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Your only locally-owned community newspaper
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Mill Creek, West Jackson and Barrow County
Wednesday, November 12,2008
Vol. 4 No. 30 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com
Member of the
Georgia Press Association
250 copy
20 pages, 2 sections
Inside
News
Tractor Display
Hoschton will welcome vin
tage tractors for a family-
friendly event on Friday
and Saturday. See 3A
Braselton
Sewer Deal?
Braselton offers Hall County
a sewer deal centering on
two area projects. See 3A
Sports
Painful Loss
JCCHS Panthers close
season with 35-0 loss.
See 1B
Top Meet
The Mill Creek girls’ varsity
cross country team places
in state competition.
See 1B
Editorial
‘Saying “no” to Detroit bail
out’ See 4A
Public Safety
Handicapped parking irks
drunk man See 6A
Church News 4B
Obituaries 9B
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Packed Meeting
Wearing red shirts in opposition to a zoning propos
al, members of the Hoschton Braselton Community
Association packed Thursday’s meeting of the Braselton
Town Council. Photo by Kerri Testement
By Kerri Testement
kerri @ mainstreetnews. coni
The “Red Shirts” got what
they wanted — denial of indus
trial plans for a site on Ga.
Hwy. 124 in Barrow County.
In a 3-0 vote, the Braselton
Town Council denied a
request by Don Panoz and
Fountainhead Development
to amend the future land use
plan designation of 61.8 acres
from general commercial/busi
ness and high density residen
tial to light industrial/ware
house. Panoz is the founder of
Chateau Elan.
Mayor Pat Graham, and
council members Dudley Ray
and Richard Mayberry voted
to deny the request on Monday.
Council member Tony Funari
excused himself from the pub
lic hearing and vote, and coun
cil member Ralph Richardson
Jr. didn’t attend Monday’s
meeting.
The move followed a rec
ommendation by the town’s
planning commission to deny
the request.
More than 70 people from
the Hoschton Braselton
Community Association
packed Thursday’s public hear
ing to oppose the proposal.
The non-profit group was
dubbed the “Red Shirts” after
citizens wore red shirts to
meetings in Barrow County
in 2004 to oppose plans for a
distribution center next to a
subdivision on Hwy. 124.
Rick Matthews, president
of the Hoschton Braselton
Community Association, said
the group supports growth that
will attract people to the area.
“We "re not against growth,
we’re for quality growth,”
Matthews said on Thursday.
Edd Vanburen, a representa
tive for Panoz, said the site was
designated for industrial use in
November 2007. For 20 years,
the land was earmarked for
industrial use, he said.
“Light industrial would invite
local, small businesses to move
to Braselton,” Vanburen said.
Panoz Automotive
Development Company
manufactures sports cars in a
250,000 square-foot facility
across the state highway from
the property.
The land is under contract
and Panoz can’t speculate
what companies would operate
in the proposed development,
Vanburen said.
He added that neighbors
bought their land when the
property was designated for
light industrial use.
In October 2007, a developer
submitted plans for 106,700
See Council 3A
Braselton denies light industrial plans
Neighbors oppose request for Ga. Hwy. 124 property
Santa Arrives in Braselton
Christmas in Braselton Festival Kicks Off Holiday Season
Santa makes his first appearance in Braselton on top of a West Jackson fire truck
during Saturday’s Christmas in Braselton festival. More than 35 businesses, church
es, civic groups and clubs participated in the parade. A tree lighting ceremony, movie
in the town park and vendor booths were also part of the festival. For additional pho
tos, see page 3B. Photo by Kerri Testement
County school bus system to change
Pickups by grade, longer elementary day on the table
By Kerri Testement
kerri@mainstreetnews.com
A major shift for students who ride buses in
the Jackson County School System is in the
planning stages.
Among the proposals being discussed for next
fall is the transporting of K-5th grade students
on one bus, and 6th-12th grade students on a
separate bus. In addition, the district may add
more time to the length of the day for elemen
tary school students, officials said. It’s also pos
sible that middle and high school days will be
impacted in some minor way.
“We have not made any substantial chang
es in our bus transportation system since
1990,” Superintendent Shannon Adams said at
Thursday’s board of education work session.
“We have added routes, added drivers, added
buses, but no real changes in the way the actual
program is structured.”
