SING LANGUAGE Signing the Redevelopment Plan Indicates “I Had a Manger Scene Infl Atable the TAD Would Be Used to Re- on the Back Swim Platform
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Sunday Edition December 22, 2019 BARTOW COUNTY’S ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER $1.50 Commissioner Bartow County family fi nds strength approves through substance abuse challenges LakePoint TAD, Champions BY JAMES SWIFT [email protected] Center contract Jared Hoffman will not be home for Christ- extension mas this year. Instead of spending the holidays with his BY JAMES SWIFT mother, father and older sisters in Carters- [email protected] ville, he’ll be miles and miles away in a state prison, where he’s serving out a three-year Bartow County Commissioner incarceration sentence. Steve Taylor approved an item at “I feel like this year’s going to be different, “It’s got to be so hard for the ones strug- a public meeting Wednesday au- because we’re not wondering if he’s going to gling with addiction to be around the fami- thorizing the creation of a new tax show up,” said his oldest sister, 39-year-old ly at a holiday, where you’re supposed to be allocation district (TAD) in Emer- Alicia Turner. happy and joyful and everything is good,” son, which would allow LakePoint His mother, 68-year-old Barbara Hoffman, she said. “You’re just trying to survive it.” Sporting Community to potentially said this time of year has been difficult for For more than 15 years, the family has reap more than $50 million in pro- many years. waged a largely secret battle — one that ceeds to facilitate development of If she wasn’t worrying herself over wheth- could be described as physical, emotional the complex’s northern campus. JAMES SWIFT/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS er her son, now in his mid-30s, would show and even spiritual. The 798 acres included within From left, Barbara Hoffman, Chelsea Medford, Alicia Turner up, she was worrying herself over what con- the TAD boundary primarily con- and Jeff Hoffman. dition she would find him in if he did arrive. SEE FAMILY, PAGE 4A sists of properties already owned by LakePoint Land, LLC and its subsidiaries. The total fair market value of the 16 properties today is $3.4 million, with an assessed val- Lights on ue of $1.3 million. “That equates to about $40,000 in real property taxes being collected the Lake from this property today, and that amount of collections will continue into the future, that’s what we call the generates base,” said Bleakly Advisory Group President Geoff Koski. “Those base property tax collections will contin- $1,000 for ue to fl ow into County coffers, as well as the school coffers.” Bleakly Advisory Group au- Flowering thored the redevelopment plan ap- proved by Taylor last week. Branch The report suggests that Lake- Point Sports’ planned expansions — totaling about 2.8 million square Children’s feet of new developments — could generate upward of $670 million in new economic investments. Shelter Koski explained how the TAD is expected to be used to facilitate BY MARIE NESMITH infrastructural development within [email protected] the district. “As redevelopment occurs and In his fi rst year taking part in the TAD is in place, all of the in- the Lights on the Lake, Brian Kir- cremental, real property tax value by was shocked and “surprised” to RANDY PARKER/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS will fl ow into a special TAD fund,” learn his vessel captured the Best Cass High School sign language teacher Lori Sutton, foreground, right, he said, “and that TAD fund can be Overall award. Presented by the leads a group of students signing Christmas carols in the school’s lobby. Cass ASL students used for redevelopment purposes Lake Allatoona Association, the going forward throughout the life third annual Christmas boat pa- ‘sing’ Christmas of the TAD.” rade took place Dec. 7. He said he anticipates those “I had a lot of infl atables on the carols through costs totaling about $53.3 million. boat,” said the Acworth resident. SING LANGUAGE signing The redevelopment plan indicates “I had a manger scene infl atable the TAD would be used to re- on the back swim platform. I had a imburse LakePoint Sports about giant Santa Claus infl atable next to BY DONNA HARRIS stressful with end-of-course tests and fi - classmates. $13.5 million for site development a giant Christmas tree infl atable on [email protected] nals so I felt this would be a great break “It was nerve-racking at fi rst thought, expenses, another $13.5 million for the top back deck. while still learning new vocabulary in a but ultimately, it sounded really fun to construction of sports venues and “Then various places, I had all