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Barrow News-Journal
Barrow County News Est. 1893 • Barrow Journal Est. 2008
20 Pages, 2 Sections
A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
Winder, Barrow County, Georgia
Merged August 2016
$1.00 Copy Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Finished Goods
Winder’s new brewery gets new name
Downtown Winder is soon to welcome an exciting addition with the transfor
mation of a historical building into Finished Goods Brew Werks. The brew
ery’s name itself is steeped in the building’s past; it was once a stonewash
ing facility that produced finished goods. This unique choice of name by its
owners, Socious Beer Collective, reflects their commitment to preserving the
city’s heritage while embracing a promising future. Finished Goods is slated
for an early 2024 opening and is set to become Socious Beer Collective’s main
headquarters. The brewery will feature a wide range of craft beers, specially
crafted with Winder in mind. This endeavor aims to place Winder firmly on
the craft beer map, drawing enthusiasts and connoisseurs from near and far.
B arrowsaurus has arrived
CFITPark groundbreaking and special
playground reveal set for Sept 30
Credit: Barrow Community Foundation
Local residents are cordially invited to join in the festivities,
with a drop-in window between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. for
a morning filled with fun, community spirit and a sneak peek
at the innovative play space.
The highly anticipated
CFIT Park groundbreaking
and special playground re
veal is on Saturday, Sept. 30
at 10 a.m.
Local residents are cor
dially invited to join in the
festivities, with a drop-in
window between 9:30 a.m.
and 11:30 a.m. for a morn
ing filled with fun, commu
nity spirit and a sneak peek
at the innovative play space.
The highlight of the event
will be the unveiling of the
highly-anticipated “Bar-
rowsaurus.”
As the star of the show,
the towering 28-foot Bar-
rowsaurus will capture the
imagination of children and
adults alike.
Earlier this month, the
arrival of three shipping
containers filled with play
ground equipment marked
a significant milestone for
CFIT Park. These contain
ers journeyed 6,500 miles
to reach Winder, and they
bring with them the prom
ise of a play haven for all.
The CFIT Park is designed
to become an all-inclusive
space that caters to the di
verse needs of the commu
nity, no matter one’s size,
age or physical capability.
Attendees will have the
unique opportunity to meet
the manufacturer behind
the fantastic playground,
Kompan, or chat with the
Barrow Community Foun
dation team and other proj
ect members to get an in-
depth understanding of this
transformative community
space.
To add an additional lay
er of fun and exploration to
the morning, a dinosaur egg
hunt is planned for the kids.
Other playground fea
tures include the world-re
nowned Supernova, univer
sal carousel, 100-foot zip
line, pendulum rope swings
and other exciting elements.
For those looking to
show their support, a range
of merchandise, including
yard signs, t-shirts, car mag
nets, pins and stickers will
be available for purchase.
The CFIT Park is located
at 84 West Midland Ave. in
Winder.
For additional details, be
sure to visit https://www.
Commercial center proposed at
Monroe Hwy. and McElhannon Road
By Morgan Ervin
A vacant property at
the crossroads of Mon
roe Highway and McEl
hannon Road in Beth-
MAILING LABEL
a
>0 4879 11 14541 7
dramatic transformation
if a proposal by KL,
LLC is approved by the
Bethlehem Town Coun
cil Oct. 2. To accommo
date a commercial retail
center, a rezone of ap
proximately 14.71 acres
from agricultural (AG)
to Community Commer
cial District (C2) and an
amendment to the Fu
ture Land Use Map from
Rural Neighborhood to
Community Crossroads
is needed.
The property, current
ly devoid of structures
except for an aging
chicken house, is locat
ed at 951 Monroe Hwy,
with frontage on State
Route 11 and McElhan
non Road. Bethlehem
Elementary School is
nearby. Proponents of
the proposed develop
ment believe converting
the area into a commu
nity crossroads com
mercial space would
cater to the needs of the
growing community.
The applicant pro
posed a 6,000 sq. ft.
convenience store, a
10,000 sq. ft. daycare
facility and 35,050 sq.
ft. for community com
mercial retail suites. An
additional four acres
would be reserved for
future development.
