Oconee County Industrial Development Authority Agrees To Sell Last Usable Parcel In Gateway Technology And Business Park

***IMI To Leave Watkinsville Industrial Park***

The Oconee County Industrial Development Authority on Wednesday agreed to sell the 52.8 acre western most parcel in Gateway Technology and Business Park to IMI Industrial Services Group, which plans to relocate to the new site from the Watkinsville Industrial Park.

The contract sets the sale price at $37,500 per acre, which, based on the existing survey, would total to $1,981,012.

The large, currently empty parcel, is the last accessible acreage in the Gateway Technology Business Park, which runs west, mostly north of SR 316, from McNutt Creek Road on the southwest side of Bogart.

COVID-19 Case Count In Northeast Health District Nearly Doubles In Last Week According To Department Of Public Health Status Report

***Oconee Cases Drop Slightly, While Clarke Cases Increase Sharply***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 519 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on Aug. 23, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

The Department of Public Health reported 266 new cases in the week ending on Aug. 16 and 230 new cases in the week ending on Aug. 9.

Line Item Budget For Oconee County Schools Details $15.8 Million Increase In Spending For Fiscal Year 2024

***Spending For Superintendent: $284,810***

Oconee County Schools last week released a detailed budget for Fiscal Year 2024 documenting a $3.9 million increase in teacher salaries and a $4.9 million increase in healthcare costs for certified employees.

Those increases and the others spelled out in the July 2023 Budget Report explain in detail the $15.8 million increase in spending in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget adopted by the Board in June.

COVID-19 Case Count In Northeast Health District Increases For Two Weeks Running

***Both Oconee And Clarke Report Jumps In Cases***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 266 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on Aug. 16, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

The Department of Public Health reported 230 new cases in the week ending on Aug. 9 and 224 in the two weeks ending on Aug. 2.

Oconee County Library Board To Consider Five Requests For Reshelving Of Books At Library In Watkinsville

***Decision Expected In October***

The Oconee County Library Board of Trustees, at its meeting in October, is expected to consider the requests of five citizens who have asked that the Oconee County Library in Watkinsville change the shelving of five different books the citizens say are inappropriate for children.

The five Requests for Reconsideration of Material currently are being reviewed by a committee of professional librarians of the Athens Regional Library System, of which the Oconee County and Bogart libraries are a part.

COVID-19 Case Count In Northeast Health District Continues To Increase

***Oconee Cases Stable; Cases In Clarke Increase***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 230 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on Aug. 9, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

The Department of Public Heath did not issue a report two weeks ago, and the number of cases added last week after a two-week gap in reporting had been 224.

Oconee County Schools Announced Community Engagement Session For September As Part Of Strategic Planning

***High School Growth Likely Topic***

Oconee County Schools will hold a Community Engagement Session from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 19 at the Oconee County Civic Center as part of its new Strategic Planning Timeline, school Chief Academic Officer Susan Stancil told the Board of Education at its meeting on Monday.

Oconee County Schools also will conduct stakeholder surveys in September and October before joining with the Georgia School Boards Association to develop goals, initiatives, and action steps for review by the Board of Education in May and June of next year.