Mayor Jim Luken comes out against move of Oconee Courthouse, changes mind on annexation if they do
Watkinsville is the county seat of Oconee County. That much being said, there is a movement afoot to move the Courthouse to outside of the current city limits of one round mile around the Courthouse. There are three properties for sale immediately adjacent to the Courthouse, stated Mayor Jim Luken. He is an ex-Marine and chooses his words carefully, not given to dramatic or grandiose statements. Luken did not come out and name names by saying that it was Don Norris who came out and stated what evidently Board of Commissioners chair G. Melvin Davis said in the infamous secret meeting in Madison in December of last year.
Former chair Wendell Dawson was the first to write about the plans to move the courthouse out of its current location out of this notorious meeting which now threatens to end the political careers of at least three people. Given the economic state, and the recent upgrades and $84,000.00 window treatments going on even two weeks ago, the current courthouse is fine.
Anyone, especially Norris or Davis, should be put on notice that any support of this foolish idea to move the courthouse will not only insure their imminent primary defeat, but the defeat of other people perceived to be supporting this completely superfluous expenditure. We do not need to move the Courthouse from its current location. The county could even resort to using condemnation procedures to take the adjoining property and expand the current foot print.
Oconee County could not arbitrarily switch the county legal organ from the Oconee Enterprise newspaper to the Oconee News Leader. Similarly the county could not pull the courthouse out of the county seat. There has to be legal precedent preventing such a capricious maneuver. Congratulations Don and Melvin, you just determined the top issue for the upcoming primary, and one where the cross hairs of scrutiny and disdain will be aimed in your direction.
Remember this when choosing your leaders for the Board of Commissioners, and Board of Education, and any municipality in the future.
The Mayor of Watkinsville was once opposed to the idea of annexation to spread the city limits. I urged him to annex the entire campus of the satellite campus of Gainesville State College's Oconee County campus across the 441 By-Pass some time back in a private conversation back when I was working in the bookstore there. Now Luken is ready to reconsider the approach especially if there is a misguided secret-meeting enhanced mission to move the courthouse from Main Street to some as-of-yet unknown location elsewhere in at least for now unincorporated Oconee County.
The city and county have to do a better job of communicating and coordinating plans for the future. The city has put the county to shame in terms of involving the residents in the decisions and input for future. About the only thing I can think of that the county government has outdone the city of Watkinsville is in the area of recycling, and it would be so easy for Watkinsville to change that. I even spoke briefly during the citizens comments about placing recycling bins at the Rocket Field concession stand, and to smooth out a couple of dangerous curbs and add 18 inches of tar to both sides of Wilson when resurfacing.
When Maridee, who righteously won the Yard of the Month, is paused at the stop sign at Third and Wilson, I cannot turn into the narrow street from either way from Third to Wilson. Even when driving something else much smaller than my truck, if you encounter any pedestrians, you have to drive off the crumbling shoulder. Then don't get me started about the drain pipe and the yellow paint and the hazards to axles.
If Watkinsville were to grow and expand and annex new tracts, I would suggest going ahead and spreading all the way to the river on the east side and going all the way to Butler's Crossing on the other direction. The city will change again. The city does not like to get involved in county politics, mentioned Mayor Luken toward the end of his period to talk.
Former chair Wendell Dawson was the first to write about the plans to move the courthouse out of its current location out of this notorious meeting which now threatens to end the political careers of at least three people. Given the economic state, and the recent upgrades and $84,000.00 window treatments going on even two weeks ago, the current courthouse is fine.
Anyone, especially Norris or Davis, should be put on notice that any support of this foolish idea to move the courthouse will not only insure their imminent primary defeat, but the defeat of other people perceived to be supporting this completely superfluous expenditure. We do not need to move the Courthouse from its current location. The county could even resort to using condemnation procedures to take the adjoining property and expand the current foot print.
Oconee County could not arbitrarily switch the county legal organ from the Oconee Enterprise newspaper to the Oconee News Leader. Similarly the county could not pull the courthouse out of the county seat. There has to be legal precedent preventing such a capricious maneuver. Congratulations Don and Melvin, you just determined the top issue for the upcoming primary, and one where the cross hairs of scrutiny and disdain will be aimed in your direction.
Remember this when choosing your leaders for the Board of Commissioners, and Board of Education, and any municipality in the future.
The Mayor of Watkinsville was once opposed to the idea of annexation to spread the city limits. I urged him to annex the entire campus of the satellite campus of Gainesville State College's Oconee County campus across the 441 By-Pass some time back in a private conversation back when I was working in the bookstore there. Now Luken is ready to reconsider the approach especially if there is a misguided secret-meeting enhanced mission to move the courthouse from Main Street to some as-of-yet unknown location elsewhere in at least for now unincorporated Oconee County.
The city and county have to do a better job of communicating and coordinating plans for the future. The city has put the county to shame in terms of involving the residents in the decisions and input for future. About the only thing I can think of that the county government has outdone the city of Watkinsville is in the area of recycling, and it would be so easy for Watkinsville to change that. I even spoke briefly during the citizens comments about placing recycling bins at the Rocket Field concession stand, and to smooth out a couple of dangerous curbs and add 18 inches of tar to both sides of Wilson when resurfacing.
When Maridee, who righteously won the Yard of the Month, is paused at the stop sign at Third and Wilson, I cannot turn into the narrow street from either way from Third to Wilson. Even when driving something else much smaller than my truck, if you encounter any pedestrians, you have to drive off the crumbling shoulder. Then don't get me started about the drain pipe and the yellow paint and the hazards to axles.
If Watkinsville were to grow and expand and annex new tracts, I would suggest going ahead and spreading all the way to the river on the east side and going all the way to Butler's Crossing on the other direction. The city will change again. The city does not like to get involved in county politics, mentioned Mayor Luken toward the end of his period to talk.
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