Towns County Robotics Team improves beach trail, adds QR code to site

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Towns County Middle School Robotics Team recently volunteered their time and skills to improve the public area surrounding the Towns County Beach on Lake Chatuge while assisting the future of tourism. Towns County Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw invited the students to the December courthouse meeting to share the details of the group’s appreciated accomplishment.

Bentley Floyd, Laura Mauldin, and Erin Page combined their efforts, building a bridge over a potentially hazardous culvert, erecting an erosion wall, and installing a handrail on the trail that runs near the county beach area. Furthermore, the students added a QR code to a sign at the recreation site, allowing residents and visitors to easily access useful information on area attractions and public safety matters.

QR codes work in a similar way as a barcode at the supermarket. They are a scannable image that can instantly be read using a smartphone camera. QR codes consist of a number of black squares and dots which represent certain pieces of information, bypassing the hassle of manually inputting electronic addresses that direct to websites.

“They presented an idea to me at the beach out here, some of the upgrades that needed to be done, and boy, were they right,” Commissioner Bradshaw said. “I do go by the beach, and we do check it, but they found some stuff that I didn’t really realize. They brought it to my attention and they wanted permission to go up there, and a lot of the parents are here that helped them with that, and they did a fantastic job and we are very thankful.”

Towns County Chamber of Commerce President Candace Lee, who attended the meeting, agreed that the QR code was an especially bright idea on the robotic team’s part that will assist with future tourism, Bradshaw said that Towns County is “very proud” of the students’ contribution, describing the young trio as “intelligent and engaging” assets to the community.

Featured Image (L-R) Bentley Floyd, Laura Mauldin, and Erin Page of the Towns County Middle Schools Robotics Team.