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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 V) LU (5 (5 £ O CO cc LU LU CC. LU 0. 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.