Monday, July 30, 2018

Oconee County School System Released Road Map To Help Parents Find Dove Creek Elementary School Entrance

***Also Used For Ribbon Cutting***

Parents dropping their children off at Oconee County’s new Dove Creek Elementary School for the first day of classes on Wednesday will use the school’s entrance off the newly paved V.M. Osborne Road.

Buses will use another entrance directly off Hog Mountain Road.

Sunday, July 29, 2018

Oconee And Walton Counties Waiting On Response From State To Renewal Request For Hard Labor Creek Reservoir

***Apalachee River Intake Site Not Named***

The Walton County Water and Sewer Authority is waiting on a response from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to the Authority’s application for renewal of its permits to draw water from the existing Hard Labor Creek Regional Reservoir as well as from the Apalachee River.

The Authority submitted its renewal request for the two permits on May 3, but, according to Jimmy Parker from Precision Planning Inc., who represents the Authority, the Georgia EPD is holding up action until the Authority acquires land for an intake facility on the Apalachee River.

Saturday, July 28, 2018

Plans For Retail Projects Along Hog Mountain Road Approved By Oconee County Review Committee

***Plus Project On Virgil Langford***

The Oconee County Development Review Committee approved a series of retail projects on Hog Mountain Road and in Butler’s Crossing at its meeting last week.

The Committee voted to approve the preliminary site plan for Butler’s Crossing Professional Park on an 8-acre parcel next to Publix in Butler’s Crossing.

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Oconee County Republicans Turned Out For Runoff Election Much As They Did For Primary

***Few Democrats Voted***

Turnout in Oconee County for the Republican Primary Runoff on Tuesday was only slightly lower than turnout for the May 22 party primary, an analysis of elections data by party shows.

Democratic turnout dropped dramatically, however, and overall turnout was down from 29.8 percent in May to 22.7 percent on Tuesday.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Kemp’s Margin In Oconee County Republican Gubernatorial Primary Runoff Exceeds Margin In State

***Defeats Cagle Easily***

Brian Kemp won big in Oconee County in the runoff election Tuesday, outperforming his strong-showing in the state, where he decisively defeated L.S. “Casey” Cagle for the Republican nomination for governor.

David Shafer carried Oconee County in the Republic Party primary runoff for lieutenant governor, while in the state, with 100 percent of the precincts counted, Geoff Duncan had just more than 50 percent of the vote.

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Oconee County Republicans Had High Turnout In Early Voting For Primary Runoff

***Few Democrats Voted So Far***

More Oconee County voters cast Republican ballots in early voting for the runoff elections that ended Friday than cast Republican ballots during early voting for the party primaries in May.

That was true even though there was one fewer days of early voting in the runoff because of the July 4 holiday and no Saturday voting.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Oconee County Reports Sewer Spill On Tributary To Calls Creek In Watkinsville

***Flow Meter Strap Problem***

An estimated 31,250 of untreated sewage spilled into a tributary of Calls Creek on Saturday as a result of a blockage in a sewer line on Experiment Station Road near the Sheriff’s Office in Watkinsville.

Tim Durham, newly named Water Resources Department director for the county, said that the Georgia Environmental Protection Division has been notified of the spill.

Oconee County Board Of Education Told High School Classrooms And Sports Fields To Be Ready For Aug. 1 School Opening

***Road Work Delays At Elementary School***

Oconee County High School will have 12 classrooms ready for use when students return on Aug. 1, rather than the eight originally scheduled to be ready for the beginning of the school year, Jake Grant, director of facilities, told the Board of Education on Monday.

Grant also said that the replacement of the tracks at North Oconee High School and Oconee County High School and the installation of artificial turf at the stadium fields for the two schools is on schedule and will be completed for the first home football games of the year.

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Oconee County Schools Holding Dove Creek Elementary Ribbon Cutting And Tours On July 24

***Open To Public***

The Oconee County School System is opening the doors of the new Dove Creek Elementary School to the public following a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. on July 24, the same day teachers report back for duty.

The first day for students at the new school at 7921 Hog Mountain Road in the far west of the county is Aug. 1.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Excess Land At Proposed Site For New Oconee County Sewer Plant Could Be Used For Recreation

***Concept Plan Released***

A future sewage plant on acreage Oconee County is purchasing on the Middle Oconee River might include picnic areas and walking trails if a concept plan presented at a Board of Commissioners Town Hall meeting last (Tuesday) night is implemented.

Commission Chair John Daniell said the county is about to close on two parcels of land on the river off Rockinwood Drive for a sewage plant, but construction of such a facility is years away.

Sunday, July 08, 2018

Oconee County Commissioners Reject Rezone Request For New Subdivision On Rocky Branch Road

***Slab Construction At Issue***

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday night to turn down a rezone request for a 77-lot subdivision on Rocky Branch Road across from Old Waverly subdivision.

Commissioners gave no reason for the denial, but they took the action after the attorney presenting the case for the rezone would not agree to construct the homes on foundations with crawl spaces or basements.

Thursday, July 05, 2018

Corps Of Engineers Told Morgan County Intake Site No Longer Under Consideration For Hard Labor Creek Reservoir

***New Purchase Pending***

The Walton County Water and Sewer Authority has informed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that it is no longer considering a Morgan County site for a possible Apalachee River intake facility for the Hard Labor Creek Regional Reservoir.

The Authority asked the Corps to go ahead with consideration of its request for a permit extension for the intake facility and assume that the Authority would be successful in its efforts to purchase the original site for the intake on the river in Walton County.

Tuesday, July 03, 2018

Candidate Repeats His Pitch For Secretary of State Office In Meeting With Oconee County Republicans

***Early Voting For Runoff Underway***

Brad Raffensperger, running for Georgia secretary of state, had the same message for the Oconee County Republicans at their meeting last week as he had when he spoke to the group in January in the runup to the May Republican Party Primary.

Now competing in the primary runoff set for July 24, Raffensperger said he is motivated to seek the office to make sure only Americans vote in Georgia elections, to make sure the state is a great place to find a job, and to guarantee that the state is a great place to build a business.