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Wednesday, October 10, 2007 The Braselton News Page 3A Barrow County Board of Commissioners RECOGNIZED AS HEROES Tommy Crowe, Ross Evans, Shannon Williams and Lt. Allen William are shown with Jeremy Pirtle.The men are credited with helping deliver Jeremy and were recognized as 2007 Barrow County heroes. Barrow County recognizes local ‘heroes’ THOMAS RECOGNIZED Lynn Thomas is shown with her son, Brandon. Thomas was rec ognized for her work with the Barrow County CADETS. Lynn and her son both have diabetes and are active in helping others deal with the disease. FIRE TRUCK INVOLVED IN WRECK A West Jackson fire engine was involved in a wreck on Tuesday, as the fire truck was driving to an emergency at a commercial fire. A vehicle exiting the PilotTravel Center attempted to make a left turn onto Ga. Hwy. 53 and struck the fire engine, which was driving around traffic that had yielded for the emergency vehicle, according to a statement by the West Jackson Fire Department. Both firefight ers in the fire engine were wearing seatbelts and suffered no injuries. The driver of the fire engine, however, was taken to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center to submit to a drug and alcohol test, in accordance with the fire department’s policy. The single occupant of the other vehicle was taken by ambulance to Gwinnett Medical Center for neck and shoulder pain. Photo by Brandon Reed PUBLIX TO OPEN IN WEST JACKSON Publix has confirmed that it will open a 45,300 square-foot grocery store at the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 124 and Ga. Hwy. 332 in West Jackson. A Publix spokesperson said the company doesn’t have an anticipated opening date for the store under construction, which is located near Traditions of Braselton. Publix also has a grocery store on Ga. Hwy. 211 in Braselton. Photo by Kerri Testement Braselton Plans given for Hwy. 124 mixed-use project BY KRISTI REED The Barrow County Board of Commissioners recognized five county employees as heroes at Tuesday night’s board meeting. Lynn Thomas, a water depart ment employee, was recognized for her work with the Barrow County C.A.D.E.T.S. (Children Afflicted by Diabetes Emerging Together Successfully). Thomas started the juvenile diabetes support group to help parents and children deal with diabetes. Norma Jean Brown, Director of Human Resources, said Thomas donates her time and money to help families have the tools neces sary to fight diabetes. Allen Williams, Shannon Williams, Tommy Crowe and Ross Evans of Barrow County Fire and Emergency Services were honored for their kindness and compassion in helping Jessica Pirtle through a difficult delivery. In a letter to the department, Pirtle praised the pro fessionalism of the four men and expressed her appreciation for their help. In the presentation, Brown said the men calmed Pirtle’s fears and made sure Pirtle’s son Jeremy was delivered safely. The hero recognition program is part of a 2005 resolution passed by the board of commissioners to recog nize employees who make a differ ence in the quality of the community and the quality of life for Barrow County residents. OTHER BUSINESS In other business at Tuesday’s meeting: •commissioners approved an $85,000 funding request for a water supply study. The study will produce a master water plan which identifies water needs and resources for the General-Commercial. The prop erty owner is Braselton Ventures, Inc., and the site is located next to a new office park, on the side closer to downtown Braselton. The property is located between 1-85 and Hwy. 124. Country Inn and Suites is plan ning to open a hotel on the site, according to Dan Lambert, a repre sentative for the rezoning request. Lambert said the initial plans were amended to include a fire lane between the hotel and an adjacent property. OTHER BUSINESS In other business, the Braselton Town Council: •met in a closed-door meeting for 50 minutes to discuss “pend ing or potential litigation.” The council took no action when the meeting was opened to the pub lic. •approved a request for annex ation and rezoning by property owners Kevin and Regina Cann for one acre on Charlie Smith Road in Jackson County. The property was rezoned from R-1 in unincorporated Jackson County to R-l in the Braselton town limits. The Canns plan to build a single family house. •approved an alcoholic beverage license from Travel Rite, Inc. d/b/a Duncan’s Corner Bottle Shop. The store has a new owner, which requires a new alcoholic beverage license. •approved a variance request next 20 to 40 years. The study will take six to nine months to complete. •Keith Lee, Chief Administrator, presented a $35,000 Workforce Ready Grant which certifies Barrow County as a “Work Ready Community.” Lee received approval to move forward with the program. The grant is administered through the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development. •the Board approved the renewal of Barrow County’s H.E.A.T. (Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic) grant. