Newspaper Page Text
o
o
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Vol. 16 No. 38 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages
NGHS announces
leadership moves
Northeast Georgia Health System recently expanded its leadership
team with multiple hires PAGE6A
Panthers hosting high-scoring
Central Gwinnett
Jackson County will host a Central Gwinnett team that's put up 106 points
in two games PAGE11A
Summer market
Hunter Holland plays his clarinet Saturday (Aug. 26) on the front porch of the Joy Company Market
as part of the Braselton Art-Tiques Summer Vintage Market held over the weekend.
Art-Tiques
Summer
Vintage Mar
ket patrons
donning
decorative
hats browse
a booth on
Saturday
(Aug. 26) in
Braselton.
]CHS softball team enjoys big
week PAGE12A
INDEX
News
1A-3A, 6A
Opinion
4A
Public safety
5A
Classifieds
7A
Ob tuaries...
8A, 9A
Social/School
1CA
Sports,,, 11,A,ISA
Public safety
Land purchase approved
for West Jackson fire station
Photo: West Jackson Fire Department
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Land is being seemed
for the site of a future
West Jackson fire sta
tion.
The West Jack-
son Fire Board voted
unanimously Tues
day (Aug. 22) to pur
chase up to seven acres
on Sam Freeman Rd.
from Hoschton Baptist
Chmch at $50,000 per
acre.
The West Jackson
Fire Department, which
services a rapidly grow
ing area within Jackson
County, is buying a por
tion of a 30-acre tract
owned by the church to
construct its third fire
station.
West Jackson Fire
Chief Ben Stephens es
timated the department
is at least five years
away from building the
facility.
Though the exact
square footage is not
yet determined, the sta
tion will be larger than
the department’s Sta
tion No. 2 on Ednaville
See Purchase, page 6A
Hoschton
Appointment for
Martin’s council seat
to be made Thursday
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
With the Hoschton City
Council down to three mem
bers, city leaders will meet
Thursday (Aug. 31) to select
a representative to fill the re
cently vacated seat of Debbie
Martin.
Martin resigned her seat
last week to mn for the city’s
open mayoral post.
The Hoschton City Council
has called a 3 p.m. meeting to
appoint a new councilmem-
ber to fill the remainder of
Martin’s unexpired term,
which mns to 2024.
During the council’s Aug.
21 meeting, Martin nominat
ed Christina Brown to fill the
open spot. Brown ran against
Martin and Tammy Sweat
in a November 2022 special
Debbie Martin
election for the vacated coun
cil seat of Shantwon Astin.
Martin becomes the fourth
Hoschton elected official to
resign this year, following
Adam Ledbetter (council),
Scott Mims (council) and
Lauren O’Leary (mayor).
She made her decision offi
cial in an Aug. 25 resignation
letter.
“Because I am running
for mayor, I sadly must re-
See Council ,page 6A
Elections
li qualify in Hoschton
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Qualifying week for the
City of Hoschton proved
to be a busy one with five
council seats — including
the mayor’s — up for grabs
this fall. Eleven candidates
emerged during the week for
the city’s Nov. 7 elections.
Michael Beck, Debbie
Martin and Nick Sutton
qualified for the mayor’s
race. Martin recently re
signed her council seat to
pursue the open mayoral
post, having served on the
council since November
2022.
The mayor’s race is being
held to fill the remaining
term of former mayor Lau
ren O’Leary, who resigned
in July when her family
moved from Hoschton. The
term runs until 2026. James
Lawson is serving as acting
mayor.
Meanwhile, David Brown,
Monti Robinson and Tammy
Sweat qualified for a special
election to fill the final two
years of former councilman
Scott Mims’ term. Mims re
signed in March.
Additionally, three coun
cil seats with full four-year
terms are up for election,
with five candidates qualify
ing. The top three vote-get
ters out of candidates Chris
tina Brown, Scott Courier,
Melba Moss, J.J. Jackson
and former mayor Shannon
Sell will occupy those three
seats.
BRASELTON
The Town of Braselton
will have two contested No
vember races.
Incumbent Becky Rich
ardson and Joshua Spear
man qualified for the Dis
trict 1 race. Incumbent Jim
Joedecke Jr. and Tom Lo
gan, who’d served on the
Braselton Planning Com
mission, qualified for the
District 3 election.
Due to requirements stip
ulated by the town’s char
ter, Logan left the planning
commission once he quali
fied.
MAILING LABEL
Braselton
Braselton planners recommend
approval of hotel near I-85
South Hall
South Hall
wedding
venue denied
byBOC
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
A proposed Hilton hotel
in Braselton near 1-85 has
earned the town planning
commission’s recommen
dation of approval and will
be considered by the town
council in early Septem
ber.
The Braselton Planning
Commission voted unani
mously Monday (Aug. 28)
to recommend conditional
use approval for the hotel
on a 4.24-acre site along
Hwy. 53 behind Cracker
Barrel. The property abuts
1-85.
Alex Mitchem, rep
resenting the applicant,
JVBraselton Hospitality,
LLC, said the proposed
COMING UP
•Braselton Town
Council, public hearing,
Sept. 7, 4:30 p.m.
hotel requires condition
al-use approval as an ex
tended-stay hotel due to
some of the room accom
modations offered. But he
said extended stays are not
the project’s concept or in
tent.
“(The accommodations)
make it feel more ‘homey’
and that sort of thing — it’s
not the intent for it to be an
extended-period (stay),”
Mitchem said. “We have
the connotations in our
head of what we’re talking
about. That’s not a Hilton
product, nor would we
want to be representing
one that would do so.”
Conditions attached
to the planning com
mission’s approval vote
include town planning
staff recommendations
prohibiting the hotel from
offering and advertising
weekly or monthly rates.
Only per-day rates would
be permitted.
Mitchem, who said
Hilton does not offer dis
counts for extended stays,
said the applicant agrees
with the conditions.
Plans call for a four-story
building with 147 rooms.
See Hotel, page 3A
Hall County leaders have re
jected a proposed South Hall
wedding venue following a coun
ty planning commission recom
mendation of denial earlier this
month.
The Hall County Board of
Commissioners (BOC) voted 5-0
Thursday (Aug. 24) to deny an
agri-entertainment venue request
for an approximate seven-acre
tract at 3555 North Bogan Rd.
from applicant John A. Moore Sr.
The BOC also unanimously
See Venue, page 3A
