[I. OPENING]
[00:00:10]
ME WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH, 2026 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING.
IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS, WE'RE VERY HONORED TONIGHT TO HAVE PASTOR ANDREW HARPER AROUND HERE, KNOWN AS ANDY HARPER, WHO IS WITH THE PLANT CITY METHODIST CHURCH IN LYNETTE, WHO'S GOING TO GIVE OUR INVOCATION. AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THAT, WE'LL HAVE THE PLEDGE TO THE FLAG. AND SO I'M GOING TO ASK COMMISSIONER MCCAMY TO LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE TO THE FLAG AFTER THE PRAYER. SO IF EVERYBODY PLEASE RISE. LET US PRAY. HEAVENLY FATHER, WE COME BEFORE YOU TODAY WITH GRATEFUL HEARTS. THANKFUL WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THESE LEADERS TO COME AND SERVE AND THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY, PRAY FOR THEM AS THEY COME TO YOU WITH ALL THEIR DECISIONS AS THEY LEAD THIS COMMUNITY. FATHER, WE RECOGNIZE THIS LEADERSHIP IS BOTH A PRIVILEGE AND A RESPONSIBILITY. FATHER, AND WE ASK THAT YOUR GUIDANCE FOR THIS LEADERSHIP, AS THEY GATHER, DELIBERATE AND MAKE DECISIONS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, GRANT THEM THE WISDOM, LIKE KING SOLOMON, THAT THEY MAY DISCERN WHAT IS RIGHT AND JUST.
GIVE THEM COURAGE TO STAND FOR TRUTH, HUMILITY, AND LISTEN TO ONE ANOTHER IN INTEGRITY, AND ACTS IN ALL THE BEST INTERESTS OF THOSE WHO REPRESENT. HELP THEM TO SET ASIDE PERSONAL AGENDAS AND POLITICAL DIFFERENCES, AND TO SEEK THE COMMON GOOD FOR ALL THE SHINES FOR YOU AND ALL THAT THEY DO. FATHER, MAY THEY DISCUSS DISCUSSIONS. BE MARKED WITH RESPECT, PATIENCE, AND A SINCERE DESIRE. ABILITY TO BUILD UNITY AND HONOR IN ALL THAT YOU DO AND ALL THAT THEY DO FOR YOU. FATHER, BLESS OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR NATION AND ALL THOSE WHO ARE IN LEADERSHIP ROLES. MAY OUR WORK TODAY PROMOTE JUSTICE, PEACE, PROSPERITY, AND MOST OF ALL, HONOR AND GLORIFY YOUR NAME. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. ALRIGHT. THANK
[III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES]
YOU, PASTOR HARPER, FOR THE PRAYER. THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA IN THE MINUTES. SO FIRST WE HAVE THE APPROVAL OF THE FINAL AGENDA. I WILL SEEK A MOTION TO APPROVE. SO MOVED I DO. I HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. OKAY. ALL ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? NO. NOT SHOWING YET.AGAIN. THERE. OKAY. SO WE HAD A MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? YOU'VE GOT ONE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO COMMISSIONER JOHNSON. YEAH, I'VE ALREADY MADE THE MOTION. YOUR MISSION. I'LL BEAR WITH US JUST ONE MOMENT. ALRIGHT. YEAH. OKAY.
ALL RIGHT, SO WE HAVE A MOTION TO MAKE IT. YOU HAD TO MAKE A MOTION I SECOND. ALRIGHT, I SECOND IT. OKAY. IT SAYS ALL VOTES HAVE BEEN CAST. WE ARE DOING THE AGENDA. OKAY. WHAT'S THE NEXT ONE. OKAY OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE APPROVED THE AGENDA. THE FINAL AGENDA DO I.
THE NEXT ITEM IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE TROUP COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION, WHICH WAS HELD ON FEBRUARY THE 3RD, 2026. DO I HAVE A MOTION? THEY BE APPROVED.
SO MOVED. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR IS STILL NOT DOING ANYTHING. ALRIGHT, LET'S DO THIS. WE HAVE AN OLD FASHIONED WAY. ALRIGHT. WHO? WHO MADE THE
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MOTION? COMMISSIONER SCOTT. COMMISSIONER THRAILKILL SECONDED. AND COMMISSIONER MCNAMEE VOTES IN FAVOR. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT. NEXT IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM TROUP COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOARD MEETING, WHICH WAS HELD ON FEBRUARY THE 3RD, 2026. DO I HAVE A MOTION? THEY BE APPROVED. SO MOVED. COMMISSIONERS. SECOND COMMISSIONER THRAILKILL SECONDS AND COMMISSIONER CAMIE VOTES FOR IT. MOTION IS CARRIED.[IV. Special Business]
ALRIGHT. NEXT SECTION IS SPECIAL BUSINESS. SO AT THIS TIME I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE COUNTY MANAGER. THANK YOU. CHAIRMAN. COMMISSIONERS. FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION TO APPLY FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH COURT FY 27 GRANT. THE TOTAL AMOUNT FOR THE GRANT IS $215,849.20. THERE IS A 50% MATCH THAT WILL COME FROM THE DATE FUND AS WELL AS THE CITY OF LAGRANGE. THAT AMOUNT IS $36,792 AND $0.48. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT. IF NOT, THEN I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE REQUEST. APPLY FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH COURT FY 27 GRANT IN THE AMOUNT. TOTAL AMOUNT OF $215,849.29. SO, MR. CHAIR, DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIED. ALL RIGHT. ITEM TWO IS THE CONSIDERATION OF THE TROUP COUNTY FAMILY TREATMENT COURT. FY 27 OPERATING GRANT.THAT GRANT IS IN THE OF $252,464, $61.41, WITH A MATCH COMING FROM THE DATE FUND IN THE AMOUNT OF $43,033.19. ALL RIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS? IF NOT, THEN I'LL SEEK APPROVAL FOR THE REQUEST TO APPLY FOR THE TROUP COUNTY FAMILY TREATMENT COURT. FY 2727 OPERATING GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $252,461.41. DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. DO I HAVE A SECOND, SIR? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. ITEM C IS THE CONSIDERATION TO APPLY FOR THE DUI AND DRUG COURT FOR FY 27. THAT GRANT AMOUNT IS. $210. TWO. YOU PULL THAT UP, GUYS. $210,118.06. $0.06. AND WITH THE MATCHING AMOUNT, THE DATE FUND AT $35,815.58. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? IF NOT, THEN I'LL SEEK APPROVAL OF MOTION THAT WE APPLY FOR THE DUI DRUG COURT FY 27 GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $210,118.06. MAKE A MOTION. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. RIGHT. ITEM D IS THE THE FINAL GRANT FOR THAT SECTION, WHICH IS THE TROUP COUNTY DRUG COURT FY 27 OPERATING GRANT. THAT AMOUNT IS $369,630.85, WITH THE MATCHING FUNDS COMING FROM THE DATE FUND IN THE AMOUNT OF $63,005.26. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. IF NOT, THEN I WILL SEEK APPROVAL OF THE MOTION THAT WE APPROVE FOR THE TROUP COUNTY DRUG COURT TO APPLY FOR THE FY 2027 OPERATING GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $369,630.85. DO I HAVE A MOTION SO MOVED? DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. ITEM E IS THE REQUEST FROM THE ROAD DEPARTMENT TO PURCHASE A USED BUCKET TRUCK IN THE AMOUNT OF $84,900 FROM ALL TECH NEW NEWS. THE MONEY WOULD COME FROM SPLOST FIVE. THAT.
DID YOU GET IT WORKED OUT? YES, SIR. OKAY. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. IF NOT, I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE ROAD DEPARTMENT'S REQUEST TO PURCHASE A USED BUCKET TRUCK. MAKE A MOTION. ALL RIGHT. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALL RIGHT. ITEM F IS THE CONSIDERATION OF
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THE GDOT TRANSIT TRUST FUND PROGRAM AND THE AMOUNT OF $90,082. THIS IS FOR TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS FOR TROOP TRANSIT. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.IF NOT, THEN I WILL SEEK APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST TO APPLY FOR THE GDOT TT GRANT.
TRANSPORTATION GRANT FOR FY 2026, IN THE AMOUNT OF $90,082. DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED.
