Bishop town council contemplates development, RR street & trax

Bishop Town Council
Feb. 14, 2006
Oconee Living Section
Athens Banner-Herald

Bishop Council grants license, talks about Town Side and Railroad

By Daniel J. Matthews, Jr.
Correspondent

The small town of Bishop has been going through some growing pains lately, but the town council visited a variety of topics and issues on their brief agenda Monday evening to begin the process of dealing with some of these problems.



Mayor Johnny Pritchett shuffled the order at the last second to allow some busy residents to get back to their homes. A $20 business license was granted to Donna MacPherson to open the second Oconee County location of the Trade-A-Book paperback book exchange at the old O’Joy Shoe building at 4971 Macon Highway.

Brenda Anthony appeared to request a business license for her antique and collectible shop called The Bishop House at 5010 Macon Highway. Mayor Pritchett advised Anthony that she needed to complete a rezone application through the planning department before they could grant her license. The mayor also allowed her the opportunity to continue having yard sales in the interim as long as she did not maintain regular weekday business hours.

The council agreed to host another of their semi-annual town suppers this spring on the second Monday of May, May 9, with the council meeting moved to Tuesday, May 10.
New town auditor Jerry Hawkins of Madison was scheduled to appear but failed to make it before the end of the meeting.

Pritchett also gave an update about the cleanup of overgrown railroad property, possibly belonging to the Great Walton Railroad or perhaps Norfolk Southern. He has received assistance from the Georgia Municipal Association in trying to resolve the matter.
Also the speeding problem along Railroad Street was discussed with the prices of speed humps versus bumps debated along with a handicap parking space at the Chandler-Marable house that is the location of the new town hall. Pritchett has received three bids from All About Asphalt ($2000), Asphalt Surgeon ($1200) and Whittington Pavement ($2500), all differing slightly as to application and assorted accessories installed.

All the members agreed something needed to be done and done correctly, with the right kind of painting and signage to slow people down on the short, narrow city street.

“I want it done right if we do it at all,” said Pritchett.
Another issue unresolved was the bids for refinishing and sanding of the floors of the town hall and the concurrent possibility of renting various rooms of the Chandler-Marable house. The mayor has been approached by at least one interested party.

The gazebo from the old town hall location was relocated to the new corner location. At least five houses have been built in “period style” at the new Town Side subdivision. The mayor said he would talk to the builders about reorienting some houses in the cul-de-sacs and connecting sidewalks to city sidewalks.