Newspaper Page Text
Serving the communities of Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Mill Creek, West Jackson and South Hall
Wednesday, January 23,2008
Vol. 3 No. 40 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. BraseltonNews.com 22 pages, 3 sections
Inside
•New local theatre
group to present show
page 3A
JACKSON COUNTY
•BOC postpones action
on impact fees
page 2A
HALL COUNTY
•Officers training to
enforce immigration law
page 2A
Sports:
•Swim Hawks split team
for meets
page 2B
Opinion:
•‘County deal for
Braves should have been
in the open’.... page 4A
Public safety:
•Woman threatens cop
during DUI arrest
page 5A
•Church events
page 7A
•Obituaries
page 6A
Braselton planners OK commercial zoning requests
Property owners plan to assemble tracts
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
The signs posted along Ga. Hwy. 53 and
Lagree Duck Road in Braselton say it all -
this area is for sale.
Several property owners near the “tri
angle,” a sharp intersection where the state
highway and Lagree Duck Road meet, have
posted real estate signs indicating the poten
tial for the area to be become commercial
developments.
Already, several other properties along
Hwy. 53 have been annexed and zoned com
mercial in Braselton in recent months.
On Tuesday, the Braselton Planning
Commission recommended approval of
three requests from property owners seek
ing commercial zoning in the town. The
town council will hold a public hearing on
the requests on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 4 p.m.
and is expected to vote on the proposals on
Monday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. The town council
will also decide if the properties should be
annexed into Braselton from unincorporated
Jackson County.
Drs. Jay and Rehka Desai own two prop
erties in the area - a .47-acre parcel on Hwy.
53 that currently includes an office for North
Georgia Insurance Center and a one-acre
parcel at the intersection of Hwy. 53 and
Lagree Duck Road that now includes an
office for Waypoint Realty. The Desais are
seeking General-Commercial (G-C) zoning
in Braselton for the properties.
Kedrick Scott of Wood Brothers and Scott,
said there are no current plans to develop
the properties. The Desais want to have the
See ZONING on page 8A
HALF-TIME PERFORMANCE
The MC Steppers at Mill Creek High School performed at Tuesday’s basketball game against North
Gwinnett High School. The step team includes more than 30 members. Photo by Kristi Reed
Stepping Out
Mill Creek’s step team gaining fans at games
BY KRISTI REED
alftime is not a good time to go for snacks
if you are fortunate enough to be at a
Mill Creek High School home basketball
game when the MC Steppers are scheduled to per
form. Mill Creek’s Uniquely Gold Step Team has
been gaining fans this season with exciting, energetic
performances.
Step team coach Lorraine Smith said the team’s
attitude is what keeps fans watching when the MC
Steppers perform.
“[Attitude] draws the crowd in and makes them
enjoy the competition; makes them enjoy the perfor
mance. If it’s a dead performance, everybody tends
to walk out because it’s halftime. You’ve got to do
something to pull them in and make them stay,” Smith
said.
The step team has had no problem convincing the
crowds to keep watching. Step team performances
have been routinely greeted with enthusiastic cheers
and applause.
Step is an African inspired dance in which perform
ers use their hands and feet to create percussion sound
with synchronized movement. Smith said stepping
has grown in popularity in recent years. Though
step originated in Africa, it became popular in the
United States when several sororities and fraternities
incorporated step dance competitions as part of their
social activities.
“[Stepping] has grown since then and it has moved
down into the high schools and the middle schools
and churches. It just everywhere now,” Smith said.
See STEP on page 8A
TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PLACE
Rep. Tommy Benton, Rep. Terry England and Barrow County
Board of Commissioners chairman Doug Garrison were on hand
Tuesday night as the Ten Commandments were once again placed
on display in a Barrow County government building.
Photo by Kristi Reed
Ten Commandments
return to county building
BY KRISTI REED
The Ten Commandments are
once again on display in a Barrow
County government building.
Three years ago, county officials
were forced to remove the bibli
cal laws from the courthouse after
a prolonged legal battle with the
American Civil Liberties Union.
Barrow County’s struggle led to
the introduction of state legislation
which allows local governments
to display nine historical docu
ments as part of a ‘Foundations of
American Law and Government’
exhibit. The Ten Commandments
are part of that display.
In November, Barrow County
commissioners voted unanimously
to install the exhibit.
State Representative Terry
England presided over Tuesday
night’s ceremony at the request of
board of commissioners chairman
Doug Garrison.
“I wouldn’t have missed this.
It’s been a long time coming,” said
England.
England told those in attendance
that Barrow County “took the lead
in the battle against good and evil,
in one sense of the word, a couple
of years ago.”
England then introduced Dr.
Jody Hice, president of Ten
Commandments Georgia Inc.
Ten Commandments Georgia is
a non-profit organization which
supported Barrow County in its
legal fight with the ACLU. Dr.
Hice delivered the invocation at
Tuesday night’s ceremony.
“I think it is so fitting that this
display goes back up here tonight
after all that has taken place here
in Barrow County,” Hice said.
State Representative Tommy
Benton was also on hand to help
place the religious tenets back on
display. England said Benton was
See TEN on page 8A
Barrow to spend $52.3 million for new county detention center
BY KRISTI REED
Barrow County Commissioners voted last
week to approve requested expenditures of
$52.3 million for the new Barrow County
criminal justice facility.
The facility itself, which will include a
new courthouse and jail, is projected to cost
$47.2 million. The remaining $5.1 million
will be spent on architectural fees, equip
ment, furnishings and other related costs.
Michael Fischer, assistant administrator
for Barrow County, told commissioners that
county officials and Turner Construction
have worked for months to bring the proj
ect in under budget. The $47.2 million
represents a guaranteed maximum price for
delivery which will enable the county to fin
ish construction with $33,000 remaining in
allocated funds.
Fischer said that while $33,000 may not
sound like much money compared to total
project costs, the initial construction propos
al would have resulted in a $583,000 deficit.
Currently, the county estimates it will have
$46.4 million in bond proceeds, $4.3 million
in interest earned and $1.6 million in future
interest to fund the project.
Fischer said Turner Construction was
selected as construction manager due to the
company’s experience in jail and courthouse
facilities. As a condition of the agree
ment approved by the commission, Turner
Construction will be responsible for any
cost overruns.
Construction has already begun at the
new facility which is located off Barrow
Park Drive. Fischer told commissioners
that Turner Construction intends to have the
facility substantially completed by Feb. 5,
2009. The guaranteed delivery date is April
1, 2009. Final completion is scheduled for
April 10, 2009.
District 2 Commissioner Bill Brown
praised Turner Construction and govern
ment staff for reducing project costs.
“Everybody has shown a willingness to
come together and work. To bring it in
under budget speaks well of our staff and
their staff,” he said.
Ken Alabiso, deputy operations manager
of Turner’s Atlanta office, was also present
More News
The planning commission notes
the decline in the number of zoning
requests - an indication of worsen
ing economic conditions.
See page 8A
at Tuesday night’s meeting. Alabiso has
been assigned to the Barrow County crimi
nal justice facility project.
“It’s a pleasure working with Barrow
County,” he said. “It’s been a really good
group effort and we’re looking forward to a
successful completion.”