ALL RIGHT. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION IS RIGHT G IS THE CONSIDERATION OF SURPLUS VEHICLES EQUIPMENT. THIS MORNING GLENN BROUGHT FORTH THE LIST OF SURPLUS EQUIPMENT. TONIGHT WE WOULD ASK YOUR APPROVAL TO SURPLUS IT AND MOVE FORWARD WITH SALE ON GOV DEALS. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? RIGHT. HEARING NONE. THEN I WOULD SEEK APPROVAL OF THE MOTION THAT WE ALLOW THE GLENN ROAD PARK. WHO IS REQUESTING THAT I'M SORRY IT'S THE COUNTY. YEAH. THE TROUP COUNTY IS FINE. YES SIR. OKAY. THAT YEAH THAT WE APPROVE THE REQUEST TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE BID PROPOSAL FOR THE SURPLUS VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT. DO I HAVE A MOTION? MR. CHAIRMAN? WOULD BE A MOTION TO TO DISPOSE, DECLARE THE PROPERTY SURPLUS AND TO AUTHORIZE DISPOSAL WITH BY GOV DEALS. SO I WOULD I WOULD SEEK A MOTION TO APPROVE THAT WE DECLARE THOSE VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT SURPLUS AND ALLOW THEM TO MOVE FORWARD WITH DISPOSING OF THOSE ITEMS. DO I HAVE A MOTION? MAKE A MOTION.
ALL RIGHT. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
MOTION IS CARRIED. RIGHT. ITEM H IS THE REQUEST BROUGHT FORWARD BY MR. ANDERSON EARLIER TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE BID PROCESS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW CLUBHOUSE AT FIRST TEE.
THIS IS. WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT ASKING YOU TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PURCHASE. WE'RE JUST ASKING YOU TO TO ALLOW US TO GAIN PRICING THAT WE CAN BRING FORWARD TO YOU ALL, PROBABLY IN ABOUT 30 TO 45 DAYS. ALL RIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS? HOW WAS HOW WAS HE GOING? PUT THE BID OUT. THE BIDS WOULD BE POSTED ON THE STATE WEBSITE AS WELL AS THE COUNTY WEBSITE AS AS PER STATE REGULATIONS OPEN TO ANYBODY. YES, SIR. OKAY, OKAY, OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT. IF NOT, THEN I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE REQUEST TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE BID PROPOSAL FOR CONSTRUCTING A NEW CLUBHOUSE AT THE FIRST TEE. SO MOVE, MR. CHAIR. ALRIGHT. DO I HAVE A SECOND, SIR? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. ITEM I IS THE CONSIDERATION FOR ROOF REPLACEMENT FOR TROUP COUNTY LAGRANGE. CALLAWAY AIRPORT FOR THE AIRPORT MAINTENANCE HANGAR. IT IS OUR RECOMMENDATION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH MCCULLOUGH METAL WORKS IN THE AMOUNT OF $91,029. THIS FUNDING WOULD COME FROM THE AIRPORT FUND. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. IF NOT, THEN I WILL SEEK A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE ROOF REPLACEMENT FOR THE TROUP COUNTY LAGRANGE CALLAWAY AIRPORT FOR ONE OF THE MAINTENANCE AIRPLANE MAINTENANCE HANGAR. SO DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. ITEM J IS TO REQUEST APPROVAL TO APPLY FOR THE CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING FUNDING PROGRAM FOR A DIGITAL SCANNER FOR THE TROUP COUNTY JAIL. THE AMOUNT FOR THE GRANT WOULD BE $170,000. AND AGAIN, WE'RE ONLY ASKING FOR PERMISSION TO APPLY. I WOULD ASK DENISE IF IF YOU COULD PLEASE GET US MAYBE SOME OF THE CONTACTS YOU HAVE AT THE CONGRESSMAN'S OFFICE. SURE WOULD BE NICE. WE COULD REACH OUT TO HIM. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, THEN I'M. I'D LIKE TO SEEK THE MOTION. DO WE APPROVE FOR FOR THE US TO APPLY FOR THE CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING FUNDING FOR DIGITAL SCANNER AT THE TROUP COUNTY JAIL? DO I HAVE A. LET'S COVER 100% OF IT, BECAUSE. YES, SIR. YOU WILL. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. SO
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MOVED. OH. I'M SORRY. YOU GOT IT, I SECOND IT. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT.THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALL RIGHT. FOR ITEM K. IT JUST BECAUSE OF THE THE OUR CURRENT AUDIENCE, IT MIGHT NOT BE A BAD IDEA TO HAVE CAPTAIN TAYLOR COME UP AND MAYBE TALK ABOUT THIS NEXT GRANT, WHICH IS THE APPLICATION FOR THE HEAT PROGRAM. YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. I GUESS I CAN TURN TO FACE THE AUDIENCE AS LONG AS THE MIC YOU CAN TALK TO THE MICROPHONE. THIS IS WHERE APPLYING FOR THE HEAT GRANT AND HEAT GRANT IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN IN EFFECT FOR, I'D SAY, MAYBE 20 YEARS TO THE STATE OF GEORGIA, BUT IT'S THE HIGHWAY ENFORCEMENT AND AGGRESSIVE TRAFFIC GRANT, CAPTAIN. BASICALLY, YOU MIGHT STAND ON THIS SIDE. SURE. AND THEN THAT WAY YOU CAN SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE. THERE YOU GO. BASICALLY, WHAT THAT WILL DO WILL ALLOW US TO TO THE STATE, WILL FUND US TO ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC UNITS SO THAT WE CAN DEPLOY THOSE ON, ON ROADWAYS OF CONCERN, SUCH AS THE ADAMS ROAD AND SHOEMAKER HIGHWAY 18 WHERE BARTLEY ROAD, THOSE AREAS OVER THERE. SO WE CAN PUT A LITTLE MORE A FEW MORE UNITS ON THE ROAD. IT'S A $370,000 GRANT FOR THE FIRST YEAR WITH THE STATE FUNDS, US FOR THE VEHICLES AND EVERY BIT OF THE EQUIPMENT IN THE VEHICLES AS WELL AS OFFICER SALARIES. SO THAT'S IN A NUTSHELL. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO DO MORE, TRYING TO PUT MORE OUT THERE. OKAY. YES, SIR. THANK YOU.
HELLO. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO WILL YOU FIND OUT WHERE YOU GET THE GRANT OR NOT? IF WE GET THE GRANT, IT WILL BEGIN IN OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR. SO I THINK WE'D FIND OUT. AUGUST. SEPTEMBER, PROBABLY. WELL, LET ME COMMEND YOU ALL FOR MAKING THAT DECISION. LET US WORK ON IT, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR US COUNTYWIDE, AND PARTICULARLY IN SOME OF THE AREAS THAT'S OF GREAT INTEREST, SOME OF OUR CITIZENS TONIGHT. SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. IF NOT, THEN I WOULD SEEK APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST FOR US TO BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR THE HEAT GRANT FUNDING FOR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVE GRANT FUNDING TO BE APPROXIMATELY $370,761.20. DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
MOTION IS CARRIED. RIGHT. ITEM L IS THE PERMISSION TO ACCEPT THE GMA HOMELAND SECURITY EOD, K9 GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $13,700. ALL RIGHT, ANY QUESTIONS? NO MATCH, NO MATCH.
YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT, IF NO OTHER QUESTIONS, THEN I SEEK APPROVAL FOR US TO ACCEPT THE GMA HOMELAND SECURITY EOD SLASH K9 GRANT AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $13,700. DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. MR. CHAIR. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
MOTION IS CARRIED. ALL RIGHT. ITEM M IS CONSIDERATION TO APPROVE THE STOP THE BLEED GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $4,083.74. THIS IS TO DEPLOY 46 KITS AT $87.69. IT ALSO INCLUDES SOME REQUIRED TRAINING FOR OUR LOCAL DEPARTMENTS ON HOW TO UTILIZE THE DEVICES. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. IF NOT, THEN I WILL SEEK A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE FOR US TO APPLY FOR THE STOP THE BLEED GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $4,033.74. DO I HAVE A MOTION SO MOVED? DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALL RIGHT.
