Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by Georgia HomePLACE, a project of the Georgia Public Library Service.
About Jackson herald. (Jefferson, Jackson County, Ga.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 2023)
PAGE 2A THE JACKSON HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2023 Hoschton continued from 1A Braselton seeking bids for historic mill renovation in the city. The council, however, initially considered two different districting options drawn by the state. One op tion divided the city into two districts with three members per district. The other divid ed the city into three districts with two council members per district. During the Feb. 16 work session, the council indicated a preference for tional facilities would be $20- $30 million. “It made me sick to my stomach,” Hill said of the higher-than-expected price tag. The city also looked to completely redo Veteran’s Park, but learned the cost to do that would be in the same range. On top of those steep cap ital costs, an expanded pro gram would require more op erational funding beyond the city’s current $568,000 an nual budget. Of that, around $75,000 comes from recre ation fees, the rest from city general funds. To build new facilities would mean a tax hike in the city to pay for bond funding and to pay for additional on going operational expenses. “It comes down to, do we want to partner with some body. .Hill said. “Or do we want to stay in the rec busi ness and make a significant investment in our kids and absorb some kind of tax in crease because there’s no way for us to stay in the rec busi ness without some kind of increase in revenue stream.” COUNTY TALKS Because of the steep price tag, city officials met with several county leaders to see if the county could play a role in the city’s need to expand its facilities and programs. The result of those meetings is a draft proposal to be used as a possible framework for an intergovernmental agreement between the city and county. Essentially, the two-page document calls for the city to turn over all its recreation parks and equipment to the county recreation depart ment and to pay the county $500,000 over two years to operate recreation facilities and programs in the city. In addition, the city would agree to retain $1 million from its SPLOST 7 recre ation money for the county to use to help pay for upgrade facilities. The county would honor the city’s agreement with the city schools for use of the ballhelds for two years and retain the use of the Tigers mascot with the city’s youth football and cheerleading programs, per league rules. It would also retain the name “Tiger Sharks” for the Com merce swim team program. Hill said the county would also plan to locate new facili ties in or around the city. As far as the kids who play rec sports, county rec director Ricky Sanders told the crowd at Commerce’s public meet ing there won’t be much of a change. “Not that much is going to change as far as your child is concerned.” Sanders said, adding that kids who play at Veterans Park or Ridling Field will still register and play at those fields. All-star teams would re- the three-district option. That, however, proved unpopular with residents who attended that meeting, particularly those who live in the Cresswind neigh borhood. They argued that the Cresswind-Twin Lakes segment of the city would represent a large majority of Hoschton’s population but would only have two coun cil members. main for various sports. Ad ditionally. Sanders said the county doesn’t plan to disrupt the city’s swim team and it hopes to expand the program. (One change that would take place is a move from C Class to B Class for several sports.) PUBLIC INPUT City leaders heard from about 20 residents during the town hall meeting, most of who defended the beloved city rec department and ar gued to not combine it with the county’s rec department. Several citizens asked that the city consider an alterna tive to the proposed merger. A number of recommendations were mentioned, from part nering with churches/other groups to use their facilities, or completing rec department renovations in phases instead of spending the $20-$30 mil lion all at once. “There are more options on this table that need to be looked at,” said Tabitha Ev ans. Other citizens were critical of the city’s plan for a $9 mil lion renovation of the city’s civic center instead of putting that money toward the rec de partment. Hill noted in his overview the historic civic center build ing requires significant, costly repairs whether it’s renovated or not. The move to renovate the civic center and move city hall into the building will also alleviate overcrowding issues in city hall and the planning department, which are at ca pacity. (The city’s police de partment is set to move into the city hall building.) A number of citizens who spoke referred to their per sonal experience with the rec department. Many said they don’t want the rec department to lose the small, close-knit community identity that’s tied to the City of Commerce. One woman noted