Oconee County, GA Politics

The residents of Watkinsville are keenly interested in maintaining the historic and or pristine ecological nature of both Rocket Field and Harris Shoals Park, given the attendance at the city council meetings and other venues. The Daughters of the American Revolution are going to try to help maintain and properly title the nearby Watkinsville Cemetery as well. Councilman Brian Brodrick has even proposed having a benefit basketball game at the neighboring Rocket Gym, which is where they could film the sequel for the film "Hoosiers" should they ever need to resurrect the character Jimmy Chitwood (in real life he was Bobby Plump). I bugged Brian to make sure they paint a three point line on both ends of the slightly-tilting-toward-the-creek outdoor basketball court in Harris Shoals Park. Park is Watkinsville's first SPLOST project || OnlineAthens.com

I have always admired Bob Smith for largely overcoming his hearing difficulties, even before he was a State Representative. I can remember him coming in Herman C. Michael gymnasium in 1989 and he was one of the few people who was taller than me with much worse basketball skills (that is meant as a polite poke in the ribs). Rep's hearing struggles documented in film || OnlineAthens.com

Now is the time for all good cyclists to come to the aid of pedal people all over Oconee County and not let those who would ban us off the road deny us the rights to the shoulders and precious sidewalks over subdivisions and schools, parks and paths. Deliver us from evil individuals who might keep us from riding bicycles in Watkinsville and North High Shoals, Bishop and Bogart. Free the backroads and thorughfares from the tyranny of trucks and motorhomes. Seize the streets of our cities and towns. Let no  bike tire remain unfilled, and may our students traverse on their Treks to and from class unconcerned with getting mowed over by ignorant motorists. One day our schools will once again encourage youthful exurberance to move themselves from our institutions of learning without burning fossil fuels. Lukcy for us a group of good men and women emerged concered from the darkness to light the way for those who choose to use their own power to get them from one place to another. Wove...

Oconee County BOC Mtg. 11-3-09 from Oconee County IT on Vimeo .

I can only hope that some maverick Board of Commissioners member who is not in the pocket of local developers will turn the tide on destruction of local wetlands without some sort of LOCAL - meaning in Oconee County - comparable set aside. What good will a stream in Greene County do us here near Watkinsville? The fact that it is cheaper to buy land in Greene County then it is in Oconee is the only real reason this is going on. I seriously doubt the Army Corps of Engineers give a damn one way or the other Dear Friends, The Oconee County Citizen Advisory Committee on Land Use and Transportation Planning decided last night that it doesn't like a resolution stating that the county prefers that damage to streams and wetlands inside the county should be mitigated by restoration inside the county. So it told the Board of Commissioners it was not recommending passage. I could not attend the meeting, but I've been given a summary of the arguments by the committee chairman and ot...

This kid has already won a place in the Bulldog Hall of Fame. To paraphrase Larry Munson to John Lastinger, your name will be etched in granite.

The Watkinsville City Council approved a series of business licenses, building permit and pouring licenses in their regular November meeting Wednesday evening, lending further credence to the economic recovery here in the county seat of Oconee County. Carol Tamborello received official approval for her business at 10 North Main Street called A Child's Clost in the Dan Elder owned building.  Ryan Hite had has Hite Mechanical enterprise given the A-OK for his home and van based operation at 104 Concord Drive. T.J. Gay got the go-ahead for K&G Installations, Inc. at 1040 Turkey Industrial Road, Suite C. Karen Johnson raised some eyebrows with the combination of chiropractic and freelance editorial work for Wordsmith HQ LLC, doing work as WSHQ at 14 Durham Street. Dr. Alan Moore and his wife Laura were granted a building permit for a single family residence on a two acre lot on 21 South Main Street keeping in concert with the historic nature of the neighboring architecture. ...

AGENDA CITY OF W ATK I NSV ILLE November 11, 2009   CALL TO ORDER QUORUM CHECK MINUTES 1.       October 14, 2009 APPEARANCES: 1.  Carol Tamborello – business license – A Child’s Closet – 10 N. Main Street 2.  Ryan Hite – business license – Hite Mechanical – 104 Concord Drive 3.   T. J. Gay – business license – K & G Installations, Inc. – 1040 Turkey Industrial Rd., Suite C 4.   Karen Johnson – business license – Wordsmith HQ LLC (dba WSHQ) – 14 Durham Street 5.   Alan & Laura Moore – building permit – single family residence – 21 S. Main Street 6.   David Weeks, Jr. – Beer & Wine Pouring License – Mirko Pasta – 2 S. Main Street, Suite 101 7.   JoJo John – Beer & Wine Retail License – J&B Food Mart – 1461 Greensboro Highway 8.   Al Ansley & Frank Gaddy, Jr. – Public hearing/revision of final plat – Village at Watkinsville 9.   Daughters of the American Revolution (...