Students at Cass High School got to ex- fun way.” show the school all the hard work we’ve attractions and about $8 million for kinds of other blowups, everything perience Christmas caroling in a way they Each of Sutton’s three classes visited six done this semester,” she said. costs associated with parking, side- from Snoopy to the Grinch to three probably never had before last week. classrooms and performed anywhere from Her favorite carol was “defi nitely ‘Ru- walks, landscaping and signage. or four snowmen in a row. So I had Lori Sutton’s American Sign Lan- two to four songs from its repertoire: “Si- dolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,’” Melanie Dan Berman, a member of Glass- a little bit of everything, and then I guage classes spread some holiday cheer lent Night,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein- said. Ratner Advisory and Capital Group, had a lot of lights.” throughout the school Wednesday by go- deer,” “The 12 Days of Christmas,” “Jingle “The song is adorable, and the ASL LLC, assisted LakePoint Sports as it After purchasing his 71-foot ing classroom to classroom during fi rst, Bell Rock” and “White Christmas.” equivalent is just as cute, in my opinion,” went through Chapter 11 bankrupt- Stardust in May, Kirby was excited second and fourth periods to show their “I chose these songs because I wanted a she said. cy debt restructuring last year. to transform the houseboat for the fellow students what some of the Christ- combination of songs that would be fun to Sutton said most of her 97 students from Considering the topography of holiday season. mas classics look like in sign language. sign as well as present well visually,” she all four grade levels began learning the the northern campus terrain, he “I thought, ‘Man, with the size of “My kids have worked really hard this said. “Some songs translate better visually songs Dec. 12, “but one of my classes was said the TAD is the only way to this boat, I could do a lot of fun stuff semester and have truly embraced ASL,” than others so I wanted to take that into unable to begin learning until Dec. 16 due make the project’s infrastructure on this,’” he said, referring to Christ- she said. “I wanted to give them an oppor- account since we would be performing.” to end-of-course testing.” development economically viable. mas decorations. “… The more tunity to show off a bit and have some fun. Sophomore Melanie Armstead was I started decorating and hearing The last days before winter break can be nervous but excited about signing for her SEE ASL, PAGE 8A SEE COMMISSION, PAGE 2A about Lights on the Lake, I thought, ‘Well, we might as well enter it.’” After lining up at Allatoona Yacht Club, the 11 participating vessels circled three times in front CCSS brings mentors, mentees, families together for Christmas of the dam and then traveled to Park Marina. “This year, there were 13 boats BY DONNA HARRIS Davis called the two-hour party “amazing.” that registered to participate in the [email protected] “One of our mentors, Megan Dmitrenko, parade; however, two of the boats shared, ‘As I leave the mentor party, I have tears of advised the committee that they The annual end-of-school party doesn’t afford joy and pure happiness in my heart,’” she said. “’I would not be able to participate much of an opportunity for the families of Car- never expected to connect so much with my men- — one due to illness and anoth- tersville students in the Mentor Canes program to tee’s mother. It was powerful. The love I share with er due to boat engine problems,” meet their mentors. her daughter has been felt by her mother over the LAA Secretary Linda Hartsfi eld So school social worker Maria Davis found a years, and she expressed so much gratitude. She said. “There were 11 boats of all way to remedy that — she threw a Christmas party said she feels like all the mentors are angels.’” descriptions — pontoons, cabin and invited everyone. Cpl. Kelly Woodard, who works in the criminal cruisers and houseboats — that About 175 mentors and mentees in grades K-12, investigations division of the Cartersville Police De- participated. plus parents, siblings and grandparents, attended partment, attended the affair with her mentee, Ava- “There were some elaborately the fi rst Mentor Canes Christmas party Wednes- na Jewell, a fi fth-grader at Cartersville Elementary. decorated boats and themed boats. day night at Cartersville First Baptist Church on “Great idea to get the mentors and the mentees One boat had an island Christmas Douthit Ferry Road. together, especially for the holiday season,” Wood- theme with steel drum Christmas “It was a great opportunity to get mentors, men- ard said. “The best part for me was getting to spend music.