Oconee County BOC Mtg. 6-30-09 from Oconee County IT on Vimeo.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Swine flu case baffles | News | OnlineAthens.com
Swine flu meets its match in a Oconee County teenage girl. Save the softball player, save the world. There is some X-Files reference I cannot come up with either right now.Swine flu case baffles | News | OnlineAthens.com
Shared via AddThis
Shared via AddThis
Minivan interrupts Watkinsville fair | Cops | OnlineAthens.com
Thank goodness for Chief Lee O'Dillon and the Watkinsville City Police Department have the ways and means to stop speeders and DUI violators. Was it me or was this First Friday kind of barren and lame this time around. My friend Paige and her son Jalen said it was dead on Friday around the county seat. For as much hype as this edition got, I was underwhelmed to say the least. Maybe things got a little more exciting later on in the evening.Minivan interrupts Watkinsville fair | Cops | OnlineAthens.com
Shared via AddThis
Shared via AddThis
Law redefining Oconee chairman's role to get first read | News | OnlineAthens.com
Read or attend tonight's meeting to see what you can find out about the government shuffle. G. Melvin Davis does not like it, but the rest of the Board of Commissioners seem to back it.Law redefining Oconee chairman's role to get first read | News | OnlineAthens.com
Shared via AddThis
Shared via AddThis
Monday, July 06, 2009
Partisanship in a non-partisan town
Secretary of State candidate and north Athens resident Brian Kemp came out with an amazingly long list of endorsements in his 2012 race for the nomination and at this point looks like a shoe-in to be Karen Handel's Republican replacement. Among many of the local endorsers were Watkinsville Mayor Jim Luken and city council member Brian Brodrick. Brian was the lone city council member amongst a long list of other elected officials which makes me wonder if he had something to do with its gathering, and if he did (or if he didn't and to whomever did) job well done. I am sure he will let me know in a comment mere minutes after I post this. For being some damn young, Brian has a long history as a partisan political activist of the utmost ethical and well scrutinized behavior and knows PR inside out and backward. He is even friends with multiple Democrats and has been known to sweat with them too.I think he is fixing to father child number three as I sometimes see his wife Susan Wells Brodrick going toward Athens First United Methodist Church (healthy wishes for all the family)!
The thing that really caught my eye about the endorsements was the one of Mayor Jim Luken, whom by-in-large has remained stridently non-partisan in almost every race from President on down as long as I have known him in his three terms here at the helm in Watkinsville. I should have known though as getting a ride from him with another advertising representative back from the fabled political garbage pick up Mayor Luken was professing his opinion that Kemp had already won the race, and the ad rep nodded his acquiescence. When I questioned Kemp's sense over running for Secretary of Agriculture back in 2008 (where he lost in the primary to Gary Black) they said he got bad advice. Well I would say in retrospect with Tommy Irvin's Parkinson's problems that we probably should have elected a Republican that year, as much as it pains me to admit that now.
In no way am I chiding Mayor Luken for finally taking the partisan plunge, I am only hoping it is no longer held against this author either.
The prospects for the Democrats in 2010 are pretty bleak right now, but I know local Democratic attorney and State Rep. Doug McKillip and his wife have done some fundraising for some folks, I think for Rob Teilhet for Attorney General. Roy Barnes might be our next Governor again, and it is possible he could have Casey Cagle as his Lieutenant Governor (in a weird reversal of the year when Roy left office and Democrat Mark Taylor was the Lt. Gov. and Sonny came into office). No Democrats have announced or are even being rumored for Agriculture Secretary, which is a crime. Repeat GOP candidate Gary Black looks like a cakewalk in that non-race. Should local Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond do what has been rumored for long and run for Lieutenant Governo, the Democrats do not have a natural fit to slide into that slot (unless General Poythress wants to follow his own advice to Roy and return to his old job).
I saw a young UGA girl wearing a Porter shirt in the eastside Kroger today, and I do not look forward to the bloodletting that will be the Democratic primary for Governor. We could have a run-off in both parties races for Governor. Right now I would have to guess Porter versus Barnes with Baker as the kingmaker for the Democratic run-off, and Handel versus Oxedine with Deal as the kingmaker on the Republican side.
