Hiawassee Archives - Page 16 of 43 - TownsTowns

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 6/28 – 7/4

Arrest Reports, Police & Government July 6, 2021 , by Content Admin

Arrest report with photos provided by the Towns County Sheriff’s Office. The Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. 50-18-70) allows for FetchYourNews.com to obtain and post the arrest records of any and all individuals arrested in Towns County. Those arrests are posted on FetchYourNews.com for viewing pleasure. Please remember that all individuals listed have been arrested and charged, however, they are presumed innocent until guilt has been proven in a court of law.

Celebrate the Fourth in the Mountains

Community June 30, 2021 , by Lauren Souther

HIAWASSEE, Ga – Independence Day is right around the corner, and Towns County has several events planned to keep everyone entertained.

The Hiawassee Night Market will be held on Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the square. It takes place every first Friday from April to November. For those looking for a more patriotic way to kick off Independence Day Weekend, Crane Creek Vineyards is hosting its annual Bulletproof Concert on Friday, July 2 from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Admission is free. They are asking attendees to bring their own chairs and get there early to claim a spot.

The Annual Fourth of July Boat Parade will take place on Saturday, July 3. Boats are asked to start lining up at 10:30 a.m. and boaters wishing to be considered for prized must register by July 2 at 9 a.m. The route will take the past by the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, under Anderson Bridge, and past Hiawassee Beach.

Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds fireworks show begins at 9:45 p.m. on July 4. The event is free, and the band Vintage Vixens will be performing from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Brasstown Resort and Spa’s holding a Fourth of July Cookout and free firework viewing on the golf course. The cookout’s located on the Sunset Pavilion from 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. People are asked to bring blankets and lawn chairs for the golf course. No personal coolers or pets are allowed.

Fourth of July Hiawassee Independence Day

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 6/21 – 6/27

Arrest Reports, Police & Government June 29, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 6/14 – 6/20

Arrest Reports, Police & Government June 22, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 6/7 – 6/13

Arrest Reports, Police & Government June 15, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 5/31 – 6/6

Arrest Reports, Police & Government June 8, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 5/24 – 5/30

Arrest Reports, Police & Government June 1, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Traffic concerns raised about planning development ordinance change

News June 1, 2021 , by Lauren Souther

Hiawassee City Hall planning development ordinance qualifying

HIAWASSEE, Ga – Members of the public voiced several fears about the proposed planning development ordinance density change.

The new ordinance would allow one acre or large lots to place more units per acre with a maximum of four structures. Discussion about the ordinance update started after the presentation of the Mountain Views Townhome project from an outside developer.

The developer’s under contract for the five acres across from Georgia Mountain Vision Center. He plans to turn the two back acres into townhomes but only if the city changed the density ratio.

The city council’s been steadily moving along with the change, citing the importance of having housing available for young professional families. The proposed 16 townhomes would be three levels with a single car garage and either a two- or three-bedroom layout. The price starts at $230,000 and up.

Since the townhomes fall along Main Street and Ross Lloyd Road, developers must discuss the ingress and egress with Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). Currently, GDOTs will only allow a right in and right out from the proposed complex. Individuals won’t be able to make a left turn.

Proposed Townhomes mockup

The public commented that the area is already difficult to turn onto the highway in that area and adding more cars that will have to travel up the road to then turn around will make it worse.

“A change in density for a project like this may look minuscule, but if you take this across the whole city that’s a big deal, that’s a [potentially] tremendous amount of congestion,” Rob Robbins stated.

The ordinance would apply to the entire city because Hiawassee doesn’t have a zoning policy in place.

Councilmember Amy Barrett argued that one couldn’t judge it across the entire city because few lots could accommodate a project like the townhomes, and most aren’t on the market. She also commented that Mountain Views can’t be compared to Hawks Harbor because Hawks Harbor is on the lake with astronomical asking prices and HOA fees. It also has other issues including poor building practices.

According to Barrett, these proposed townhomes are for families with children who need somewhere to live in Hiawassee. If people want to see more restaurants, coffee shops, or businesses, the area needs to accommodate those types of people. As the city continues to grow, these questions need to be addressed.

It doesn’t apply to lots smaller than one acre, but Mayor Liz Ordiales added Hiawassee has more one acre lots than many people realize.

“The developer is wanting to maximize density. He’s got an investment; I understand that, but that’s not your job, that’s his worry,” Robbins remarked. “Your worry is the taxpayers.”

Councilmember Nancy Noblet commented she wasn’t sure the units would even be built because of the high prices of construction. If the deal goes through, the developer might end up selling the property if construction prices continue to soar and materials are scarce.

Apparently, the next potential buyer in line for that property is storage units. Everyone agreed they don’t want more storage units on Main Street, but without a zoning ordinance, they can’t prevent storage units from going in.

The public hearing for the planning development ordinance change will be on June 17 at 6 p.m. at the Civic Center. The final discussion will be at the June 28 council work session, and the second reading at the July 6 council meeting.

City Council Hiawassee planning development ordinance change Townhomes

Major drug supplier busted in Towns County

News May 21, 2021 , by Press Release

TOWNS COUNTY, Ga – Towns County law enforcement and Georgia State Patrol arrested an alleged drug supplier in the area.

They arrested Samuel Elton Moss on the following charges:

• Trafficking methamphetamine

• Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute

• Possession of heroin

• Possession of controlled substance

• Possession of THC oil

A traffic stop was initiated by the Georgia State Patrol when Moss attempted to throw drugs out of the vehicle. The arrest of Moss was a result of a 2-month investigation by the Towns County Sheriff’s Office Drug investigations and he was being investigated as a MAJOR DRUG SUPPLIER for Towns County and other counties surrounding Towns County. The large amount of drugs confiscated was on the way to be delivered for sales in the area. This bust interrupted the supply chain keeping a large quantity of meth, heroin and pills from being sold in our community.

Sheriff Henderson stated that he and the Sheriff’s Office are committed to impact and eradicate drugs in our county. He also would like to commend the Georgia State Patrol, Towns County Sheriff’s Office Investigators and deputies on a great job and their commitment to the fight against drugs.