Clarkesville officials detail storm recovery

CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — As Clarkesville continues recovering from last week’s severe storms, city officials say crews will spend much of August clearing debris, repairing damaged infrastructure and helping residents recover.

The update came Monday during the Clarkesville City Council meeting, where Mayor Franklin Brown also welcomed Jason Streetman to his first meeting as city manager after he officially began work earlier in the day.

ESG Project Manager Joe Deputy told council members public works crews remain focused on cleanup after the storms, which brought widespread damage across Northeast Georgia and left more than 16,000 customers without power.

Deputy said crews are working to remove downed trees throughout the city and plan to partner with Camp Arrow crews to accelerate debris removal.

He also updated council on the recent water main break on Washington Street, thanking the Clarkesville Police Department for providing traffic control while crews worked along the state highway.

“Every time we get out there, Danny and his guys … are always out there at the lights shining, and it just provides us with a level of safety I don’t think we have otherwise,” Deputy said.

In addition to storm cleanup, Deputy said the city’s water treatment plant sustained a lightning strike that damaged variable frequency drives and contactors. Crews restored operations by using parts from other units with assistance from Midway Electric.

Deputy also shared the story of a longtime Water Street couple whose home was destroyed when a tree crashed through the roof during the storm.

“The husband was standing in the hallway. The wife was sitting on the couch, and the tree came down through the roof right in between them,” Deputy said. “Really fortunate nothing happened to their family.”

Police Chief Danny Clouatre said officers responded to 300 calls for service during July, including 12 motor vehicle accidents, eight domestic incidents and 37 extra patrol requests. The department also provided 37 mutual aid responses, including 26 to the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office.

Clouatre said officers assisted with traffic control during both the Washington Street water main break and the recent storm response.

Asked by Brown whether the storms led to any increase in criminal activity, Clouatre said the city experienced no significant issues.

“Criminal activity, no, not so much,” he said. “We’ve been very fortunate in that case.”

Brown praised city employees for their response to the storms.

“I want to take a moment to thank all of our city departments,” Brown said. “Every one of you guys stepped up and did a fantastic job. I’m very proud and honored to be associated with the group of people here in Clarkesville.”

The mayor added that he received calls from associates in metro Atlanta who complimented the city’s response after seeing news coverage of the storm.
Brown also welcomed Streetman, who was appointed city manager last month.

Streetman said his first day included meeting employees, department heads and getting settled into the position.

“Everybody’s been very friendly,” Streetman said. “I’m just glad to be here. Looking forward to really getting plugged in.”

During her monthly report, Economic Development Director Yvonne Marinelli highlighted planning efforts for upcoming downtown events, including the Fall Festival, Downtown Clarkesville Christmas and Small Business Saturday. She also updated council on plans for painted downtown crosswalks, work to revisit the city’s 2015 Downtown Clarkesville Renaissance Strategic Vision Plan, and an upcoming Georgia Power drone mapping project that will assist with future downtown engineering and planning efforts.

Fire Chief Jason Poole reported the department responded to 70 calls during June, including 47 EMS calls, two motor vehicle accidents and no fires.

In other business, the council approved without objection a beer and wine license renewal for AanviOm LLC at 183 Grant St.