Residents of Rock Creek Road showed up to voice their opinions on bridges and short-term rentals to Gilmer County commissioners.
Three residents of the area spoke about two bridges on their road which have been on the county’s list to repair or replace. They used the public hearing for the county’s 2023 budget held Jan. 12, to speak to the board.
Leland Lee Johnson was up first. He asked commissioners to present an annual report on the status of roads and bridges in the county so residents can be informed.
He said commissioners had pledged to replace the bridges on Rock Creek Road, and the board needed to follow through.
“There were promises, there was no delivery,” he said. “What is more important than the safety of the citizens.”
He said school buses have not been able to use the road because of the bridges.
“A contingency fund is a great opportunity to do a one-time expenditure on those two bridges and make it safe for your citizens in this county,” he said.
Laurel Johnson told commissioners that continuing to neglect the bridges would not make the problem go away.
She said the weight limit makes it so heavy trucks delivering gravel, propane or other necessities cannot use the bridges.
If a bridge is going to fail, it will do so while someone is crossing it, which is a liability for the county, she said.
She urged the board to use the 2023 budget to resolve the problem.
Former Post Commissioner Travis Crouch began his comments asking the commissioners to post a copy of the entire proposed budget online.
“I personally would appreciate that,” he said.
Crouch said he asked for commissioners to do something about the bridges in the past and has watched firsthand as the bridges deteriorate.
He was encouraged when the commissioners were going to replace the bridges with the box culverts. Then the board held up the project because of costs.
Now, he said the 2023 budget has zero dollars for the bridges.
Gilmer County Chair Charlie Paris interjected at this point.
“There are things that are going on that you don’t know about, and I am not at liberty to discuss right now,” he said. “There is a solution that is being worked on that hopefully will work out that is supposed to be presented in the February meeting.”
Paris said the solution would require a budget amendment and would be funded.
“Those bridges haven’t been forgotten,” Paris said.
Crouch also said trucks hauling construction materials are still moving over the bridges. He asked for a moratorium on building permits on Rock Creek Road until the bridges are replaced or repaired.
Gilmer County Attorney David Clark said any moratorium would have to be an agenda item in the future.
Wayne Johnson was the fourth Rock Creek Road resident to speak. He spoke up during the regular meeting.
“I am not here to talk about bridges,” he said.
Short-term rentals was the issue concerning him. He said he went through the building codes and budget and no where was there any mention of short-term rentals.
“I can step out of my house, stand in my front yard and yell, and there are 12 short-term rentals that can hear me,” he said. “I listen to all night parties, people shooting guns late at night, one occasion, they had people riding up and down the road shooting a firearm from their vehicle.”
He said law enforcement response time is sometimes 45 minutes to an hour.
“These are all commercial businesses, I don’t care what you say about them, they are running commercial businesses, and it is all on R-1 property,” he said.
He said the county needs some sort of restrictions.
“It seems to me you are neglecting the people who live here 24/7, 365 and catering to the tourists who could care less about us,” he said. “Something needs to be done.”
He said he is not trying to get commissioners to stop short-term rentals, but there needs to be regulations on them.
Clark said the Planning and Zoning Commission needs to look at the issue and make some recommendations to the commissioners.
“We need to hear something from them,” Paris said.
Crouch urged haste on the short-term rentals issue.