Newspaper Page Text
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Vol. 16 No. 19 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages
Inpatient rehab facility
planned in Gainesvillle
NGHS and Lifepoint Rehabilitation will build and operate a new
inpatient rehabilitation facility in Gainesville PAGE 3A
Panthers gear up
for playoffs
The Jackson County baseball team has advanced to the state
playoffs in its first year in Class AAAAAA PAGE 7A
Braselton
Braselton planning
board to revisit
proposed Del Webb
expansion plan
After tabling its vote
last month, the Braselton
planning board is ex
pected to make a recom
mendation on a proposed
expansion to Del Webb
at Chateau Elan Monday
(April 24. 6 p.m.).
The applicant, Pulte. re
quires a pair of approvals
to expand the Del Webb
at Chateau Elan Planned
Unit Development. Spe
cifically, Pulte requests an
annexation and a planned
unit development (PUD)
zoning for 14.61 acres in
Gwinnett County and ad
justments to the original
master plan, approved in
1999, to move forward
with the project.
Pulte plans to develop
28 homes on the annex
ation tract as a continua
tion of Del Webb at Cha
teau Elan. The annexation
tract will connect the ex
isting Del Webb at Cha
teau Elan with two other
tracts, already within the
COMING UP
•Braselton Planning
Commission meeting,
April 24, 6 p.m.
town limits, where 255
more homes will be de
veloped. Additionally, a
separate residential devel
opment of John Wieland
homes is proposed for 62
lots.
But, at its March 27
meeting, the planning
commission — which
serves as an advisory
board — voted unani
mously to table its rec
ommendation until April.
Members cited residents'
security concerns and
questions regarding traf
fic studies among their
reasons for postponing
their decision.
Pulte's request drew
an overflow crowd to the
Braselton Police and Mu
nicipal Court Building for
See Expansion , page 12A
Braselton Antique and Artisan Festival
set for April 21-23
The spring Braselton Antique and Artisan Festival is
scheduled for April 21-23 in downtown Braselton on Har
rison St.
The event will feature over 350 vendors (including 12
food vendors), live music and drink tents. Admission, park
ing and shuttle are free.
For more information, visit www.vintagemarkets.net or
call 706-824-7204.
INSIDE
Woman gives birth in
vehicle PAGE 5A
News... 1-3A, 12A
Opinion... 4A
Public safety... 5A
Social/School 6A
Sports... 7A, 10A
Obituaries... 8A-9A
Classifieds... 11A
MAILING LABEL
o
GATEWAYS TO BRASELTON
BARROW COUNTY
Photo by Ben Munro
Crews are wrapping up work on Braselton I-85 gateway signs at Exit 126 and will continue work on the
Exit 129 gateway signs as the town works to beautify its interstate exits
Hoschton
Hoschton council chooses
firm for city park design
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Hoschton city leaders have awarded a
design bid for a proposed park on a sev
en-acre tract fronting Mulberry. White
and Broad streets.
On Monday (April 17). the city coun
cil chose Engineering Management,
Inc. (EMI), with a low bid of $15,290,
over two other firms vying to provide
park designs for the city.
Jerry Hood of EMI said the firm
would produce a conceptual plan al
lowing the city to seek grant funds for
the park. Hood said EMI would work
with Brewer Engineering to create the
designs.
“Our main goal is to get input from
you and do a good concept plan and try
to get that done by about the middle of
May if you want to go for DNR (De
partment of Natural Resources) fund
ing.” Hood told the city council at its
April 13 work session. “They do have a
nice pot of money this year.”
He said the DNR offers a 50% match
ing grant of up to $500,000. Hood said
the city won’t know if it is a candidate
for full funding until February 2024.
“Our idea was to get a good concept
plan, then you’ve got all summer to
work the details out,” Hood said.
EMI’s bid was considerably less than
its two competitors, WA Engineering
and WLA Studio, as the services of
each differed.
The scope of WA Engineering’s work
was described as “turn key,” providing
design, planning, landscape architec
ture, site development engineering,
permitting and bid and construction
administration for $103,000. WLA
Studio would provide a master plan for
$27,000.
As park planning now moves for
ward, Hoschton leaders look to divide
the park project into three phases: trails,
a playground and an amphitheater.
According to City Manager Jennifer
Kidd-Harrison, the city hopes to com
plete the walking trails this year with
money already in the city budget. She
said the entire park would be a two-to-
three-year project.
Hoschton
Hoschton leaders decide
against bulletproof
glass for new city hall
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Bulletproof glass will not be part
of Hoschton’s new city hall.
The Hoschton City Council ap
proved a $13,058 change order for
additional cabinets and countertops
but opted against the $18,878 addi
tion of bulletproof glass for the city
hall help desk. The help desk will be
equipped with plexiglass, instead, as
reflected in the original plans.
Last month, the council mulled
the option of bulletproof glass, cit
ing safety concerns, before tabling
the decision to the April meeting.
FOUR STREETS GETTING
NEW ASPHALT
Four streets in Hoschton will re
ceive improvements this year with
partial state funding.
Bell Ave„ Walnut St., Mulberry
St. and Hall St. will be resurfaced,
while the city cemetery will receive
1,500 linear feet of asphalt seal
coating at a combined price tag of
$236,675. Hoschton has $80,000
worth of local maintenance im
provement grants (LMIG) from the
Georgia Department of Transporta
tion (DOT) to apply to the project.
The city awarded the contract to
ShepCo Paving in Alpharetta, which
emerged as the low bidder.
The city had budgeted roughly
$300,000 for the work. City leaders
project a late-summer start for the
work.
O’LEARY,
LOVELAND
See Hoschton, page 12A
South Hall
Planners
recommend
approval of
South Hall office
development
The Hall County planning board
gave a nod of recommendation for a
proposed seven-acre planned office
development (POD) in South Hall
on Winder Hwy.
The board voted unanimously
Monday (April 17) to recommend
approval of applicant Maroun
Aoun’s request to amend the condi
tions of a POD to allow for a devel
opment of mixed offices.
No one spoke in opposition to
the project during public comment.
The request will go before the Hall
See Offices, page 12A
