Property taxes, road work, the Harlem City Park, updates on the area schools and the consolidation and incorporation of Columbia County were some of the topics at a town hall held in Harlem on Thursday, July 11.
Columbia County District 4 Commissioner Alison Couch, Harlem Mayor Roxanne Whitaker and Columbia County Board of Education District 4 board member Lee Ann Meyer spoke to community members about what is happening in the community.
Couch told community members how property taxes are determined and that millage hearings are taking place right not. For Columbia County, the three hearings are on July 18 at 5:45 p.m., July 23 at 8:30 a.m. and Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. Harlem’s three hearings are July 15 at 6 p.m., July 18 at 7 p.m. and July 22 at 7 p.m. The Columbia County Board of Education has already held its first two hearings and the third is scheduled for July 23 at 6 p.m.
Also discussed by Couch were the different transportation projects happening throughout the county. Some of the ones she mentioned were roundabout going throughout the county, including at the intersection of Baker Place Road and Wrightsboro Road and one at Louisville Road and Columbia Road intersection.
“The big project of Louisville Road at I-20 is being studied right now by GDOT,” Couch said. “…that project has only received funding through the design phase, so it has a long ways to go as far as funding goes and (many) years out.”
Whitaker talked about several items, but said the two big projects involved parks. She spoke about the renovations to the Harlem City Park, which will be done in phases. Work includes renovating the playground area and possibly relocating the basketball court and adding a pickleball court.
There are plans to build a new park at the old Harlem Elementary, which could include a splash pad, playground, disc golf, walking trail and more. But Whitaker stressed that those plans are not definitive and are still being worked on.
At the school district, Meyer said the school district is working on a massive building plan for all the school. But the high schools getting the most work done to them. All of the high schools, except Grovetown High School because it’s the newest, will be getting larger auditorium and a second gymnasium that will be a competition gym.
“We can have wrestling in one gym and have basketball practice at the same time,” Meyer said of the benefit of having a second gym. “We don’t have students starting practice at 8 p.m.”
Meyer added that work has already started at Lakeside, with Evans second, Harlem third, Greenbrier fourth and Grovetown last since it’s the newest school.
“Harlem is third because we just got 22 classrooms a year, year and a half ago, so we increased the educational capacity at Harlem,” Meyer said. “We’re also having a little bit of a (discussion) about where we’re going to put it.”
There are also upgrades happening at the elementary and middle schools, including to the HVACs, lighting and more, Meyer said.
One community member asked for an update on the possible incorporation and consolidation of the unincorporated areas of Columbia County. Couch said it is still being talked about and the county is waiting to hear back on details of it. District 125 Representative and former commissioner Gary Richardson added that citizens will have the final decision by voting on it.
Couch will hold a second town hall with Grovetown Mayor Gary Jones on Thursday, July 25 at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers at Grovetown City Hall.