ITEM N IS A DISCUSSION OVER CITIZEN CONCERNS REGARDING ADAMS ROAD. AND I THOUGHT I MIGHT LET COMMISSIONER SCOTT, DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THE LEAD ON THIS ONE? YEAH. AS WE KNOW, ADAMS ROAD HAS BEEN AN ONGOING CHALLENGE FOR A LONG TIME NOW. AND WHEN I CAME INTO OFFICE LAST JANUARY, I WAS APPROACHED BY SOME OF THE CITIZENS IN THAT AREA, AND WE STARTED DISCUSSIONS AND THEY INFORMED ME OF ALL THE DIFFERENT WORKING WITH THE ROAD DEPARTMENTS, THE MARSHAL DEPARTMENT, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, SEVERAL THINGS DURING THAT TIME DIFFERENT SIGNS, SPEED LIMITS, STUDIES, STOP SIGNS HAVE BEEN PUT UP AT A THREE WAY STOP THINK. RUMBLE
[00:20:03]
STRIPS WERE PUT DOWN AT ONE TIME AND FLASHING THE RADAR SIGNS TO SHOW YOUR SPEED. ALL THAT WAS DONE THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. AND AND SO IN JANUARY WHEN I CAME IN, I STARTED TALKING WITH SOME OF THE CITIZENS DOWN THERE, AND THEY SAID THAT NONE OF THE THE STUFF HAD ACTUALLY WORKED. EVERYTHING THE SAME ISSUE. THE ONLY THING THAT HAD CAME UP IS AS THAT ONE OF THE STORMS ACTUALLY CLOSED THE BRIDGE AT THAT POINT FROM THE THREE WAY STOP ON, THEN BECAME THE SITUATION GOT BETTER, BUT IT IT DIVERTED THE TRAFFIC THEN TO GERALD HARGROVE. SO THEN I WAS TALKING WITH CITIZENS ON GERALD HARGROVE FOR THE SPEEDING, THE TRASH AND RECKLESS DRIVING COMPLAINTS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE BRIDGE WAS CLOSED. SO WITH THAT BEING IN MIND, WE HAD A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ABOUT, I GUESS IT WAS ABOUT A MIDDLE OF LAST YEAR, AND AT THAT TIME INVITED MANY OF THE PUBLIC TO COME AND SPEAK. AND AFTER THE PLAN, AFTER THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PART WAS DONE AND THEY AGAIN SHOWED THEIR CONCERNS, VOICED THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT IT. AND SO ONE OF THE CITIZENS THERE TURNED A NICE BINDER IN OF RECOMMENDATIONS IF WE WOULD FOLLOW THOSE. AND SINCE, YOU KNOW, HE SAID, IF WE CAN'T CLOSE THE ACCESS POINT FROM 18 AND ADAMS ROAD, COULD WE DO THESE THINGS? AND WE FOLLOWED EVERYTHING IN THE BINDER. JAMES HAD A COPY OF IT, COUNTY MANAGER DID, AND MANY OF THE COMMISSIONERS SAW IT, AND WE WORKED AT EVERY ONE OF THOSE. AND WE PUT THE RADAR DETECTOR SIGNS BACK UP. WE DID SPEED STUDIES. WE WERE STILL GETTING ISSUES WITH SOME LITTER AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THE MARSHALS WERE LOOKING INTO THAT PART. AND AFTER ALL THAT, CONSIDERING STILL HAD THE RECKLESS DRIVING GOING ON, THE SPEEDING GOING ON AND SO CALLED ANOTHER MEETING. WELL, AT THAT TIME, THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, CAPTAIN TAYLOR, WE MET MANY TIMES ON WHAT COULD BE THE TO CALL. I MEAN, WHAT WE COULD DO TO BRING A STOP TO SOME OR SINCE EVERYTHING ELSE HADN'T WORKED, WHAT COULD WE DO? AND THE ONLY THING THAT AT THAT POINT WAS, IS TO CLOSE THE ACCESS POINT AT 18, AND THAT WOULD DIVERT TRAFFIC ON INTO.THIS IS AFTER ALL THE ROUNDABOUTS AND EVERYTHING BEEN COMPLETED ON HIGHWAY 18. AND THAT WOULD BE A STRAIGHT SHOT THAT THEN WOULD TAKE STRAIGHT ON TO THE PARKWAY, KIA BOULEVARD, ANYWHERE THEY NEED TO GO. IN THAT AREA. THE STATE SPENT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO MAKE THESE MAKE IT A SAFE ROUTE. AND SO WHEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT WORK WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR STEEL ON IT, A LOT OF MEETINGS CAME ABOUT. AND THEN JUST A COUPLE ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO, WE HAD ANOTHER COMMUNITY MEETING AT THE GRAY HILL COMMUNITY CENTER.
AGAIN, AT THAT POINT, FROM STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS AND MY RECOMMENDATION ALSO, WE BROUGHT FORTH THE IDEA OF CLOSING THE ACCESS POINT THERE AT 18 AND ADAMS ROAD. PRESENTED THAT TO THE TO THE PUBLIC. IT WAS RECEIVED BY EVERYONE. WELL, ONE PERSON THERE IS ONLY THING ABOUT IT WAS HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BRIDGE WAS REOPENED. IF THAT IF THAT WAS TO TO HAPPEN. I DID TALK WITH THE OWNER OF THE WINERY. HE WAS IN SUPPORT. OF COURSE, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, THIS IS NOT WHAT OUR FIRST CHOICE OF WHAT WE WANT TO DO. BUT BEING THE PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS AND EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN GOING ON THE LAST 16 YEARS, IT WAS THE RECOMMENDATION AND AND EVERYBODY ACCEPTED IT. SO, MISTER CHAIR, TONIGHT, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS HAVE ONE MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR MANY OF THE PUBLIC ARE HERE, WHETHER FOR OR AGAINST, TO COME UP. AND THEN MAYBE AFTER THAT HAVE CAPTAIN TAYLOR ONE MORE TIME AS FAR AS THE SHERIFF DEPARTMENT BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN, YOU KNOW, HOW CHANGE CLOSING THIS WOULD HELP ON ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY SIDE. OKAY. SO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS OPEN UP AT THIS TIME FOR ANYONE TO TO COME FORTH AND SPEAK. IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE, WE'D LIKE TO GET WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO GIVE US YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD. SO WE'RE JUST GOING TO OPEN IT UP FOR ANYBODY, WHETHER YOU'RE PRO OR CON, WE'RE NOT GOING TO. A LOT OF TIMES WE GO ONE WAY, WE'LL LET THE PROS GO FIRST, THEN THE CONS GO SECOND. WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT TONIGHT.
WE'RE JUST GOING TO ALLOW ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO TO PLEASE COME UP AND SPEAK. JUST AGAIN, PLEASE GIVE US YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR RECORD. SO I'LL OPEN UP THE FLOOR AT THIS TIME.
MISTER CHAIRMAN. ALL RIGHT. YES, SIR. DID YOU WANT TO GIVE SOME FOLKS PARAMETERS AS TO TIME LIMITS? YES, THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THAT'S WHY WE RETAIN AN
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ATTORNEY. AS A GENERAL RULE. WHAT WE DO IS WE LIKE TO LOOK AT THREE MINUTES FOR EVERYONE, OKAY? BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A LARGE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE. WE COULD BE HERE A LONG, LONG TIME. SO WE TRY TO BE RESPECTFUL. AND EVERYBODY GIVEN THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. AND SO YES, SIR, THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME OF THAT. SO I THINK WE HAD SOMEONE THAT WANTED TO SPEAK FIRST. MR. CHAIRMAN, YOU WANT ME TO FACE THAT WAY? NO. YOU CAN FACE. YEAH, YEAH. MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE MAKING NAMES. EDWIN MAIDEN. I OWN A TRACK OF LAND THERE OFF ADAMS ROAD ON CHATTAHOOCHEE TIMBER COMPANY. I LIVE AT 2996 HIGHWAY 100, GREENVILLE, GEORGIA. WE'RE IN THE FORESTRY BUSINESS. THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY WE'VE OWNED FOR ABOUT EIGHT YEARS. WE USE IT STRICTLY AS A TREE FARM TO GROW TIMBER ON, WHICH IS A LARGE PART OF OUR BUSINESS. AND I RECEIVED THE LETTER ABOUT CLOSING ADAMS ROAD THAT YOU SENT OUT. I RECEIVED THE FIRST PART OF JANUARY. I WAS OUT OF TOWN WHEN YOU HAD THE MEETING AT GRAY HILL. MY CONCERN INGRESS AND EGRESS WITH SEMI TRUCKS IN THE WAY THAT WE'VE ALWAYS COME OUT, WE'VE ALWAYS COME BACK OUT TO HIGHWAY 18 BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THE TIMBER GOES BACK WEST TO MEALS IN ALABAMA. THAT IS THE SAFEST WAY FOR US TO TRAVEL. LAST TIME WE CUT DOWN THERE, THE BRIDGE WAS NOT IN. IT WAS OUT. LAST TIME WE CUT WAS AFTER THE TORNADOES CAME THROUGH. WE HAD TO CUT SOME