Hello Ball Ground:

As you know, on Wednesday afternoon Governor Kemp announced a Shelter in Place order, but the details won’t be released until tomorrow sometime.

Shelter In Place is an odd term – more something we would think of in a hurricane or tornado warning. We need to start think more along the lines of simply Stay at Home. Don’t panic. We can be certain that this order will still allow each of us to go to the grocery store, pharmacy, doctor’s office, pick up curbside orders and to work if we work in an essential field. The Governor did announce that over 3,000 tests were being conducted a day with the University System. Therefore, the recent increase in numbers is expected, because we are testing so many more people.

With this said…………..we need everyone’s help moving forward. Please stay at home – – our ability to save lives and eventually restart the economy depends on everyone doing their part. The Governor has not yet detailed what exactly is in his order. That won’t happen until Thursday. Hopefully it will mirror many of the orders already in place in the Metro Atlanta area, and can help to bring consistency to the State and make enforcement possible.

I have asked the Police Department to step up enforcement downtown this weekend. Don’t get me wrong. We WANT you to come support our local businesses. We do not need the entire family to get out of the car and stand in line for your to-go order. Just send one person. Last weekend we had folks bring camp chairs and setting up on the sidewalk. Downtown became a place to “hang out”. We will be asking customers to get what they need and move along back to their cars. No loitering. Each of businesses is providing curb side service. Take advantage of it.

People did seem to make reasonable use of the parks last weekend. Small family groups of 3-4 people were seen with a blanket spread having a picnic and nobody within 50-60 feet. This is perfectly fine.

Now with all of that said……………..from my observations it was our residents being prudent in the parks, and a whole lot of out of town folks congregating on the sidewalks downtown.

We want to maintain our reputation as a welcoming destination for our visitors, but not at the risk of our resident’s health. So again, we will be stepping up enforcement.

One other note – We have installed a Wi-Fi hotspot in the senior center. (Same area as community building and tennis courts). It is simply named “Ball Ground Hot Spot”. Mayor Roberts had this installed specifically for our school students who do not have satisfactory internet service at home. By providing the hotspot parents can bring their children to the senior center parking lot where their child can use the hot spot to download their school assignments each day. No need to get out of the car – just upload/download and head back home. We extend our thanks to ETC (Ellijay Telephone Company) for providing this essential tool for our students.

Stay safe folks…………and if we do the right thing for the next two weeks we can begin looking at better days.

Eric

Click on this link to view a copy of the Emergency Declaration by the Mayor of the City of Ball Ground Related to COVID-19.

Date: March 26
Hello Ball Ground:
The following is a message from Mayor Roberts.

“This morning, with the approval of the City Council, I have declared a State of Emergency in Ball Ground in response to the escalating health risks from Covid-19 and have issued a Shelter in Place Order. It will begin at midnight tonight and initially be in effect for 14 days.

Seeing the exponential rise of COVID-19 cases in Georgia has made me and the council very concerned about the health risks and safety of people in our community. This Shelter in Place action being taken by the City concurrently with the County and other cities in the County, as well as other nearby counties, will hopefully be effective in lowering the number of coronavirus cases and save lives in our region. I believe this Shelter in Place Emergency Order to request and encourage people to stay at home is the right thing to do.

So exactly what is a Shelter in Place Order? It is really more of a “Stay at Home” order. For many of you this means no change. So many of you have already taken the appropriate steps. Simply stay home unless you need to leave your home for work or essential services.

What are essential services? Medical treatment, pharmacy needs, gas, to provide care for or check on family or care givers, Auto Repair etc. (and to go to work in support of essential/exempt businesses)

What businesses are non-essential? Unfortunately we do have some valuable businesses in Ball Ground that will be forced to close for the near term because they cannot provide their services while maintaining the 6 foot distancing mandate, or ensure proper cleaning of equipment between users.

What about restaurants? Restaurants may remain open, but for take away only. Curb side or drive thru services are permitted but no indoor or patio dining.

Fortunately most of our businesses will be allowed to remain open if they choose. Even businesses that are non-essential are allowed to continue operating IF AND ONLY IF they keep their numbers below 10, including employees and maintain the 6 foot distance requirements between all customers/employees etc.

