Walnut Grove to receive new WCSO annex on high school campus to replace former location

The Walnut Grove City Council learned at its regular May meeting that the Walton County Sheriff ’s Office will be establishing a new annex in the city, to replace the space it lost with the recent demolition of its former location at the intersection of Georgia Highways 138 and 81.

The brick building, which had also, at various points in its existence, housed Walnut Grove City Hall, the post office and a fire station, was torn down to make way for a roundabout that will replace the signalized four-way intersection at the two highways, which has become a significant traffic bottleneck.

During a presentation to the council, Walnut Grove High School Principal Lindsey Allen said he had recently been approached by Walton County Sheriff Keith Brooks about locating the sheriff ’s office annex at the high school. As a result, the annex will be relocating to a doublewide trailer on the high
school campus, Allen told the council.

In other business:

Planning and zoning action In unanimous votes, the council approved two variance requests from Church at The Grove for work at the church campus on Walnut Grove Parkway. One of the granted variances will allow the use of insulated metal panels as an exterior surface for part of a structure. The second variance will allow windows in the structure to extend to ground level.

Joe Walter, the city’s zoning administrator, had previously told the council that insulated metal panels and windows extending to ground level are routine features of modern church architecture. He also told the council at an earlier meeting that the requested variances would not compromise standards in the zoning overlay district in which the church property is located.

In other action at their May 8 meeting, the council approved the site plan, including an amenity area, for Stonehaven subdivision, planned as an 85-lot development on old Georgia Highway 81 between the current Highway 81 and Jersey- Walnut Grove Road.

Library donation: As the meeting was winding down, the council voted to accept a donation from the Walnut Grove Public Library comprising 67 bags of pine nugget mulch, 87 bags of indoor potting soil, and 93 bags of organic raised-bed soil.

Mayor Stephanie Moncrief told the council there were uses for the donations in and around City Hall, and it was also pointed out that, if the city can’t use all the donated items, they can be donated elsewhere by the city. City policy requires a council vote to accept any donated items.