Mountain Stewards To Build New Trail In Gilmer

The Mountain Stewards Trail Crew will begin building the Clear Creek Middle School Cross Country Trail on Tuesday, June 2^nd . Work will continue for several months thereafter. The trail will be built in sections. Those sections that do not impact stream buffers will be constructed first.

The Gilmer County School System is currently preparing the paperwork for a waiver to encroach on the stream buffer of a trout stream on the property. Estimates are that the necessary permits will take about 120 days to obtain. When completed, the trail will be 3.2 miles long mainly following the perimeter of the school property. One section will loop through a 90 acre section of State owned property on the east side of the stream.

Don Wells, President of Mountain Stewards, indicated that they had hoped to start on a ½ mile handicap trail and other facilities on the Gilmer Elementary Schools campus for joint use by the citizens of Gilmer County. However the joint application submitted to the Georgia Recreational Trails Program by the Gilmer School System and Mountain Stewards has been turned down. Don stated “there are no other sources of funding at the moment to get this project back on line, for now. We may do some work to clean up the existing non-handicap trail but that remains to be determined later this year.”

Mountain Stewards have been very active trail builders in Gilmer County. They have completed improvements on 1.5 miles of trails at the Gilmer High School and 1.2 Miles at Gilmer Middle School. For more information about Mountain Stewards’ activities visit their website.

High Country Cruisers Ride To Oakland School

The fourth grade class at Oakland Elementary School was again visited by members of Gilmer County's High Country Cruisers Motorcycle Club. For over 5 years the Oakland School visit has been an annual activity of the club. As club member Will Parks has often said, "we are trying to show the students that 99% of motorcycle riders are just like their parents. We all have the common interest in motorcycles and enjoy riding together."

The club was formed seven years ago and is very active in their pursuit of enjoying riding in the North Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee mountains. Each month, on the second Tuesday, the club meets at a different restaurant in the area. One of the great things about the club is that members will e-mail the club membership roster when they want to go on a ride and let them know when & where to meet. Seeing "KSU" (kick stands up) in the e-mail subject line means someone wants to go for a ride. There are well over 60 members in the club (including spouses) and when the weather is good there is a lot of riding going on.

The Cruisers have sponsored fund raising events and supported the Gilmer Food Pantry as well as other community based organizations in Gilmer County. Membership is open and if you would like more information visit the club's website or call/email club president Larry Cook at 706-889-8123 / www.larry@lookfree.com.

Memorial Day Weekend Events In Gilmer Co.

Taken directly from the Friday Announcements by the Gilmer Chamber of Commerce:

May 22 FREE SMOOTHIE DAY! 7am – 9pm, Smoothie King, 29 Highland Dr., Suite 103. Three choices available: 20 oz.
Caribbean Way, Strawberry X-treme or Mangofest.

May 23 Taste of Ellijay 4-8pm, Arts Around the Square, tethered balloon
rides, Yard Sale beginning at 8am. www.downtownellijay.org

Join artist blacksmith John D. Beatie in his studio for
demonstrations. You must register by calling 706/374-2234 for times.

May 23 NOTE NEW OPENING DATE: Gilmer County Farmers Market every Saturday 8-11 am through Labor Day. Farm Bureau, corner of River St. and Sailors Drive. If you are interested in becoming a vendor or have questions, contact Jean Govus at jgovus@ellijay.com or 706/276-3360. Vendor fee is only $5.00 per season.

May 23, Fort Mountain State Park will be offering Naturalist
24 & 25 Events during the Memorial Day weekend. Go to
parknature2006@yahoo.com to check out all the
activities – parade, magic show, bird identification
hike, campfire, black bear program and many other
events, or call the park 706/422-1932.

May 25 Memorial Day Picnic! Free hamburgers and hot dogs
1-4 pm, Covered Bridge Estates, Hwy. 382 west three
miles out of town. Call 706/669-4177 or
CoveredBridgeEst@cs.com.

BOC TO ALTER PLANS FOR JAIL EXPANSION

Based on discussions held by the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners (BOC), in a workshop held on May 19, 2009, it appears that plans for the expansion and renovation of the Gilmer County Detention Center will be “shelved” in favor of a less aggressive plan. Originally, the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) called for a new water line to the jail, a 24 bed addition along with new visitation rooms, a new sally port, additions to the medical facilities, an evidence room as well as other renovations and additions. Total estimated costs of the expansion and renovations were $6,000,000.00, according to the January 2008 amended CIP budget. Thus far $439,319.08 has been expended for the new water line and $360,777.03 was paid to the Facilities Group, Inc. for architectural plans for the jail renovation and expansion.

