Blog posts by Lee Becker
-
Caterpillar Has Created 932 Jobs
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
Caterpillar has created 932 of the 1,300 jobs it has promised to generate at its local plant, according to a report filed on Jan. 29 by Rick Waller, chairman of the Oconee County Industrial Development Authority, with the state agency that is overseeing the project.
The 932 jobs are more than double the 364 that Waller reported Caterpillar had created in a similar report a year ago.
-
Is the Daniells Bridge Road Project About Safety or Development?
Blog: In the Loop
Tom Kittle, who really is at the center of the Daniells Bridge Road extension and flyover, made his case for this project and the related widening of the road in a straightforward fashion at the Oconee County Board of Commissioners meeting last Tuesday.
-
.jpg/100/100/1/13203)
Bed Bath & Beyond, Party City Are the Latest Stores to Leave Atlanta Highway
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
Oconee County has issued a permit for a 39,000-square-foot building at Epps Bridge Centre to house both Bed Bath & Beyond and Party City.
-
Officials Urge Oconee County to Raise Taxes for Caterpillar, Road Improvements
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
Given the costs of paying for the enticements to bring Caterpillar to the area, the need for new judicial facilities and the plans to build new roads and maintain the existing ones, Oconee County commissioners should consider an increase in the county’s property tax rate.
That was the message of Wes Geddings, county finance director, in the opening session of a day-long planning meeting held by the Oconee Board of Commissioners at a conference venue in Athens-Clarke County on Wednesday.
-
You Can Buy Liquor in Oconee County Restaurants Now
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
As a result of action taken Tuesday night by the Oconee County Board of Commissioners, the county now has a new liquor ordinance that allows for the sale of beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks in county restaurants.
-
Athens Rep. Regina Quick Questions Need for Transportation Funding
Blog: In the Loop
It is unlikely that Rep. Regina Quick (R-Athens) won any friends at the Georgia Department of Transportation last week with the comments she made at the special session with local governmental leaders organized by the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce.
-
Commission Chairman Melvin Davis Suggests Allowing Bars in Oconee County
Blog: In the Loop
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday agreed to consider over the next three weeks changes in the draft ordinance presented to it that will allow for the sale of liquor by the drink in county restaurants.
Commission Chairman Melvin Davis recommended that the board review the requirement in the draft ordinance that no more than 25 percent of the gross income at the restaurant be from the sale of alcoholic beverages.
-
Oconee Hosts Meetings on Mars Hill Widening and New Courthouse
Blog: In the Loop
Oconee County will hold three meetings between now and Dec. 11 that will provide an overview of the Mars Hill Road widening, a discussion of space needs for the county in coming years, and the expectations of the county’s representatives to the General Assembly as that body gets ready to meet in January.
-
A Faulty Road for Caterpillar Cost Taxpayers $220,000
Blog: In the Loop
Oconee County is paying nearly $110,000 as the county’s share of the cost of repairing Orkin Drive, the main entranceway to the Caterpillar plant on the east side of Bogart.
The roadway failed shortly after the two counties accepted responsibility for it in August and September of 2013, and it was partially closed and rebuilt at the end of last year. Total cost of repair was just less than $220,000, with Athens-Clarke County and Oconee County splitting the expenses.
-
Oconee Voters Approve Liquor by the Drink
Blog: In the Loop
Oconee County voters approved by large margins the sale of liquor by the drink in restaurants throughout the county and its cities and continuation of the 1 percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for another six years.
Unofficial results show 65.4 percent of those who cast ballots approving of liquor by the drink, and 65.1 percent approving of SPLOST.
-
Oconee Liquor Supporters Won't Admit They Support Liquor
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
Oconee County voters who want to improve the quality of life in the county, enhance the county’s infrastructure and spur economic development should vote Yes on Referendum 2 on Nov. 4, according to advertisements in today’s edition of both of the county’s weekly newspapers.
-
.jpg/100/100/1/11360)
Pharmaceutical Company Coming to Bogart
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
A Massachusetts biopharmaceutical company with roots at the University of Georgia has signed a lease for two buildings being completed at Gateway Technology and Business Park in Bogart.
-
Athens Tax Revenue Increased in Spite of Losing Stores
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax revenues increased 10.1 percent in Oconee County following the opening of a cluster of stores, including Marshalls, PetSmart and Gap, in Epps Bridge Centre in the third quarter of 2013.
But Clarke County also increased its revenue from its SPLOST tax during that same period even while it was losing stores to Epps Bridge Centre.
-
Oconee County May Be Overestimating Tax Revenue
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
When Oconee County voters go to the polls for the Nov. 4 election, they will be asked to vote "yes" or "no" on a 1 percent sales tax that, according to the ballot language, is expected raise $55.6 million over the six-year life of the tax.
Voters also will be presented with list of projects to be funded, including water and sewer infrastructure, roads, farmland protection, libraries and parks and recreational facilities.
