Voices of Boardtown Road residents were heard, and Georgia Transmission Corporation is studying two alternate routes for transmission lines.
Originally the project involved the installation of 10 miles of subtransmission line and poles along Boardtown Road.
The company released a joint statement with Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and State Senator Steve Gooch Sept. 18 saying they were “undertaking an extensive review and analysis of the two routes the community expressed interest in us examining, GA Hwy 515 and the CSX railroad corridor.”
“I appreciate the willingness of Georgia Transmission Corporation to study this project in exhaustive detail before any final decisions are made,” said Speaker Ralston. “We all understand and appreciate the need to consider both our infrastructure requirements and preservation of the scenic beauty of our mountain region. My thanks to all involved for taking the time necessary to reach the best possible solution for our community.”
Gilmer County Chairman Charlie Paris heard from Boardtown Road residents for an hour at the commissioner’s meeting last week.
“I think all of the commissioners are supportive of the GTC looking at alternate routes,” he said.
Paris said the project is necessary and the commission supports it, but would prefer it ran somewhere other than Boardtown Road.
Devell Frady, a Boardtown resident and one of the speakers at the county commission meeting, said he hopes the project gets moved to one of the other corridors. He is glad they are being studied.
“We wish they had done that originally,” Frady said.
Residents of the road have been contacting their elected representatives to bring attention to the project.
“We really appreciate all the community support we are getting,” he said.
Frady said the road is already torn up from natural gas lines being installed previously. He said the county cannot afford the repairs which will be needed once the transmission line project is finished.
His personal preference would be the CSX corridor where the lines would be unseen.
“We are pleased, but we aren’t convinced this is over,” Frady said.
GTC Public Affairs Director Terry Cole said the study shows the process works and the people’s voices were heard.
A review of the other two corridors should take an estimated three months.
“We’re going to keep the community informed,” Cole said.