Newspaper Page Text
The Braselton News
Page 3A
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Barrow Co.
Car and driver involved in fatal Hwy. 211 hit and run found
A car and driver involved according to the Barrow driver who allegedly fled County Sheriff's Office involved a dump truck, a hide pulled over briefly
in a fatal hit and run on County Sheriff’s Office. the scene of the fatal crash (BCSO), the wreck was on FedEx truck and the other after the crash but then
Hwy. 211 last week was Barrow County author- on Tuesday, Dec. 13. Hwy. 211 at Old Thomp- vehicle. fled northbound on Hwy.
located Sunday, Dec. 18, ities were looking for a According to the Barrow son Mill Road. The crash The BCSO said the ve- 211.
Northeast Georgia Health System has announced multiple new hires in key positions.
Healthcare
Northeast Georgia Health
System welcomes new leaders
Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office
Hoschton-area
package thief
arrested
New leaders are taking the
reins in some key areas with
in Northeast Georgia Health
System as the region contin
ues to grow.
“It’s an exciting time across
our thriving communities,”
said Carol Burrell, president
and CEO of NGHS in a press
release. “We’re impacting the
health of our community ev
ery day, and we’re thrilled to
have some new faces around
to help us continue bringing
our best each day.”
After a national search,
NGHS welcomed Diane
Poirot as its new chief human
resources officer in August.
Poirot most recently served
in the same role at Yuma
Regional Medical Center in
Arizona. Prior to that, she
served in human resourc
es leadership with several
health systems including
CHI St. Luke’s Health and
Harris Health System, both
in Houston, Texas. Poirot
also has human resources
experience in industries out
side of health care, such as
Travis County Government
in Austin. Texas, The Archdi
ocese of Galveston-Houston
and USDatalink in Baytown.
Texas.
Meanwhile, Northeast
Georgia Medical Center
(NGMC) in Gainesville
welcomed a new president
for NGHS’ flagship hospital
earlier this month. John Kue-
ven most recently served as a
senior vice president with At
lanta-based Wellstar Health
System, where he oversaw
its Cobb and Paulding hos
pitals. Prior to that, he served
as the chief operating offi
cer of Memorial Hermann
Katy Hospital, just outside of
Houston, Texas. In his role as
president of NGMC Gaines
ville, Kueven will oversee the
hospital’s operations, its New
Horizons long-term care cen
ters and mental and behav
ioral health services provided
through Laurelwood.
Lastly, NGHS’ chief strat
egy executive, Tracy Varde-
man. is retiring after 31 years
with the system. Her last day
will be Dec. 31. Prior to join
ing NGHS, Vardeman served
for five years as the director
of marketing and communi
cations at Lanier Park Hos
pital in Gainesville. Georgia.
Over the last three decades.
Vardeman worked first with
NGHS as the director of
planning and then as chief
strategy executive,
“Very few people have had
an impact on the health of our
entire region like Tracy has,”
said Burrell. “From leading
a campaign to get state ap
proval to bring heart surgery
to Gainesville in the early
2000s, to pushing the vision
of what is now the NGMC
Braselton campus through
out the 2010s, to uniting
community leaders in the
fight against COVID-19 in
the 2020s - she has worked
tirelessly behind the scenes
to improve the lives of many
she’ll never meet. And, in
true Tracy fashion, she didn’t
retire until we had a clear
plan to keep the work going.”
Melissa Tymchuk is suc
ceeding Vardeman in her po
sition and now serve as chief
strategy executive in addition
to her current role as chief of
staff. Tymchuk worked in the
strategic planning and mar
keting division as executive
director of strategic market
ing before becoming chief
of staff in 2017. She has also
served in additional interim
roles as needed - includ
ing as NGHS chief human
resources officer and chief
development officer of the
NGHS Foundation.
The Jackson County
Sheriff’s Office (JCSO)
said a package thief has
been arrested following
reports of multiple items
being stolen from front
porches of Hoschton-area
homes.
The JCSO booked
James William Ford, 39,
of Jefferson, on numerous
charges of porch piracy
and theft by taking. The
JCSO made the arrest on
Thursday (Dec. 15) after
noon after conducting a
search warrant at a West
Jackson address.
“A special thanks to
investigators, patrol dep
uties and social media
friends that were able to
help us catch this sub
ject,” the JCSO said in
a Facebook post. “In
vestigators are currently
reaching out to victims to
get items returned before
Christmas.”
According to an ear
lier Facebook post from
the JCSO, it had received
multiple reports over the
past week of packages
being stolen from porches
in Heritage Point subdivi
sion off of Hwy. 124 and
South Hampton subdivi
sion off of Hwy. 332.
Ford had also reported
ly stolen packages in Pen
dergrass and Jefferson.
Recent incident reports
of packages thefts in West
Jackson included:
•Shafer Way where a
woman said someone
took an Amazon pack
age from her front door
and left a pair of pliers
behind. Security footage
showed a white male grab
the package and run off.
•Liberty Bell Run
where a man said a male
stole an Amazon package
containing a foot mas-
sager from his front door.
According to the incident
report, security camer
as showed a white male
approach the man’s front
door, take the package
and flee to the roadway
to a black minivan. The
male had a McDonalds
bag in his hand as he ap
proached the door and
left the bag at the scene,
according to the report.
The complainant also
noted that his neighbor
had a package stolen but
did not report it to law
enforcement.
