Sunday Edition June 2, 2019 BARTOW COUNTY’S ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER $1.50 Developer plans 500-plus Land bank votes to acquire apartments off Center Road Burnt Hickory BY JAMES SWIFT velopments would take place on roughly 50.72 [email protected] acres and potentially create nearly 200 town- Road property home units, while Phase II development would A massive residential development that fell potentially entail the creation of more than 500 BY JAMES SWIFT through at the apex of the Great Recession ap- new apartment units on about 111 acres on the [email protected] pears to be mounting a comeback more than a north side of Center Road near Interstate 75. decade later — and if an Atlanta-based devel- The roadway infrastructure for a large-scale Members of the Bartow-Car- oper has it his way, the end result could bring subdivision was constructed on the property in tersville Land Bank board voted more than 700 new townhome and apartment the mid-2000s — just in time for the housing unanimously to accept the acqui- units to Cartersville. bubble to burst. sition of 8.14 acres of land at 102 Two companies affi liated with Atlantic Real- “It was just before the recession hit, and that’s Burnt Hickory Road from Bartow ty Partners — Etowah Venture Partners I and what stopped the project,” said Cartersville County — subject to an appraisal II, LLC, respectively — fi led a zoning variance City Planner David Hardegree. “The developer and survey — at a public meeting JAMES SWIFT/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS An Atlanta-based developer has revealed plans to potential- and a rezoning application with the City of Car- who had it back in 2007 or 2008, he went under. on Wednesday afternoon. ly construct 500-plus apartment units — and as many as 199 tersville in late April. Plans for the fi rst phase Chairman Patrick Nelson said he townhomes — off Center Road in Cartersville. of proposed Etowah Preserve subdivision de- SEE DEVELOPMENT, PAGE 4A met with Bartow County offi cials the previous week to discuss “the gifting” of the property near the Burnt Hickory Road roundabout as something of “a seed project” for the local land bank. 3 dead in “It’s zoned commercial, there’s three sides of the road here, so essentially it’s three individual apparent tracts,” he said. “The two larger HE AST ELL tracts are close to three-and-a-half T L B acres each and the smaller tract is murder- just under an acre.” The County has held the proper- ty since 2013. It includes a 3.18-acre suicide parcel abutting the Burnt Hickory Connector near Argos Ready Mix, STAFF REPORT a 3.53-acre parcel to the south near The Bartow County Sher- Widgeon Way and Cline Drive iff’s Office is investigating an and an 0.86-acre parcel which also apparent murder-suicide Sat- includes an abandoned section of urday with multiple victims in right of way that previously con- the area of Gray Road off of nected to Burnt Hickory Road. Old Rudy York Road near Car- The County sought requests for tersville. proposals (RFPs) for the property According to a BCSO press until February. release, just after 4:30 p.m. “Really, the goal is more than just Saturday, deputies were dis- trying to auction off to the highest patched to the area for a report bidder and not be at all interested of someone shooting at people. in what goes there,” Bartow Coun- Upon deputies’ arrival, three ty Administrator Peter Olson told people were found dead from The Daily Tribune News last No- gunshot wounds. vember. “We want to get a good The release said police have price, but we’re interested to see determined through evidence what’s going to come in that will and witnesses that the incident be a benefi t to the community, so was a murder-suicide and no we’re balancing those two factors.” other people are believed to be According to Bartow County involved. Board of Assessors data, the 2018 No names were released due fair market value of the three par- to next-of-kin notifications and cels is $675,800, with an assessed an active investigation. value of $270,320. RANDY PARKER/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS The release said more infor- Left, an emotional Tia Windsor, South Central Middle School principal, speaks at her retirement celebration in the “The County would like to see, mation will be released as it school cafeteria Thursday. Right, retiring Cartersville Middle School Principal Ken MacKenzie speaks with students preferably, commercial develop- becomes available. in the cafeteria on the last day of school. ment,” Nelson said. “I think they have one restriction … I think they didn’t want a convenience store, I think it was on the small tract.” Principals Windsor, MacKenzie call it a career Cartersville Assistant City At- Wholly torney Keith Lovell said the value BY DONNA HARRIS time to make such a life change,” she eighth-graders. of the property has more than dou- [email protected] said. “I just know that I am excited to “Every day in a middle school is ex- bled since 2013. Grounds be the last principal of South Central citing,” she said. “I really love to meet “Just looking at the transaction, Two longtime educators who have Middle School, and I felt like that was the new challenges that each day brings. it looks like Gene Vance bought Coffee House served as school administrators for a good way to end my teaching career.” Being with students and helping them it according to [County records] more than 40 combined years are mov- But still, it was “most defi nitely not an reach their full potential is very reward- at a bank sale, from the bank, ing on to the next chapter of their lives. easy decision for me,” Windsor, who has ing, and I’m not sure I will fi nd some- for $300,000, and then he turned opens in South Central Middle School Princi- served as principal for 3½ years, said. thing else to do that is so fulfi lling.” around and sold it to the Coun- pal Tia Windsor and Cartersville Mid- “I absolutely love working with the She does, however, have a couple of ty,” he said. “I’m just speculating, Cartersville dle School Principal Ken MacKenzie students and families of SCMS, and things in mind to fi ll her leisure time. but since it happened on the same are retiring this year after educational I am very excited about the direction “I love to read so I will be looking for day, I’m assuming he was acting BY JAMES SWIFT careers spanning 29 years and 46 years, the Bartow County School System is some good books,” she said. “I also love as a straw man for the County on [email protected] respectively. taking, but I’m also excited to see what to travel, and now I will have the time.” that particular transaction and then Windsor, 51, “and proud of each and the future holds for me personally,” she The Cartersville resident, who plans sold it to the County for the same At fi rst glance, baristas and tax every day,” felt ending her career the said. to stay in the area, has pretty much $300,000 he paid for it, plus what- preparers may not appear to have same year that South Central is being Windsor, whose last day will be July based her life in Bartow County. ever commission he charged them.” that many things in common. rebranded was something she should do. 31, said she will miss the lively envi- But as 58-year-old Cartersville “I’m not sure there ever is a ‘right’ ronment created by sixth-, seventh- and SEE RETIREES, PAGE 7A SEE LAND BANK, PAGE 5A resident Tom Easter explained, there’s more than a few similar- ities between the seemingly dis- parate lines of work. “In the accounting world, 4 Korners to perform in downtown Cartersville Saturday there’s a lot of things you just have to work through a step-by- BY MARIE NESMITH never forget, which is why we call it ‘journey step process. Coffee is exact- [email protected] music.’” ly the same thing — in a lot of To be presented by the Cartersville Down- ways, it’s the same as numbers,” Referring to its sound as “journey music,” town Development Authority, the instrumental he said. “You’ve got to have this The 4 Korners will perform Saturday in the music band’s complimentary concert will take amount of grams of coffee with heart of Cartersville. place at Friendship Plaza from 7 to 8:30 p.m. this amount of water and at this “The band formed from us just wanting to “I think they have such a unique sound with temperature. So you’ve got to get together and jam, which turned into a de- the jazz fusion genre,” said Hannah Surrett, check all of that and maintain all sire to create our own music, still just for fun, marketing and promotions coordinator for the of that.” and over the years it developed into something Cartersville DDA. “… I’ve only heard good Not to mention both crafts re- that we felt could inspire the masses and allow things from posts that I’ve made or people who quire two crucial skills: patience us to make a living doing what we love,” said have seen them before or heard of them.