1964 Constitutional Amendment Focused On Election Of Oconee County School Board Members

***Filling Of Vacancies Not Prominent Part Of Change***

It seems unlikely Oconee County voters in 1964 gave much thought to the provision of a Constitutional amendment they approved that the current Board of Education relied on earlier this month to fill vacancies on the Board without seeking citizen input.

Prior to the vote in 1964, members of the county’s Board of Education were appointed by the county Grand Jury.

Citizens in 1964 overwhelmingly approved a referendum on the ballot that gave them the right to elect a five-member Board to oversee operation of the county’s schools.

Oconee County Schools Students Scored Lower On State Milestones Tests Compared With Pre-Pandemic Testing

***Rankings Did Not Change As Dramatically***

Students in Oconee County Schools scored lower on 17 of the 25 Georgia Milestones Assessment System measures released last month than they did in July of 2019 when the state last released results from the standardized tests.

Across the state, test scores were lower in 2021 than they were in 2019, likely reflecting differences in the education experiences of students in the last academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as differences in testing procedures.

COVID-19 Cases Continue To Drop In Northeast Health District, But Confirmed Deaths From Disease Climb

***Hospital Cases Also Ease Slightly***

The 10 county Northeast Health District added 2,115 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on Friday and 27 new confirmed deaths from the disease.

One of the confirmed deaths was in Clarke County.

The 2,115 added cases of COVID-19 and 27 confirmed deaths compared with the 2,817 new cases and 21 confirmed deaths added in the week ending Sept. 10.

Transportation, Including Tax Referendum On November Ballot, Dominates Oconee County Town Hall Meeting

***Planning Commission Role Also Discussed***

Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell said in advance that the Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday night was going to have a “special focus” on the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum on the ballot in November.

As a lead-in to the discussion of the tax, Daniell gave a rundown of road projects underway in the county and then transitioned to what the county will do with the sales revenue if voters approved the 1 percent additional sales tax.

Audience members certainly picked up on the word “transportation” in those introductory comments.

Close-In Route On Watkinville South Side To Be Considered By GDOT For SR 15 Bypass To U.S. 441

***Public Hearings On Scoping Study Set***

The Georgia Department of Transportation will review possible routes just south of Watkinsville for a truck bypass to link SR 15 and U.S. 441.

Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz and Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell made fleeting references to close-in routes for a bypass at the Wednesday meeting of the MACORTS Policy Committee.

Northeast Health District Records Decline In Added COVID-19 Cases; Confirmed Deaths Remain High At 21

***Oconee Schools Also See Drop In Cases***

The 10-county Northeast Health District added 2,817 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on Friday and 21 new confirmed deaths from the disease.

Four of the confirmed deaths were in Clarke County.

The 2,817 added cases of COVID-19 and 21 deaths compare with the 3,331 new cases and 24 confirmed deaths added in the week ending Sept. 3.

Citizens, Developer, Oconee County Commissioners Reach Compromise On Rezone Of U.S. 78 Shopping Center

***Entrance Off Talus Street Becomes Multi-Use Path***

Joel Adair, president of the Belfair Homeowners Association, was deliberate and measured as he offered his 12-minutes of comments to the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night.

Adair said he recognized that the proposal before the Board for a reconfigured Meadowlands shopping center and Continuing Care Retirement Community fronting on U.S. 78 was a significant improvement over the one approved by the Board in 2009.