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
Service Alert for Solid Waste Services
Ball Ground Waste Management Customers, please see the below message from the company regarding possible delays in service:
As you are likely aware, Covid-19 cases have recently seen a dramatic global increase, decimating communities, families, and businesses across Georgia. This new variant is highly transmissible, and the rapid spread of Covid-19 has temporarily impacted our workforce at all levels.
Currently, we have a very high percentage of our Drivers and Helpers out with Covid-19. These absences, while temporary, are negatively impacting our ability to provide on-time service to our customers. While we are working through this as best we can with available staff, you will likely experience a delay in service. With this Saturday being the New Year’s Day holiday, any scheduled customers that were not serviced this week, may have to be carried over to next week.
We apologize for any delays and disruptions in service as these circumstances are beyond our control. Thank you for your patience and understanding during these unprecedented times.
City Hall Closed Dec. 23-24 and 31
Ball Ground City Hall will be closed on Thursday, December 23rd, Friday, December 24th and Friday, December 31st. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday’s!
City Hall Closed, Nov. 25-26
Ball Ground City Hall will be closed on Thursday, November 25th, and Friday, November 26th in observance of Thanksgiving. We wish you all a great holiday!
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
