Newspaper Page Text
Serving the communities of Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Mill Creek, West Jackson and South Hall
Member of the
Georgia Press Association
250 copy
Wednesday, November 28,2007
Vol. 3 No. 32 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. BraseltonNews.com 24 pages, 3 sections
Inside
•YearOne uses car
show funds to help char
ity for holiday season
page 9 A
DROUGHT
•Rain helps, but how
much? page 2A
Sports:
•Lady Hawks on a win
ning streak page IB
•Sisters enjoy volun
teering, performing
page 8A
Opinion:
•’Holiday safety needed
this time of year’
page 4A
Public safety:
•Anti-abortion photos
disrupt shoppers
page 6A
•Church events
page 4B
•Obituaries
page 7A
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Hoschton council set to vote on budget next week
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Hoschton’s proposed budget may be
tweaked again before the city council is
expected to approve it next week.
The Hoschton City Council is proposing
a 2008 general fund budget of $771,350 —
excluding $173,927 in sales tax revenue.
There is no property tax in the proposed
budget, although the council considered
the move at one time during the budget
process.
For the city’s water and sewer fund,
the council is proposing a 2008 budget of
$969,528, which doesn’t include $342,738
in sales tax revenue and another $2 million
for capital improvements.
The city council will discuss the proposed
2008 budget during its work session on
Thursday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. A final vote is
expected during the regular council meeting
on Monday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m.
During a public hearing on Monday, city
officials were questioned about $200,000
budgeted in the water and sewer fund.
Those funds are expected from the devel
oper of Creekside — a large, mixed-use
project on Ga. Hwy. 53 next to West Jackson
Primary School. City officials have said
the anticipated $200,000 from the devel
oper will be used to pay for sewer system
improvements.
Kelley Gary, a citizen, questioned why the
proposed budget showed potential revenue
for the Creekside project, but not expenses.
Council member Deborah Donaldson,
chairperson of the city’s fiscal resources
committee, said the budget was not a “one-
to-one match” for projects.
Mayor Bill Copenhaver said the revenue
will be used for reserve funds to pay for
a loan from the Georgia Environmental
Facilities Authority (GEFA). That figured
is estimated at $230,000 in the proposed
budget.
Gary also questioned why the council
hasn’t budgeted potential expenses to fund
a sewer pump station for Brookglen, a new
subdivision his father, Ken Gary, is develop
ing. Kelley Gary said the Creekside project
also will use the pump station planned for
Brookglen.
Council member Richard Green said the
city hasn’t settled the cost of the pump sta
tion with the developer. Green is chairperson
of the city’s water, waste and environmental
services committee.
Gary further questioned Hoschton officials
More Inside
Opinion: ‘Hoschton needs to rebuild
reserve funds’
See page 4A
on the number of city jobs in the proposed
budget. He said the city could operate more
efficiently with fewer employees.
The city council is not proposing to cut
city jobs, although it once considered the
proposal during the budget process. For the
latest budget, the council is proposing no
new jobs and no pay increases for existing
See BUDGET on page 3A
Christmas scene
DECORATING FOR CHRISTMAS
Olivia Held, 4, of Tucker, decorates a candy cane during Friday’s Lighting of the Chateau at Chateau
Elan. The event featured several family activities, the lighting of the chateau for the holiday season
and a fireworks show. Chateau Elan donated $5,000 of proceeds from the event to the Braselton
Library. For more photos, see page 12A. Photo by Kerri Testement
Hoschton police start forum on community issues
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
The Hoschton Police
Department is getting the word
out about community issues with
a public meeting scheduled each
month.
The Hoschton Community
Alliance will meet the third
Tuesday of each month at the
new police department building
at 101A Pearl Industrial Blvd.,
located off Ga. Hwy. 53. No
alliance meeting is planned for
December. A meeting will be
held on Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 7
p.m., when police will discuss the
neighborhood watch program.
Hoschton officer Devin Grogan
said the alliance is one meth
od that citizens can use to help
police officers in their line of
duty. Police are seeking citizen
input for forum issues, he added.
For last week’s alliance meet
ing, Hoschton police hosted a
guest speaker from Peace Place
— a shelter for women and chil
dren who are victims of domestic
violence.
Peace Place serves the
Piedmont Judicial
Circuit, which includes
Jackson, Barrow and
Banks counties. The
non-profit organization
was established in June
2000.