Adams said despite an efficient transportation
department, too many students are spending too
much time on school buses after school.
“We would like to get kids home earlier in the
afternoons,” Adams said. “We have a lot of kids
on the bus too long.”
Adams called the proposed changes “signifi
cant.”
“It will affect a lot of people next year,” he
said. “Communication will be critical when we
do have something to put out as a way to address
the issue.”
A committee to address the transportation
changes will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Jackson County
School System
Superintendent
Shannon Adams
says the district’s
transportation sys
tem hasn’t changed
since 1990.
Other Business
In other business, the Jackson County BOE:
•held a closed-door session for five minutes
to discuss personnel. The board took no action
when the meeting was opened to the public.
•approved the expenditure of up to $5,000 in
sales tax funds to construct a sidewalk on the
campus of Gum Springs Elementary School.
Jackson County will also construct a sidewalk
near the school and connect it to the sidewalk
owned by the school system. Adams said con
struction will start fairly soon.
•approved spending up to $125,000 in sales
tax revenue for instruction technology upgrades
at West Jackson Middle School. Adams said the
school is lagging behind in instructional technol
ogy, compared to East Jackson Middle School
and Kings Bridge Middle School.
•heard a report about the dramatic dip in new
housing permits issued in several Northeast
Georgia counties. Jackson County permits
dropped from 448 in 2007 to 145 this year,
See Buses 3A
State grant may
help beautify 1-85 exit
By Kerri Testement
kerri @ mainstreetnews. com
Braselton is applying for a
state grant that could lead to
landscaping improvements near
Chateau Elan.
The town council approved
a request on Monday to
seek a Gateway Grant from
the Georgia Department of
Transportation to landscape the
rights-of-way of an 1-85 inter
change.
The plans call for various
trees, shrubs and ornamental
grass at the interstate inter
change next to Chateau Elan
on Ga. Hwy. 211 in Barrow
County.
The project is estimated to
cost $78,000 — of which, a
$50,000 state grant is available.
The town’s visitor’s bureau is
expected to pay the remaining
$28,000.
Town manager Jennifer Dees
said the DOT asked Braselton
to submit a landscaping plan
for the site, which was funded
by Chateau Elan.
The DOT has used the site
as a staging area for nearby
construction projects since
2002, according to mayor Pat
Graham. Construction equip
ment is stored at the property
leading to the 1-85 entrance
ramp.
However, council member
Ralph Richardson Jr. said the
state funds should be used to
improve Braselton’s other 1-85
interchange, located at Ga.
Hwy. 53 in Jackson County.
“Because of Chateau Elan . .
. it’s already beautiful, to some
degree,” Richardson said on
See Grant 5A
New plans show YMCA
for Hoschton project
Planning board to discuss on Mon.
By Kerri Testement
kerri @ mainstreetnews. com
Could a YMCA be coming to
West Jackson?
That idea is part of some pro
posed changes to a subdivision
project that has been pending in
Hoschton since 2006.
Hoschton Properties, LLC is
seeking several changes to the
zoning conditions for Creekside
Village, including a proposed
community YMCA on the 59
acre site. The project is located
on Hwy. 53 near West Jackson
Primary School. The property
has been graded for several
months, but no construction has
started on the site.
The Hoschton Planning
Commission will hold a public
hearing on the proposals on
Monday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. The
city council will address the
planning commission’s recom
mendations on Thursday, Dec.
4, at 7 p.m. and on Monday,
Dec. 8, at 7 p.m.
The Hoschton City Council
approved initial plans for the
site in November 2006 for 144
houses and 46,000 square feet
of space for retail, office and
restaurant space.
Revamped plans call for 146
houses and 55,000 square feet
of commercial and office space
and a restaurant. It also includes
eliminating an amenity cen
ter for the neighborhood and
replacing it with a YMCA.
Other proposed changes
include converting several lots
designated as detached, single
family residential lots to town-
houses.
Plans show a five-lane swim
ming pool, two tennis courts
and a 6,000 square-foot fit
ness center in the development.
The company has agreed to
give five additional lots to the
YMCA, which would own and
operate the facility.
A golf cart path to connect
the YMCA to Main Street is
also proposed.
The company also wants a
zoning condition removed that
requires the congruent build
out between the commercial
and residential portions of the
project.
A contact person for the
development did not return a
phone call seeking comment
about the project.
