Newspaper Page Text
The
Vol. 3 No. 43
Your only locally-owned community newspaper
Serving the communities of Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Mill Creek, West Jackson and South Hall
Wednesday, February 13,2008
A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. BraseltonNews.com
Member of the
Georgia Press Association
250 copy
22 pages, 3 sections
Inside
JACKSON COUNTY
•Former Hoschton
council member to run
for sheriff
page 2A
BRASELTON
•Council waives water
connection fees for
church
page 3A
Sports:
•Mill Creek advances to
region quarterfinals
page IB
•State’s first lady hon
ors Mill Creek students
page 3A
Opinion:
• ‘Court ruling a blow to
Braselton TAD’
page 4A
Public safety:
•Employee denies entry
for firefighters, police
page 5A
•Church events
page 6B
•Obituaries
page5B
Braselton TAD moving forward despite ruling
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
The Georgia Supreme Court's decision this
week prohibiting the use of school property tax
funds to finance redevelopment projects won’t stop
Braselton’s plans.
The state’s highest court unanimously ruled in favor
of a Buckhead attorney, who challenged Georgia’s
Tax Allocation District (TAD) funding mechanism.
Braselton is one of several communities across the
state that is looking to a TAD to help revitalize an
area of their city or county. In November 2007, voters
approved development powers for Braselton to create a TAD in
its historic downtown area.
Monday’s decision by the Georgia Supreme Court poten
tially jeopardizes a number of those proposed TADS
across Georgia. Without using school property tax
funds, Braselton will need to limit its TAD bond
by half of the anticipated amount, said Mayor Pat
Graham. Although Braselton was planning for a $5
million bond for the downtown TAD, it may now
seek $2.5 million, said Graham. The town will have
to prioritize its projects for the TAD.
Graham was giving a presentation about TADs to
a committee of the Jackson County Area Chamber of
Commerce when news broke of the Supreme Court’s
decision.
Graham said Tuesday that the town’s effort to establish a
TAD is not in doubt.
“It’s a bump in the road, but we’re still moving forward,”
she said.
Braselton needed the approval of the Jackson County Board
of Commissioners and Jackson County Board of Education
to help establish the town’s TAD. Now, just the BOC will be
involved.
The town’s plan for its TAD include the re-aligning of
Ga. Hwy. 124 at the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 53, creating a
“town green,” building an amphitheater and making additional
improvements through a streetscape project.
TADs provide a mechanism to freeze tax revenue in a blight
ed or economically under-utilitized area, where incentives are
needed to attract or enhance private investment, according to
the Georgia Municipal Association. Atlantic Station is one of
the most-widely known uses of a TAD in Georgia.
See TAD on page 3A
Georgia Supreme Court prohibits use of school taxes for TADs
GRAHAM
Valentine’s Day love
‘STILL YOUNG AT HEART’
Charles and Lois Shaw, Braselton, are shown with a photo from their wedding on Feb. 14,1958. The
couple held a ceremony to renew their vows on Saturday. Photo by Kerri Testement
Braselton couple celebrates 50 years of marriage
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Charles and Lois Shaw still write each other love
notes — even after 50 years of marriage.
Valentine’s Day on Thursday will mark the 50th wed
ding anniversary for the Braselton couple. On Saturday,
the couple renewed their vows at Chicopee Baptist
Church in South Hall.
“To me, it’s a blessing from God,” said Lois Shaw.
“We’re still young at heart. We still love each other. He
still lights up my life.”
The couple’s love story began in September 1950,
when Charles Shaw moved to Mobile, Ala. Two days
after arriving, he met Lois Lassiter, who was in sixth
grade at the time. Lois said she fell in love with Charles
on that day and they soon began “dating” — even if
Lois’ mother supervised the dates.
Charles asked Lois to marry him on Dec. 21,1957. On
Valentine’s Day the following year, Charles’ father, the
Rev. C.H. Shaw, married the couple.
Fifty years ago, the cost of the wedding cake was $25.
For last weekend’s renewal ceremony, the Shaws spent
$300 on a cake.
“Back then, it was basically family and church mem
bers,” Lois Shaw described of her wedding.
See LOVE on page 2A
B0E looking at new
facilities for JCCHS
Lack of state funds
for new construction
wilt limit projects
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Following complaints from par
ents, the Jackson County Board of
Education is looking at potential
improvements at Jackson County
Comprehensive High School.
