Calhoun finalizing plans for dog park

CALHOUN — Assistant City Administrator Paul Worley said this week that designs for a new dog park at the Calhoun Recreation Department complex off Oothcalooga Street are being finalized and officials hope to break ground in August.

One of the 2018 special purpose, local option sales tax projects, the dog park is planned for the empty space next to Oothcalooga Creek and the primary parking lot. Designs were submitted to the city this week, but officials have requested a few changes before they give the final OK.

Worley said that a dog park was something residents asked for during the public hearing process while the SPLOST list was being crafted.

“A dog park was definitely a high priority for those people that showed up for those sessions,” he said.

Other plans for the park include new ball fields adjacent to the dog park, walking trails and a new rec maintenance facility, all projects on the city’s long-term master plan for the area. Worley said the plan is to tear down the existing maintenance facility and build a new one that will also include a new basketball gym.

“We only have one right now, and we have to rely on the school systems a lot for games,” he said.

Construction on the new dog park is expected to only take a few weeks. The Calhoun Times

Marietta man fleeing from police on stolen motorcycle killed in Polk County wreck

CEDARTOWN — A Marietta man died as a result of injuries sustained when he wrecked a stolen motorcycle while fleeing from police, according to reports from the Georgia State Patrol.

According to reports from GSP, Jeffrey Dwayne Johnson, 32, of a Marietta address, was fleeing pursuit from Polk County Police on the motorcycle on Highway and got out of sight of the officer before he lost control on a downhill curb and went off and struck an embankment, then went through several small trees until he hit a large tree and came to a rest off the roadway.

GSP officials said they were able to determine what happened by the tire marks left on the roadway and pattern of debris spread around the scene.

Johnson was pronounced at 11:38 p.m. on Saturday on the scene by Polk County Deputy Coroner Frankie Matthews, according to Coroner Tony Brazier.

He being transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for further autopsy, Brazier said. The Polk County Standard Journal