Portion of Rock Creek Walking Trail temporarily closed
Press Release July 7, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. — A portion of the Rock Creek Park walking trail will be closed to the public for approximately 2 weeks as crews work on the berm near the soccer fields and large pavilion area. We appreciate everyone’s patience while we work to improve this area of Rock Creek.
The time frame is weather permitting, of course, so if weather doesn’t cooperate, we may have to extend the closure.
Please feel free to email the Parks and Recreation Department at [email protected] or call (706) 344-3646 during regular business hours (weekdays 8am-5pm) if you have questions or would like an update on the project.
Dawson County Commissioners meeting Thursday
News February 3, 2021
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. — The Dawson County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session Thursday (Feb. 4) at 4 p.m. to be followed immediately by a voting session in the Government Center Assembly Center, 25 Justice Way in Dawsonville.
Item No. 1 under New Business will be a request by Sheriff Jeff Johnson for additional office staffing.
Emergency Services Director Danny Thompson will then present an update of the Local Emergency Operations Plan.
Purchasing Manager Melissa Hawk will present a proposed amendment to the county’s Purchasing Policy Ordinance.
David Headley will present the county manager report.
Development Authority of Dawson County Chairman Tony Passarello will then make a presentation to open the voting session.
Commissioners will also consider:
- A review of the County Employee Handbook’s Paid Time Off Policy;
- A request to Accept Georgia Child Passenger Safety Mini-Grant;
- Rock Creek Park Berm Construction – Change Order / Funding Request;
- Harry Sosebee Road Right-of-Way and Development Agreement Acceptance;
- Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development Program;
- Elected Official Salaries;
- Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Appointment;
- Study Concerning Cost of Services by Land Use Type (Residential / Commercial / Agriculture);
- A Revised Resolution Requesting the Calling of a Special Election to Impose a County One Percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales and Use Tax.
National Guard conducts daily COVID-19 tests
News May 10, 2020
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. –The Georgia Army National Guard is conducting FREE Covid-19 testing in the North Georgia area. The testing site is open EVERY DAY from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM (Except Mother’s Day, May 10th) at Rock Creek Park and Recreation, 445 Martin Rd, Dawsonville, GA 30534. The testing is open to the public and does NOT require preregistration.
Dawson County, National Guard opened drive-thru COVID-19 test site Sunday
News April 27, 2020
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. – Georgia has lagged behind many states in the number of COVID-19 tests administered but, with the help of the National Guard, Dawson County is doing its part to change that.
With the state ranked 39th per capita in COVID-19 testing, Dawson County opened a drive-thru testing facility Sunday morning at Rock Creek Park.
Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services Director Danny Thompson said, “We’ve heard the voices of the community. We have been working with our public health, with the National Guard for several weeks now to make this happen.”
The state is partnering with counties for developing the test kits and laboratory testing. Results of the tests should be ready in three to four days.
County Commission Chairman Billy Thurmond was among the first to be tested Sunday. “We’re proud to have the National Guard here and proud to be able to offer testing to our citizens,” he said. “We’re going to work hard to try and protect or citizens the best we can and try to get everybody through this pandemic. We will come out on the other side. Our citizens have done a real good job of following the guidelines. I’m very proud of the citizens of Dawson County. They have really stepped up and followed the guidelines from the beginning.”
The test is completely voluntary and is the nasopharyngeal swab to test for presence of Wuhan SARS COV-2 (Corona) virus and the test is available at no cost to patients. Test results will be available in 3-4 days.
Up-to-date information on the date and hours of the next testing can be obtained by visiting the Dawson County Government or Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services Facebook pages.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Dawson County opens emergency shelter at Rock Creek Park
News April 12, 2020
PRESS RELEASE
Dawsonville, GA – Beginning at 8 p.m. on Sunday (April 12), Dawson County Fire & Emergency Services will open the emergency shelter at Rock Creek Park. Anyone seeking refuge will be required to wear a mask and maintain 6 feet of separation. Disinfectants will also be provided to keep citizens and the facility safe.
All guests will be asked the following questions:
- Have you or any member of your household been diagnosed with COVID-19?
- Have you or any member of your household had a fever of 100F or higher within the past 72 hours?
- Have you had close contact with anyone that has been diagnosed or suspected to have COVID-19?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then they will be provided alternate accommodations within the Rock Creek Park Recreation Center.
Citizens can sign up for Smart911 through the Dawson County Government website at https://www.dawsoncounty.org/emergency/page/emergency-notification. Smart911 is the emergency notification system that Dawson County Fire & Emergency Services uses to send alert messages that may include information on floods, fires, water emergencies, road closures, missing persons, evacuation orders, and weather emergencies.
Dawson County Fire & Emergency Services will monitor the weather throughout the evening. Once the line of storms has passed and when safe, they will assist citizens with returning to their homes.
Rock Creek Park is located at 445 Martin Road, Dawsonville, GA 30534.
Parks & Rec facilities close for two weeks
Business March 13, 2020
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. — Out of an abundance of caution, the Dawson County Parks & Recreation department has made the decision to follow the guidance of Governor Kemp to temporarily postpone non-essential services.
Effective Monday March 16, 2020, the following facilities will be closed until March 30, 2020.
- Rock Creek Park
- Both gyms
- Exercise Room
- Veterans Memorial Park
- Gym
Effective Monday March 16, 2020, all programs facilitated by the Dawson County Parks and Recreation Department will be temporally suspended until March 30, 2020. These include: volleyball, baseball, softball, tee-ball, instructional league, soccer, track and field, lacrosse as well as all adult activities.
Currently, all parks will maintain regular hours so citizens can enjoy outside facilities.
Please continue to watch for updates on the county website at www.dawsoncounty.org and our Facebook pages: Dawson County Government, Dawson County Parks & Recreation and Dawson County Fire & Emergency Services.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the office at 706-344-3646 or email Director Matt Payne at [email protected].