Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Braselton
Jackson County School System
Town OK’s sewer use requests
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
The Braselton Town Council
approved sewer allocations on
Monday for several new develop
ments.
Braselton has a sewer allocation
ordinance that requires develop
ers to request sewer service. Town
officials then determine which
projects get what amount based
on certain criteria and the amount
of sewer service available to new
projects.
Typically, the projects requesting
sewer allocations from Braselton
are those that plan to move forward
with development soon.
The town council approved a
total of 42,250 gallons of sewer
allocation, with tap fees due to
Braselton hitting $1.7 million.
The council also granted a total
of 210,550 gallons of sewer alloca
tion for the fall, with $1.2 million
due to the town at that time.
The Braselton Town Council
granted sewer allocations to the
following developers: Halverson,
mixed retail and office space
behind Publix on Ga. Hwy. 211;
Mayfield Dairy, expansion; One
Best, LLC, Braselton Crossing
development on Ga. Hwy. 124,
next to Sharon Baptist Church;
Lensned, Liberty Village retail
project on Hwy. 211; Discovery
Development, Discovery Point day
care center on Hwy. 211; Suches
Development (Olde Towne), retail
development at 5391 Hwy. 53.
Halverson and Mayfield Dairy
requested a sewer allocation in
December. At the time, Halverson
received 54,000 gallons and the lat
est request represents the remainder
of their total allocation, according
to town manager Jennifer Scott.
Mayfield Dairy later declined
its December allocation, when it
didn’t start its expansion project.
The company is now ready to
begin its expansion, Scott said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the Braselton
Town Council:
•met in a closed-door meeting
for 15 minutes on Monday to dis
cuss “pending or potential litiga
tion.” The council took no action
when the meeting was opened to
the public.
✓
•approved a request by Northeast
Georgia Health System to hold a
hearing for abandoning Maynard
Street, an unopened street next to
the health system’s medical office
on Ga. Hwy. 53. The street is
shown on a plat of the town, but
was never opened. The health sys
tem wants to officially close the
street and give the land to the
adjoining property owners.
•awarded a bid of $339,782 to
KSP Enterprises, Inc., Auburn,
to expand a water line on Tom
White Road. The water line will be
extended from Tom White Road,
go under 1-85 and connect to Guy
Cooper Road. It will provide a
water pressure loop for service
in the area. The project is the
final portion of the town's phase
five water system improvement
program. Braselton received 17
bids for the project ranging from
$339,782 to more than $570,000.
•awarded a bid of $836,900
to Caldwell Tanks of Louisville,
Kent., for a 500,00-gallon elevat
ed reuse water storage tank on
Thompson Mill Road. Braselton
officials initially wanted a 300,000
storage tank, but said the bid price
would have been $2.33 per gal
lon. An alterative storage tank for
500,000 gallons was proposed for
$836,900, or $1.67 per gallon.
The town's engineer said only two
companies in the South construct
water storage tanks less than 2
million gallons. One of those com
panies, Caldwell, placed a bid. The
town asked the second company to
make a bid, but failed to submit
one.
•approved an alcoholic beverage
license to Jonathan Sliger to sell
wine, malt beverages and distilled
spirits for consumption, including
Sunday sales, at Tequila Sports
Bar and Grill, at 6750 Ga. Hwy.
53, Suite 101.
•approved the transfer of an alco
holic beverage license to Thomas
Kitchin to sell wine, malt bever
ages and distilled spirits by the
packing from Liberty Crossing on
Hwy. 53 to 6750 Hwy. 53, Suite
101.
•approved a resolution adopting
Jackson County's pre-disaster haz
ard mitigation plan.
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The Jackson Co. Republican Party
Would like you to meet us for
breakfast the second Sat. of each
month, 8:00 at The Jefferson
House. For more information, call
706-652-2967 or email
fishyglass@yahoo.com Pd.os/os
BANKS COUNTY
Igl AMERICAN LEGION
Post 215
Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 pd.oe/os
VETERANS OF
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Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr.
Each 4th Monday, 7:00 p.m.
Mike Buffington, Commander
Phone 706-335-6532 263
JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
Jefferson City Clubhouse
6:30 p.m. • (706) 367-1400
Mark Bradley, President
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UNITY LODGE
F & A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Dwight Wier • 706-367-5882
Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260
JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB
Meets Tuesdays
Jefferson City Clubhouse
12:30 p.m. *(706)654-2237
Clay Eubanks, President
260
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Commerce Rec. Dept. Post 93
Carson Street - 1st Mon. night
Each Month, 7:30 p.m.
335-6400
BANKS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
meets first Monday each month
7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial
Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441
North in Homer pd.-2/2008
JEFFERSON
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Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Harvie Lance, Commander
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Faith Bible Class meets every Sunday morning
at 10:00 a.m. It is a place where strangers
become friends and friends become family.
706-367-5650
White Plains Baptist Church
3650 Hwy. 124 West, Jefferson, GA 30549
Company to lease school system’s unused airwaves
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
S everal unused airspace fre
quencies will bring some
cash to the Jackson County
School System.
