Lake Lanier group removes houseboat

The Lake Lanier Association has removed another nuisance houseboat from the lake in the fourth such project this year. The group used part of a $25,000 fund provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to clamp onto the boat and pull the partially-exposed vessel from the Flat Creek area near the Forsyth County-Hall County line Tuesday. Hall County authorities matched the funds.

Association Director Joanna Cloud says the boat was one of a number of abandoned steelhulled houseboats that they’ve removed. She said the older-model boats are subject to corrosion and eventual sinking if not maintained regularly. Cloud said a similarly decrepit boat was pulled from the Bald Ridge Channel of the lake in Forsyth County itself a couple of months ago.

Cloud said the latest operation cost about $10,000 and exhausts the money state officials set aside for the project in FY 2017. the beauty and charm of Roswell streets and the historic district.

Roswell Department of Transportation crews will place signs at each end of Canton to warn of possible delays, and they will assist in traffic flow throughout the project.

Street work will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. to ensure minimal impact on local businesses and their customers, officials said. At 11 a.m., crews will move to the Heart of Roswell Park and work there until after peak lunch traffic; then, they will return to Canton from 2 to 4 p.m.

County revokes license of 2nd massage parlor

A second Forsyth County massage parlor has had its license revoked after being found in violation of the county’s ordinances governing such establishments.

Commissioners voted 5-0 to pull the license for Edge Massage Therapy, 765 McFarland Parkway, Suite C. The revocation will go into effect in 30 days unless an appeal is filed.

County Attorney Ken Jarrard said that compliance checks done by sheriff ’s deputies on March 2 and March 29 resulted in the issuance of three citations. Two of those were for not having a licensed massage therapist on hand and the third was for having the front windows of the business covered with blinds. Another reported violation concerned a bed being found at the location.

Attorney David Graybeal spoke for licensee Yong Won Park and said that rules requiring a therapist to be present at all times are sometimes tough to adhere to in practice, and that the bed was actually a wider table for larger clients. He also said that the blinds couldn’t be removed because they were owned by the landlord rather than the business.

An employee of the business, Suk Yong Holman, was arrested on prostitution charges during a May 18 undercover sweep targeting several such establishments.

City passes rules for road races, walks

Racing events in Smyrna now will undergo a formal process for approval or denial of permits.

The Smyrna City Council agreed to identify the requirements and expectations for all racing events within the city and require event organizers to obtain a racing event permit for $250.

This amendment to the city code brings the city in alignment with the practice of many other cities that outline these requirements in their city codes. Now racing event organizers will have to submit an application first to the Smyrna Police Department, with ultimate approval from the office of the Assistant City Administrator.

Race organizers also must obtain an emergency medical services plan approved by the Smyrna Fire Department, complete an indemnity form and secure appropriate liability insurance.