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J a n u a r y 9 , 2 0 2 5 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 4 3 , N o . 2
Area police departments reel after announcement of Alpharetta jail closure By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
CHERYL SIMS/PROVIDED
A rider and horse jump over an obstacle at the Wills Park equestrian center. The center is slated for improvements as part of a 2021 parks bond.
Nonprofit says Equestrian Center delays hobble fundraising By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Delays in completing upgrades for the Wills Park Equestrian Center have complicated fundraising efforts to bring the project over the finish line. In 2021, voters approved $5 million in Equestrian Center improvements
as part of a $29.5 million parks bond package. Funds will go toward improving competition arenas, stormwater drainage, parking lots, driveways and other infrastructure. The Wills Park Equestrian Foundation committed to match the city’s $5 million to overhaul the arenas. But so far, the nonprofit has raised about $2.5 million for that work and
other improvements. About $1.4 million of donated funds is waiting to be allocated, Foundation President Cheryl Sims said. “The foundation has the dollars for the next phase, but we have been put on hold for 12 months for no fault of our own,” she said.
City revises rules for rental houses
Business offers blueprint review
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See DELAY, Page 6
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — North Fulton police departments are exploring inmate housing alternatives after Fulton County officials unexpectedly announced the closure of the Alpharetta jail. Fulton County sheriff’s officials said in a Jan. 3 statement they plan to close the North Annex Jail Facility in Alpharetta by July 1. The decision is part of a plan to address concerns about the county’s jail operations raised by the U.S. Department of Justice. The North Annex Jail Facility, 2555 Old Milton Parkway, is owned and operated by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office to allow Alpharetta and other nearby cities, like Johns Creek, Roswell and Milton, to house inmates there. The county’s remedial plan stems from a consent order between the Department of Justice and sheriff’s office. The consent order follows a civil rights investigation into the Fulton County Jail operation, particularly the main facility on Rice Street in Atlanta. Department of Justice investigators began looking into the jail after the death of Lashawn Thompson, who was arrested on a simple battery charge and accused of spitting on a Georgia Tech officer.
See CLOSURE, Page 6
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