City Council approves Harrison Park Committee

City Council, Harrison Park
Harrison park

GILMER COUNTY, Ga. — At their latest meeting, the Ellijay City Council heard updates on the four-way stop at the intersection of North Avenue, North Main Street, and College Street. The council also approved the creation of a Harrison Park committee, and discussed contractor compensation for the Harrison Park restroom project. 11 special event permits for an event at White Path Creek Farms were approved during the meeting as well.

During the staff reports portion of the meeting, the council heard that a new four-way stop near City Hall had been working to reduce speeds in the area. It was also noted that Ellijay Police have been reminding drivers of the new traffic pattern and have not yet begun enforcement with citations. In a Facebook post from June 6, The Ellijay Police Department noted it would be 30 days before they begin issuing non-crash citations. The same post also said that a “raised crosswalk/speed table at N. Main and Hipp Street” is another traffic calming measure that will be implemented soon.

The council approved the formation of a Harrison Park Committee, but did not move to appoint any members during the June 20 meeting. The council also discussed potential compensation for Denny Stover. Councilmember Al Fuller introduced the discussion at the meeting, noting that Stover had “helped facilitate the building of the restrooms at Harrison Park” by acting as a contractor. Fuller said Stover had already been payed $2,500, but asked the council to consider options for further payment. “Without Denny, we could not have even started this project, ” he said, emphasizing the savings afforded to the city by his help. Discussing proper procedures, Councilmember Kathryn Lancey responded: “If we don’t have anything in place, prior to the services that he’s providing us, then I don’t see how we could possibly come up with any kind of figure that would be fair.” While the council took no action, Councilmember Sandy Ott added they “definitely want to recognize him and all the hard work he’s done.”

Ellijay sees new four-way stop as Police Chief explains on Social Media

News

ELLIJAY, Ga. – This weekend saw posts from the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office and others sharing information about the implementation of downtown Ellijay’s newest traffic calming device being a four-way stop at the intersection of North Main Street, College Street, and North Avenue, right next to Ellijay Elementary School.

In addition to these posts about the four-way stop, Ellijay Police Chief Edward Lacey took to social media on the department’s page to explain a few items about the stop.

stop

Road work is continuing as the city puts the finishing touches on the new four-way stop on North Main Street next to City Hall and the Ellijay Elementary School.

Not the first attempt at traffic calming in the area, Lacey said that the city’s attempts to increase safety in the downtown area have come from major pushes by residents and business owners in the area. The city has long looked for ways to help with pedestrians and traffic flow in the area and has gone through several improvements that are not all visible all the time. Talks turned in years past to additional crosswalks and other methods that weren’t implemented.

The city erected signs in the middle of River Street at one point instructing drivers to stop for people in crosswalks. The city more recently has erected speed limit signs with built in radar highlighting drivers’ speeds as they enter the downtown area. Now, the addition of the four-way stop marks the next step, but certainly not the last. Lacey confirmed for those who don’t know that a raised crosswalks/speed-tables will also soon be implemented on North Main Street soon.

Another change in the area that isn’t always visible is the continued safety meetings and joint efforts from law enforcement from different jurisdictions during major events like Light Up Ellijay. In past years, law enforcement used roads like North Main and College Street to create an outer circle to help flow traffic around Ellijay’s downtown area after the event’s completion in order to help ease congestion on the roundabout and to quickly empty the core area.

The four-way, up now, comes just before a major event for Ellijay in the form of Independence Day. The first major event of the year since the schools across the state have hit graduation, this will see an uptick in traffic. However, as the city gets used to the new stop, Lacey did offer drivers a reprieve saying that the city police won’t be writing citations for non-crash violations at the new intersection

stop

Posted by the Gilmer Sheriff’s Office, this top-down view of the area highlights the intersection where the city’s new four-way stop sits.

for 30-days. However, this does not mean that police won’t initiate traffic stops for violators as the offer warnings in this time period. Lacey stated that he wants to avoid increasing citations with the new stop saying, “We had rather look for ways to bring about voluntary desirable behavior rather than be placed in the position of using negative reinforcement.”

