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Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Vol. 16 No. 29 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages
Time capsule plans
Plans for are coming together for Hoschton’s time capsule,
which will be filled and sealed later this year
PAGE 3A
Heart symposium
Live robotic heart surgery highlights heart and
vascular symposium in Braselton
PAGE 3A
SUMMER TREATS
Photo by Ben Munro
Kids line up to get gelato from a dessert truck June 23 during the Art-Tiques Summer Vintage
Market in downtown Braselton. The festival ran from June 23-25.
Hoschton
Hoschton council to
vote on acting mayor
Braselton hosting
annual July 4
festival and fireworks
celebration
The Town of Braselton will host its
annual Independence Day celebration
Tuesday, July 4, downtown with a patriotic
parade, festival and fireworks show.
The festival includes a concert on the
town green, kid-friendly activities, food
trucks, dining and shopping.
The parade begins at Free Chapel Bra
selton at 6 p.m. and will continue through
downtown on Hwy. 53 and Harrison
Street. Fireworks begin at dark.
The schedule is as follows:
•5-9:30 p.m, Food trucks, live music
and activities on the town green.
•6 p.m, Patriotic parade on Hwy. 53
from Free Chapel through downtown
•Fireworks at dark (beginning between
9-9:30 p.m.)
•Soul Purpose Band, 6:30 p.m.
•5-9 p.m, parking shuttle to Free Chap
el Braselton and West Jackson Elemen
tary School (shuttle service ends before
fireworks).
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
With Mayor Lauren O’Leary’s
final day in office set for July 5,
the Hoschton City Council will
call a July 6 meeting to select an
acting mayor.
A special election will be held
in November to fill O’Leary’s
unexpired term, which runs
through 2026.
O’Leary moved to Hoschton
in 2019 and was elected No
vember 2021, defeating incum
bent Shannon Sell, to become
one of the younger mayors in
the state at age 31.
See Mayor,page 10A
File photo
Hoschton mayor Lauren
O’Leary’s final day in office is
July 5.
Braselton
Braselton planners
OK daycare, gas
station expansion
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
A daycare center and a
Kroger fuel center expan
sion have earned recom
mendations of approval
from Braselton’s planning
commission.
The board, on Monday
(June 26), voted unani
mously in favor of both
proposals, which will now
go before the Braselton
Town Council on July
6 (4:30 p.m.) for public
hearings.
Both project sites are
located in the Hall County
portion of Braselton.
Land Development and
Engineering requests a
Planned Unit Develop
ment (PUD) master plan
amendment for the day
care facility and a separate
office/retail building on
1.6 acres at 5331 Thomp
son Mill Rd. This proposal
would also subdivide this
parcel.
Plans call for approx
imately 10,000 square
feet of daycare space and
4,200 square feet of office
and retail space.
The site is located next
to an Aldi store under con
struction.
In its recommendation
of approval, the planning
commission included
staff-recommended condi
tions but amended a con
dition regarding the of
fice-retail building’s use.
The applicant requested
the site not be restricted
to office use. The plan
ning commission amend
ment allows for commer
cial uses permitted under
the town’s neighborhood
See Planners, page 10A
Braselton
Braselton to vote
on FY2024 budget
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Braselton’s Fiscal Year
2024 maintenance and oper
ation budget is up for a vote
today (June 28) after being
available for public review
since late May. The town
council, which held a June 8
public hearing over the pro
posed budget, is expected to
take action during a 5 p.m.
called meeting.
The proposed budget calls
for a 15% increase in spend
ing but anticipates a 20% rev
enue hike.
The town does not levy a
property tax.
Also up for a vote is the
town’s proposed water and
sewer budget ($10.94 million
in expenses and debt pay
ments), as well as proposed
budgets for the town’s storm
water fund ($477,950) and
civic center fund ($490,851).
The voting meeting will be
held at the Braselton Police
and Municipal Court Building
at 5040 Hwy. 53.
TWO WORK
SESSIONS AHEAD
The town council will also
hold a pair of two-hour work
sessions this week to discuss
proposed development code
changes.
Those meetings are sched
uled for today (June 28) from
3-5 p.m. and Thursday, June
29 (3-5 p.m.) at the Braselton
Police and Municipal Court
Building at 5040 Hwy. 53.
MAILING LABEL
Hoschton
Hoschton mural
going up this week
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Hoschton’s long-awaited historic
mural is scheduled to go up this week
on Bell St.
A student art group hired out of the
University of Georgia will paint the
mural Thursday and Friday (June 29-
30).
The project will cost the Hoschton
Downtown Development Authority
(DDA) $7,200. The DDA selected a
postcard theme for the mural, which
will be painted on the brick wall on
the northern end of the town’s city
square.
The mural design, which under
went multiple redesigns, will include
the greeting “Welcome to Hoschton”
Shown is a postcard-themed
mock-up of what Hoschton’s
downtown mural will resemble.
Note: The mural will read, “Wel
come to Hoschton,” instead of
“Greetings from Hoschton.
and feature historic images of the city,
including Hoschton’s historic depot.
All money the UGA group receives
for the job will go toward student
scholarships.
JCSO
Deputy taken
to Braselton
hospital after
exposure
to fentanyl
A Jackson County Sher
iff’s Office deputy passed
out and was taken to the
hospital after being ex
posed to fentanyl during a
traffic stop in North Jack-
son.
Deputies stopped a wom
an on Mountain Creek Dr.,
Pendergrass, on June 22 af
ter the driver failed to stop
at a stop sign. The driver
also didn’t have a license.
The woman reportedly
See Deputy, page 10A
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