NGV News

Month: March 2019

  • Overnight lane closures on I-85 continue

    Staff Reports

    Single lane closures on I-85 in Gwinnett and Barrow counties will occur nightly this week as construction activities continue for the I-85 Widening project.

    Beginning Sunday night and continuing through Saturday night next week, work on I-85 northbound will necessitate closing a single lane of I-85 northbound between Hamilton Mill Road in Gwinnett County and SR 211 in Barrow County. Work will occur Sunday night through Friday night between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., and Saturday night between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

    Beginning Sunday night and continuing through Saturday night, motorists traveling southbound should anticipate single lane closures between SR 211 in Barrow County and Hamilton Mill Road in Gwinnett County. Work will occur Sunday night through Friday night between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., and Saturday night between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

    Sunday through Saturday night this week, work on I-85 northbound and southbound will necessitate traffic pacing in each direction of travel. I-85 northbound pacing activities will commence from SR 20 in Gwinnett County to SR 211 in Barrow County, and I-85 southbound pacing activities will commence from SR 211 in Barrow County to Hamilton Mill Road in Gwinnett County. This work will begin at 9 p.m. nightly and continue until 5 a.m. each morning.

    Drivers are advised to obey posted speed limits and traffic control measures inside the project limits. Additional information about the I-85 Widening project can be found at
    http://www.dot.ga.gov/BS/Projects/SpecialProjects/I85WideningI985SR53

    The Georgia Department of Transportation is committed to providing a safe, seamless, and sustainable transportation system that supports Georgia’s economy and is sensitive to both its citizens and its environment. For more information on Georgia DOT, please visit www.dot.ga.gov. You also may follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GeorgiaDOT) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/gadeptoftrans).

  • Traffic Shift on Martin Road and H.F. Reed Industrial Parkway

    Staff Reports

    This week traffic will shift on Martin Road in Flowery Branch to allow continued construction on State Route 13 and H.F. Reed Industrial Parkway.

    Lane closures will be implemented between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on State Route 13, and on H.F. Reed Industrial Parkway from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

    These lane closures will allow traffic to be placed on the newly built lanes Thursday, March 21 and continued construction to be completed for the Exit 14 interchange.

  • Buford Middle School FCCLA and FBLA Students Meet with the Georgia State Governor

    By Amy Davis

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    In the photograph above, the individuals (listed from left to right) are Senator Butch Miller, Amy Perkins (FCCLA Advisor), Jasmine Ibegubulam, Taylor Morgan, Jack Leland, Tedra Ibegubulam, Governor Brian Kemp, Representative Brian Clark, Christina Leccoeuvre (FBLA Advisor), Caroline Laws, Laura Laws, Isabella Cunnington, and Allie Taylor.  Photo courtesy Buford Middle School

    On Monday, February 11, 2019, eight select student leaders from the Buford Middle School FCCLA and FBLA organizations met with a few Georgia state government figureheads. This included Representative Danny Mathis, Representative Brian Clark, Senator Butch Miller, and Governor Brian Kemp.

    The students had the opportunity to share with these government officials how they benefit from the groups and how the Family and Consumer Science (FCCLA) and Computer Science (FBLA) organizations help lead the teenagers toward their future careers. In these associations the students learn skills that employers desire, thus preparing them for their step out into the job force.

    Thank you to the Georgia representatives, senator, and governor for taking the time to meet with our local Buford students, also a huge thank you to the teachers involved with the organizations! Ms. Perkins and Ms. Leccoeuvre are leading their young pupils to successful lives, preparing the students years before they even start thinking about beginning their careers!

    This opportunity allowed the newest generation to give input toward their education, speaking up for groups centered around life skills. These abilities will be useful for the rest of the student’s lives and help the Buford community improve as a whole. Education is an important factor in our society, so this meeting benefits both current and future students alike!

  • Geneva G. Hamilton

    Geneva G. Hamilton, age 81, of Buford, passed away on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. Geneva was a loving and nurturing grandmother who was known for her great cooking and amazing baking skills. She was a very neat and caring person who loved her children as much as she loved the Lord. One of her many interests was watching sports. A funeral service will take place on Sunday, March 17, 2019, at 2:00pm at the Peachtree Corners Chapel of Crowell Brothers Funeral Homes & Crematory. The family will receive friends Saturday, March 16, 2019, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the funeral home. Geneva is preceded in death by her parents, Paul Greene, Jamie Fouts; and son Ricky Lamar Hamilton. She will be greatly missed by her sons, Kenny Hamilton (Sandy), Scott Hamilton (Renee); daughter, Gina Huff (Brian); sisters, Janice Cox, Janette Smallwood; grandchildren, Michelle Harrison, Jennifer Kemp, Zachary Hamilton, Chase Hamilton, Callie Huff, Ty Huff, and 4 great-grandchildren. On-line condolences may be expressed at www.crowellbrothers.com. Arrangements entrusted to Crowell Brothers Funeral Homes & Crematory, 5051 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092. 770-448-5757.

