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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Weekend Edition-December 23-24, 2022 3A
Senate passes $1.7 trillion
bill to fund gov’t, aid Ukraine
BY KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Senate
passed a massive $1.7 trillion spend
ing bill Thursday that finances federal
agencies through September and pro
vides another significant round of mili
tary and economic aid to Ukraine one
day after Ukrainian President Volody-
myr Zelenskyy’s dramatic address to a
joint meeting of Congress.
The bill, which runs for 4,155 pages,
includes about $772.5 billion for
domestic programs and $858 billion
for defense and would finance federal
agencies through the fiscal year at the
end of September.
The bill passed by a vote of 68-29 and
now goes to the House for a final vote
before it can be sent to President Joe
Biden to be signed into law.
“This is one of the most significant
appropriations packages we have done
in a very long time,” said Senate Major
ity Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“The range of people it helps is large
and deep.”
Lawmakers were racing to get the
bill approved before a partial govern
ment shutdown at midnight Friday,
and many were anxious to complete
the task before a deep freeze and win
try conditions left them stranded in
Washington for the holidays. Many also
want to lock in government funding
before a new GOP-controlled House
next year could make it harder to find
compromise on spending.
Senators heard from Zelenskyy
about the importance of U.S. aid to
his country for its war with Russia on
Wednesday night. The measure pro
vides about $45 billion in military, eco
nomic and humanitarian assistance for
the devastated nation and NATO allies,
more than Biden even requested, rais
ing total assistance so far to more than
$100 billion.
“Your money is not charity,” Zel
enskyy told lawmakers and Ameri
cans watching from home. “It’s an
investment in the global security and
democracy that we handle in the most
responsible way.”
Lawmakers were in disagreement
over which amendments were to be
voted upon to lock in a final vote on
an expedited basis. The impasses had
the potential to prevent passage of the
bill before the midnight Friday dead
line. But negotiations overnight led
to a breakthrough and senators gath
ered early Thursday morning to work
through more than a dozen amend
ments before getting to a final vote.
40 townhomes removed from development plan
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Editor’s note: This published in
a previous E-Paper edition and is
being provided here for print-only
readers.
A plan for 40 townhomes at a
busy Oakwood intersection has
been removed in favor of a strictly
commercial development — one
that includes a couple of potential
restaurants.
“The city was more interested in
seeing a 100% commercial devel
opment,” said Ethan Underwood, a
Cumming lawyer representing the
developer, Eden Rock Real Estate
Partners LLC.
A two-story, 89,600-square-foot self
storage has replaced the residential
part of the development at Winder
and Atlanta highways, across from
a Chick-fil-A restaurant and a Wal
greens pharmacy.
“That storage facility will have
a lot less traffic going in and out
adjacent to those existing homes,”
Underwood said.
The development would be sur
rounded by houses and border Pop
lar Springs Fork and Bolding roads,
which lead to the busy intersection
of Poplar Springs Road and Atlanta
Highway/Ga. 13.
A revised map of the development
shows two “quick-serve” restau
rant sites, with one possibly being
a coffee shop. Also planned are a
1,500-square-foot oil change busi
ness and a two-story 8,400-square-
foot medical office building.
No tenants have been signed, but
discussions are underway with sev
eral prospects, Underwood said.
The hope is construction could
start in mid-2023, he said.
Another commercial develop
ment is being planned off Winder
Highway/Ga. 53 across from Chick-
fil-A and the Publix-anchored Rob
son Crossing shopping center. It also
could include restaurants.
That developer, Halpern Enter
prises Inc., was seeking to waive a
requirement for interparcel access
with Eden Rock’s development on
its property. Oakwood City Council
denied the request in October.
BRASELTON
Water project
hopes to finish
in couple of years
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Editor’s note: This pub
lished in a previous E-Paper
edition and is being provided
here for print-only readers.
Braselton is seeking resi
dents’ input on a major water
improvement project.
