Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
The Braselton News
Page 3A
tell any difference between it
and a stock production model
Trans Am from 1977. The car is
adorned with the aforementioned
‘screaming chicken’ on the hood,
is trimmed in gold, and has the
classic Trans Am lines.
But a closer look, as well as
a guided tour from Ocock, will
show you not only the differences
between YearOne’s creation and
the showroom model, but also a
glimpse into the hard work that’s
gone into the car.
The standard sealed beam head
lights have been replaced with
modern projector bream head
lights, the fitting of which required
a lot of fabrication. There’s also
the addition of fog lamps in the
area where the stock model origi
nally had the front turn signals
located. The rear taillights have
been replaced with LED lights for
a more modern look.
The front and back glass is
flush-mounted to give a more
modern feel to the car. This meant
creating new glass pieces to fit.
Wider wheels and tires mean bet
ter handling and performance, but
the custom wheels still have the
classic snowflake look from the
original.
The entire front fasciae has been
replaced. The stock ones had a
tendency to crack over time, so a
custom fiberglass piece has been
made by YearOne, which drops
the Pontiac badge for a cleaner
look.
And that’s not to mention mild
changes to the spoiler, fender
flares, and heat extractors on the
car.
Then there’s the interior of the
car, with custom bucket seats,
race inspired pedals, upgraded
stereo and console with an inte
grated navigation system, and a
four-point roll bar.
POWER UNDER
THE HOOD
There are two phases to the Burt
Reynolds Edition, named BAN-
Two and BAN-Three, a play on
the license plate of the movie car
(the first YearOne built Trans Am,
BAN-One, was to be offered as a
phase too, but was found to not be
“beefy enough”).
BAN-Two features a tubular
front subframe, tubular upper and
lower control arms, integrated
subframe connectors, and front
coil-over shocks.
BAN-Three has a four-link rear
suspension with a track bar, and
front and rear coil over shocks.
Under the hood, this is obvi-
Gainesville-based Northeast
Georgia Health System estab
lish healthcare services in the
Braselton area.
That includes attracting physi
cians to the area, which includes
young families in new subdivi
sions and senior adults at the
nearby Village at Deaton Creek
and Chateau Elan.
“I think it makes for a very
health mix,” Jackson said of the
area.
A majority of the patients
Jackson sees at the Braselton
Clinic hail from Gwinnett County
and South Hall, he said. There is
a also a strong patient base from
West Jackson and Jefferson.
BANDIT — continued from page 1A
FAMOUS CAR
YearOne in Braselton is rebuilding the TransAm made famous in the “Smokey and the Bandit” mov
ies. Photos by Brandon Reed
HOMETOWN HOT ROD
It’s clear to see where this TransAm calls home — Jackson
County.
ously not a run of the mill Trans
Am. The BAN-Two has a choice
of a 550-horse power Pontiac 455
with aluminum heads, or a 550 hp
GM LS-based engine. The real
movers come in the BAN-Three,
where you have a choice between
two 650 hp engines, a 496 cubic-
inch all aluminum Pontiac 455,
or an LS-based engine. Ban-
Three also comes equipped with
a 6-point rollbar with optional
five-point racing harnesses.
“We wanted this to be a modern
car with the vintage sheet metal,”
Ocock said. “I think we achieved
that.”
And yes, you can get it with a
T-top.
BUILT FROM OLD CARS
Ocock says finding donor cars
from which to build the new vehi
cles has been surprisingly easy.
“We have the advantage of not
having to be too picky,” Ocock
said. “We have a full fabrication
shop in the back, and have guys
that can do all this work. Plus,
we sell the parts, so for us to buy
a car that would be a parts car or
donor for somebody else isn’t a
big deal. We were able to find
some of them without leaving
the middle of the state. Once
you start looking for them, they
really are everywhere. You find
them parked under guys’ lean-
tos, parked in their garages, out
behind their houses.”
And while the classic Trans Am
might be popular, they aren’t as
rare as you might think. But find
ing them in good shape is another
matter.
“The T-tops were apt to leak,”
Ocock said. “Water would collect
in the floor pans, so all our cars
have new floor pans. Water would
collect in the trunk, so all our cars
have new trunks.”
Ocock says the response to the
cars has been very positive.
“Pontiac enthusiasts love it,
fans love it,” he said. “Hot Rod
Magazine did a piece on it, and
for the next couple of months,
they published letters from people
saying that they really liked the
car. I haven’t heard from anybody
that they don’t like it. Everybody
kind of looks at it and says yeah,
that’s a cool car.”
YearOne has three Burt
Reynolds Edition Trans Ams
under construction, with others
ordered. One is being repaired
after a “testing incident,” while
the BAN-One and Ban-Three
models are ready to show.
So, if you’re ready to buy that
red shirt, cowboy hat and distinct
ly seventies bell bottom jeans, and
give the local smokeys a run for
their money, how much will one
of these hot rods set you back?
“Call for pricing,” Ocock said
with a smile.
A pretty female passenger, and
police cars for high-speed pur
suits are not included.
DOCTOR — continued from page 1A
Jackson said the dynamic growth
in the Braselton area, along with
a commitment from the health
system for top-tiered healthcare
services will attract more physi
cians.
