Pine Tree Intersection Improvements Complete

Community, Education, News

The Pine Tree intersection improvement project is complete. With this week’s installation of the last of the striping, the work was completed just in time for school to start next week. We are grateful to the Georgia Department of Transportation for doing all the signal work at no cost to the county, which was an enormous savings. We’ll all need to get used to the increased traffic in this area, but the intersection improvements should be a big help. No matter which school area you need to drive through next week, just remember to slow down. Or, if you’d like your child to ride the bus, the school system’s bus schedule is available by clicking here .

BOC Decides on Road Resurfacing Projects Tuesday

News

Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Old Dahlonega Highway, Seabolt Stancil Road and Lakeview Drive are among the roads Lumpkin County Commissioners are expected to approve for inclusion in the 2018 Local Maintenance Improvement Grant (LMIG) Road Resurfacing list when they meet in a work session and special called meeting Tuesday starting at 4 p.m.

County staff has proposed funding seven additional roads with the LMIG grant and two additional roads that would be completed with in-house labor. The total cost for resurfacing all 12 roads is $1,347,335.The list must be approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation. Once approved, GDOT would provide $549,041.72 in funding and the county would be required to provide a 30 percent match.

The county is nearing completion of its fueling station on Barlow Road and commissioners will vote on an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the City of Dahlonega that would allow the city to use the station.

Commissioners also will vote on a request by the Finance Department to be allowed to invest county funds in the highest yield financial instruments prior to approval by the board then report back to the board with the results rather than trying to call special meetings or time opportunities to regularly scheduled meetings. The process of investing and reporting back has been used by the county in the past and has historically produced high return on the investments.

In a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice that would make access to the Lumpkin County Administration Building ADA compliant, commissioners agreed to a fund a parking and sidewalk project. Bids on the project were due on Aug. 28. The only bidder was North Georgia Concrete for $165,066.85.Commissioners will vote on that project Tuesday.

September 29 marks the 85th anniversary of the Dahlonega Lions Club. Commissioners will honor the non-profit organization for its dedicated service to the county with a proclamation declaring Sept. 29 as Dahlonega Lions Club Day.

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

Commissioners to Make Several Board Appointments Tuesday

News

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Tuesday’s Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. could be a very short one. Commissioners may have to postpone until next month a couple of board appointments that were on the agenda.

Cheyenne Thornton, who was expected to be reappointed to the Tax Assessors Board has moved to White County and will need to be replaced. An appointment to the Department of Family and Children’s Services may also need to be postponed until next month.

However, Sean Phipps should be reappointed to the county’s Planning Commission representing Seat 7. Commissioners are also expected to approve the reappointment of C.L. Grizzle to Seat 4 and Murl D Jones to Seat 7 on the Water and Sewerage Authority.

Commissioners will decide on an update to the county’s travel policy. The county staff has experienced issues with obtaining refunds for rooms and conferences not cancelled in a timely manner and also with requests for room upgrades and employees asking to arrive early or stay longer. On some occasions staff has been successful in having employees pay the extra charges. Most often the issue occurs with elected officials and staff is unable to make them comply. Staff believes a policy upgrade could end these issues.

Commissioners must also decide on a bid for security fencing around the county fueling station. Two bids were received. All State Fencing was the low bidder at $23,789 but offered an incomplete bid package that included only general liability insurance and their workers were not covered by workman’s comp. Stembridge Custom Metals entered a bid of $39,650 but is fully covered by insurance and its representative attended the pre-bid meetings.

Commissioners are also expected to vote on an addendum to a Georgia Department of Transportation contract to include verbiage required by the Federal Office of Management and Budget. All existing contracts awarded with FTA funds after December 26, 2014, must be amended to reflect current references to and requirements of the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Grant Guidance regulations.

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

Commissioners to Meet in Work Session Tuesday

News

DAHLONEGA — Sheriff Stacy Jarrard will request the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners approve a budget amendment of $36,700 for his office due to the disbandment of the Special Services Division when the Board meets in a work session Tuesday, April 4 at 4 p.m. in the Administration Building Boardroom, 99 Courthouse Hill.

Special Services, which is comprised of the K-9 unit, school resource officers, drug agents, victims services, records and community relations programs, was disbanded earlier this year to allow consolidation and a reduction in the number of divisions and command structure. The services provided by the unit will not go away. The 14 employees who worked in Special Services have been reassigned to other Divisions.

