Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 The Braselton News Page 3A Braselton More retail developments slated for Hwy. 53 The Braselton Planning Commission will hear several requests for annexation and rezoning when it meets on Monday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. The requests are as follows: •Harold Fletcher is seeking annexation and rezon ing of 22.56 acres on Ga. Hwy. 53 in Jackson County from A-2 to General-Commercial (G-C). Fletcher is proposing to build a development with 133,875 square feet of building space for commercial uses. Fletcher is also the property owner. •Dunhill Developers, LLC. is seeking annexation and rezoning of 3.653 acres on Hwy. 53 in Jackson County from A-2 to G-C in Braselton. The applicant is proposing a development with 17,000 square feet of commercial building space. The property owner is Dunhill Developers, LLC. •Greg Hill is seeking an amendment to the town’s future land use plan for 61.76 acres in Barrow County. The current future land use classification is light industrial/warehouse and the proposed future land use classification is general commercial/busi ness and high density, single-family residential. The property owner is Anna Properties, Inc. •Lensned, LLC is seeking a change in zoning con ditions for 15.20 acres at the corner of Liberty Church Road and Hwy. 211 in Barrow County. The zoning classification is Planned Unit Development (PUD). The applicant requests to change the zoning condi tion requiring a 50 foot buffer adjacent to residential to a 25 foot buffer and the condition requiring a 40 foot buffer along S.R. 211 to a 5-foot landscaped strip. The applicant also requests to remove the zoning condition restricting drive-in windows to banks and dry cleaning establishments and the prohibition of fast food establishments. Lensned, LLC is the prop erty owner. •Lensned, LLC is seeking a conditional use permit for 15.20 acres at the corner of Liberty Church Road and Hwy. 211 in Barrow County. The zoning clas sification is PUD. The applicant requests a conditional use approval to allow a drive-in restaurant. Lensned, LLC is the property owner. The Braselton Town Council will hold a public hearing on the planning commission’s recommenda tions on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 4 p.m. The Braselton Town Council and the Braselton Planning Commission meet at the Braselton Police and Municipal Court Building. Braselton approves 16 residential permits The Braselton Planning and Development Department issued 16 residential building permits in September, according to a city report. Six residential permits were issued in Jackson County, four in Barrow County, three in Hall County and two in Gwinnett County. A pool house totaling 1,007 square feet at the Sienna subdi vision in Jackson County also received a building permit in September. The structures that received building permits in September have an estimated value of $3.6 million, according to town offi cials. In September, sign permits were issued to the following: Sonic, Clothing Care Cleaners, Jacks Restaurant, PAC Stainless, Sienna subdivision, Pawsatively Purrfect, Goochie Goo’s, Ninja Restaurant, Golden Hair Salon and Tea Garden. The following items are list ed by town officials as pending development permit applications, preliminary plats or site develop ment plans: Braselton Village, located on Ga. Hwy. 211 and Beaver Dam Road; Reserve at Liberty Park, phase 2; Liberty Crossing, phase 2; Discovery Point; Braselton Distribution Center, building 12; Braselton Crossing; Wachovia Bank, locat ed in front of Publix; Park 85 at Braselton, speculative build ing J; Braselton Academy; CGJ Enterprises, office warehouse at Bordeaux Business Park. Hoschton Business licenses approved by Hoschton officials Hoschton officials recently approved several busi ness permits. Business licenses were issued to: Gerald Gooch, produce, Hwy. 53; RGP Enterprises, freight broker, Bell Avenue; and Nem Builder, general contractor, Jefferson Street. A home occupation permit was issued for Trincey’s Home Repair, a general contrac tor, in the Deer Creek subdivision. No building permits were issued by Hoschton offi cials in September. Also, the city paid $74,235 in the general fund account; $50,552 in bills from the SPLOST account; and $54,428 in bills from the water/sewer fund, according to a city administrative report. DEPOT — continued from page 1A Council member Jester said that provision wasn’t clear and didn’t define what the “partner ship” would mean for the city’s responsibilities of the depot, such as funding major repairs. Realtor Cindy George, who wrote the foundation’s bid, said the non-profit group would be responsible for daily maintenance of the depot. “The city owns the depot, so the city will have some (financial) responsibility,” George said. She added that comparing the two bids is like comparing apples and oranges, as Yesway Enterprises is a profit-making business and the foundation is a non-profit group. Another issue during the com mittee’s review of the depot pro posals was the matter of rent. Yesway Enterprises proposed that it pay a base rent to the city of $600 for the first year of managing the depot, followed by $1,200 each following year. The company will also give the city 10 percent of its profits. The Hoschton Historic Depot Preservation Foundation is pro posing that it pay the city $1 a year to lease the depot. Jester said the foundation is not proposing to pay the city a portion of rental fees. Keinard said he wasn’t satis fied with either proposal when it comes to marketing the facility. He recommended that the city consider a proposal by mayor Bill Copenhaver and city plan ner Wistar Harmon for the city to continue marketing the depot. Long-time Hoschton resident Bill Sell asked the committee to consider community pride when deciding who should manage the depot. He questioned if the com munity should be split over a lease of $600 or $1,200 a year. Mary Ann Kenerly urged the council to work with civic groups for managing the depot. “There’s no need for us fussing or fighting,” she said. The public works committee agreed to recommended that the city reject both bids and refer to the marketing plan suggested by the mayor and city planner. Keinard and Donaldson said if the city-based marketing doesn’t work, the council could recon sider its options next