Fannin County Announces new library in joint meeting
News April 22, 2022FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. – A special called meeting that was held as a joint meeting between the Fannin County Board of Education (BOE) and the Fannin County Board of Commissioners (BOC) also saw special guest David Ralston, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives to announce a new public library to be constructed.
An unprecedented time as both Speaker Ralston and County Attorney Lynn Doss called it, the joint meeting is the beginning of a major, multi-million dollar project for Fannin County.
The meeting proceeded as the Fannin BOE made a motion and approval to donate land to the Board of Commissioners for the sole purpose of constructing a new public library. The BOE has purchased property from the United States Forestry Service near Blue Ridge Dam in order to construct two new facilities for the school system. The BOE is currently constructing a staff development center there that will be the new home for staff working out of the building at 2290 East First Street.
Because of this, the property at 2290 East First Street, soon to be empty with the move, has been donated to the county for a new library. The property, adjacent to Fannin High School, will be 0.85 acres in total. Though the project was described as a standalone library, there are no current designs for the building. Both the BOE’s motion to donate and the BOC’s motion to accept the land came with unanimous approvals of the present members of these boards.
Speaker Ralston said that a standalone library has been on the community wish list for many years. He stated, “I want to commend both the Board of Education and the Commissioners for this arrangement which will now expedite this project. The project is a result of cooperative efforts between the Fannin County Board of Education, the Fannin County Commission, and the state of Georgia.”
Ralston noted that the general assembly’s budget is providing funding for part of the library project. The state’s commitment totals $2.6 million as Ralston stated, “The budget that we just passed this past session in the general assembly provided for an additional $1.3 million specified for this project. That goes with the $1.3 million that had been appropriated back two or three budget cycles ago.”
The county can begin planning but will not break ground or start construction until after the BOE faculty have moved to their new facility when construction is complete. Due to this, County Attorney Lynn Doss said there isn’t a start date for the project. She went on to add that the contract has a provision that if the property ever ceases to be a library, it will revert back to Board of Education ownership.
Ralston stated, “A library says a lot about a community. That’s why this has been important to me and I know its been important to many of you. Because when you go into a community and you see they have a nice library facility, that says volumes about where they put priorities on learning and education and all the things that we associate with a library. When this library is completed, it will say that Fannin County is proud of our past, our present, and our future.”
With the celebration of the donated land and the unofficial beginning of the county’s multi-million dollar library project, Ralston had one more note to say as he stated that good news will keep coming. Ralston said he would be returning to Fannin County in a few weeks for another meeting and announcement with another special guest.
Silencing the Citizens for Public Safety
Citizens Speak, Opinion May 28, 2020Opinion – Is it possible to get accurate citizen input at a town hall meeting and ban the citizens from attending? Unlikely. Regardless, the City of Blue Ridge is forging ahead with their “town hall” meeting to get resident input on the annexation of portions of Hwy. 5 and Hwy. 515.
I guess we are lucky that the city is even pretending to care what the residents think. Had it not been for council members Nathan Fitts and Rhonda Haight, this deal would be signed, sealed and delivered.
Haight and Fitts put a halt to the annexation after feeling that Mayor Donna Whitener had been misleading in the information that she had given, and misleading she was. One glaring point that stood out among the misinformation train was her swearing that citizens had already voiced their opinions.
Well, they had….in 2017. Hardly what I would call a reasonable time-frame of considered public input.
County officials were also taken off guard with the vote in favor of annexation.
Whitener, along with others present at the recent city council meeting, all agreed that County Commission Chairman Stan Helton had been present in a past “annexation” meeting, with Whitener stating that he was in favor of this annexation.
What Whitener fails to mention, once again, is that this meeting took place well over a year ago and that the meeting was only to discuss the possibility of receiving a grant to run sewer to Mercier Orchards and by default INOLA Blue Ridge.
Annexation and the discussion of, was not the purpose of this meeting.
After details have been brought to light, the city sends out a notice of a town hall meeting, but once again transparency does not seem to be their top priority.
The notice clearly states:
“The public is encouraged to attend however, social distancing will be practiced, and everyone is encouraged to wear a mask. Seating will be limited in order to follow the guidelines set forth by the Governor of Georgia.”
Is it really fair to the residents of the city to not have their voices heard under the guise of Public Safety?
You tell me, how easy would it be to stack the speakers in favor of your agenda with only a limited number of people able to attend? I would think pretty easy, especially when big money is involved.
The City has in no way attempted to accommodate their usual or even possibly larger than normal crowd, and Fannin County does have the resources for them to seek help in this arena. The Performing Arts Center (PAC), the Blue Ridge Community Theater, or even outdoors at the City Park to name a few, but the City has no intention of moving this meeting.
