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The Vol. 3 No. 51 Your only locally-owned community newspaper Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Mill Creek, West Jackson and Barrow County Wednesday, April 9,2008 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. BraseltonNews.com BarrowJournal.com Member of the Georgia Press Association 250 copy 26 pages, 3 sections Inside •Mill Creek student art to be displayed at High Museum in Atlanta page 7B BARROW COUNTY •An in-depth analysis of Barrow’s audit page 5A HALL COUNTY •Residents oppose retail, warehouse plans for Ga. Hwy. 211 page 2A Sports: •Hawks ranked No. 7 in state page 1B Opinion: •‘Barrow finances look strong, but tough deci sions are ahead’ page 4A Public safety: •Braselton police end chase on 1-85 of gas theft suspect page 7A •Church events page 4B •Obituaries page5B PETCO to open distribution center in Braselton Company to occupy vacant building on Ga. Hwy. 124 BY KERRI TESTEMENT PETCO — a national retailer of pet food, supplies and services — plans to open a large distribution center in Braselton. The San Diego-based company is slated to open its distribution center in a vacant 506,200 square-foot facil ity on Ga. Hwy. 124, near Ga. Hwy. 211. The building is located in the Braselton Business Park in Barrow County. “We are delighted that PETCO has chosen Braselton as the location for their new distribution facility,” Braselton mayor Pat Graham said in a statement on Monday. “We appreciate their investment and the new jobs they are bringing to Braselton.” Gov. Sonny Perdue's office reported on Monday that PETCO is expected to invest $33 million in the Braselton distribution center that will serve the Southeast. At full capacity, the company plans to have up to 277 employ ees, according to a statement from the governor. “Georgia’s strength in logistics makes it a top choice for national retailers like PETCO,” Gov. Perdue said in a statement. “Our robust transportation network and ready workforce are a natural fit for distribution centers.” Dave Watson, senior vice president of Grubb and Ellis Company, said he expects PETCO to move into the building in 120 days. PETCO signed a 12-year lease for See PETCO on page 6A PETCO’S FACILITY PETCO will move into a 506,200 square-foot building on Ga. Hwy. 124, near Ga. Hwy. 211 in Barrow County. A Sears distribution operation moved out of the building last year and relocated to Pendergrass. Firefighters among those honored BRAVED FLAMES Mayor Chip Thompson presents an award to Winder firefighters Barry Garrett and William Reidling. The city honored several employees and citizens on Tuesday. Garrett and Reidling volunteered to travel to south Georgia last year as part of the effort to combat the largest forest fire in the state’s his tory. For more photos, see page 3A. Photo by Kristi Reed Not enough interest in new Hoschton sewer line BY KERRI TESTEMENT Hoschton is “closing the curtain” on its effort to have existing busi nesses help fund a new sewer line in the city’s industrial area, according to a council member. Two months ago, the city council approved a $118,000 bid to install a new sewer line along Ga. Hwy. 53, from Jopena Blvd. to Nancy Industrial. The sewer line would serve several existing businesses currently using septic tanks. However, the city council agreed that it would have to receive $59,000 from the businesses that could con nect to the sewer line by March 20. And when that deadline passed, the city only had 60 percent of the funds from those businesses in Hoschton’s bank account. “We got a lot of good inten tions, but not enough checks,” said Richard Green, chairperson of the city's water, waste and environ mental services committee. Hoschton will hand those checks back to the businesses — and take a second look at enticing com panies to help bring sewer service to the industrial area. Green said. “We’re going to end this action and start again,” he said on Thursday. Green said installing the sewer line to the industrial area would be a cheaper project now than waiting until later. OTHER BUSINESS In other business, the Hoschton City Council: •learned that the additions to the See SEWER on page 6A GREEN Winder council considering large fire tax hike BY KRISTI REED inder's fire tax millage rate could soon increase 39.5 percent if the city council approves the rate change as part of the 2009 budget. The council voted Tuesday to notify the public that it is considering raising the millage rate from 2.15 mills to 3 mills. City Administrator Bob Beck said the amount would represent a tax of approximately $34 per year on a $100,000 home. The city collects between $650,000 and $700,000 annually from the fire tax. That amount is used to sup port the operations of the Winder Fire Department. Currently, the fire tax provides approximately 37 percent of the fire department's operating costs. If the new rate is approved, the percentage will increase to 47 percent. Last year, the City of Winder hired three new firemen, which improved the city's ISO rating from Category 4 to Category 3. In addition to funding the additional sala ries, the fire tax revenue will be used to offset the cost of replacing the department's 1975 ladder truck. The city will hold three public hearings over the next few months regarding the proposed tax increase. PAWN SHOP FEE Another revenue item under scrutiny is Winder's pawn shop fee. The city increased the fee for a pawn license from $200 to $1,200 in February 2007. According to Chief of Police Stanley Rodgers, this increase only partially covers the costs incurred by his department in policing the activities of the nine pawn See WINDER on page 3A Garbage rates to increase BY KERRI TESTEMENT does allow an annual rate increase. Residential garbage rates in Hoschton will slightly increase, start ing next month. The city council approved an increase on Monday for residential waste pick-up from $14.50 to $15 a month, effective May 1. The move comes after a request from the city's garbage provider. Waste Pro, to increase the rate it charges the city from $ 11.69 to $ 12.25 a month. Hoschton also charges its customers an administrative fee. Council member Richard Green said the city's contract with Waste Pro Mayor Bill Copenhaver said the company has been finding ways to conserve fuel amid rising gasoline costs, but still needed a rate increase from its customers. OTHER BUSINESS In other business, the Hoschton City Council: •learned that the city is awaiting the final documents from the Georgia Department of Transportation related to the re-alignment of Ga. Hwy. 332 at Towne Center Parkway. See TRASH on page 6A Building permits drop in Braselton BY KERRI TESTEMENT The number of new residen tial building permits in Braselton issued during the first quarter of 2008 dropped 52 percent, compared to the same time last year. Overall, the number of new resi dential permits issued in Jackson County fell more than 60 percent during the first three months of 2008, compared to the first quarter of 2007. An analysis of building permits issued in the county and its nine cities shows that the new residential market in Jackson County is slow ing down. In the first three months of 2007, there were 337 new residential permits issued: for the same time period in 2008, that figure fell to 132 — accounting for a 60 percent drop. In Jackson County, cities issue their own building permits while the county approves permits for unincorporated areas. The three largest government agencies that issue building permits — Jackson County, Braselton and Jefferson — also reflect a sharp decline in new residential growth. In the first quarter of 2008, Jefferson issued 10 new residential permits, compared to 63 during the same time period in 2007, marking an 84 percent drop. Unincorporated Jackson County’s permits declined by 56 percent, from 134 issued in the first quarter of 2007 to 58 in the first quarter of 2008. Braselton issued 102 building permits in the first quarter of 2007, and 48 in the first quarter of 2008, a 52 percent decline. Braselton’s See PERMITS on page 3A First Quarter Building Permits Area/Town 2007 2008 Unincorp. Jackson Co. 134 Braselton 102 Jefferson 63 Pendergrass 18 Commerce 9 Maysville 5 Hoschton 4 Arcade 1 Talmo 0 Nicholson 1 58 48 10 0 4 6 2 0 0 4 *The first quarter includes January, February and March.