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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017
Braselton denies warehouse
By Alex Pace
In a rare move Monday night, Braselton leaders denied a
request for another warehouse in the town.
The Braselton Town Council unanimously opposed
Ridgeline Property Group’s annexation and rezoning
request for 76 acres off Hwy. 53 near FedEx. Developers
planned to construct a one million square foot speculative
warehouse, but the property is currently located within the
West Jackson Overlay in Jackson County which restricts
building size.
(Ridgeline’s request was defeated in Jackson County, too,
after it asked for several variances including an increase in
building size.)
Pushback against warehouses has grown in Braselton
in recent years. While the crowds weren’t as large at the
two Ridgeline hearings as they have been for other ware
house requests, opponents still voiced their concerns about
increased traffic on Hwy. 53 and they stressed the need to
create stricter development codes in the town.
One opponent, Steve Wittry, said at the Thursday work
session that small business owners would be hurt. He noted
the area is flooded with industrial jobs and local businesses
are struggling to fill openings.
Council member Becky Richardson also questioned the
unknown impacts the warehouse could have. She cited a
By Ben Munro
Jefferson police will continue to issue warnings to those
parking their vehicles along the streets in Bryan Mill subdi
vision until city leaders can work out a resolution.
The number of automobiles parked along the streets in
the neighborhood has become a source of contention among
residents. The issue was discussed in late September by the
city council and rehashed Monday night.
Police chief Joe Wirthman said his department began
patrolling Bryan Mill hourly and issuing warnings following
the council’s Sept. 25 meeting. Mayor Roy Plott told Wirth
man to continue with the warnings for now.
“Chief, for the time being, continue to write warnings,’’ he
said. “You don’t have to be through there as often as every
hour on the hour. Continue to write warnings. We’ll pull a
meeting together with all pertinent folks.”
Plott said city planner Jerry Weitz will look at the city’s
ordinances and the city will consider exceptions to it.
But Wirthman said the “no parking” signs placed in the
neighborhood in February leave no exceptions. Any vehicle
parked along the street — regardless of the reason — would
warrant a citation, according to state law.
“Under our ordinance, once those (‘no-parking’) signs got
put up — and it’s a non-outlet community — the way the
ordinance and the state statute reads to me is that anybody,
anybody, parked on the street is in violation.” Wirthman
said.
That includes those parked on the street for birthday
parties or baby showers or crews parked on the street when
doing work at homes.
“You name it,” Wirthman said. “Anybody on the street
gets a citation. There is nothing in that ordinance that has
exceptions.”
Wirthman said previous city manager Jon Herschell did
not inform him when he placed the no-parking signs in
Bryan Mill.
“We have to, in my opinion, my recommendation is to
look at this ordinance and change it to the way we’d like it,”
Wirthman said. “I also think we need to pull the no parking
signs down.”
The Jackson County School System won’t make up the
three days it missed due to tropical storm Irma last month.
Officials said the system will make up the missed time
within the current schedule.
But if additional days are missed due to bad weather,
the system plans to use three days in February and March
as makeup days. Feb. 19-20 and March 12 have been
designated by the system as makeup days should those be
needed.
WAIVERS
In action at its meeting Monday night, the Jackson
County Board of Education approved the addition of three
By Ron Bridgeman
The four-counties that make up the Upper Oconee Basin
Water Authority will pay about 5 percent more for the FY
2018 expenses and about 2 percent more for capital asset
renewal.
The UOBWA will consider the FY 2018 budget at its Nov.
15 meeting.
The authority is made up of representatives from Jackson,
Barrow. Oconee and Clarke counties.
It provides water to those counties from the Bear Creek
Reservoir, which is in southwest Jackson County. Jackson,
Barrow and Oconee counties receive treated water from the
plant at the reservoir. Clarke County gets raw water from
the authority.
The UOBWA budget for FY 2018 is $3.5 million and the
total expenses will be $7.8 million.
The debt service fund, paid by Jackson, Barrow and
Oconee counties for the water treatment plant, is $3.2 mil
lion.
Jackson County, which is the largest user in the authority,
pays about 41.5 percent of expenses. Barrow County pays
about 37.5 percent of expenses and Oconee County pays
nearly 21 percent.
The Jackson County government and JCWSA are split
ting the debt service costs. For FY 2018, the JCWSA will
pay about 35 percent and the county will pay 65 percent.