Commissioners are also expected to discuss:
⦁ The appointment of a representative to the Upper Etowah Alliance;
⦁ The appointment of a representative to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Advisory Planning Board;
⦁ The appoint of a member to the Planning Commission;
⦁ Abandonment of Shadowstone Subdivision Road;
⦁ An amendment to the Animal Control Ordinance;
⦁ Recommendations for Hospital Authority Board appointment;

Commissioners will also review a number of contracts and agreements, including:
⦁ The intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the City of Dahlonega & Lumpkin County regarding municipal elections;
⦁ The Senior Center Operating Contract;
⦁ Georgia EPD Local Government Scrap Tire Abatement Reimbursement Program Contract;
⦁ An addendum to the Legacy Link Nutrition Program Services agreement;
⦁ GDOT Wimpy Airport Tree Removal Reimbursement contract County Administration.

Other items to be discussed include:
⦁ A bond for Window Renovation Project Bid;
⦁ Plans for Fire Station Property Agreement
⦁ Legion Field Rehabilitation;
⦁ A Quit Claim Deed for Ralph Dodd Property, 575 Roy Grindle Road.

Georgia DOT Continues Cable Rail Repair Along I-575 in Cherokee

Community, News

Georgia DOT Continues Cable Rail Repair along I-575 in Canton, GA

 
CANTON Ga. – A Georgia DOT Maintenance crew resumes today its work on repairing the cable rail along Interstate 575 in Cherokee County.  Work will proceed daily between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., weather permitting.

It is Georgia DOT position that guardrail and cable rail maintenance and repair are essential to keeping our roadways safe for the traveling public.  Our maintenance workers do their best to keep track of the damage to guard/cable rails and make repairs as quickly as possible in order to preserve road safety.

Each day, hundreds of Georgia Department of Transportation employees and contractors work on dozens of highway, bridge and intersection improvements throughout the state.  Their work often brings them and heavy machinery in close proximity to travel lanes. Fifty-seven Georgia DOT personnel and many more motorists, passengers and contractors’ workers have been killed in highway work zone accidents since 1973.  Please help us prevent these tragedies by slowing down; being especially attentive and cautious as you pass through construction work zones; and always driving responsibly.  Safer Driving; Safer Work Zones; For Everyone.  For information on the Department of Transportation, visit http://www.dot.ga.gov.  You also may follow us on (www.facebook.com/GDOTNW) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/GDOTNW).

BOC to Vote on New Digital Communication System

News

Lumpkin CommissionersDAHLONEGA, Ga. — The Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session Tuesday March 21, at 5:30 p.m. to be followed immediately by a regular voting meeting in the County Administration Building, 99 Courthouse Hill.

Key items to be discussed during the work session include the purchase and installation of a digital radio system for Public Safety, a bid by Colditz Trucking, Inc. for asphalt and resurfacing of county roads under a Local Maintenance Improvement Grant (LMIG) and the replacement of the Roy Grindle Road bridge.

The current VHF analog radio system has numerous dead spots throughout the county and continued use could lead to parts failure and loss of radio service that could put public safety workers in danger. Build out cost for the Mobil Communications digital system is $390,000.

The system would operate digital transmitters at the current Crown Mountain Black Mountain Communications sites and add receiving sites at Station 6 in the Nimblewill area, the new water tower near the intersection of Burnt Stand and Auraria and the Hester Valley area near Turner’s

Colditz was the low bidder on the LMIG project with a bid of $679,175.78. GDOT has awarded the county $510,614.09 in funding and the county would be responsible for $168,561.69.

Commissioners must also decide on a request by Georgia Department of Transportation for a letter of support for replacement of the Roy Grindle Road bridge.

The county would be responsible for a minimum of $10,000 which is not in the current budget, but the project will not be ready for construction for at least two years and could be included in the 2019 budget. The standard replacement bridge is 24’ wide with approximately 80’ of right of way. The bridge is currently 30’ wide so an additional 50 feet of right of way will be required for approximately 200 to 300 feet.

Items discussed in the work session will be voted on during the regular meeting.

Commissioners are also expected to issue several proclamations including declaring April as Child Abuse Awareness Month, LifeLink National Donate to Life Month and recognition of the county’s 12 and under girls basketball team.
Coached by Wendy and Anthony Tatum, the 12U Indians girls basketball team became the first Lumpkin County team to win the Class C State Championship.

GDOT awards road contracts valued at $28 million

News

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Georgia Department of Transportation awarded 10 transportation projects in June, including one for the widening of State Route 115 totaling $28 million.

One of the projects in Lumpkin County calls for rumble strips to be installed on State Route 9. Rumble strips are a road safety feature used to alert drivers of lane lines. The routes and locations were identified by the district based on crash history. That contract was awarded to Southern States Pavement Markings.

State Route 115, in White County, starting at the Lumpkin County line and extending to North Bell Street will be resurfaced. Pittman Construction Company will resurface the road with a scheduled completion date of December 15, 2020.

The largest of the projects is the third phase of the Cleveland Bypass in White County. That widening project represents an $11 million investment and was awarded to CMES, Inc.

