Oconee County Holding Open Meetings on Mars Hill Road, Future Of Courthouse And Upcoming Legislative Session

Open Vs. Executive Session

Oconee County will hold three meetings between now and Dec. 11 that will provide an overview of the Mars Hill Road widening, a discussion of space needs for the county in coming years, and the expectations of the county’s representatives to the General Assembly as that body gets ready to meet in January

The meeting on Mars Hill Road will be from 6 to 8 p.m. tomorrow at the Oconee County Civic Center, 2661 Hog Mountain Road, west of Butler’s Crossing. Project design details will be presented to the public.

Oconee County Commissioners Accept State Agreement For Jimmy Daniell Road But Delay Action On Daniells Bridge Road

Back Shortly

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with the state Department of Transportation to go forward with widening of Jimmy Daniell Road Tuesday night but postponed action on two projects on Daniells Bridge Road.

The Board made no actual decision on what it will do to Jimmy Daniell Road, with construction of center turn and deceleration lanes one possibility and construction of four lanes, a new bridge over McNutt Creek and reconfiguration to meet with the roadway in Athens-Clarke County another.

Oconee Commissioners To Consider Agreements For Widening Jimmy Daniell Road And Daniells Bridge Road And For Daniells Bridge Road Extension

Dec. 1 Deadline Set

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners is being asked to take up on Tuesday night project framework agreements with the state for widening of Daniells Bridge Road and of Jimmy Daniell Road and construction of an extension of Daniells Bridge Road with a flyover of SR Loop 10.

The agenda item is a response to a letter sent to BOC Chairman Melvin Davis on Oct. 28 asking for county action on a project framework agreement for the widening of Jimmy Daniell Road by Dec. 1, according to documents released Friday on the county web site.

Oconee County Land Use Committee Tells Commissioners To Sign Project Framework Agreements with GDOT

Action At Request Of Davis

The Oconee County Land Use And Transportation Planning Committee tonight recommended to the Board of Commissioners that it sign project framework agreements for widening of Jimmy Daniell Road and Daniells Bridge Road and construction of an extension of Daniells Bridge Road with a flyover of SR Loop 10.

Bob Sanders, Land Use Committee member, said he was fearful the state would withdraw its contributions to the three projects if the Commissioners didn’t take action on the agreements the county received from the Georgia Department of Transportation in July.

Oconee County Land Use Committee To Continue Its Discussion Of Daniells Bridge Road Flyover And Other Road Projects

Economic Development Cited

The Oconee County Citizen Advisory Committee for Land Use and Transportation Planning resumes its deliberations about county road priorities tomorrow night with the goal of giving its feedback to the Board of Commissioners in February or March.

The proposed Daniells Bridge Road extension and flyover of SR Loop 10 has dominated both of the meetings the group has held since it began its discussion of road priorities at its meeting on Sept. 9.

Volunteers Clean Up Antioch Church Road In Southern Oconee County To Protect Rose Creek

Braved Cold

Fifty volunteers, mostly teenagers, braved the cold yesterday morning to pick up litter on Antioch Church Road as a way to protect Rose Creek, which flows through the southern part of Oconee County before reaching the Oconee River at the Greene County line.

The litter, if not collected, would end up in Rose Creek, the organizers of the event told the volunteers.

Construction Of Mars Hill Road Scheduled To Begin Next Week, Georgia Department Of Transportation Announced

Clearing To Begin Wednesday

Construction work on Mars Hill Road is scheduled to begin next week, according to a press release issued this afternoon by the Gainesville office of the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Crews are to start delivering equipment and materials to the site at the beginning of the week, and clearing along Mars Hill Road in advance of construction will start Wednesday at State Route 316, weather permitting.

Oconee County Officials Met With State Transportation Board Member And His Client To Discuss Modifications In Design For Mars Hill Road

Maxie Price Properties

Oconee County officials–at the request of Board of Commissioners Chairman Melvin Davis–met last week with commercial real estate broker Jamie Boswell and one of his clients to discuss a possible change in the plans for the widening of Mars Hill Road.

Boswell and his client, Maxie Price, wanted to discuss a cut in the median to provide access to property Price owns once the roadway is widened.

Boswell, in addition to being a commercial realtor, is the local representative to the state Transportation Board, which oversees the administration of construction contracts, including the one let in July for the widening of Mars Hill Road from SR 316 to Butler’s Crossing.

Repair Work On Orkin Drive Costing Nearly $220,000, With Oconee County Paying Half

Problem Found Before Construction

Oconee County is paying nearly $110,000 as the county’s share of the cost of repairing Orkin Drive, the main entranceway to the Caterpillar plant on the east side of Bogart.

The roadway failed shortly after the two counties accepted responsibility for it in August and September of 2013, and it was partially closed and rebuilt at the end of last year. Total cost of repair was just less than $220,000, with Athens-Clarke County and Oconee County splitting the expenses.

Oconee County BOC Chairman Puts Himself At Center Of Hiring Of New Economic Development Director

Administrative Officer Left Out

In the organizational chart the Oconee County Board of Commissioners passed in August of 2009–over the objection of Chairman Melvin Davis–the county’s economic development director reports to county Administrative Officer Jeff Benko.

Benko, in turn, reports to all five members of the Board of Commissioners.

Oconee County Voters Overwhelmingly Approved Liquor By The Drink and SPLOST

Note: This report is based on data released on the evening of the election. The data on voting on the liquor-by-the-drink referendum in the county's four cities turned out to be incorrect. A posting on Dec. 8 explains what the county actually knows about the vote on that referendum. A posting on Dec. 11 explains the consequences for the city of Watkinsville and its response.

Republicans Favored

Oconee County voters approved by large margins the sale of liquor by the drink in restaurants throughout the county and its cities and continuation of the 1 percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for another six years.

Unofficial results show 65.4 percent of those who cast ballots approving of liquor by the drink, and 65.1 percent approving of SPLOST.

Oconee County Development Authority Selling Land On SR 316 For Use As Shooting Range

Clyde Has Contract

The Oconee County Industrial Development Authority has entered into a contract to sell Andrew Clyde of Clyde Armory 18 acres south of SR 316 so Clyde can build a shooting range on the site.

Clyde will need to get a change in zoning for the land, now classified for agricultural use, before he can build the shooting range.