IF YOU GOWhat: County Commission Chairman Keith Greene will deliver his annual “State of the County” address.When: The Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce’s Networking at Lunch meeting, Thursday at 11:50 a.m.Where: The Colonnade at the Benton Place Campus in Ringgold.Cost: $15 for members, $30 for non-members.For more Information call (706) 965-5201 or visit the Chamber website.
The economic slow down has slowed but not stopped Catoosa’s progress, and better days lie ahead.
That is the message County Commission Chairman Keith Greene intends to deliver Oct. 21 when he presents his annual “State of the County” address at The Colonnade.
“Essentially I want to show where we are financially and put in some projections for what we expect in the coming year with Costco,” Greene said.
Greene will also present an overview of the status of past, current and future projects when he speaks during the Chamber of Commerce’s Networking at Lunch meeting.
Other items of note will concern the recently revised Catoosa County Joint Comprehensive Plan that plots a course for development during the next decade.
Greene said he will explain the plan, which highlights what is good about the county as well as what is lacking or needs improvement. Consultants and citizens evaluated the state of schools, roads, sewers, natural and historic preservation, commercial and residential development as well as quality of life issues when drafting the 2011-2031 plan.
“I will talk about how can we address questions raised from the study and what it means for our future,” he said. “We do not want the comprehensive plan to be something that we do and then put on a shelf.”
The recession has slowed but not stopped actions recognized as vital to the county’s progress, he said. Lower than projected revenue has forced the county into “catch up” mode regarding its roads and sewers.
“You don’t want to move so quickly that growth outpaces our infrastructure,” he said.
Traffic will continue to be a thorny topic in the coming year but is something the chairman said is being addressed as funds allow.
Work on Cloud Springs Road has progressed to a point that its completion seems probable, he said. That is something that will be critically important with increased traffic due to Costco’s opening and the construction of a Georgia Northwestern Technical College satellite campus.
The college’s location at the intersection of Cloud Springs and Dietz roads makes it even more important that improvements are made to Dietz, one of the major north/south connectors between Cloud Springs and Battlefield Parkway.
“We are not looking to make it a four-lane thoroughfare,” Greene said. “Working within the county right of way I would like to see the road improved and perhaps add some turn lanes to ease congestion.”
Another of the long-anticipated road projects is the widening of State Route 151/Alabama Highway south of Interstate 75 between Poplar Springs Road and the county’s industrial park near Holcomb Road.
“It is back on track for state-funded improvement,” Greene said.
The chairman said this is his second “State of the County” address, and after having been on the job for several years he feels more confident in presenting what the future may bring for the county and its citizens.
“I hope I can be informative about how we are trying to get things done,” he said.