the ben efits of having a small rec de partment where all the coach es and organizers know the kids by name. She questioned Sanders’ comment that not much would change for the kids. “They have coached (my child). They have encouraged him. And they have worked with him. They have invested time in him,” she said of the city’s rec staff. “.. .That will change for my child. The di rector of his rec department not knowing him and not cutting up with him when he sees him somewhere will be different. And that’s part of what makes us incredibly special.” Another citizen. Sky Gor don, echoed that, saying the relationships among parents, coaches, kids and staff is what makes the Commerce rec department unique. Several citizens asked that the council put a pause on the merger plans and consider other options. By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com The Town of Braselton will pursue bids for a project that would bring one of its most historic buildings back to life. The Braselton Visitors Bureau Authority (BVBA) sent a March 1 request for bids from contractors to restore and expand the historic Grist Mill on Frances St. The mill, built in the early 1900s, closed in the 1960s. The project would ren ovate a 1,150-square- foot portion of the ex isting mill for office space with a new exterior By Alex Buffington alex@mainstreetnews. com As short-term rental properties continue to gain in popularity, Commerce is looking at ways to regulate their use in the city. The Commerce City Council discussed a new short-term rental ordinance at its work session Monday (March 6) and could vote on the matter at its March 20 voting meeting. Short-term rentals, like Airbnb and Vrbo, allow homeowners to rent out a room, a suite or an entire residence. They’ve in creased in popularity over the years across the world, including the City of Com merce. Planning and zoning ad ministrator Jordan Shoe maker said the city only has about 8 short-term rent al units currently. But she said they get calls at least once a week from someone wanting to start one. In the proposed ordi nance. short-term rental owners would need to get an annual business license and have an annual in spection of the dwelling. A 24-hour contact is re quired and must be able to respond to the residence within 15 minutes. Parking will be limited to driveways and desig nated parking areas. There will also be a rule to limit the rentals to 30 days, in an effort to keep the prop- By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com After an unexpected hi atus of over two months, the Braselton Library re opened its doors Tuesday (March 7). The facility has been closed since late Decem ber due to water damage sustained when a pipe blew out of its fitting, resulting in a significant amount of water in the main portion of the li brary. “There’s still going to be some stuff that needs to be done, but we are so excited that we’re go ing to be opening back,” library director Lori steel staircase and add a 3,854-square-foot addi tion west of the existing building. This addition would include office space, a lobby, restrooms and stairs. Bids are due March 31 at 11 a.m. If the town council approves one of the bids, work could pos sibly begin late by late spring or early summer. The estimated cost of this project is $2 million. In February, the coun cil discussed a plan sug gested by town manag er Jennifer Scott to turn the building over to the BVBA, which is eligible erty from being used as an apartment. The ordinance also in cludes a list of fines for po tential violators. Shoemaker said that in addition to regulating short-term rentals, the or dinance will also allow the city to collect hotel/motel taxes on the properties. SLIGHT INCREASE IN TRASH PICKUP Trash pickup customers may see another slight in crease in fees beginning next month. Waste Pro, the city’s gar bage pickup contractor, has asked for a rate adjustment of $1.27 per customer per month, based on rising costs of fuel, disposal and increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Residential prices would increase to $21.34 per roll- away and commercial cus tomers would pay $26.22. Residential out-of-city rates would go to $25.67. If approved, the changes will go into effect April 1. SK BOULEVARD The council is also slated to vote on a request from SK Battery America to re name a portion of Steve Reynolds Industrial Blvd. to “SK Boulevard.” Only the section from Maysville Rd. to the four-way stop at Ridgeway Church Rd. would be changed. The road renaming was reportedly part of earlier negotiations. Hayes said. “Because we like to see people.” Hayes noted that some interior work needs fin ishing, while painting won’t be completed un til an already-scheduled library renovation of the main building is fin ished. Hayes also said the inside will “look a lit tle bit different in here, too.” Construction crews have installed a tempo rary wall to separate the usable space from where renovations are on-go ing. According to Hayes, those renovations should conclude in May. Also, most all juvenile and