About The Braselton news. (Jefferson, Ga) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2008)
Wednesday, January 2, 2008 The Braselton News Page 3A Top headlines of 2007 A month-by-month look at the top stories MAYFIELD CELEBRATES 10 YEARS IN BRASELTON Scottie Mayfield talks to Beth Booker and daughters Madison and Tanner, at the Mayfield plant in Braselton. Mayfield was at the visitor’s center in October to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Mayfield Dairy plant in Braselton. Photo by April Reese Sorrow JANUARY •Braselton police bust four mem bers of a burglary ring that targeted upscale neighborhoods, including Chateau Elan. Police said the sus pects entered numerous unlocked cars to steal items inside the vehi cles. •The Hoschton City Council approves a four-phase plan for the depot, which includes enhancing landscaping and parking around the depot area. •The Barrow County Board of Commissioners agree to partner with Braselton to develop a soccer park on 71 acres that Braselton owns on Ga. Hwy. 124, along the Mulberry River. •An armed robber hits The Peoples Bank on Ga. Hwy. 211. •Leaders from Jackson County, Braselton and Hoschton show con cern for a growing price tag to re align Zion Church Road, now esti mated at $ 10 million for a 1.125 -mile road project. FEBRUARY •Braselton hosts a public meet ing to encourage a design for a possible Ga. Hwy. 53 bypass that would affect downtown Braselton and Hoschton. •Hoschton police chief Dave Hill tells the city council that by 2008, more than 50 percent of his depart ment's vehicles will have more than 100,00 miles on them. Hill learned that $30,000 that was budgeted for a new police vehicle was contingent upon the city getting a $30,000 grant, which Hoschton didn't receive. •Hall County Board of Commissioners chairman Tom Oliver says he won't sign an agree ment to allow Oakwood to run sewer lines into Hall County’s service ter ritory. The move could affect an agreement between Oakwood and Braselton to provide sewer service in the area. •The Hometown Community Bank on Ga. Hwy. 53 is robbed and depu ties believe the suspect is the same man who earlier robbed The Peoples Bank in Braselton. •Deputies from the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office bust more than $3 million worth of marijuana and arrest four people. •William Greene, Braselton, announces his candidacy for the 10th Congressional district, following the death of Rep. Charlie Norwood. MARCH •A home under construction in Chateau Elan collapses, killing one worker and sending two others to the hospital. The Mexican family of the worker killed in the incident later announces that they have hired an attorney to seek workers' compensa tion on their behalf. •The Braselton Town Council approves a request to rezone 16.8 acres on the corner of Spout Springs Road and Thompson Mill Road in South Hall that could make way for another grocery store. A developer representing the applicant tells the town council that a “specialty gro cery store," such as Whole Foods, could be built on the site. •The Georgia Attorney General’s office begins an internal review to see if a full investigation into the financial transactions of District Attorney Tim Madison is warranted. •Hoschton fires one of its police officers for lying under oath during court testimony. The city’s public safety committee upholds the offi cer's termination after an appeals hearing. •The Hoschton Police Department considers a move to the city's indus trial park, where a property owner offers to donate space for a new police headquarters. APRIL •The Barrow County Board of Commissioners agree to rezone property on Ga. Hwy. 211 that is the focus of a lawsuit with the developer and Braselton. •The Hoschton City Council warns residents that its water and sewer customers may get higher bills, fol lowing the recent rate hike by the Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority. •A 15-year-old Jackson County Comprehensive High School stu dent is talked out of detonating a legitimate explosive device in the school's front office by law enforce ment officers. •The Barrow County Board of Commissioners and board of edu cation agree to share the costs of a cultural arts facility. The county will pay $3 million and the school system will pay $1.5 million for the 1,000-seat auditorium-banquet hall combination facility. •Burglars steal thousands of dol lars worth of computers, telephones and fax machines during a break-in at the West Jackson Fire Department. MAY •Following Braselton’s