Sunday, April 30, 2023

Oconee County Sheriff James Hale Responds To Request To Put Deputies In Oconee County Schools

***Elaborates On Comments At Oconee GOP Meeting***

Oconee County Sheriff James Hale is not in favor of putting deputies in Oconee County Schools.

He does not rule out changing that position in the future, but he does not believe the current situation in Oconee County Schools warrants inclusion of a security officer.

Friday, April 28, 2023

Georgia Department Of Public Health Reports Slight Uptick In COVID Cases In NE Health District, Two New Confirmed Deaths From Disease

***Oconee County Added Only One New Case***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 76 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on April 26, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

The number of cases added a week earlier had been 67.

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Local And State Young Democrats Offer Advice At Oconee County Democratic Party Meeting

***Suggest Issues That Need More Attention***

Young Democrats from Oconee County High School, North Oconee High School, the University of Georgia, and the state, in their meeting with Oconee County Democrats last week, had some tips for those in the audience less young than they are.

They said that the party should pay more attention to gun control, to climate change, to affordable housing, to issues facing the LGBTQ+ community--and to them.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

New Site Plan For Oconee Crossing Shopping Center Moves Grocery Store, Increases Buffer

***Grocery Still At Rear Of Shopping Center Near Residential Lots***

The new site plan released last week for the Oconee Crossing Shopping Center on U.S. 78 at Hog Mountain Road moves the proposed grocery store and increases the size of the buffer with the adjoining Oconee Crossing subdivision.

It also reduces the number of drive-through restaurants and moves the car wash.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Oconee Commissioners Delay Decision On Renewal Of Agreement With Oconee County Schools For Joint Use of Sports Facilities

***Comprehensive Plan Sent To State For Review***

Oconee County Commissioners on Tuesday night delayed until next week a decision on and further discussion of an agreement with the Board of Education on the increased fees Oconee County Schools wants to charge the county for use of school sports facilities.

The Commissioners delayed the decision at the request of Commissioner Chuck Horton, who said he probably will support the agreement but he wants to discuss it further at the next Board meeting before doing so.

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Public Hearing On Comprehensive Plan Update On Agenda For Board of Commissioners Meeting On Tuesday

***Fees Charged For School Sports Facilities Also To Be Considered***

In preparing the five-year update to the county’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan, the Oconee County planning staff has conducted 11 focus groups, with five to 10 participants each.

The staff held a Kick Off Meeting at the June Town Hall Meeting, another Kick Off Meeting Public Hearing in July, and a Future Land Use charette in December of 2022.

Friday, April 21, 2023

COVID Case Count Drops In NE Health District After Slight Increase A Week Earlier

***Transmission Rate In Clarke County Now Low***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 67 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on April 19, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

That number of cases added a week earlier had been 80. The week before that it was 58.

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Steering Committee For LifeWise Religious Program, Advocates For School Safety Officers, Address Oconee County Board Of Education

***Opponents Of LifeWise Also Spoke Up***

All six members of the local steering committee asking Oconee County Schools to set aside an hour in the school day for independent, off-campus religious instruction appeared before the Oconee County Board of Education on Monday.

They offered consistent but somewhat different arguments for putting the issue on the agenda for future discussion by the Board or simply for adopting the plan and Bible-based curriculum developed by LifeWise, an organization in Ohio.

Monday, April 17, 2023

Will Dollar General Be Coming To Manders Crossing? Developer Tells Oconee County Planning Commission He Doesn’t Know The Answer

***Planning Commission Recommends Rezone Approval***

The 10,600 square foot building proposed for the vacant lot at Manders Crossing on Cliff Dawson Road and Mars Hill Road could house retail stores.

The three separate units shown on the site plan also could be medical offices.

The building could have three tenants, as shown, or two tenants, or one.

And a single tenant could be a Dollar General store.

Sunday, April 16, 2023

Groundbreaking Ceremony For New Oconee County Library At Wire Park Highlights Plans For New Facility

***State Added $500,000 To Cover New Components***

Groundbreaking events are always ceremonial and symbolic.

Even by that standard, as Mark Campbell, Chair of the Oconee County Library Board of Trustees, had announced in advance, the Friday Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Oconee County Library at Wire Park in Watkinsville was unusual.

No ground was broken for the 25,000 square building, which was very much in evidence behind the line of participants as they donned white hard hats, grabbed shovels with a gold painted blade, and smiled for photos.

