Watkinsville City Council sails thru brief agenda

City Council member Samantha Purcell and Mayor Joe Walter hoist the new Arbor Day flag.
The city will give out free tree seedlings starting Monday. Photo by Dan Matthews
The Watkinsville City Council approved the second local portrait photographer with Dwayne Allen with his Dwayne A. Photography studio at 16 N. Main Street, below the karate studio. This was the only appearance in an otherwise brief meeting. 

Watkinsville was approved by the Arbor Day Foundation as Tree City USA and will give out free tree seedlings at the Watkinsville Community Center starting Monday. The plastic sacked tree sprouts are usually gone by Tuesday. 

The city had the best SPLOST month so far in the relatively brief time the city has been participating in penny tax. The Mayor deduced that the holiday may have been responsible for the boost. The economy was discussed, text changes to the conditional uses and the definition of malt beverage were given public hearings. 

Eagle Scout Dusty Schroeder will be starting his erosion control project with rocks donated by the city now that Mayor Walter has signed the necessary paperwork approving the much needed riverbank building in Harris Shoals Park. 

Mark Campbell reported the city is in compliance with the storm water report. The street department was given glory by the Mayor for their work at Stone Shoals on the retention pond and future work on the newest subdivision swamp on Simonton Bridge Road sometime in the near future.  The street department responded quickly during the recent rains to clearing up a clog in the sewer on Katie Lane.

Local resident Dan Matthews asked about the communication between the city and the county in the wake of the broken pipes and the poor spreading of the word about the Boil Water Advisory Monday. Blogger Kate McDaniel asked about some new way Verizon can evidently call everyone at once in a cell zone.  

 Brodrick suggested the Public Safety committee consider the emergency communication procedures and how to get the word out quickly in a flash.
Portrait photographer Dwayne Allen discusses his business license application with the Watkinsville City Council including, from left, Toby Smith, Samantha Purcell, Mayor Joe Walter, clerk Julie Sanders, fireman Mike Link, Henry Norman and Brian Brodrick. (Photo by Dan J. Matthews).



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