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o o 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