Dr. Jeff Davenport makes me feel better when my spine is not in alignment. Some people do not like chiropractic or massage, but I for one am extremely tactile and need this as part of my health regimen. Oconee Rotary Club welcomes new members || OnlineAthens.com

This is an amazing new facility for kids in preschool through fourth grade, and this article has a photo of a couple of kids I coach and my son's classmates. Athens Academy unveils Lower School expansion || OnlineAthens.com

Former UGA football player and Veterinarian Sonny Perdue, currently lame duck Repubilcan Governor of Georgia, has reportedly been "set up" to be the next President of the University of Georgia. This might come as a surprise to current UGA President Michael Adams, who has long been rumored to be the replacement for the late Miles Brand, the former head of the NCAA. Needless to say, this is all extremely intriguing speculation without the least bit of corroboration, but it does come from a Washington, DC source. This will make for a whole lot of denials of hob

Although I have been quick to criticize them recently about the unbelievably awful conditions at the new Oconee Veterans Park Recreation Center building , I do really support the Oconee County Recreation Department and suggest you do the same should you be knee deep in social media much like myself Woven brightly,  Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Subject: Follow OCPRD on Facebook and Twitter! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.  Join us today to receive updates about registration, weather cancellations, games, and more! Find us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000202462059 And on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ OCPRD Get Out and Get Active Oconee! Oconee Veterans Park 3500 Hog Mountain Road Watkinsville, GA 30677

Out of my realm, but possibly effecting agricultural production of Soybeans here in Oconee County, Georgia. This stinkbug relative also munches on kudzu. We really do have a global economy. Bug found in Georgia a threat to soybeans?

Somehow I cannot imagine Congressman Broun and Westmoreland will be able to persuade Nokia, LG and all the rest of the companies who manufacture the increasingly complex communication devices to retool their cell phone manufacturing just for the United States. That would be like world wide Socialism, or at the very least it is not very much free market Capitalism. While their idea has some merit, I do not think it is very practical. Political Insider with Jim Galloway | ajc.com

Ann Stoneburner is the second in command of the Oconee County Democratic Committee, and she wrote eloquently about the Saturday Strolls Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Subject: [oconee] congrats   I just wanted to take a moment and congratulate Pat Priest on the Saturday Strolls.  She had a great concept and cleverly engaged a host of guides to make it happen.  From July through October, she gave over her Saturday mornings to introduce the guides, participate with guestions and fresh ideas, and collect $ 1000 for charities and non-profits that ranged from OCAF to Relay for Life.  By crediting the Oconee Democrats as the sponsors, she made the Saturday Strolls our biggest fund raiser.  Even more importantly, there are a host of citizens who have seen our county from new and different perspectives that will enrich their involvement in civic affairs. Ann Stoneburner __._,_.___ __,_._,___

This is a link to a notification about the public celebration of Veterans' Day at 1:30 pm November 11 with former Georgia Teacher of the Year and recently retired Col. Robert Guy, who marched in the funerals of John F. Kennedy and General Douglas MacArthur. Oconee County Middle School

Dr. Patricia Priest, not the one who starred on the old TV series "The Munsters" but instead the radio producer and activist who lives in Oconee County, has selected another interesting tome for discussion. Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Subject: [oconee] Books of interest We're reading about the Puritans this Thanksgiving month! The book group sponsored by the Oconee Democrats will discuss the New York Times bestseller "The Wordy Shipmates" at 6 PM at the Five Points Deli on Epps Bridge Parkway on November 18th. We're meeting earlier in the month than usual because of the Thanksgiving holidays. The author, Sarah Vowell, is a quirky essayist and frequent contributor to the wonderful public radio show "This American Life." The Washington Post describes the book -- her latest -- this way: "Vowell's funny, imaginative take on musty, buckled-up Pilgrim notables brings the era wickedly to life." The Cleveland Plain Dea...

I am glad this man did not come to my house, or at the very least he would be facing an angry and extremely protective pit bull dog. I am grateful for the protection my neighborhood and subdivision gets from Chief Lee O'Dillon and the numerous Oconee County Sheriff Deputies that have lived in and around my house. Man arrested for bursting into home, posing as a cop || OnlineAthens.com

DePalma's Italian restaurants have had three locations in Athens for some time, and is moving one of its locations a whole lot closer to Oconee County. A lease was signed recently to relocate the franchise in the Homewood Hills shopping center at 2467 Jefferson Road to a new location on Timothy Road near Dos Palmas, a new European Deli run by Anne Miller-Anderson of Maison Bleu fame, Aqua Linda and Loco's (another beloved local restaurant chain that almost moved to Oconee). Many Oconee County readers will recall that DePalma's was going to open a new eatery in Oconee County near Butler's Crossing, but the Oconee County Board of Commissioners inability to come to a decision quick enough on beer and wine sales led to a new restaurant location for the chain Taqueria La Parilla to park it in Oconee. Sorry to see Floyd's Grill shut down for the second time in Watkinsville. Congrats to the new management of the ice cream store in Sweet ReTreats. I love Gail's fish...

If Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast is the gold standard for weddings in Oconee County, then the Thompson House Gardens in Bogart would take the bronze. If you like or do not mind trains (possibly interrupting the ceremony), then it might be the place for you. The parking and the setting leave a little to be desired, but the catering and spacious area worked well for a mid sized audience. I attended a wedding there Sunday and was favorably impressed, even with the CSX trains making it difficult to hear the ceremony. Should you have a baby in a carriage or a friend in a wheelchair, their ubiquitous pea gravel paths do not make it particularly easy to get around, but other than than minor quibble, it is a fine if somewhat hidden venue near Benson's Bakery in Bogart. It is also well within walking distance of the adjacent Oconee County Recreation baseball and softball facility as well and several playgrounds as well. It is probably less expensive than Ashford Manor, but no...

I always enjoy bursting Bob's bombastic balloons. Now if we can convince Mayor Jim Luken of Watkinsville to run against him this go round..... Thompson: Deflating Smith's trial balloon no fun || OnlineAthens.com