This means that the July 4th weekend could likely see the end of the grace period and the beginning of citation enforcement.

Speaking on the continuing changes to traffic and the downtown area, Lacey commented on both the positive and negative responses the city is already seeing. He noted, “The hard reality is that there have been both an increased number of pedestrians and an increased number of vehicles upon our roadways. Regardless if the reader “likes” or “dislikes” the increase in numbers, the fact remains; we have more people and more vehicles upon our roadways than in any time in the history of our city.”

While the four-way stop is designed to slow traffic and give drivers time to look around, Lacey said that there are still other factors involved. Both drivers and pedestrians are traveling while distracted by their cell phones. He said, “Combined, speeding and distracted driving/walking creates extremely dangerous conditions. When we increase the number of pedestrians and the number of drivers with the previous scenario, we have a recipe for disaster.”

No traffic device will solve these issues, and Lacey acknowledged that these efforts mean additional changes and response from the city that will definitely not be popular with everyone. The Ellijay Police Department has already responded to the growing number of comments with additional information as they increase warning signs and temporary flags on some signs as well as working to add additional rumble strips on approach.

The city has also looked into the the return of school later this year. Part of the current redesign also moved to McCutchen Street where a lane redesign is the first step in efforts to aid in school traffic alongside the stop signs.

Speed Cameras coming to local School Zones

News

EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – “It is an enforcement issue,” said Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson as he spoke about school traffic zones and the reduced speed during school hours.

Sheriff Nicholson offered a report to the Gilmer Board of Education during their July meeting concerning a problem with speeding in school zones and what the office is preparing to implement in response to it.

shooter, speed

Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson

School zones require a reduction in speed from drivers twice a day to help with the beginning of the day when students are coming in to school and the end of day when school lets out. According to Nicholson, these roughly one hour windows in the morning and afternoon are the times that the speed limits drop and complaints begin. He noted that the office expects people to become informed about the cameras and for the issue to mostly resolve before they even implement the devices.

To help with enforcement, the Sheriff has contracted with a company to put up speed cameras to capture speeders in the zone and issue tickets electronically. Not a new concept, many cities utilize camera on traffic lights in a similar fashion to issue fines against those running red lights.

Nicholson said that while it doesn’t directly affect the school system’s operation, he wanted to take the time to inform them and also to spread the word about the coming change. Nicholson asserted several times that he wants to focus on informing the public and letting them know in advance about the cameras and not to blindside them or catch them off guard.

Nicholson said that he constantly receives complaints about speeds during the school year. There are three locations that will utilize the cameras including; Mountainview Elementary School on Highway 282, Clear Creek Middle School on Clear Creek Road, and Clear Creek Elementary School on Yukon Road.

Utilizing both traffic cameras and radar, the devices will operate more as a deterrent than a ticket device as Nicholson said his hopes were to aid in the enforcement issues.

The scenario will play out as someone speeds through the area, the captured infractions are sent to a local appointed officer, which Nicholson said will likely be a SRO (School Resource Officer). That officer reviews the infractions and makes sure there are no mistakes, then the company will send out tickets to those the officer approves.

One important note, Nicholson said that these are civil fines, not traffic tickets. One of the major differences Nicholson noted, is that not paying the civil fine will not automatically send a person to jail, but “it will go to court.”

The Sheriff’s Office does have more details to work out. As Nicholson said, he wants to give ample time to the public to find out and know about the radar cameras before implementation. That said, these devices could be seen in use as early as September or October in Gilmer County.

Secured to poles, these devices will be set inside the zones that the county has marked and signed as a reduction in speed.

Board Chairman Ronald Watkins mentioned adding other devices to the areas such as flashing lights as seen in some other counties where they have flashing yellow lights posted on school zone signs during the hours of reduced speed. Nicholson said that the County has the responsibility on changing signage and using that type of signage. However, Nicholson did say that he has looked into another suggestion from Watkins with the trailers with a strobe highlighting a driver’s current speed.

All of this comes in support of Nicholson’s push to, as he said, warn and inform Gilmer’s citizens over and over again about the devices before they even get implemented.