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has awarded Barrow County $76,900 for the 2008 fiscal year. •the board approved an Employment Incentive Program application for Raw Talent, Inc. The company was awarded a grant in the amount of $300,000. •commissioners approved the from Premier Storage to use well water for discharge in the Braselton sewer system with the condition that the well be metered and the well be tested in January each year. The test results must also be submitted to and approved by the Braselton Public Utilities Department annually. Kelley O’Bryan Gary agreed that if the well goes dry, the project will connect to a water provider. The City of Gainesville provides water service in that area of South Hall, with Braselton providing sewer service for property annexed into the town limits. Georgia Indigent Defense Service Agreement. The agreement provides public defense for the Piedmont Judicial Circuit. Barrow County’s public defense budget will include $253,983 for staff and $32,445 for office expenses. •the Board approved a request for $28,000 to fund the construction of a sewer line at the new Barrow County Animal Control Center. Road con struction necessitated that the sewer line project be undertaken ahead of schedule. •Joe Floyd was appointed to the Leisure Service Board by District 6 Commissioner Ben Hendrix. •Charlie Belle Cobb was appoint ed to the Keep Barrow Beautiful Board by District 4 Commissioner Isaiah Berry. •the board adjourned to closed ses sion to discuss land acquisition and litigation. No action was taken. •approved the final adoption of the town’s comprehensive plan partial update, as approved by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. BY KERRI TESTEMENT Another large-scale project is planned for Ga. Hwy. 124 in Barrow County, near the inter section of Ga. Hwy. 211. Developer Greg Hill has sub mitted plans with Braselton for a proposed mixed-use project that will include 106,700 square feet of building space for office and commercial uses. Plans also call for 206 residential townhouses. The project is now being reviewed by the Northeast Georgia Regional Development Center as a Development of Regional Impact (DRI). The town’s planning commission and town council will also hear the proposed request at a later date. The project totals 64.76 acres in Barrow County. Hill will also ask the town to annex a three-acre tract for the project, as well. The property now includes an office and warehouse building, and vineyards for Chateau Elan. Those facilities will be removed and replaced with the proposed mixed-use project, according to plans submitted to the town. The property is also located across Hwy. 124 from Panoz Auto Development Company, and next to a massive retail proj ect and hotel that was approved by the town council recently. The application will require an amendment to the town’s future land use plan, which cur rently calls for light industrial/ warehouses on the site. Hill will seek an amendment to general commercial/business and high- density, single family residential, according to plans. The property is currently zoned for Planned Unit Development (PUD). The townhouses will be con- dominium-ownership style and will be located on 47.15 acres of the project. Plans state that 64.76 acres of open space are proposed. 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Outlet* l Inn, Mill CireK IWr*t lot k ton anil ■youth Hull The Braselton News is published once a week on Wednesdays and is a member of the Georgia Press Association. For a map of news stand locations, visit www.BraseltonNews.com. MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. P. O. Box 908 • Jefferson, GA 30549-0908 Web Site: www.BraseltonNews.com • Main Phone Number: 706-367-5233 Mike Buffington, Co-publisher and Editor Scott Buffington, Co-publisher and Advertising Manager The deadline for submitting display and classified ads is Monday at noon. Call 706-367-5233 or fax 706-367-8056. Display Ads: ads@mainstreetnews.com Classified Ads: classifieds@mainstreetnews.com The deadline for submitting social and school news is Monday at noon. Fax items to: 706-387-5421 • News: news@mainstreetnews.com Reporters: Angela Gary, Amy McKown, Kerri Testement and Brittany Whitley To subscribe to The Braselton News, call 706-367-5233. HOTEL— cont’d from page 1A