Lake Country Healthcare, Growing for Good

Forty years ago, there was no Lake Oconee, just a narrow bridge across the river dividing Putnam and Greene Counties. There was also few choices when it came to medical care. Putnam General Hospital had just opened in Eatonton, Minnie G. Boswell operated in Greensboro, and Baldwin County Hospital in Milledgeville. There were few doctors and hardly any specialists available in the local area. For specialized services, Macon, Athens , Augusta, and Atlanta offered the best options. The drawback was the time and distance it took to travel to these locations.


Today, we are blessed with modernized, state-of-the-art medical facilities within our local hospitals. Specialists have moved into the area, especially with the growth at Lake Oconee. Nevertheless, when serious health issues occur, folks still have to be transferred to the same areas we did 40 years ago. Additionally, the cost of running community hospitals has substantially increased, making it difficult for these smaller facilities to continue operating.

Over the past year, St. Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta presented a plan to take over Boswell and Putnam General hospitals. This would provide the financial underpinning necessary to keep them afloat. Additionally, St. Joseph's will build a regional hospital near Interstate 20 in Greene County to serve Greene and Putnam County residents. With the construction of a regional facility comes many more specialized services not yet available in the local area, more doctors, more clinics, more rehabilitative and therapy facilities. Additionally, with Boswell and Putnam General under the St. Joseph umbrella, many doctors will likely locate offices near the community hospital facilities to better serve the public.

While this plan is a "done deal" for the residents of Greene County, many Putnam County citizens are still balking at the idea. However, in the long run I believe that the plan will come to fruition. The benefits far outweigh the liabilities of the plan:

1. More specialized services within 12.5 versus 50+ miles.
2. More family doctors from which to choose who take your insurance (if you have it).
3. One of the top cardiac and cancer hospitals in the nation within minutes of your home.
4. Local hospitals still available to provide urgent care in emergencies.
5. Outreach programs from your regional hospital to your community.
6. Financial backing for local hospitals to continue providing exceptional service.
7. Location along a major highway to provide the quickest ground transport to Atlanta or August medical centers.
8. And many more.

I hope that we can all set aside personal biases so that this plan is implemented soon. I have personally had the opportunity to use services at the St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta. I can tell you first hand that there is no finer hospital around, and they will certainly be a great addition to our already outstanding medical care facilities.

While the Gitt'ns Good!

Over the past few weeks, many new listings have appeared for great lake properties on Lake Oconee and Sinclair. Add these homes to those that have been on the market since late 2007 or the early spring, and you have quite a selection of homes from which to choose. The newer listings seem to be priced more in line with the current market. Those that were originally overpriced have been slowly reduced, placing them back in the "game."

If you have ever thought about owning lake property, now is the time to buy. With all of the doom and gloom news concerning the economy, most folks are tightening their belts and cutting down on spending. This is a necessity for some. Others, however, can take advantage of the low prices on premium properties. Throughout history, those who recognized opportunity during tough times and acted, reaped great reward when the economy recovered.

My advice: "Git it while the Gitt'ns Good!" Check out the great buys at the links on this page.

Fishing with Noodles

When I was I kid, a community fish fry was a popular means of raising funds for some activity or organization. Lake Oconee was still years from being build, so Sinclair was the place to go. Folks would catch, clean, and freeze fish throughout the year in preparation for such events. One of the best ways to catch large numbers of fish in a short time was and still is "float fishing."

"Float fishing," or what we used to call "can fishing," is done by dropping some type of floating device with a line, sinker and baited hook along the channel of the lake. After a few hours you find your floats (usually marked for identification) and hopefully have caught a mess of big channel or blue catfish. The folks I fished with actually had quart-sized cans sealed with air from a local plant. The line was attached by soldering a wire staple to the can. These fit nicely in old wooden Coca-Cola crates stacked in the bottom of the boat.

While sealed cans were "high speed" for the 1960s, you may have noted a variation being used on the lakes that is most ingeniuos, the use of pool floatation noodles! Many of you have seen or used these as the float when fishing. It takes about a foot of noodle to do the trick. The line is secured about the middle and can bewrapped for easy storage until ready to be tossed out of the boat. Another benefit is the number of flourescent colors from which to choose. This makes them easy to locate when fishing at night. Based on the number of noodle floats I see each day around the lakes, there must be a fish fry in the near future! Hope I'm invited.

To Lease or Not to Lease (Lake Lots)

While the boating activity on the lakes has decreased, the interest in lake property is beginning to increase. When showing property, I frequently get the question, "What do you mean, a Leased Lot?" A good question indeed. After all, you are either looking for either a second home to use as a "get-away" during long weekends and holidays, or you are actually moving to the lake to fulfill a lifelong dream. You have saved long to own a piece of the lake, so why are we discussing leased lots? Here's the bottom line. Lakes Sinclair and Oconee are owned by the GA Power Company and exist for the purpose of electricity production. As such all property from full pool (the 340 feet above seal level) to the 350' contour line are controlled by GA Power. That doesn't mean that you can't use and enjoy property. On Ga Power lakes, you will find fee simple or fully owned lots, lots that are half leased/half owned, and fully leased lots. The amount of the lease is dependent on where improvements are placed on that property. Understandably, if nothing is built on the GA Power access area, the cost is minimal. Conversely, if your home is built on any part of the leased portion, the full lease amount is due. All leases are currently 15 years in duration. The lease amount increases every five years. The 2008 rates start with $900 (years 1-5), $1050 (6-10), and $1100 (11-15). A good real estate professional can identify which properties are deeded, totally leased or lease strip, and assist in determining which will provide the best benefits to you.

Hope this helps clear the muddy water a little. For a more detailed explanation, visit the site: http://call4chris.com/custom4.shtml. Additional information is available under the GA Power Land Management section.

Signs of the Times

You don't have to look far to know it is an election year in Lake Country. At every intersection and piece of "key terrrain" across the counties surrounding Lakes Oconee and Sinclair a mozaic of mulit-colored signs plaster the landscape. Some people feel that these signs, some small and others approaching billboard size, denigrate the beauty of our countryside. These folks have a point. However, these signs represent the beauty of our nation and our constitution as we prepare to select the officials who will represent each of us in addressing local, state, and even national concerns. I hope everyone is registered and will get out to vote in the various primaries, run-offs and general elections this summer and fall. The signs and placards will eventually be removed, but our choices at the polls will determine how we move forward as a community. Please get out and vote!

Where's the Activity on the Lakes?

It has been an interesting spring on Oconee and Sinclair Lakes. The amount of boat and watercraft activity is certainly down from recent years. One can only surmise that gas prices are the cause. Remember the good old days when you could inexpensively fill up your tanks three or four times and ski from noon until dark? Well, even over Memorial Day and Father's Day weekends, I didn't see a whole lot of skiing or boat traffic where I was working. There were still lots of people at the lake, just not as many on the water. Perhaps you saw things differently where you were on the lake, but I do believe oveall, there will be a lot less activity until we somehow get a handle on fuel prices. The beneficiaries wll be those who simply enjoy the quiet beauty of the water, and of course, the fishermen.