The clubhouse meeting room of The Village at Deaton Creek was at near capacity for a Monday community meeting that focused on the new Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton project. Some residents seemed more focused on the Ga. 347/Friendship Road widening than in providing input for the 100-bed hospital at River Place.
The clubhouse meeting room of The Village at Deaton Creek was at near capacity for a Monday community meeting that focused on the new Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton project. Some residents seemed more focused on the Ga. 347/Friendship Road widening than in providing input for the 100-bed hospital at River Place.
Having a healthcare destination next door will be a convenience for The Village at Deaton Creek neighborhood, but the uncertainty of the traffic situation and potential for disruption to the peace and quiet and interference with the beautiful views are cause for concern.
At a Monday capacity gathering of residents in the development’s clubhouse, Anthony Williamson, vice president of the Greater Braselton Development of Northeast Georgia Health System, gave the welcome to another of the community meetings to get input to be considered as the design for River Place, the new 100-bed hospital to be built in South Hall County.
Northeast Georgia Health System is the sole hospital provider for Hall County, and the new facility will be added to the 119 acres where Medical Plaza 1 was constructed in 2008. Medical Plaza 2 is on the horizon as the first facility, with 22 physician offices is “almost completely built out” as some space is being reserved for future use.
“Are we in Hall County?” Williamson asked, prompting laughter from the crowd when he asked how far he had to walk to be out of the county. The property is located near where the counties of Hall, Jackson, Gwinnett and Barrow come together.
Northeast Georgia Health System has held four community meetings with another scheduled for tonight in Dacula, but the Deaton Creek meeting was only for residents of that gated community. An estimated 300 attended.
Anthony Wiliamson, FACHE, Vice President of Service Line and Greater Braselton Development, right, spoke with residents of The Village at Deaton Creek during a Monday meeting held in the clubhouse.
While the main topic for Monday’s session was the hospital, it was the widening and realignment of Highway 347/Friendship Road which runs in front of the hospital property that was a major focus. Deaton Creek residents expressed frustration that there had been receiving conflicting information from their development company and from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) about the potential impact of the road project on traffic.
Williamson said he lives in the nearby area and he was also keeping an eye on that project.
“The idea of gathering ideas” was the purpose of the session, and one resident suggested the hospital partner with the residents of The Village of Deaton Creek to work with GDOT to ensure the traffic situation.
“The road is not being widened for the hospital,” assured Rudy Lonergan, director of facilities development for the medical center, who said those plans were on the books before the hospital purchased the land five or six years ago. He said GDOT has been working with the hospital and his latest update calls for six lanes of traffic in front of the hospital property with multi-use paths on each side. Some areas of the highway would be four lanes. Plans call for the hospital to petition for a traffic signal for its main entrance, said Lonergan.
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