dr. David Chiprany has been hired out. Our fertility doctor called and left Eliz- as the new chief academic officer. got resurfacing on the north side in abeth a voicemail, and we sat together on the Calhoun that the same contractors Also, the maintenance/construc- couch and listened. We shared an emotional tion, transportation and campus are doing ... I would imagine, just embrace and rejoiced. I have several early to guess, they’d start moving in police departments that were memories of ‘seeing’ my son. I vividly recall under Chief Human Resources July.” the doctor holding him up during the proce- Bartow County Transportation and Operations Officer Macy Def- dure. I can still see him in the NICU [neona- nall’s supervision have been Planner Tom Sills said he antici- tal intensive care unit] incubator. pates resurfacing beginning by the placed under Fraker’s umbrella, “When I close my eyes, I can see him and Defnall, whose title is now second week of July. lying in the NICU fighting for his life. Today, “They’re talking about starting at chief human resources officer, will I see his smile and the way he lights up a oversee only the human resources both Glade Road and at State Route room with his infectious personality. He is 61 and working their way towards department. my greatest joy. He is my hero.” School board members unani- the middle,” he said. “It will be a Conceived through in vitro fertilization, much improved surface when it’s mously approved the changes Walter was delivered Aug. 16, 2017, during Monday night at a called meeting. all said and done. We just advise an emergency cesarean section at patience, because there’s a lot of “This reorganization is in no Cartersville Medical Center. While he way reflective of anyone’s past summer traffic that’s going to be weighed a healthy 7 pounds 15.3 ounces, the impacted by that.” performance,” Page said. “It is newborn immediately was facing complica- RANDY PARKER/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS simply bringing back a budgeted Above, wearing a shirt proclaiming During weekdays, Sills said tions from having his umbilical cord “Worth the Wait,” 10-month-old Walter work hours are tentatively set for 7 position to allow our district chiefs wrapped around his body. to focus on their main areas of re- Shinall gets a lift from his dad, Tom, p.m. until 6 a.m. “After several years of marriage and not who celebrates his first Father’s Day sponsibility so we can better serve “And on weekends, they will being able to conceive naturally, Elizabeth today. our staff, students, parents and begin working at 7 p.m. on Friday and I began our infertility journey,” Shinall SPECIAL community.” night and be working continuously said. “As a family of faith, we knew this was Left, Tom and Elizabeth Shinall visit The new superintendent said the through 6 a.m. Monday morning,” the path we were meant to be on. Following with their newborn son, Walter, at reorganization was needed so one he added. three failed intrauterine insemination (IUI) Hamilton Medical Center's NICU in person, the chief of leadership and Dalton Aug. 18, 2017. Although the contract gives treatments, we were finally successful learning, could be “evaluating all C.W. Matthews until April 2019 to through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Knowing principals, assisting principals to complete the project, Day said he we were on this journey for a reason, we “Given the difficulty we faced just getting an emergency cesarean section procedure.” build leadership capacity within doesn’t think the resurfacing will wanted to be open and honest with others, He continued, “Walter’s umbilical cord each school, assisting parents with pregnant, we — mainly Elizabeth — had a take more than two months. hopeful that our journey could be beneficial smooth pregnancy. As we prepared for Wal- had wrapped around his neck and his body, “They will complete it around 60 SEE BCSS, PAGE 6A to others facing similar situations. We shared ter’s birth, things changed. His heart rate causing him to gasp as it would constrict. days,” he said. “It’s not going to our infertility journey via social media and began to spike and then would drop rapidly. While still in the womb, he passed his first take that long. They can’t resurface YouTube and received an outpouring of love Dr. Barfield and his team of nurses acted and support. swiftly and justly by rushing Elizabeth into SEE FATHER’S DAY, PAGE 8A SEE RESURFACING, PAGE 5A Cartersville resident named editor of The Christian Index BY MARIE NESMITH “People think first of evangelism, [email protected] and that’s great. It’s our first prior- ity. But I’ve seen Georgia Baptists Page Continuing to serve “Georgia do that while also helping people in Baptists with faithfulness and ef- various ways, such as providing fectiveness,” Scott Barkley was free dental or health care, giving promoted to editor of The Christian clothing, teaching conversational Index June 1. Joining The Index in English, having ‘yard sales’ where 2004, the Cartersville resident has everything is free, joining together helped the once biweekly paper to establish substance abuse facili- venture into the digital age as an ties and [other] approaches. And online news journal. Barkley that’s just in our state. “My background in working “Georgia Baptist churches liter- not only the story of the Savior they with Southern Baptists in my home ally go all over the world to share DONNA WARD/SPECIAL state and adopted home state [of serve, but the efforts they take to the Gospel but also help in ways, Scott Barkley, editor for The Christian Index, leads an Alabama and Georgia, respec- present that Gospel and make an analytics meeting June 7 at The Index offices at the Georgia Chiprany tively] gives me the passion to tell impact on others,” Barkley said.