Oconee to pay for use of well | News | OnlineAthens.com
Former Oconee County Commissioners Bubber Wilkes gets a couple hundred dollars for letting the county use his well. As usual with a lot of the Banner-Herald articles, the comments are more amusing then the article itself.Oconee to pay for use of well | News | OnlineAthens.com
Shared via AddThis
Shared via AddThis
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Schuster to speak at Dem breakfast | News | OnlineAthens.com
Sounds like it could be an interesting meeting.Schuster to speak at Dem breakfast | News | OnlineAthens.com
Shared via AddThis
Shared via AddThis
Friday, July 03, 2009
The Unholy wedding between Oconee Rec and Ga. Aquatics Center
As a last stupid vestige of the long by-gone segregation era, Oconee County has no public swimming facility. I shook my head to this ignorance in the late 1980s and early 1990s working in the John T. Brannen building of the Herman C. Michael park as redneck white kids who listen to rap music somehow thought they were keeping their KKK street cred "because I don't swim with them" meaning black people. Last time I checked the skin tone of African Americans does not wash off, even in chlorine. Morgan County has public swimming facilities (at least the city of Madison does) and so does Clarke County, but now because of a lack of swimming facility at Veterans Park (and despite an anonymous donor's attempted donation of $10,000.00 to build a pool first) we have no functioning truly public swimming facility to go with the two parks on Highway 53 along with other facilities. Oconee County does have a proliferation of private swim clubs where kids who do not even live near the pool can pay for a membership and swim all they want. I know of no instance of brown, black or yellow skin pigmented people being denied membership to any of the many teams like the perennial champion Shamrock Sharks.
Slowly a marriage of convenience has evolved between the Oconee County Recreation Department and the biggest and newest of the private facilities, and that being the Georgia Aquatics Center on New High Shoals Road at the 441 Bypass. This impressive facility has built an indoor and outdoor pool and offers year round lessons to anyone who wants them. This summer the Oconee Rec day care camp has been letting kids sign out and go over to the pool, or at least they were until some of the OCRD hierarchy seemed to have a problem with it Thursday afternoon. The day before at least some of the counselors were encouraging the parents to take their kids there after camp. My son went swimming there Thursday after his mother was getting a severe tongue lashing from one of the leaders for pulling her child out to a place where he might want to cool down on a hot summer day.
The suspension by committee of Patrick Cline a few weeks ago was further evidence of the nebulous connections between the public and private facilities after a father was exiled for protesting the suspension of his racing son and knocked an official in the pool a while back. Oconee County in general is going to have more than a little pool water on its face if it does not take steps to make this public-private wedding a little better defined in future summers. We have a big once a year county wide swim meet and the rest of the year the problem is just kind of flushed down the drain.
I am not here to indict anyone at OCRD and in general I think they do a very good job. But I do wish that we could have a real public swimming facility here in Oconee County, and I realize the time has slipped by where this would be affordable. I hope next time our leadership takes full advantage of donations for a real and much needed swimming facility, although I know $10,000.00 is a drop in the bucket of the cost of a major indoor heated facility for seniors and others (as I believe it was sold in past recreation meeting minutes). I hope whatever happens will be in the best interest of our children to afford everyone an opportunity to swim and enjoy aquatic adventures no matter what their families' income or subdivision address.
Slowly a marriage of convenience has evolved between the Oconee County Recreation Department and the biggest and newest of the private facilities, and that being the Georgia Aquatics Center on New High Shoals Road at the 441 Bypass. This impressive facility has built an indoor and outdoor pool and offers year round lessons to anyone who wants them. This summer the Oconee Rec day care camp has been letting kids sign out and go over to the pool, or at least they were until some of the OCRD hierarchy seemed to have a problem with it Thursday afternoon. The day before at least some of the counselors were encouraging the parents to take their kids there after camp. My son went swimming there Thursday after his mother was getting a severe tongue lashing from one of the leaders for pulling her child out to a place where he might want to cool down on a hot summer day.
The suspension by committee of Patrick Cline a few weeks ago was further evidence of the nebulous connections between the public and private facilities after a father was exiled for protesting the suspension of his racing son and knocked an official in the pool a while back. Oconee County in general is going to have more than a little pool water on its face if it does not take steps to make this public-private wedding a little better defined in future summers. We have a big once a year county wide swim meet and the rest of the year the problem is just kind of flushed down the drain.
I am not here to indict anyone at OCRD and in general I think they do a very good job. But I do wish that we could have a real public swimming facility here in Oconee County, and I realize the time has slipped by where this would be affordable. I hope next time our leadership takes full advantage of donations for a real and much needed swimming facility, although I know $10,000.00 is a drop in the bucket of the cost of a major indoor heated facility for seniors and others (as I believe it was sold in past recreation meeting minutes). I hope whatever happens will be in the best interest of our children to afford everyone an opportunity to swim and enjoy aquatic adventures no matter what their families' income or subdivision address.
Saturday's Farmer's Market at Eagle Tavern
I am sure that the Farmer's market crowd will mix quite well with a lot of the patriotic bunting and chairs set up for activities later on in the day at 10 am with the James Hunter band and free watermelon, popcorn, lemonade and cotton candy. Apparently they will be charging for the ice cream and Bar-B-Q, which is fine.
Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 07:29:56 -0700
From: oconeefm@yahoo.com
Subject: Saturday's Market
To: oconeefm@yahoo.com
Woven brightly, 
Daniel J. Matthews, Jr.  EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOODJoin me |
Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 07:29:56 -0700
From: oconeefm@yahoo.com
Subject: Saturday's Market
To: oconeefm@yahoo.com
| Hello, Hope everyone is well. This week we will have:sweet potato pie, many different kinds of pound cakes, banana bread, assorted pies, fresh baked breads and cinnamon buns, fresh eggs, blueberries, jams, jellies, handmade soaps & lotions, tomatoes, green onions, sweet onions, cucumbers, lettuce, potatoes, various greens, chard,several kinds of squash, zucchini, green beans, herbs, root vegetables, fresh cut flowers, gourds, woolens, among other things! Hope to see you all there! We will be on the street along side of the Eagle Tavern. Karl P.S. Check out the Oconee Farmers' Market on Facebook!! Karl Berg 706-215-7385 |
Free Art Tour highlights First Friday tonight in Watkinsville
Not sure if I can bribe my son to attend yet, but in a very few hours I hope to attend the first Art Tour of Watkinsville leaving from Rocket Field at 6 pm. There are two vans from the Oconee Senior Center which will be toting people around to a variety of artsy places in our lovely city. I hope some of the Oconee County Democratic Committee will attend as this was something they are attempting to replicate in the ensuing weeks on Saturday mornings and it would be a good place to find out what does and does not work in a brief tour of the city. There will also be tons of stuff for the kids to do up and and down Main Street.
Come to Watkinsville as well tomorrow on the 4th of July for various goings on and lots of happenings at Eagle Tavern and surrounding areas. There will be a Van Morrison cover band featuring Greg Hester at Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast tomorrow evening as well. I do not think James Brown will be rising from the dead, but it might be a wonderful night for a Moondance.
Come to Watkinsville as well tomorrow on the 4th of July for various goings on and lots of happenings at Eagle Tavern and surrounding areas. There will be a Van Morrison cover band featuring Greg Hester at Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast tomorrow evening as well. I do not think James Brown will be rising from the dead, but it might be a wonderful night for a Moondance.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
OCHS Basketball Camp - change of location MOVED TO OCONEE VETERANS PARK MONDAY, JULY 6
I like the pristine basketball courts in the Oconee Veterans Park' brand spanking new gymnasium facility. They have two cross courts and one full size regulation court with three point lines adorned to all of them, with a good safe clean wooden floor and a track above it all. It shall be interesting to contrast with the North Oconee camp.
Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 15:52:46 -0400
Subject: OCHS Basketball Camp - change of location
Woven brightly,
Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 15:52:46 -0400
Subject: OCHS Basketball Camp - change of location
Parents,
This is a reminder that the Oconee County Parks and Recreation Department's OCHS Coed Basketball Camp will be held Monday, July 6 – Thursday July 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The location for this camp has been changed from its originally advertised location. OCHS basketball camp will be held at the Oconee Veterans Park Gym, please do not go to the Oconee County High School gym for camp. Coach Michael Youngblood will be the lead instructor.
Please contact the Oconee County Parks and Recreation Department at 706-769-3965 for more information.
Thank you,
Mark Perkins
Athletic Division Program Coordinator
Oconee County Parks and Recreation Department
mperkins@oconee.ga.us
706-769-3966
706-769-3967 Fax
www.oconeecounty.com
Passing train apparently sparks Oconee blaze | News | OnlineAthens.com
Great photos by David Manning of the Athens Banner-Herald today of this fire yesterday afternoon. Saw the smoke from the fire from a far and did not realize it is so close to my neighborhood (we were running errands yesterday evening. Saw some of our volunteers rapidly responding to the piles of garbage besides the tracks. I had told the city code enforcement officer of the many piles of garbage along the tracks long ago. Glad we have a very good fire department. One day soon we are going to have to pay those people. Passing train apparently sparks Oconee blaze | News | OnlineAthens.com
Shared via AddThis
Shared via AddThis
Hudgens announces insurance candidacy | News | OnlineAthens.com
Are the voters of Oglethorpe and Madison County finally free of the Hudgens dynasty? For the sake of the fate of the State of Georgia, I hope so. We shall see who declares of his old State Senate seat. Expect a flurry of activity soon. Could we have a Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens (wielding considerable clout for the home folks) We shall see. Hudgens announces insurance candidacy | News | OnlineAthens.com
Shared via AddThis
Shared via AddThis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)