  • John William Wood

    John William Wood, age 87, of Sugar Hill, GA, passed away on Saturday, March 16, 2019. He is survived by his wife of thirty-four years, Ruth Thompson Wood, Sugar Hill; children, Rebecca Warren, Dahlonega, GA, Beverly Wood Englehardt, Lake City, FL, William Leonard Wood and wife, Denice, Monroe, GA, Timothy Kirk Wood and wife, Regina, Port Charlotte, FL, Kathy M. Napier, Ft. Payne, AL, Dwight H. Cash and wife, Brenda, Sugar Hill, GA, Dwayne O. Cash and wife, Suzi, Flowery Branch, GA, Selina D. and Lisa Cash, Martin, GA, Linda and Richard Thompson, Buford, GA; thirteen grandchildren; fifteen great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Son of Walter Leonard Wood and Leola Smith Wood, John Wood was born on November 21, 1931, in Randolph, Alabama. He graduated from Heard County High School in 1949 and joined the U. S. Air Force. John served in the Korean War from 1950 until 1953 and was then honorably discharged at the rank of Sergeant. After leaving the Air Force, he went to work for his Uncle John Allen Wood, drilling water wells for fifteen years. After leaving this business, he worked for a short time in the sheet metal business and then started working for Peachtree Windows and Doors, where at the age of sixty-two he retired. John was an active member of West Buford Baptist Church until his health began to fail. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. in Chapel of Flanigan Funeral Home with Rev. Jerry McCormick officiating. Interment will be at 11:00 a.m. at Broadlawn Memorial Gardens on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, March 19 from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the funeral home.  Flanigan Funeral Home, 4400 S. Lee St., Buford GA 30518

  • Terry E. Chandler Jr.

    Terry E. Chandler, Jr, age 53, of Buford, GA passed away Wednesday, March 13, 2019. He was preceded in death by step-father, James League, Jr. Mr. Chandler is survived by his wife of twenty-three years, Tina J. Chandler, Buford; mother, Celeste League, Buford, GA; brothers and sisters-in-law, Adam and Laura Chandler, Smyrna, GA, James and Elizabeth League, Severna Park, MD; sister and brother-in-law, Michele and Jeff Evans, Auburn, GA; and an aunt, uncle, nieces, and nephews. Mr. Chandler was born in Ft. Meade, MD on September 23, 1965. He was a 1984 graduate of Lakeside High School in Atlanta, Georgia, and he was employed with C.S. M. Bakery Solutions in Tucker, Georgia. No formal service is planned. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to ALS Foundation in memory of Terry Chandler, Jr.  Flanigan Funeral Home, 4400 S. Lee St., Buford GA 30518

  • Buford Elementary’s Read Across America

    By Amy Davis

    Sean Kirkpatrick
    The students in Ms. Sarah Young’s kindergarten class got to enjoy a story read to them by “lifer” Sean Kirkpatrick. Photo courtesy BES Staff

    Read Across America! It’s a movement to inspire younger students to read and enjoy all the fun reading brings! Buford Elementary School spent this week playing games and even dressing up as their favorite storybook characters! No doubt, these kids had a blast!

    Activities like “We’ve Been BOOKED!” and other little games helped the students fall in love with everything around reading! In “We’ve Been BOOKED!”, the teachers would sit down with their kids and read to them. Upon reading and talking a little about the book, a sign was put on their door exclaiming that they’d been “BOOKED”! It was so successful throughout every class that the school plans on continuing this activity for the rest of the year!

    Of course, the students also played decoding games or stacking games based on the books involved. If the students were in kindergarten, they read Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss then stacked ten cups on top of each other! It was harder than the students thought it would be, yet they continued despite how challenging the game was!

    On the other hand, first grade played a decoding game. A letter was read to them about Thing 1 and Thing 2 losing their locker combination! There were five locks on a box and the hat from Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat and a special treat were found inside once the kids figured out the coded combination! The students then sat down and Lana Nix (Buford Elementary’s Media Specialist) read them her favorite Dr. Seuss story There’s a Wocket in my Pocket.

    Each day leading up to Friday’s senior visit, there was a twisty and seussical theme! Tuesday was Hat Day, then Wacky Wednesday, and Thursday being Character Dress-Up Day! The last day wasn’t strictly a Dr. Seuss character dress-up, but any character from a book the students had read!

