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Showing posts from February 14, 2010

Local economy suffers as Southwire reducing workforce

Local wire manufacturer Southwire has suffered layoff of half their workers at the largest factory in Watkinsville. The Oconee Enterprise > Latest Updates > Southwire reducing workforce Posted using ShareThis

Melissa Steele plans clean-up of waters surrounding Elder Mill Covered Bridge March 6

Melissa Steele is an Oconee County artist seeking to clean up the waters around Rose Creek and Elder Mill Covered Bridge Saturday, March 6, 2010. To possibly sponsor the breakfast at Antioch Christian Church at 9:00 that morning, email or call Steele at mechanted757@gmail or on her cell phone at 706-255-8528.

The Oconee Enterprise > Latest Updates > Southwire reducing workforce

The Oconee Enterprise > Latest Updates > Southwire reducing workforce Posted using ShareThis

Nicholas Pope Memorial Tournament coming up || OnlineAthens.com

Nicholas Pope Memorial Tournament coming up || OnlineAthens.com Posted using ShareThis

Elder Mill endorsement from county ignored by BOC members?

Tony Glenn and Russ Page have done a lot toward saving Oconee County's crown jewel Elder Mill Covered Bridge. Here are some of the more germane recent message exchanges. Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. To: oconee@yahoogroups.comFrom: southoconee@yahoo.com Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:39:55 -0800 Elder Mill   At the meeting tonight I mentioned the following details regarding the County's Community Agenda, which is a component of the Comprehensive Plan.  An part of the Community Agenda is the Short Term Work Program, which is a year by year (2008-2012) check list of objectives that the county sets for itself.  See more below. Tony Subject: RE: Elder Mill Afternoon everyone, I want to thank Russ and the others individuals that spoke last night on behalf of the Elder Mill and Bridge.  Getting the Commissioners to publicly state their respective position on the Mill and Bridge was helpful. I wanted to bring everyone's attention to the fact that the County ha

Chops and Hops Restaurant is hitting its stride early on in its existence

My very first visit to Chops and Hops was a favorable one Wednesday evening. The newest restaurant in Mike Thornton's TownCenter was difficult for me to attend immediately out of respect to Maison Bleu, the former occupant of the odd two story suite at the end of the development. The night I dine there it was packed and flowing relatively smoothly on an otherwise unremarkable weeknight. 14 tables were filled with three or four patrons each and one longer table remained with seven professional women (including my friend Sheila Turner-Seila from burton and BURTON). There was also some kind of reception going on upstairs as well. I sat at the 14 seat bar with maybe a dozen other hungry diners and was served remarkably fast with my steak remaining medium rare. The potatoes and asparagus were perfect in portion. It is sometimes hard to look at that large blank canvas of a two story wall and not wonder what happened to the Anne Miller-Andersen/Peter Andersen/Jim Shearon vision, but

Prince Ave. state-bound || OnlineAthens.com

Must give props for first ever GHSA State Tournament appearance for Wolverines of Oconee County (even though they retain the street name of an Athens thoroughfare some miles from the current campus out Hwy. 78 toward Monroe). Prince Ave. state-bound || OnlineAthens.com

Town Of North High Shoals message from candidate Jason Wisniewski running for Town Council

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Fred sent this introduction of Jason Wisniewski, who is running for Post 1 on the North High Shoals city council next month. He earns my endorsement just for this photo below. Subject: TONHS msg from Jason Wisniewski running for Town Council Hello, I'm Jason Wisniewski.  I am 32 years old and was born and raised in the small   Western Pennsylvania town   of   Mundy 's Corner.  I graduated from   Indiana University of Pennsylvania   in December 2000 with a BS in Biology.  In 1999 I began working as a seasonal biologist aide for the   Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission,   until September 2001 when my term expired.  In November 2001, I moved to   Cookeville ,   Tennessee   to attend graduate school at   Tennessee   Technological University   where I earned my MS in Biology.  After completing my degree in May 2004, I accepted the position of State Mussel Biologist with the   Georgia Department of Natural Resources   in   Social Circle .  I resided in Watkinsville from June

