Two local tubing companies were spared a 10 day suspension when a motion died for a lack of a second. Instead, Gilmer County commissioners voted to hire security and work on four main issues before next tubing season.
During an Aug. 12 work session of the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners, Post Commissioner Karleen Ferguson apologized to local residents for ongoing problems with tubers on the Cartecay River. Ferguson said she found groups of tubers who were not distancing, litter at the egress point of the river at Mulkey Road and heard from a private security guard at Blackberry Mountain about problems at the site.
At a special called meeting on Aug. 24, representatives of the tubing companies, Ellijay River Outfitters and Cartecay River Experience, showed up to speak as well as community members, many whom own property along the river.
In more than two hours of discussion, residents talked about litter, traffic and rude guests along the river while representatives and friends of the tubing companies talked about river clean up efforts and the benefits of drawing visitors to the area.
Martha Jackson, who lives in Blackberry Mountain, said she is not opposed to tubers or entrepreneurs, but feels the egress should be farther down the river.
“It looks like a crazy place,” she said, with no distancing and a massive amount of tubers. She said there is not enough room at Mulkey Road.
“My family cannot go near the river on the weekend,” she said.
Jenny Janssen, owner of Cartecay River Experience, said they have been following the rules and are open to suggestion. She said they have signs posted about alcohol being prohibited, the necessity of life jackets, no trespassing and asking people to not litter.
“We don’t want people dumping trash in there,” she said.
As for precautions for COVID-19 (coronavirus), she said they offer separate shuttle buses, masks and hand sanitizer.
“So before you get on a bus, when there is a group of people, we say, ‘Okay, is everybody comfortable’,” she said.
If people want another transportation method they will arrange it, she said.
Doug Colburn, who works as a detective with the Ellijay Police Department but was at the meeting as a private citizen, said he sees a lot of trash come down the river where he lives.
He praised the outfitters for bringing people into the county.
Colburn suggested putting together a committee of interested parties to come up with solutions for next season.
Cheyenne Carver of Ellijay River Outfitters said she believed use of the wristbands were suspended when fees were reduced earlier this year because of the pandemic.
As part of their precautions they have offered people masks, separate transportation and even attempted to put groups in at intervals to spread them out, she said.
Ferguson said she is not against the outfitters or against recreation on the rivers.
“I am strongly encouraging of responsible usage,” she said. “I think we can all do better.”
Ferguson said in the spring when the outfitters asked for a fee reduction because of the pandemic, the outfitters were asked to social distance their customers and only transport customers who come together.
She said the codes established by the county are well written.
Ferguson said the bands should be used by the outfitters. The bands say ‘banks are private property’ and alcohol prohibited.
When she was at the Mulkey River site she did not see a single wristband on any tuber. She said tubers said they were not told they couldn’t have alcohol.
She said separate groups crowded into a van together where they could not distance themselves.
“I think we need to do a better job enforcing our ordinances,” she said.
She said the code provides for a letter to be written and a 10 day suspension for the outfitters not following the provisions.
In a motion she asked for a letter to be written and a suspension to be imposed for not using the wristbands.
Ferguson’s motion died for a lack of a second.
She made a second motion to hire deputies to monitor the Mulkey Road site through Sept. 15. This motion passed unanimously.
Ferguson asked for Gilmer County Chairman Charlie Paris to ask the outfitters to make sure they were social distancing their customers.
“If they choose to get on a vehicle with another group, that is up to them,” said Woody Janssen of Cartecay River Experience. “That’s not our job to mandate that.”
Paris made a motion to come up with solutions to the alcohol problem, trespassing on private property, litter and outfitters bands before the next season begins. It passed unanimously.