    2019 Lifetimers Group
    The group of BHS seniors called “Lifetimers” or seniors who completed their entire K-12 career at Buford City Schools went to BES to read to the Kindergarten classes.  Photo credit: Polly Price

    Ending this week with a bang, the Buford High School seniors who’ve been in the school system since kindergarten (a.k.a. lifetimers) came to read to the younger students. They read many Dr. Seuss books such as Green Eggs and Ham, Cat in the Hat, and Oh! the Places You’ll Go! Both the seniors and the elementary school students had immense amounts of fun while also learning at the same time! What else could be asked of them?

     

  • Buford City School System Art Show

    By Amy Davis

    2019 Art Show 2
    Even the doors to the Buford Arena were graced with works of art.  Photo courtesy Amy Davis

    This past Sunday, March 10, 2019, the Buford City School System had its annual Art Show. In the show, students representing grades Kindergarten through 12th grade displayed their best art including sculptures, paintings, drawings, and mixed media pieces students brought their family and friends to witness the beauty of the artwork on display.

    As an added bonus, 6th through 12th-grade artworks were judged and given honorable mentions or placed 3rd to 1st in their particular groups. There were three students who placed in the middle school category: Hadley Blankenship in 1st place, Andrea Martinez in 2nd place, and Claire LaBrec in 3rd place.

    2019 Art Show 3
    The show even featured 3-D works of art like this paper mache three-headed dog statue.  Photo courtesy Amy Davis

    Then the high school split judging between three categories – Visual Art, Advanced Art, and Sculpture. Visual Art honorable mentions were Ansley Randolph, Mikayla Hayden, Alahn Sumler, and Avery Shoemaker; Caroline Henderson won first place. With Advanced Art, Julissa Burgos won first overall, and Noah Cottmeyer, Marc Merlos, Josie Taylor, and Jennifer Velasquez took honorable mention. In the final category, Sculpture, Quentin Skinner, Saxsen Mallory, and Gavin Smith were given honorable mentions and Jordan Sullivan won best overall. All of the art was fantastic, but these stuck out from all the rest.

    2019 Art Show 1
    These paintings of Actor/Comedian Robin Williams and a life-like ice cream cone that were painted high school students are just a small sampling of the artistic offerings at the 2019 BCSS Art Show.  Photo courtesy Amy Davis

    The Buford Art Club was also involved in the Art Show. They sold many of their own pieces, half the proceeds going to their senior scholarship fund with the other half going back to the student who made the art piece. This event not only shows off some of the best art in the school district, but it helps support our local Art Club and its students.

    Thank you to all of the art teachers in Buford for your encouragement and for pushing all your students to be the best they can be. This art is an extension of the artist and allows the person to show who they are. The annual Buford Art Show is one of the most inspirational events Buford City Schools does. Without art in our society, how would anyone be able to express themselves?

     

  • Buford Schools Student of the Week March 14, 2019: Kyah Barcourt

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    Meet Kyah Barcourt

    Meet Kyah Barcourt, an 8th grader at Buford Middle School.  Kyah moved to Buford from New York in 2008 with her parents, Levi and Gina and her older brothers, Katriel and Kannan.  Kyah is known at BMS for her positive disposition and leadership abilities. She is a highly active student at the middle school.

    Kyah has been on the yearbook staff since her sixth-grade year.  Over the course of those three years, Kyah has grown into a wonderful young woman who demonstrates her leadership skills regularly. “Kyah has a natural leadership quality that shines,” shared Mrs. Nabors, Kyah’s yearbook advisor for the past three years. “She has the respect of many of our younger staff members and has taken on several leadership responsibilities with our book.”

    In addition to the yearbook, she is in FBLA, Student Leadership Council, and participates in the BMS choral program. Kyah works with 6th-grade students who need tutoring and helps teachers who need an extra hand as part of her duties on the Student Leadership Council.  

    In 2015, Kyah’s dad began searching for another after-school activity to occupy Kyah and found the Actor’s Scene on Commerce Drive in Buford.  Kyah absolutely loves acting and has scored some small parts in film and tv so far. You can catch Kyah performing in Buford Middle School’s choral production of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” as Ursula on March 28th at the Fine Arts Center.  Mrs. Drake her chorus teacher said that some of Kyah’s stand out qualities are how “Kyah advocates for herself in a positive way and that she asks for help.”

    Being involved in all these activities requires excellent time management skills. Kyah has to meet the obligations of her extracurricular activities, while still ensuring she is focused on her academic classes. This doesn’t appear to be an obstacle for Kyah. Mrs. Webster observed that Kyah “makes sure work gets turned in even if she misses class for another activity.” Mrs. Kingsley, Kyah’s language arts teacher, has also noticed her dedication to academic classes commenting on how hard she works.