Video: What the Recovery Act did

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Friend -- Just over a year ago, thanks in part to your organizing, President Obama was able to sign the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. The Recovery Act wasn't a silver bullet, but it's very good policy. It cut taxes for 95% of working families to give them a leg up as they fight to get by. It invested in our nation's infrastructure and clean energy. it gave tax breaks to small businesses to help hire workers, and it helped out state and local governments -- including local police departments like the one in Englewood, Colorado, which was able to hire officers like Eddie B., whose story is below. We've got a lot more work to do. But as many as 2.4 million Americans are working now who would otherwise be unemployed, and we're breaking the back of the recession. We put together a video explaining where we were just one year ago, and what the Recovery Act has done for our country. Watch it here. In the three months prior to t

The Oconee Enterprise > Latest Updates > Southwire reducing workforce

The Oconee Enterprise > Latest Updates > Southwire reducing workforce Posted using ShareThis

Review: Ashford Manor Bed

Review: Ashford Manor Bed & Breakfast in Watkinsville, Georgia - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com Posted using ShareThis

Girls Basketball: Region Basketball Tournament

Girls Basketball: Region Basketball Tournament Posted using ShareThis

Lee Becker's video feed of Oconee County BOC town hall

  Oconee County Town Hall Meeting Feb. 16, 2010 from Lee Becker on Vimeo .

Snapshot 2010: Oconee | County Health Rankings

Wow, second in the state, not too shabby Oconee County! Keep it up, and public health job well done. Snapshot 2010: Oconee | County Health Rankings

Georgia Journey: Heart and Soul

Georgia Journey: Heart and Soul Posted using ShareThis

Lawmaker Proposes Blue Alert - WSB News on wsbradio.com

Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry is quoted here and I have to agree although the radio interruptions are somewhat creepy at times and should be limited to more closely affected geographic areas, if possible. Lawmaker Proposes Blue Alert - WSB News on wsbradio.com

Report on Heritage Park discussions from Oconee County Historical Society

Let's make sure Heritage Park gets done correctly and we do not have another Elder Mill Park shrinkage or shrivel. Subject: report on Heritage Park discussions On February 9,  Richard and I met with the Citizen Advisory Committee on Recreation Affairs Subcommittee on the   History   Village   at   Heritage   Park . Also present were representatives from the Cultural & tourism committee, Economic Development and this Historical Society. There were 5 items of discussion that we were asked to get input on from our various groups.  Those items were the (1) types of historical structures to be included (2) Where to put them in the area of the park designated for the   History   Village   (3) The current Park Master plan (specifically 'Do we need a pond?' (4) What time period should the village cover if any (5) Funding options We would like your input on these items before our next meeting the end of March.  You can e-mail comments to me or come to our next meeting at OCA

Kraeling qualifies unopposed in North High Shoals, two candidates emerge for council slot

The two candidates for the Post 1 position of the Town of North High Shoals council are Department of Natural Resources mussel biologist Jason Wisniewski and Scott Wilson (who ran and lost before to David Lawrence for Post 3 of the NHS town council in the last election cycle. Kraeling did not have anyone qualify to run against her for Mayor of North High Shoals. She will be taking over from interim Mayor Violet Dawe.

Features: Elder Mill and Covered Bridge - Flagpole Magazine: Colorbearer of Athens, GA

Great article by Dr. John English in this week's Flagpole about our beloved Elder Mill Covered Bridge. I wish someone would step up on the Oconee County Board of Commissioners to show some leadership on this issue. Features: Elder Mill and Covered Bridge - Flagpole Magazine: Colorbearer of Athens, GA

Let talk about books... and other things || OnlineAthens.com

An interesting article written by the Athens Banner-Herald's journalist Erin Rossiter about the Oconee County Democratic Committee's monthly book club. Let talk about books... and other things || OnlineAthens.com

Have you seen this?

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Friend -- Wondering what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- President Obama's stimulus bill -- has accomplished? Look at this: One year ago tomorrow, after tens of thousands of you shared stories and called your representatives, the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. And while this anniversary isn't a cause for celebration, there is reason to be optimistic. This chart makes it clear: We're on the road to recovery. Still, we know there is a long way to go. Many Americans are still struggling, and creating jobs remains President Obama's top priority. Click here to learn more about the President's record on the economy, what we're doing to put more Americans back to work, and get easy-to-share information you can pass on to friends and family: http://my.barackobama.com/Recovery Thanks for making change happen, David Plouffe Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Commi

No qualifiers yet for North High Shoals Post 1 council seat

The post 1 slot on the North High Shoals city council remains uncluttered with (any) candidates less than a half dozen hours before the qualifying period ends. This was the slot held by Eddie Cape for a number of terms. Qualifying for the city council and mayoral slots ends at noon Wednesday for North High Shoals.

