Home sales in Cherokee County jumped last month, and while experts see other positive signs, they stopped short of calling it a recovery.

There have been 229 house sales reported in Cherokee for the month of May, according to a report from the First Multiple Listing Service, a data services provider for real estate professionals. The number could climb higher as not all sales are reported to FMLS right away.

The total is an increase from the 209 houses sold in the county in April, but down from the 372 houses sold in May of 2007.

There were 711 new listings on the market in the county last month, down from 817 new listings in April and down further from 954 new listings in May of last year. So far this year, there have been 3,841 new listings in the county, a decrease from 4,362 at this time last year.

Sales this year still remain well behind last year’s pace. So far this year, there have been 1,008 houses sold in the county, a drop from 1,522 houses sold at this same point last year.

Last month’s results may point to better times ahead, according to local Realtors.

“I think we have all been seeing a better market,” Diane Galvin of Re/Max Town & Country, president-elect of the Cherokee Association of Realtors. “May and June have been better for closings.”

Wanda Roach, an agent with Century 21 Max Stancil Realty in Woodstock, said she is seeing positive signs, such as builders reducing prices to get houses off the market.

The average sale price of a house in the county last month was $242,659, slightly down from the average price in April of $242,812 and from $267,843 in May of last year.

Ms. Roach said she also is seeing a surge in activity from potential buyers.

“I have had a lot more calls from people out riding. That has not been happening,” she said. “People are out on the weekends and looking at houses.”

Molly McGrory, who operates four Re/Max offices, said the market has not recovered, but the offices are getting busier. She said she has noticed houses are not sitting on the market as long as they have been.

“This is definitely not a full recovery, but we are expecting a very good June and a strong July,” she said. “Our walk-ins have increased in our offices.”
afuller@cherokeetribune.com

140 East Marietta Street
Canton, GA  30114

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2449 Towne Lake Parkway
Woodstock, GA  30189

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305 Molly Lane
Woodstock, GA  30189

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Cagle’s Dairy hosts candidate forum
Ice Cream and politics meet at Cagle’s Dairy
A giant tent at Cagle’s Dairy in Hickory Flat and boy scouts serving homemade ice cream gave the Meet the Candidates Forum June 12 the hometown atmosphere that is a trademark of Cherokee County’s small-town community feel.

(Left:) William Grizzle, standing, dropped out of the race and gave his support to Quentin Thomas, left. Both men were opposing Post 2 Commissioner Jim Hubbard, right.

About two dozen local candidates or their representatives spoke during the event sponsored by the Cherokee County Farm Bureau and the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce. The annual event, which was an opportunity for voters to meet and question the candidates before the July 15 primary, consisted primarily of campaign stump speeches about taxes, economic development, quality of education, traffic and growth, punctuated by folksy good humor.
Local politicians, who were joined by their supporters, were allotted three minutes to address those in attendance with the opportunity for a one-minute rebuttal at the discretion of the moderators.

Perhaps the biggest news of the night was William Grizzle, of Canton, dropping out of the race for the Post 2 county commission seat and giving his endorsement to candidate Quentin Thomas, of Woodstock.

“I think we need one individual (to oppose incumbent Jim Hubbard),” Grizzle said, after speaking on behalf of property rights.

(Left:) Shawn O’Rourke is opposing Rep. Charlice Byrd, R-Woodstock.

During the segment for the other contested county commission seat, Post 3 incumbent Karen Mahurin, of Canton, noted the absence of her opponent, Joel Calhoun, of Acworth.

“I think this is the second time he hasn’t shown up,” Mahurin said.

She went on to mention “slanderous, unfounded remarks” circulating against her and her family, but did not cite anything specific.

There were also differences of opinion about the issues for other contested races.

With three seats on the Cherokee County Board of Education up for re-election in July, the school board incumbents emphasized the progress made during their terms, while their opponents discussed problems that need to be addressed.

A representative for Post 2 school board member Mike Chapman, of Canton, mentioned the completion of 10 new schools and teacher pay raises that took place during his terms. His opponent, Danny Dukes, of Canton, argued that test scores had decreased, especially on the eighth-grade writing test.