Monday night, superintendent
Shannon Adams outlined what a fea
sibility study — which has already
started — will review at JCCHS.
The anticipated six-week study
will review the feasibility and costs
More Inside
The Jackson County Board
of Education may approve
new report cards that don’t
include the traditional
“ABCs.” See page 2A
of building a choral facility, adding
more classrooms (including a poten
tial two-story building), constructing
a multi-purpose facility and moving
vocational labs back to the JCCHS
campus. Currently, some vocational
See JCCHS on page 2A
Madison plea hearing set March 4
A plea hearing has been
set for March 4 in Banks
County in the case of for
mer District Attorney Tim
Madison, who was indicted
in August on theft charges.
Madison and two others,
his wife Linn Jones and
former ADA Anthony Brett
Williams, were charged
on allegations of diverting public
funds while the three worked in
the Piedmont Judicial Circuit DA’s
office.
All three plead not guilty to the
charges in December, but March’s
hearing could see a change in those
pleas. A pretrial conference was
scheduled late last week between
state prosecutors and the
defendants.
DeKalb County Judge
Robert Mallis is hearing
the case. All three judges
in the Piedmont Circuit
recused themselves from
the case.
Madison resigned last
June as district attorney
following a series of investigative
newspaper articles published in The
Jackson Herald, sister publication
of The Braselton News. Georgia
Attorney General Thurbert Baker
subsequently launched an investiga
tion into the DA’s office. That probe
led to the theft indictments in Banks
County last August.
MADISON
Barrow BOC approves Bear Creek project
Bond failure leaves Jackson
rec leaders in quandary
BY KRISTI REED
The Barrow County Board of
Commissioners unanimously
approved an intergovernmen
tal agreement Tuesday night with
Jackson, Oconee and Athens-
Clarke counties which will provide
for the construction and operation
of a boat ramp at the Bear Creek
Reservoir. The four counties com
prise the Upper Oconee Basin Water
Authority which was created for
the purpose of managing the area’s
water supply.
The boat ramp will be situated
on a five -acre lot located on Hwy
330 in Jackson County. As part of
the agreement, Barrow County will
pay 25 percent of the approximately
$260,000 construction costs. The
county will also pay 25 percent of
the ongoing operating costs.
Chief Administrator Keith Lee
discussed the rules and regulations
which will govern the boat ramp
facility. Lee told board members that
all persons using the facilities must
comply with Department of Natural
Resource regulations regarding fish
ing and boating. Additionally, as
part of the facility’s security mea
sures, visitors will be required to
check in at a designated area and
carry identification at all times.
The facility will be open Fridays
through Saturdays from 7 a.m. to sun
down from March 1 to the Saturday
before Thanksgiving. Only class-A
electric powered fishing boats will
be allowed to access the reservoir.
Currently, the fees are set at $5 per
person per visit.
Lee also presented the board with
a request to approve a contract with
Wachovia for the county’s lease pro
gram. The 2008 budget included
$1.6 million in capital items to be
purchased through the lease pro
gram. Wachovia will charge the
county 2.5 percent interest for a
total cost of $1.75 million for the
budgeted vehicles, equipment and
library improvements. The lease
funds will be held in an interest
bearing account and disbursed as
needed.
District 3 Commissioner Bill
Healan opposed the contract saying
See BOC on page 3A
BY ANGELA GARY
Jackson County recreation leaders
plan to meet this week to discuss
how to move forward with increas
ing and improving facilities after the
$15 million bond referendum failed
last week.
“We are meeting this week to dis
cuss future plans,” recreation direc
tor Rick Sanders said. “The chal
lenges we face are real and they are
needs not wants. We will focus on
our immediate needs using our cur
rent SPLOST funds. I want to thank
our committee and the citizens who
voted on this important issue.”
Last week, the bond referendum
failed by a 6,311-6,056 vote.
The bonds would have funded
a new recreation center at Lamar
Murphy Park that would have includ
ed two gymnasiums, an indoor pool,
racquetball courts, multipurpose
rooms, meeting rooms and office
space. The bond would also have
provided funds to buy 340 acres for
recreation projects throughout the
county and expand some facilities
at Lamar Murphy Park and West
Jackson Park in Hoschton.