They did give citizens another option:
“With social distancing in process we understand that some may not wish to attend. Therefore, questions regarding this meeting or annexation may be answered prior to the meeting by calling Jeff Stewart at 706-632-2091 ext. 2. If you would like to submit a letter of support or opposition but do not wish to attend the meeting, please email them to [email protected].”
With the absence of transparency and honesty shown so far, I have little faith that any of these emails would be read aloud at the meeting or even acknowledged, and we the people would be none the wiser.
While this town hall meeting or lack thereof is not technically illegal due to the declared State of Emergency, it is unethical.
The people should demand that their governments either open up all the way or hold off on major decisions until a time when they can accommodate their populous.
Town Hall Meeting : Annexation
Announcements, City Council, Community, Downtown Blue Ridge, News, Press Release May 24, 2020PUBLIC NOTICE
The City of Blue Ridge will hold a town hall meeting on Monday, June 1, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. The meeting will be located at City Hall, 480 West First Street. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and receive public input regarding annexing sections of Hwy 5 & Hwy 515 right-of-way only. The portion of right-of-way to be annexed on Hwy 5 will be from the current location at Harmony Lane to 6931 Blue Ridge Drive (parcel number 0051 B 083). This ending point was selected because it is at the end of the City’s service delivery area. The portion of right-of-way to be annexed on Hwy 515 will be from the current location at Toccoa River Bridge to Forge Mill Road (parcel number 0031 087 A). This ending point was selected due to a request from the property owners. The public is encouraged to attend however, social distancing will be practiced, and everyone is encouraged to wear a mask. Seating will be limited in order to follow the guidelines set forth by the Governor of Georgia. If you do not wish to speak but would like to watch the meeting, FetchYourNews will be filming live on FYNTV.com.
With social distancing in process we understand that some may not wish to attend. Therefore, questions regarding this meeting or annexation may be answered prior to the meeting by calling Jeff Stewart at 706-632-2091 ext. 2. If you would like to submit a letter of support or opposition but do not wish to attend the meeting, please email them to [email protected].
Blue Ridge City Council to have second public millage rate hearing 48 hours after the first
City Council, Downtown Blue Ridge September 11, 2019BLUE RIDGE, GA – In a surprise move, the Blue Ridge City Council has included a second public hearing concerning the fiscal year 2019 millage rate nearly 48 hours after the first public hearing was offered.
At the regularly scheduled council meeting Tuesday, September 10, the council held the first of the required two public hearings to discuss the millage rate. With no public commentary offered Tuesday, the council has added onto the agenda a second public hearing to take place before a joint meeting with the Downtown Development Authority scheduled for Thursday, September 12, at 6 p.m.
During the council’s regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, the announcement was made at the end of the meeting that a joint meeting with the Downtown Authority would be held Thursday, but no mention of the second public hearing of the millage rate was given.
“… (T)he announcement of the joint meeting with the city council and the Downtown Development Authority, September 12, 2019. We will have a meeting, a special called meeting, and do I need the agenda (…) to be able to announce that?,” Mayor Donna Whitener said in the closing moments of the meeting. Whitener was assured that a copy of the agenda would be provided to media outlets.
FetchYourNews.com obtained a copy of that agenda late Wednesday afternoon.
Additionally, the council has scheduled the first reading of the fiscal year 2019 millage rate ordinance to take place Thursday after the second public hearing.
The council is set to begin their meeting with the Downtown Development Authority at 6 p.m., Thursday, September 12, at City Hall.
Bus Stop Sign Awareness Meeting
Announcements August 1, 2019As we begin a new school year, the Fannin County School System Transportation Department will hold an awareness meeting this Friday, August 2, at 3:00 p.m. in the parking lot at West Fannin Elementary School. Personnel from the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, Blue Ridge City Police Department, McCaysville Police Department, and the Georgia State Patrol have been invited to join us as we share information about the importance of watching for children around our bus stops throughout Fannin County. This will be a short meeting, and a new extended bus stop arm will be unveiled. A photo opportunity will be available.
Please contact Transportation Director Denver Foster for more information.
FCYFA Presents: Monthly Business Meeting and Ag Talk
Uncategorized February 11, 2019FANNIN COUNTY
YOUNG FARMERS ASSOCIATION
PRESENTS:
Monthly Business Meeting and Ag Talk
February 18, 2019
8:00am
Mercier Orchards
Meal is sponsored by: Mercier Orchards
Anyone interested is welcome to attend
FCYFA members attend free of charge
Non members we ask you pay $5.00
For Questions or Additional Information
Please Contact [email protected] or
706-455-2545
Board of Commissioners meeting cancelled
Uncategorized November 12, 2018Blue Ridge, Ga. – The Fannin County Board of Commissioners have cancelled there upcoming regular monthly meeting to be held on Tuesday Nov. 13.
