About The Braselton news. (Jefferson, Ga) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 2022)
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy Wednesday, March 23, 2022 Vol. 15 No. 15 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages Goal! Photo by Ben Munro Members of the Jackson County High School girls’ soccer team celebrate Friday night after a goal from Kassidy Gross (No. 13) in the Panthers’ 4-1 region win over Clarke Central. See story on 8A. INSIDE See the spring edition of Braselton TODAY Braselton Riverwalk to close for at least 18 months as Mulberry project begins By Ben Munro Braselton’s Mulberry Riverwalk trail has closed to accommodate the town's Mulberry River streambank project and will remain closed for a year-and-a-half to two years. The trail was off limits to the public starting on Monday (March 21). “It's going to be even better when we’re done.” town manager Jennifer Scott said of the trail’s projected hiatus. The near-$2.3 million Mulberry project will restore and stabilize a one-mile por tion of the riverbank, as well as improve the riverwalk trail, following years of ero sion that put the town's water and sewer infrastructure and wells in that area at risk. The erosion has also eaten away sections of the walking trail where it ran close to the river’s edge. Following completion of the river sta- See Riverwalk, page 3A Braselton’s Riverwalk will be closed to accommodate a proj ect to restore a section of Mul berry River bank. Hoschton Townhome development approved in Hoschton By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com Hoschton will add over 100 more townhomes following a rezoning approval. The city council on Monday (March 21) granted a multi ple family residential district zoning for 22.13 acres on the northside of Josh Pirkle Rd., west of Panther Ct., for a pro posed 108-unit townhome de velopment. The property was previously zoned light industrial. The approval came with an added condition that the City of Hoschton provide water to the development. The city has applied to the Town of Bra selton for sewer service for the development. Other conditions require a one-vehicle garage and a min imum of 1,800 square feet of heated floorspace. Vinyl siding will not be allowed. The rezoning passed 5-1 with Mayor Lauren O’Leary voting in opposition. O’Leary said this addition would increase Hoschton to approximately 700 approved townhomes, further necessitat ing the need for an additional police offer — a salary that could not be covered through impact fees owed to the city for the development. “So that would come out of our pocket — or the citizens' See Townhomes, page 3A Hoschton councilman’s resignation accepted after moving out of city limits By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com The Hoschton City Coun cil has accepted the resigna tion of councilman Shant- won Astin, who moved out of the city limits according to councilman Adam Led better. The council accepted Astin's resignation at its Monday (March 21) voting session. Astin did not attend the meeting. “He basically doesn't live in the city anymore,” Ledbetter told the council, “and he did, correctly, what someone should do when they leave the city, which is resign.” The city is in contact with the board of elections to de termine a special election date to fill Astin's council seat. With Astin’s departure, the council now has six members. Hoschton ex panded to seven-member council at the start of 2022 with the addition of two seats. Resident says original Hosch plantation site, slave cemetery possibly found By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com A Hoschton resident said de velopers may have uncovered some substantial local history. Addressing the Hoschton City Council Monday (March 21), Ross Billingsley, who lives in Hoschton's Cress- wind development, said Kolter Homes — which is developing both the Cresswind and Twin Lakes subdivisions on the south end of town — exposed two historic home sites while clearing more land. “We think that they may be the two original Hosch planta tion sites.” Billingsley said. The Hosch family, for which Hoschton is named, founded the city over 140 years ago. Billingsley said Kolter al ready has plans to save a his toric cemetery site on the prop erty. He said the site has been scanned, revealing “numer ous graves.” Given that these graves were found on land that was once an antebellum plantation, Billingsley said the site “very well could be a slave See History, page 3A MAILING LABEL O Hoschton Hoschton DDA mulling use of park space Photo by Ben Munro Hoschton downtown leaders are considering how best to use an approximate three-acre tract fronting East Broad St., Oak St., New St. and Hwy. 332. By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com The Hoschton Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is still considering how to best utilize a downtown green space. Downtown leaders originally intended to use the three-acre tract — located on a block be tween New St., Oak St., East Broad St. and Hwy. 332 — for a community garden but are now pondering other uses af ter meeting with a professional landscaper. According to DDA member Marsha Hunter, a landscaper will present 20 different options and ask the DDA to choose its top 5. Possibilities discussed in cluded “casual park” options — a park with a pavilion and grills or a park with a small pic nic area and a children’s park. A dog park has been considered, too, though city clerk Jennifer Kidd-Harrison said residents with adjoining property have been against the idea due to po tential noise. Kidd-Harrison suggested the DDA host a meeting with the adjoining property owners to discuss potential uses for the land and gather their input. Hunter said parking and handling draining issues are two of the biggest expenses re garding the property. The city has already made electricity available property, according to Kidd-Harrison, who said the city had once planned to install a pavilion there. Any project on the three-acre lot likely wouldn’t start until next year. The area had been designat ed for a community garden but Hunter said the space wasn’t conducive for one. “The property over there that we had been considering is real ly not a place to grow anything,” Hunter said during a March 14 DDA meeting. Hunter suggested locating the community garden on a sepa rate seven-acre tract of green space within the city. She said the DDA isn’t ready yet to ap ply for grant funding for the community garden project. “We just have to be very de- See Park, page 3A
