Mill Creek Bridges To Be Replaced By GDOT

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — Two bridges over Mill Creek will be replaced at a savings to the county of about $3 million.

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners approved two memorandums of agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation for right-of-way acquisition. GDOT will be replacing the Waters Road bridge and the Vaughn Road bridge, both over Mill Creek and both currently weight restricted.

County Manager Geoff Morton told the Board Feb. 1 that both bridges are included in GDOT’s local bridge replacement program.

“Under the program and the memorandums of agreement, GDOT will engineer and construct those bridges,” Morton said, adding the county, under the memorandums of agreement, will provide $50,000 for each project for right-of-way acquisition. GDOT is funding the rest.

Each project is slated for right-of-way acquisition in 2023 and construction in 2025, and costs total about $1.5 million each.

“Thank you to GDOT for helping the county with both of these bridges,” Chairman Harry Johnston said.

District 3 Commissioner Benny Carter made the motion to approve the Waters Road memorandums of agreement, which was seconded by District 2 Commissioner Richard Weatherby. The vote was 5-0.

Weatherby made the motion to approve the Vaughn Road memorandums of agreement, which was seconded by Carter. The vote was 5-0.

During the Feb. 1 meeting, the board also:

• Announced that the Lake Allatoona Association Board members will make a presentation at 2 p.m. on Feb. 15 in Cherokee Hall on the results of the Noonday Creek Trash Trap Study conducted by the association.
• Weatherby announced the county is under contract for 40 acres of property at East Cherokee Drive for parkland in Hickory Flat. He also announced that Hazel Creek Properties, which had been sent back to Planning Commission, is still working with GDOT, and no action on that case would be taken at the Planning Commission meeting that evening.
• Held a public hearing on the use of recreational vehicles as a residence. No one spoke. The change to the ordinance allows people to live in an RV on a temporary basis – no more than 30 days in a 90-day period.
• Approved a housing inventory needs assessment and corresponding MOU in the amount of $30,000 to be conducted by MUST Ministries in conjunction with United Way acting as fiscal agent.
• Approved after adding the item to the agenda following executive session, a resolution that increases State Court judge pay to 95 percent of Superior Court judge pay, which is set by the state.
• Approved after adding the item to the agenda following executive session, a resolution to increase the pay for the elected Sheriff to 100 percent of Superior Court judge pay as set by the state.