The road in front of Chestatee High School will now bear the name of one of it's teachers thanks to a months-long effort from students and Hall County Commissioners.
The portion of Sardis Road from the roundabout at Ledan Road to the intersection of Antioch Church Road and Allison Road will now be named "Daniel B. Merck Parkway" after the long time educator and band director at the high school. The proclamation designating the road was made at the Hall County Commission's Thursday meeting.
Merck is an East Hall High School and University of Georgia graduate and Navy veteran. He said he was unaware of the efforts by a group of Chestatee students, led by his son, class president Noah Merck, to name the road in his honor, even up to the moment the new road name was announced.
"Totally speechless," Merck said after the presentation. "I thought I was coming to support (Noah) and one of his meetings, because he's been dragging me to different meetings, and I was like 'oh, I'll be there', but I'm just totally speechless."
Noah Merck said he and the other students wanted to give his dad the same recognition that another Hall County band director had received.
"We knew it was possible because Ernie Phillips, the band director over at West Hall got the road in front of West Hall named after him," Merck said. "So in September I started asking around, and it just kind of happened."
Ernie Phillips Parkway covers a portion of McEver Road in front of West Hall High School and was designated in 2010. Hall County District 2 Commissioner Billy Powell read the proclamation and made the motion to rename the road, which was approved unanimously by the other commissioners.
"(Noah Merck) came to me...and said the senior class tries to do something to leave a legacy when they're leaving, and they had decided that Mr. Merck was so well known, well thought of in the community that they would like to do that as their project," Powell said after the meeting.
When asked what his reaction would be when he next saw the students who worked to give him the honor, Merck said "I think I'm just going to hug them all and tell them how much I love them."
Powell said the sign bearing the new road name should be up within a week.
