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Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Vol. 14 No. 1 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages
Local health leaders urge caution during holidays
Mayor: ‘Take C0VID-19
threat seriously’
Local health leaders are
urging the community to
use caution during the up
coming Christmas holidays
as the number of COVID-19
cases continues to rise in the
area.
The Greater Hall Coun
ty Chamber of Commerce
hosted a forum last week
with representatives from
District 2 Public Health and
Northeast Georgia Health
System.
As of Dec. 14, the hospi
tal system was treating 265
COVID-19 patients with 58
of those at Northeast Geor
gia Medical Center Bra
selton.
Across the system, there
are 688 occupied hospital
beds with 30 available. At
NGMC Braselton, 163 beds
are occupied with five avail
able (23 occupied in ICU
with three available). At
one point last week, NGMC
Braselton had zero beds
available.
“We are seeing the surge
that was predicted.” said Dr.
Clifton Hastings, NGHS
chief of staff. “We're weath
ering it. But we really don't
have any capacity at this
point, we’re just making
do.”
The number of COVID
cases has risen after ma
jor holidays throughout
the year. With the upcom
ing Christmas holiday ap
proaching, Dr. John Delzell,
vice president of medical
education and designat
ed institutional official at
NGHS. is encouraging the
community to be smart
about holiday family gath
erings.
“If we want to decrease
the risk of transmission of
the virus, what we really
need to make sure if that
we're paying attention to
even those family gather
ings.” he said.
Small gatherings within
your immediate family that
you see regularly may be a
lower-risk activity. Delzell
noted that as the party size
goes up, so does the risk. He
also noted the risks involved
with traveling or hosting
family from outside of the
region.
“So we would encourage
you to really think about
how do you do that safely,”
Delzell said.
He cited a number of dif
ferent precautions a person
can take if they're taking
part in higher risk activities,
include wearing a mask at
all times: spacing people out
instead of eating at one ta
ble; and having one person
plate guests' meals.
Delzell also encouraged
families to be honest about
any COVID symptoms and
to stay home if you have any
of those symptoms.
See Chamber, page 2A
After battling COVID-19
himself, Braselton's mayor
is urging the community to
take the virus seriously.
Braselton Mayor Bill
Orr contracted the virus in
late October after a busi
ness trip in Knoxville,
Tenn.
“On Oct. 22 after having
lunch in our offices with
two of my staff, social
distancing protocol ob
served, I began feeling ill
and decided not to return
home that afternoon as I
was overly tired and did
not feel like I could safe
ly drive,” Orr said in letter
about his experience with
COVID. “Instead, I re
checked into the hotel and
spent the night. I got up
Friday morning and start
ed the 2 Vi hour ride home
to Braselton. It was a hard
See Mayor, page 2A
Concept drawing of retail building
Braselton approves
drive-thru for
proposed smoothie
chain project
Braselton leaders recently gave the nod
for a request to allow a drive-thru in the
Riverstone Braselton development. The
applicant is targeting a national smoothie
chain for the site.
The Braselton Town Council voted
Dec. 14 to approve the conditional use
drive-thru request on a .72-acre tract on
Friendship Rd.
Developers plan a 5,000 square foot re
tail center, which will have multiple ten
ants.
The request was approved with sever
al conditions, including a stipulation that
only 2,000 sq. ft. of the building can be
used by the drive-thru tenant. Another
condition limits the hours to 6 a.m. to
10 p.m.
Council member Jim Joedecke was the
lone “nay” vote against the move, cit
ing concerns with potential traffic issues
and the increasing number of drive-thru
restaurants in the Hwy. 211 area.
“I am concerned that we will have a
situation not too long from now where
we could have drive-thrus up and down
(Hwy.) 211,” Joedecke said.
Joedecke added that as more drive-thrus
are approved in the Hwy. 211 area, it will
be easier for developers to argue that
future proposed drive-thrus fit with the
character of the area.