STORM DAMAGE WOOD. MY BIGGEST QUESTION IS, IS ABOUT THE BRIDGE. WHEN WILL THE BRIDGE REOPEN AND WILL THAT BRIDGE HAVE A WEIGHT LIMIT? THAT'S THE STATE LAW WEIGHT LIMIT OF 88,000 POUNDS THAT WE CAN HAUL THAT WOOD ACROSS. BECAUSE FOR US TO GO OUT GERALD HOGG ROAD, BACK TO BARTLEY ROAD, ONE THING WE CAN'T MAKE THE TURN AT GERALD HOGG AND BARTLEY AND GO BACK TO THE WEST. YOU CAN'T MAKE THAT TURN WITH A BIG TRUCK. SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO KNOW FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WILL BE OUR OPTIONS FOR HAUL ROUTES IN THE FUTURE. WILL THE BRIDGE BE BACK OPEN BEFORE ADAMS ROAD IS CLOSED? I PROBABLY WOULD DEFER TO OUR COUNTY ENGINEER. SURE. BE GLAD TO HELP ANSWER THAT, MR. CHAIRMAN. THE PLAN AS IT WAS PROPOSED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, WOULD BE THAT WE WOULD REOPEN THE BRIDGE WITH REPAIRS, JUST REPAIRING THE DAMAGE FROM THE STORM, AND THAT WOULD HAPPEN ON THE SAME DATE THAT THE TRAFFIC PATTERN WOULD CHANGE TO CLOSE OFF THE ACCESS FROM ADAMS ROAD TO STATE ROUTE 18. THE BRIDGE IS ALSO PROGRAMED FOR A FULL REPLACEMENT BY GEORGIA DOT AS A AS A STATE PROJECT, AND THAT THAT CONSTRUCTION IS NOT EXPECTED FOR OVER A YEAR FROM NOW. IN BETWEEN, THE BRIDGE WOULD BE STILL POSTED AS IT HAS BEEN ALL ALONG AT A WEIGHT LIMIT THAT WOULD NOT ALLOW LOADED SEMI TRUCKS TO CROSS.AFTER THE BRIDGE IS REPLACED, IT WOULD HAVE NO NO POSTING, SO IT WOULD BE LEGAL FOR ANY LEGAL LOAD TO CROSS THE BRIDGE. OKAY, SO I CAN MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND TIMELINE. THEN THE BRIDGE THE CONSTRUCTION ON THE NEW BRIDGE WOULD BEGIN A YEAR YOU SAY A YEAR, AT LEAST A YEAR CURRENTLY.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM GEORGIA DOT THAT THAT PROJECT WOULD BE OVER A YEAR OUT, AND THEN IT'LL TAKE APPROXIMATELY HOW LONG TO BUILD THE BRIDGE. LESS THAN A YEAR, PROBABLY ABOUT NINE MONTHS. THERE WOULD BE A ROAD CLOSURE WHILE THE BRIDGE IS BEING REPLACED. OKAY, SO CURRENTLY IF WE MAKE THE REPAIRS, THAT'S ONE OF THE ISSUES WE'VE BEEN WRESTLING WITH IS WE KNEW WE COULD MAKE SOME. I'LL CALL THEM MINOR REPAIRS TO THE BRIDGE UNTIL THE STATE REBUILT THE BRIDGE. BUT I GUESS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS IF WE IF WE DO THE MINOR REPAIRS, IT'S NOT GOING TO OPEN THE BRIDGE UP FOR MR. MADAAN TO HAUL HIS TIMBER. AT THIS TIME, THAT BRIDGE HAS NEVER BEEN RATED HIGH ENOUGH TO ALLOW. WE'VE NEVER HAULED ACROSS IT.
OKAY, OKAY, OKAY. I CAN'T REMEMBER HOW MANY TIMES I ACTUALLY WENT THERE AND LOOKED THE OTHER DAY, BUT THE SIGN'S GONE. BUT I WANT TO SAY IT WAS TEN TONS, I THINK MAYBE 18.
MORE THAN TEN. WE'VE NEVER HAULED NOT ENOUGH. WE'VE ALWAYS GONE BACK TO THE SOUTH AND BACK TO 18. YOU NEED THAT BRIDGE TO GET BACK. IF IF 18 WERE CLOSED. YES. YEAH. WE CAN GO BACK TO SHOEMAKER ROAD AND GO BACK TO 18 HIGHWAY, YOU KNOW. AND AND I'M HERE, YOU KNOW, I WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. NUMBER ONE, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT MY ACCESS ISN'T IMPEDED. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT CRAZY ABOUT CLOSING ANY ROAD AND LOSING ANY ACCESS. BUT
[00:30:04]
I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE RESIDENTS ARE GOING THROUGH, YOU KNOW, AND I WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE WITHIN THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT I'M NOT LOSING ANY OF MY ACCESS POINT EITHER. WHAT'S YOUR. JAMES HAS ANSWERED A LOT OF MY QUESTION THERE, YOU KNOW, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT WHEN THE BRIDGE, IN FACT, IS PUT BACK IN WITH A FULL REDO, THAT IT WILL NOT HAVE A WEIGHT LIMIT, BUT THAT COULD BE TWO YEARS. OKAY, WELL, Y'ALL VOTE ON THIS TONIGHT. IS THAT THAT'S THE PLAN IS TO VOTE TO CLOSE TONIGHT. WELL, I CAME OUT YOU KNOW, I WANT A SOLUTION THAT WORKS FOR EVERYBODY. THAT'S WHAT I WANT. BUT I WANT JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THAT I'M GOING TO HAVE ACCESS TO DO WHAT I NEED TO DO. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, IF YOU CLOSE ADAMS ROAD AND I'VE GOT TO CUT TIMBER, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO WORK MY WAY OUT ANOTHER WAY. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN GET TO BE A TRICKY POINT WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH COUNTIES. YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF TIMBER. AND TROUP COUNTY OVER THE YEARS HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH EVERYBODY. BUT JUST WITH THE UNDERSTANDING OF KNOWING, HEY, YOU'VE GOT TO GIVE ME A WAY TO GET OUT. IF THE BRIDGE IS NOT IS IF NOT AT FULL REPAIR, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT TO GO OUT. GERALD HOGG. IF I GOT TO GO BACK WALDREP ROAD, IF I GOT TO GO BACK TO 19, YOU KNOW, WITH BIG TRUCKS, THE RESIDENTS UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF THERE AND GET THROUGH THERE. WHEN'S YOUR NEXT PLAN CUT? I DON'T HAVE ANY PLAN RIGHT NOW, BUT YOU DON'T EVER KNOW. I WAS NOT PLANNING ON CUTTING WHEN WE HAD THAT TORNADO IN 23, BUT WE HAD A LOT OF STORM DAMAGE, SO WE HAD TO GO IN AND CLEAN ALL THAT UP AT THAT TIME. AND, YOU KNOW, SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY PLAN RIGHT NOW FOR ANY FUTURE HARVEST WITHIN THE NEXT THREE YEARS. SO IF I WOULD SAY RIGHT NOW, WE'D BE ABOUT THREE YEARS BEFORE WE HAD A PLANNED HARVEST. IF EVERYTHING GOES LIKE IT SHOULD. GOOD WITH THAT. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU GUYS. KERRY FRANKS, 947 ADAMS ROAD.MR. DOES A VERY GOOD POINT. VERY GOOD POINT. AND HE'S BASICALLY SAYING HE MIGHT HAVE THREE YEARS TO GET DONE. WHAT WE NEED DONE THAT MIGHT WORK. I DON'T KNOW. ALSO IF YOU IF YOU VOTE TONIGHT YOU VOTED 100% ON EVERYTHING. WE NEED TO MAKE IT 100% ON EVERYTHING TONIGHT. AND THAT'S GETTING PEOPLE TO GIVE US A LOT OF MONEY. ARE YOU GOING TO DO THAT? NO, NO, I WON'T GET DOWN IN THE WEEDS OF EVERYTHING'S HAPPENED BECAUSE YOU GUYS ALL KNOW IT. I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE. WE DID ASK FOR, GAVE YOU SUGGESTIONS AND SAID THINGS WE'D LIKE TO GET DONE. YOU DID EVERY POSSIBLE THING YOU COULD. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. ALL YOU GUYS DID IT. THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, EVERYBODY DID A GREAT JOB. WE COULD NOT HAVE ASKED FOR ANYTHING ELSE TO OUR VIEW. AND I'M NOT TALKING. I'M JUST TALKING FOR THE PEOPLE THAT I KNOW. WE'RE ALMOST THERE. WE'RE REAL CLOSE. IT'S LIKE BEING ON THE ONE YARD LINE. I GUESS IF WE COULD FIGURE OUT A WAY TO. WE DON'T WANT TO HURT OUR NEIGHBORS. WE DON'T WANT TO HURT SOMEBODY'S INCOME. BUT I THINK BASED ON WHAT YOU'RE HEARING, YOU GUYS CAN FIGURE OUT THE BEST PLAN OF ACTION. IT MAY BE NOT CLOSING THE ROAD, I MEAN, NOT CLOSING IT PERMANENTLY, BUT MAYBE PUT UP THE BARRICADE ON 18, JUST SLOW PEOPLE DOWN. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S POSSIBLE. IF WE CAN'T GO WITH CLOSING THE ROAD, WE PUT UP BARRICADES. IT WORKED ON THE BRIDGE. NOBODY. NOBODY GOES DOWN THERE ANYMORE. YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT ALSO. BUT JUST, I GUESS, BEST, BEST, BEST WAY I CAN SAY IT IS WE JUST APPRECIATE EVERYTHING I'VE DONE AND LISTEN TO US. AND LET'S PLEASE DON'T STOP. LET'S JUST KEEP TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT AND MAKE IT WORK FOR EVERYBODY. YOU CAN. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK? RIGHT, JAMES, ONE OF MY CONCERNS THROUGH THIS WHOLE THING HAS BEEN SAFETY OF IT. AND WE GOT CAN YOU SHOW THEM VIDEOS THAT WE HAD. YES.