year. Mayfield to celebrate 10 years in Braselton ENJOYING ICE CREAM Mayfield Dairy Farms president Scottie Mayfield is shown with Abigail Bernath during a 2004 visit to the Braselton facility. The company will celebrate its 10th anniversary of the Braselton plant next week. Mayfield Dairy Farms will cel ebrate the 10th anniversary of its Braselton plant with several spe cial activities, daily prize drawings and other events Oct. 24-26, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. “This past 10 years in Braselton have been tremendously suc cessful, and we look forward to many more years of being part of this community,” said Scottie Mayfield, president of Mayfield Dairy Farms. “We planted our roots in Braselton because it’s located an hour from Atlanta and has easy access to the 1-85 Corridor. What has touched us the most during the last decade is the sincerity and support from Braselton and the surrounding communities,” Mayfield said. The 70,000 square-foot facil ity is situated on 20 acres, and produces approximately 150,000 gallons of milk daily, including Nurture by Mayfield, whole, 2 percent, skim, chocolate and other Mayfield favorites. The milk is manufactured and distributed to Atlanta, Marietta, and northern Georgia, as well as Greenville, S.C. On any given day, hundreds of visitors stop by the Mayfield’s Visitor Center in Braselton. Since opening, almost 500,000 people have toured the facility and stopped by the ice cream parlor to sample one of 35 ice cream sensations. Tours are available Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Visitor Center is closed on Sunday. Tours begin every 30 minutes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (with exception of no tour at 12 p.m.). Tours on Saturdays are every hour on the hour. No tours on Wednesdays. Last tour begins one hour before closing. Mayfield’s Braselton Visitor Center is located at 1160 Broadway Ave. For more information, visit http://mayfielddairy.com/visitors or call 1-800-MAYFIELD. 1-85 construction DOT to open new lane on 1-85 north on Saturday Construction of a new, northbound lane on 1-85 between 1-985 and Ga. Hwy. 20 in Gwinnett County is expected to be complete on Saturday, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. DOT contractors will continue overnight work on the interstate this week through the morning of Saturday, Oct. 20. Overnight lane closures will begin at 9 p.m. and crews will work until 5 a.m. the next morning. “There will be lane closures for some punch list work later, after the New Year,” said DOT spokesper son Teri Pope. “Delays are expected in the area each night this week but know that we will soon be out of your way.” The new lane was added to the outside of 1-85 northbound and will be an exit only lane to Hwy. 20, at the Mall of Georgia exit. The project is on 1-85 north only and no work will occur on 1-85 southbound, according to the DOT. The 2.23-mile project completion date is April 30, 2008, with an estimated construction cost of more than $10.4 million. BUDGET — continued from page 1A “That’s not an option,” Walden said. “I’d rather take them away or have the sheriff do it.” Keinard said the need for law enforcement services would not be reduced in the future, but will con tinue to be increased as Hoschton grows. “We’re in between a rock and a hard place,” Keinard said. Council member Jim Jester sug gested offering the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office the former police department next to city hall as a precinct. There was also a suggestion that the police department could con duct criminal background searches for employers. That service could bring an additional $30,000 a year to the city, according to the pro posal. “If we lose three or four officers, I don’t see us doing background checks,” council member Deborah Donaldson said. Keinard said if the police depart ment’s staff is cut, its officers would focus patrol efforts in the needed areas, especially along Ga. Hwy. 53. “If we cut it back, you lose that neighborhood connection,” he said. In addition to the police depart ment staff cuts, Hoschton officials are also considering eliminating one of two public works employ ees in the “low-revenue” budget. CITY TAX? The fiscal resources commit tee also briefly discussed imple menting a city property tax. Ralph Freeman Jr., a long-time resident of the city, said a former Hoschton mayor suspended property taxes more than 20 years ago. But officials questioned if pass ing property taxes could be done in time for the 2008 budget. The city would have to hold three public hearings to set the proposed mill- age rate. DEFENDS 2007 BUDGET On a related note, council member Donaldson said that the current 2007 budget, which had to be amended by the council to reflect lower income pro jections, had not been overly optimistic. Instead, Donaldson said it was just a “series of bad events” which led to the drastic budget cuts in the 2007 budget. Those events included litigation involving several potential develop ments and the slow down in the real estate market. But Walden pointed out that other areas — including Jackson, Gwinnett and Hall counties—also experienced a slow down in the real estate market. “It wasn’t just us, it was everyone else,” he said. Donaldson also said the city had been having tight budgets for several years. “There hasn’t been fluff in the budget for the past four years,” she said. To place a classified ad with MainStreet Newspapers, call 706-367-5233 or visit www.mainstreetnews.com. Hunting Season! Come See Joe's Huge Selection Of 6uns TDiomtorfs 2830 Lexington Road, Athens, Ga. (706) 548-1632 www.thorntonsdirect.com The Jim Rome Show In the realm of guerilla sports talk Jim Rome is King Kong. Swatting away the ill- informed and ignorant like little toy biplanes and employing his unique, razor- sharp vocabulary to chew up pompous sports prima donnas like balsawood scenery. Jim generates an electric atmosphere on the air that’s dense with attitude, humor, and hipness. Rather than gunning for controversy and confrontation, Jim aims to engage and challenge his callers. His creative, bare knuckle approach, tempered by intelligence and vast knowledge of sports, has left him perched atop the sports talk world with America’s sports radio fans in the palm of his hand. Monday thru Friday 1:OOpm — 3:OOpm WJJC Radio - 1270 AM www.WJJC.net 706-335-1270