BOC Chairman's Report for 6-18-09

Below is the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners Chairman's Report that will be printed in the Times-Courier on June 18, 2009.

Last Thursday afternoon, a strong storm hit the civic center area. A lot of sheet metal was ripped off of the roof of the Park and Recreation office (the former fire station) and was blown across the pool area and into the parking lot and ball fields. The damage was immediately assessed and photographed by Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Tony Pritchett. County workers got right to work, securing the area and closing off the parts of the park with hazards. An inmate work detail and chipper crew from the road department got to work on the cleanup of downed trees the next morning. Although it looked pretty bad, there wasn’t any severe collateral damage nor was anyone hurt.
Riverfront Drive has been a lingering issue for several months. This road runs from Highway 52 East down to Horseshoe subdivision. It is not a county maintained road. Many months ago, the Ellijay-Gilmer County Water & Sewerage Authority ran a water line down this road to connect the new line on Highway 52 East. Apparently some documentation, such as easements and construction agreements, were not in place. The placement of the water line caused some damage to this road. I have been in touch with the authority (NOT a county department but a independent entity) several times due to constituent concerns that I’ve received. I have been assured that they are almost done with the necessary paperwork and will repair the road. Being that this is an easement road across state property and then a private road within a subdivision, the county can not legally work this road.
The mowing operation on county roads seems to be working pretty well. The crews are getting the hang of the new system and things are beginning to run more smoothly. I have received many comments about state highways not being mowed. Due to budget cutting decisions at Georgia DOT, I have been told that they will not begin mowing state roads until some time next month. I dread it for their mowing crews when they do get started, the grass is already very high in many places.
Mutual aid agreements have been signed recently with Dawson and Pickens Counties, and are almost completed with the other surrounding counties. These agreements provide for a more efficient and time saving protocol when there is a fire or other emergency in the remote areas of either county. With the new 911 dispatching software, combined with the more advanced systems already in place in other counties, many precious minutes can be saved in dispatching the closest units from each county. These agreements also receive noticeable credit with ISO when assessing homeowner’s insurance ratings.

As always, feel free to contact me by email (mchastain@gilmercounty-ga.gov) or by calling the BOC office at 706-635-4361. Comments can be left on 706-515-2320.