Georgia County Government - January 2009 - (Page 24)

BULLOCH COUNTY continued from page 23 four-lane perimeter road with a divided median encircling most of Statesboro, opened in 1994. The Parkway extends south from Highway 80 West then circles north to Highway 301 North. This parkway is becoming Bulloch County’s major corridor providing not only a means to divert large truck traffic from downtown Statesboro, but allows quick access to Georgia Southern, the local airport and the city’s commercial and industrial areas. There is about a 5 mile segment of the Parkway north of Statesboro that is being programmed for future construction. While the county has among the most paved roads of any in the state, the county also has the most dirt road mileage of any other county in Georgia, which has meant huge investments in road maintenance and construction equipment. An aggressive transportation improvement program called “Fast Forward Bulloch” in the past five years has resulted in more than 125 miles of local road improvements, numerous bridge and intersection improvements and an 8-mile multi-use trail connecting the GSU campus, and the cities of Statesboro and Brooklet. The use of county labor forces boost cost savings for local road projects. However, the current transportation funding dilemma is forcing the county to use more innovative strategies. As a part of a master greenway plan, a major transportation project will be the initial $2 million, 3.1 mile phase, of the S & S Greenway, an 8-mile multiuse vehicle-pedestrian corridor between Statesboro and the town of Brooklet, Couch asserts. “This project will link to Statesboro’s multi-use pedestrian trail, and eventually a multi-use trail being developed by Georgia Southern.” Construction is expected to begin in 2009. As a result of an annexation agreement with Statesboro, where the city expects future annexation of a planned area that surrounds Phase I of the greenway of up to 2,200 new residences at build-out, the county and city are working to develop a corridor protection ordinance to protect the integrity of the project. The annexation agreement also includes a land use plan, and Georgia DOT has already installed a critical part of the project infrastructure – an underground tunnel under the recently completed eastern leg of Veterans Memorial Parkway, Couch says. The availability of airports is integral to transportation progress in rural Georgia, including Bulloch County. Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport just north of Statesboro has emerged as an important transportation and economic development facility, handling more than 22,000 aviation operations annually. “It is progressively becoming one of Georgia’s best Level III general aviation public airports,” Couch asserts. In the last decade, multi-million dollar investments have made its operations self funding. Airport Manager Jeff Herrington the airport has a “healthy fund balance for capital and operations, leveraged with SPLOST, enabling the county to accomplish a great deal with this facility.” Recreation Offerings and Plans Recreation and leisure opportunities are abundant in Bulloch County. The Statesboro-Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Department is one of the oldest and most prestigious recreation Ellis Wood Contracting, Inc. P.O. BOX 2041 - 9326 HIGHWAY 301 SOUTH STATESBORO, GEORGIA 30459-2041 Asphalt Paving – Parking Lots and Driveways ELLIS WOOD EMAIL: elliswoodcont@yahoo.com OFFICE: 681-6730 FAX: 681-3199 Petroleum Equipment Sales & Service 407228_EllisWood.indd 1 Congratulations to Jan Tankersley 11/25/08 8:27:15 AM Precision Tank & Line Testing Charles Nobles President L & T, Inc. Phone: 912-526-0626 Fax: 912-526-0627 ntian, to Bulloch Cou Jan Tankersley ident CG’s New Pres AC ee PC Brown Rountr 11/25/08 8:28:53 AM 406999_Brown.indd 1 11/13/08 8:16:00 AM 24 GEORGIA 408455_LandT.indd 1 COUNTY GOVERNMENT http://www.elliswoodcontracting.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - January 2009

Georgia County Government - January 2009 Contents President’s Message County Matters Forward-Thinking Bulloch County Leaders Put Progress on the Front Burner Robert Farris: Champion for Georgia’s Forests ACCG, BCBS of Georgia Work Together to Improve County Employee Health Georgia’s Grand Old Courthouses: McIntosh County Extension News: Cooperative Extension Generates ROI Research Corner: How Does Your County Rate? County Parade Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - January 2009

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