-Weather advisory: Snow likely tonight, earl Tuesday north of a line from Carrollton to Jefferson.> Details
-Continuing updates today, tonight on Hometown Headlines.
-Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 53.
-Tonight: 80% chance of rain before 1 a.m., then occasional rain and snow. Low around 35. Possible snow accumulation: less than a half inch.
-Tuesday: 90% chance of snow showers before 10 a.m., then occasional rain. High near 38. Gusts to 25 mph. Possible snow accumulation: less than an inch.
-Tuesday night: 20% chance of rain and snow before 1 a.m., then a slight chance of flurries. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.
-Extended forecast> Click / Regional radar
The Buzz of Northwest Georgia (Please click)
-Five reasons why we like how March looks so far
-AJC on budget 'add-ons' such as funds for Tennis Center-type projects.
-11th District GOP 'Campaign School' is March 13 in Cartersville.
-Focus: Cartersville's $20 million Brown Center already getting calls for reservations; fall opening appears likely.
Hiring begins for new Arby's off Ga. 113/Cartersville's west side: Applicants are asked to stop by at the new store rising in front of the just-opened CVS at 1150 West Ave. Full- and part-time positions are available. Applications are being accepted today through Friday.
What's ahead in Bartow County:
-March 1: The Harlem Ambassadors due: Get ready for dazzling ball-handling tricks, high-flying slam dunks and family comedy. Join the Harlem Ambassadors basketball show on Monday, March 1, at 6 p.m. at the Cartersville High School Gym as they take on the Bartow Ballers. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door and children under 3 get in free. All proceeds benefit New Frontier of Bartow County and Advocates for Bartow's Children. For more: 770-387-1143.
-March 4: 7:30 a.m. Adairsville Chamber Council breakfast at the Adairsville Inn, sponsored by the city of Adairsville. All chamber members are invited to attend. No charge for breakfast.
-March 4: Cartersville City Council, 7 p.m. Hear it live on WBHF 1450 AM or Web cast here on Bartow Headlines.
-Latest look at 'Hospitality Headlines' from the CVB> Click
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable> Arey
-John Smoltz: I'll vote for him for the Hall of Fame but not for Congress.
Sports/Rome Braves/State Mutual Stadium> Sports
-3rd Berry Half Marathon is this Saturday.
-Braves announced 2010 promotional schedule.
-Rome Braves launch 'official fan page' on Facebook
-Redneck Rummage Sale at State Mutual Stadium March 20> Click
Five reasons why we like how March looks so far:
-No. 1: The Southern States Athletic Conference basketball tournaments will light up downtown Rome (Darlington, too) for three days, bring 1,000 or more fans each day to The Forum and lots of foot traffic to shops and restaurants. Brackets
-No. 2: Business openings. Stress openings. We should see Johnny's New York Style Pizza open at 233 Broad St. this month as well as El Toro on Shorter Avenue. Plus in Cartersville: T.J. Maxx opens in Goody's former spot.
-No. 3: Work continues on more new or relocating businesses such as The Greener Burger also on Broad and the latest incarnation of Riverside Gourmet, coming soon to the storefront at the corner of Broad and Second.
-No. 4: Hiring continues for the new businesses. In addition to the Rome restaurants and T.J. Maxx, hiring begins Monday for the new Arby's off Ga. 113 on Cartersville's west side. Applicants are asked to stop by at the new store rising in front of the just-opened CVS. Full- and part-time positions are available. Applications are being accepted today through Friday.
-No. 5: More signs of minor league baseball returning for an eighth season: Allied Waste again hosts the chamber's Business After Hours at State Mutual Stadium, home of the Rome Braves, on March 18, 5:30-7 p.m. This has become sort of a season preview event as well. Plus: signs of life at the stadium and with the Braves themselves as the 2010 team starts to form in Kissimmee.
-The only thing we don't like: March also starts severe weather season in Georgia, through May 31. Perhaps another way to describe it: Tornado season.
