County commission completes, adopts comprehensive plan
By Diana Royal dianar@thetruecitizen.com

After more than a year of planning and researching, a comprehensive plan for Burke County has been developed and now adopted by the county's commissioners.

A copy of the final draft of the plan is now available at the county's Web site, www.burkecounty-ga.gov, as are the community assessment plans and maps. A copy of the final version is also available at the Burke County Library.

For months, county and city officials and community members gathered for workshops and public meetings held in Waynesboro, Keysville, Sardis and Midville to discuss their major concerns and set a plan for Burke County's development over the next two decades.

MACTEC Engineering and Consulting Inc., the firm that was hired to help develop the plan, found that key areas of concern were crime prevention, trash, lack of recreation and the need for establishing a water authority.

According to county administrator Merv Waldrop, the next step is to put out requests for proposals for firms to prepare an update to the Land Development Code and to do a water/sewer authority feasibility study.

"These are two very important aspects for implementing the plan," he said. "The plan is no good if it is never acted upon. The updated land development code is critical, and the establishment of a water and sewer authority is also an important part of the plan."