Oconee County Historical Society minutes of last meeting

Sent: Tue, February 16, 2010 11:29:47 AM Subject: minutes of last meeting The meeting began with a report and discussion of the meeting with the rec department on Feb 9.  Richard has gotten detailed information on the topography of Heritage Park and he asked for volunteers to study it and work up a plan for the History Village .  The following committee was established: Richard Pendergrass, chairman Brent Kickbush and Ben Jackson Peggy Sommer, secretary   The 5 topics discussed (see separate message) were briefly reported.  That of funding got the most discussion.  Albert Ward suggested establishing a Partrons group of people willing to donate large amounts of money to a fund established for the purpose of supporting the History Village .  He thought he could find several people interested provided we were able to guarantee they would have some input into its use.  He also mentioned the idea of a 'Patrons Day' at the park with a spe

Oconee County Historical Society needing to fund signage at Heritage Park

At last night’s meeting some of you asked for a copy of the flyer I handed around. I decided to send it out to everyone on the mailing list. Please share it where ever you can with any golfers you think might be interested in buying tickets to this event. The full price for the ticket will go to us and will be used towards our sign project at Heritage Park . Now that there are 3 buildings there we need to raise enough money for 3 signs. Peggy ATTENTION GOLFERS ATTEND THE STADION ATHENS CLASSIC AT UGA APRIL 26-May 2 AND SUPPORT CHARITY BUY YOUR TICKETS ON LINE AND CHOOSE THE OCONEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 100% OF THE TICKET COST WILL GO DIRECTLY TO THE CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE. IT’S EASY. GO TO www.stadionathensclassic.uga.edu CLICK ON THEN CHOOSE YOUR CHARITY AS YOU PURCHASE TICKETS. 1140 Bouldercrest Circle Watkinsville, GA 30677 January 16, 2010 Dear Karl, You probably have already heard about the golf tournament that is coming up

Draft of unapproved Watkinsville Council minutes from last meeting

I missed this one due to coaching duties, but glad to hear about the new Montessori school on School Street. My son's very first school was a Montessori School in Watkinsville. As usual, these are unapproved and subject to change and correction: MINUTES OF MEETING OF MAYOR AND COUNCIL CITY OF W ATK I NSV ILLE February 10, 2010 PRESENT: Mayor Walter, Council members Link, Purcell, Brodrick, Norman and Smith. VISITORS: See attached sheet. QUORUM CHECK:  Mayor Walter acknowledges a quorum is present.  He asks for all non-emergency cell phones and pagers to be turned off or silenced.    MINUTES:  Councilwoman Purcell moved and Councilman Norman seconded the motion to approve the January 13, 2010 .  Opportunity for discussion. Motion carried unanimously. OCONEE STATE BANK PROCLAMATION:   Mayor Walter presents Amrey Harden, President of Oconee State Bank with a Proclamation recognizing Oconee State Bank’s 50 th Birthday (see attached copy of proclamation).  BOY SCOUTS OF

Oconee Democrats Regular Monthly Meeting, 2/18/2010, 7:00 pm

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Please attend this monthly meeting of the Oconee County Democratic Committee at the Governmental Annex down on Highway 15. Woven brightly,  Daniel J. Matthews From: oconee@yahoogroups.com To: oconee@yahoogroups.com Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:04:03 +0000 Subject: [oconee] Oconee Democrats Regular Monthly Meeting, 2/18/2010, 7:00 pm Reminder from:   oconee Yahoo! Group   Title:   Oconee Democrats Regular Monthly Meeting   Date:   Thursday February 18, 2010 Time:   7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Repeats:   This event repeats every month on the third Thursday.

Oh tell me why you cried, and why you lied to me

If there are not more than a few dozen questions that can be asked to our Board of Commissioners tomorrow evening at what I expect to be a rather contentious town hall meeting, then I do not know what would provide a better feast for future millstones around their necks. Among the more obvious things that should be queried: Who dropped the ball on the Elder Mill Park? Is this a backlash against the so called power grab? What happened in the executive session with no notes ever released? Who should be held accountable for a relatively inexpensive piece of property not being purchased by the county? Who originally approached Williams and Associates to make the park concept? Why was this not released before now? Why does our county continue to make poor decisions to the detriment of all of us seemingly in secret? Thank you to Lee Becker for inspiring this rant with an eloquent and comprehensive piece that should be required reading of every attending the meeting tomorrow night. Oconee Cou