Jeff Sharp

From left, Morgan Robinson, Sam Nash, JF Hansford, Jimmy Shealy and Chair Janet Hill, who joined by Zoom, attend the Feb. 12 zoning board meeting. At the end of the table is Jeff Sharp, director of planning, zoning and compliance. Teresa Campbell, planning assistant and permitting administrator, sits at the desk on the far left taking meeting minutes. One of the approved items by the board was a variance to acreage rules requested by William Cunningham. (Photo Emilie Sullivan/The Oglethorpe Echo)

From left, Morgan Robinson, Sam Nash, JF Hansford, Jimmy Shealy and Chair Janet Hill, who joined by Zoom, attend the Feb. 12 zoning board meeting. At the end of the table is Jeff Sharp, director of planning, zoning and compliance. Teresa Campbell, planning assistant and permitting administrator, sits at the desk on the far left taking meeting minutes. One of the approved items by the board was a variance to acreage rules requested by William Cunningham. (Photo Emilie Sullivan/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Zoning Board denies paving variance

Emilie Sullivan
Thursday, February 19, 2026
The Oglethorpe County Zoning Board reinforced the county’s continued push to enforce development requirements at its monthly meeting on Feb. 12.  The board denied a request to waive a paving requirement for a private access drive, required by a previously approved rezoning.
Crawford Mobile Home Community has provided affordable housing for residents in Oglethorpe County for the past 15 years. The 25 homes on this property consist of 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom units and are rented for an average of $1,000 a month. (Ansley Gavlak/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Crawford Mobile Home Community has provided affordable housing for residents in Oglethorpe County for the past 15 years. The 25 homes on this property consist of 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom units and are rented for an average of $1,000 a month. (Ansley Gavlak/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Mobile homes are an option as housing prices climb

Mia Fishman and Ansley Gavlak
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
An orderly cluster of mobile homes sits on Wheeler Circle, just off of Highway 78. It’s a quiet, safe neighborhood, housing families and locals at an affordable rate.  “I've got good, hard-working folks,” said Boyd Smith, manager of Crawford Mobile Home Community.
The bridge over Big Creek on Wolfskin Road is scheduled to be replaced, starting in April 2029. It was built in 1959 and is weight-restricted. (Submitted Photo)

The bridge over Big Creek on Wolfskin Road is scheduled to be replaced, starting in April 2029. It was built in 1959 and is weight-restricted. (Submitted Photo)

Wolfskin Road’s Big Creek bridge to be replaced in 2029

Grace Burnett
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Another bridge replacement will change traffic patterns in Oglethorpe County, but this time, residents will have a few years to prepare.
Randy Gordon, a resident of Oglethorpe County’s Almond Drive, stands where the edge of Almond Drive once was on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. “When they come in and scrape [the road], they keep getting further and further to the center, and the cul de sacs where the ditches used to be are covered up,” Gordon said. (Photo/Felix Scheyer)

Randy Gordon, a resident of Oglethorpe County’s Almond Drive, stands where the edge of Almond Drive once was on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. “When they come in and scrape [the road], they keep getting further and further to the center, and the cul de sacs where the ditches used to be are covered up,” Gordon said. (Photo/Felix Scheyer)

Rough roads, tough choices

Julianna Duennes Russ
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
On a rainy afternoon, Randy Gordon carefully maneuvers his car down a familiar stretch of road. Potholes filled with water jolt the vehicle and thick mud threatens to trap the tires.  When Gordon moved to Almond Drive more than two decades ago, it was a gravel road.