Burn Ban starts May 1 for Pickens and many other counties

Photo/UGA Extension Service

Squash plants grow in the UGA Research and Education Garden.

By Bob Westerfield for CAES News

While adults and children spend more time at home as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, planting a garden or container garden is a great activity to plan together. It’s outside, active, educational and edible. With some grocery stores taking longer than usual to stock some items, vegetable gardening is a great way to keep your refrigerator stocked.

For those who have never considered growing their own vegetables, the task may seem daunting, but it’s actually a very simple process.

Vegetables need soil, sunlight, moisture and fertility. Any location in your landscape that receives at least six hours of sunlight could be a good location for growing your crop. The amount of space you have available will dictate the size

Pickens and Jasper leaders are “holding tight” with their executive orders regarding COVID-19 restrictions, abiding by state mandates that supersede any local acts, and waiting for cues from Gov. Brian Kemp to see what moves to make next. 

Pickens Commission Chair Rob Jones said at this point they will keep their local State of Emergency declaration, enacted March 24, in effect until April 30, “but we could extend it to May 13,” which would coincided with the last day of Gov. Kemp’s State of Emergency declaration (the state’s shelter in place orders expire April 30th). “I wouldn’t have a problem letting it run on into May and then regrouping and see if we need to re-do it. I am curious what the governor will do. I’m also wanting to see if he is going to open up his state offices or keep them closed until June. Right now our county offices are open, the public just can’t go inside.”

            Pickens County will have to make a switch regarding appointment of Jeff Downing to the water and sewage authority last week, after being informed that their bylaws require all members reside in the unincorporated areas of the county and Downing lives on the Dawson County half of Big Canoe.

            The residency issue was presented by commission chair candidate David Shouse on his Facebook page this week.

            Commission Chair Rob Jones said that Jeff Downing would have been the ideal candidate for the county’s water and sewage authority – a former Pickens Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year, a former chair of the Pickens Chamber, a member of the Jasper Rotary Club and the owner of one of the largest businesses in east Pickens county, the IGA Foothills market.

            But he lives slightly over the Pickens/Dawson line in the Big Canoe community, said Jones, noting the authority bylaws date back to the 1960s.

            “It was just an oversight,” said the commission chair. “He would have been a really good asset.”

By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
 
ATLANTA - Restaurants across Georgia will be allowed to reopen dine-in areas starting Monday, more than three weeks after Gov. Brian Kemp imposed a shelter-in-place order shutting them down.
But restaurant operations will be a far cry from normal, thanks to 39 restrictions listed in an executive order Kemp issued Thursday aimed at discouraging the spread of COVID-19.
   Many of the restrictions are similar to those the state is applying to such close-contact businesses as barbershops and hair salons, which were allowed to reopen Friday for the first time since April 3.
   All restaurant employees must wear masks at all time, and workers exhibiting signs of illness such as a fever, cough or shortness of breath must be screened and evaluated. Employees who become sick at work or show signs of illness must be sent home.

   Restaurants owners will be required to modify their floor plans to ensure at least six feet of separation between tables and use physical barriers for booth seating if possible. Parties at tables must be limited to no more than six, and reservations-only or call-ahead seating should be practiced where practical.
Patrons will not be allowed to congregate in waiting areas or bar areas. Salad bars or buffets will be prohibited, and self-service drink, condiment and utensil stations should be removed.