Important Ball Ground Water Notice
Good Afternoon Ball Ground:
Over the next two weeks, we will be working with our contractor to change out the pump in the well that supplies most of the City water. We will also be changing out all the wiring and switching the discharge pipe from galvanized over to stainless steel. This is a pretty in-depth project that requires partial roof removal from the pump house and the use of a crane to pull the old pump and motor.
While undertaking this project we will be purchasing water from the Cherokee County Water and Sewer Authority (CCWSA). Some of our customers already receive this water and will see no changes, but for most of our customers, you may notice a slight change in water taste and odor, simply because the water comes from a surface water treatment plant pulling water from the Etowah River instead of our water which is pulled for the crystalline aquifer, 400 feet below the City. The water purchased from the CCWSA goes thru the same rigorous testing and evaluations as our water and is of excellent quality, but you might just find it to be a bit different because of its origin.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call or email.
Take Good Care Ball Ground.
Eric
Update from the City Manager
Hello Ball Ground and Happy New Year!
We received word this afternoon from Waste Management giving us a heads up that the local WM service area drivers and helpers have been hit very hard with the new variant of COVID-19 and they are operating very short on drivers and helpers. They will still be doing their level best to service all accounts but we may see some hiccups in service as they work thru this shortage of available staff. Our accounts are still scheduled to be serviced tomorrow. If there are problems please let me know as soon as possible and we will do our best to work with WM to resolve all issues.
Next week we should be publishing the date for the upcoming ground-breaking on our new police station. Johnson Laux will be the contractor on the project and we anticipate the department taking possession of the building by November 1st, 2022.
Our new downtown parking lot adjacent to Rock Solid Brewery should finish up within the next couple of weeks and be open for use.
Take care Ball Ground.
Eric
Public Hearing & Annexation Update
Hello Ball Ground:
We have received a number of inquiries concerning the proposed development on Old Dawsonville Road for which a public hearing is scheduled for 6:00 PM this evening. There has been debate on whether this application should be treated as a “zoning action”, or an “overlay extension”.
The City of Ball Ground has an agreement in place with Cherokee County, and re-zoning actions for the City are handled and heard by the Cherokee County Municipal Planning Commission. This has been the case for 20 plus years. Initially, we intended to treat this as a zoning action. An application was received by the City but the Cherokee County Municipal Planning Commission denied hearing the application due to their position that overlay extensions are not zoning actions. As an alternate course, the City scheduled a public hearing on its own to receive public comments on the proposed action.
This morning the decision was made to treat this request as a zoning action. Since the Commission has rejected the idea that this is a zoning action, the City will handle the process internally. Due to this change, the proposed annexation and the proposed extension of the Valley Overlay District will be tabled, and no action will be taken on these items during tonight’s meeting.
However; since many of you have already made plans to be in attendance we will still conduct a public hearing this evening at 6:00 PM immediately prior to the meeting of the Mayor and Council. This will give more residents an opportunity to share their comments on the record. Additionally, there will be another public hearing scheduled and held prior to either the December or January meeting of the Mayor and Council, to give residents an additional opportunity to speak on this issue.
Have a great day Ball Ground.
Eric
Public Hearing before City Council Meeting
The November 11, 2021, monthly meeting of the Ball Ground City Council has been rescheduled for Thursday, November 18, 2021, at 7:00 PM. A Public Hearing will be held prior to the City Council Meeting at 6:00 PM to solicit public comments on the extension of the Valley Overlay District. An application to extend the boundary of the Valley Overlay District to include 11.16 acres in a 48.2-acre parcel located on Old Dawsonville Road has been submitted to the City Council for consideration. The City Council will consider this request at the 7:00 PM, November 18, 2021, Monthly Meeting. Contact Chris Luly, Director of Planning and Zoning for additional information or to submit your comments prior to the hearing.
