The Paper August 13, 2015 Edition

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CMYK Thursday, August 13, 2015

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Ribbon cut for River Place Bridge. 3A

DA is asked to appear for probe update By LEANNE AKIN

lakin@clickthepaper.com

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners and representatives of the municipalities have signed the letter formally requesting that Piedmont District Attorney Brad Smith investigated whether spending of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) fund by the City of Nicholson has been appropriate. The letter comes after the commission approved Chairman Tom Crow’s motion to request an investigation into questionable spending which a citizens’ committee agreed to seek reimbursement of SPLOST dollars spent for paving in the area of James Maxwell Road in Nicholson. “I am asking the cities to join in this effort to clear the ‘cloud,” said the July 21 letter

which asks Smith to appear at the Sept. 21 commission meeting to apprise the board on the investigation’s progress. “This action is taken to clear a ‘cloud over a very important program to all of the cities and to the county,” the letter says. “The citizens must know that their tax dollars are being spent ethically and legally.” At the commission’s Aug. 17 meeting, the board will revisit a previous report on expenditures made on the West Jackson EMS station. Chairman Crow has questioned whether economic development dollars were inappropriately spent on aspects of the station and the accompanying road project. Also at next Monday’s meeting, the board is expected to: ■■ Approve an intergovernmental agreement by and between the Jackson County

School District and Jackson County for the transfer of title to portions of Gordon Street property, creation of easements and joint occupancy of structure. The county is working to renovate a section of the former school building for its Parks & Rec department. The gym and the athletic field will be developed for use by Parks & Rec. ■■ Approve an intergovernmental agreement that would allow Jackson County to continue to provide an inmate detail for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to utilize on state highway maintenance projects. GDOT will provide the salary for the guard to supervise the detail and provide transportation. ■■ Authorize the chairman to execute a contract with Code Red for a mass notification system with weather alert for Jackson

Jackson Co. Schools may move toward WJPS demo

Braselton Park is site of Saturday’s Relay For Life

State OK’s middle school A major hurdle in whether a future middle school can be built on the property where the former West Jackson Primary School sits has been overcome. The Jackson County Board of Education was recently informed that the State Department of Education has approved the needed waiver to provide for the future middle school site. With that approval, the system can schedule the hearings required before the building can be “phased out” from inventory so that it can be demolished. The historic gymnasim will not be impacted; it is being utilized by

Jackson County Parks & Rec. The hearings will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, and at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14. The board work session will be held at the school board office while the regular voting session will be hosted at West Jackson Elementary School. Other changes are also on the horizon as the board approved a revised organizational chart to align with to the system’s strategic plan during the Aug. 10 meeting. In the future, an Assistant Superintendent - Human Resources and Assistant Superintendent - Teach-

County. The system will be funded through approved General Funds and E-911 accounts for one year with a three-year extension at the same cost. After the first year, the annual cost for the system will be $15,000 for the next three years. ■■ Approve the purchase of a slope mower from Reynolds-Warren Equipment Company for the state contract price of $108,702. ■■ Authorize the chairman to execute the contracts between Jackson County and DTS Southern Disaster Recovery as the primary vendor for the emergency debris removal services with Crowder Gulf as the secondary vendor. ■■ Authorize the chairman to sign the county’s defined retirement plan documents for required refiling with the IRS to be in compliance with all rules and regulations.

Southern A&E has prepared renderings of a future middle school for the growing West Jackson area. The design proposal would provide for a soccer field and an exterior to complement the feel of Braselton. ing and Learning would be added as well as a Diretcor of Personnel and Director of Student Services. On Monday, the position of Director of Student Information Systems and Instructional Technology was approved with Martha Wilson being hired for

the position. The board also approve the job description for Public Relations and Communications Coordinator. Future academy? Jackson County Schools is hosting an Aug. 25 morning of coffee and conversation to discuss a potential college and career academy in Jackson County. The gathering will be

held from 7:45-9 a.m. in the Jackson EMC Auditorium and the community is invited to attend. For more information, contact Director of CTAE and Community Relations Todd Shultz at 706-387-7320 or tshultz@ jackson.k12.ga.us or Work Based Learning coordinator Laura Boswell at 706-336-8900 or lboswell@jackson.k12. ga.us