The project starts at the intersection of State Route 11/US 129 and ends at the intersection with State Route 75. Hulsey Road will be widened to 4-lanes with a center turn lane. This project is estimated to be complete 510 days from start date.

 

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

Commissioners to approve roads to be resurfaced in 2020 Tuesday

News

DAHLONEGA, Ga. –The Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners is expected to review and approve the list of roads to be resurfaced for the FY 2020 paving season when they meet in a voting session Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Each year staff scores several roads to rank the roads for resurfacing. The higher a road scores, the more in need of resurfacing it is. For 2020, staff scored 42 roads. Of the roads scored 33 scored above 20 and a cost was estimated on these roads. The total cost to resurface all the roads is estimated at $2,903,149.

Roads rated to be in the most need of resurfacing include Winters Mountain Road from SR 52 to end of asphalt, Jim Grizzle from SR 52 to Nimblewill Church Road, Chester Road from Wesley Chapel to the county line and Ben West from Mill Creek Road to the bridge.

Commissioners are also expected to appoint a voting delegate to cast the county’s vote on matters coming before the business session of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) Legislative Leadership Conference. and a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Other appointments commissioners will consider include Peter Regan and Dennis Hoover to the Dahlonega Lumpkin County Chamber and Visitors Bureau Interim Tourism Board and Eddy Harris to the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Commissioners will also consider updating the speed zone ordinance.

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

Put your phone away and just drive: Hands-Free cell phone use is now the law drivers in Georgia

Community, News

Hands-Free cell phone use is law

Drive Alert Arrive Alive, Georgia!

CARTERSVILLE, Ga.—Just put down the phone and DRIVE! Hands-free cell phone use is now the law for drivers in Georgia. The Hands-Free Law (House Bill 673; Hands-Free Georgia Act), which went into effect on July 1, requires hands-free technology when drivers use cell phones and other electronic devices. Among other things, it is illegal for a driver to hold a phone in their hand or to use their body to support a phone. Penalties range from $50 and one point on a license for the first conviction to $150 and three points for the third and subsequent convictions.

Read Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) The EXTRA MILE blog post – Hands-Free Means Big Changes for the Better in Georgia – by guest author Robert Hydrick of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). For additional information on the many facets of the law, visit http://www.headsupgeorgia.com/handsfree-law/.

“I am optimistic that Georgia’s new Hands-Free law will save lives,” GDOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry. P.E. said. “I also want to emphasize how crucial it is for drivers and passengers to buckle up. Seatbelts truly save lives.”

Through its Drive Alert Arrive Alive campaign, GDOT has, for several years, called attention to an alarming surge in fatalities on Georgia’s roads after a decade of reductions. Many of these deaths are preventable. The campaign implores motorists to focus on driving, to not drive distracted and to wear a seatbelt to reduce the chance of serious injury or death if there is a crash. Visitwww.dot.ga.gov/DAAA.

While GDOT reports that, as of June 28, 2018, overall roadway fatalities are down 10 percent in Georgia from the same time last year, pedestrian deaths are up 22 percent. GDOT’s See & Be Seen campaign, the pedestrian component of Drive Alert Arrive Alive, emphasizes that pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility between motorists and pedestrians. Visit www.dot.ga.gov/SBS.

Summer construction roadwork is underway across Georgia. Before you get on the road, call 511 or visit www.511ga.org for real-time information about active construction, incidents and road conditions.Pay extra attention in work zones – slow down and watch for workers.  Work zone safety is everybody’s responsibility. 

BOC to Vote On Fueling Station IGA With City

News

County Mgr. Stan Kelley

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – When they meet Tuesday at 6 p.m., the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners will be asked to approve an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the City of Dahlonega that will govern the use of the new fueling station and a contract with North Georgia Concrete to replace the asphalt parking lot and concrete walkways surrounding the County Administration Building.

The IGA would establish the rules and fees for the fueling station that is expected to be completed next month. The county is constructing the station and the city is providing the hydrant and water line. The County will be the lead agent on the facility and will operate and oversee its operation.

County Manager Stan Kelley will ask commissioners to approve a contract with North Georgia Concrete in the amount of $165,066.85 to replace the old asphalt parking lot and concrete walkways around the Administration Building to ensure they comply with the American Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. If approved, the work is expected to be completed by June 2018.

David Wimpy, EMA Director

EMA Director David Wimpy will ask commissioners to approve a contract with Emergency Vehicle Sales in the amount of $182,000 for the purchase of a 2017 Ford F450 Traumahawk ambulance. The purchase was approved in the 2017 SPLOST project list and the amount of the contract is $6,335 less than the budgeted amount.

Commissioners will also consider approval of several renewal contracts, including one with the Georgia Department of Transportation to provide public transportation services through June 30, 2018. The total operating budget is projected to be $126,314 and the county would provide a 50 percent match of $63,157.

