Georgia County Government - February 2008 - (Page 24)

NORTHEAST GEORGIA continued from page 23 Lewis adds. Needless to say, this is a special benefit for the many older residents coming in and now living here. “The health care facilities in northeast Georgia have come a very long way and now are attracting the specialists we’ve needed,” Lewis says. “We have more big box stores, meaning you don’t have to drive to a large city to do your shopping, and if you are thinking of retirement, you can count on excellent health care access.” Rabun County Commissioner Mary Elizabeth Law agrees. “For years in Rabun County we were short on health care facilities and available doctors. But now, in Toccoa and in Gainesville, there are facilities that compete with the hospitals in metro Atlanta.” According to Chairman Butterworth, Habersham County is also in the middle of a $40 million improvement to the Habersham County Medical Center. The funding is from bonds, which the hospital authority “floated” and on which the county co-signed to ensure a low rate. The authority will pay back the bonds with hospital revenues. “We’re confident the hospital is going in the right direction. Hospitals are a must – they must be in place before you can attract doctors and specialists,” Butterworth notes. “Now in Habersham, the recruiting of doctors is going well.” All officials in the region agree the upgrades in health care facilities are a must in order to accommodate the largest-growing segment of the U.S. population – seniors. This is a challenge in every county nationally, but particularly in a region One of the major areas of improvement in the region has been health care access. The Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville is within easy reach of Habersham, Stephens and Rabun counties and has facilities and specialists who rank with those in the metro Atlanta region. Common Interest. Common Ground. As your neighbor, we share your interest in building strong communities. An important way we do this is by supporting local education projects. Across the country we sponsor adopt-a-school programs, teacher training and science fairs, and fund endowed college scholarships. Also, because we share common ground, we make it a high priority to listen to our neighbors and collaborate with them on other projects that are important to the community. like Northeast Georgia, which is attracting higher numbers of individuals now retiring. These baby boomer retirees are, after all, expected to live longer than any previous generation of Americans. Butterworth acknowledges, too, that the population of older Americans is a trend that’s here to stay and that the mountain region in particular will be called on to accommodate. “No one in any U.S. community can deny that the current generation of older Americans is the largest yet, and growing,” he says. Owing to the influx of retirement-age residents, the whole region is hoping to use SPLOST funds to build additional capital improvements, bolster services and, in general, prepare to accommodate growth. Perhaps most important among infrastructure concerns, the counties of Rabun, Stephens and Habersham are gearing up to boost water and sewer infrastructure and secure the region’s water-supply future. Water Challenges Of course, the region and the state have tremendous impetus for building reservoirs. Georgia’s current historic drought has impacted the region dramatically, as it has the remainder of the state. Stream flows gauged in Habersham Hart Electric Membership Corporation P.O. Box 250 • Hartwell, Georgia 30643-0250 A local Georgia company serving local Georgia governments. 24 GEORGIA 361214_Vulcan.indd 1 COUNTY GOVERNMENT 12/19/07 7:07:47 PM 359421_Hart_Electric.indd 1 12/11/07 7:22:32 PM http://www.hartemc.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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