Gilmer County commissioners attended the first session of an effort to create a comprehensive plan for Gilmer County, East Ellijay and Ellijay.
The plan is mandated by the state to be updated at least every 10 years. It is supposed to be a tool which can be used to guide growth in the county and used for grant applications.
Commissioners voted to add Tom Watley and Thomas Morgan to the county appointees.
They also added ex-officio members Dr. Brian Ridley, superintendent of Gilmer County Schools, Kent Sanford, Gilmer County JDA director, Jennifer Grimmer, Gilmer County Chamber president and CEO and Gary McVey, Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewerage Authority director.
Attending for East Ellijay were Public Safety Director Larry Callahan and Jaxon West with the code enforcement office.
No representatives from Ellijay attended the first meeting.
Ethan Calhoun, assistant director of regional planning for the Northwest Regional Commission, began by walking the group through some basic data about the county and the timeline to work on the plan. Deadline for adoption of the plan is October 2024.
Laurel Johnson was elected chair of the group, and Betsy Sheppard was elected vice chair.
As part of the first meeting, the attendees, which also included several members of the public, divided into groups and performed a SWOT analysis on Gilmer County. It is designed to bring forth perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Some strengths were identified as the natural beauty, people, agricultural diversity and tourism.
Weaknesses identified by the group included lack of income aligned housing, change in local culture, lack of infrastructure and lack of workforce.
Opportunities defined by the group were jobs, redevelopment of vacant structures, infrastructure, outdoor recreation and balanced growth.
Threats pointed out by the attendees were an aging population, loss of rural identity, population growth without emergency services and pollution.
A second meeting will be set for May. A survey will be planned to allow for broader participation by Gilmer County residents.