Post 4 school board member Janet Read, of Woodstock, said she wants to continue monitoring and relieving overcrowding. One of her opponents, David Farrow, of Canton, countered with the issue of the high-school dropout rate, while her other opponent, Robert Strozier, of Woodstock, addressed the declining graduation rate.

A representative for candidate Kim Cochran, of Alpharetta, who is seeking the school board’s Post 7 seat, vacated by Janet Flint who chose not to seek re-election, said Cochran believes in fiscally conservative policies and local control of schools. The other candidate seeking the seat, Wes Frye, of Canton, spoke of his five-time PTA president experience.

In the contested race for the county’s top law enforcement position, Sheriff Roger Garrison, of Canton, and his opponent, Nicole Ebbeskotte, of Woodstock, took opposing viewpoints of one aspect of illegal immigration – the federal grant program 287(g), which trains local police officers to help enforce immigration law.

Ebbeskotte claimed to be the only pro-immigration reform candidate and said that Cobb County was a good example of the successful implementation of the federal 287(g) program.

Garrison countered that he “does not believe” in 287(g) because he prefers to exercise local control over how the jail is run, and that comparing Cherokee’s 512-inmate jail to Cobb’s 3,000-inmate facility and two work camps is like comparing apples to oranges.

In the race for the state House District 20 seat, incumbent Rep. Charlice Byrd, R-Woodstock, and challenger Shawn O’Rourke, of Woodstock, had differing viewpoints on the amount of legislation that should be enacted.

“More laws equate to more government,” Byrd said. “Being a successful legislator doesn’t mean you have to pass legislation.”

(Left:) Nicole Ebbeskotte is opposing Sheriff Roger Garrison.

During his three-minute time slot, O’Rourke countered that “Inaction is not an option.”

In the other state House seat being contested, District 22, incumbent Rep. Sean Jerguson, R-Holly Springs, Mary Wilhite, of Sixes, and Bill Brown, of Woodstock, all agreed on the importance of dealing with traffic problems in the county. Brown, the only Democrat to attend the forum, will face the winner of the Republican primary in the Nov. 7 general election.

The evening’s most heated exchange occurred when Wilhite, citing the ad valorem tax proposals HR 900 and HB 797, said Jerguson supported creating 175 new taxes, a reference to removing sales tax exemptions proposed under HR 900.

During the one minute allotted for rebuttal comments, Jerguson said that wasn’t true and it wasn’t the purpose of HB 797, which died in committee when the General Assembly ended this spring.

Rep. Calvin Hill, R-Canton, running unopposed for his seat in District 21, also spoke.

Also speaking briefly were local, and currently unopposed, candidates Earl Darby, of Canton, running for county coroner; Ron Wikle, of Canton, running for county surveyor; Chief Superior Court Judge Frank Mills; and Assistant Probate Judge Keith Wood. Also speaking were a representative for Judge James Drane, who is seeking the Chief Magistrate position, and former Cherokee Republican Party Chairman Pete Castello, who offered words from Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming, and Sen. Jack Murphy, R-Cumming, both of whom are unopposed in their re-election bids.

On hand from the federal level were representatives for Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., who asked for support for their campaigns.

Democrat Bill Jones, of Cobb County, who is challenging Price for the 6th Congressional District seat on the November ballot, also spoke, talking about his military experience and claiming Price “doesn’t support our troops.”

When all candidates had a chance to speak, there was a question and answer period.

However, as the majority of the audience was candidates, their families and their staff and supporters, there were only two questions from the audience.

The first question was directed toward Hubbard and Thomas, asking if there were any zoning votes they disagreed with and why. Hubbard, who previously told voters he planned to continue advocating for slower growth, said he thought there was a “very cohesive group voting for the zonings” currently on the county commission.

“Any zoning that drives somebody out of the county and into a city resulting in a lawsuit by this county against that city is not good neighborly activity,” Thomas answered, referring to recent lawsuits between Holly Springs and the county over annexations.

The only other question during the question and answer portion was directed at Garrison and Ebbeskotte, asking them about their charitable giving and community involvement. Ebbeskotte was no longer present to answer the question, and Garrison re-emphasized an earlier point that he and his wife, Sheila, had given out about $275,000 to local charities.