lead, other Jackson County cities begin patrol ling more on 1-85 and begin drug interdiction programs. •The Jackson County Board of Education discusses purchasing land at an undisclosed West Jackson site for possible new schools. •District Attorney Tim Madison announces that he will resign, effec tive June 4. •Whole Foods announces that it will open a 100,000 square-foot dis tribution center in Braselton on Ga. Hwy. 124. •The state approves a Certificate of Need application by the Northeast Georgia Health System to build a hospital campus on Thompson Mill Road, near Ga. Hwy. 211 in Braselton. •Mill Creek remembers two stu dents who died during the school year by sealing the students’ lock ers and placing carved stones in a memorial garden outside the school. •A developer says Publix plans to open its latest store on the corner of Ga. Hwy. 332 and Ga. Hwy. 124 in West Jackson in early 2008. •The Georgia Department of Transportation unveils plans to widen Ga. Hwy. 53 from 1-85 to Ga. Hwy. 211/Tanners Mill Road. JUNE •Henry Lee Stringer, 34, is arrest ed for the murder of his two chil dren, the children's mother and their grandmother. Stringer was arrested two days after the one-year anniver sary of their death. •Plans are submitted for a 78-acre commercial project near Ga. Hwy. 211 and Ga. Hwy. 124 in Barrow County that could include 624,000 square feet of retail space and a hotel. •The Hoschton City Council learns that months after getting a state loan of $2.6 million for improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment plant, the city will still be $445,000 short of the low bid of $3,045 mil lion for the project. The rising costs of concrete and steel are blamed for the price difference. •The Braselton Town Council approves its 2008 fiscal year budget, which includes a 10 percent increase in projected revenue. •Braselton is unable to provide reuse water to residential customers until the town builds a storage tank for the highly-treated wastewater. •Plans for two hotels near Ga. Hwy. 53 and 1-85 are submitted to Braselton officials. •Henry Lee Stringer, Auburn, pleads not guilty in the murders of his two children, their mother and grandmother during a fire at a Hoschton house in 2006. •Confusion about the availability of Jackson County water hastens the burning of a Hoschton house. •The Braselton Town Council looks at turning the old library on Frances Street into a welcome center for the town. JULY •The Census Bureau releases data showing that Braselton had 2,573 residents, as of July 1, 2006. Town officials, however, estimate that Braselton actually has 4,000-5,000 residents. •The post offices in Braselton and Hoschton continue to grow, but post masters say there are no plans to expand or combine the facilities. •The Hoschton Police Department begins moving into its new office in the city’s industrial park. •The Braselton Town Council approves plans for a mixed-use proj ect near the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 211 and Ga. Hwy. 124 in Barrow County that includes plans for a hotel. AUGUST •Construction moves along on the new Gum Springs Elementary School, located next to West Jackson Middle School. •The Colleen O. Williams Theatre opens in Winder. •Classes start with a higher stu dent enrollment for the Jackson County School System, especially its schools in West Jackson. •Gwinnett County Public Schools announces that it is expecting 7,200 new students, bringing the system’s enrollment to 159,258 for the new school year. •The Braselton Town Council calls for a referendum to ask voters to approve a measure, a Tax Allocation District, which would help revitalize the historic downtown. •The Braselton Town Council approves a rezoning request that could bring two new hotels to “Park 85 at Braselton,” located off Ga. Hwy. 53 in Jackson County. •The Barrow County Board of Commissioners names 10 peo ple to the Impact Fee Advisory Committee. •An audit of the city’s finances shows that Hoschton ended 2006 with a net loss of $53,700 for the town's general fund and $127,000 in red ink for the city’s water and sewer fund. •Hoschton resident Rick Bridgeman is named the new district attorney of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit, which includes Jackson, Barrow and Banks counties. •Former District Attorney Tim Madison is indicted on multiple theft charges. His wife, Linn Jones Madison, and a former assistant dis trict attorney, Brett Williams, are also indicted. •Jackson County leaders narrow the search for a new county manager