Discussions in the May 19^th workshop indicated that the BOC was in agreement to “scrap” the Facilities Group plans and requested that JKH Architects provide an estimate for plans that would delete the 24 bed expansion and relocate the sally port to a location that does not require major site preparation. Sheriff Nicholson indicated that the evidence room was no longer needed as adequate secure facilities were available in the old bank building (now owned by the County) on the square by the new courthouse. Current plans now call for the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Division to occupy that space. The Sheriff indicated that there are three vaults in the “bank building” that will function as a secured evidence facility.

Please note that no vote was taken on these matters in the workshop so official action will come at a later date. Until official action is taken the plans can always change again.

Paddle Georgia Launches In Ellijay

Paddle Georgia will shove off on their 92 mile trip (in 7 days!) from the banks of the Coosawattee River in Ellijay on June 20, 2009. Details about the entire trip can be found on the Paddle Georgia website. Gilmer County is set to give the paddlers a big send-off. Paige Green, President of the Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce said, "we are having a music festival in downtown on June 20th from mid afternoon to 9pm in the city parking lot that adjoins the Times-Courier. In addition, country music star, Ty Herndon will perform at the Ellijay Elementary School that evening. The afternoon music festival will feature local talent and will be free to the public. Tickets for the Ty Herndon concert start at $10 and are available at the Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center." Paige further indicated that "plans are still very fluid". Keep in touch with this blog for all the details.

Court House Review Project Completed

When the new Gilmer County Board of Commissioners (BOC) took office in January 2009 they felt it necessary to hire an outside contractor to perform a review of the new courthouse construction project expenses. The BOC commissioned Dr. Zuhair Itr, to perform the review. According to Commission Chair, Mark Chastain "Dr. Itar is a recognized expert with experience regarding such matters. Dr Itr has a Phd from Georgia Tech in Civil Engineering specializing in Construction Management and has taught at Southern Polytechnic State University since 1966 in the Construction Department, where he has taught courses such as cost estimating, structural systems, and project planning".

Dr. Itr's report, dated May 14, 2009, is a matter of public record and copies can be obtained at the BOC office in the new courthouse. With regard to the cost of the courthouse Dr. Itr's report indicates that the total construction cost (building cost + site preparation cost) was $187.38 per square foot. Dr. Itr sites a report compiled by leading Architectural firms in the industry. This report indicates that, "the construction cost of courthouses adjusted for inflation vary between $230 and $260 per square foot. Dr. Itr also cites R.S.Means, "one of the premier cost reporting sources in the United States for building costs. R.S. Means reported that the mean "Court House Building and Town Halls cost per square foot is $168.00. The building cost per square foot for the Gilmer County Court House, as reported by Dr. Itr was $168.74 per square foot.

As mentioned above, the full report can be obtained at the BOC office or email me at: mjholstein@ccim.net and I will email you a copy in a .pdf file.

MY OPINION
The 2005 - 2009 Gilmer County Board of Commissioners built the courthouse exactly like was shown to the voters of Gilmer County prior to us overwhelmingly voting in favor of replacing the old courthouse. Construction of both Phase I and II of the Courthouse was accomplished in accordance with applicable state law, at a price that has been determined to be well within national standards. In my opinion, if future BOCs will provide for the proper maintenance of the project, the court house will serve the needs of our citizens until well past the first half of this century. We have a beautiful structure that contributes to aesthetics of our downtown and something that each taxpayer can, and should, take pride in. If there is one individual we can thank for his tireless effort in monitoring the entire process, including functionality, design, construction quality and cost it is Ken Bailey, Post I County Commissioner from 2005 - 2009. Ken's lifetime of experience in the construction industry was invaluable in this process and was given freely, by Ken to our County.

Memorial Day Thoughts

THINKING OF YOU DAD

I'm a military brat. My father served our country for over 30 years in war and in peace. He is my American Idol. Who is yours?