Using federal pandemic
relief money funneled
through the state, the town in
Hall, Gwinnett, Barrow and
Jackson counties is looking
to add two municipal water
supply wells and 3,100 feet
of water transmission main
lines on public property next
to Charlie Smith Road.
Charlie Smith Road is off
Thompson Mill Road, which
becomes Liberty Church
Road at Old Winder High
way/Ga. 211, just south of
the Hall County line.
“Municipal water wells
typically take about five
years to get online,” Town
Manager Jennifer Scott said.
“We’ve already started the
process, so we hope to be
able to get it on the system in
the next couple years.”
The overall project is esti
mated to cost $1 million, with
$416,500 from federal relief
and $618,500 from the town.
A public meeting to dis
cuss the project is set for 4
p.m. Jan. 5 at the Braselton
Police & Municipal Court
Water
improvements
What: Braselton is
holding a public meeting
on a$1 million project
When: 4 p.m. Jan. 5
Where: Braselton Police &
Municipal Court Building,
5040 Highway 53
Building, 5040 Highway 53.
During the meeting, offi
cials plan “to identify public
preferences for alterna
tive methods of improving
the town’s water facilities,”
according to a press release.
“These alternatives will
be evaluated and included
in the town’s Environmental
Information Document, the
major planning document
covering the water system
improvements.”
Public participation “is
encouraged and considered
essential to the selection
and development of the
final plan” to be adopted
before its approval by the
state Department of Natu
ral Resources, the release
states.
“We are trying to become
more self-sustaining in
regards to our water needs,”
Scott said.
She said the town buys
water from Gwinnett and
Jackson, “and we are nego
tiating a new contract with
Barrow.”
UNG
■ Continued from 1A
year due to declining stu
dent enrollment. UNG is
leaving some vacancies
unfilled and has already
informed three lecturers
that they will be laid off.
The committee will
hold its first meeting Jan.
13, and the members will
be formally charged with
their roles and responsibil
ities, according to a UNG
news release.
The committee will for
ward the names of three to
five unranked candidates
to the Board of Regents for
consideration.
“The university’s five
campuses make a tremen
dous impact on the North
Georgia region and regu
larly produce graduates
who are leaders in their
fields,” said regent and com
mittee chair Jim Syfan, CEO
of Syfan Logistics in Gaines
ville. “As we celebrate the
university’s 150th anniver
sary, I’m grateful for this
opportunity to join with
the committee and make a
positive impact on UNG’s
future.”
“UNG serves a diverse
student body of more than
18,000 students, including
more than 700 cadets who
represent the university’s
unique role as the Military
College of Georgia,” USG
Chancellor Sonny Perdue
said. “President Jacobs has
been a trailblazer who made
a significant impact on
UNG’s growth and momen
tum, and I look forward to
the committee’s work in
finding someone who will
continue to increase the
university’s educational
opportunities and student
success.”
Members of the commit
tee are:
■ Regent Jim Syfan,
committee chair
■ Regent and Board
Chairman Harold Reynolds
■ Regent Tim Evans
■ Wayne Baird, execu
tive director, Chick-Fil-A;
alumnus
■ Charles Burrage, pro
fessor, kinesiology
■ Mike Higley, executive
in residence, Mike Cottrell
College of Business; retired
vice president, FedEx
Express; alumnus
■ Kristie Kiser, student
success coordinator; chair,
UNG Staff Council
■ Teresa MacCart-
ney, USG Chief Operating
Officer
■ Nick Massengill, chair
man, UNG Foundation
Board of Trustees; alumnus
■ Butch Miller, Georgia
Senate President Pro Tern;
alumnus
■ Anna Moller, presi
dent, Student Government
Association; student
■ Caroline Munoz, pro
fessor, marketing
■ Chuck Robertson, pro
fessor, psychological sci
ence; chair, UNG Faculty
Senate
■ Lt. Gen. James Terry,
U.S. Army (Retired);
alumnus
■ Cadet Col. Warren
Walker, Brigade Com
mander; student
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