Spinner Inc., owner of the Cartersville skating rink on West Avenue, went to court in August and came out with the largest civil jury award in Bartow County's history. Chuck Spinner and his wife, Sandy, own the corporation that owns the rink.

The situation began about five years ago when the Georgia Department of Transportation announced that .112 acres of the rink's parking lot would be condemned and used in the expansion of Highway 113/61 to four lanes, including a 44-foot median.

GDOT petitioned the court to condemn the parcel of land in March 2006, offering around $450,000 as payment for the land. However, for the Spinners, it was not just land - it was the majority of the skating rink's parking lot, according to their attorney, Don Evans.

The rink has been in business in the same location since 1976 and, according to Evans, would need to purchase about 4 acres of land to build a new rink under current zoning laws. The skating rink operates on less than 1 acre now due to a grandfather clause in zoning ordinances.

"The combination of proximity to schools, visibility, and a 34-year operating history at this location has made the property unique and particularly suited to the Spinners' business. Unfortunately, the expansion of Highway 113 will eliminate the Spinners' parking lot...and with no parking at all, it will be impossible for the rink to stay in business," Evans said.

The jury awarded Spinner Inc. $1,950,000 for the value of the land and "consequential" damages of the taking of .112 acres of the rink's parking lot. According to Evans, GDOT decided not to appeal the judgement.

"Spinner is now working to make improvements to the building and figure out a parking arrangement. They had not made improvements [to the building] for five years because GDOT was going to take the whole building," Evans said.