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Walton County manager outlines water-line relocation, DOT conflicts and May 16 groundbreaking
Summary
County Manager John updated commissioners on capital projects including a $1,007,480 Walnut Grove water-line relocation tied to GDOT work, Highway 20 utility conflicts that could total $4–5 million, and a water treatment plant groundbreaking scheduled for May 16.
County Manager John told the Walton County Board of Commissioners that the county will move forward with a Walnut Grove water-line relocation and is coordinating payments with the Georgia Department of Transportation.
John said the board has “on the budget tonight an approval moving forward for, relocation of water lines in Walnut Grove to the tune of a million $7,000.480 $1,007,480.” He said the county negotiated the ability to make two installment payments to cover the work.
The manager told commissioners several Highway 20 projects are in progress and that utility conflicts with DOT projects along the corridor could total “in the 4 to $5,000,000 range.” He said county staff has notified DOT that Walton County Water has expended available funds and has applied for a percent-participation grant to seek state assistance for relocation costs.
The manager asked commissioners to note a scheduled water treatment plant groundbreaking: “Do need to put a date on a a holder on your, calendar, the water treatment plant groundbreaking ceremony. Is it 10:00 this Friday, the sixteenth.”
Other items in John’s report included parks and recreation and community events: Meridian Park’s fishing derby drew “over a hundred kid kids participating,” and the county’s splash pad will open May 16 with a new policy allowing grandparents age 60 and over to attend free when accompanying grandchildren.
John also reported departmental updates that included new cardiac monitors installed in all ambulances after a vendor delay, and improved recruitment in EMS and the sheriff’s office following pay adjustments. He said the sheriff’s office made 68 potential recruitment contacts in May, had 20 interviews scheduled through May 19 and 14 candidates currently in the hiring process.
On grant and community-program news, John said Walton County Extension’s Experimental Learning Garden has received $23,000 in grants this year — $8,000 from Walton EMC and $15,000 from the Walton Foundation — to expand the experiential garden at Criswell Park. He also said Emergency Management held hazard-mitigation meetings with sufficient volunteer participation to meet the grant match requirement, eliminating a monetary match for this plan.
The manager closed by thanking staff across departments and noting that finance will begin fiscal year 2025 closeout the week of June 23.