The forum concluded with the late arrival of Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, who was coming from a televised candidates forum in Marietta. Rogers, who is unopposed for his District 21 seat in the Republican primary in July, but faces Democratic challenger Carlos Lopez in November, sat next to his 9-year-old daughter, Emma, and spoke about the importance of more freedom and less government.

“Every problem we have seems to be answered with, ‘Well, the government can fix it,’” he said. “The government can’t fix it. In fact, most of the problems we have are because the government tried to fix it and messed it up. We need three things: economic freedom, educational freedom and personal freedom.”

carolynmathews@ledgernews.com

155 Reinhardt College Parkway
Canton, GA  30114

Automotive Service & Tires

Business growth up for year

Business licenses issued in Cherokee County dropped slightly last month, but continue to outpace 2007 totals.
In May, 196 business licenses were issued throughout the county, a small dip from 199 issued in April, but up from 178 licenses issued in May of last year.

So far this year, 1,007 business have been issued licenses in the county, an increase from 976 issued by this time last year.

“The increase over last year is a positive for the county. It is showing that the economy can hold its own,” said Pam Carnes, president of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce. “We are not treading water. We are making strides.”

She said the dip from April to May in the number of licenses issued is not a concern.

“Based on the economic conditions, a decrease of only three is positive,” she said.

The Cherokee County business license office issued 130 licenses in May, down from 142 in April, but up from 104 in May of last year.

So far this year, the county office has issued 702 business licenses, ahead of last year’s pace of 628 issued through May.

Steve Holcomb, chairman of the Cherokee County Development Authority, said he has every reason to believe the business growth would continue.

“Even though we are down slightly from April, it is more significant that we are ahead of the first five months of last year. This gives us continued momentum for good economic activity,” he said. “In our current economic environment, to have year-to-date numbers above last year by better than 3 percent speaks well of the county.”

Woodstock issued 39 business licenses last month, up from 26 in April, but down from 49 issued in May last year.

Tracy Longano, co-owner of Arts, Gifts & Thrifts on Main Street in Woodstock, which received its license last month, said she expects the city to see more business growth soon.

“Woodstock is coming back,” she said. “It is a trendy kind of area.”

So far this year, the city has issued 167 licenses, down from the 222 approved by this time last year.

Canton issued nine licenses in May, down from 17 in April and 22 issued in May last year. The city has issued 66 new licenses this year, down from 100 at this time last year.

Holly Springs issued 11 licenses in May, the same number issued in April, but up from three in May last year. The city has issued 51 licenses this year, up from 22 at this time last year.

Ball Ground issued seven licenses last month, up from three in April and none in May last year. The city has issued 21 licenses this year, up from three at this point last year.

Neither Waleska nor Nelson issued a new license in May or so far this year.

afuller@cherokeetribune.com

120 Stonebridge Parkway, Suite 260
Woodstock, GA  30189

Physicians

First industrial tenant to move into technology park

The first commercial/industrial business is slated to move into the Bluffs of Technology Park in Canton July 1.

FactoryMation, of Ball Ground, will move into the park, located off Interstate 575 at Riverstone Parkway, occupying 15,000 square feet of new space developed and built by Wilson, Huff & Neal. Development spokesman Watt Neal said FactoryMation will be the first occupant of a 57,000-square-foot building.
He said the completed building features brick and block masonry and a lot of glass, and it ties in with the park’s technological theme.

“We’re going to build three more premier top-of-the-line buildings as they are needed,” Neal said. The completed development will total 200,000 square feet.

FactoryMation’s Russ Sanders said he chose The Bluffs because of its proximity to the new Appalachian Technical College campus.

“We’ve been in business for two-and-a-half years and we’re located up near the Cherokee County Airport right now,” Sanders said. “We were growing like crazy, and had to get more space.”

FactoryMation distributes industrial, electrical and electronic automation products for factories nationwide through its catalog and Web site.

“A good school in close proximity with future hires means a lot to us,” Sanders said, noting that the technological and telephone applications made available by Windstream were also important to his choice.

“From an aesthetic standpoint, we like the area,” he said, adding that the new location would enable the firm to optimize its shipping to provide fast response through UPS shipments.

“Factories depend on us,” Sanders said. “They’ll have an entire manufacturing line down waiting on a part, so we like to offer next-day service.”

