Dahlonega, Ga-  In the City Council Work Session on June 21 they discussed the recent GPR survey at the Mt. Hope Cemetery, Connectability Inc., a possible new ordinance on Distilled Spirits Package store, and the American Rescue Plan Act.

The Cemetery Committee Chairman Chris Worick presented the findings of the GPR or Ground Penetrating Radar survey was done at the Mt. Hope Cemetery. They found between 260 and 290 unmarked burial sites in the historic African American section of the cemetery. It is believed that the graves could go as far back as the founding of Dahlonega in 1833. This was only a half-acre section that was done.

“We knew there were unmarked burials in there but we were not prepared for the extend that was identified,” commented Wokrick.

The committee plans to place a stainless steel or aluminum grave marking stakes to mark the burials. “We will never who they are obviously because most of the stones have been moved, people didn’t mark them accordingly, or they didn’t have the money,” remarked Wokrick. These markers will allow for the continued maintenance of the cemetery without causing damage.

Cemetery Committee Chairman Chris Worick presenting to the council.

The markers are about $5 apiece and currently, the committee has received $2,000 in donations from the community for maintenance, and other projects the committee has in the works.

Next at the work session, Jaqueline Daniel and Kim Bell of Connectability gave a presentation about what they do for the community, where they plan ongoing in the future, and how the council can help their mission.

Connectability is a nonprofit organization started by Daniel that is committed to providing community and resources for the handicapped population. They meet once a month and have programs available for those they serve. Two of the programs they offer are a running group every Monday at 6 and a photography program. They currently serve 5,000 people and during the pandemic with the virtual events that number was 68,000.

Executive Director Jacqueline Daniel and Director of Community Connections Kim Bell explaining Connectability.

“We are already making progress because of the way you’ve put assessability at the forefront, what you can do is to keep that at the forefront like you have been doing, thank you for the work that you are doing it makes a difference,” commented Bell.

To learn more about Connectability including how to get involved visit https://connectabilityinc.org/learn-about-us/

The City Attorney Doug Park brought to the council the possibility of adding an ordinance to the ballot in November for the citizens to vote on. The ordinance does away with the need for a public petition before a distilled spirit package store can be considered.

The ordinance will be voted on in the regular meeting on July 6. If the council votes for it to be placed on the ballot they will then begin the process of ironing out the exact licensing details.

The new Finance Director Allison Martin presented the council with their options for using the American Rescue Plan Act. The act went into effect on March 11 and is direct funding. The first allocation of the funds will take place this summer with the second one coming exactly one year later.

The expected amount is $2,723,845. The city has until December 31, 2024, to obligate the money to its projects and until December 31, 2026, to finish the projects. The city manager and finance director are making a list of possible projects for the money to go to. The council will vote to accept the money at the July 6 council meeting.