Commission Chairman's Weekly Report

Gilmer County Board of Commissioners Chair, Mark Chastain provides a weekly report on County Government activities and issues. Below is his report for this week:

"Many of the calls into the Commissioner’s office last week were in regards to the golf course. Gilmer County owns Whitepath Golf Course on Whitepath Road, and leases it to Reece Golf to manage and operate. Several issues are raised regarding the golf course every few years. I made a full inspection of the course and facilities last Wednesday. While there is visible room for improvement in some areas, the current lease has provisions for improvements and maintenance that need to be looked into further. I realized that some needed improvements were stopped last year due to the county’s budget concerns. This is a fairly complex situation, and I’m further handi-capped (pardon the pun) by the fact that I’m not a golfer. We will be looking further into the golf course as the spring and summer continue.

I learned Wednesday that House Bill 2 was signed into law by the Governor. This bill creates new guidelines for local government to demonstrate compliance with federal immigration laws before individuals can receive “public benefits”. It also creates new guidelines for law enforcement agencies to follow. While the law doesn’t go into effect until January, I hope to have Gilmer County compliant long before the deadline.

Georgia Department of Transportation Board Member for the 9^th Congressional District, Steve Farrow, visited Gilmer County Friday afternoon. He was accompanied by District Planning Engineer Greg Hood, who led a detailed discussion of projects that have been on the books for Gilmer County. Most of the projects on Gilmer County’s list are noted as “Long Range – not working on project”. Among these projects are the East-West Highway, a bridge replacement on Lower Cartecay Road, a bridge replacement on River Street, passing lanes on Highway 382, and a re-vamp of the intersection at Hardee’s. Also on the dormant “not working on project” list is the replacement of the bridge on Boardtown Road over Kell’s Bridge, which is being undertaken by the Board of Commissioners.

Besides the pedestrian bridge, the only project that DOT shows as active, or “plans underway”, is the extension of Highway 382 to Highway 515. I am and have been strongly in support of this project. In my previous term as Post Commissioner, we were assured that this project would be completed before our terms were up. The current schedule is for right of way to be acquired in 2011 and construction plans to be completed in 2013. It was very interesting to learn that engineering on the project began in 1992. No wonder the Governor and General Assembly have become frustrated with the DOT. We also discussed the possibility of counties getting LARP paving assistance again, which I was told is possible in about a year.

The report on the construction of Phase 2 of the courthouse has been completed and was delivered Friday afternoon. A copy is available at the Board of Commissioner’s office and will be posted soon to the county’s web site.

As always, feel free to contact me by email (mchastain@gilmercounty-ga.gov) or by calling the BOC office at 706-635-4361. Comments can be left on 706-515-2320".

Memorial Day Weekend In Downtown Ellijay

As always, there are a lot of activities in Historic Downtown Ellijay. Memorial Day weekend is no exception. Here are a few of the activities you don’t want to miss:

· Pickin’ On the Square: Friday Night from 6 to 9 pm. Bring your musical instrument & join the fun. Bluegrass, rock, country and gospel music all can be enjoyed every Friday evening through October.

· Whole Town Yard Sale: Saturday May 24^th (Rain Date Sunday May 25^th) the Dedicated Ellijay Merchants and Associates (DEMA) will sponsor its annual Memorial Day weekend yard sale. The sale starts at 8am.

· TASTE OF ELLIJAY: Saturday May 23^rd from 4 to 8 pm DEMA will sponsor its annual Taste of Ellijay. Food vendors will surround the round-a-bout and music will fill the air. Tickets are on sale at DEMA merchants or will be available on the square that evening. Don’t miss this event! Proceeds will benefit the Gilmer Food Pantry.

· Arts Around the Square: Saturday May 23^rd DEMA, along with all the other activities downtown, will host local artists. This is your opportunity to meet some of Gilmer’s best artists and purchase that original piece for your cabin.

Here are a couple of events, not in downtown Ellijay but certainly worth visiting:

· Cherry Log Community Garage Sale: Saturday May 23^rd from 8 am to 4 pm, rain or shine. The event will take place in the Cherry Log Club House located just across from the Cherry Log Post Office, just off Highway 515 between exits 18 & 19. Come for breakfast and stay for lunch. Proceeds will go to the Cherry Log Community Action Group for work in the community.

· Arts In The Park: Blue Ridge, Ga. will host its annual Arts In The Park Memorial Day Weekend (Saturday & Sunday only). From 10 am until 6 pm hundreds of artists will line the downtown streets and City Park to offer everything from fine art to top of the line crafts. This show is juried so only the best are there.