Residents enlist commissioners to help move project
A topic not appearing on the agenda, and one which they have no power over, dominated the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners regular meeting.
Chairman Charlie Paris began the citizens comment portion of the meeting by thanking Georgia House Speaker David Ralston for arranging a grant of $286,000 to be used to replace a solid waste lift station.
Once he opened up the floor, almost 20 Boardtown Road residents spoke for more than an hour about the Georgia Transmission Corporation project being planned for their road. It involves the installation of 10 miles of subtransmission line and poles along the road.
“My understanding is Gilmer County is not involved and there is nothing I can do,” Paris said. “The county has no say in this.”
What the commissioners did do was pass a resolution in support of the project, but asking GTC to move the project to another route because of the scenic beauty of Boardtown Road.
Commissioners also agreed to attempt to facilitate a meeting between Boardtown residents and Speaker Ralston and State Senator Steve Gooch.
The majority of comments from residents dealt with how they believed the project would ruin the beauty and history of Boardtown Road.
“There is no way that we can consider ourselves stewards of the community if we allow them to cut 100 foot right-of-ways up Boardtown Road,” said Devell Frady. “It will look like a landing strip.”
He also said the problems caused by the construction would cost the county.
“It is really going to become your problem when they leave,” he said.
Residents pointed to the Highway 515 and CSX corridors as two places which would be better suited for the project.
Daniel Stockin said everyone needed to contact Speaker Ralston and voice their opinions.
“If Mr. Ralston just coughs on this project, the project catches pneumonia,” he said.
Jill Jones spoke up to represent her family’s farm. She said there would be five poles on her property going down the road.
“This is very personal,” she said.
Property values would be hurt by the project, she said, not improved like they have been told.
Bridges
Former Post Commissioner Travis Crouch has been attending meetings to ask commissioners to repair the bridges on Rock Creek Road.
“Neither of those bridges would support basic public safety,” he said.
The bridges are well under the limits to support a propane truck, a gravel truck, a cement truck or fire trucks.
Crouch said the ratings on the bridges have steadily decreased.
Paris said he was aware of the problems with bridges and roads in Gilmer County. A one cent sales tax was proposed to fund repairs, but was voted down during the primary election.
“I see the problem, do you have a solution,” Paris asked.
Crouch presented the board of commissioners with a three page document during the regular meeting.
First up, he proposes scrapping plans for a swimming pool and using the funds for bridge repair.
Another solution he proposes is lowering the hotel / motel tax allocation to the Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce from 70 percent to 50 percent. He said this is the same as the funding formula for Fannin County.
“When I was chairman of the chamber board in 2014, private funding made up 51 percent of the chamber budget,” he wrote. “That figure is down to 25 percent.”
His final suggestion was to defund the Joint Development Association, which he had the vision for when he was a commissioner.
“This organization has not lived up to its intended purpose,” he said.
His suggestions would add up to roughly $2 million which could be used on bridge repair, he said.
(Full disclosure: Andy Ashurst is a member of the Board of the Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce.)