Clearwire — a wireless broad
band Internet service provider — has
offered a 30-year lease that is expect
ed to generate a total of $1.28 million
for the county school system.
The Kirkland, Wash.-based com
pany will give the school system a
down payment of $40,000, and make
monthly payments based on a tiered
system.
For the first five years, Clearwire
will pay $2,300 a month to the school
system for access to four frequencies.
By the end of the lease, Clearwire
will be paying $4,800 a month.
Former superintendent Andy
Byers secured the rights for the
four frequencies from the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
several years ago, with the intention
of using them for television broad
casts, according to Bob Betz, direc
tor of information technology. The
FCC provided the free frequencies
for school systems to provide educa
tional programs, he added.
The frequencies were never used.
but are ideal for broadband Internet
access, Betz said. The FCC has
identified the frequencies as a “new
wave” of Internet access, he added.
Superintendent Shannon Adams
admitted that when Clearwire sent
a letter asking the school system
to use the frequencies through a
lease agreement, he thought it was
a scam.
“Well, I don’t understand it, but I’ll
take the money,” joked school board
chairperson Kathy Wilbanks.
Clearwire launched its first mar
ket in August 2004, according to
the company’s website. It provides
service in 16 states and in Europe,
but currently doesn’t have service in
Georgia.
Betz said the company may not
use the frequencies for three to
four years. The frequencies serve a
35-mile radius from Pendergrass.
The deal with Clearwire also
includes the Athens-Clarke County
School System and the Northeast
Georgia RESA, Betz said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the Jackson
County Board of Education:
•heard from Jeff Sanchez, assis
tant superintendent, on the budget
review process. Sanchez said the
school system is waiting for Gov.
Sonny Perdue to sign some legisla
tion tied to school funding, including
a proposed 2.5 percent teacher pay
increase. “We’ll have lots to talk
about when we get to the retreat,”
Sanchez said.
•learned that the BOE’s annual
retreat will be held Thursday through
Saturday, May 1-3, at Glen-Ella
Springs Inn, Clarkesville. The retreat
will start at 5 p.m. on May 1 and end
at noon on May 3.
•learned that Bowen & Watson has
requested an exit interview with the
county school system. The company
handled all of the school system’s
construction projects for the $70 mil
lion bond package. Superintendent
Adams said Bowen & Watson has
done an excellent job with the con
struction projects.
•scheduled a called meeting on
Monday, April 21, at 6 p.m., at the
BOE office, to hear a student disci
pline appeal.
•heard from Jerry Pittman, who
voiced concerns about working
conditions in the county’s schools.
Pittman asked the board to con
sider annual surveys about adminis
trators submitted confidentially by
staff members. He also asked that
the job performance of principals
be reviewed annually. Pittman said
his wife was fired from the county
school system in 2006, but he still
has concerns about the county school
system.
•learned about a proposal to amend
the board’s policy on public par
ticipation at board meetings. The
guidelines propose that personnel
issues involving individual employ
ees, issues involving individual stu
dents and pending litigation are not
open for public comment. The board
will also limit public comments to a
total of 30 minutes, but can extend
the time. The BOE is expected to
take action on the proposed changes
in May.
•learned that construction at Gum
Springs Elementary School is con
tinuing to do well. Crews are expect
ed to start waxing the floors on April
24, in anticipation of furniture being
moved into the school on May 13.
The building may be released to the
county school system around the
third week of May. Gum Springs
Elementary School will open next
school year.
Barrow County
Firefighters respond to three blazes in single day in Barrow County
Barrow County firefighters responded to three
fires on Friday, one of which is considered “suspi
cious.”
Firefighters were called to a residential fire at 900
Ode Peppers Road, Bethlehem, on Friday. When
crews arrived, they found a vacant house involved
in heavy fire.
“Due to the intensity of the fire, crews operated
in a defensive mode of attack,” said Lt. Scott Dakin,
a spokesperson for the Barrow County Fire and
Emergency Services.
The house was completely destroyed by the fire.
The cause of the fire is listed as suspicious and is
under investigation by the Barrow Fire Investigation
Team and the Barrow County Sheriff's Office.
Later on Friday morning, firefighters responded to
a business fire at 138 Etheridge Road, Auburn.
Firefighters arriving after 7 a.m. found light smoke
showing from Accents Architectural Millwork.
Upon investigation, firefighters located the source
of the smoke from a fire that had originated in saw
dust that had accumulated under and inside a table
saw.
“The firefighters extinguished the fire and removed
the burnt sawdust and the saw from the building,”
said Lt. Dakin.
Damage was contained to the saw and the sur
rounding sawdust pile. All employees had evacuated
the building prior to the fire department's arrival. No
injuries were reported.
On Friday night, firefighters responded to a
residential fire in the 800 block of Crystal Meadows
Drive, off Rockwell Church Road.
Firefighters said there was light smoke in the
basement of the house. A resident had extinguished
the small fire prior to firefighters' arrival.
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