Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Vol. 15 No. 49 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 2 sections, 16 pages
Jackson County wrestlers
win Panther Scramble
The Jackson County wrestling team took the top spot among 14 teams at
the Panther Scramble over the weekend
PAGE IB
Suspects sought
in shooting death
Suspects are being sought in the
shooting death of a Gainesville man last
week PAGE 5A
South Hall
NGMC Braselton announces expansion
Northeast Georgia Health
System (NGHS) plans to ex
pand its hospital in Braselton
to meet the growing needs of
the surrounding communities
by adding inpatient beds and
expanding the emergency de
partment, according to a press
release from NGHS.
The total estimated cost of
the entire planned expansion
— projected for completion by
2026 — is nearly $565 million.
The expansion paves the
way for several improvements
at Northeast Georgia Medical
Center (NGMC) Braselton in
cluding:
•235,000 square feet of new
clinical space, including two
new patient care floors and
150 licensed acute care beds -
bringing the hospital’s total li
censed bed count to 284
•increasing the number of
treatment rooms in the emer
gency department from 23 to 46
to care for more people quickly
and efficiently
•creating a new helipad,
which will mean faster and more
efficient access to life-saving
heart, stroke and surgical care,
•adding more than 200 new
See Expansion, page 3A
Submitted
Northeast
Georgia
Health Sys
tem has an
nounced an
approximate
$565 million
expansion
project for
its Braselton
campus.
Hoschton
Hoschton outlines
Vision’ for city’s
historic depot
Honoring the veterans
Photo by Ben Munro
A group of West Jackson Elementary School students sings during a Veterans Day ceremony on
Friday (Nov. 11).
Voting districts
Braselton moves forward with preliminary new voting map
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
The Braselton Town Coun
cil has agreed to move forward
with a new voting map that will
now go before citizens for pub
lic comment.
The council approved the
tentative map with a 5-0 vote
Monday (Nov. 14). It will hold
a public hearing over the map
on Dec. 8 during its next work
session with a vote expected
later that month.
New voting maps are re
quired every 10 years.
The changes under the pro
posed map include taking a
non-contiguous leg of District
1 in northern Braselton and
placing it in District 2. All dis
tricts must now be contiguous.
The new-look district 1 now
pushes further west, running
past Hwy. 211 in a section ly
ing south of 1-85 that was for
merly in District 3. Meanwhile,
a swath of District 1 north
of 1-85 now reaches to Hwy.
211, cutting into old District 2
See Map, page 3A
Hoschton leaders are seek
ing a “light use” tenant for the
historic Hoschton Depot, but
not everyone in town is keen on
the idea.
During a one-hour town hall
meeting Nov. 10, Hoschton
councilman Tracy Carswell
and other city officials outlined
the city’s “vision” for the depot
and surrounding property, a vi
sion that seeks to find a tenant
that would make use of the
facility without destroying its
historic character.
Carswell specifically men
tioned a possible “wine tasting”
business that would use the
building in the evenings, but
make it available earlier in the
day for other civic groups to
use. He indicated that the city
wasn’t interested in a full-scale
restaurant in the space because
that would require too much
renovation to the building for
commercial kitchen equip
ment.
The city has asked for re
quests for proposal (RFPs) to
be turned into the city by Dec.
1. A Dec. 12 meeting of the
Hoschton Downtown Devel
opment Authority is slated to
review the proposals the city
receives.
Carswell said the city had
not done any further leasing
of the depot beyond Dec. 31
Hoschton councilman
Tracy Carswell (standing)
outlines the city’s vision
during a town hall meet
ing to lease the historic
depot as part of an effort
to bring citizens into the
downtown area.
so that a tenant, if found, could
be accommodated early in the
new year.
The Hoschton City Council
recently put the town’s DDA
in charge of various properties
the city owns to lease out or
develop, property that includes
the depot.
Carswell said the city wants
to have a “low-key” type busi
ness in the depot to bring a
focus to downtown Hoschton
and to anchor possible further
development of the property
around the depot for recreation
and community use.
Without a strong focus
See Depot, page 7A
MAILING LABEL
O
Holiday celebration
Braselton honors long-standing
November holiday tradition
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
While other towns hold
their holiday celebrations in
December, a century-old tra
dition keeps Braselton’s firmly
in place in November.
The town will host its hol
iday parade and tree light
ing Saturday (Nov. 19). The
event’s spot on the calendar
dates back to the 1920s when
the Braselton brothers hosted a
See Celebration, page 7A
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Tl. 1 •*'* - if
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COMING UP
•Braselton Holiday
Celebration, Saturday,
Nov. 19,10 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
downtown Braselton
Photo courtesy of the Town of Braselton
The Town of Braselton has hosted its holiday celebration in November
ever since the 1920s. The Braselton brothers, who owned and ran the
general store in town, held the celebration in November to kick off the
holiday shopping season.
o
