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Serving the communities of Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Mill Creek, West Jackson and South Hall Wednesday, October 24,2007 Vol. 3 No. 4 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. BraseltonNews.com 30 pages, 3 sections Inside •Hall County sheriff dis cusses new jail page 3A JACKSON COUNTY •Housing slump stumps area sales agents page 3A Sports: •Mill Creek advances to softball’s Elite Eight page 1B Focus: •Lottery winner uses funds to open new busi ness in Braselton page 8A Public safety: •Man arrested after making false statements about cop page 6A •Church events page 7A •Obituaries page 7B Residents oppose retail plans BY KERRI TESTEMENT BRASELTON-Proposals to change zoning conditions of a commercial project on Ga. Hwy. 211 and Liberty Church Road could adversely affect the area, two Chateau Elan residents said Monday night. The Braselton Planning Commission heard the comments during a some what contentious public hearing about requests by Lensned, LLC to amend its zoning conditions related to buffers and prohibited drive-in establishments for a 15.2-acre property. For the most part, the planning board agreed to rec ommend approval of the developer’s request. The Braselton Town Council will hold a public hearing on the recom mendations of the planning commis sion on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 4 p.m. A vote is expected during the council’s regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. The commercial property is located next to The Falls of Braselton subdivi sion. Plans call for several commercial buildings, including a day care center, hardware store, bank, drug store, two restaurants, retail stores and a coffee shop. The commercial buildings will have access to an internal road connecting the property to Hwy. 211 and Fiberty Church Road, plans show. Scott Snedecor, managing member More Inside Additional commercial proj ects on Ga. Hwy. 53 gets nod of approval from the Braselton Planning Commission See page 3A of Fensned, said removing a zoning condition prohibiting drive-ins — except banks and dry cleaners — lim its options for potential tenants. The zoning condition would prohibit other See RETAIL on page 5A Sweet treat POPULAR ATTRACTION AT MAYFIELD Elmira Wheeler hands an ice cream sample to a young patron in the Mayfield Dairy visitor’s center in Braselton. This week, Mayfield has planned several special events to honor its 10th anniversary in Braselton. Photo by Kerri Testement Mayfield celebrating 10 years in Braselton BY KERRI TESTEMENT When Mayfield Dairy opened its Braselton visitor’s center 10 years ago, company president Scottie Mayfield decided not to have a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony, but a rather a “milk toast.” In the decade since Mayfield Dairy opened its Braselton facility, more than 1.3 million people have visited the plant located on Broadway Avenue (Ga. Hwy. 124) in Jackson County. And that’s why Mayfield Dairy is celebrating this week “like it’s 1997,” according to the company. Mayfield Dairy will celebrate the 10 th anniversary of its Braselton plant with of a number of special events this week (see sidebar on page 5A). This week, ice cream sold in Mayfield’s parlor at the visi tor’s center will roll back to 1997 prices — $.50 for a single scoop. Otherwise, a single scoop of ice cream is usually $1.50. “This past 10 years in Braselton have been tremendously successful, and we look forward to many more years of being part of this community,” Scottie Mayfield said in a statement. Scottie Mayfield — known for his bow tie — will greet visitors on Thursday. Mayfield typically visits the Braselton plant every two months to conduct focus groups that give the company insight from customers about anything from a new ice cream flavor to lids on milk containers, according to Dawn Thompson, visitor’s center coordinator. Since opening in 1997, Mayfield has expanded its See MAYFIELD on page 5A Hoschton political forum set Thursday at depot The Hoschton Women’s Civic Club will sponsor a political forum for can didates seeking Posts 4, 5, and 6 of the Hoschton City Council. The forum will be held on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m., at the Hoschton Depot. The Post 4 candidate is Richard Shepherd, who is unopposed. The Post 5 candidate is Tom Walden, who is also unopposed. The Post 6 candidates are Theresa Kenerly and incumbent James Keinard. “This will give everyone an opportu nity to ask questions and also to hear the answers from questions asked by others,” according to organizers. The West Jackson Fire Department has also been invited to take part in the forum and speak to citizens about the changes, equipment purchased, and employees that have been added. Fire chief Ben Stephens and West Jackson Fire Board member Michael Cronic will represent the fire depart ment. Refreshments will be served at the end of the forum. Mike Buffington, editor of The Jackson Herald and The Braselton News, will be the emcee of the forum. Members of the committee are: Edna Sell, chairman; and Sherry Hayes, JoAnn Howe, Judy Johnson, Kay Schulte and Janet Wagner . Two of the members asked to be excused, Theresa Kenerly and Mary Ann Kenerly, due to ties with the upcoming city election. TALKS TO HOMEOWNERS Paul Brannigan (upper right), head of Hamilton Mill United, is shown addressing a group of over 150 homeowners at Sunday’s meeting to oppose splitting the area’s school district. Parents want to keep the community school district united despite plans of the Gwinnett County School System to split the area. Hamilton Mill gets political help in redistricting battle BY KRISTI REED Hamilton Mill United, a group of Hamilton Mill homeowners fighting Gwinnett County Public Schools’ latest redistricting plan, has enlisted the aid of several local politicians in their quest to keep the Hamilton Mill neighbor hood from being divided and sent to two separate elementary schools. Paul Brannigan, leader of Hamilton Mill United, announced at a neighbor hood meeting Sunday eve ning that Congressman John Finder, State Senator Renee Unterman, State Representative Donna Sheldon and county com missioner Mike Beaudreau have agreed to take action expressing their support for keeping communities together in the school redis tricting process. Speaking before a stand ing room only crowd, Brannigan told residents that the politicians have said they will write letters to the school board or make public statements against splitting neighborhoods. Brannigan expressed hope that these actions will have some impact on the school board as they vote on the proposed redistricting plan. Brannigan updated resi dents on the activities of Hamilton Mill United as the community prepares for the November 15 public input See SCHOOLS on pg. 5A Election set Nov. 6 in Braselton, Hoschton Voting booths will be open in Braselton and Hoschton on Tuesday, Nov. 6. While there are no council seats on the ballot, Braselton voters will be asked to decide if the town should be granted redevelopment powers. The town plans to establish a Tax Allocation District (TAD) to revitalize downtown Braselton. The two Braselton coun cil seats that were slated to be on the November ballot are uncontested races. Incumbent Richard Mayberry will serve another term for the District 1 seat and Tony Funari will serve the District 3 seat. The cur rent council member for that district, Phil Spivey, did not seek re-election. In Hoschton, voters will decide who will serve on the city council in one con tested race. The candidates for that seat, Post 6, are incumbent James Keinard and Theresa Kenerly. Richard Shepherd will serve the Post 4 seat, while Tom Walden will serve on the Post 5 seat of the Hoschton City Council. No one else qualified for those posts during qualifying in August. Post 4 incumbent Ronald Holcomb and Post 5 incum bent Deborah Donaldson didn’t seek another term.