Oconee County Reporting Another Sewer Spill, This Time Inside City Of Watkinsville

Faulty Float Switch Blamed

Oconee County is reporting yet another sewage spill–this one inside the city limits of Watkinsville and into a tributary of Calls Creek.

The sewage spill is the second reported by the county in three weeks and sixth since the first of the year.

Oconee County Consultant To Unveil Implementation Details For Mars Hill Road Overlay District At Rescheduled Meeting

Format Changed As Well

Consultant Bill Ross is expected on Thursday to unveil details for implementation of an overlay district for Mars Hill Road when he meets from 3 to 7 p.m. with Oconee County citizens at the Community Center in Veterans Park.

The overlay district proposes land use that is at odds in significant ways with the county’s future development map, approved by the county in February of 2008 under Ross’ guidance.

North Carolina Company Putting Together Plans For Oconee County Health Park With Athens Regional Medical Facility As Anchor Tenant

Construction Underway

A North Carolina real estate development company that specializes in medical office projects is putting together plans for what it is calling a health park on 14 acres at the corner of Jennings Mill Road and Virgil Langford Road.

Athens Regional Health System, parent company of Athens Regional Medical Center, will be the tenant in the first building in the proposed seven-building complex, according to architectural plans submitted to the Oconee County Planning Department.

Oconee County Code Enforcement Removed Boswell Signs--Again--And County Signs As Well

Last Removal In December

Oconee County Code Enforcement once again has taken down signs owned by Boswell Properties that violated the county sign ordinance and were in the intersection of SR 316 and the Oconee Connector.

It also took down signs owned by the county’s Industrial Development Authority that also were in the state right of way and violated the county’s sign ordinance.

Sample From Tributary Of Barber Creek That Received Oconee County Sewer Spill Shows Excessively High Levels Of E. Coli Bacteria

Volunteer Effort

Volunteers with the Upper Oconee Watershed Network have found excessively high levels of E. coli bacteria in a water sample drawn late last week from the unnamed tributary to Barber Creek that received raw sewage from a spill on Aug. 21.

The volunteers also reported excessively high and roughly equal levels of the bacteria in Barber Creek itself below the inflow from the tributary and upstream from the inflow from the tributary, suggesting that the spill has not had lasting negative impact on Barber Creek.

GDOT Has Decided Not To Fund Widening Of Jimmy Daniell Road Despite Oconee County Approval Of Contract

Problems With Funding Sources

The Georgia Department of Transportation has decided not to fund the widening of Jimmy Daniell Road, nullifying the project framework agreement signed by Oconee County in December of last year.

GDOT took this action because Oconee County never specified where it was going to find the $1.15 million estimated cost to the county for right of way acquisition for the project.

Oconee County Expects Upgrade To Hog Mountain Road And U.S. 441 Intersection To Be Completed By End Of Month

Waiting On GDOT

The county is expecting that the improvements to the intersection of the Hog Mountain Road and U.S. 441, now underway, will be completed by the end of the month, according to Emil Beshara, county Public Works director.

The roadwork will produce two left-turn lanes from Hog Mountain Road to U.S. 441 and a turn lane into the RaceTrac station for traffic heading west on Hog Mountain Road from U.S. 441. RaceTrac is on the southwest corner of the intersection.