AJC examines 'add-ons' to state budget in tough times, including those earmarked for funding by state bonds, similar to the Tennis Center of Georgia: The Sunday article looks at pet projects such as a horse show complex expansion, the College Football Hall of Fame and others. Local supporters have hired lobbyists to solicit $7.5 million for the proposed Tennis Center of Georgia. At issue, says the AJC, is financing, especially via state bonds in this year's proposal that would require $100 million in payments a year. The state's current bond debt service: $1 billion a year> AJC
GOP Campaign School coming to Cartersville March 13: 11th District Republicans are sponsoring a Campaign School for both campaign staff and activists. Included: Tips on using "state of the art" methods and technology. It is being held at the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber of Commerce, 122 W. Main St., beginning at 9 a.m.> Click
Cartersville's Brown Center taking shape with fall opening set.
Next up: Scheduling events (calls already coming in), staffing.
By Natalie Simms
Construction on Cartersville's new Clarence Brown Conference Center is steadily moving along on Ga. 20. But staff members of the Cartersville-Bartow Convention and Visitors Bureau may face new struggles once the $20 million project is completed this fall.
"We don't have a definite opening date yet but we are expected to get the keys to the building around Sept. 1," says Ellen Archer, executive director of the CVB. "The construction company (Hogan Construction of Marietta) set two timetables, one for us and one for them. They are ahead of schedule on ours and behind on theirs but everything is moving right along…it's fun to watch."
The building was topped out on Jan. 19 with the last piece of steel. Once completed, the Brown Center will have 45,000 square feet including a main ballroom, nine classroom/meeting rooms, a 300-seat lecture hall and an executive boardroom.
The project is being funded from a two-penny SPLOST continuation approved in June 2008.
"We are now in the process of naming all the rooms," Archer says. "We have 13 spaces to be named and we are naming them after communities and regions in Bartow County using their original names. For example, Cartersville was originally named Birmingham and Euharlee was called Burgess Mill."
There will be a sign by each room with the history of its name. Archer says they are using local history resources and old Civil War maps to identify regions and original names.
Aside from naming the rooms, the CVB staff is also beginning work on marketing materials for the center such as a new Meeting Planner Guide and a Web site.
"We will definitely be rolling these things out before the summer…before the air conditioning is turned on," Archer says. "But we are already getting lots of calls and interest in the center…clients in the wings sort-of-speak because we aren't taking any bookings right now. We have do have several with an intent to book because we definitely won't be scheduling anything until after Oct. 1."
Once the building moves closer to completion, there will be a few new staff positions available. That is, if a raise in the Bartow County Hotel/Motel tax is approved by the General Assembly. Some of the 1 percent tax increase would go to fund the new positions.
"We will have some roles to be filled such as maintenance supervisor'' but that depends on what happens with the tax, says Archer. "It may well be current Convention and Visitors Bureau staff manning these positions with borrowed help from our local government because we made a commitment that the maintenance and operating expenses from this facility would not be paid by the taxpayers of Bartow County." The CVB will be moving to the Brown Center from downtown Cartersville.
According to state law, any increase in the hotel/motel tax above 5 percent has to be approved by the Georgia General Assembly and those funds over 5 percent have to be used for tourism and product development. Archer says the Brown Center qualifies as a tourism development.
"There are a lot of projects that local groups have wanted to bring into our area but have just not had a place to do so," she says. "It's exciting to see what things may be coming."
The 20-acre site also will feature an outdoor pavilion and an amphitheater.
"One other thing that has developed beautifully is the drainage pond … we're now going to be landscaping it and putting in a water feature," Archer says.
The CVB staff also is working to create a group of volunteers to help at the Center. Members of the Bartow Ambassador Volunteer Core would serve as hosts and hostesses for various events.
"These would be uncompensated positions but very important to our community," Archer says. "We will have goodie baskets with lots of fun, community perks for our volunteers."
For more information, contact the CVB at 770-387-1387 or www.notatlanta.org.
Photos: The top photo shows the latest construction progress on the Brown Center across from Georgia Highlands College's Cartersville campus. The second image, from the CVB, is a rendering of how the Brown Center will look when finished.
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