Construction is expected to begin soon on Hall County's new Central Hall Trail.  Work will begin soon on a section approximately 2.5 miles long from Palmour Drive to Balus Creek in the area of Lanier Technical College and University of North Georgia's Gainesville Campus.  This section also includes a tunnel underneath Atlanta Highway near the Georgia Department of Labor.  The current section is part of an overall master-planned system that connects with Gainesville's Midtown Greenway and Rock Creek Greenway.  The cities of Oakwood and Flowery Branch would like to see the trail extended south through their cities and connect with current road widening projects along State Route 347 and the proposed road widening project along Spout Springs Road.

• The current phase of the Central Hall Trail has approximately $2.5 million in Federal funds allocated to this project
• The bids have been received for constructing the current section and are anticipated to be presented to the Hall County Board of Commissioners at the Nov. 13, 2014 Commission meeting for award.
• Construction could begin early 2015.  Construction duration is estimated to last six months.  This section of the trail would probably open in the summer of 2015.
• The Gainesville-Hall Metro Planning Organization is working to build partnerships with interested parties, including local bike shops, bicycle clubs, citizens, businesses, etc. to create awareness and advocacy for multi-modal facilities around Hall County.

• The trail will be a 10-foot-wide multi-use paved path open to non-motorized uses such as running, walking, and bike riding.

Hall County Elections officials are gearing up for Election Day on Nov. 4. As a reminder, voters must show proper identification in order to cast a ballot. That includes the following:

(1) Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a FREE Voter ID Card issued by the Hall County Registrar's Office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS);

(2) A Georgia Driver's License, even if expired;

(3) Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this State;

(4) Valid U.S. passport ID;

(5) Valid U.S. military photo ID;

(6) Valid tribal photo ID; 

More information about the upcoming election can be found at the Hall County Elections page.

During the month of October, Hall County Sheriff's Office deputies were trained to respond to emergency situations on the road.  

The decision-based driver training program was presented by Local Government Risk Management Services. LGRMS is a service organization of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association.

As a part of the training, deputies used a driving simulator, which simulated as many as 80 realistic emergency response situations. Whenever a driver made an incorrect decision, the driving simulator's instructor backed up the scenario in the program and replayed it. This allowed the driver to catch the mistake(s) made in the decision-making process, discuss techniques to successfully navigate the same situation in reality and put the newly-learned techniques and suggestions into practice upon repeating the scenario.

"We are all very grateful to the Local Government Risk Management Services agency for providing this emergency response training for our deputies in the event we may be called upon to serve our citizens in an emergency response situation," Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said. "These types of real-life scenarios can occur in a moment's notice. Each Hall County resident can rest assured in knowing that their emergency responders are utilizing all available resources to guarantee their safety and that of their family."

For additional information regarding the decision-based driver training program and other employee safety programs, please visit www.lgrms.com. 

To learn more about ongoing training offered to its employees by the Hall County Sheriff's Office, please contact Jeff Shoemaker at (770)531-4959.

It's that time of year again! The Hall County Sheriff's Office wants to spread holiday cheer to needy children in the community. To convey the giving spirit of these dedicated public servants, the Sheriff's Office will begin accepting donations the first week of November for its Christmas Bicycle Program, which is administered by the Sheriff's Office's Courthouse Division.

Sheriff Gerald Couch, along with the entire Hall County Sheriff's Office, would like to challenge its partners within the community to join them by contributing to the Christmas Bicycle Program. Again, the department has teamed up with the caring crew at Wal-Mart of Gainesville to provide bikes to the less fortunate children in the community, who may otherwise "go without" this Christmas. Each one of the bicycles in the program will be accompanied by a helmet for safety, as well as another small gift. 

To make a monetary donation and get additional information on the Christmas Bicycle Program, please contact Captain Chris Matthews of Hall County Sheriff's Office Courthouse Division at (770)531-7095.