CMYK Thursday, August 6, 2015
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Arts council supports Hoschton depot. 4B
Hoschton will hold package sales vote By FARAH BOHANNON
fbohannon@clickthepaper.com
Hoschton voters will have a package sales referendum on the November general election ballot, however, an ordinance must be drafted in anticipation of liquor stores being permitted inside the city limits. The referendum was briefly discussed at the Monday work session and placed on the consent agenda for the council meeting. The referendum is being made possible by the efforts of those who gathered the required signatures to call for an election on the issue. Mayor Theresa Kenerly said Jackson County Elections reported that of the 387 signatures submitted to call for the referendum, 308 were verified; only 299 verified signatures were needed. City Attorney Thomas Mitchell said that he will put together an ordinance for the council members to review.
Mayor Kenerly said the referendum would be placed on the ballot for the next election which is the November general election when three council posts – currently held by David Poteet, Scott Butler and Jim Cleveland – will be filled. Qualifying for those council posts will take place from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1-2. Also during Monday’s meeting, Mayor Kenerly and the council members went into executive session to discuss personnel and real estate. Councilman Cleveland made a motion to approve the hiring of David Pollard for the wastewater treatment plant,Wendy Carter as city clerk and Chris Miccoli as the public works/maintenance employee and the motion was unanimously approved. The following items were placed on the consent agenda which was approved during the council’s meeting session: resolution for alcohol sales at the Hoschton Fall Festival,
resolution to close the roads for the festival, a resolution to adopt a new fee schedule for building permits and planning and development. Mayor Kenerly then gave an update on water and sewer project activities from EMI. “We have been having some major problems,” said Kenerly. “We found someone who said he could build us another system. It would be ours, and nobody else would own it. The price is $17,900, and it can go toward our $300,000 we had to come up with, which is a good thing. I always try to find the good out of every situation.” Phase 1 of building a new system would include the $17,900, and Kenerly inquired what phase 2 would be — the finishing touches — but had not gotten an initial quote. She also mentioned that the White Street pump station malfunctioned recently and said that they are at the point of needing to get rid of it due to the mass amount of problems it causes.
Back to school time Murray Banks of Peak Productions was the speaker who motivated teachers of the Jefferson City School System after the July 29 community breakfast found out it was a small world when he learned Jefferson Academy media center Marion Stem used to live near his current Vermont home. He challenged teachers to spur on student See more from the community breakfast by LeAnne Akin at ClickThePaper.com success.
Jefferson’s city manager has resigned The Jefferson City Council accepted the resignation of its city manager during a Monday called meeting. Jason Tinsley, who has been on the job since February, submitted his letter of resignation after what he said was “an earnest conversation” with Mayor Roy Plott. “It is with a heavy heart that I ask you to please accept this letter of resignation from my position as City Manager for the City of Jefferson,” wrote Tinsley, who called the resignation
post for all involved. Tinsley’s letter formalized what he had shared with the council. “I am in the midst of personal life changes and must pursue other career opportunities that can provide the flexibility I currently need through this period of personal transition,” he wrote. “It has been an honor to serve you all and to have the opportunity to work with a wonderful team who will continue to serve the city well in their re-
spective roles,” said Tinsley. “I am committed to assisting with a smooth transition and will work diligently with staff to ensure high-quality city services continue to be delivered for the residents of Jefferson,” said Tinsley, who indicated he would serve as his employment agreement outlines or any alternative preferred by the council. Efforts to contact Mayor Plott for comment about plans to fill the position were unsuccessful.
3 Braselton businesses burglarized
By LEANNE AKIN
lakin@clickthepaper.com
Braselton Police are hoping surveillance audio and video will yield sufficient evidence to point to the suspects in early Sunday morning burglaries at three local businesses. Officer Zachary Tiller was dispatched to the Vineyard Shops off of Highway 53 where Subway, El Centinela and Tea Garden were forcibly entered after suspects cut the phone lines. Chief Terry Esco said disabling the
phone line kept the alarm from being activated since there was no battery backup. Access was gained around 4:30 a.m. by prying open the rear doors. A suspect is seen on the video breaking into the cash registers, resulting in damage, and stealing the money. Two doors were damaged at El Centinela which reported the loss of $146. At Subway, a safe and a door were also damaged and a total of $1,400 in cash was taken although one of the suspects told his accomplice that he only found some singles.
