Destination Oconee Manager gives report to OC Council

Destination Oconee Manager Janet Hartman recently gave a report to the Oconee County Council on the early stages of the program. “So, the report pretty much broke down what the plan is, what the recommendations are, and how they prioritized within the committee as well as the project list. I also shared a lot of the accomplishments that had taken place as we continue to work through the plan and decide what those priorities are. Sop, we are hoping to get a meeting with county council to see what the future is and how we are going to move forward because one of the main things in the plan, they asked that we identify funding sources. Obviously, to be able to do some of these things we’re going to need additional funding dedicated to these projects. The committee did recommend to county council a countywide hospitality tax and that is they’re source of revenue that could help us move some of those projects down the road. So, we’re hoping for a meeting with them soon where we can lay out some things. In the mean time, we’ll continue to look for grant opportunities, we’ll continue to look for other funding sources to do the smaller projects as we move forward. We’ve got to keep the momentum going and the excitement going.” The list of “immediate need” items included lake and river access upgrades, a High Falls Park master plan for expansion, gateway and way finding signage and South Cove swim area upgrades. The list of “priority need” items included gateway entrances on I-85 exits 1 and 4, tennis and pickelball courts at South Cove, Seneca Creek access improvements, and a courtesy dock at High Falls.