Gas leak halts traffic and interrupts Emergency Room

News

ELLIJAY, Ga. – This weekend, an incident sent ripples across the immediate area near River Park and the Piedmont Ellijay Emergency Room as a gas leak had authorities responding and diverting drivers.

Services remained in the area on into Saturday, but the initial leak was reported on Friday, June 25. The Sheriff’s Office stated that South Main Street shutdown and drivers were  being sent to Highway 282 or along Progress Road to avoid the area.

One associate at the Emergency Room said that they had redirected ambulances as well, avoiding the Emergency Room due to the road issue and traffic.

According to reports, Ellijay Police were diverting the traffic. Despite some ambulances being rerouted, the emergency room stayed open with locals using back roads and still able to reach the facility.

FYN is reaching out to find out more information about the leak and repair and will provide more information when available.

Accident is stalling afternoon traffic, may include buses

News
accident, Delgado

ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer is seeing a slight delay in afternoon traffic today as an accident occurred when a car went into the ditch on Old Highway 5 near Progress Road.

The accident is currently halting traffic as authorities are arriving on scene. One citizen is reporting that she saw school buses stopped in the traffic as well. Traffic is currently stopped coming out of town while the lane going towards town is still moving.

It is likely that with authorities on scene traffic could stagger back and forth as they have done with accidents before, but this could still cause delays in bus drop offs for students on those buses stuck in the traffic. Additionally, there is no report yet on the clean-up from public safety. Citizens should find an alternate route to avoid the delay as the response continues.

Witnesses say there saw a woman still in the front driver’s seat of the vehicle with the air bag deployed, but said authorities on scene seemed to be awaiting paramedics to respond.

Suspect from Ellijay arrested in Hit and Run

News
Sheriff's, Arrested, arrest

WOODSTOCK, Ga. – Reports from the Woodstock Police Department have confirmed the arrest of an Ellijay man for alleged involvement in a hit and run in Cherokee County.

According to their public release yesterday, February 3, the “Woodstock Police, in partnership with the Cherokee County Multi-Agency Crash Investigation Unit, arrested Tracy Lee Wilson, 47, of Ellijay following an investigation into a pedestrian fatality accident this morning. Wilson is charged with Felony Hit and Run with additional charges possibly pending.”

Those additional possible charges could come as Police also reported that the Hit and Run Victim was pronounced dead later that day.

They stated the accident occurred at approximately 6:50 on the morning of February 3, officers were dispatched to a call of a person struck by a vehicle on Highway 92 at Sharon Way. “The pedestrian, identified as 18-year-old Sarahfina Okole, was transported to a local hospital where she was later pronounced deceased.”

Other reports indicate that Investigators followed up on leads, and Wilson was located through the investigation at a Woodstock business where he was taken into custody.

Wilson was taken into custody and held at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center with an $8,450.00 bond. It is FYN’s understanding that Wilson has since been released on that bond, but has not confirmed this at this time.

The investigation is ongoing at this time.

First Avenue bridge closed for repairs

News
Bridge Closed

EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – The N. A. West bridge next to Hardee’s at the end of First Avenue is closed this morning, February 13, 2020.

Crews are working on the power poles on the bridge. Similar work is going on across the county this morning as Gilmer continues repairs and clean up from its recent storms.

While no official statement is available as to how long the repairs will last, the process is likely to last through most of the morning. The Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office stated, “Hwy. 52 East is closed in the area of 1st Avenue down to the Hwy. 52 ramp area due to the traffic light and a utility pole both being down. Avoid the area and find an alternate route.”

 

Power outages causing traffic trouble

News

ELLIJAY, Ga. – The Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office has made a public release addressing the issue near the downtown area involving traffic lights and deputies presence.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, “Two transformers have blown in the city limits causing power outages including traffic lights.”

As authorities continue addressing the issue and attempt to minimize additional incidents as they ask citizens to, “Please try to use alternate routes until power has been restored.”

They are not allowing any traffic on South Main, in the area of Letch Drive, completely shutting down the road in both directions.

Additionally, there are deputies at the traffic light by Dairy Queen on Highway 282 directing traffic for both Highway 282 and Old Highway 5.

