Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2023
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
Beer fest in Braselton?
DDA considering one in 2024
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Though they’re still in the
early planning stage, Bra
selton Downtown Devel
opment Authority (DDA)
members hope to debut a
town beer festival in 2024.
The DDA touched on
the idea briefly during its
Thursday (June 8) meeting,
though the DDA’s organi
zational committee had pre
viously discussed the topic
more in-depth.
The DDA looks to estab
lish the festival as an annual
fundraiser. It is still consid
ering a potential date for
2024 but wants to host the
event on the town green.
“I’m pretty excited about
what that could turn into,”
DDA member Mitch Chap
man said.
Chapman said a beer fes
tival could generate more
funds than the DDA’s Toast
to Braselton, the organi
zation’s top money maker.
He also noted nearby cities
hosting beer festivals.
“It is interesting to see
how other (cities), Suwanee
and Gainesville, how some
of the other places do it,”
Chapman said.
DDA member Chip Dale,
who owns Braselton Brew
ing Company, has already
done some preliminary
work toward a potential
event.
“The more I dive into it,
the more I think it’s doable,”
Dale said.
The beer festival would
replace the DDA’s Zombie
Run 5K, which the DDA
has dropped from its fund
raising schedule. The DDA,
however, discussed the pos
sibility of hosting a 5K in
the future if it can find an
other coruse.
OTHER NEWS
In other discussions, the
DDA:
•reviewed a proposed
$109,295 budget for Fis
cal Year 2024. The DDA is
slated to vote on the bud
get Thursday (June 15) at
11 a.m.
•recommended to the city
council the reappointment
of board members Cheri
Winham Huff and Sue Wy
att, whose terms are expir
ing.
•heard that the DDA’s
second ArtRageous festi
val will be held indoors and
outdoors on Sept. 9. The
indoor location will be the
Braselton Civic Center,
while the outdoor location
will be the town green.
•heard that a Braselton
Parking Deck mural ex
tension design has been
submitted for approval.
•heard that the DDA pro
motions committee wants
to add downtown signage
highlighting the parking
deck and other landmarks.
It is also interested in in
troducing downtown scav
enger hunts, geocaching
events and a car show.
•learned that the DDA’s
Toast to Braselton will be
moved to a Friday (May
10) in 2024. The event has
previously been held on a
Thursday. Chapman said
this year’s Toast to Bra
selton netted $39,649.
•heard that the econom
ic development committee
wants to establish a grant
application process to as
sist local business own
ers with various projects,
from capital improvement
to new product introduc
tion.
Members of Leadership Jackson recently rehabilitated the garden at the Jack-
son County Courthouse.
Leadership group rehabs
courthouse garden
Each year, the Jackson
County Chamber of Com
merce organizes a class of
local leaders in a program
called Leadership Jack-
son. In addition to learning
about various local indus
tries, businesses, and gov
ernments, the class is ex
pected to complete a class
project.
This year, the 2023 class
chose to rehabilitate the
Sheltering Hands Commu
nity Garden, located on the
south side of the Jackson
County Courthouse.
The garden was origi
nally established in 2012,
organized by efforts from
Keep Jackson County
Beautiful and recognized
as garden #96 on the Rosa-
lynn Carter Butterfly Trail.
The original intent of the
garden, in addition to add
ing beauty, was to provide a
place where citizens could
find solace and tranquility,
something often needed
next to a courthouse.
With its recognition as a
Butterfly Trail Garden, it
also became an important
source of food and shelter
for local pollinators. In the
years following its estab
lishment, the garden be
came overgrown and need
ed a full restoration.
The 2023 class has been
able to do just that. Prep-
ping the garden in January
by digging through the
overgrowth, cutting, prun
ing, mulching, etc., and
planting many varieties of
plants in April. The previ
ously inoperable fountain
is bubbling once again.
There’s even a new sign at
the front of the site as the
lettering on the original
sign had faded.
Many of the new plants
that were selected for the
rehabilitation are “dwarf’
varieties and will not tend
to overgrow as they did
previously. The 2023 Lead
ership Jackson class hopes
that visitors to the corut-
house can now stop and
more thoroughly enjoy the
garden once again and for
years to come.
Commerce Police
Department receives grant
The City of Commerce
Police Department has re
ceived a $79,300 grant from
the state. The department
will use the funds to “Imple
ment 21st century policing
intelligence-led strategies to
reduce crime and enhance
the quality of life in the
community,” said a news
release from the governor’s
office.
The funds are part of an
$83.5 million program and
Commerce is one of 118
departments selected for
funding.
“Public safety has al
ways been a top priority of
my administration and will
continue to be,” said Gov
ernor Brian Kemp. “With
the increase in violent crime
seen in communities across
the country, including here
in our state, we’re send
ing reinforcements to keep
hardworking Georgians and
their neighborhoods safe.
From tackling staffing needs
to deploying new equip
ment and technology, these
funds are being invested so
that our brave first respond
ers have the resources they
need to fight back against
dangerous criminals.”