Lumpkin County’s Transit Program was created over 20 years ago. For FY2016, Transit provided 4,900 passenger trips to the citizens of Lumpkin County to medical appointments, shopping, personal errands, employment, and school.

Planning Director Larry Reiter

Planning and Public Works Director Larry Reiter will ask commissioners to approve the Local Maintenance Improvement Grant (LMIG) application for Fiscal Year 2018 and commit to the Georgia Department of Transportation for pavement of three county roads totaling 5.9 miles. The roads include Old Dahlonega Highway from Ga. 52 to the county line, Seabolt Stancil Road from Porter Springs to the end of the asphalt and Lakeview Drive from Lumpkin County Parkway all the way to the end. Total cost of the projects is $1,347,335.

Approximately $650,000 would come from SPLOST funds, $150,000 from the county’s stone and asphalt budget and $549,04172 from the GDOT LMIG fund.

 

 

 

GDOT Continues Asphalt Repair in Cherokee County

Community, News

Failing Culverts Led to Closure of SR 60

News

Commission Chairman Chris Dockery

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – A five-mile stretch of State Route 60  between Stone Pile Gap in Dahlonega and the Union County Line will be closed for approximately three weeks as the Georgia Department of Transportation performs routine and preventative maintenance work.

DOT spokeswoman Katie Strickland said DOT crew members will flag traffic on each end of the maintenance work and a detour of State Routes will take motorists around the work.

The detour is a lengthy one of about 27 miles, and will utilize State Route 9, State Route 11 and State Route 180. Work hours will be Mondays through Thursdays 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Lumpkin County Commission Chairman Chris Dockery addressed the importance of the work during Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting.

Dockery said he and State Sen. Steve Gooch met with DOT officials last week and were informed that the culverts under the road were deteriorating and had to be replaced.

“According to the DOT that road is on the brink of failure with the next big storm,” Dockery said. “Our concern is with the public safety and the fire, EMS, police and school buses on that route.”

 

 

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

 

Schools Close at Noon Today as Storm Approaches

News

ATLANTA — The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a storm warning just after midnight as schools, road crews and public safety officials in Dawson, White and Lumpkin counties prepared for the first winter storm of 2017.

Schools in White and Lumpkin counties announced they will close at noon today and some schools have altered their athletic contests scheduled for today.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal plans to declare a state of emergency for 79 counties – including Dawson, Lumpkin and White.

The NWS said that some areas could get up to four inches of snow. Lumpkin County Emergency Services Director David Wimpy said one official told him the higher elevations of Lumpkin could get up to eight inches.

The winter weather is expected to begin early Friday evening as rain, snow or a mixture of both, becoming all snow overnight tonight. Officials say snow should end Saturday morning. Temperatures Friday evening will be in the low to mid 30s, making roads slick and travel hazardous.

White County is expecting snowfall of between four and five inches. White County Public Safety Director David Murphy advises the county Emergency Operation Center will activate at 7 PM Friday and will remain on partial activation until the weather threat has ended.

All fire stations will be manned beginning Friday evening and until such time the response phase of this event is completed. According to Murphy, all Public Works crews are prepared and ready to respond and pre-treat if necessary, they will begin shift operations Friday as well.

The Georgia Department of Transportation will begin pre-treatments for our area and region at 7 a.m., Friday morning. First focus will be on interstate highways, and main state routes such as US Hwy 129. The DOT will work 12 hours shifts beginning Friday morning for 24 hours operations.

Fetchyournews.com will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.

Opening of New Ga. 400 Lane Delayed

News

CUMMING — Commuters from Atlanta to Dawson, White and Lumpkin counties will have to wait a little longer for the third northbound lane of Ga. 400 to open. Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) officials, who expected to have the new lane between McFarland Parkway (Exit 12) and Peachtree Parkway (Exit 13) finished by September, now say it will be October.

The good news is that they also expect to have the stretch between Peachtree Parkway and Bald Ridge Marina Road completed in October. Originally that portion of Ga. 400 was not expected to open until March.

Funding from the $47 million Georgia transportation SPLOST will pay for an additional lane on both sides of Ga. 400 from McFarland Parkway all the way to Browns Bridge Road.

One Lane of Ga. 400 Closed This Weekend

News

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — It may seem a little like rush hour traffic to anyone planning to use Ga. 400 to commute into Atlanta this weekend. Georgia Department of Transportation has closed one northbound lane between McFarland Parkway/Exit 12 and Peachtree Parkway/Exit 13.

The lane was closed at 9 p.m Friday and will remain closed until noon on Monday while contractors work on widening the busy highway. GDOT officials ask that drivers reduce speeds while in the work zone as workers and heavy equipment will be near the road.

The highway is currently being widened on each side, and the northbound lane to Exit 13 is expected to open by September.

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