Announcements:

    Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Awards for
    Fiscal Year 2001 Include:

    Calhoun, City of $493,970 Multi Infrastructure Improvements
    Catoosa County $385,500 Sewer Improvements
    Floyd County $500,000 Youth Shelter
    Gordon County $500,000 Mental Retardation Training Center
    Nicholls, City of $322,237 Multi Activity Program
    Walker County $500,000 Senior Center

  • Community Home Investment Program (CHIP) Awards for
    Fiscal Year 2001 Include:

    Cartersville, City of

    $125,000

    Housing Improvements

  • Local Development Fund (LDF) Awards for Fiscal Year 2000, Round 2 Competition Include:

    Summerville,City of $7,500 Preparation of a downtown district streetscape master plan
    Talking Rock, City of $7,000 Talking Rock Schoolhouse Teaching Museum - interior furnishings

    The next round of applications is due April 2001.

  • Regional Assistance Program (RAP) Awards for Fiscal Year 2000 include:

Development Authority of Haralson County

 $100,000 On behalf of the Region One Advisory Council (RAC), Haralson County's RAP funds will be used to develop a common regional vision and strategy for managing growth and change.

North Georgia Regional Development Center

$24,299 North Georgia RDC and Southern Highroads Development Association will produce a marketing product, Self Guided Tour Cassettes/Compact Disc which will contain an inventory of all the tourism attractions available throughout the six Georgia counties located along the route of the designated 340 mi Southern Highroads loop.

 

Success Story:

The Quality Growth Resource Team for Dalton and Whitfield County was brought together in March, 2001 at the invitation of the City of Dalton, Whitfield County and the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce. The visit was coordinated by the Department of Community Affairs in cooperation with the Georgia Quality Growth Partnership, a statewide coalition of state agencies, universities, non-profits and business groups working to provide technical assistance on "smart growth" issues to Georgia communities. The multi-disciplinary team was made up of academy graduates, professional design practitioners, planners, students from the University of Georgia's School of Environmental Design, the University of Oklahoma School of Architecture, and state agency staff chosen with the city and county's particular concerns in mind.

The team's mission was initially defined by meeting with a local Quality Growth Task Force appointed by the governments of Dalton and Whitfield County and facilitated by the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce. In addition, the team spent two days in discussions with groups and organizations identified by the chamber, city, and county to identify local problems and possible opportunities for the community. Broad public input was also gathered through a visual preference survey administered to about 200 citizens at the beginning of the team's visit. Student volunteers from Northwest High School tabulated the survey results, and the findings were used to inform the resource team's design process.

The team lived and worked in Whitfield County for a week. They conducted interviews, took photos, visited specific sites under consideration, reviewed local ordinances and developed schematic design solutions and sketches. The visit culminated with a final presentation to the public on Friday, March 30th. The team's recommendations were then passed to DCA staff for formatting into a final report.

This report will be organized into sections based on the major issues and opportunities identified by the team during their visit to Dalton/Whitfield County. These include:

    • Downtown and Surroundings
    • Infill Development
    • Transportation
    • Housing
    • Economic Development and Tourism
    • Gateways and Corridors
    • Arts and Culture
    • Historic Preservation
    • Greenways and Open Space
    • Development Regulations

    The Dalton and Whitfield County Chamber of Commerce spearheaded the Quality Growth Task Force on behalf of the governments of Dalton and Whitfield County using a locally hired consultant. The city, county, and private sector raised over $23,000 in cash and in-kind contributions to help make this initiative a success. The Chamber plans to present DCA's final report to its local governments as a recommendation guide to implement current and future planning initiatives.

Community Calendar:
Paulding County
September 9/10, 2001 Paulding Meadows Arts & Crafts Festival
Quality arts, crafts, and antiques will be featured. For additional information, call Dee Cabral, 770.445.6350
Cave Spring-Floyd County
September 29/30, 2001 Big Cedar Arts & Crafts Festival
Featuring arts and crafts from local and surrounding artists
   
Rome-Floyd County
October 14-21, 2001 Heritage Holidays
Celebrates the heritage of Rome. Highlights include a wagon train & train ride, exhibits, food, entertainment & riverboat rides

Regional Meetings and Events:

    Regional Advisory Council Meetings

    Region One Advisory Council
    November 17, 2004
    Gordon County Chamber of Commerce
    Calhoun, Georgia
    10:00 a.m.




©2001 Georgia Department of Community Affairs
All rights reserved.