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Residents press county on Jimmy Daniel Road closures, sidewalks and data-center risks
Summary
At a Feb. 10 Oconee County town hall, residents pressed officials about traffic cut-throughs and lack of sidewalks during the 316/Jimmy Daniel Road closure and raised concerns about potential data centers, water supply and long-term community impacts.
Residents used the Feb. 10 town hall to press county leaders on neighborhood safety during the Jimmy Daniel/316 construction, sidewalk connectivity and the possibility of future data centers.
Jeff Hood (Julian Court) said he attended a Georgia Department of Transportation open house about the 316/Jimmy Daniel connector and described increased cut-through traffic on Julian Drive, Deerbrook and Silverleaf, noting the affected streets have no sidewalks and expressing concern for children and pedestrian safety during an anticipated six-month closure. "We don't have sidewalks... my fear is a child on a bike because our kids... play in the street," Hood said.
Unidentified Speaker 4 said additional "road closed ahead / local traffic only" signs at Silverleaf and Julian Drive could discourage GPS-directed cut-through drivers; the speaker noted contractor Archer Western would not oppose such signage and said the county commissioner would follow up. Unidentified Speaker 1 added that DOT-constructed roads are typically turned back to county maintenance after construction.
Separately, several residents raised questions about potential data centers locating in Oconee County. Unidentified Speaker 1 said the county has not had formal approaches and cited water supply limits as a constraint. Victoria Cruz (Oconee County resident) asked for assurance that the county would not host a data center and argued such facilities require substantial water and energy and deliver limited long-term employment after construction. "I did ask for your assurance, chairman Daniel, that we would not have a data center here," Cruz said; she urged county leaders to review long-term risks and incentives.
Why it matters: short-term construction closures can shift traffic into residential neighborhoods and create safety hazards where sidewalks are lacking; separately, large industrial facilities raise questions about local water resources, energy use and the balance of short-term construction jobs versus ongoing employment.
Next steps: county representatives encouraged signage and local coordination during the 316 closure and said the county will continue monitoring approaches by potential developers; no binding commitment about data centers was made during the meeting.