Wreck on 515 closes intersection

News

EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – Citizens are being encouraged to avoid the intersection of Highway 515 and First Avenue right now as authorities are responding to a major accident.

Police, Fire, and Rescue personnel are on scene as usual with accidents like this but no reports are available yet as to the injured.

Additionally, the accident has spread debris across most of the northbound lane of the intersection. Traffic is at a standstill right now as the accident happened within the last 30 minutes. Authorities are tending to those involve while attempting to clear a path and redirect traffic.

If at all possible, avoid this intersection at this time until authorities can address the accident.

Bobcat Trail repair hits gas line

News
A 2-inch natural gas line was hit, causing a leak, during repairs on Bobcat Trail in March.

A 2-inch natural gas line was hit, causing a leak, during repairs on Bobcat Trail in March.

ELLIJAY, Ga. – Repairs on Bobcat Trail came to a halt Monday evening, March 4, as the contractor on the project struck a gas line hidden under the pavement.

It appears that a backhoe struck the line when digging under the roadway and began leaking the gas as a section was torn out. According to an on-site Supervisor for DRS Contracting, an emergency locate had been called in. He further stated that an unnamed subcontractor for Atlanta Gas Light gave the “all-clear” for DRS to go ahead with the project.

He asserted that Atlanta Gas Light’s report didn’t show any line in the area.

The line that was struck was four feet below the damaged roadway that was shut down by Gilmer County Charter School System last week. Work had just begun on repairing the damage today before hitting the line.

While digging out under a section of road on Bobcat Trail, DSR Contracting struck the gas line.

While digging out under a section of road on Bobcat Trail, DSR Contracting struck the gas line.

Emergency Servcies were immediately contacted as well as Atlanta Gas Light. The Ellijay Fire Department responded to the scene to monitor threats during repairs.

According to Gilmer County Charter School System Superintendent Dr. Shanna Downs, Atlanta Gas Light has arrived on scene tonight and estimates that the line repair should be completed “fairly quickly.”

Downs further stated that the lines must be cleared and all pilot lights re-lit in the kitchens of both Gilmer Middle School and Gilmer High School. She said, “At this point we are thinking that everything will be fixed and ready for school in the morning.”

Stay with FYN for updates on Bobcat Trail and the continuing repairs near Gilmer High School.

Updates to Bobcat Trail and GHS

Bobcat's Corner, News

ELLIJAY, Ga. – Repairs are beginning today, March 4, on Bobcat trail at Gilmer High School.

As citizens have already been using the Legion road entrance to the high school, they will continue with one major difference. According to authorities in the Gilmer County Charter School System, “these repairs require that both lanes of Bobcat Trail coming north from the Civic Center be closed. GCSS buses will access the High School via the back of Gilmer Middle School, past the stadium and up the hill with student and parent drivers.”

The school system has made additional changes to parent and student traffic for arrival and dismissal this week as follows:

Arrival: All car riders will continue to be dropped off in the student parking lot. Please pull forward to the far set of stairs before circling through the parking lot to exit. When exiting Bobcat Trail towards Legion Road, all cars will be required to turn right at the stadium parking entrance. No cars will be permitted to go straight and exit behind Gilmer Middle School.

Dismissal: For this week, ALL student drivers will be dismissed at 2:30, Car Riders will be dismissed at 2:45, and Bus Riders will be dismissed at the regular 3:20 dismissal time. Again, as cars exit Bobcat Trail, via Legion Road, all cars will be required to turn right at the stadium parking entrance, and no cars will be permitted to go straight and exit behind Gilmer Middle School.

While current information points to the repairs being finished by week’s end, it is likely that parents and students will be able to access Bobcat Trail next week. However, no specific statements from the school have fully confirmed this yet.

High School closes Bobcat Trail

News

ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer County High School is shutting down one of its two entrances to the high school. Bobcat Trail, the entrance across from the Gilmer Civic Center, has seen road damage recently.