Sizable increases in the budget include engineering costs
and management fees to Jacobs Engineering, which manag
es the reservoir and water plant.
Jacobs is projected to get $1.2 million, which is about
$108,000 more than in FY 17 and engineering costs are
anticipated to increase about $100,000.
Much of the increased costs are for an updated water
supply master plan.
Bob Snipes, the owners’ representative for management,
said the plan has not been revised since the authority started.
Snipes said the estimated cost of the plan is $250,000. He
added it is planned to be paid in two fiscal years.
traffic study, which predicted the site would have 1,816
daily trips, but noted the actual numbers may have been
different.
Richardson said the town has multiple warehouse build
ings under construction or vacant. She voiced worries about
existing traffic and the traffic those additional sites could
create.
“We haven’t seen that impact and yet we’re being asked to
annex in another warehouse,” she said, later noting that the
council “isn’t obligated” to annex every piece of property
that’s requested.
She also cited the growing citizens’ pushback about
traffic and the “living environment” caused by the ware
houses, but said it seemed those requests have previously
“fallen on deaf ears.”
“Enough is enough,” she said. “When will it stop?”
It’s not clear if Braselton’s decision signifies a shift in
the council’s views on warehouse growth in the area. But
council member Richardson noted it’s the first time the
council has struck one down.
It’s also not clear what will happen to the 76-acre
property now. The land is already zoned industrial and
developers could construct smaller warehouses on the
site that meet the West Jackson Overlay requirements
(150,000 sq.ft.).
If the no-parking signs were removed, it would allow
people to park street-side, as long as it was done legally.
That would include not blocking driveways and not parking
on sidewalks.
The volume of vehicles along the street has presented
safety concerns — particularly for fire trucks answering
calls — and creates problems for those trying to leave their
homes.
One resident said some of his neighbors are having to
execute a five-way turn to simply exit their driveway.
But another resident said he’s parking additional automo
biles on the road out of necessity since he has a five-bed
room house with only four places to park.
Councilman Mark Mobley, who resides in Bryan Mill,
said he doesn’t wish for the city police to become “meter
maids.” He added that a meeting between department heads
and the city’s legal counsel would be the best avenue toward
finding a solution.
“It’s just balancing all the different needs,” Mobley said.
In other business discussed Monday night, the council:
•is considering refinancing bonds from 2007 and 2013 to
create $700,000 in debt service savings annually.
•was asked by the planning department to consider chang
ing from a tree-density approach to its tree ordinances to a
tree-canopy approach.
•was presented with a budget adjustment of $61,488 that
would allow the city to hire its first code-enforcement officer
by the end of the month.
•heard from public works director Jeff Killip that the con
tractor for the federally-funded sidewalk project along Old
Pendergrass Road must complete repairs to the project by
Tuesday. If the work is not complete, the Georgia Depart
ment of Transportation will call the bond on that company.
The bonding company can either mm the work over to
someone else or have the current contractor complete the
work under supervision.
•was asked by city manager Priscilla Murphy to consider
a resolution requiring all city projects to be reviewed by the
planning department to make sure the city is adhering to all
its zoning codes.
waivers from state requirements. One of those would allow
the system to add more requirements to the state’s public
school choice rule, which allows a student to transfer
to another school with the system if space is available.
Jackson County wants to add other requirements beyond
just “space available.”
In other action Monday, the BOE:
• approved spending $250,000 to buy Chromebooks for
students at the high school and middle school levels.
• declared three FFA trucks surplus following a move by
Akins Ford which donated two trucks to the FFA program.
• approved a list of items to be declared surplus.
The water supply plan would look at the life expectancy
of the reservoir.
“You need to know when you need to start design work
or when you need to expand the water treatment plant,”
Snipes said.
It also would do projections on population for the counties
and per capita water usage figures. It would consider new
stream flow projections, how water conservation measures
affect usage and a drought protection plan.
Snipes said he would “suggest you look carefully” for
ways to lengthen the group’s drought protection plan.
Pat Graham, Barrow County Board of Commissioners
chair and chair of the water authority, said Snipes had sub
mitted his notice that he would not renew his contract this
year.
Snipes has been the owners’ representative for four
years. His contract is up at the end of December.
“Bob has been a tremendous asset to the Upper Oconee
Basin Water Authority,” Graham said in an email to the
board. “I know we all appreciate his contributions to the
successful operation of the authority.