    One of Kyah’s favorite teachers is Mrs. Lecoeuvre, the business education teacher at BMS. Kyah states that Mrs. Lecoeuvre is easy to talk to and gives excellent advice. She feels like she can go to Mrs. Lecoeuvre and discuss anything.  Kyah also says that Mrs. Lecoeuvre is an easy going teacher who teaches her students lessons that they will use in the real world.

    Kyah is known around the school for her willingness to help others and her sunny disposition. Mrs. Reed, the principal at Buford Middle School, said that every time she sees Kyah throughout the school, Kyah “is always smiling.” Kyah’s love for helping other students succeed is what makes Kyah a stand out leader among her peers.  Mrs. Nabors said, “I love how she is dedicated to being a part of something greater than just the individual.”

    Being a Wolf means many things and Kyah exhibits those many qualities.  Those qualities include being kind, helping others, a high drive for excellence in all areas of one’s life, and being a leader and role model among one’s peers.  Kyah’s teachers and peers will agree that Kyah has all of those qualities and then some. Kyah is a Wolf through and through.

    Co-written by Alicia Couch Payne and Susan Nabors

  • Unmarked Memories in Historic Sugar Hill Cemetery

    By Brandon Hembree

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    Unmarked graves at the Historic Sugar Hill Cemetery are now marked thanks to a ground penetrating sonar. Photo courtesy Brandon Hembree

    In downtowns all over Georgia, we walk by historic buildings all the time. These buildings reflect our past and certainly hold important memories within their walls. We may also see a cemetery, but rarely would we venture within its walls to explore. Cemeteries, however, serve an important purpose. In cemeteries, the memories of the people of our past are honored and preserved. These burial grounds are an extension and a reflection of how much we care about our past and our loved ones that have passed on from this earthly world. Cemeteries are a reminder of our mortality and the brief amount of time we have to make an impact on our community. Preserving historical assets, like cemeteries, is as important as preserving our historic buildings.

    Historic Sugar Hill Cemetery also referred to as the Sugar Hill Baptist Church Cemetery is affiliated with the community’s first Baptist church, which was organized in 1886 by descendants of our area’s founding families that settled in the area beginning in the 1830s. The property was donated and has expanded since its establishment because of generous benefactors that recognized the importance of community assets like a cemetery. A historical marker on West Broad Street in downtown Sugar Hill describes the founding of the church, the cemetery, and mentions some of the founding families. For nearly 133 years, families and individuals have entered its walls to mourn and celebrate the lives of those that have made Sugar Hill the great community it is today. The cemetery is a special place that is a prominent feature in downtown Sugar Hill.

    This past fall, the City of Sugar Hill conducted a ground penetrating radar project in Historic Sugar Hill Cemetery in an effort to identify unmarked grounds. The findings were very interesting. A total of 130 unmarked burials were discovered throughout various parts of the cemetery, but primarily in the oldest section that dates to around 1886. In total, there are around 1,500 marked graves in the cemetery. On average, in cemeteries that are this old and this big, around 10 percent of the burials are unmarked. Unmarked graves are a very common occurrence in cemeteries, as well as certain types of burials like those discovered during the project.

    Near the Sugar Hill Community Center, along a fence-line, 14 small burials were discovered clustered together in an open area at the edge of the cemetery. The graves are shorter in length and also shallower in depth than adult burials. Experts in ground penetrating radar believe that these are likely infant graves from a time in the past when infant mortality rates were significantly high. In another part of the cemetery, 20 burials were discovered in an area that would have been away from regular family plots. These were likely pauper graves in an area reserved for members of the community without the means to purchase a plot or a marker. Sugar Hill was not an area of great wealth. The Depression, in particular, lingered longer in Georgia and times were very difficult for rural communities like Sugar Hill. Many families did not have the ability to purchase markers for deceased family members. Memories faded and these burial locations were forgotten and almost lost to the ages.

    The ground penetrating radar project also included the Kile-Benson Family Cemetery on Sycamore Road in Sugar Hill, an equally historic but much older cemetery. Three unmarked graves were identified in this cemetery, with two being found outside the fence encircling the traditional family graves. This cemetery is so old that the identity of the individuals buried in the unmarked graves may forever remain a mystery.

    For all of the unmarked graves at both cemeteries, the City is working to purchase small markers to mark the burial spots. The project and resulting discoveries will help us honor these individuals from our past. Their names may be forever lost to the past, but their presence and their place in our community will now always be remembered.