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THURSDAY. MARCH 11.2021 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
Bigger projects find cold response at
planning level, but smaller projects
get green lights at March meeting
Pickens County Board of Education
Called Meeting
March I 1,2021 at 5 p.m.
Pickens County Board of Education Central
Office at 100 D.B. Carroll St., Jasper, GA
The Pickens County Board of Education will meet on
Thursday, March I 1,2021, at 5:00 pm for a called
board meeting and will follow the governor's guidelines
for groups of people gathering.
I. Call to Order
II. Approval of Agenda
III. Executive Session
IV. Approval of Executive Session Minutes
V. Adjourn
Pickens County Board of Education
Regular Meeting
March I 1,2021 at 6 p.m.
a
ommumty
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Tic/(ens
County
Packed House - The planning commission saw a large crowd turn out over two pro
posed projects on Talking Rock Creek. Planning commission members are: (L-R) Karen
Benson, Jim Fowler, Rhonda Violet, Clayton Preble (chair), Harold Hensley and (not vis
ible in picture) Pat Holmes and Maurice Hendrix.
MAIN OFFICE: 15 Sammy McGhee Blvd. • Jasper, GA 30143
COVE ROAD OFFICE: 65 Cove Road • Jasper, GA 30143
(706) 253-9600 • www.cbopc.com
Pickens County Board of Education Central
Office at 100 D.B. Carroll St., Jasper, GA
We live here, we make all banking decisions
here, and we invest in Jasper and Pickens
County every day.
If you have not met us, come by and let us show
you why local banking is better banking.
•The commission gave an
approval to Brody Bullard
who seeks to split off a 2.79
tract from a larger property
on Jones Mountain Road to
build a single-family home.
• The commission gave
approval with some fairly
complicated conditions for a
small development that is
bordered by Dove Street,
Eagle Perch Road and Yellow
Creek Road. Owner Marie
Hyde said she intends to put
in ranch-style single-family
homes there on a couple of
lots that are all directly on the
different roads listed. But
there were some issues with
a billboard and one lot in par
ticular. There was also some
issue as to how county water
would be run there and a
needed right-of-way to reach
the property. But the com
mission and Hyde agreed to
move ahead as long as she
satisfies the particular re
quirements.
Attorney Ethan Underwood showed plans for Talking
Rock Bluffs, a proposed 83-home development that did not
receive a favorable vote from the planning commission
Monday.
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
RVs not flying with commission, neighbors - Gary
Fegely shows plans for a 25-acre tract on Highway 136
Connector where he and his wife seek to open a 55-unit RV
park. The planning commission voted against the needed
conditional use permit, but, like all commission business it
will still go to the board of commissioners for a final deci
sion.
The Pickens County Board of Education will meet on
Thursday March I I at 6:00 pm for the regular monthly
board meeting and will follow the governor's guidelines for
groups of people gathering.This meeting will available for
viewing at:
https://www.yout ube.com/watc h?v=L45CRQ89m-
g&ab_channel=PCBOEGA
I. Call to Order
II. Invocation
III. Pledge of Allegiance
IV. Approval of Agenda
V. Public Participation
VI. Recognitions
A. Student Recognition (Destini Shope, Director of
Public Engagement)
B. Elite 8 for the Dragonettes! - Brandon Thomas, Head
Coach & Chris Williams, Athletic Director
C. 2021 AP Honor School - Chris Wallace, Principal of
Pickens High School
D. HES English Learners Progress - Marla Callahan,
Principal of Harmony Elementary School
VII. Superintendent Reports
A. Financial Update (Amy Smith, Chief Financial Officer)
B. Operations and Construction (Stacy Gilleland, Chief
Operations Officer)
VIII. Action Items
A. Approval of Financial Reports
B. Approval of Personnel
C. Budget Amendment
D. Approval ofVoting Delegate and Alternate at 2021
GSBA Summer Conference & Delegate Assembly
E. Approval of Sex Ed and Sexual Assault and Abuse
Curriculum
F. Approval of Minutes
G. Approval of Surplus
IX. School Board Appreciation Week
X. Board Comments
XI. Adjourn
THE MORE BANKS
CHANGE, THE MORE
WE STAY THE SAME.
Community Bank of Pickens County is the
only true local community bank in Jasper
and Pickens County. We are proud of our
professional and experienced staff that is
home-grown and continues to provide the
personal service you've known for many years.
With a packed meeting
room, side entrance lobby
and hallway, the planning
commission had a busy Mon
day night with five different
projects before them. Three
smaller proposals all breezed
by without much ado, while
the two larger ones ran into
robust public opposition and
little favor from the seven ap
pointed board members.
