Weekly Update 07/24/2015

From Bob Schwartz, City Manager


NEGRC Elects Officers - On June 18 the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission Council elected officers for two-year terms beginning July 1. Incoming Chairman Frank Turner (former city manager of Covington) received the gavel from immediate past Chairman Kevin Little. Frank Turner represents Newton County as a private-sector representative on the Council. The new vice chairman is our Mayor Jerry Roseberry, and Oglethorpe County Chairman Billy Pittard was elected secretary. The oath of office was administered by Chairman Little and he expressed confidence that the trio will serve NEGRC well during their terms. This means that two of the three officers of NEGRC are from Newton County.

The Northeast Georgia Regional Commission provides planning and support services to the 12 counties and 54 municipal governments in the Northeast Georgia Region. The Agency was created in 1963 to be a focal point for regional issues concerning local government and to be a resource for those governments in a variety of specialized areas. These include local government planning, economic development, grant preparation, administration, job training, and aging services. The Northeast Georgia service area encompassed by NEGRC is 3,260 square miles with an estimated population of 584,008.

George Street Park Kiosk – Last week, the information kiosk at the west end of George Street Park received a fresh coat of paint. The painters were Cheryl Ready, chair of the Tree Board and Mike Ready, chair of the Planning Commission.

Vacation – I will be on vacation Wednesday through Friday this week at North Myrtle Beach with my wife’s family and then again Wednesday through Friday next week in Charleston, SC for my daughter’s wedding.

Possible Sewer Extensions – We discussed this at the work session Monday night. Here is a copy of the map that Robert Jordan prepared with the potential areas marked. The costs are estimates only. We will have recommendations based on this map at the August 3rd meeting.

Pedestrian Crossing – On Tuesday, we received the permit from DOT for the pedestrian crossing on Emory Street at Hamill Street. We will work with Oxford College to get the equipment ordered and installed. DOT will handle the street markings on Emory Street along with the warning signs on Emory Street.