Georgia County Government - February 2008 - (Page 22)

NORTHEAST GEORGIA continued from page 21 Soccer is popular at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, a private preparatory school in Dillard. pivotal to facilitating quality growth. Numerous Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) road improvements are now in the construction phase. The U.S. 441 project is major transportation news in the region. The route begins in Lakeland, Fla., and continues through Milledgeville, Athens and into Rabun. With some 75 percent of the road now fourlaned, it is a major corridor supporting tourism, industry and interstate commerce. Alongside this potential goldmine of a corridor is the now-in-development Tallulah Falls rail-to-trail bicycle path, to offer alternative transportation and additional recreation opportunities through several counties. “City of Douglas Mayor Max Lockwood began the 441 Development Council to four-lane 441 and create an economic development corridor, comparable to the Fall Line Freeway from Augusta to Columbus. The latest model for an economic development corridor is the north/south 441 corridor, which has already been four-laned to a large extent, attracting businesses and accommodating the needs of tourism-related traffic,” Lewis continues. “Completing the four-laning of 441 from Tallulah Falls at the Rabun County line up into the city of Clayton is a major goal.” Bleckley adds that plans for the four-lane are to continue it to the North Carolina state line. “When 441 is completely fourlaned through Rabun County, the combination of heavy tourism and commercial usage is sure to fully utilize the road.” Officials in the region, Hazell says, also are conscious of the need to develop transportation alternatives, hence the importance of the Tallulah Falls rail-to-trail project, which will make it easy for bicyclists, including the many college students in the area, to avoid driving altogether if they want to. Other four-lane projects are ongoing in Stephens County, where current efforts are to four-lane State Route 17 from I-85 into the city of Toccoa. DOT is working with the county to purchase the necessary land to get this long-awaited road-improvement project under way. Of course, Habersham County, under SANDERS & SMITH, P.C.* ATTORNEYS AT LAW P.O. BOX 1005 311 S. BIG A ROAD TOCCOA, GEORGIA 30577 706-886-7533 www.sanderssmith.com JANNEY E. SANDERS RUSSELL W. SMITH BRIAN C. RANCK *COUNSEL FOR STEPHENS COUNTY, GEORGIA 22 GEORGIA 359731_Toccoa.indd 1 COUNTY GOVERNMENT 12/18/07 11:11:26 PM 359727_Sanders.indd 1 12/18/07 4:45:25 PM http://www.tfc.edu http://www.sanderssmith.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - February 2008

Georgia County Government - February 2008 Contents President's Message County Matters Regional Focus on the Georgia Mountains: Rabun, Habersham and Stephens Counties DNR Commissioner Noel Holcomb Solid Waste Management in Georgia: New Challenges Ahead Essential Elements of Negotiating Professional Service Firm Contracts The Walker County Courthouse at LaFayette Extension News: Partnerships are Key to Conservation Education Research Corner: Interns: An Asset to Every County NACo News: Counties and Climate Change FAQs Georgia Flag to Travel to All 159 Georgia Counties State Announces Regional Recycling Hub Grant Awards Abraham Joins ACCG Support Staff County Parade ACCG Launches e-Magazine Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - February 2008

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