Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Four Of Five Of Oconee County Commissioners To Get Salary Increases In January

Daniell Refused Increase

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners tonight is scheduled to continuing its discussion of how to spend the 3 percent set aside in the current Fiscal Year 2016 county budget for salary increases for county employees.

The Board will not be discussing the salaries of its members.

Friday, July 24, 2015

State Environmental Protection Division Found No Problems With Oconee County Sewage Plant Discharge Based On Data County Provided

During Critical Period

The Georgia Environment Protection Division detected no problems with the quality of water discharged from Oconee County’s two wastewater treatment facilities during the September 2013 to April 2015 period, even though the agency criticized the county for “serious violations” of its permits to operate the plants during that time.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Oconee County Citizen Committee Recommending SPLOST Funding For Historic Projects

Barnett Shoals And Jail

An Oconee County historic and scenic sites committee on Tuesday night is scheduled to make its recommendation that the county spend Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax revenue on preservation of the historic Barnett Shoals area along the Oconee River and on renovation of the old jail behind the Courthouse in Watkinsville.

The Committee—actually a subcommittee of the Recreational Affairs Committee and of the Cultural Affairs and Tourism Committee—will make its report to those two full committees at 6 p.m. at the Community Center in Oconee Veterans Park.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Atlanta Developer Submitted Plans Last Month For Environmental Permits For Expanded Epps Bridge Centre

Tributaries To McNutt Creek

Atlanta Developer Frank Bishop filed paperwork with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers late last month for Phases II and III of Epps Bridge Centre, to be built in the wooded area across the Oconee Connector from his existing shopping center.

Bishop filed the paperwork with the Corps of Engineers because he plans to alter streams and wetlands on the property and needs permits from both the state of Georgia and from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers before he can begin construction.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Oconee County Code Enforcement Looking Into Location Of Boswell Signs—Again

Connector And SR 316

The Oconee County Code Enforcement Office is once again investigating a two-sided sign installed by Boswell Properties on the southwest corner of SR 316 and the Oconee Connector.

Boswell Properties reinstalled the signs sometime in the last few weeks to list property owned by Maxie Price, the Loganville auto dealer and businessman who has several properties in the county.

Thursday, July 09, 2015

Oconee County Animal Control Board Refused To Support Animal Control Department Director’s Call For Tougher Laws

Board Openly Divided

The Oconee County Animal Control Advisory Board yesterday afternoon refused to support Catlyn A. Vickers, director of the Oconee County Animal Control Department, in her request for increased powers to investigate complaints about animal abuse in the county.

Board member Helen Fosgate made a motion calling for a strengthening of the county’s animal control ordinace, but the motion died for lack of a second.

Monday, July 06, 2015

Route East of Bishop Selected As “Starting Point” For Study of U.S. 441 Bypass Options In Oconee County

Public Works Director Reports

The Madison Athens-Clarke Oconee Regional Transportation Study (MACORTS) Policy Committee on Wednesday morning is scheduled to formally add the four-laning of U.S. 441 from Watkinsville to the Apalachee River to the FY 2015– 2018 Transportation Improvement Program.

The action is a necessary step for the reactivation of the project, which includes a bypass of the city of Bishop.

Sunday, July 05, 2015

Problems At Oconee County Sewage Treatment Plants Began Nearly Two Years Ago, EPD Records Show

Two Permit Violation Notices

The problems at Oconee County’s two sewage treatment plants began in the second half of 2013, according to records at the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, which has the mandate to monitor operation of the plants.

Until that time, the Environmental Protection Division had identified only minor problems with the operation of the county’s two treatment plants.

Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Consultant Tells Oconee County Commissioners Sewer Problems Under Control, But Money Needed

Sludge In Ponds

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners agreed to spend nearly $300,000 last night to remove solids that have built up on the bottoms of the ponds at the Rocky Branch Land Application System sewage treatment facility.

Consultant Bob Sheldon told the Board that, as far as he knew, solids had never been removed from the ponds at the LAS site, which opened in 2002.