An explanation on the county website states:
In that there are no new items that have been presented to come before the Board of Commissioners and in that there is no old business requiring Board action at this time, the November 13 meeting of the Fannin County Board of Commissioners is cancelled. The next County meeting is the regularly scheduled meeting of November 27, 2018. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Fannin County Board of Commissioners will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 5:15 p.m. on the third floor of the Fannin County Courthouse located on West Main Street.
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Coach Cheatham Addresses the Board of Education
Community, Fannin County High September 19, 2018Coach Cheatham gave a motivating speech as he laid out the foundation of Fannin Rebels mantra: 1) Faith, 2) Family, 3) Academics, and lastly, 4) Football. Is it strange to hear a Head Coach say that football needs to come last on a player’s priority list? Maybe, but Coach Cheatham has his reasons and his reasons are for the overall success of Fannin’s youth.
Coach Cheatham states there’s 4 things student athletes need to pursue excellence in:
“1) Faith: in our Creator, in our team, in our community, in our parents, and in our school system. Faith in believing in the process. And the sacrifice to get there may be hard, but you got to keep the faith.”
“2) Family: A lot of my players don’t go home to mom and dad. They go home to grandma or grandpa, or they go home to foster care. That’s just the state of reality that we are in right now. We focus on family and brotherhood and selfless play for one another. We’re teaching selflessness.”
“3) Academics: Education is the key to every door. 99% of our football players will never play football again but what they’re going to do is go into the workforce. They’re going to enter college, or technical school, or the military and they’re going to be great. And education and academics is the key to their future and we got to make our football players believe that.”
“4) Football: Why is the last thing football? I’ll tell you why. It’s because if you don’t have faith, if you don’t have family, and you don’t have your academics in order you might as well forget football because it isn’t going to happen.”
Coach Cheatham continues, “In order to be successful, you have to take care of the first three: Faith, Family, and Academics. We’re pushing self-discipline with our kids. Are we winning? We’re not winning on the scoreboard [the last two games] but are we winning in the field house and are we winning in their hearts? I think we are.”
It is apparent that Coach Cheatham takes an interest in the well-being of Fannin’s youth. His coaching style seems to motivate and uplift his players to be better people and aspire for greatness and excellence in all that they do. Let’s see what comes of this years football season, but most importantly, let’s what comes of the Rebels football players’ attitudes.
Fannin County Young Farmers Assoc. News Release
Community August 6, 2018The Fannin County Young Farmers Association held their monthly Ag Talk and Meeting on July 16 at the Fannin County High School Agriculture Classroom at 12:00pm. The event began with President, Kenny Queen calling the meeting to order, Lunch was served and was sponsored by the Chestatee- Chattahoochee Resource Conservation and Development Council. Dan Wallace and Gary Hankins from the USDA-NRCS office in Athens presented the Ag Talk. The demonstration was a rainfall simulator on real life field samples which gave an insight into the health of soil and showed how management effects the soil health. Soil health on cropland and pasture determine water quality and erosion, and ultimately a farm’s bottom line. Doug Towery from the USDA-NRCS in Blairsville assisted with the program.
The talk was followed by a business meeting. The next Ag Talk and meeting will be held on August 20th at 6pm.
Blue Ridge Mayor Whitener calls special council meeting
Announcements, Community January 24, 2018Blue Ridge Mayor Donna Whitener has called a special council meeting for Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018 at 1 p.m. An agenda for the meeting is as follows:
BKP Interviews Georgia House Speaker David Ralston
State & National February 13, 2018On FYN TV, BKP interviews Georgia’s Speaker of the House for District-7 Representative David Ralston, as they discuss Georgia’s aggressive plan for a large infrastructure investment that was presented and highlighted at a meeting for Republican leaders including Ralston, over the weekend at The White House. Speaker David Ralston comments on what that means for Georgia.
Pictured below: Speaker of the House for Georgia District 7 David Ralston at this past weekends Infrastructure Meeting at the White House with Republican leaders and President Donald Trump.