Char Garrett, execu
tive director, said Peace
Place offers a 24-hour
hotline for victims.
The hotline number is
770-586-0927.
Peace Place also offers case
management services, legal advo
cacy for victims, local support
groups, counseling and life-skills
classes, Garrett said.
Peace Place opened a shelter in
Winder in March 2007, and has
housed six women and 18 chil
dren, she said. The organization
is also renovating two houses in
Barrow County that were recent
ly donated to serve as transitional
housing.
Services are also available for
male victims of domestic vio
lence, although Peace Place will
not house them at the shelter,
Garrett said. Instead,
the organization finds
housing for men at
local hotels.
Peace Place gets a
number of case referrals
from the Department
of Family and Children
Services (DFCS) and
law enforcement agen
cies, Garrett said.
Capt. Jeremy Howell
of the Hoschton Police
Department said domestic vio
lence cases can be one of the
most dangerous situations for
police to handle.
“Domestic violence situations
are typically when officers walk
into the great unknown,” Howell
said.
Hoschton, like most law
enforcement agencies, has dealt
with domestic violence, Howell
said. Four people were killed in
a murder-arson case in May 2006
in Hoschton, he pointed out.
In domestic violence cases, the
See FORUM on page 3A
GROGAN
Barrow BOC OK’s funding
for new convention center
BY KRISTI REED
The Northeast Georgia Arts
and Convention Center (NGACC)
moved a step closer to opening
its doors as Barrow County com
missioners approved a request by
project planners to seek funding
sources for the facility.
Dr. Ron Saunders, superinten
dent of Barrow County Schools
and chair of the NGACC gov
erning board, presented the fund
ing request to the board at the
November 27 meeting.
“I am excited about the possibil
ity of making Barrow County an
even more exciting place to live,”
Saunders said. “This is something
that Barrow County citizens have
voted for.”
The facility will be located at
the intersection of Hwy. 316 and
Hwy. 53. Plans for the convention
center call for a 40,000 square foot
exhibit hall with a seating capacity
of 5,000. There will be a 750 seat
theatre as well as office space for
the Barrow Chamber of Commerce
and the facility staff.
Keith Fee, Barrow County direc
tor of operations, briefed com
missioners regarding the costs of
constructing the center. Current
projections place the total facility
cost at $19.9 million. The bud
geted amount for the performing
arts center is $7.25 million or $290
per square foot. The convention
center estimate is $ 7.5 million
or $150 per square foot. Site
development costs are expected
to run $270,833 an acre for a total
of $3.25 mil
lion.
In addi
tion to actual
construc
tion costs,
the NGACC
budget proj
ects expen
ditures of
$400,000 for
equipment
and $1.5 mil
lion in engineering and consulting
costs.
Several citizens expressed sup
port for the convention center.
Drama teacher Eleanor Hasty told
commissioners that the facility is
needed by the community.
“I represent a large number of
very talented students who deserve
better,” Hasty said. “We need this
center for our kids. They deserve a
place to perform. The community
deserves a performance venue. I
am here to tell you how much we
need this.”
Thomas Dean, a junior at Winder-
Barrow High School, also asked
the commissioners to approve the
funding request.
“The fine arts program in Barrow
County is definitely one of the
best,” Dean said. “But, we are
missing a place to perform. There
are so many of us who would like
to see this facility built that there
is no reason why it shouldn’t be.
A fine arts center would be a fine
See CENTER on page 3A
Development plans withdrawn
The developer of a proposed mixed-use project with townhouses and
commercial/office building space on Ga. Hwy. 124 has withdrawn his
plans with Braselton.
Greg Hill was seeking a Planned Unit Development master plan
amendment for almost 64 acres in Barrow County. Anna Properties is
the property owner.
Hill was proposing a development of 206 residential single-family
attached units and 107,200 square feet of commercial/office building
space on the property. The property now includes an office and ware
house building, and vineyards for Chateau Elan.
The request was slated to be heard before the Braselton Planning
Commission on Monday, but was canceled. Braselton planning direc
tor Kevin Keller said the developer withdrew the plans, citing market
concerns.
The Braselton Town Council recently approved a future land use plan
amendment for 61.76 acres of the proposed development. The applicant
for that request was Anna Properties.
