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Downtown Braselton: This Place Matters By LEANNE AKIN
lakin@clickthepaper.com
Is there a place in downtown Braselton that has special meaning to you? Are the historic and stately Braselton homes a showcase of the town? Do the steps which are all that remain of Braselton High School’s brick structure that once stood along Harrison Street hold a special place in your heart? Is the Braselton Library a place you and your family treasure? Consider showing that these places and others matter to you by entering the “This Place Matters” online photo contest which has been extended to Juuly 24. “We are giving y’all more time to come up with some fantastic photos featuring places in downtown Braselton that we all love and enjoy,” said Downtown Director Amy Pinnell, who knows that summer vacations may be been a distraction. However, after
lots of folks were in downtown for the July 4 celebration, she is hopeful that people were reminded of the special character of the town and want to share their input about places that matter. “Remember all you need to do is pick a place in downtown that you appreciate for whatever reason and use it as the backdrop for a clever photo. Drop in the ‘This Place Matters’ sign or pick up a hand held sign at the Downtown Development office at 65 Frances St., to use in your photo,” said Pinnell. The signs are on the porch so you can “borrow” one anytime. “Get out there, Braselton, and let’s make some memories,” said Pinnell, who says Braselton Park to be one of the places that matter. When you consider the number of people who filled the park for Saturday’s festival, it’s easy to see she is correct. And back to those school steps – Georgia Main Street considers those steps to be special as they were integrated into an initial
design plan conceptualized for Matt Ruppel of Atlanta Development Company. More to come on the vision for some of the company’s property holdings.
Attracting business to downtown Utilizing a new concept, the Braselton Downtown Development Economic Development Committee is seeking potential tenants to occupy newly available and conceptual retail, office and potential manufacturing space in downtown Braselton. The committee has an application process that has been designed to provide a clear path by which local, area and regional entrepreneurs can advance their desire to expand or open a new business in downtown Braselton. Braselton has partnered with local real estate developers and owners to identify tenant spaces that are available for lease. The process will match applicants to these property owners.
Applications will be considered based on the merits of their proposed business plan and a reasonable opportunity for success of the business. Some spaces may include an incentive package for concessions and in-kind services based on the needs to potential tenants. Any offers will be made solely by the property owners. “We are looking for innovative ways to attract new businesses to our growing downtown district, and this process helps us connect with businesses that will blend well, and address our market needs,” said Cindy Green on behalf of the Braselton Downtown Development Authority of which she serves as a member. She is also on the economic development committee and is a partner with Matt Ruppel and Hudson Tang, in the new restaurant, Cotton Calf Kitchen, to be opening in Braselton Brothers Store complex. For a DDA application, visit www.downtownbraselton.com/new-business-opportunity-application-information.html
Flags, waves & rock n’ roll Patriotism was celebrated July 4 in downtown Braselton with a parade featuring an honor guard, convertibles and trucks carrying elected officials including Mayor Bill Orr and wife Garen and their patriotic canine as well as beauty queens, floats, tractors and vintage cars. At Braselton Park, there was a festival atmosphere with vendors, inflatables and music by the popular band, Moby Dick. See more on Page 6A and at ClickThePaper.com
Iraq veteran is turned away by VA BY FRANK REDDY
Regional staff
Chris Dorsey likes woodworking. He loses himself in the familiar motions of shaving, carving and sanding along the grain. The fresh-cut wood is intoxicating. The scent steadies his mind. What started as therapy for Dorsey’s post-traumatic stress disorder has grown over the years into a hobby. He is an avid woodworker, crafting bowls, tables and the likenesses of various animals. Dorsey, a 33-year-old Gainesville native and Iraq War veteran who now lives in Winder, needed a hobby because “when you come back from war, you’re not quite the same. It’s hard to deal with. Woodworking helped me cope.” He was recently in a wooded area in Braselton to harvest several large oaks which were to be crafted into special tabletops for a restaurant space in the town but the project is now taking a different direction. Recently, Dorsey’s PTSD symptoms became too intense for his beloved hobby to remedy. Dorsey figured he’d try and set up an appointment with the local Veterans Affairs Clinic for counseling. The first time he visited a clinic in Gwinnett County, Dorsey said he got the runaround. Staff told him they weren’t accepting new patients and offered little
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After getting the runaround and being told at two locations that the VA was not taking new patients, Chris Dorsey has gotten an appointment. to no help. The second time, he decided to show the world this phenomenon. Waiting in line at the VA Oakwood, Community Based Outpatient Clinic, Dorsey flipped out his smartphone and started filming. The YouTube clip, which shows a clinic employee turning Dorsey away,
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saying the facility wasn’t “accepting new patients,” has since gone viral. “It’s not just me this type of thing is happening to,” Dorsey said. “There are vets nationwide who are suffering, and they’re being turned away. They’re being put on waiting lists.” Following the posting of his video clip on YouTube, Dorsey has since been in touch with a Veterans Affairs chief of staff, who has helped him successfully schedule an appointment with a counselor. ‘This unexplainable anger’ Having served in the Army from 200105, Dorsey was a reconnaissance specialist in Iraq. He’s suffered for some time with PTSD. Feeling the need to stay busy is one of the most common symptoms. When Dorsey was laid off from his job in the food services industry more than a year ago, he desperately needed something to occupy his mind. “I’d just be sitting in the house and I could feel this unexplainable anger building up inside of me,” Dorsey said. Prior to his deployment to Iraq, he’d never once lost his temper. “But when I got back from Iraq, things LeAnne Akin The Paper changed,” he said. “Now, I have trouble with crowded places. I’m always stand- Chris Dorsey checks out a wooded area in Braselton
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where he recently harvested some oaks for a specialty tabletop project.
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