County finds money to buy 123 property

Oconee County Council gave first reading last night to an ordinance transferring $700 thousand dollars for the purchase of highway 123 property.  The action is seen as a step toward finding a permanent home for a county agriculture center, but some members expressed concern about the costs to operate and maintain such a project.  The council acted after 15 people, several of them FFA members, made a pitch for the county to do something big to grow and strengthen local agriculture.  Several of those who spoke last night suggested the county misplaces its financial resources by investing in property in hopes of luring manufacturing industry while agriculture is already a strong part of the local economy.  Council Chairman Wayne McCall was impressed by the agriculture turnout. “You people are very important to us in this county,” McCall addressed the crowd.