The staff report com
pleted by county plan
ning staff recommends
approval of the pro
posal, but suggests the
property be rezoned to
neighborhood commer
cial (C-l) instead of C-2
as it may be more suit
able since the proposed
uses align with C-l.
The Bethlehem Town
Council will vote on the
matter during its next
meeting on Monday,
Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.
City of Winder residents
to receive updated tax bill
The Barrow County Tax Commissioner’s Office and the City of Winder have recently
become aware of inaccuracies in the data pertaining to the City of Winder’s stormwater
fees. Upon discovering these discrepancies, the corrected data has been acquired,
and revised property tax statements, incorporating the accurate information, will soon
be dispatched to all property owners affected by this issue. As a result, residents of
the City of Winder can anticipate receiving updated tax bills that accurately reflect
these adjustments.
Fatal car accident prompts
Sheriffs call for safety upgrades
In the wake of a devastating accident at
the intersection of Highways 316 and 11
near Bethlehem that claimed the lives of
three people, Barrow County Sheriff Jud
Smith is urging the Georgia Department of
Transportation (GDOT) to implement safe
ty enhancements at the busy intersection
amid ongoing construction.
Last Thursday at approximately 5 a.m.,
a Dodge Dart, traveling south on Hwy. 11,
ran a red light. The vehicle’s failure to ad
here to the traffic signal resulted in a colli
sion with a westbound tractor-trailer track
and a Nissan Sentra on S.R. 316, leading to
three fatalities.
The victims of the accident have been
identified as Jader Artola, 37, Gonza-
lo Balmaceda-Garcia, 48, and Norman
Tremino-Vilchez, 17. Meanwhile, the driv
er of the track and the Nissan sustained
non-life-threatening injuries. The driver
of the Dodge survived the ordeal, but sus
tained life-altering injuries, leaving him
paralyzed.
Sheriff Jud Smith’s plea for increased
safety measures at the intersection has
yielded a positive response from both the
Georgia Department of Transportation and
the construction contractor involved in the
ongoing development of an overpass with
exit and entrance ramps similar to others
put in place over recent years at nearby in
tersections along SR 316.
Efforts are underway to enhance safety
conditions at the busy intersection while
construction activities persist, including
additional lighting and signage already put
in place since the accident.
The BCSO issued a statement via its
Facebook page cautioning drivers to be
extra vigilant when traveling through the
intersection.
“Be patient please,” said the post by
BCSO.
As Winder City Council considered a proposal to extend Stone Haven with a new group living
facility, existing concerns revolve around the potential impact of land clearing, construction
activities and impervious surfaces on downstream properties.
The stormwater
storm brews
over Stone
Haven expansion
By Morgan Ervin
Property owners
downstream from the
Stone Haven develop
ment along Loganville
Highway in Winder
voiced concerns re
garding stormwater is
sues and erosion during
Winder City Council
sessions held in both
August and September.
These concerns coin
cided with a proposal
to extend Stone Haven
by adding a group liv
ing facility to the over
all development, which
appeared on both meet
ing agendas.
In August, the pro
posal was temporarily
postponed to grant city
engineers the necessary
time to conduct a com
prehensive stormwater
analysis focused on on
site control improve
ments. The primary ob
jective was to minimize
the downstream impact
of the development.
The matter resurfaced
on the agenda during
the September council
meeting and received
a recommendation for
approval from city
staff, albeit with specif
ic conditions. Notably,
there was no stormwa
ter analysis provided
by the city at this point.
However, the applicant
informed the council
that their team of engi
neers had independent
ly analyzed the situa
tion.
They asserted that
the entire development
would share the respon
sibility of an existing
stormwater pond along
side other commercial
lots. They based this
claim on the existing
pond’s capacity, which
they said is 2.2 acres,
which was deemed suf
ficient to accommodate
an additional 0.9 acres
of impervious surface
the development would
introduce.
City administra
tor Mandi Cody in
formed the council that
she couldn’t confirm
whether the applicant
had legal access to the
required infrastructure.
This potential legal
hurdle could hamper
the effective imple
mentation of mitigation
See Stormwater, page 2A
