The Braselton news. (Jefferson, Ga) 2006-current, May 18, 2022, Image 1
o o Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy Wednesday, May 18, 2022 Vol. 15 No. 23 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 16 pages Hoschton Hoschton council to consider cemetery lot price increase Mausoleum also discussed By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com Hoschton leaders will con sider raising the price for cem etery lots and limiting those spaces to just city residents. Interim city manager Shan non Sell has recommended an increase to $6,000 per lot, up from approximately $2,000, following a price comparison with other cemeteries. Accord ing to his recommendation, lots would be available to city residents only, with some ex ceptions. including Hoschton natives who moved away but wish to be buried in the cem etery alongside family. Sell presented the plan at Monday’s (May 16) city coun cil meeting, but the council did not make a decision, opting in stead to table a vote until next month. The council approved the postponement at request of councilman James Lawson. Sell said city cemetery lots — which are 10 feet by 10 feet — are being sold briskly, with a significant number of those sales going to non-city residents. He said only 79 lots. which hold two gravesites each, remain in Hoschton’s cemetery. In a related matter. Sell also floated the idea of creating a mausoleum on a 20 x 20 lot within the cemetery and order ing a 72-niche columbarium to hold cremains. “It’s a service we don’t of fer,” Sell said. “We’re running out of ground in the cemetery. I just thought it would be a an option for people.” He estimated the cost of the mausoleum, including the pouring of the slab and adding benches, at $36,000-$37.000. The money for the project would come from the city’s cemetery fund, which stands at nearly $300,000. But Lawson, who owns a funeral home in town, said the market for selling mausoleum lots is slow, noting that the majority of family members opt to keep cremains within the home or spread them at a personalized location. He suggested the city pre-sale all spaces before committing any money toward a mausoleum. A decision on a mausoleum was tabled for a month at the suggestion of Lawson. See Hoschton, page 3A Voting Election Day ahead May 24 Election Day for the Gen eral Primary is coming up Tuesday, May 24. Those wishing to vote on Election Day may do so at your poll ing location on May 24 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Election Day polling in West Jackson will be held at Free Chapel, 2001 Cherry Drive. Braselton. West Jackson residents wishing to vote early this week (May 16-20) may do so at the Braselton early polling location at the police and mu nicipal court building, located at 5040 Hwy. 53, Braselton or at the Ponchie Beck Election Center in Jefferson. Early voting hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A dropbox will also be available for absentee ballots at the Ponchie Beck Election Center, located located at 441 Gordon St., Jefferson, during early voting hours. Absentee ballots can be dropped off to elections staff at the Ponchie Beck office through May 24 at 7 p.m. (Absentee ballots will not be accepted at polling locations on Election Day.) ON THE BALLOT Local races related to West Jackson on the May 24 ballot include: Jackson BOC District 3 — Chad Bingham (R), of Jef ferson, and Steve Wittry (R). That seat is currently held by Ralph Richardson Jr., who is not seeking re-election. Jackson BOE Post 5 — Ty ler Clack, Richard Irby and Joe Martin — all of Jefferson and all Republicans — will face off for the BOE Post 5 See Elections, page 3A MAILING LABEL Festival fun Photo by Ben Munro Archer Snavley, 9, has fun with bungee jumping Saturday (May 14) at the Hoschton Spring Festival. Religion ‘Pub Theology 9 Pastor-led group talks religion while having a brew By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com Tayler Johnson admits he’s not your typical pastor. For starters, he’s 25 years old (the youngest commis sioned pastor in North Geor gia). He has tattoos. And he also likes to have a beer while talking religion. He’s found others who do, too. Johnson, who leads New Liberty United Methodist Church in Braselton. started a group — dubbed “Pub The ology” — that convenes reg ularly at Braselton Brewing Company to discuss religious matters while enjoying a craft beer. Earlier in the year, Johnson began brainstorming different ways of “doing church” in small-group settings. “I’ve been told by a lot of folks that, ‘I would never go to a church, but I would do church in a bar,”' said John son, who’s been at New Lib erty since May 2021 and said he’s essentially in a residency for the next three years. The group, which began meeting in February, is open to anyone. Pub Theology meetings have ranged any where from four to 12 mem bers and have been dedicated to a wide-range of subject matter from suffering to reli gious pluralism (What if other religious are true?). Photo by Ben Munro George Georgalis (back left) talks with New Liberty United Methodist Church pastor Tayler Johnson (front left) as Van Davis (right) listens during a recent “Pub Theology” meeting at Braselton Brewing Company. The group meets at the brewery regularly on Thursdays to discuss reli gious matters — and have a beer. Johnson said his hope is Pub Theology members leave each week with a new way of thinking about their faith. The group gathered this past Thursday on a pristine-weath er night where it sat at an out side table among pint glasses and appetizers and pondered an icebreaker — what will be considered nostalgic in 40 years?—before shifting to the night’s theological discussion. The meeting structure is not rigid. “We tend to get off topic.” group member Brett Gallman joked. Johnson, aTexas native who earned his Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory, said he’d heard of other Pub Theology gatherings and decided to try it with his own congregation. Johnson acknowledged that there was a little hesitancy from some church members over a group meeting that would include alcohol, some thing that might not mesh with the traditional image of a pas tor. But Johnson said he’s try ing to stay true to himself and believes having faith-oriented conversations in an atypical setting “is one way in which we can experience God, too.” Though he has no prob lem with conversation going off-topic (“The conversation just goes, and we go with it,” Johnson explained), Johnson does bring a discussion sheet to each meeting as a frame work. One of the March topics was Theodicy or the study of suffering and pain. Johnson lost his grandmother to cancer when he was in seventh grade See Pub, page 4A Special election Hoschton special election qualifying set for Aug. 1-3 The City of Hoschton will hold qualifying Aug. 1 -3 for a special election to fill the seat of former councilman Shant- won Astin, who resigned in March after moving out of qualifying dates at their May the city limits. The special 16 meeting after passing an election will be included on intergovernmental agree- the November ballot. ment with Jackson County to City leaders approved the run the special election. The county’s fee for running an election has in creased from $1 per regis tered voter to $2.50 per reg istered voter. ‘0 4 8 7 9 1 4 5 4 0