THERE WAS. YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE VIDEO THAT AND JUST GIVES US A SAMPLE OF WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON DOWN THERE. SARAH FRANKS, SHE HAS A RING CAMERA ON HER FENCE GATE NEAR WHERE THE BUS PICKS UP HER DAUGHTER. AND THAT THAT RING VIDEO IS CAPTURED. A COUPLE OF GOOD EXAMPLES OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'VE SEEN. HERE'S ONE THAT I CAN PUT ON THE SCREEN THAT
[00:35:02]
SHOWS THE BRIDGE. EXCUSE ME. THE BUS STOPPED, STOPPING TO PICK UP STUDENT AND A CAR PASSING BY. RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT. I CAN BACK THIS UP. LET'S SEE. JUST AS THE BUS STOPS, YOU SEE A CAR PASS THE STOPPED BUS AND THAT CAR HAD JUST PASSED TWO CARS THAT WERE ALREADY STOPPING FOR THAT BUS. AND YOU'LL SEE THOSE TWO CARS PASSED BY AS THE BUS STARTS TO MOVE ON. TWO. AND THEN THERE WAS A THIRD CAR BY THAT TIME THAT HAD PULLED UP BEHIND THOSE TWO. AND SO THAT WAS PARTIALLY FROM EYE WITNESS EXPLANATIONS OF WHAT WHAT WE WERE SEEING, PLUS WHAT WE CAUGHT ACTUALLY ON ON THE VIDEO.THANK YOU. JAMES, CAN YOU GO BACK? I THINK IT WAS 2017. I'M KIND OF THE FIRST TIME I REMEMBER TRYING TO LOOK AT OPTIONS. RUMBLE STRIPS WAS SOMETHING WE LOOKED AT AT THAT TIME IN 2017. CAN CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DID AND SOME OF THE THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THE RUMBLE STRIPS? CAN THE RUMBLE STRIPS THAT WERE INSTALLED WERE IN RESPONSE TO A CONCERN THAT DRIVERS WERE NOT STOPPING AT THE STOP SIGN AT ADAMS ROAD AND STATE ROUTE 18 AS THEY APPROACHED STATE ROUTE 18 ALONG ADAMS ROAD. IF THEY'RE, SAY, SOUTHBOUND ALONG ADAMS ROAD, THERE'S A FAIRLY SHARP CURVE AND THEN A STOP SIGN AT STATE ROUTE 18. THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF CRASHES AT THAT INTERSECTION. AT LEAST ONE FATAL MAYBE, MAYBE MORE THAN ONE FATAL CRASH AT THAT INTERSECTION. AND THERE WAS A DECISION TO INSTALL RUMBLE STRIPS, WHICH WOULD HELP, POTENTIALLY HELP A DRIVER THAT IS SOUTHBOUND ON ADAMS ROAD TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE STOP AHEAD SIGN AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE STOP SIGN, WE ARE CONCERNED ANYTIME THERE'S A REQUEST TO INSTALL RUMBLE STRIPS, THAT THOSE COULD BE A REAL ANNOYANCE TO THE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE CLOSE BY TO THOSE RUMBLE STRIPS, BECAUSE THEY MAKE A LOT OF NOISE EVERY TIME A VEHICLE RUNS OVER THEM. THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THEM. AND WE INSTALLED THE RUMBLE STRIPS IN THE AREA LEADING UP TO THAT APPROACH, AND WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED GETTING CALLS AND COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE NOISE. AND COMMISSIONERS MADE THE DECISION TO TAKE THE RUMBLE STRIPS BACK UP AT THAT POINT. AND SO WE TOOK THE RUMBLE STRIPS BACK UP.
THEY WEREN'T DOWN FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, I THINK. AND IT WAS, I BELIEVE, NOVEMBER OF 2019. OKAY. WHEN THAT HAPPENED. YEAH. I'M SORRY. 19 OTHER LOCATIONS AROUND THE COUNTY WHERE RUMBLE STRIPS WERE INSTALLED. THERE WERE A LOT OF RUMBLE STRIPS THAT WERE INSTALLED BY GEORGIA DOT ALL OVER TROUP COUNTY ON APPROACHES TO STATE HIGHWAYS, AND THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE THAT COMES TO MY MIND WHERE AFTER THEY WERE INSTALLED, THERE WAS A RESIDENT CLOSE BY WHO WHO WAS TERRIBLY ANNOYED BY THEM AND COULDN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT. AND IT WAS JUST A CONSTANT, CONSTANT PROBLEM. AND AND WE ASKED DOT IF WE COULD REMOVE THOSE AND THEY, THEY ALLOWED US TO REMOVE THOSE. THOSE ARE NOT SOMETHING THAT THE, THE STANDARDS THAT WE USE WOULD, WOULD EVER ABSOLUTELY REQUIRE. IT'S MORE OF A, IT'S MORE OF A STANDARD THAT SAYS YOU MAY WANT TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. IT'S NOT A STANDARD THAT SAYS YOU SHALL DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. AND SO IT WAS LEFT MORE UP TO ENGINEERING JUDGMENT. AND IN THAT CASE, THE JUDGMENT WAS THAT THEY WERE NOT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND BE REMOVED AND SAME, SAME CASE HERE. THE STOP SIGN IS REALLY ALL THAT'S TYPICALLY REQUIRED OF AN INTERSECTION LIKE THAT.
AND IF THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH LINE OF SIGHT LEADING UP TO A STOP SIGN, THEN A STOP AHEAD
[00:40:03]
SIGN IS RECOMMENDED. AND WE'VE GOT STOP AHEAD SIGNS AND STOP SIGNS. AND SO ACCORDING TO THE STANDARDS, WE'RE WE'RE SAFE AT THAT POINT. WE'VE EVEN GONE TO A BLINKING STOP AHEAD SIGN AT THAT LOCATION. IT FLASHES 24 HOURS A DAY. IT FLASHES. A COUPLE ACCIDENTS THERE. HAS IT BEEN AN ISSUE WITH THE LINE OF SIGHT AT THAT INTERSECTION ON A SITE AT THAT INTERSECTION IS SOMEWHAT LIMITED, BUT I BELIEVE WE'VE MEASURED IT BEFORE AND IT ACTUALLY MEETS MINIMUM STANDARDS. IT'S NOT. IT'S NOT SO MUCH OF A PROBLEM OF IF IT DIDN'T MEET MINIMUM STANDARDS, YOU WOULD HAVE JUST CONSTANT CRASHES. IT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY CONSTANT, AS HIGH AS THE VOLUME IS THERE. BUT IT IT I BELIEVE, DOES MEET MINIMUM STANDARDS AS FAR AS STOPPING SIGHT DISTANCE.I DON'T KNOW IF IT MEETS INNER SOME OF THE OTHER STANDARDS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER STANDARD FOR INTERSECTIONS, BUT IT IT DOESN'T HAVE A CRASH COUNT. THAT'S THAT'S EXTREMELY HIGH COMPARED TO OTHER INTERSECTIONS WITH A SIMILAR TRAFFIC COUNT. WHEN WHEN THE TRAFFIC COUNT FOR ANY INTERSECTION GETS VERY HIGH, THE CRASH COUNT MOVES UP SOME AS WELL. ANY ANY INTERSECTION ANYWHERE IN TROUP COUNTY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE CRASH COUNT AND IT'S HIGH, IT'S GOING TO HAVE A HIGH TRAFFIC COUNT AS WELL. AND, YOU KNOW, WE CAN LOOK AT FACTORS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE ANY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OF THE DESIGN OF THE INTERSECTION THAT COULD EVER CONTRIBUTE TO A CRASH AND CORRECT THOSE, IF WE CAN. AND IN THE CASE OF THIS INTERSECTION, I'M NOT AWARE THAT THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS NECESSARILY A CONCERN FROM A TRAFFIC ENGINEERING STANDPOINT THAT WE WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY RIGHT THERE. YES, SIR. OKAY. IF YOU CAN COME BACK UP. YEAH. YEAH. NOTHING. ENGINEER. WE HAD ONE OF OUR PROPOSALS AND I'M CAN BE CORRECT BECAUSE IT DID HAVE A LOT OF NOISE. WE HAD PROPOSED TO YOU GUYS THAT YOU COULD BACK IT UP CLOSER TO THE HIGH BANKS ON OUR LAND TO BAFFLE THE NOISE, ONE SIDE CLOSER TO OUR ADDRESS, AND THEN ALSO ON THE GERALD HAUG ROAD SIDE. IT'S IN BETWEEN PASTURES. OUR COUSINS ON THE LAND. IT'S