In March 2005, the Northeast
Georgia Health System purchased
119 acres on Thompson Mill
Road, near Ga. Hwy. 211 for a
South Hall medical campus.
The focal point of the medical
campus will be a 100-bed hos
pital, which will offer medical
and surgical services, diagnostic
services, outpatient rehabilitation,
emergency services and some
specialty services. The opening
of the hospital will coincide with
the widening and re-alignment of
Thompson Mill Road (Ga. Hwy.
347), probably around 2012.
Construction of the first building
on the medical campus — Medical
Plaza 1 — started in September.
When the three story, 105,000
square-foot facility is completed
in fall 2008, it will include space
for 40-50 physicians representing
8-10 medical specialties, accord
ing to the health system.
Dr. Jackson said the Braselton
Clinic is slated to move to
Medical Plaza 1. The medical
campus has space for potentially
two more medical office build
ings, he added.
Jackson said he believes physi
cians will also be attracted to the
area with the natural settings of
River Place, as opposed to typical
medical buildings.
The health system also plans
to use technology as much as
possible at River Place. At the
Braselton Clinic, the physicians
already use a paperless system
to keep track of patients’ medical
records, Jackson said.
Despite the new job title with
the health system, Dr. Jackson
said he plans to keep patient care
his first priority.
And when he isn’t helping
patients, Dr. Jackson said he
enjoys spending time with his
family, gardening and painting.
Showroom Samples Ctose Outs Sc rate h-N-Detvt Warranty Claims
m
(706) 335-4944
321 Pottery Factory Commerce - acrooo from QUT&ACK STEAK House
Church News
Lingering emptiness
Eyes of the
Father
Parrish Myers
M *
eotf@comcast.net
> '
When I was a kid, my
classmates and I used to play
this game: we’d go up to a
tree and hug it.
Yeah, I know.
The premise of the game
was that you hugged the tree
as tight as you could for sixty
seconds. When you released
the tree and stepped away, you still
felt like you were holding onto it.
I don’t know what the point of
it was, except to see if it really
worked. It did. I remember still
“feeling” the tree in my arms for
several minutes after I’d released it
and walked away.
Amy went out of town this week
and took Chloe with her. What
made me remember that game from
so long ago is the feeling I’m expe
riencing right now. You see, I can
still “feel” Chloe in my arms, even
though she isn’t there.
The sense of her absence is mad
dening, overwhelming.
Is this how God feels when we
sin? Is this what he experiences
when we knowingly turn away from
him, driving a wedge of sin between
him and us? Does this same empti
ness overwhelm him when our sin
prevents him from holding us in his
arms?
It puts the destructive power of sin
in a whole new context, doesn’t it?
Not being able to hold Chloe in
my arms makes me feel like a part
of me is missing. That’s the way
God feels when we rebel against
him. It’s like having a part of him
self removed.
But come on, is sin really that
serious?
You better believe it is. Our sin
is what separates us from God
(Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23). Our
sin is what caused Christ to die on
the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our
sin is what continues to separate us
from God whenever we choose to
chase after our own desires, rather
than doing that which is pleasing to
him (James 1:14).
Amy and Chloe are out of town
for a single night. They’ll be back
tomorrow. It’s not that long of a trip,
yet it still affects me.
We may think of our sin as a small
thing. A short diversion. A “little
trip” away from God. But there’s
nothing diminutive about sin. It is
powerful, it is destructive, and it
negatively affects our relationship
with our heavenly father.
So what can you do? Two things.
First, ask God to forgive you for the
sins you’ve already committed. Ask
him to remove the wedge of sin
that divides you and him. Ask him
to receive you back into his arms,
where he wants you to be in the first
place.
Second, keep your eyes open to
the temptations before you. As the
saying goes, “An ounce of preven
tion is worth a pound of cure.”
Being on the alert against sin will
help you avoid it, thereby protecting
your relationship with God.
I hate that empty feeling. I don’t
want to experience it with Chloe,
and I know God doesn’t want to
experience it with me. He doesn’t
want to experience it with you,
either.
Is he?
Parrish Myers is a resident of
Braselton and pastor of Pine Crest
Baptist Church. You can e-mail him
from his website at www.eyesofthe-
father.com
Braselton approves permits
The Braselton Planning and Development Department issued 11 resi
dential building permits in November, according to a town report.
Four permits were issued in Jackson County, three in Barrow County,
two in Gwinnett County and two in Hall County. The town didn’t issue
any permits last month for non-residential buildings.
In November, permanent sign permits were issued to Premier Storage
and Subway. Temporary sign permits were granted to Kei-Bei Nails,
Merl-Norman and Monterey’s.
The following items are listed by town officials as pending develop
ment permit applications, preliminary plats or site development 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, located in front of Publix; Braselton Academy; CGJ
Enterprises, office warehouse at Bordeaux Business Park; Hampton Inn;
and Creekside Village.
Hoschton OK’s business license
Hoschton issued one business
permit in November, according to
a city administrative report.
A business permit was issued to
Vintage Grace (antique and vintage
sales), located at 4188 Hwy. 53.
No building or home occupation
permits were issued in November.
Also, the city paid $69,201 in
general fund bills, $149,139 in bills
from the capital projects account
for the wastewater treatment plant,
and $64,770 in bills from the city’s
water/sewer fund.
The Braselton News
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