The Stephens County Land Use Regulation Committee wants county commissioners to make a decision on whether or not they want to move forward with the creation of a land use plan for Stephens County. Monday, the committee met and voted 7 to 1 to place a motion before county commissioners at their March 26 meeting asking them to move forward with the creation of a land use regulation plan. Committee member Cynthia Brown is one of the “yes” votes. “We are not looking to do anything that is going to do harm to our citizens or businesses that are there,” said Brown. “We want to move ahead with a community that attracts good jobs that allow people to make a living and to do it in an environment that is safe and healthy.” Brown said that land use is also a mechanism for preventing undesirable businesses and industries from not locating in Stephens County.
Local officials with Toccoa and Stephens County said their trip to Washington, D.C. last week went well. “We had a very busy schedule,” said Toccoa Mayor David Austin. “We were there two days and out from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon calling on various folks, including both of our Senators and several Congressman and their staffs, to tell the Toccoa-Stephens County story and make a pitch for more money for our community.” Stephens County Commission Vice-Chair Dean Scarborough echoed those comments, noting that the group met with a number of Congressmen who sit on Appropriations Committees that control federal funding. Scarborough said that the trip provided an opportunity to bring up a number of topics with federal leaders. “We got to sell our message,” said Scarborough. “We took several messages that we specifically wanted to sell. We talked about Wilbros, our sewer infrastructure, Highway 17.” According to Austin, some legislators say there is a possibility that Congress will consider re-authorizing the 2007 bill that authorized $8 million in federal funding for a sewer expansion project in Stephens County. That money was never appropriated.
Monday, officials from Toccoa, Stephens County, and other agencies gathered at the city commission work session to receive an update from Goodwyn, Mills, and Cawood on the design of a potential sewer expansion project in Stephens County. The firm was tasked in November with designing wastewater system enhancements for areas such as Big A Road and the Toccoa By-Pass, as well as south into other industrial areas of the county. According to Steve Cawood, the $5.5 million design would not complete the project, but would provide the ability for the city to get sewer service to a property along those corridors quickly as needed for potential development. “In economic development channels, economic developers like to have water and sewer access within a 90-day timeframe,” said Cawood. “This (design) does that.
The Georgia Downtown Association board, ex officio members, and staff held the organization’s annual planning retreat on February 26 and 27 at the Currahee Club. Toccoa Main Street Director Connie Tabor said that the annual retreat provides the board an opportunity to look back and also plan for the year ahead. “The Georgia Downtown Association retreat is an opportunity for the board members to get together to review the organization’s accomplishments for 2012 and then plan the goals for 2013,” said Tabor. “We also reviewed a Georgia Downtown Association membership survey that was completed in 2012 to make sure that we meet the needs of the membership.” Tabor said the organization’s goal is to promote the economic redevelopment of Georgia’s traditional downtowns.
U.S. Representative Doug Collins is the chair of a new Congressional group formed to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on water management issues across the country. One issue concerning our region is the lake level on Lake Hartwell. Speaking at a recent breakfast in Hart County, Collins talked about the new group. “The Corps of Engineers really most of the time could care less what the state thinks,” Collins said. “But I’ve got a little secret for the Corps of Engineers. They’re going to have to care what I think because I’m going to be dealing with them on a day-to-day basis.” Collins said he would be working with South Carolina U.S. Representative Jeff Duncan on the Lake Hartwell management plan. He said the two plan to tour the Hartwell Lake and Dam Project in Hartwell in the coming weeks.
Currahee Club on Lake Hartwell celebrated the groundbreaking Wednesday afternoon for the 2013 Southern Living Showcase Home. Currahee Club Managing Director Andrew Ward said it brings a lot of credibility anytime you embark on a project with Southern Living. “This is a regional home that is promoted regionally throughout the Southeast U.S.A. and we will get a lot of exposure from this,” said Ward. “We are very excited about it.” He went on to say that he is not just excited for the club, but for the impact that the home and the publicity that goes with it could have on the local community. “What we are really excited about is they talk about potentially 15,000 or 16,000 people (that) will come and tour this house,” said Ward. “We will make sure that once they come visit the house and Currahee Club, they will not leave here without coming to Toccoa. We want them to come to the shops, stores, and restaurants in Toccoa.” Dillard-Jones Builders of Greenville, South Carolina will build the home and once the home is complete, it will open up for tours this September through December, closing for a short time in November to decorate for the holidays. Proceeds from the tours will benefit several charities including Neighbors 4 Neighbors of Stephens County and the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. 
On Wednesday, the Currahee Campus of North Georgia Technical College celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Health Sciences wing. The new wing will house North Georgia Tech’s Licensed Practical Nursing program and Paramedic/EMT program. North Georgia Technical College President Dr. Gail Thaxton said that the expansion will have multiple benefits for these programs. “It is going to attract students because they are going to see that the facility is current and state-of-the-art and everybody wants to learn with the newest and the best technology,” said Thaxton. “There will be laboratories, science laboratories, classrooms, computer labs,” said Thaxton. “But all of these laboratories around the paramedic/EMT program and the Licensed Practical Nursing program are going to have very specialized patient assessment rooms, viewing rooms, computerized monitoring rooms. It is really built out to meet today’s standards for workforce preparation.”
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