{"id":147,"date":"2013-02-05T06:43:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-05T11:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/02\/video-hearing-about-abandoning-old-state-road-at-the-alapaha-river-lcc-2010-10-26.html"},"modified":"2013-02-05T06:43:00","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T11:43:00","slug":"video-hearing-about-abandoning-old-state-road-at-the-alapaha-river-lcc-2010-10-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/02\/video-hearing-about-abandoning-old-state-road-at-the-alapaha-river-lcc-2010-10-26.html","title":{"rendered":"Video, hearing about abandoning Old State Road at the Alapaha River @ LCC 2010-10-26"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n
\n<\/a>
\nHere is video of the
\n
\npublic hearing in which the Lowndes County Commission
\ndecided 26 October 2010
\nnot to abandon a portion of Old State Road leading to the Alapaha River.<\/a>
\n
\n<\/a>
\nThis is the same stretch of road
\n
\nthat's scheduled for another such hearing in two weeks from tomorrow.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\nThe camera aim is a bit erratic, and you can see why we hadn't already
\nposted this video (which is actually several briefer videos pasted together
\nwith a few gaps).
\nYet you can clearly see, after
\nGlenda Cofield<\/a> and
\n
\nSteve Bays<\/a>
\nspoke against closing the road,
\n
\n<\/a>
\n
\nsomeone else<\/a>
\nstarted speaking from the audience.
\nThen
\n
\n<\/a>
\n
\nCommissioner Joyce Evans<\/a> asked those opposed to stand up,
\nand many people did.
\nYou can see County Engineer Mike Fletcher in the background.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\n
\n<\/a>
\n
\n<\/a>
\n
\n<\/a>
\n
\n<\/a>
\n
\n<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\nPresumably some of the people who stood were among the 450 people
\nmentioned in
\n
\nthe minutes:<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\nGlenda Cofield, Mullins Lane, spoke against the request, and presented
\na petition submitted prior to the work session with the unverified
\nsignatures of 450 area residents included.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\nWhy were the signatures still unverified if she submitted the petition
\nbefore the work session of the previous day?<\/p>\n


\nCouldn't county staff check them against the
\n
\nLowndes County Tax Assessor's database?<\/a>
\n
\n<\/a>
\nIf from the morning of the previous day to the evening of next day
\nis not long enough to do that, maybe the county needs to announce
\na petition due-by date before a public hearing.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe applicant started talking from the audience.
\nChairman Ashley Paulk told him to come up front, which he did.
\nPhillip Connell complained
\n
\n<\/a>
\nabout people leaving trash and otherwise
\nabusing his property.
\nHe also remarked:\n<\/p>\n

\n

\nAs far as the church, legitimate people, they can still use it.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\nWho gets to decide who are legitimate people?
\nIf the county closes the road, he does.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\nNext, J.C. Riley noted:\n<\/p>\n

\nThat's the only access to the Alapaha River in Lowndes County.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\nThe next access upstream is near Lakeland in Lanier County, and the next one
\ndownstream is at Mayday in Echols County.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\nCommissioner Richard Lee asked the applicant, Phillip Connell,
\nif his property was alongside the part of the road that was
\nproposed to be closed.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\nConnell, speaking from the audience again, nodded and said "both sides".\n<\/p>\n

\nWell, that's strictly true for a few feet, perhaps,
\nbut the rest of the way to the river
\nthe land on both sides of Old State Road is owned by
\nAcree Investments<\/a>, according to the Lowndes County
\nTax Assessor's public database,\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\n\n<\/p>\n

\nwhich also says that property hasn't changed hands
\nsince 2001,<\/a>
\nwell below Mr. Connell's assertion.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\nFinally,
\n
\nCommissioner Evans<\/a> made a motion
\n"to deny the closure request, indicating that the road is still used by the public"
\n
\nas the minutes<\/a> phrased it.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\n
\nCommissioner G. Robert Carter<\/a>
\nseconded the motion.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\nChairman Paulk
\n
\nasked the Commissioners more than once<\/a> if there were any questions.
\nThere were none, so he took the vote, which
\n
\nwas unanimous<\/a>; you can see all three of their hands up at once.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\nThe minutes add:\n<\/p>\n

\nChairman Paulk asked those in attendance to assist Mr. Connell with
\npolicing the area and encouraged them to report unlawful activity.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\nHowever, while
\n
\nthe minutes record<\/a> Glenda Cofield's
\nrequest:\n<\/p>\n

\nMrs. Cofield added that the boat ramp was used by many and needed to
\nbe improved. Mrs. Cofield further stated that Department of Natural
\nResources had guidelines by which the county could move forward with
\nrepairs to the ramp.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\nThe only response to her request was this:\n<\/p>\n

\nCommissioner Lee stated that it might be an issue for the parks and
\nrecreation to explore.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\nDid Commissioner Lee or anyone else with the Lowndes County government
\nask Parks and Rec to explore Mrs. Cofield's question?
\nThe minutes don't say.\n<\/p>\n

\nHere's
\n
\nthe video.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n