to five candidates, but are unable to hire the top choices. SEPTEMBER •Following qualifying for elec tions, the two seats on the November ballot for the Braselton Town Council remain uncontested. •Braselton is approved for a $4.3 million state loan by the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) to help finance the con struction of approximately 24,000 feet of 12-inch and six-inch water mains to a one million gallon stor age tank. •The Hoschton City Council extends the deadline for accepting proposals to manage the depot. OCTOBER •A city committee recommends that management of the Hoschton Depot stay in city hands. •The Hoschton City Council dis cusses several 2008 budget propos als, including those that contain the implementation of a city property tax or a drastic cut in police ser vices. •Residents of Chateau Elan tell the Braselton Planning Commission that proposals to change zoning condi tions of a retail project on Ga. Hwy. 211 and Liberty Church Road could adversely affect the area. •Hamilton Mill United, a group of Hamilton Mill homeowners fighting Gwinnett County Public Schools’ latest redistricting plan, enlists the help of several local politicians in their quest to keep the Hamilton Mill neighborhood from being divided and sent to two separate elementary schools. •Mayfield Dairy celebrates its 10th anniversary in Braselton. •Candidates for the Hoschton City Council say growth is a top concern for the city. •Construction of new homes in Jackson County falls dramatically for the first nine months of 2007, dropping by 27-55 percent. NOVEMBER •Hoschton residents learn they will have three new council members take office in December. Meanwhile, Braselton voters approve a Tax Allocation District (TAD) to help redevelop downtown Braselton. •The latest 2008 budget pro posed by the Hoschton City Council includes no property taxes and no reduction in police officers. •The Hoschton City Council votes to keep the management, promotion and marketing of the historic depot in city hands. •The Braselton Town Council denies a request to allow drive-in windows for a potential coffee shop or pharmacy in a retail project on Ga. Hwy. 211, near Chateau Elan. •After receiving more than 1,200 comment forms from Hamilton Mill residents, Gwinnett County Public Schools revises its proposed redis tricting maps to keep the subdivi sion intact at the elementary school level. •Darrell Hampton is named the new county manager of Jackson County. •Hampton Inn submits plans for a new hotel in Braselton, to be locat ed directly behind Wendy's on Ga. Hwy. 53. •Mill Creek High School is put on lock down after a fight erupts between several groups of students. •The Barrow County Board of Commissioners agree to seek fund ing for the new Northeast Georgia Arts and Convention Center, to be located at the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 53 and Ga. Hwy. 316. •The developer of a mixed-use project with townhouses and com mercial/office building space on Ga. Hwy. 124 in Barrow County with draws his plans with Braselton. DECEMBER •The Hoschton City Council approves the 2008 budget and its new council members — Richard Shepherd, Tom Walden and Theresa Kenerly — are sworn into office. •The Hoschton City Council unveils its plans for managing the city’s depot. •Braselton receives a $500,000 state grant for a streetscape project in downtown. •The Jackson County Board of Education approves changes to the attendance zones of several coun ty elementary schools, due to the opening of Gum Springs Elementary School in West Jackson next school year. •New district attorney Rick Bridgeman announces that he will seek the death penalty against Henry Lee Stringer, who is accused of kill ing four people in a murder-arson case in Hoschton in 2006. •The Gwinnett County Board of Education approves a redistricting map that will affect 22,000 students, including those in the Mill Creek cluster. •A West Jackson developer tells the Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority that he will put off build ing a 400-plus residential project, due to the recent housing crunch. •A Jackson County Superior Court judge hears arguments from attorneys representing Braselton and Hoschton over a sewer service dispute to property that Hoschton annexed and rezoned in 2006. —Compiled by Kerri Testement J & J FLEA MARKET I 11661 HWY. 441 N. • ATHENS, GA 30607 ■ 706-613-2410 www.jandjfleamarket.com Thanks for making us Georgia's Biggest REAL Flea Market! 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