Oconee County Officials Did Not Want to Answer All Pinewood Estates South Questions

Oconee County Administrative Office Alan Theriault did not answer one question that was central to the concerns of Pinewood Estates South residents when the at the Civic Center on Dec. 12.

Would the county close down the mobile home park on Jan. 13, when it proposed to cut off water and sewer services to the residents there, one resident asked.

Theriault parried the question for two reasons.

First, he didn’t want to decrease the pressure on Georgia General Kipling Land LLC and its chief executive officer, Maxie Price. Georgia General Kipling owns Pinewood Estates South.

Second, the county really didn’t have a firm answer.

From conversations I had with Theriault, County Attorney Daniel Haygood and County Commissioner Jim Luke after that meeting on Dec. 12, I learned that the county believed that it would never actually face closing the park.

They believed that Price, who owns Maxie Price Chevrolet-Oldsmobile and other automobile dealerships in Gwinnett County, would bend to public pressure and reach a settlement with the county.

In fact, a key element of the county’s strategy was to generate publicity that would adversely affect Price’s reputation and his ability to sell cars.

 For details, go to Oconee County Observations.