•Liberty Run where a
man said a package con
taining a children’s book
was stolen from his front
porch early last month.
Security footage report
edly showed a white
male driving a dark-col
ored SUV run onto the
porch, take the package
and then run back to the
vehicle. The man said
he decided to notify po
lice after the recent rash
of package thefts in his
neighborhood.
•South Hampton Cir
cle where a man showed
security footage of a
white male taking two
boxes containing dog
treats from his resi
dence.
Proposed development
Apartments granted for proposed
225-unit development in Hoschton
Art project
Braselton Arts
Council approves
library sculpture
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
A 225-unit development
along Hwy. 53 can now be
made up of apartments in
stead of condominiums af
ter receiving the OK from
the Hoschton City Council.
The council voted 5-0
on Monday (Dec. 19) to
grant a change in zoning
conditions for applicant
Ridgeline Land Planning,
LLC, and property owner,
Winpeacock, LLC, to build
apartments instead of con
dominiums for an 11.549-
acre planned unit develop
ment (PUD) fronting Hwy.
53, Industrial Blvd. and
White St.
Hoschton planning staff
recommended approval of
the change.
Speaking on behalf of
the applicant at Thurs
day’s (Dec. 15) work ses
sion, Matt Benson said the
change won’t necessarily
yield an apartment-only
development.
“We’re not excluding
condominiums, but we’re
asking the city for us to add
the ability to add Class-A
luxury apartments,” Ben
son said.
Asked by councilperson
Debbie Martin for a per
centage of apartments ver
sus condominiums in the
project, Benson no percent
age has been determined.
Benson said “the market
will determine” what will
be built.
Benson said the units will
be market-rate, Class-A
apartments, a term that es
sentially refers to luxury
apartments.
The development will
have an on-site property
management office, one of
the conditions of approval.
Benson said develop
ment will have a “main-
street type concept” with a
pedestrian and pet-friendly
layout.
“The project is deigned
as a gathering hub of sorts
for Hoschton,” Benson
said, “not only to residents,
but to businesses and the
public alike.”
Amenities will include
seating areas, water foun
tains. splash pads, barbecue
grills, picnic tables, a chil
dren’s park, EV charging
stations, a dog park, walk
ing and biking trails and a
golf cart path connecting
White St. and Peachtree St.
The council also allowed
for a reduction in the min
imum square-footage re
quirement for units that
was initially approved in
the PUD. All units will be
at least 800 square feet, ac
cording to Benson.
Live citizens spoke
against the development,
expressing concerns over
traffic, noise, deterioration
of the apartment buildings
and crime.
Mike Cope said apart
ments will introduce prob
lems into the city, saying
he once lived in a Class-A
level apartment complex
and regularly witnessed
fights and cramped apart
ment units.
Christina Brown said
she believed the change to
apartments wasn’t motivat
ed by providing affordable
housing in Hoschton but
to make financing easier
for the investor “and turn a
profit sooner.” Brown add
ed that the city’s infrastruc
ture and traffic studies must
be addressed first. She also
said that surrounding com
munities offer an ample
supply of apartments.
Benson defended the
project, saying the housing
option is needed. Address
ing noise concerns and the
condition of the buildings’
exterior. Benson said the
applicant must comply
with city codes.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the
council:
•approved, on Dec. 13,
a LOST resolution be
tween all municipalities
in Jackson County. Under
the agreement, Hoschton
would receive 3.37% of
Jackson County LOST in
2023. 3.45% in 2024 and
3.53% from 2025-2032.
•approved a rezoning
request from Joy Morri
son from R-2 single-fam
ily suburban residential
district to multiple-family
residential district for 0.36
acres on Jefferson St. to al
low for a duplex.
•approved a zoning mod
ification to allow applicant
George Flanigan to build
24 townhome units instead
of 18 on 2.37 acres on
Henry St. Flanigan origi
nally sought 24 units, but
the council approved the
project in November with
multiple conditions, one
of which limited the units
to 18.
•approved a personnel
policy amendment clar
ifying that city workers’
leave-time hours and holi
day hours do not count to
ward an employee’s over
time hours.
•approved side-street
frontage setback variances
for three lots in Twin Lakes
to allow for 40-foot wide
homes to match other hous
es on the respective streets.
The lots and setbacks are
as follows: 108 Champlain
Rd.. 15 to eight feet; 264
Canyon Ferry Way, 15 to
seven feet: and 261 Conroe
Ct., 15 feet to eight feet.
The Braselton Arts Coun
cil approved a $40,000 con
tract with a sculptor for a
piece to be installed at the
Braselton Library on Brassie
Lane.
J. Doyle Rogers of Metaf-
isica Environmental Sculp
tures, Inc., was awarded the
contract on Lriday (Dec. 16)
after a 4-0 vote of the coun
cil, which formed earlier this
year.
According to the contract,
the sculpture—described as
a tree and swing with leaves
that move with the wind —
will made up of stainless
steel. The structure, which
will be installed on a pad,
will stand approximately 12
feet tall and seven feet wide.
“It is going to be a state
ment.” Braselton Town
Manager Jennifer Scott said
of the piece.
The sculpture, which will
be located on the Davis St.
of the library, will be in
stalled tentatively in May or
June after construction work
on the library expansion is
complete.
Arts council members
noted that Rogers and his
son will work in tandem for
the first time to produce this
sculpture.
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