Community Conversations with Mayor Kelly Girtz

Watch April 29 Community Conversations Video with Mayor Girtz on Business & Economic Impacts

In case you missed it, check out the latest Community Conversations video from the live broadcast that took place on Wed., Aug. 29. The conversation featured a discussion about business and economic impacts with:

Mayor Kelly Girtz
District 2 Commissioner Mariah Parker
Michele Pearson (Co-Founder/Vice Chair of the NE GA Business Alliance, Financial Advisor at Edward Jones)
Tim Kelly (Co-Owner of The Rook & Pawn, Part-Owner of The National)
David Bradley (President/CEO of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce)
Rhodes McLanahan (President/CEO of Athens First Bank & Trust)

The video is available on:

YouTube (www.youtube.com/accgov or directly at https://youtu.be/0izPhvoSK3E)
the YouTube app on mobile devices or TV systems by searching for 'accgov';
Facebook (www.facebook.com/accgov);
the ACCGov website (www.accgov.com/videos);
ACTV cable channel 180.

Leaving your cloth mask at home? Not Right Now

Residents Sought for Positions on New ACCGov / Winterville Joint Development Authority by May 5

The Athens-Clarke County Unified Government is seeking qualified candidates to fill terms on a joint development authority that was created on Tuesday, April 21, 2020.

The Joint Development Authority of the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government and
the City of Winterville was established to provide a route to economic development activities that are unavailable to either local government, potentially including loan support, tax benefits, or property transfers that serve in the best interest of the establishing local governments. It includes each Mayor or designee as a member, as well as three additional residents from Athens-Clarke County and two additional residents from Winterville.

The initial appointments shall be for terms expiring on April 30, 2024.

Applicants for the Athens-Clarke County positions must be Athens-Clarke County residents and Athens-Clarke County taxpayers. Members from the City of Winterville will be appointed through a separate advertisement process.

The Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission is tentatively scheduled to conduct phone interviews on Wednesday, May 6 between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. This will be the only date for interviews. After the deadline for receipt of applications, individuals selected for an interview will receive notification of their interview times. Applicants who will be out of town or otherwise unavailable on this date should indicate this information on the application form.

Appointments are tentatively scheduled to be made at the Mayor and Commission meeting of Tuesday, May 12. Appointed residents will receive a letter from Mayor Girtz following this meeting.

Applications can be filled out online at www.accgov.com/clerkofcommission. The deadline for receiving applications is Tuesday, May 5.

For more information, contact ACCGov Clerk of Commission Jean Spratlin at 706-613-3031 or visit www.accgov.com/clerkofcommission.

Guidelines for Businesses

Looking for one location for all of the various guidelines for businesses in the state from the Governor's orders?

Check out the Georgia Department of Economic Development's COVID-19 area on Guidelines for Businesses at https://www.georgia.org/covid19bizguide.

The site includes lists of the businesses that fall into the three main categories:

Category 1: Required to Close
Category 2: Critical Infrastructure
Category 3: Non-Critical Infrastructure, Not Required to Close

The site also includes Minimal Basic Operations for businesses and industry specific guidelines grouped into:

Health Care Business Guidelines
Restaurant and Dining Service Guidelines
Food Establishment (Such as Retail and Wholesale Grocery Stores) Guidelines
Body Art Studio, Esthetician, Hair Designer, Massage Therapy & Tanning Facility Guidelines
Gym & Fitness Center Guidelines
Indoor Movie Theater & Cinema Guidelines
Bowling Alley Guidelines

For all of the details and guidelines, visit https://www.georgia.org/covid19bizguide.

144 Positive Cases Confirmed in Athens-Clarke County, 13 Deaths

The state Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) case tracker (https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report) confirms 144 positive cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Athens-Clarke County with 13 deaths as of 7:43 p.m. on April 29.

The case tracker has recently been updated to a new format and provides additional county-level information, including the number of cases per 100,000 people (110.96 for Athens-Clarke County).

If you view the data, however, please be sure to check the area showing the definitions of the information presented. Some have different meanings than what you may expect.

The 13 deaths range in age from 60-98. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes are at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 and should always consult their healthcare provider if they are sick.

Information Sources

The response to COVID-19 involves both rapid and extensive changes and also deliberate measures that take some time to consider.

Once official information is released from the Georgia Department of Public Health, the Northeast Georgia Health District, the State of Georgia government, or other local partners, we will report it on www.accgov.com/coronavirus and social media.

Additionally, this COVID-19 update newsletter will go out most days with new information primarily about the ACCGov response and plans. It may also include some local area information of note as space allows.