An analysis of collections from the current 1 percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax shows that the county will have to experience strong growth rates to realize that $55.6 million goal.
-
Senior Assisted Living Center Gets OK
Blog: In the Loop
The Oconee County Code Enforcement Office issued a building permit on Thursday for construction of the 70-unit Thrive senior living facility on Virgil Langford Road in Resurgence Park.
-
Beer and Wine Laws Loosely Enforced
Blog: In the Loop
From Oct. 7, 2008, when the Oconee County Board of Commissioners approved the first beer and wine licenses for restaurants in the county, until Jan. 1 of this year, compliance with two key provisions of the beer and wine ordinance was entirely on the honor system.
The county simply assumed that the percentage of sales from beer and wine by each license holder was not more than 25 percent of total sales in the individual restaurant and that each sale of an alcoholic beverage in the restaurant also included “a reasonable order of a meal or appetizer.”
Starting with renewal applications for this year, license holders were required to fill out a form listing their gross income from total sales, the gross income from the sale of beer and wine, and the resulting percentage of income from beer and wine sales.
-
Controversial Loop Flyover Up for Discussion
Blog: In the Loop
This is one option for the Daniells Bridge Road flyover.
Oconee County residents with opinions on the proposed Jimmy Daniell Road and Daniells Bridge Road projects, as well as on other transportation projects in the county, will have two back-to-back opportunities to express those views in meetings scheduled for Sept. 9 at the Community Center in Veterans Park.
-
Mars Hill Widening Will Be 'Fun' and 'Painful'
Blog: In the Loop
Oconee County Public Works Director Emil Beshara last week described the upcoming reconstruction and widening of Mars Hill road as “fun,” “challenging” and “painful” in his latest update of the project to the Citizen Advisory Committee on Land Use and Transportation Planning.
Beshara said he expects construction crews to be on the site next month or the month after and to continue working on the project for three years.
-
Another Retirement Home Is Coming to Oconee
Blog: In the Loop
The proposed home of The Fairways.
Eco Development Group of Athens is asking the Oconee County Planning Commission to recommend rezoning a mothballed residential subdivision off Virgil Langford Road so it can build what it calls a “seniors continuum of care retirement community.”
-
Student Housing Developer Turns His Attention to Shopping Center
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
With the student housing complex Athens Ridge on Old Macon Highway now fully leased, Kelly Mahoney said he is turning his attention to the future commercial complex across the street.
The goal is to make that complex, named The Falls of Oconee, a “more boutique version of Butler’s Crossing,” Mahoney said last week.
Page 8 of 11, showing 20 records out of 210 total, starting on record 141, ending on 160
latest stories
-
In the Loop | February 10, 2015 2:03pm
Caterpillar Has Created 932 Jobs
-
In the Loop | February 3, 2015 11:23am
Is the Daniells Bridge Road Project About Safety or Development?
-
In the Loop | January 27, 2015 10:49am
Bed Bath & Beyond, Party City Are the Latest Stores to Leave Atlanta Highway
-
In the Loop | January 26, 2015 4:01pm
Officials Urge Oconee County to Raise Taxes for Caterpillar, Road Improvements
-
In the Loop | January 8, 2015 11:21am
You Can Buy Liquor in Oconee County Restaurants Now
-
In the Loop | December 19, 2014 4:18pm
Athens Rep. Regina Quick Questions Need for Transportation Funding
-
In the Loop | December 18, 2014 11:35am
Commission Chairman Melvin Davis Suggests Allowing Bars in Oconee County
-
In the Loop | December 1, 2014 4:52pm
Oconee Hosts Meetings on Mars Hill Widening and New Courthouse
-
In the Loop | November 14, 2014 1:30pm
A Faulty Road for Caterpillar Cost Taxpayers $220,000
-
In the Loop | November 5, 2014 3:09pm
Oconee Voters Approve Liquor by the Drink
-
In the Loop | October 31, 2014 10:56am
Oconee Liquor Supporters Won't Admit They Support Liquor
-
In the Loop | September 30, 2014 12:21pm
Pharmaceutical Company Coming to Bogart
-
In the Loop | September 29, 2014 3:24pm
Athens Tax Revenue Increased in Spite of Losing Stores
-
In the Loop | September 25, 2014 1:44pm
Oconee County May Be Overestimating Tax Revenue
-
In the Loop | September 18, 2014 1:20pm
Senior Assisted Living Center Gets OK
-
In the Loop | September 12, 2014 3:35pm
Beer and Wine Laws Loosely Enforced
-
In the Loop | September 3, 2014 3:29pm
Controversial Loop Flyover Up for Discussion
-
In the Loop | August 24, 2014 2:29pm
Mars Hill Widening Will Be 'Fun' and 'Painful'
-
In the Loop | August 19, 2014 1:08pm
Another Retirement Home Is Coming to Oconee
-
In the Loop | August 11, 2014 10:43am
Student Housing Developer Turns His Attention to Shopping Center