OFF KIND OF BY ITSELF TO HOPEFULLY TRY TO SLOW THOSE PEOPLE DOWN DOING 105, BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING A LOT ALL THE TIME. BUT THAT THAT THOSE TWO LOCATIONS WOULD BAFFLE THE SOUNDS. SO I THINK THAT WOULD HELP THAT OUT IF WE CAN'T MOVE FORWARD ON THE OTHER PROPOSAL. RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, SIR. APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE I DO KNOW I REMEMBER THE THE HOMEOWNER WHO EVER LIVED NEAR THOSE RUMBLE STRIPS WANTED THEM UP REAL QUICKLY. SO WE DIDN'T GET VERY MUCH TIME TO TEST THOSE. AND HE HAD JUST BOUGHT A HOUSE. OH, OKAY. SO AND THE OTHER THING I WANT TO ASK IS WE INSTALLED THE CAMERAS THAT RECORD THE SPEEDS. RIGHT. HAVE Y'ALL SEEN I MEAN, AND I KNOW WHAT HUMAN NATURE IS. THEY WORK PRETTY GOOD FOR A WHILE. AND THEN AFTER A WHILE, PEOPLE BEGIN TO JUST LOOK AT ANOTHER FLASHING SIGN. BUT WHAT IS THE DATA SHOWING US NOW? IT IT SHOWS THAT BEFORE WE PUT THOSE SIGNS UP, THERE WAS A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF DRIVERS THAT WERE MORE THAN TEN MILES PER HOUR OVER THE SPEED LIMIT AFTER THEY HAD BEEN THERE FOR MAYBE SIX WEEKS OR SO. WHEN WE ANALYZED THE DATA AGAIN, IT WAS A MUCH SMALLER PERCENTAGE, DOWN LESS THAN 2% OF THE DRIVERS THAT WERE MORE THAN TEN MILES PER HOUR OVER THE SPEED LIMIT. THE SPEED LIMIT ON GERALD HARGROVE WAS ALSO REDUCED FROM 55MPH TO 45MPH. AND SO FOR IT TO, YOU KNOW, TO REGISTER WITHIN THAT, THAT CRITERIA THAT WE SET, IT WOULD BE SOMEONE DRIVING OVER 55, AND IT WAS LESS THAN 2% THAT WERE DRIVING OVER 55. WE WE ANALYZED THESE KINDS OF DATA ALL OVER THE COUNTY ON ROADS EVERYWHERE. AND IT'S IT'S RARE TO SEE THAT LOW A PERCENTAGE EXCEEDING TEN MILES PER HOUR OVER. SO I THINK IT IT WAS VERY EFFECTIVE. BUT IF SOMEONE
[00:45:04]
DRIVES 105MPH DOWN THAT ROAD, THEY'RE LIKELY GOING TO CRASH. THEY CAN'T MAKE IT AROUND THAT CURVE AT 105MPH. AND I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY'RE DRIVING. ENGINEER PERSPECTIVE SOUND LIKE YOU'VE DONE QUITE A BIT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE SPECIFICALLY FOR THE CITIZENS. DO YOU FEEL WE'VE EXHAUSTED ALL EFFORTS IN TERMS OF TRYING TO RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM? IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE CAN DO? BECAUSE I'M HEARING WE'VE DONE ALMOST EVERYTHING SO WELL. I THINK THAT THE THE AGENDA ITEM THAT YOU HEARD JUST NOT LONG BEFORE THIS AGENDA ITEM TO APPLY FOR A HEAT GRANT IS ONE MORE THING THAT COULD COULD REALLY HELP IS MORE MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE AREA THAT'S JUST DEDICATED SPECIFICALLY TO THE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT. THAT'S ONE THING I KNOW THAT I'VE I'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR COMPLAINTS NOT ONLY HERE BUT ON OTHER ROADS AROUND THE COUNTY. AND I WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, GEORGIA STATE PATROL, ALL OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. AND I, I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT THEY CAN'T BE IN ALL PLACES AT ALL TIMES. AND THEY'LL REMIND ME OF THAT WHEN, YOU KNOW, ANYTIME I SUGGEST THAT MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT IS THE ANSWER, IT'S IT'S NEVER GOING TO BE POSSIBLE TO STOP EVERY SINGLE DRIVER FROM SPEEDING ON EVERY SINGLE ROAD AT ALL TIMES. AND SO I DON'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT YOU TO HEAR ME SAY THAT. BUT YEAH. AND THE FINAL QUESTION I HAD, AND IT MAY NOT BE FOR YOU, IT MAY BE FOR THE ATTORNEY. WHAT ARE THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS OF CLOSING THE ROAD? IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO AS A COUNTY, OR DO WE HAVE TO HAVE STATE SUPPORT WITH THAT? YEAH, I DON'T WANT TO MAKE A LEGAL. IT'S PROBABLY FOR THE ATTORNEY. RIGHT. YEAH. MR. MCCAMY, I NEED TO BE A LITTLE BIT CAREFUL HOW I ANSWER THIS QUESTION. I'M IN MY ROLE AS COUNSEL IS TO GIVE MY BEST LEGAL ADVICE TO THE BOARD. IN LOOKING AT THIS ISSUE, I DO NOT SEE ANY LEGAL AUTHORITY THAT WOULD ALLOW A COUNTY TO PERMANENTLY BARRICADE AND ACTIVELY USED ACCESS POINT ON A PUBLIC ROAD. DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? IT DOES, BECAUSE I'VE HAD A PHONE CALL WITH ONE CITIZEN SAID THAT THEY WOULD SUE THE COUNTY, AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTOOD THAT AND THAT IT WAS CLEAR. OKAY. WELL, JAMES, LET ME ASK YOU THIS. FOR THE CITIZENS OUT THERE AFTER THIS HAPPENED IN 2019, I BEGAN TO LOOK AT EVERY SPEED BUMP WHEREVER I WAS ON VACATION OR TRAVELING. AND I REALIZED THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT SPEED BUMPS OUT THERE. RUMBLE STRIP. SO IS THAT GOING ALONG WITH WHAT COMMISSIONER MCCAMY SAID? OTHER IDEAS? IS IT IS THERE A DESIGN OF RUMBLE STRIPS THAT WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR THIS AREA THAT WOULD ACHIEVE? REALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE IS TO SLOW, REALLY MAKE PEOPLE SLOW DOWN WHEN THEY WHEN THEY CROSS OVER THOSE. SO IS THERE ANY DESIGNS OUT THERE THAT WOULD HELP US BETTER IN THAT REGARD? THERE ARE SPEED BUMPS, SPEED HUMPS, SPEED TABLES, RAISED CROSSWALKS, TRAFFIC CALMING ISLANDS, RUMBLE STRIPS, A LOT OF VARIOUS DEVICES THAT CAN BE INSTALLED ON ROADS. AND TO YOUR QUESTION OF ANY THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE HERE, THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY WORK ANY BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE'VE TRIED. I THINK THE THE PROBLEM OF FINDING SOMETHING THAT WOULD REALLY WORK AND THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE ON WHAT IS OTHERWISE A HIGH SPEED RURAL ROAD. I MEAN, THESE ARE 45 MILE PER HOUR SPEED LIMITS. THEY'RE NOT THEY'RE NOT A WALMART PARKING LOT. THEY'RE NOT A COLLEGE CAMPUS. THEY'RE NOT A, YOU KNOW, EVEN A, YOU KNOW, A BULL STREET. LAGRANGE HAS A RAISED CROSSWALK ON IT. AND AND THAT THAT MAY BE QUITE APPROPRIATE IN THAT LOCATION WHERE YOU'VE GOT JUST JUST HUNDREDS OR EVEN THOUSANDS OF PEDESTRIANS EVERY DAY CROSSING THE ROAD IN THAT LOCATION. BUT YOU DON'T HAVE HUNDREDS OF PEDESTRIANS ON ADAMS ROAD AND GERRARD HALL ROAD. PUTTING A DEVICE LIKE THAT IN IN THE[00:50:03]