Due to the road damage on Bobcat Trail, the school needs to divert all traffic coming to the High School to ensure student safety. Beginning today, February 27, “only school buses will be allowed to enter Bobcat Trail from Old 5 (Main Street at the Civic Center). All car traffic will need to enter Bobcat Trail from Legion Road.”

Parents/Guardians dropping off students will need to have students exit their cars at the base of the main stairs in the lower student parking. Drivers will then need to circle through the student parking lot in order to exit back onto Legion Road. No cars will be allowed beyond the Noah Harris Center between 7am-8:15am and 2:30pm-3:45pm.

FYN currently understands that there is expected to be officers at Legion Road, just as they would be at Bobcat Trail, directing traffic onto Old Highway 5.

No changes are needed in how student drivers enter and exit the school grounds. Student drivers will need to be extra cautious when driving and parking in the student parking lots due to the extra vehicles that will be coming through.

These changes are to set to be in place for a few days at least, according to the Board of Education.

Venue size concerns revisit BOC

News

ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer is once again in issue with rezonings when considering items this month.

Considerations of wineries, tasting rooms, wedding venues, and lot sizes came to discussion in February’s Commissioner meeting.

The major contentions came when considering a conditional use permit for a “large” wedding venue. The item for A-1 Agricultural with Conditional use for 582 Cinnamon Lane created debate between Public Works Director Jim Smith, Planning and Zoning Director Karen Smith, and County Attorney David Clark as the board sought guidance and information about the issue.

The venue actually came as two items, the board unanimously approve the winery and tasting room in one vote, then discussed the conditional use for the large wedding venue at the same location.

Jim Smith warned the board to consider the county roads when allowing the possibility of more vehicles and traffic of a large venue.

Ultimately, it was Attorney David Clark who noted that the current item was a wedding and events venue as opposed to Large Recreational Venues which expected larger crowds.

Gilmer County Commission Chairman Charlie Paris noted concerns and calls he had gotten on the issue. He later said in the meeting that he wouldn’t support the larger numbers of over 200 people at the event. However, he indicated he didn’t want to restrict them to less than 100 either.

Smith later raised concerns about the public accessing the venue through Cinnamon Lane, preferring they instead use Old Flat Branch road.

Final approval for the wedding and events venue came with conditions including no more than 200 people, ingress and egress be through Old Flat Branch road, and that expenditures related to it, such a deceleration lanes, be the responsibility of the facility owners at the location.

All three board members voted to approve the conditional use permit.

Truck Accident stalls traffic at Maddox Drive

News

ELLIJAY, Ga. – A logging truck has overturned at the intersection of Maddox Drive and Highway 515.

According to authorities on scene, no major injuries were sustained. However, traffic is suffering from the accident that occurred at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon, February 7. Chief Callahan told us the driver had turned to go southbound from Maddox when his load shifted which caused him to turn over.

Law enforcement has asked citizens to find another route and expect delays as they attempt to respond to and clean up the accident. They are unsure how long the delays could last at this time.

Variance packs council meeting with contention

News

ELLIJAY, Ga. – Disputes arose in Ellijay this week during a meeting of the Ellijay City Council over a variance request at 50 Depot Street. Could this variance bring trains to Ellijay?

The council discussed the request from Michael Duke, owner of the business at 50 Depot Street. However, Duke does not own the land on which his building sits. This detail was the core of the debate as Duke leases the land from the well-known CSX Railroad company. In order to purchase the land, Duke needed the variance request approved.

Many arose in opposition of the request as nearly 45 to 50 people attended the meeting with the vast majority there for the variance request. Fifty Depot Street is behind Southern Customs on River Street and in front of the Cajun Depot Grill, also on Depot Street.

The item for discussion focused on the land size being on 0.28 acres. With streets on all sides, the landlocked business would not be able to be approved with the minimum being 0.5 acres required. However, discussion rose to include the future of the project at that location as Duke plans on renovating the building to become the “Ellijay Express Railroad.”

With hopes to see railroad tourism similar to that of Blue Ridge, Duke is looking to possibly move in that direction in the future. This became the main focus of discussion by those in attendance.