See Braselton, page 2A
Traveling parade
brings Christmas joy
Photos by Wesleigh Sagon
Santa Claus came to town on Saturday, December 12, where he
visited 15 neighborhoods. The Braselton Police Department and
West Jackson Fire Department escorted the parade and YearOne
Muscle Cars provided Santa with a convertible. Neighborhoods
visited included: Lakeshore, Keys Crossing, Pinecrest, Vineyard/
Vineyard Gate, Liberty Crossing, Preserve, Baker’s Farm, Broad
moor, Sienna, The Falls, Mulberry Park, Riverstone, The Gates,
Chateau Elan and Del Webb. Here, Mikalyn, 7, and Olivia Smith, 5,
are shown waving to Santa as the Christmas parade made its way
through The Falls of Braselton.
YearOne Muscle Cars provid
ed Santa with a convertible
during the Christmas pa
rade that traveled through 15
neighborhoods in Braselton
on Saturday, December 12.
Olivia Hawley, 2, and Timothy
Velez, 4 Vi, waved to Santa as he
made his way through the Del
Webb subdivision on Saturday,
December 12.
Hoschton
council looking
at hefty pay hike
Members of the Hoschton City Council could
get a pretty big pay hike in 2022 if a proposal
from Mayor Shannon Sell moves forward.
Sell proposed that the council's pay be in
creased to $500 per month for each council
member and $1,000 per month for the mayor.
In addition, he suggested that all council mem
bers be eligible for city group health insurance
and retirement programs offered to other city
employees.
Sell pitched the plan at the council's Dec. 14
meeting, but said it was an idea that had been
floating around for a while.
Council members are currently paid $25 per
meeting with a maximum of $75 per month.
Sell also said that when the city’s charter is
redone, he wants the council to go back to six
members from the current five.
There would be an election cycle in 2021 be
fore the proposed pay hikes would take effect in
January 2022. he said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the Dec. 14 council meet
ing, the board discussed:
• ways to change the city’s meetings schedule
for 2021. The council wants to move the city's
planning commission meeting to the end of the
month to give officials more time to process
planning board actions before those go to the
council for approval. The council also appears
to want to move its own meeting time from
7 p.m. back to 5:30 p.m. and perhaps change
the day of the week the council meets from
Monday to another day. City staff said they
would work out a plan to present to the council
at its Dec. 21 meeting.
• some changes to the city stormwater ordi
nance and to have some stormwater agreements
See Hoschton, page 2A
MAILING LABEL
Hall middle, high
schools transition
to blended learning
Jackson schools
planning for phased-in
return after holidays
Hall County middle and
high school students will
transition to blended learn
ing on Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Blended learning will be
held through Friday, Dec.
18.
All middle and high
school teachers and staff
will report to schools from
December 16-18.
Elementary school stu
dents will continue to fol
low the in-person instruc
tional model.
All Hall County School
District extracurricular
activities will switch to a
“maximum two tickets per
participant rule” until fur
ther notice. No general ad
mission tickets will be sold
to the public. This will also
apply to the Lanierland
basketball tournament. For
extracurricular activities
proving to have COVID-19
spread among participants
and coaches, additional
changes may be required.
The Hall County School
District will utilize an A/B
hybrid schedule January
5-8, to re-teach 200 Percent
Accountability and to ensure
the district are in a position
to deliver in-person instruc
tion after the holiday break,
the district said in a news
release. Students whose
See Hall, page 2A
The Jackson County
School System is making
plans to “phase-in” mid
dle and high school stu
dents to in-person classes
following the Christmas
break.
During a meeting of the
Jackson County Board
of Education last week,
school leaders outlined
plans for a phased-in re
turn to class due to an
anticipated high rate of
Covid spread during the
holidays.
The plan revolves
around alternating in-per-
son learning days with
middle and high school
students with two days a
week being in-person and
three days a week attend
ing class by remote learn
ing.
How long the alter
nating plan would be in
effect will depend on up
dated data about the virus'
spread during January.
The large December
uptick in overall com
munity spread of Covid
led the school system to
stop in-person classes last
week and move to remote
learning until the holiday
break begins on Dec. 21.
See Jackson, page 2A
