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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1,2018 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com
Fox relocation to bring 800 jobs
Shock, cycle product manufacturer moving headquarters from California to Braselton
BY MEGAN REED
mreed@gainesvilletimes.com
A company relocating its head
quarters from California to Hall
County later this year is expected
to create up to 800 jobs.
Fox Factory Holding Corp.,
which manufactures and designs
ride dynamics products for
bicycles and powered vehicles,
already has offices off of Ga. 53
in Braselton. Later this year, the
company will relocate its corpo
rate headquarters to that Brasel
ton office before settling in at a
new 23-acre site at Gainesville
Industrial Park West on West
Park Drive.
The first phase of the project is
expected to be completed in early
2020, according to a press release
from the office of Gov. Nathan
Deal.
The Gainesville Industrial Park
site will be used for manufactur
ing, warehousing, distribution and
office space.
Fox plans to invest up to $50
million in the facility, according
to the release.
Tim Evans, vice president of
economic development for the
Greater Hall Chamber of Com
merce, said Fox is an industry
leader that will boost the local
economy.
“They are the suspension
shock of choice for a lot of sport
vehicles, powered and bicycles,”
Evans said. “They’re a leader in
shocks on mountain bikes in North
America and throughout global
mountain biking, but also on vehi
cles like the Ford F-150 Raptor.”
Evans said Fox’s relocation to
Gainesville will also help support
other local businesses.
“They’ll create some quality
jobs in the area, of course, and
they’re already looking at doing
business locally with other farms
that are here, from engineering
and construction and all of the
many things that will be needed
for building the new facility,” he
said.
Fox sponsored two off-road
courses at Road Atlanta in Brasel
ton last year.
Flat Creek coming back to life
Photos by AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
Kevin Barnes of StreamTech takes a photo of Flat Creek on Tuesday, Oct. 30. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
and the city worked together to clean up 1,762 linear feet of stream in Flat Creek.
Erosion project improves water quality of urban waterway
BY MEGAN REED
mreed@
gainesvilletimes.com
A restoration project at
Flat Creek, which flows
through industrial mid
town Gainesville, will help
prevent erosion, a com
mon problem with urban
creeks.
The city partnered with
the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and Winder-
based Clean Water Con
sultants for the project,
which started in January
and is almost complete.
“We spend more time
and money on treatment
plants and pipelines,
which are important
parts, but maintaining the
streams — and Flat Creek
being the most important
one — is really important
to water quality so that
we don’t have sediment
and any other pollutant
coming down the creeks
through the city and
county to the lake,” Linda
MacGregor, Gainesville’s
water resources director,
said.
Joseph Carter of Clean
Water Consultants said
the project restored 1,762
feet of the stream. Addi
tions include 13 rock
structures, made from
more than 300 tons of rock
brought in from Tennes
see, that keep the water
from getting stagnant and
introduce oxygen into the
stream. More than 2,000
tons of riprap have also
been added along the
sides of the stream to help
with erosion.
The slope of the land
surrounding the creek was
also lowered.
“If you had come out
■ Please see CREEK, 8A
Linda MacGregor, director of Department of Water
Resources, speaks to a crowd during a ribbon cutting
ceremony for the Flat Creek restoration on Tuesday, Oct.
30.
Driver’s license
center expansion
planned for 2019
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
A new, larger Georgia Department of Driver Services center
could be open in Gainesville by October 2019.
The brick, nearly 4,000-square-foot building at 1010 Aviation
Blvd. will be replaced by a 10,000-square-foot structure, state
officials announced at a groundbreaking ceremony Wednes
day, Oct. 31.
A rising population and higher demand for more people to
acquire commercial driver’s licenses is putting “a good bit of
stress on the facility that is here,” Gov. Nathan Deal said.
Some 4,800 such commercial driver’s licenses, as well as
73,000 other driver’s licenses and ID cards were issued in
Gainesville last fiscal year, he said.
In 2010-11, the center, which began operating in 1991, was
serving about 55,000 people per year, Driver Services Commis
sioner Spencer Moore said.
“The last two years, we’ve served more than 80,000 peo
ple annually,” he said. “That just shows this is a growing
■ Please see DRIVER, 8A
Pendergrass man
gets 50 years for
child molestation
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
A Pendergrass was given a 50-year prison sentence with 30
to serve Wednesday, Oct. 31, in a child molestation case.
Eleazar Mata was convicted of child moles
tation, statutory rape and second-degree
child cruelty. Superior Court Judge Andrew
Fuller gave Mata a 50-year sentence, with 30
years in custody. The rest can be served on
probation.
Addressing Mata during sentencing, Fuller
said the Pendergrass man had groomed the
victim for the purpose of perpetrating a hei
nous act.
Mata was acquitted of the most serious
charge against him, aggravated child moles
tation, but convicted on three others in a child molestation case
Sept. 27.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said in August 2017 Mata
allegedly had a sexual relationship with an underage girl for
five years between January 2012 and April 2017. The girl
■ Please see SENTENCE, 8A
Mata
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