Invitation to Bid Hayestone Brady Business Park Landscaping

Sealed bids for construction of Landscaping Hayestone Brady Business Park, will be received until 2:00 p.m. April 19, 2011 at the office of the Stephens County Development Authority at 31 W. Doyle Street, Toccoa, Georgia 30577 at which time they will be publicly opened and publicly read. Any proposal received after said time and date will not be considered by the Owner. No bid may be withdrawn after the closing time for the receipt of bids for a period of 60 days.


Hayestone Brady Business Park Landscaping Bid

Stephens County Hospital earns QRCR

Stephens County Hospital has earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals. About 700 hospitals or approximately 15% of hospitals in the U.S. have applied for and received this award. Stephens County Hospital has been the recipient of this award since 2003.

ADAMS CONTAINER SPECIALIZES IN CUSTOM-MADE PRODUCTS

Adams Container is a privately-owned corrugated sheet plant. That have produced corrugated items since 1988 on 1.25 acres with more than 10,000 square feet of production space located on Lake Louise Road in Toccoa, which allows them to serve from Atlanta to Greenville. James Adams, Jr. is the founder-owner and president of the company. Adams Containers specializes in custom-made containers of various sizes and quantities. The major items produced are multicolored displays, basic RSC boxes, large two-piece boxes, and pads. Quick turnaround and warehousing customer inventories are major components for customer satisfaction. A large percentage of Adams Container’s business is in the furniture area. As this business improves and additional customers are added, 2011 could be a good year.

Stephens County sees 3% increase in population

Some of the initial census numbers are our for Stephens and surrounding counties. The 2010 Census indicates that Stephens County saw a three percent increase in population from 2000-2010. Stephens County's official 2010 Census count is 26,175 residents, which is a slight increase from 2000's 25,435.

Stephens County Named a Camera Ready Community

Stephens County was one of 73 Georgia Counties to be designated Camera Ready at the Georgia State Capitol by Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). The state’s Camera Ready Community Program was launched as part of the state’s ongoing efforts to bolster Georgia’s growing film and television industry. Camera Ready is put in place by the state to offer film and television production companies easier, faster and better access to local resources and information.  A Camera Ready Community must designate a liaison who can assist film and television production companies on a local level.

Leadership T-SC Launches "Why Toccoa" Video Test

The latest Leadership Toccoa-Stephens County class is hosting a video contest for people of all ages asking them to answer the questions, “Why Toccoa?” with a 20-second video.

The winning video will receive a $500 prize as well as be used in a promotional video for Toccoa-Stephens County.

“We are hoping to be able to produce a compilation of great videos to create a marketing tool that can be used in different media markets,” Greg Roach, the leadership class president, said.

The group introduced the video contest with a blanket of green leaflets left overnight in downtown Toccoa and along Big A Road.

In addition, information is being distributed to students at Stephens County High School on the website www.whytoccoa.com
The winners will be announced at a launch party scheduled for May 12.

To enter, people need to submit their video via e-mail to whytoccoa@gmail.com.
A complete set of rules can be found on the website.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chair Tom Bell to speak at T-SC Chamber's Annual Meeting

The Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will speak at the Toccoa-Stephen County Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting. The Chamber said it is privileged to welcome Tom Bell as the keynote speaker for the group's 65th annual meeting. The Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting is Thursday, May 19, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Georgia baptist Conference Center in Toccoa.

Conservation Easement approved by the City of Toccoa

The Toccoa City Commission has approved a conservation easement for land surrounding Lake Toccoa. The easement seeks to preserve the property's current status as open space surrounding the gold course. Commissioners approved the easement unanimously and lauded its approval.

Improvements for Toccoa Water Treatment Plant

The Toccoa Water Treatment Plant will soon undergo a number of improvements. The Toccoa City Commission awarded the contract for numerous water treatment plant improvements. the project includes four separate improvements. Toccoa City Commissioners awarded the contract to Allsouth Constructors at a cost of $712,812. Allsouth was the lowest of nine bidders for the project.

