“Oconee Courthouse Ventures”

Second reading of an ordinance is scheduled Tuesday night to allow the limited liability company Oconee Courthouse Ventures to purchase the county’s former courthouse that sits idle at  Walhalla’s Main and N. Church streets. The deal, as proposed, would allow John Powell and Jim Carswell to proceed with their plans to renovate the 1956 building into a lodging facility, Oconee Courthouse Inn, and qualify for infrastructure grant funds, special source revenue credits, and include the Courthouse Inn in a multi-county business or industrial park. After the second of three readings, the council will hold a hearing January 22 to allow the public to comment on the project.