The two larger projects, a
278-acre residential develop
ment on Big Ridge Road and
a proposed 25-acre RV park
on Highway 136 Connector,
both faced additional scrutiny
as they are directly on Talk
ing Rock Creek, which sev
eral members of the public
made plain they want to see
protected.
First up was the Talking
Rock Bluffs project plans
from the development com
pany RLF Talking Rock,
LLC. They were represented
at the meeting by attorney
Ethan Underwood. To move
the project forward, they
need a rezoning from agricul
tural to either Rural Residen
tial or Estate Residential.
They had planned 83 lots, but
said several times during the
meeting that is subject to
change depending on re
quirements, and that they will
complete their final engineer
ing drawing as appropriate
during the approval process.
The large tract that must be
rezoned is adjacent to 40 ad
ditional acres owned by the
developer already with a
Rural Residential zoning.
Among the issues is how
water would be supplied to
future homes. According to
information from Planning &
Development Director Justin
Kilgore the county is not in a
position to run water lines
there any time soon. So, the
developer could either have a
well on every lot or it would
be better environmentally
and down the road to have a
community well or wells.
Discussion indicated that
these are an acceptable way
to provide water with profes
sional companies managing
the wells, and when the
county’s own water lines are
run in the area the commu
nity would already be
plumbed to switch over to the
county water.
A second lengthy discus
sion involved the measures
the developer would take to
A member of the public
expresses his opinion Mon
day evening on one of the
larger projects up for deci
sion.
protect the portion of Talking
Rock Creek, which flows
through some of the lots. A
member of the development
company at the meeting indi
cated they were open to stip
ulating that no home would
be within 150 feet of the
creek, which is double the 75
feet required by the state.
A couple of members of
the public voiced concern
that Talking Rock needed full
protection and 83 homes is
too many to put on the slopes
above the creek. One public
speaker said the area of the
creek in question is very
clean and a recognized trout
stream and is significant as a
habitat for the bridal darter.
The developer indicated
that they will take all the
measures necessary to protect
the pristine creek, including
the larger set back.
Other concerns included
the traffic impact on Big
Ridge Road and an adjoining
gravel road that could be
used as a second entrance to
the area.
The commission voted not
to recommend the rezoning.
In the crowded room, it was
hard to see all the commis
sion member’s hand gesture,
but it appeared to be a unani
mous vote.
RV park draws
heated opposition
Neighbors of a proposed
25-acre RV park gave heated
opposition to the owner’s
plans, saying they had al
ready been “fleeced” as the
owner first indicated they
were just going to build a
home along Talking Rock
Creek but later switched
plans and already has RVs,
an Native American tipi and
a massive tent on the site.
Pictures presented of the
property with the visible tent
and RVs led planning com
mission member Jim Fowler
to ask pointedly if they were
already operating?
The owners, Gary and
Karen Fegely, and attorney
Michael Bray representing
them, said they were not in
operation. The tent and tipi
were set up by Mr. Fegely
with the tent only used for his
own birthday party.
The property is currently
zoned agricultural and needs
a conditional use for a sea
sonal RV park. They had
been denied a recommenda
tion in December and had re
turned after making some
changes.
The RV park plans as pre
sented would include 55
camp sites/units, two cabins
for rentals, an activity bam, a
swimming pool and other
camp amenities like laundry,
bathhouse, and outdoor
recreation areas.
The owners and their at
torney noted that the RV park
would appeal to middle-aged
vacationers and families and
would not be a place of loud
parties or public drinking.
They would enforce a 10
p.m. quiet time. Ms. Fegely
said she has set up a clinic in
Cherokee County similar to
the Good Sam clinic here and
is very interested in promot
ing healthy outdoor recre
ation.
But speakers from adjoin
ing properties said they were
already upset looking at the
RVs there, the cleared prop
erty, not to mention tent and
tipi, which are in an area
along the creek the owners
said would be greenspace.
One of the neighbors
asked the planning commis
sion to “stop it now,” which
they did, with Karen Benson,
Rhonda Violet, Pat Holmes,
Harold Hensley and Maurice
Hendrix voting against rec
ommendation. Fowler ab
stained and Chair Clayton
Preble only votes in the event
of a tie.
Quick approval
was given to three
smaller projects
• The commission gave
approval to rezone five acres
on Carver Mill Road from
Small Agricultural to Rural
Residential. The owners Jer-
amy and Meggan Anderson
indicated they would use it
for small residential lots.