{"id":1160,"date":"2012-01-23T12:42:55","date_gmt":"2012-01-23T17:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/01\/abandoning-part-of-bethany-road-contentious-and-enlightening-lcc.html"},"modified":"2012-01-23T12:42:55","modified_gmt":"2012-01-23T17:42:55","slug":"abandoning-part-of-bethany-road-contentious-and-enlightening-lcc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/01\/abandoning-part-of-bethany-road-contentious-and-enlightening-lcc.html","title":{"rendered":"Abandoning part of Bethany Road contentious and enlightening @ LCC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/a>\nQuite a few people showed up at the Lowndes County Commission\npublic hearing about abandoning part of Bethany Road, speaking pro and con.\nWe learned many interesting reasons for abandoning that road,\nwhich would apply to many dirt and maybe paved roads in the county,\nmany of which are on the county’s paving list.\nMore about that and an interesting view of the press in later posts.\nFirst, here’s what we’re talking about.\n

12 December 2011 Work Session<\/H2>\nHere are the\n\nminutes:<\/a>\n
\nAbandonment of a Portion of Bethany Road,<\/strong>\nCounty Engineer, Mike Fletcher, presented a request by citizens for the\nabandonment of a portion of Bethany Road. Mr. Fletcher explained that\nthe Commission was being asked to make an initial determination that\neither the section of the county road system has been ceased to be used\nby the public to the extent that no substantial purpose is served by it,\nor that its removal from the county road system is otherwise in the best\npublic interest. Mr. Fletcher added that once the initial determination\nwas made, staff would move forward with the appropriate advertising of\na public hearing at which time the Commission could make a final decision.\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<\/a>\nHere’s\n\nvideo<\/a>\nin which County Engineer Mike Fletcher said the part of Bethany Road\nto be abandoned runs from Bethany Drive down through the Stith\nand Turner family properties towards Old US 41 North\nas far as the Rykard property,\nand that all residents would still have access out to other roads.\nCounty Manager Joe Pritchard noted that\n\n\nthat second factor\n(“otherwise in the best public interest”) had been added to the law recently.\nThe County Attorney nodded agreement.\n

13 December 2011 Regular Session<\/H2>\nHere are the \nminutes:<\/a>\n
\nAbandonment of a Portion of Bethany Road,<\/strong> County\nEngineer, Mike Fletcher, presented the request from citizens to abandon\na portion of Bethany Road. Commissioner Powell made a motion to allow\nstaff to move forward with advertising for a public hearing regarding\nthe matter by determining that the section of the road system has ceased\nto be used by the public to the extent that no public purpose is served\nby it and that its removal from the county road system is otherwise in\nthe best public interest, Commissioner Evans second. Motion carried.\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<\/a>\nHere’s\nvideo<\/a>,\nin which Mike Fletcher remarked:\n
\nIn your agenda item there’s a typographical error.\nIt is not the annual traffic counts, it is the daily traffic counts.\nIt is 180. So our counts was 180 per day, not annual.\n<\/blockquote>\nCommissioner Raines wanted to clarify that they weren’t deciding to close\nthe road right then.\nCommissioner Powell then made the motion as in the minutes.\n

9 January 2012 Work Session<\/H2>\nNo minutes yet, but here is the agenda<\/a> item:\n
\n7. Public Hearings-Abandonment of a portion of Bethany Road (CR 1271)\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<\/a>\nHere’s\n\nvideo<\/a>\nin which\nMike Fletcher referred to it repeatedly as “Bethany Drive”\nas he referred to the 13 December 2011 Commission vote.\nHe said the affected road was 2,314 feet long,\nand:\n
\nWe took updated traffic counts\non Bethany Road.\nWe put two counters out.\nWe put one counter at 41\nand we put one counter at Bethany Drive.\nThe counter at old 41 was 191.\nThe counter at Bethany Drive was 174.\nSo it looks like about 174 cars are using this as a cut-through\nto get over to Bethany Drive.\n<\/blockquote>\nHe added that the only people who\nhad contacted the county about the Bethany Road abandonment were\nutilities (Colquitt EMC and Georgia Power) wanting to be sure they can\nkeep their easements.\n

10 January 2012 Regular Session<\/H2>\nWe’ve got three videos of that session, which includes the public\nhearing with people speaking for and against, and a commissioner\nadvising those who want the road abandoned that there was no easy\ngoing back.\nMore posts will follow about those videos.\nThe Commissioners did vote to abandon that part of Bethany Road,\nbut that’s not the most interesting part.\nMore later.\n

\nFor now, here’s\n\na playlist<\/a> of all the videos about Bethany Road from all four LCC meetings:\n

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