Newspaper Page Text
Serving the communities of Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Mill Creek, West Jackson and South Hall
October 10,2007
Vol. 3 No. 2 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. BraseltonNews.com 26 pages, 3 sections
Inside Braselton looking to build reservoir near river
•Publix moving on con
struction of new store in
West Jackson
page 3A
Reservoir permitting process could take a decade for approval
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Braselton is hoping to construct its own
reservoir on the Mulberry River that can
store up to 4 million gallons of water,
according to the town’s engineering con
sultant.
Jerry Hood, vice president of Engineering
Management Incorporated, said last week
that Braselton has submitted a request to the
Georgia Environmental Protection Division
(EPD) to withdraw water from the Mulberry
River.
And while the town hasn’t identified a
potential site for the proposed reservoir,
Braselton officials are beginning the long
process of getting a new reservoir approved
by state and federal officials.
Building a new reservoir can be a decade-
long process, Hood said. It takes about 10
years for the EPD and U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers to approve new reservoirs, he
added.
Braselton will need 75-100 acres along
the Mulberry River for a reservoir, Hood
said. The river borders Jackson, Gwinnett,
Barrow and Hall counties.
The town plans to withdraw 2 million
gallons of water a day from the river for
the short-term, which will be five to 10
years after the reservoir opens; Braselton
may withdraw up to 4 million gallons a
day for the long-term, which will be about
10-20 years after the reservoir opens, Hood
More Inside
The Jackson County Water and Sewerage
Authority is taking the first steps to begin
planning for additional water reservoirs.
See page 2A
explained.
But during this unprecedented drought,
Braselton officials say the town is handling
See RESERVOIR on page 10A
JACKSON COUNTY
•Commissioners ditch
proposal to increase tax
rate
page 2A
Sports:
•Petit LeMans brings
world-class drivers to
Road Atlanta
page IB
Features:
•Sells Mill Park is West
Jackson’s hidden gem
page 10A
Public safety:
•Man with fake badge
asks cop for a break’
page 5A
•Church events
page5B
•Obituaries
page 6A
Getting the word out about fire safety
FIREFIGHTERS VISIT AREA SCHOOLS
The West Jackson Fire Department visited West Jackson Primary School on Tuesday, as part of
National Fire Prevention Week. This year’s theme is “Practice Your Escape Plan,” and local firefighters
are reminding families to practice their household escape plan in the event of a fire. West Jackson
firefighters also visited West Jackson Intermediate School this week. Firefighter Steve Turner is
shown talking to a group of kindergartner students at WJPS about a fire engine and gear.
Photo by Kerri Testement
Hoschton gets lone bid
to manage city depot
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Only one bid to manage and
promote the Hoschton Depot
was received by the city council
this week — and the bid comes
from a group of citizens who
have opposed the city council’s
proposal to privatize the historic
facility.
The Hoschton Historic Depot
Preservation Foundation submit
ted the only bid by Monday’s
deadline.
The Hoschton City Council
public works committee is slated
to discuss the proposal before it
goes to the full council, although
no meeting date has been deter
mined
The Hoschton Historical Depot
Foundation was recently founded
for “saving and offering for use
the historical heart of Hoschton
— the Depot,” according to the
bid proposal.
The non-profit foundation has
ties to the Hoschton Women’s
Civic Club, whose members
helped to restore the 124-year-old
depot starting in the late 1990s.
The foundation proposes to use
volunteers to manage and main
tain the Hoschton Depot at a lease
with the city of $1 a year. The
foundation would assume respon
sibility for all expenses of the
depot, including utilities, mainte
nance and historic improvements,
according to the proposal.
The foundation further propos
es that it will provide “care tak
ing” of the depot as a community
center and museum.
As for leasing the facility, the
foundation proposed that the city
wouldn’t be charged for using
the building and non-profit clubs
would be asked to make a dona
tion for its use.
The foundation would also
establish a board of directors,
with one member nominated by
the city council.
According to the bid propos
al, the foundation has received
inaugural pledges totaling $8,500.
The group also plans to continue
its fund-raising effort and use
See DEPOT on page 10A
Braselton council approves retail project
Hotel proposal also approved More Inside
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
A new retail center on Ga. Hwy.
53 and Ednaville Road will not
have to complete a study for a
possible traffic light, as was previ
ously recommended.
On Monday, the Braselton Town
Council approved an annexa
tion and rezoning request by the
Fitzpatrick Mynatt Group, which
plans to build a development
with 30,414 square feet of retail
space on 14.6 acres at the Jackson
County intersection.
The Braselton Planning
Commission had recommended
recently that the developer com
plete a study for a traffic light at
the intersection of Hwy. 53 and
Ednaville Road.
But Braselton mayor Pat Graham
said this week that she asked town
manager Jennifer Scott and town
attorney Gregory Jay to review the
legality of that proposal.
The Georgia Department of
Transportation already has plans
to widen the state highway and
provide a traffic light at the inter
section — although the DOT has
not specified a timeline for the
project.
Attorney Jay said in lieu of
requiring the developer to provide
a traffic study, they should be
asked to provide improvements at
the intersection. Those improve
ments could include providing
enough area for turn lanes.
The town council agreed to
require the developer to address
traffic issues at the intersection of
Ednaville Road and Hwy. 53 in
front of their property according
to DOT plans.
The remaining three sides of the
intersection are not in the Braselton
town limits, but include a retail
center under construction.
Bill Fitzpatrick told the town
council on Thursday that the
Fitzpatrick Mynatt Group plans
to develop shops and retail stores
for its project, but no “big box”
stores. He added that the project
hasn’t been marketing for potential
tenants, but a dentist has expressed
interest in the location.
Braselton gets a proposal for a
large-scale, mixed-use project
on Ga. Hwy. 124 in Barrow
County. See page 3A
“We really like this marketplace
and we like Braselton,” Fitzpatrick
said of the Hwy. 53 corridor.
Two additional requests for prop
erty to be annexed into Braselton
for retail uses along Hwy. 53 will
be heard by the planning commis
sion on Monday, Oct. 22. Those
requests are proposing a total of
150,875 square feet of retail space
on a total of 26.1 acres.
HOTEL APPROVED
Also on Monday, the town coun
cil approved a rezoning request
for two acres on Ga. Hwy. 124 in
Barrow County for an 80-room
hotel.
Try-La, Inc. requested that
the property be rezoned from
Manufacturing-Distribution to
See HOTEL on page 3A
Jackson Co. B0E taking
letters for vacant seat
The Jackson County
Board of Education is
accepting letters from
interested candidates to
fill the unexpired term for
the Post 1 seat — which
covers West Jackson,
including Braselton and
Hoschton.
Steve Bryant resigned
from the post in
September, after learning that he
doesn’t live in District 1.
The term for the Post 1 seat will
expire on Dec. 31, 2008.
Candidates must have lived in
Jackson County for 12
months, reside in the
Post 1 school board dis
trict and be a qualified
voter in Jackson County.
The BOE will accept
letters of interest from
qualified candidates
until Friday, Oct. 19.
Interested candidates
may e-mail a letter to
kwilbanks@jackson.kl2.ga.us or
mail letters to: Kathy Wilbanks,
Jackson County BOE chairperson,
3006 Brockton Loop, Jefferson,
GA 30549.
BRYANT
Braselton section no longer to
be in The Herald subscriptions
The Braselton News section will no longer be included inside sub
scriber copies of The Jackson Herald, as of Nov. 1.
The Braselton News is available for .25 cents at newsstands and is
mailed for free to residents in Hoschton and Braselton.