Tea Garden lost $100 from its cash register and another $300 from a desk drawer. The cash register and a door sustained damaged. Braselton Police are now joining with Gwinnett County law enforcement in looking for the men who are also suspects in five other burglaries. They are being called the Head Lamp Bandits because they break in using a head lamp. Also responding to the investigation scene was Assistant Chief Lou Solis, Sgt. Adam Garrison and Capt. Michael Steffman.
“We received the easements for them to go across the property and lay it all out,” said Kenerly. “Now we have to go back and get the easements to dig on the property and lay it.” Kenerly also stated that she recently received an important letter, dealing with their water and sewer activities, after former clerk Jacqueline Crouse resigned. “The letter said that we were not up to where we need to be by a certain date,” said Kenerly. Kenerly called Jerry Hood, the city’s EMI representative, who called the woman who sent the letter. He told her EMI would take over what needed to be done for the MS4 requirement, and would have everything completed by Aug. 3. The cost was right at $50,000 for this. “We had done a lot on our own, and we got to the part where we can no longer finish on our own,” said Kenerly. “We are now out of the red, because we were fixing to get penalized.”
Laura Boswell is honored as Work Based Learning’s top Georgia teacher By KATIE GRIFFIN
For The Paper
Laura Boswell, the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education’s Work Based Learning Coordinator for Jackson County School System, received two special awards at the Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education Conference in Atlanta. Boswell was nominated for the 2015 Work Based Learning Teacher of the Year award for her division. She received a plaque for that award and she was then named the overall state award winner and received a plaque and a check for $500. “I was honored and humbled to represent Jackson County Schools, Career Technical Educators and Career Technical students in Jackson County and state-wide,” said Boswell. She was unaware of the state award and was completely surprised and it was so unexpected that she didn’t ask her husband to go with her. She acknowledges that now she wishes she had. She says she just focuses on her job and does the best she can and doesn’t expect to get big awards like this. “Getting this award reinstilled the belief that with hard work and passion, you can achieve anything,” said Boswell Boswell just completed her 28th year working for Jackson County Schools. She taught Business and Computer Science at Jackson County Comprehensive High School for 18 years and, for the last six years, she has worked as the WBL Coordinator for JCCHS and East Jackson Comprehensive High School.
See BOSWELL, 5A
Fatality occurs on education course
Driver crashes at Road Atlanta BY NICK WATSON
Regional staff
A Birmingham, Ala., man died Saturday after a crash at Road Atlanta raceway in Braselton, where he reportedly drove more than 120 mph in a high performance driver’s education course. Herbert Glenn Dick Jr., 56, was participating in the driver’s course at the Braselton race track. Hall County authorities responded around 4 p.m.
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Saturday to the crash, where Dick lost control of his 2003 Ford Mustang. “Herbert Dick Jr. struck the wall in turn 10 and was pronounced deceased at the hospital,” Hall County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Deputy Nicole Bailes wrote in an email. “It was estimated that Dick was traveling at speeds approximately 120+ mph.” The National Auto Sport Association Southeast put on the two-day weekend event at Road Atlanta, which included sprint races and time trials.
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“NASA Southeast offers our sincerest condolences to the family of Glenn Dick of Birmingham, (Ala.) who passed away from injuries suffered on Saturday at Road Atlanta,” the racing group said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones in this trying time.” Attempts to reach a Road Atlanta spokesman for comment were unsuccessful. No autopsy will be performed, according to Bailes.
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Laura Boswell received the 2015 Work Based Learning Teacher of the Year Award from the Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education.
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