One of those in opposition was Dennis Haynes, who said he owned the Cajun Depot Grill. In full opposition, Haynes claimed approving the request and allowing the changes would take parking from him, which he has used for numerous years. A deal, Duke stated, was in place before he took ownership of the building. Haynes went on to say that losing the property would put his restaurant in “definite jeopardy.”

Stating the loss of parking would be detrimental to his business to the point of shutting down, Haynes asked the council to deny the request.

He was not the only opposition. However, two others spoke saying they loved the idea and wanted to support the project in a different location. Mike Kirkpatrick and Pamela Thomas Jones both called the project an amazing idea, but for somewhere else. Kirkpatrick told the council he owned lots on Depot Street and wanted them to deny the request due to it being “ill-conceived” in planning for parking and traffic concerns.

Kirkpatrick went on to say that though he wants success for the city and for this project, the council should consider the problems and undue stress they would be putting on local business owners from the congestion such a business would cause.

Pamela Thomas Jones spoke on behalf of her father, Bob Thomas, who owns the property where Southern Customs sits. Jones also echoed the sentiments of the project being a great idea. However, she fervently requested the council not to approve the variance in the meeting. While she did not outright ask for denial, Jones instead plead for the council to look further and deeper at the issue by performing studies and investigations into the effect the business would have on the area.

Based on the need for requirements to approve a variance request, Jones quoted the city’s own ordinance in the meeting while saying that the city needed to understand there are already parking issues in the area as discussed in their meeting from the other speakers.

Duke spoke again saying that they are already looking to improve safety to the lot, he also mentioned he did not want to “block any parking” from the other businesses in the area. He mentioned there were already signs asking people not to park in the depot lot until after a certain time, and he wanted to continue alongside those in Ellijay to increase safety and promoting “what’s right for Ellijay.”

Ellijay Mayor Al Hoyle put the discussion to the agenda item saying that the issue at hand was a variance of minimum lot size. Despite the conversation of the project and the future of the business, Hoyle stated that they were there to discuss minimum lot size.

Throughout the discussion, it became clear Duke owns the building and leases the property. The topic at hand allowed him to purchase the property from CSX Railroad, but it appears that much of the business decisions would not necessarily be stopped by denying the request.

Regardless, the council officially, and unanimously, approved the request. Despite some concerns from the council as to what could have been done earlier in the process for mediation they did allow the variance with the lot being locked in position and unable to increase lot size through additional tracts. So, with the approval, the owner of the building can also become the owner of the property under the building.

Some in opposition to the request walked out of the meeting as soon as the vote finalized. After this, Ellijay can look to the area for changes in the near future. Duke told the council during the meeting that the Blue Ridge line is already set to send some of their engines to Tate, via Ellijay, for repairs and maintenance. However, if Duke follows through with the plans mentioned in the meeting, citizens of Ellijay may see more trains on our tracks sooner than we think.

McCutchen rezoning raises traffic questions

News

ELLIJAY, Ga. – The Ellijay City Council held their February meeting with few items on the agenda, but a zoning request still raised plenty of discussion with a subdivision coming to McCutchen Street.

The zoning request is actually a reduction in density as it was approved to change from an R-3 to an R-1. The two men present at the meeting, Steve Wadley and Paul King, represented the zone change requester 548 MCC, LLC. and the community called The Ridge.

Minor opposition came during the meeting as citizens living on McCutchen Street questioned what would be done about an increase in traffic on the street. Their answer came as Wadley revealed part of their plan in construction was to widen Barclay Street to become a two-lane road. Barclay will be the main entrance to the community and is expected to have most of its traffic using a short spot of McCutchen to connect to Old Highway 5 and North Main Street.

The request for changing 548 McCutchen Street was approved unanimously during the meeting.

Also during the meeting, the council approved a Brew Pub License for River Street Tavern Inc. and its licensee Heather Simmons. The Brew Pub License will allow the Tavern to brew beer on premises for sale in the restaurant. With no comments or questions, the license was approved during the meeting unanimously.

One final note for the city’s business was approval to dispose of one 2006 Ford Crown Victoria at public auction. The vehicle is an older police vehicle that has been replaced.

Back to Top