Essential Businesses will also be provided with challenges though, as they will be expected to maintain 6 foot distancing requirements and to monitor compliance. This will certainly be a challenge for essential businesses such as the Pharmacy and the Dollar General as they attempt to manage customers in the checkout line and call for the 6 foot separation.

Much of this though falls directly on you, our residents, to be mindful of the 6 foot distancing when obtaining essential services and when working. The overwhelming majority of you have already done exactly what needs to be done and this is essential for flattening the curve and prevent overburdening our medical system.

We understand there will be many questions. As always please feel free to respond to this email and City Manager Eric Wilmarth will do his best to get you the answers you need.

In the end this comes done to applying commons sense. Something Ball Ground residents have plenty of. I am confident that each of you will continue to do what is best for you, your family and our community.

Take care, and I know it is getting old……but wash your hands, clean those frequently touched surfaces, and don’t touch your face/eyes, and practice physical distancing. We can still be social!

The full ordinance will be uploaded on our website later today.
Mayor Roberts

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Hello Ball Ground:

Mayor Roberts participated in another conference call this morning with Dr. Del Rio, an infectious disease expert with Emory and Grady. To be certain there wasn’t a lot of positive information, with the soul except that he stated he has never seen such a rapid scientific response on work dealing with any previous virus and vaccine development. Still no solutions but rapid progress.

Dr Del Rio also concurs with local news reports, asking individuals that are exhibiting only mild symptoms to self isolate and treat at home. The healthcare system currently has a major shortage of not only tests, but the personal protective equipment needed when completing the tests. If your symptoms progress then by all means call your healthcare provider and set up a plan for testing. Remember, the overwhelming majority of cases are minor. He is hopeful that this guidance will change by Friday, and that tests and protective equipment will be in solid supply and we can then move towards testing everyone in order to further identify carriers and get them properly isolated.

Locally, several of our restaurants have closed their indoor dining but are still offering curb-side to go services, or even home delivery. Please take advantage of this.

Mayor Roberts is urging all residents to avoid social gatherings and to practice physical distancing, even from people you know. Stay in touch socially via you favorite media outlet…….but avoid physically getting together.

This evening at 5:00 PM Governor Kemp will hold a press conference. We are expecting that he will be delivering some statewide guidelines and updates and we look forward to hearing what he has to say.

On a final thought. We are asking everyone to take a little extra precaution in your daily routines. Drive slower. Use extra precautions in all physical activities. One of the things we haven’t talked about much is the fact that our local hospitals already stay pretty busy with car accidents and other injuries from simple at home accidents. The hospital ER is just not the place to be right now. Not only does our presence there consume services, but it also exposes us to probably the most dangerous place to contact the virus at this time. Use Caution. Physical Distancing. Wash Hands. Stay safe.

Another rainy day in Georgia – but Wednesday provides some promise for some sunshine. We need it.

Take good care.

Eric

Regular Meeting of the Mayor and City Council
City of Ball Ground, Georgia
Ball Ground City Hall ~ 7:00 P.M.

AGENDA
March 12, 2020

Item 1: Meeting Called to Order

Item 2: Pledge of Allegiance

Item 3: Appearances

Item 4: Announcements/Informational Items/Project Updates – City Manager

Item 5: Approval of February 20, 2020 Council Meeting Minutes

Item 6: Old Business
a) Consider Change to Section 104.12.E(2).(e) of the Ball Ground Development Code (2 story buildings)
b) Consider change to Section 107.3.C of the Ball Ground Development Code (Sidewalks)

Item 7: New Business
a) Consider Employee Services Sharing Agreement between Cherokee Board of Commissioners and City of Ball Ground
b) Consider Inmate Housing Agreement between Cherokee County Board of Commissioners and City of Ball Ground
c) Consider Resolution to apply for City Employee Credit Cards from United Community Bank

Item 8: City Manager Comments

Item 9: Mayor Roberts

Item 10: Council Comments

Item 11: Public Comments

Item 12: Executive Session (If Needed)

Item 12: Adjourn