Cherokee Development Authority Executive Director Misti Martin (Above Right) said the authority is pleased to see tenants begin to occupy Wilson, Huff & Neal’s development.

“With this location and the county’s new administrative office/conference center opening up later this year, and Appalachian Tech’s campus construction beginning; we will see a lot of energy in The Bluffs,” Martin said. “The authority anticipates many great years of business growth to come.”

The first building of Neal’s development has four model spaces from 5,200 square feet to 7,200 square feet ready for occupancy and an additional 15,000 square feet unfinished. Founded in 1972, Wilson Huff & Neal has produced some $143 million in commercial/industrial sales and leases in 2008 alone, Neal said. The development division owns more than 40 buildings totaling approximately 2 million square feet in North Atlanta and Savannah.  carolynmathews@ledgernews.com

Outlet mall planned for Sixes Road

A 120-store outlet mall is planned for Sixes Road near the intersection of Interstate 575.

Prime Outlets – Holly Springs is planning a 450,000-square-foot fashion outlet, and is projected to open near the end of 2010, according to the developer, Prime Retail. The firm already operates an outlet mall in Calhoun, halfway between Atlanta and Chattanooga on Interstate 75, Exit 312.

The proposal came up for discussion by the Cherokee County Commission May 20, the day after plans for the development were introduced by the company at the Council of Shopping Centers RECon meeting in Las Vegas. The estimated $120-million project is expected to bring 2,000 new jobs to Cherokee.

“I’ve known it was in the works for over a year,” Cherokee County Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens (Left) said. “I’ve been waiting for it to be public. This is absolutely terrific, both for the job creation and for the destination it creates.”

Ahrens said he expects the developer to do a quality job, and he predicted the outlet would complement The Avenue development by Cousins Properties at Rope Mill Road.

“This is positive for the city, county and community as a whole,” said Holly Springs Mayor Tim Downing (Below Right). “Cherokee is in dire need of commercial development, and the architectural guidelines put on this property when it was zoned ensure that it will be beautiful.”

Downing said zoning requirements call for the development to fall in with the theme of the nearby historic mill.

Prime Retail said the $120-million project is in the works because of the growing population and need for outlet shopping in the area.

“We love the demographics and growth of the whole Atlanta metro area,” said Senior Vice President of Development Giancarlo Filartiga.

Filartiga said the fashion outlet will have a village-type feel, newer in style than the Calhoun outlet.

“Newer outlets have a theme and look like town centers,” he said. “We will talk with the city of Holly Springs about the direction they want to go.”

Typical tenants for Prime Outlets include BCBG Max Azria, Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth and Neiman Marcus Last Call, Filartiga said. He noted that specific tenants for the mall have not been identified, and that it has not yet been determined if the fashion outlet will be anchored by “luxury” tenants or by brand stores.

“We’re off and running with the project now, though,” Filartiga said.

Jeff Chattin, the owner of most of the land Prime Retail has under contract, at the southwest corner of the Sixes Road-Interstate 575 interchange, said plans are still very preliminary.

“We will know a lot more in about six months,” he said.  Chattin’s land is in the city of Holly Springs and already has appropriate commercial zoning, but there are questions regarding Sixes Road in reference to its annexation status.

Parts of Sixes Road that have been inside the Holly Springs city limits since 1988 were ruled to have been annexed under an improper procedure and have been reverted to unincorporated county property under a May 8 ruling by Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Jackson Harris. Holly Springs has said it likely will appeal the decision.

“The road is part of the issue right now,” said Post 4 Commissioner Derek Good, about finalization of plans for the outlet. “Technical legal questions need to be resolved.”

Downing, however, said he does not think the incorporation status of Sixes Road will have any bearing on the project.

The outlet mall would be located in the area represented by Post 3 Commissioner Karen Mahurin.

“I think outlets are certainly economically advantageous for any area to get,” Mahurin said. “But right now my big concern is access. Right now, there’s one way in and one way out and there will be thousands of square feet of stores and hundreds of shoppers. That’s also how everybody on Sixes gets to the highway.”  Mahurin said people who live in the neighboring  Falls of Cherokee subdivision will want to make sure the buffering and access are done correctly. She said a back entrance could possibly be constructed to come out near the proposed Rope Mill Road interchange, but there is a big ravine and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land behind the property that would require extensive permitting to cross.