A broad-based organization intended to represent the interests of residents in south Oconee County, has found its voice.

Sifting through notes of suggestions made by residents of rural Fair Play and the Hartwell Lake area, a steering committee came up with a mission statement and name for the organization.

“The mission statement is very simple,” said Gretchen Fuller, one of several area residents who met in the cozy and hospitable facilities of a barn on the McPhail farm. “Our mission is to provide a collective voice for the citizens of South Oconee.”

Gene Blair, a Chickasaw Point resident, also engaged in trying to get the organization off the ground, said the committee agreed to call the new group Voice of South Oconee.

“Basically, we want to ensure that the residents of south Oconee County get their equitable share of the resources and services available from the county,” Blair said.

At a meeting April 16 at the McPhail property, more than 20 south county residents and supporters had a round-table discussion on the necessity of such an organization and, if so, what they would like to see accomplished.

There was a consensus that land-use regulations are needed to preserve the south county’s farming heritage and protect the area’s appealing rural nature from unchecked growth and urban sprawl.

Fair Play resident Rocky Munn said he would hate to see south Oconee become like Gwinnett County in Georgia where he used to live.

“I saw Gwinnett County explode,” Munn said. “It used to have farms just like this area.”

Gwen McPhail, who hosted the meeting at her farm, said she would like to see the creation of a land trust to preserve farms for future generations.

“Farming is not for everyone,” she said. “It’s in you or not in you. Young people may like farming and not have the land.”

County Council Chairman Reg Dexter, who said he was attending the meeting as a private citizen, said there are no restrictions in the county.

“The open areas of the farms need to be protected,” he said. “I’d hate to see farms destroyed.

“There is a zoning enabling ordinance in this county because of people on the lake, not people here,” Dexter added. “I favor you folks getting organized and having a voice.”

Planning Commission member Ryan Honea, who owns a farm in the area, said the south county area has been neglected.

“If we would have had a voice, we could have had a middle school here. I would not have to drive my grandchildren to Westminster,” Honea said.

Honea said that only by being organized and going before County Council as a bloc would the area ever get services such as a school and library.

A Fair Play resident and businesswoman who operates a travel agency — Travel by Gretchen — in town, Fuller networked with Linda Lovely former president of Advocates for Quality Development and Steve MacLeod, president of the Mountain Lakes Community Association to get ideas from them on how to get south Oconee organized.

MacLeod attended the recent meeting to lend support to the fledgling organization.

“I’m here to help,” he said. “We made a lot of mistakes when we were getting started.”