In accordance with grant
requirements, awarded
funds will be utilized to sup
plement law enforcement
staffing, support violent
crime reduction or commu
nity violence intervention
programming, and invest in
technology and equipment
to address and respond to
the rise in community vi
olence resulting from the
pandemic.
“Under Governor Kemp’s
leadership, Georgia has
demonstrated time and
time again our commit
ment to public safety and
our unwavering support of
the brave men and women
who wear the badge,” said
Georgia House Speaker
Jon Bruns. “Today’s grant
announcement is further
evidence of that continuing
commitment. I am proud to
stand shoulder to shoulder
with Governor Kemp, Lt.
Governor Jones, Attorney
General Carr, and my col
leagues in the General As
sembly in working together
to keep Georgia a safe place
to live, work and raise a
family.”
Commerce discusses remedies
for loud construction noise
By Alex Buffington
alex@mainstreetnews. com
Commerce is a growing
city. With growth comes
construction and with con
struction comes noise.
The Commerce City
Council discussed the is
sue of loud construction
noise during its June 5
work session.
Council member Darren
Owensby said a resident
approached him about the
issue, saying crews were
using nail guns after 9 p.m.
at a neighboring residence
that’s under construction.
Fellow council member
Johnny Eubanks added
that construction crews
have been heard using a
grader on Sunday morn
ings as early as 5:30 a.m.
Owensby requested that
the city consider changing
its ordinance to limit hours
of construction. Several
council members voiced
their support.
City manager James
Wascher noted the city has
to be careful when consid
ering changes since home
improvement activities by
homeowners could also be
considered construction.
OTHER BUSINESS
Items discussed at the
Monday work session slat
ed for a vote June 19 in
clude:
•the city’s FY24 budget,
including the $22.1 Gen
eral Fund million budget
(which includes a large
jump because of the civic
center renovation project,
which totals $12 million)
and other department bud
gets. No one spoke during
the June 5 public hearing.
Wascher proposed a few
additional capital projects
to be funded using re
serves, including potential
debt service for the new
wastewater treatment fa
cility, advanced metering
systems and a redundant
natural gas feed along
Hwy. 334.
• budget amendments for
the FY23 year.
•a modification of ser
vices with CSRA Proba
tion Services.
•closing a small portion
of Church Street (an alley
from Clayton Street to
East College Street).
•annexation and rezon
ing of 0.81 acres at 8155
Jefferson Rd. from A-2 in
the county to R-l in the
city.
•updates to its zoning
ordinance for appeals to
zoning amendments, con
ditional uses, variances
and other decisions. The
updates are based on state
changes.
•an annual Memoran
dum of Understanding
with the Georgia Depart
ment of Community Af
fairs for the city’s Main
Street program.
•closing the Cherry
Street parking lot and
allowing a special event
zone for Concerts on
Cherry, set for July 14
and Aug. 5. The parking
lot will be closed from
6 p.m. until 12 noon the
following day to allow
cleanup.
Piedmont Athens welcomes rheumatologist
Piedmont Athens Re
gional Medical Center
and Piedmont Physicians
Group have announced
that rheumatology phy
sician Joshua Hedrick,
M.D., has joined Piedmont
Athens Regional Rheuma
tology. Dr. Hedrick’s office
is located at 1270 Prince
Avenue, Suite 303, in Ath
ens.
Dr. Hedrick specializ
es in conditions such as
gout, rheumatoid arthritis,
psoriatic arthritis, lupus,
osteoporosis, polymyosi-
tis/dermatomyositis, spon-
dyloarthritis, Sjogren’s
syndrome, and vasculitis,
among other rarer condi
tions. Prior to joining Pied
mont Athens Regional, Dr.
Hedrick spent four years
working at the Cleveland
Clinic in Florida.
Dr. Hedrick is a grad
uate of the University of
Georgia and earned his
doctor of medicine from
the Georgia Regents Uni
versity/University of Geor
gia Medical Partnership in
2014. He completed his
residency in internal med
icine at the University of
Virginia Health Systems in
Charlottesville, Va., before
pursuing a fellowship in
rheumatology at the Cleve
land Clinic in Cleveland,
Ohio, which he completed
in 2019.
Dr. Hedrick is accept
ing new patients and
welcomes most major in
surance plans. For more
information or to schedule
an appointment, visit pied-
mont.org/drhedrick or call
706-475-7980.
Read, then recycle this newspaper.
HARRIS DOOR
AND MILLWORK
A Family Atmosphere Work Environment in Pendergrass, GA
Now Hiring for Certified
Fork Lift Operators
Average wage $950.00 paid weekly
Monday - Friday 6 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Closed Saturday and Sunday
• Full Benefits Package
• Health Insurance
(Starts within 30 days or less)
• Dental and Vision
(Starts within 30 days or less)
• Matching 40IK (Starts Day 1)
• 3 weeks paid vacation
(Accrual Starts Day 1)
• Long Term Disability Insurance
(Company Paid)
• Short Term Disability Insurance
(Company Paid)
• 1 hour lunch break and
two 15 minute breaks per day
(5786 Hwy. 129 N, Suite A)
Pendergrass, GA
Call 706-693-0060 (Jennifer)
or email HR@harrisdm.com
