About Lake Oconee news. (Greensboro, GA) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2017)
Page A6 Lake Oconee News Friday, January 13,2017 Don Richeson/Staff New District 2 Commissioner Daniel Brown, gesturing, center, makes a point during the commissioners' meeting Friday. Other commissioners include, from left, Trevor Addison, the new District 4 commissioner; District 3 Commissioner Alan Foster; new District 1 Commissioner Kelvin Irvin; and Chairman Steve Hersey. Fish Tale Marina given OK to enlarge addition 210 Sandy Creek Road • Athens 706-549-7088 Open 8:30am - 5pm • Mon-Fri The Putnam County Board of Commissioners last week unanimously voted to allow Fish Tale Marina to increase the squarefootageofaproposed addition to its existing boat storage facility. The action drew none of the fire com missioners encountered in February 2016 when they approved the addition, which involved a zoning change from residential to commercial. The residents in nearby residential com munities that spoke out against the commercial ex pansion last year may have decided it wasn’t worth the trouble this time, because the additional square footage being requested is only 893 square feet. “It’s simply to widen the aisles so our 8,000- pound forklift can turn and put boats on the rack,” Construction Facilitator Jeremy Crosby told the commissioners prior to the vote at their Jan. 6 regular monthly Friday meeting. “It’s not to increase the number of customers or the building’s base or the walls.” Crosby was Putnam County commissioners Friday approved expanding an addition planned to be erected to the immediate right storage complex. The expansion will be 893 square feet and is needed for boat-moving equipment to operate safely to a complex spokesman. speaking on behalf of JP capital and Insurance Inc., which owns the 108 Briar- patch Road NE complex. The complex is anchored by an existing three-sto ry boat storage facility on Lake Oconee near Lick Creek, just off Lake Oconee Parkway (Highway 44). He said the addition’s aisles needed the slight widening in order to maintain safety when moving boats around the planned three-story storage addition. Commissioners noted that the additional square Over 70 Years of Supplying the Food Service Industry Food Equipment Go, Inc. *■ w • ' ZV a »A 4^ Chef's Apparel Beverage & Bar Supplies Cleaning Products China & Linens Cooking Equipment Furnishings Kitchen Supplies Refrigerated Equipment Storage & Transport Solutions footage would go into the space already set aside between the existing boat storage building and the planned addition, rather than expanding the addition out more toward the nearby homes. The space will still contain the 22 new parking spots already planned for it, just less green space around the spaces, according to Fish Tale spokesman Crosby. District 3 Commissioner Alan Foster cast the lone no vote for the addition at the commissioners’ Feb. 16, 2016 meeting, which attracted 6 0 residents, mostly from the Whippor- will, Hoot Owl, Putnam Landing, Phoenix Lake, Loch Haven and Misty River subdivisions in the area of Fish Tale, as well as from two nearby con dominium complexes. Foster said however at last week’s meeting that he supported this additional expansion. “When we look at the overall picture of this, there really won’t be an increase in the scale of the building, any site vari ances or setback changes — the height of the building won’t change,” Foster said at the Jan. 6 meeting. “The only thing that this does is make an engineering im provement in the building of a fairly minor amount of square footage. I think it would be punitive of us and as much as I disagreed with the commercial use of the property initially, I think based on the fact that it was approved this minor addition to the square footage is not egre gious and it doesn’t change the principals outlined in the original approval and therefore — with some misgiving — I find myself in the position of making a motion to approve.” The motion passed 5-0. In other matters at their Jan. 6 regular monthly Friday meeting, Putnam commissioners: » Listened as Chairman Steve Hersey designated District 3 Commissioner Alan Foster as their new vice chairman. Foster succeeds Billy Webster in the position. Webster decided not to seek reelec tion to the board of com missioners. » Listened to County Manager Paul Van Haute announce that he had received pricing on feasi bility studies on building a hotel-conference-con vention center in Putnam. The prices ranged from $25,000 to more than $80,000 to conduct such a study he said. » Listen to County Manager Paul Van Haute announce that a testing firm had determined that there had once been a garage and fueling station on the site of the old county jail on West Marion Street. “The study indicated there was an automotive facility there and that could be problematic in demolishing the building, because you don’t know what’s under ground there could have been a gas station there or an oil storage area there,” Van Haute said. If such items are still underground there and the county moves Don Richeson/Staff of this Lake Oconee boat in the addition, according to a phase two demolition of the old jail the county could be on the hook for an expensive cleanup, he said. Alternately, it could rehab the building to make it serviceable for $35,000 to $60,000. » Heard a request from County Manager Paul Van Haute to disband the county surveyor position at their next meeting. “We don’t have one in the county anyway, so it’s just an anti quated position,” he said. » Reappointed Yvonne Harrell to the Putnam County Board of Health. The retiree has had the position since 2010, but her six-year term had expired on Dec. 31, 2016. District 2 Commissioner Daniel Brown had nominated Harrell for the reappoint ment and the commission ers voted unanimously for her reappointment. » Appointed Daniel Stanford to complete the unexpired Lake Oconee Development Authority term of Kevin Mathis, who resigned on Nov. 7, 2016. The remainder of the five- year term runs until Sept. 3, 2019. District 1 Com missioner Kelvin Irvin nominated Stanford, the Peoples Bank CFO, and the commissioners voted unanimously for his ap pointment. No one else had applied for the position. The Lake Oconee Devel opment Authority meets quarterly and is a joint authority of both Putnam and Greene counties that uses tax breaks to bring new businesses to the Lake Oconee area. Open to the Public Visit our showroom or shop online www.manningbrothers.com STEFFEN THOMAS MUSEUM SHOP Tuesday - Saturday 11:00 AM-4:00 PM Stesfyfyw Thomas Ori^inads and Prints Currently featuring a wide selection of pottery from North Carolina Potters, Interchangable Snap Jewelry and much more! Shop first and get free admission to Museum with shop purchase of $10 or more! 4200 Bethany Road, Buckhead, GA 30625 706-342-7557 www.steffenthomas.org Don Richeson don@lakeoconeenews.us