to take out a loan for the mill improvements. This plan would al low the BVBA to have a permanent office space, something it has lacked for its approximate 20- year existence. The BVBA would then rent out the other office space, possibly to Braselton Tech, a fledgling tech company incubator, for revenue. Scott pointed to another facet of this plan. “It’s exciting that the mill will be opened regu larly for tours,” she said. Scott said the plan to pair the mill with rent able office space presents If approved, there will be a 90-day waiting peri od and other businesses on that road will be informed of the change. OTHER VOTING ITEMS Also slated for a vote March 20 include: •a contract with low bid der Stratton & Sons Con struction for road paving using Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) money. Roads previously approved to be paved include portions of the following: Skyview Dr., Elizabeth St.. Bill An derson Blvd., Hood PL, Harper St., Hazel St., Hill- crest Dr., Hospital Rd., Ka tie Ln. Highland Estates, and B. Wilson Dr. The bid came in lower than expect ed and the city received more LMIG funding than expected, so the city plans to add three other sections to the list including por tions of Old Maysville Rd.. Pine St. and more of Hospital Rd. The estimated cost is $286,000. •transferring $300,000 of CHIP grant funds (mov ing the funds from new construction projects to rehabilitation projects). The move is partly due to increasing costs for con structing new residences. City leaders say that mov ing the funds to rehab proj ects will allow the city to help more families. If ap proved, the city will then young adult bookshelves are currently in storage, leaving only a limited selection of those books. The library only has four public-access computers currently. The library’s closure over the past two months wasn’t unlike its op erating format during COVID protocols. “It was very similar to when we had COVID (re strictions),” Hayes said. “The doors were locked. a solution for funding a museum-type space. “Because we needed office space anyway, by putting them together means the funding is al ready covered,” she said. “There’s not really any additional cost for staff and things like that.” The town has opened the mill for tours sporad ically over the years. Its interior remains essen tially the same as it did six decades ago when the building closed. The town has owned the mill for over a decade. It repaired its exterior and founda tion in 2010. begin seeking applicants for the projects. •street closures for the city’s upcoming Easter parade, scheduled the morning of Saturday, April 8. The following will be closed: Oak, Little. South Elm and Church streets. The parade will begin around 10:30 a.m. at Spen cer Park and end at First Baptist Church of Com merce for the annual Easter egg hunt. •street closures for Touch a Truck, planned April 25, beginning at 5 p.m. Syca more Street will be closed on that day from 4:30- 7:30 p.m. OTHER BUSINESS Also at its meeting, the council: •discussed the rewriting of the city’s zoning ordi nances. The rewrite has been a lengthy, two-year process. The city council will discuss the changes over the course of sever al months and will have a combined meeting with the city planning and zoning commission. Two public hearings will also be held before final action. •learned April 22 is the Commerce Fire De partment’s annual Chick- en-Que fundraiser. Tickets are $8 a piece and can be purchased from any CFD firefighter. •heard the State of the City address will be pre sented March 20. People couldn’t come in, but we were doing curb- side pickup or holds for people.” Hayes said she and her staff are happy to return to something much clos er to normal soon — as are the library’s patrons. “They’re all eager to get back in and come in and browse and check out books and discover the things that they want instead of having to put in on hold,” Hayes said. NOTICE OF INTENTION TO INTRODUCE LOCAL LEGISLATION Notice is given that there will be introduced at the 2023 regular session of the General Assembly of Georgia a bill to amend an Act creating a new charter for the City of Hoschton, Georgia, approved April 24, 2013 (Ga. L. 2013, p. 3539), as amended; and for other purposes. City of Nicholson will be hosting the: 2023 44 th Annual Daisy Festival May 5 and 6 We are seeking out craft vendors and Parade Participants. Deadline to apply is April 28th, 2023. If you are interested please contact City Hall at 706-757-3408 or email nicholson06@windstream.net for more information. Quality Professional Craftsmanship Southern Painting 770-513-4470 www.southernpaintingandrepairs.com ; *200 OFF Complete Int./Ext. [ or 10% OFF Any Painting Job We now offer southern pressure washing. Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured ers M Jefferson Farmers Market looking for farmers and makers, email communications@cityofjeffersonga.com or call 706-367-5754. Commerce continued from 1A Commerce mulls regulations of short-term rentals Braselton Library reopens after late-December closure