Pesticide Safety Month and Apple Producers Meeting
Outdoors February 21, 2018Hundreds of people get sick each year from inappropriate pesticide use. Pesticides are used in homes, workplaces, apartments, farms and other places where humans need to control pests such as weeds, insects, fungi, rodents and even viruses. Of the 11 states participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) pesticide safety program, workers reported 853 serious injuries from pesticides in 2011. During National Pesticide Safety Education Month this February, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension personnel are urging homeowners, and all Georgians, to learn more about the safe use, storage and disposal of pesticides.
According to Dr. Mickey Taylor, UGA Extension Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) Coordinator, “pesticide safety education is key to helping homeowners and pesticide applicators, both commercial and agricultural, safely and effectively use available pesticides to protect their homes and crops and livelihoods. At the same time, they want to protect themselves, their employees and colleagues from any potential ill effects of pesticide use in addition to protecting their families and neighbors. As good stewards of the land, pesticide users want to preserve our environment for the future.”
UGA Extension’s PSEP promotes the safe, responsible use of pesticides by individuals and commercial groups by providing training programs, materials and educational resources covering pest identification, personal safety, safe storage and disposal of pesticides, environmental protection, pesticide drift and runoff prevention, threatened and endangered species protection, water quality protection, and food safety.
One way that UGA Extension reinforces safe pesticide usage is to conduct workshops, meetings, and trainings in which pesticide usage and safe handling is taught. One such course coming up is the North Georgia Commercial Apple Production meeting. It will be held on Wednesday, February 21st at the Gilmer County Public Library on Calvin Jackson Drive in Ellijay. There are other regional trainings held for producers. If you would like information about those trainings, contact me in the Gilmer County UGA Extension office.
Dr. Taylor is also the editor of the UGA Extension “Georgia Pest Management Handbook.” The handbook is revised and published annually. It has information about labeled pesticides that can be used by homeowners and commercial producers. Copies of the handbook are available for purchase through the UGA market place at ugaextensionstore.com and there are copies in the UGA Extension county offices if you would like to view one before purchase. Remember to always read the label before you use or store any pesticide.
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
Fannin BOC Meeting Agenda January 9, 2018
Legal Notice January 9, 2018AGENDA
Regular Meeting
January 9, 2018 at 5:15 p.m.
Jury Assembly Room – Third Floor
OPENING REGULAR MEETING:
- Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance
OLD BUSINESS:
- Approve Minutes from December 12, 2017 Board of Commissioners Meetings.
PUBLIC COMMENTARY: 30-minute maximum
Do not misconstrue this as a question and answer session with the board.
Limit 3 minutes per person. Please state name and address before comments. All comments should be addressed to the Chairman.
NEW BUSINESS:
- FY 2018 Budget Resolution
- Library Board Appointment of Steven Miracle
- Rushton Agreement
- Accept Election Qualifying Fees
- Maintenance Department
- Plan Workshop for Hotel/Motel tax
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
- Executive Session (if necessary)
CLOSING:
- Adjournment
The Fannin County Board of Commissioners meetings are held every second and fourth Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. in the Jury Assembly Room – Third Floor of the Fannin County Courthouse.
Agendas are posted to the County website within 24 hours of the next scheduled meeting
This agenda has been approved by the Chairman and is subject to change at his discretion. If you have questions or concerns, contact Chairman Helton at [email protected]
Georgia Governor Candidate Visits FYNTV
Election, Politics February 20, 2018BKP Interviews GA Candidate for Governor, and Secretary of State Brian Kemp. Among many topics, Kemp discusses immigration, Georgia voting machines, paper ballots, pay for law enforcement, and what Kemp’s opinion of the negotiations to bring Amazon HQ2 for Georgia.
Sen. David Lucas to Host Second Rural Georgia Study Committee Meeting
State & National August 7, 2017MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Ines Owens, Director
Elisabeth Fletcher, Communications Specialist
[email protected]
404.656.0028
Sen. David Lucas to Host Second Rural Georgia Study Committee Meeting
ATLANTA (August 7, 2017) | Sen. David Lucas (D – Macon) will hold a two-day Rural Georgia Study Committee Meeting to discuss broadband, healthcare, telecommunications and developing tourism TOMORROW from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and WEDNESDAY from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. The meeting will be held at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega.
WHO: Sen. David Lucas and Rural Georgia Study Committee Members
WHAT: Two-day Rural Georgia Study Committee Meeting
WHEN: Tuesday, August 8, 2017
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
WHERE: University of North Georgia
Continuing Education Center in Dahlonega
25 Schultz Avenue
Dahlonega, GA 30597
Sen. David Lucas, Sr. represents the 26th Senate District, which includes portions of Bibb, Houston and Jones Counties and all of Hancock, Twiggs, Washington and Wilkinson Counties. He may be reached at 404.656.5035 or by email at[email protected].