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Oconee County Responds To Lawsuit Seeking To Overturn Rejection Of Shopping Center At Mars Hill Road And Oconee Connector

***County Says Owner Responsible For Any Injury Sustained***

Oconee County filed its response on Tuesday to the lawsuit seeking to overturn its denial of a rezone request for a shopping Center at Mars Hill Road and the Oconee Connector, saying that the claims are barred by applicable statutes of limitations.

Deferred Tax LLC, which filled the suit against the county on March 6, also failed to use and exhaust remedies afforded by state law to address the claims it has made, the response by the county states.

COVID Cases In Northeast Health District Increase Slightly; Oconee And Clarke Report Slight Declines In Cases

***Clarke County Has New Confirmed Death From Disease***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 80 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on April 12, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

That number of cases added a week earlier had been 58.

The Department of Public Health reported one new confirmed death from COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District in its report on Wednesday.

Friday, April 14, 2023

Hard Labor Creek Reservoir Management Board Awards Contracts For Transmission Design, Construction Manager For Treatment Plant

***Oconee To Begin Discussion Of Bond Sales***

The Hard Labor Creek Reservoir Management Board on Tuesday voted to award an $18.6 million contract for a construction manager for a water treatment plant at the Walton County reservoir.

The Board also voted to award a nearly $600,000 contract for design of the water transmission line from the planned treatment plant to Walton County’s water distribution system.

Thursday, April 13, 2023

Oconee County Schools To Assume Costs Of Stationing Deputies At School Entrances

***Associate Superintendent Makes School Safety Report***

Oconee County Schools will no longer rely on the county to cover the costs of hiring the deputies who direct traffic in front of the system’s schools, but rather it will pay those expenses out of its own budget starting with the next fiscal year.

Associate Superintendent Dallas LeDuff made that announcement at the Board of Education meeting on Monday as part of his school safety update.

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Public Hearings Set For Rezones Near UNG, At Manders Crossing, In Far Northwest Of County, And On Cole Springs Road

***Planning Commission Meeting Monday***

Bob Bishop wants to rezone parts of the 17.8-acre parcel he owns abutting the Oconee Campus of the University of North Georgia to create two lots for residential development.

The Brothers Company of Atlanta wants to rezone the vacant lot at the corner of Cliff Dawson Road and Mars Hill Road at Manders Crossing to build a single-story, 10,600 foot retail building serving between one and three tenants.

Saturday, April 08, 2023

COVID-19 Cases In NE Health District Continue To Decline; Oconee And Clarke Counties Each Report Confirmed Death From Disease

***Oconee Transmission Rate Now Rated As Low***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 58 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on April 5, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

That number of cases added a week earlier had been 78.

The Department of Public Health reported two new confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District in its report on Wednesday.

Friday, April 07, 2023

Oconee County Joins Settlement Of $20 Billion Nationwide Opioid Suit

***County Officials Say Drug Problem Increasing***

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners voted last month to accept a settlement under which drug manufacturers Allergan and Teva and CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies have agreed to pay $20 billion nationwide to settle an opioid mass tort lawsuit.

The state of Georgia will receive $181 million, and Oconee County will receive a yet-to-be determined part of that amount.

Wednesday, April 05, 2023

Census Bureau Population Estimate For Oconee County Shows Drop In Growth Rate

***563 New Residents In 2022***

Oconee County added 563 residents from July 2021 to July 2022, according to the March 30 release by the U.S. Census Bureau of what it terms its Vintage estimates of population change.

That 563 is a little more than half the 1,102 estimated increase in the county’s population from July 1 of 2020 and July 1 of 2021.

Monday, April 03, 2023

Proponents Of Incorporating Religious Instruction Into Oconee County School Day Say They Plan To Address Board On April 17

***Board Unwilling To Place Item On Agenda***

Jeff Wilkes, having been unsuccessful in his attempt to get the Oconee County Board of Education to discuss his proposal for incorporating religious instruction into the school day, says he will next make a direct appeal to the Board at its April 17 meeting.

Wilkes said he expects others from the seven-member local steering committee championing the request to join him.

Saturday, April 01, 2023

Oconee, Clarke, Northeast Health District As Whole Report Drop In COVID-19 Cases

***No New Confirmed Death From Disease***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 78 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on March 29, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

That number of cases added a week earlier had been 135.

The Department of Public Health reported no new confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District in its report on Wednesday.