Relay For Life of Braselton-Hoschton will be a Saturday celebration of celebrities – cancer survivors and their caregivers. Being held at Braselton Park from 2-8 p.m., Relay For Life will have a movie and entertainment tie-in with cancer survivors being the saluted celebrities during the 2 p.m. opening ceremony and initial survivors’ lap. Relay will wrap up as the time nears for the start of HOME, this Movies Under the Stars featured film. Everyone is invited to arrive by 7 p.m. to participate in Relay’s closing ceremonies. Another celebrity is joining in with the fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society. Sonya Thompson will be autographing photos of herself as a zombie. The Commerce resident is best known for her zombie roles in The Walking Dead and Zombieland. She will be raising money from 2-4 p.m. during Relay For Life. Autographs will be $10 each. Survivors will also be honored during the survivors dinner after which they will be welcomed back to the park in grand style to participate in their closing lap and the luminary ceremony which will also remember those who have lost their battle with cancer. Visit the Relay For Life of Braselton-Hoschon Facebook page for more details.

Braselton council rejects rezone for spec building By FARAH BOHANNON

fbohannon@clickthepaper. com

A request to rezone a 32.6-acre parcel from general commercial to allow for a a distribution-technology center between Braselton Parkway and Exchange Way off Highway 53 was rejected Monday by the Braselton Town Council. Councilman Tony Funari voted no to the motion to deny the request by Huntington Industrial PartnersAtlanta LLC for property owned by 2255 Delk Road Partnership LP and TLD Investment LP . Approval was recommended with conditions by planning director Kevin Keller and the planning commission. “We believe that the edges of this property are commercial, but the interior should be manufacturing distribution,” said David McDaniel, who spoke on behalf of Huntington Industrial. “We are proposing to leave the edges with the seller for a future hotel site. We plan to build a 432,000-square-foot spec

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building.” Conditions would be required the developer to complete the construction of Exchange Way to Braselton Parkway, and the project would be required to have two access points onto Braselton Parkway, which could include Exchange Way. Donna Bryant, a Braselton resident, spoke in opposition. “We get the brunt of the trucking traffic that goes through the city,” said Bryant. Martin Lane, one of Bryan’s neighbors, agreed regarding the proposed distribution center and the addition of more trucks and traffic. “I am totally against any more truck traffic,” said Lane. “Numerous times it is backed up from 85 all the way until the trucks turn into Pilot. Then, you have to make a left turn from the right-hand lane to get in. Then, with trucks coming in from Oakwood, you are still stuck. Somebody is going to get killed over there again.” Braselton resident Lynn

Volume 9, Number 40 Obituaries 4A Pastor’s Pen 3B Police report 2A Puzzles 5B Sports 1-2B

Roetzer agreed with the stress of more traffic, but said she is afraid that the town will become a “ghost town” due to the constant addition of warehouses and distribution centers as opposed to retail stores. She is also concerned about neighbors and herself being trapped in their subdivision, which is located behind the Pilot gas station, as well as the issue of emergency response vehicles unable to enter, due to a truck tipping over. “I am also worried about how this will affect our community,” said Roetzer. “We have people who want to build houses, but there are no amenities for them. Warehouses are what are coming in, and they just cause more problems.” McDaniel’s rebuttal included a presentation of a traffic count conducted from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on a Friday at Pilot Tavel Center and Park 53. McDaniel said it is expected there would be two trucks in and two trucks out every hour from the project.

Farah Bohannon The Paper

Braselton Mayor Bill Orr (L) and Assistant Police Chief Lou Solis (R) were involved in Monday’s acceptance of recertification of the Georgia Law Enforcement Certification by Chief Terry Esco. The presentation was made by Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police director of state certification Mark Bender.

Braselton Police gets its recertification honors

By FARAH BOHANNON

fbohannon@clickthepaper.com

The Braselton Police Department has officially been recertified by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. During the town council’s Aug. 10 voting session, Mark Bender, Director of State Certifications for the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, officially awarded Braselton Police Chief Terry Esco with a plaque stating

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the department has been recertified. “It is my pleasure to present to Chief Terry Esco of the Braselton Police Department with their recertification under the Georgia Law Enforcement Certification Program,” said Bender. “As I like to tell folks, the first one is the easiest one to get. It is the second one where you have to prove that you comply with all the standards and policies.”

Esco mentioned that he has to thank his officers for all of their hard work. The department received its State of Georgia Law Enforcement Certification in March of 2012 after three years of tedious work. At that time, the department was one of only 96 agencies in the state to have earned the Georgia Law Enforcement Certification requiring adherence to 118 strict standards.

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