Questions answered by Lamar Paris, County Commissioner
Q. We see a lot of Fannin County government dump trucks coming through Union County. Who hauls for Union County government?
A. Fannin County Government Road Dept. has a fleet of dump trucks as well as paving equipment. They haul their own gravel and asphalt from Blairsville to Blue Ridge.
In Union County, because we have so many truck drivers that make a living from hauling and companies that make a living from paving roads, I have taken the stance that it is better to pay for this work on a contract basis as opposed to doing it all ourselves. This helps keep several families in our county working. We utilize primarily three paving companies and eleven trucking companies all from our county. We paid out over $290,000 in hauling fees in 2009 and $515,000 in paving.
We feel that not only do we get good service from our local contractors; the county does not have to spend extra money on equipment and employees that we only need part of the year.
Q. Has the county stopped all capital building projects because of the tight economy and budgets?
A. Union County is blessed that we have the SPLOST sales tax and while the proceeds are down nearly a third from their high point, we still have money for several of our projects. We feel that it is important to provide our own stimulus by trying to keep as many people working as possible during these bad times.
Q. What are some of the capital projects the county is currently working on with the SPLOST funds?
A. We continue to do road work and have just completed hauling over 6000 tons (300+ truck loads) of mud hole gravel. This used to be funded by the State of Georgia GDOT, but because of the State revenue shortfall, we have had to pick up the expense this year. I started applying mud hole gravel eight years ago, each year, to shore up all our county gravel roads so they will be ready for the winter weather.
- We have also hauled over 1300 loads of dirt to the new Farmer’s Market site. We will soon begin construction on the two sheds and pavilion. With some grant funding we are hoping to receive , we may be able to build a new canning plant. At a minimum, we plan on having the new Farmer’s Market sheds ready for the upcoming crop season.
- We will also soon be widening parts of Old Smokey Rd. and straightening out a curve near the Farmer’s Market site and will hopefully pave this road in the next year or two. We also hope to be able to build a roof over the horse arena this spring. Once we have some r/w issues straightened out with TVA easements, we hope to begin work there soon.
- We are still going through the red tape required with USDA in applying for loan funds for the new multi-function community building at the Golf Course. We anticipate this will be delayed for six months at least without some miracle to help with Federal Government requirements.
- The Suches Community Center is almost complete. We took down the “old gym” at Woody Gap School, rebuilt it across the highway, and have added two community meeting rooms/small library and gym/recreation area that should be a tremendous asset to that community.
- The new bridge and trail at Meeks Park is being held up by the weather, but should be ready by spring. We have now completed remodeling at the Civic Center and the adjacent parking lot and it is being used now. It will be a great asset to the community. The auditorium has new flooring, walls, ceiling, A/C and audio amplification system. The new parking lot is completed and being utilized at the “Rubber Floor” (Old Middle School) Gym and Recreation Dept offices. You will be surprised at the changes when you attend the basketball games there.
- The new library addition will begin probably in late spring when it will be put out to bid. It is being partially funded by SPLOST ($900,000) and partially with a grant from Governor Perdue and the Legislature for $ 1.6 million. In the spring we will begin some new paving projects and hopefully, despite the dismal economy, Union County citizens will see a lot of progress going on in our community in 2010.
We are really optimistic that we will be able to provide several jobs through all of these projects over the next year.
Q. Will all SPLOST projects be built with local labor?
A. As much as possible they will; however, state law requires jobs over $100,000 be bid out through a very strict process. Generally, larger projects also require bonding, which on multi-million dollar projects, eliminates many small companies from being able to compete. However, this is all dictated by State law and the county is bound by these requirements. Even with these requirements, the county can still weigh heavily on the number of local jobs that will be made available through a general contractor when making our final decision as to who we will select for a job.