The Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners accepted a $1.04 million bid from Allied Paving Contractors in Pendergrass for road improvements on Monday night.
The projects include a full-depth reclamation on Wolfskin Road, and leveling and patching on Buddy Faust Road, paid for by the county’s 2025 Local Maintenance & Improvement Grant (LMIG).
LMIG provides state funding, matched 30% with local funding. Grant amounts are based on road length and population compared to state totals, according to GDOT.
“You have to plan it now to get it paid next year,” said Jason Lewis, county administrator.
County officials are in the process of determining priority road improvement projects for 2026. Oglethorpe County’s LMIG allocation will increase 13.7% from last year, according to GDOT.
Allied’s bid of $1.036 million was the lowest, but the next lowest was $1.037 and another was $1.051.
About 20 people attended the meeting, which could be the last one in the Board of Commissioners meeting room. Starting March 2, the Board of Commissioners will meet at the courthouse.
“It might be our new permanent home,” said Jay Paul, chairman of the Board of Commissioners.
The courthouse would accommodate more people than the current Union Point Road meeting space, which has chairs for 30 people.
This month’s meeting was the first with new rules of decorum for public meetings, which were passed in January.
Brad Johns, who regularly attends the meetings, interrupted the proceedings at one point, causing Paul to stop and speak to him. That prompted county attorney Chip Ferguson to address the issue.
“A public meeting means you get to sit here and watch,” Ferguson said. “It doesn’t mean public participation where you get to chime in and comment on everything.”
The rules were passed after Oglethorpe County deputies were needed at least three meetings last year for a variety of reasons, including to ask Johns to cede the floor in August.
In other business, the BOC:
- Moved a variance request from William Cunningham from the minimum acreage for A2 zoning to be addressed next month due to procedural issues. The request would allow for the subdivision of a parcel on Cunningham Road.
- Tabled a request from Erasmo Martinez to rezone a parcel on Washington Road from light industrial to general agriculture. The rezone would allow for the construction of single-family home.
- Approved the administrative consent agenda, including the January meeting minutes, monthly financial report and 2026 special revenue funds budgets.
- Approved the Emergency Services Commission’s recommendation to purchase the Salem Fire Department four self-contained breathing apparatuses and accompanying equipment for $34,399.30 from the 2022 SPLOST funds.
- Discussed the Crawford-Smithonia Road bridge, which is set to reopen Feb. 23. The bridge closed for repairs in September.
- Discussed receiving flashing stop signs to be added to the two-way stop at the intersection of Sandy Cross Road/Centerville Road and state Route 77 (Elberton Highway).
- Heard from Johns and Randy Gordon during public comment. The two have made numerous appearances to comment on the condition of Almond Drive.