Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Vol. 16 No. 7 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages
Basketball action
Scenes from Jackson County High School basketball
on Friday against Habersham Central
PAGE 7A
Hospital honored
Northeast Georgia Medical Center was
recently recognized as one of the 'most
wired' hospitals
PAGE 3A
Special election
Special election for District 119 state house seat ahead Tuesday
Election Day for the special
election to fill the State House
District 119 seat vacated by
Rep-Elect Danny Rampey is
Tuesday, Jan. 31.
House District 119 covers
portions of Jackson County (in
the Braselton-Hoschton area)
and Barrow County.
Rampey was elected to the
House District 119 seat last year
but resigned following his re
cent arrest on burglary charges
in Barrow County. Seven candi
dates qualified for the race:
•Charlie Chase, Republican,
Winder. Chase is a general con
tractor.
•Shelbey Diamond Alexan
der, Democrat, Winder. Alexan
der is retired.
•Joseph Grodzicki, Repub
lican, of Winder. Grodzicki
works as a safety coordinator
for a gas distributor.
•Renee Lord, Republican, no
city listed. Lord is a business
owner.
•Holt Persinger, Republican,
no city listed. Persinger is a
landscape architect.
•Joe Price, Republican, no
city listed. Price works in beau
ty and barber shop equipment
sales.
•Bill Ritter, Republican,
Statham. Ritter is an insurance
agent.
If necessary, a runoff will be
held on Feb. 28.
POLLING
LOCATIONS
Jackson County residents in
District 119 will vote on Elec
tion Day at the Braselton Police
and Municipal Court building.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m.
See Election, page 12A
Road work
Clearing for Hwy. 211
widening projected
to start Jan. 30
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
According to a Georgia
Department of Transporta
tion (DOT) official, clearing
work for the first phase of the
much-anticipated Hwy. 211
widening project in Braselton
could start on Jan. 30.
“Actual clearing is tentative
ly scheduled for Jan. 30 after
the erosion precautions are in
place,” Georgia DOT District
1 Communications Officer
Elizabeth C. Johnson said.
According to Johnson, the
DOT could move materials
into the area as early as next
See Widening, page 12A
South Hall
Hall Co. planners
oppose new ‘Trail of
Terror’ site in South Hall
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
The Hall County Planning
Commission recently recom
mended denial of a new site
for a South Hall haunted trail
attraction known as the “Trail
of Terror.”
Applicant Matthew Miller
seeks to move the attraction
to a 12.99-acre site at 3515
Friendship Rd from its nearby
3760 Friendship Rd. location.
But the planning commission
voted unanimously on Jan.
17 against recommending a
See Trail, page 12A
INDEX
News
1-3A
Opinion
4A
Public safety
5A
Social/School
6A
Sports
7-8 A
Classifieds
9A
Obituaries
10A-11A
Town of Braselton
hires new public
works director
PAGE 3A
MAILING LABEL
O
Technology
Chris Nedza of Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) ad
dresses those in attendance at the inaugural BraseltonTech “spark ses
sion” workshop on Jan. 12 at the Braselton Civic Center.
Tech advancement
New BraseltonTech initiative advises,
supports tech startup companies
BraseltonTech
‘spark sessions’
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Tech support is taking on
a new meaning now in Bra
selton.
In partnership with the Ad
vanced Technology Develop
ment Center (ATDC) in At
lanta, the town has launched
“BraseltonTech” to help
guide up-and-coming tech
companies. BraseltonTech is
hosting a monthly lineup of
workshops at the Braselton
Civic Center aimed at tech
entrepreneurs.
“I have done lots of start
ups and sold them and built
them and stuff like that,” said
ATDC’s Chris Nedza, who
The Town of Braselton,
in partnership with Down
town Strategies, will host
a workshop to discuss and
gather citizen input on the
future of downtown Bra
selton.
The workshop is set for
Feb. 9 from 11:30 a.m. to
1 p.m. at the Braselton Civ
ic Center at 27 East Lake
Dr.
“Your input is needed,”
organizers said. “Plan to
attend the session and come
prepared to collaboratively
share ideas, goals, concerns
and challenges.”
According to organiz
ers. Downtown Strategies
will assess downtown Bra-
71// sessions run from
6-7:30p.m. at the Braselton Civ- 10
ic Center
•Pitching to investors, Feb. 9
•Fundraising mistakes,
March 9
•Should I stay or should I
go?, April 13
•Cap table IQ, May 18
•Get some equity back, June
15
•Headed for divorce?, July
13
serves as ATDC's interim lead
entrepreneur-in-residence.
“I’ve got a lot of experience.
selton’s design, tourism and
promotion, policy, econom
ic vitality and market po
tential to provide a strategic
growth plan.
You call this a storm?, Aug.
Cap table IQ, May 18
•Get some equity back, June
15
•Headed for divorce?, July
13
•You call this a storm?, Aug.
10
For more information, visit
https://www.braseitontec.com/.
And ATDC people have a
lot of experience. And so
See BraseltonTech, page 12A
To take an anonymous
survey regarding downtown
Braselton, visit www.sur-
veymonkey.com/r/Down-
townBraseltonGA.
Hoschton
Hoschton
awarded
$576,000 for
path project
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
The City of Hoschton will
receive over half a million
federal dollars for a multi-use
path project, contingent on
the city matching 20% of the
grant.
The path would run from
the city’s border with Bra
selton to the Twin Lakes sub
division on the southern end
of town.
The Georgia Department
of Transportation (DOT) noti
fied Hoschton officials of the
award Thursday ( Jan. 19). The
city will receive $576,000. Its
required matching amount is
$144,000.
“Currently, your award
for multi-use paths (that)
would be constructed from
the Braselton town limit
through downtown Hoschton
to Twin Lakes Boulevard is
See Grant, page 12A
South Hall
Speculative
building in
South Hall
earns planners’
recommendation
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
A proposed 8,000-square-
foot speculative building in
South Hall has earned the
county’s planning board’s
blessing.
The Hall County Planning
Commission voted unani
mously on Jan. 17 to recom
mend a rezoning request for
1.33 acres at Union Church
Road’s intersection at Old
Winder Hwy. from agricul
tural-residential IV to high
way-business to allow for
the structure. The applicant
is Rochester DCCM.
The Hall County Board
of Commissioners will have
the final say on the request
at its Feb. 23 (6 p.m.) meet
ing following a public hear
ing.
No one spoke in favor or
opposition to the request at
the planning commission’s
public hearing.
According to planning
department documents,
the property owners seek a
See Building, page 12A
Downtown Braselton
Input on downtown Braselton’s
future sought at Feb. 9 session
Citizens can offer input on future planning for
downtown Braselton during a Feb. 9 meeting.
o
