County Begins Condemnation For Sewer Line On Colliers/Barber Crk.

Oconee County has obtained nine of the 11 easements for construction of a sewer line along Colliers Creek and Barber Creek that will be used to provide sewage treatment for the massive Parkside subdivision between Mars Hill Road and Hog Mountain Road.

Discussion with one of the remaining landowners is ongoing, according to County Attorney Daniel Haygood, but negotiations with the other–and most important landowner in terms of total needed acreage--has resulted in court action.

The Board of Commissioners, at its meeting on June 25, voted to initiate condemnation proceedings against Dickens Farms Inc., which owns an 102-acre parcel on Mars Hill Road across which a large part of the proposed sewer line is to run.

The Board of Commissioners offered Dickens Farms Inc. $50,315 for 74,466 square feet of permanent utility easement as well as related construction and access easements, but Dickens Farms Chief Executive Officer Doug Dickens said he wanted instead a rezone and sewage capacity so he can develop the property.

Despite the delays in obtaining the easements, County Attorney Haygood said on Wednesday that the county will be “fairly close” to meeting a Sept. 1 deadline for construction of the sewer line specified in a 2018 court settlement with Parkside Property Development LLC, which owns Parkside.

For more on this story, with a video of the June 25 Board of Commissioners meeting, please go to Oconee County Observations.