Oconee County Planning Commission To Take Up Rezone Requests for A Wedding Hall And A Church

Reception In Barn

The Oconee County Planning Commission tomorrow night is scheduled to review an application for a business zone on farmland on Snows Mill Road near the Apalachee River and an application for a special use permit for a neighborhood church on Lenru Road near Triple Creek Subdivision.

Barton Cartey of 2531 Snows Mill Road is asking the county to rezone just less than two acres of land in an area that is predominantly zoned for agricultural and residential uses so he can continue to operate a wedding hall and reception hall on his property, as he has done for approximately a year.

Oconee County Patch Site Now Being Edited From Athens

Gross No Longer Editor

The Oconee Patch web site is now fully under the editorial control of Rebecca McCarthy, editor of the Athens Patch site.

Stephanie Gross, who has edited the Oconee site since shortly after its launch in December of 2010, ended her association with Patch on Tuesday.

Oconee County, Athens-Clarke County Investigating Cracks In New Roadway To Caterpillar Plant

Oconee County and Athens-Clarke County officials are trying to figure out what to do about large cracks that have appeared in Orkin Drive, the major entranceway to the new Caterpillar plant near Bogart.

The roadway problems have occurred at a particularly inopportune time, as Caterpillar is planning a Grand Opening Celebration of its facility for the morning of Oct. 31.

Oconee County Commissioners Approved Lease For Space in Government Annex But Not Bids For Renovation

Unusual Procedure

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners approved two bids last Tuesday night, one for $17,000 and another for $52,562.

The action was routine. County Finance Director Wes Geddings presented the six submitted bids to the Board with a recommendation at the Sept. 24 agenda-setting meeting.

Verizon Wireless Told Oconee County It Wants To Postpone Decision On Cell Tower Request

Reconsider Options

Verizon Wireless has told county officials it will ask for a postponement of a decision on its request to put a 190-foot cell tower on farmland near the Eastville community.

The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to take up the request for a special use permit for the cell tower at its meeting tomorrow night, but Jennifer Blackburn, attorney for Verizon Wireless, told Oconee County Planner Brad Callender on Wednesday afternoon that she would like to defer the decision.

Commissioners To Address Oconee County Cell Tower Request by Verizon At Tuesday Meeting

Tower Number 28

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to decide Tuesday evening if Verizon Wireless can place a cell tower on farmland near the Eastville community over the objections of at least some residents in the area.

Three people spoke against the issuance of a special use permit for the cell tower at the Planning Commission meeting on Sept. 16. They were joined by about a dozen fellow citizens in the audience and said they expected others would have spoken out had they known about the plans for the cell tower.

Oconee County Goes Forward With Farmland Program Despite Losing $175,000 In Federal Funds

Application Deadline Set

Oconee County is going forward with the process of identifying and selecting farms for a farmland protection program even though there is no federal money to make the program work.

The local office of the United States Department of Agriculture, which administers the federal program, in July turned back $175,000 in federal funds that were available to the county for farmland protection this year, saying that the county “opted not to put a farm forward” for 2013 funding.