[ January 20, 2020 ] Pickens County Government concluded a busy and productive year with several projects ahead in 2020. Elected officials, department heads, and staff implemented policies and launched new resources to increase the efficiency of operations. The county government improved services provided to the citizens, and increased services offered. The collaboration amongst various departments, and the dedicated public servants paved the way for many accomplishments during 2019.

Pickens County Public Works and subcontractor crews resurfaced 32 miles of road across the county. This hard work during the year set a paving record for Public Works. Additionally, Public Works cleaned up over 400 down trees on right-of-way, installed 48 culvert pipes county-wide, and completed four rounds of mowing for a total of just over 1,600 miles. A new Public Works facility is also under construction and will be complete this year.

Pickens main Waste & Recycling Center will be relocated in the coming months. The Board of Commissioners acquired a new facility at the end of 2019 that will allow expansion of services and increased accessibility for citizens. The transition will occur in Spring of 2020.

The Water Department installed a total of 166 new meters. This marked the largest increase for water service in over a decade.

The Department of Planning and Development issued 549 new building permits, 141 new business licenses, and renewed 612 business licenses for the year. Also, Planning and Development received 18 rezone requests.

The 911 Operations Center received 20,162 total calls marking their busiest year in department history. 8,807 of the total calls were medical responses or fire related.

Pickens Fire & Rescue opened station #12 located off Carlan Road dubbed Moss Fire Department to serve the southwest corner of the county. Construction of the new Pickens Fire & Rescue station #2 at Tate commenced and is expected to open in the coming weeks. Further, Pickens Fire & Rescue received an impressive upgrade of ISO ratings that indicates fire service readiness and is used to calculate homeowners? insurance.

The Pickens County Recreation Department had 1,237 kids participate in youth sports in 2019. Along with those sports PCRD had 202 kids for Summer Camp during the months of June and July. With the help of Coca-Cola of Jasper, ETC, and Day?s Chevrolet of Jasper the dugouts on field one and two were redone. Additionally, the note for the Robert P. Jones Community Center was paid in full. PCRD continues to offer adult Pickleball five days a week, as well as many other classes. PCRD offers swimming in the summer, year round walking, jogging, running, and facility rentals. To stay informed follow PCRD on social media or visit their website at www.PickRec.com.

Pickens Animal Shelter brought in 818 animals, and adopted out 802 during 2019. Animal Control responded to 155 cases. The Shelter also received various upgrades including: new interior renovations, a new generator, new kennels, a new outdoor play pen, and now offering microchipping services.

The Pickens County Board of Elections and Registration oversaw a successful 2019 election cycle. Currently, they are preparing for the busy 2020 election cycle.

Overall, Pickens County Government made great progress in providing quality services for the citizens. The Pickens County Board of Commissioners did an excellent job of leading these efforts. As a new year begins, Pickens County Government looks forward to improving our overall operations further for the benefit of our citizens and our county.

Stay connected with us by liking our Facebook page: Pickens County Ga Government, follow us on Twitter: @pickensgagov and monitor our website:
www.pickenscountyga.gov for updates throughout 2020.