“The projects he successfully completed have improved
overall operations, contributed significant financial sav
ings, improved efficient water usage, developed an effec
tive plan for long term capital needs, and implemented a
state of the art drought management policy.”
Snipes has been part of the authority since before it was
legally recognized. He was a board member for years and
now a staff member.
Amrey Harden, who is the chair of the finance com
mittee and from Oconee County, board attorney Chip
Ferguson and Jim Dove, who is executive director of the
Northeast Georgia Regional Commission, are the remain
ing members who have been involved in the authority since
its beginning.
Graham said she would ask the executive committee
to meet before the November meeting to discuss how the
replacement process would work.
No applications yet on
major WJ development
Is a massive high-end community planned in
Hoschton?
No formal plans have yet been presented on a large
tract of land off Hwy. 53, despite unofficial reports of
a proposal for a 1,000-plus home residential neigh
borhood.
Neither Jackson County nor the City of Hoschton
have received official applications for the large parcel
at the intersection of Hwy. 53 and Peachtree Road
(behind the old hospital).
One Jackson County official said the owner may be
looking to annex into Hoschton, but the city’s clerk
indicated no application has been filed.
The owner of the property did not respond by press
time.
Commerce falls
below state on ACT
Commerce High School was the only school in the
county to fall below the state average of 21.4 on the
composite ACT in 2017.
CHS, which had a 20.8 average, also fell below the
national average of 21.
Jefferson High School had the highest ACT aver
age, totaling 22.1. That’s followed by Jackson County
Comprehensive High School at 21.6 and East Jackson
Comprehensive High School at 21.5.
Nicholson annexes acre
By Charles Phelps
The Nicholson City Council unanimously approved
the annexation and re-zoning of one acre for Dennis
Burroughs at Monday night’s city council meeting.
The approved annexation of .672 acre from the
county into the city. The remaining .328 acre will be
re-zoned from highway business to suburban resi
dential. The property is located at U.S. Highway 441
South and Old Kings Bridge Road.
Warehouse cont. from 1A
proposed on a 112-acre site that runs alongside 1-85.
Panattoni Development Company also plans a large
warehouse (over 1 million sq. ft.) on 72 acres at 473 Dry
Pond Road.
Both the Panattoni and Trammell Crow projects have
pending Development of Regional Impact studies in the
works.
Planners will also consider another request from Jack-
son County Industrial Partners after the Jefferson City
Council denied the project in August. The group plans
to construct two buildings totaling 1.2 million sq. ft. off
Logistics Center Parkway.
Forum cont. from 1A
including more sidewalks. Plott also said he would
like to see some infill re-development along Mahaffey
Street.
• both candidates agreed that a proposal from the
GDOT for an R-cut at Old Swimming Pool Road and
the bypass was probably not a workable solution to
traffic issues at that intersection.
• both agreed that broadband service to Jefferson
from Windstream was not sufficient. Quinn said he
would like to have seen Jefferson allow the private
firm Paladin use the town’s water tanks for its internet
dish connections while Plott said he was concerned
about water security with that idea. (Paladin is cur
rently using county towers after Jefferson turned
down access to its water tanks.)
• both agreed that the state and federal sidewalk
project on Old Pendergrass Road had been a disaster.
Plott said the state has agreed to repave the road once
that project is done.
• both agreed that annexations of additional sub
divisions. which brings in more students to the city
school system, is something that needed more study.
Plott agreed that the city had probably brought in
some subdivisions that shouldn’t have been annexed
and said that the city needs to set some boundaries
beyond which the city won’t grow. Quinn said there
needs to be more communication between the city and
the school system over the issue.
Vote
Donald Wilson
Ward 2 Councilman
The Peoples Choice
November 7th
Be A Winner
Stay With A Winner
Vote For A Winner
I am working to be a winner on November 7.
With your help and voting for me, you and I will
come out a winner for Ward 2 Councilman.
No one wants to be a loser.
So please vote for me on November 7.
Donald Wilson Is a Sure Winner,
If you vote for me.
If you need to talk to me, please give me a call at
706-335-3429
I am there for you now!
Romans 8:31
If God be for us, who can be against us?
Warnings to continue for street-side parking in Bryan Mill
County won’t make up missed storm days
Upper Oconee water authority budget up 5 percent