Applegate Insulation to Expand, up to 40 jobs

Applegate Insulation, which is based in Michigan but has a plant in the Meadowbrook Industrial Park in Eastanollee, has made public its intent to pursue a multimillion-dollar expansion of the Stephens County facility. The expansion will involve additional equipment and manpower for the current facility, as well as the possibility of adding square footage to the building.The Stephens County Development Authority approved a bond inducement resolution of $8 million for Applegate. Through the resolution, the development authority acts as a conduit of sorts for Applegate,
“The way Georgia laws are written, and in order to receive tax abatement and other incentives, there has to a bond and title type situation,” development authority chairman Cam Parker. The county and the development authority, he said, are not liable in any way for the $8 million, and the finances are between Applegate and its investors. Applegate makes various insulation products at its facilities. It employs 22 people in Stephens County.

Randy Beckett, local general manager for the company, said the expansion in Toccoa will allow the facility to produce a new type of insulation made mainly out of recycled cotton fiber. “We plan on shipping nationwide out of Stephens County and hiring as many as 40 employees as part of that product line, so we are excited to bring employment to the county and grow our business here,” Beckett said.

Stephens County Hospital to Expand

Stephens County Hospital will soon be able to expand the cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation facility thanks to a $100,000 donation. Peter Parks was a patient in the facility and has chosen to make a donation that will help expand the facility into a larger space. Plans are in the works now with an architect for the expansion and construction is now with an architect for the expansion and construction is expected to start in the near future.

Ground broken for Construction of Terminal at Airport

Charlie Bauder
WNEG

Ground has now been broken for construction of a terminal at the Toccoa-Stephens County Airport.

Local leaders gathered Monday for the groundbreaking ceremony at the airport on Tugalo Street in Toccoa.

Toccoa-Stephens County Airport Authority Chairman John Taylor said the project will give the airport an official terminal, something it has not really had before.

“It will be a fairly large building, about 6,000 square feet,” Taylor said. “Primarily, it is for the passengers coming and going. We will have a very nice conference room available for public use. It will be a really great place for pilots to hang around while waiting for customers to come in. It is just an improvement we wanted. We really need this.”

Taylor said the total project cost is expected to be about $1.5 million, with construction of the building costing about $1.1 million. Some of the funding for the project is coming from a $500,000 OneGeorgia Grant. The rest of the money is coming from revenue generated by special purpose local option sales tax V in the county.

“We are very fortunate to have an airport of this quality here,” said Toccoa Vice Mayor David Austin. “This new terminal building is going to be another great asset for us.”

Stephens County Commission Chairman J.B. Hudgins said an addition has been a long time coming at the airport.

“I started flying out of this airport in 1955, and it had not changed much until now,” Hudgins said. “This will put us where we will able to improve service and be more efficient.”

Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce Chairman Lee Hicks said the new terminal is a positive step.

“This is economic development in Toccoa and Stephens County,” Hicks said. “We are proud to be a part of it and support it.”

Stephens County Development Authority Chairman Cam Parker said, “I want to thank the one group that is probably more responsible for this, and that is the citizens of Stephens County. They voted in SPLOST V for projects like this.”

Grading will start at the airport for the terminal this week, Taylor said, and construction is expected to take seven or eight months to complete.

Muli-County NGN Feasibility Study

Stephens County plans to join with neighboring counties to request a study examining the feasibility of an expanded broadband network in this area of northeast Georgia. Monday, the Stephens County Development Authority board agreed to contribute towards the cost of the feasibility study. It would assess the feasibility of constructing, maintaining, and operating a high speed broadband Internet network in northeast Georgia.

T-SC Officials Visit Washington, D.C.

Local leaders are spending this week in the nation's capital. A group of individuals will represent Toccoa and Stephens County in Washington, D.C. They are leaving today and returning Thursday. Officials said the trip provides an opportunity to meet with federal legislators and officials about issues important to this area.