Pickens Library Grab & Go location open temporarily at Mountain Education school

Current conditions at Pickens Street park, which Mayor Green says is in disrepair and in desperate need of quality upgrading.

Following the city of Nelson’s regular city council meeting Monday, June 7, Mayor Sylvia Green issued a statement about problems she has with some council members and their vote against  funding improvements to a park on Pickens Street. 

The Pickens Street park is located on the same property as an old water tower, and straddles the Pickens and Cherokee county line. There is an aging basketball court at that location. At the meeting, council was presented with artist renderings and voted on construction drawing estimates for the park project. Council

The cities of Jasper, Nelson and Talking Rock have numerous seats up for election this November, with candidate qualifying to be held on different dates prior to election day. 

Jasper

City council seats held by Sonny Proctor and Anne Sneve are up for grabs. Candidates must be a resident of the city of Jasper and have lived there for one year. Qualifying dates will be Monday, Aug. 16 through Wednesday, Aug. 18. Qualifying fees are $35. 

      Historian and author Larry Cavender will be the featured speaker at the June 22nd meeting of the Ball Ground Historical Society.

     After more than a year of suspended meetings because of COVID-19 restrictions, the Ball Ground Historical Society is resuming their regular monthly meetings.

Following an outdoor May meeting held at the Ball Ground Botanical Gardens, the historical society will resume their indoor meetings on Tuesday, June 22nd at 6 p.m. at the Wheeler House Barn located at 510 Gilmer Ferry Road with a special program honoring local veterans.

Larry Cavender, local historian and author, will be the featured speaker and will be relating the heroic stories of several local combat veterans. The stories are garnered from Cavender's latest book, Thank You for Your Service - A Tribute: Inspiring True Stories of Uncommon Valor and Sacrifice of Unsung Military Heroes. The

Approximately 34 percent of Pickens County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of June 7th, according to figures released by the North Georgia Health District (NGHD).

The NGHD reported Monday that 10,792 Pickens residents have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine - 34 percent of the population - and 9,861 people - or 31 percent - are fully vaccinated. Those figures are well behind the state’s overall percentage of 41 percent with at least one dose and 34 percent  who are fully vaccinated.

There are 32,591 Pickens residents, according to the latest available figures from 2019 from the U.S. Census Bureau.