MIDDLE OF A HIGH SPEED RURAL ROAD COULD REALLY BE A PROBLEM IN A LOT OF WAYS. HAVE A A DOCUMENT THAT I KEEP, KEEP PREPARED. I COULD I COULD PUT ON THE SCREEN. IF YOU BEAR WITH ME JUST A MINUTE IT. I DIDN'T HAVE THAT ONE HANDY. BUT I CAN PULL IT UP AND IT HELPS EXPLAIN A LOT OF THE REASONS WHY WE DON'T HAVE CURRENTLY ANY SPEED BUMPS, SPEED HUMPS, RAISED CROSSWALKS ON ANY COUNTY ROADS AT THIS TIME. AND THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD REASONS WHY WE DON'T, BECAUSE ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS LIKE THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD A GOOD THING FOR SAFETY. THERE ARE A LOT OF STUDIES THAT WOULD PROVE THAT THE SAFETY IS DECREASED WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEY CAUSE A LOT MORE PROBLEMS, A LOT MORE HARM THAN THEY DO GOOD, IN OTHER WORDS. AND THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT THAT WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHEN WE DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND I JUST FOUND THAT DOCUMENT. I'VE GOT IT ON THE SCREEN NOW. I'VE GOT SOME HIGHLIGHTS ON HERE THAT HELP TO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO READ THE WHOLE THING, BUT THEY CREATE SIGNIFICANT DELAYS TO EMERGENCY RESPONSE. THE INSTITUTE INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS GUIDELINES INDICATE THAT THEY SHOULD NEVER BE PLACED ON EMERGENCY RESPONSE ROUTES THERE. AGAIN, IF IT'S A WALMART PARKING LOT OR APARTMENT COMPLEX OR COLLEGE CAMPUS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IT MAY NOT BE DESIGNATED AS EMERGENCY RESPONSE ROUTE, BUT EVERY COUNTY ROAD DOES SERVE AS AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE ROUTE. THE SURVIVABILITY OF A HEART ATTACK IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO RESPONSE TIMES AND RESPONSE TIMES OF LESS THAN SEVEN MINUTES. SAVE 30% OF SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST. VICTIMS IN STUDIES VERSUS AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME OF 12 MINUTES SAVED ONLY 2%. I KNOW YOU REMEMBER DOCTOR FACKLER AS ONE OF OUR LEADING CARDIOLOGISTS IN THIS AREA, AND I LISTENED TO HIM TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GETTING THOSE PADDLES ON SOMEONE'S CHEST. IF THEIR HEART HAS STOPPED WITHIN FIVE MINUTES, OR WITHIN SEVEN MINUTES OR WITHIN TWO MINUTES, AND IT CAN BE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAVING THEIR LIFE AND THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM AFTER THAT, OR A DIFFERENCE OF HAVING PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE OR A DIFFERENCE OF DEATH. JUST JUST WITHIN A VERY, VERY SHORT TIME. SO IT REALLY MATTERS WHAT THE RESPONSE TIME IS AND HOW MUCH IT'S HINDERED BY SOMETHING LIKE A SPEED HUMP. ONE REPORT FROM BOULDER, COLORADO, SUGGESTS THAT FOR EVERY LIFE SAVED BY TRAFFIC CALMING, AS MANY AS 85 PEOPLE MAY DIE BECAUSE EMERGENCY VEHICLES ARE DELAYED. SPEED BUMPS ARE UNCOMFORTABLE OR INDEED PAINFUL TO MANY. PEOPLE.HAVE BACK PROBLEMS OR OTHER CONDITIONS THAT WOULD CAUSE THAT. AND SO WE DON'T. WE DON'T NORMALLY WANT TO HAVE BUMPS IN OUR ROAD. WE WANT OUR ROADS TO BE SMOOTH WHEN WE DRIVE ON THEM.
STUDY IN PORTLAND, MAINE, SHOWED THAT THERE WAS AN INCREASE OF ACCIDENTS OF 35%.
ALTHOUGH WE'RE TRYING TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS, WE MAY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS BY HAVING SPEED, SPEED BUMPS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THERE'S AN INCREASED RISK TO MOTORCYCLISTS, AND A MOTORCYCLE IS ABSOLUTELY ANOTHER LEGAL VEHICLE THAT WE DESIGNED FOR. ALL OF OUR ROADS ARE DESIGNED WITH MOTORCYCLES IN MIND, AS WELL AS SEMI TRUCKS AND CARS AND AND EVERY KIND OF LEGAL MOTOR VEHICLE TO GO DOWN THE ROAD. SOME MOTORISTS INCREASED SPEEDS BETWEEN SPEED HUMPS. YOU'LL SEE THIS WHERE THEY'VE BEEN INSTALLED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. YOU'LL SEE THAT SOMEONE WILL SLOW DOWN TO GO OVER ONE, AND THEN THEY'LL JUST STOMP THE ACCELERATOR RIGHT AFTER THAT, AND THEY'LL GO RIGHT BACK UP TO AN EXCESSIVE SPEED RIGHT AFTER THAT. AND SO IN ORDER TO REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE ROAD, YOU'D HAVE TO HAVE ONE EVERY FEW HUNDRED FEET ALL THE WAY FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER. INCREASED NOISE AT SPEED HUMP LOCATIONS DUE TO VEHICLES SLOWING AND ACCELERATING, INCREASED WEAR AND TEAR TO VEHICLES. SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I KEEP HANDY WHEN I GET THE CALLS. AND I GET CALLS ON A REGULAR BASIS ABOUT CAN I HAVE A SPEED HUMP? AND
[00:55:04]
IT'S USUALLY SOMEONE WHO WANTS ONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE BECAUSE THEY'RE CHECKING THE MAIL AND CARS ARE FLYING BY. AND YEAH, OUR, OUR COUNTY ROADS ARE, ARE HIGH SPEED. MOST OF THEM ARE HIGH SPEED ROADS. AND IF YOU'RE CHECKING YOUR MAIL, YOU WANT TO WATCH FOR CARS BEFORE YOU CHECK YOUR MAIL. YOU DON'T WANT TO GO OUT THERE WHEN SOMEBODY'S PASSING BY AT THE SPEED LIMIT OR FIVE MILES ABOVE THE SPEED LIMIT. IT'S GOING TO BE A SCARY EXPERIENCE BECAUSE THAT'S THAT'S VERY, VERY FAST WHEN YOU'RE STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO THE WHITE LINE. IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. YES. YEAH. I HAVE ONE ADDITIONAL ONE ADDITIONAL QUESTION. AND YOU TALKED ABOUT RESPONSE TIME FOR PARAMEDICS CLOSING THE ROAD. WOULD THAT IMPACT THE PARAMEDICS BEING ABLE TO GET IN AND OUT? WE WE HAD A MEETING WITH ALL OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS THAT WE ARE AWARE OF THAT WOULD EVER RESPOND IN THIS AREA. IN THE COUNTY. AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF CLOSING THE ROAD AT THE INTERSECTION OF ADAMS ROAD AND STATE ROUTE 18. ANY EMERGENCY RESPONSE FROM THE CLOSEST FIRE STATION WOULD BE THE GRAY HILL FIRE STATION. THAT FIRE STATION IS A VOLUNTEER STATION. IT'S NOT A FULL TIME MANNED STATION, BUT IF IF THERE WERE A RESPONSE FROM THAT STATION, IT REALLY WOULD NOT CHANGE ANY OF THE ROUTES BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE COMING FROM THE NORTH. OKAY. IF THERE WERE A RESPONSE FROM THE LINCOLN FIRE STATION ON LINCOLN ROAD, THAT WOULD BE COMING FROM THE NORTH, IT REALLY WOULD NOT CHANGE THE RESPONSE TIME. VERY OFTEN, A RESPONSE TO THESE LOCATIONS COULD COME FROM STATION ONE OR HAMILTON ROAD FIRE STATION, AND THAT THAT MIGHT BE A BACKUP TO THE CLOSEST STATION, WHICH, AS I SAID, IS A VOLUNTEER STATION, NOT MANNED ALL THE TIME. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT MIGHT BE HERE THAT COULD HELP WITH THAT, BUT. THAT ROUTE COULD, DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY'RE TRAVELING TO, COULD COME. APPROACH THE AREA. ON STATE ROUTE 18 WESTBOUND CURRENTLY. BUT IT WOULD NOT IF IF THAT WERE CLOSED, THEY WOULD THEY WOULD COME IN ON BALLS. CROSSROAD WALDREP ROAD, GERALD HAUG ROAD TO GET TO ADAMS ROAD. AND SO IT COULD HAVE SOME SMALL EFFECT THERE. OKAY. IF THERE WERE A, A MUTUAL AID RESPONSE, IS THAT WHAT WE CALL IT FROM CITY OF WEST POINT? CITY OF WEST POINT. SO WITH ANY FIRE THEY WOULD BE RESPONDING TO THAT ALSO. AND THEIR RESPONSE TO THAT AREA IS USUALLY 5 TO 6 MINUTES PLUS MEDICAL CALLS. IF AMORE IS NOT IN SERVICE THEN WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE WEST POINT RESPOND TO THAT ALSO. SO HOW WOULD THEY GO? HOW WOULD THEY COME THEN IF IF THE ROADS IN 18 HIT SHOEMAKER AND TAKE A RIGHT ON ADAMS? OKAY, OKAY. GOOD QUESTION. THAT WAS MY QUESTION OKAY. YEAH. YEAH. THEY THEY ALREADY RESPONDED. SHOEMAKER ON HOUSE FIRES WITH US. SO GOTCHA ADAMS ROAD WOULDN'T BE THAT MUCH FURTHER OKAY I THINK THAT WHEN WHEN WE WERE ALL TOGETHER WITH ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS IN PUBLIC SAFETY, THERE WAS A SENSE THAT THERE COULD BE SOME CASES, SOME SCENARIOS WHERE A RESPONSE TIME COULD BE IMPACTED.BUT THERE WAS ALSO THE POTENTIAL TRADE OFF OF HAVING FEWER HIGH SPEED CRASHES OR, YOU KNOW, PROBLEMS LIKE WE'RE HAVING IN THIS AREA. IF THE ROAD IS COMPLETELY CLOSED OFF, OKAY. AND SO THAT MIGHT BE A MIGHT BE A TRADE OFF THAT, THAT SOME OF THEM WOULD BE WILLING TO MAKE. I KNOW THAT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS, HAS PROVIDED WE'VE EVEN GOT THE LETTER IN YOUR PACKET HERE, A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE THAT OVERALL, THEY'RE SEEING THAT AS. POTENTIALLY REPRESENTING A NECESSARY LONG TERM SOLUTION TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY. STANDPOINT. THANK YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME? COME ON. YOU GOT YOU GOING TO HAVE TO COME UP FRONT THIS TIME. I'M COMING RIGHT BACK TO WHAT YOU GUYS SAID. 18 CRASHES WERE THE ONLY MEDICAL CALLS DOWN THERE. 18 CRASHES, ALL BECAUSE OF WRECKS, NOT BECAUSE OF MEDICAL EMERGENCIES. NOW, YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW THIS, BUT I DROVE A RESCUE TRUCK FOR TEN
[01:00:05]
YEARS. WE KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO HANDLE ISSUES. WHEN ROADS HAVE SPEED BREAKS, BUMPS, ROADS ARE CLOSED. WE ALREADY KNOW THAT. WE ALREADY TALK ABOUT IT. WE ALSO DON'T TRANSPORT THE PATIENT IF WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HIT A SPEED BUMP COMING OUT. SO WE WORK ON THE PATIENT RIGHT THEN AND THERE IN THE TRUCK. SO THAT'S COMMON KNOWLEDGE. AND MR. RODNEY CAN TALK ABOUT THAT TOO. SO JUST 18 CRASHES 942 STOPS, 503 CITATIONS AND FIVE MILES OF ROAD. OVER WHAT PERIOD OF TIME WAS THAT 2017 TO 2025? BUT THAT'S NOT DOES NOT COUNT 25 AND 26. GOTCHA. I GOT THESE NUMBERS FROM NATHAN. SO THEY'RE NOT ACCURATE. RIGHT. BUT ALSO I THINK THERE WAS A SHIFT INCREASE DURING THAT TIME. SO YOU HAD MORE PEOPLE COMING ON THE ROAD FROM OKAY. YEAH. GOOD GOOD. GOOD QUESTION. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SOMEONE ELSE. YEP.OKAY. NATHAN OKAY. I'VE GOT THIS LETTER WITH ME THAT THE THE SHERIFF SENT IN. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO READ THAT? OH, WE HAVE IT, PLEASE. YEAH, WE HAVE IT. OKAY. YOU SHARE IT WITH THE PUBLIC, THOUGH. OKAY? OKAY. OH, THAT'S WHAT I MEANT FOR THEM TOO. OH, OKAY. SO, RESPECTFULLY, IF I COULD SAY SPEED BUMPS, FLASHING SIGNS, OFFICERS SITTING IN THE WOODS, ALL THAT IS A BAND AID. BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS, AND I THINK JAMES MENTIONED THIS AT ONE POINT. ONE OF THE MEETINGS THAT THAT I PERSONALLY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THIS. HE'S SEEN MY NAME ON THE PAPERWORK SINCE 2008. SO FOR THE LAST 18 YEARS, I'VE BEEN WORKING AND BANGING MY HEAD AGAINST THE WALL OF WHAT WE COULD DO TO FIX THIS PROBLEM OUT THERE. IT'S UNIQUE BECAUSE IT'S A, IT'S IT'S PRETTY MUCH TURN. IT'S STRICTLY A COMMUTER ROUTE. AND I IMAGINE AT ONE POINT IN TIME THERE'S PROBABLY ONLY 50 CARS A DAY THAT DROVE THROUGH THERE.
NOW THERE'S 600 900 CARS A DAY AND EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO GET TO WORK ON TIME, AND THEY'RE ALSO IN A HURRY WHEN THEY LEAVE THERE FOR SOME REASON. SO WE HAVE WRITTEN HE'S MR. FRANKS JUST SHARED WITH YOU SOME NUMBERS. WE HAVE SINCE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS, WE'VE WRITTEN THOUSANDS OF CITATIONS OUT THERE. WE'VE WORKED MANY WRECKS OUT THERE. MANY OF THESE HOMEOWNERS HAVE HAD CARS DRIVEN THROUGH THEIR FENCES. NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, IF WE IF WE PUT A SPEED BUMP OUT THERE, I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO FIX ANYTHING THAT AS FAR AS HAVING LOUD MUSIC ISSUES, LITTER ISSUES, CRASHING INTO FENCES, PASSING THE SCHOOL BUSSES, YOU SAW ONE VIDEO OF A OF A SCHOOL BUS GETTING PAST, BUT I THINK MISS FRANKS HAD SEVERAL VIDEOS THAT SHE SENT ME AND JAMES OVER THE YEARS, THE PAST YEAR. SO TO DO THIS, I FEEL LIKE OUR HANDS ARE TIED AT THIS POINT. WE CAN WE CAN PUT OFFICERS OUT THERE, BUT THEY CAN ONLY WORK. THEY WORK. THE SHIFT CHANGES BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THE TRAFFIC IS WELL, WHEN YOU WHEN THEY'RE WORKING A SHIFT CHANGE AND YOU STOP ONE CAR, THE MESSAGE GOES OUT TO EVERYBODY ELSE ON A ON A GROUP OR TEXT APP THAT SAYS, HEY, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS OUT HERE AGAIN, DON'T SPEED. SO AND THEN THEN THE NEXT SHIFT CHANGE, IF WE'RE NOT OUT THERE, THEN THEY'RE GOING TO BE SPEEDING.
SO SO IT'S A IT'S A TOUGH SITUATION FOR US. SO YOU KNOW BASED ON THAT THIS IS THE LETTER THAT THE SHERIFF PIN FOR THE FOR FOR YOU GENTLEMEN. AND IF I CAN I'D LIKE TO READ IT TO THE PUBLIC HERE. SO IT'S BEEN AROUND. SO DEAR COMMISSIONERS, THIS LETTER SERVES AS A FORMAL REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF A PERMANENT TRAFFIC PATTERN CHANGE INVOLVING INVOLVING ADAMS ROAD AT ITS INTERSECTION WITH STATE ROUTE 18. THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS RESPONDED TO ONGOING CONCERNS ALONG ADAMS ROAD, INCLUDING SPEEDING, ILLEGAL PASSING, SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ISSUES, TRAFFIC CRASHES, AND LITTERING. DESPITE CONTINUED ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS, THESE ISSUES PERSIST AND PRESENTS ONGOING PUBLIC SAFETY RISKS. THE PROPOSED CHANGE WOULD PERMANENTLY CLOSE THE INTERSECTION OF ADAMS ROAD TO STATE ROUTE 18. ADAMS ROAD WOULD REMAIN OPEN TO LOCAL TRAFFIC, EXCLUDING THE DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE STATE HIGHWAY, THEREBY REQUIRING THROUGH TRAFFIC TO USE ALTERNATE ROUTES. AS PART OF THIS PROPOSAL, THE BRIDGE ON ADAMS ROAD OVER BIG BRANCH, CURRENTLY CLOSED DUE TO DAMAGE, WOULD BE REPAIRED AND REOPENED. AT THE SAME TIME, THE PERMANENT TRAFFIC PATTERN CHANGE IS IMPLEMENTED BASED ON OUR EXPERIENCE IN RESPONSE. HISTORY. IN THIS AREA. THIS CHANGE REPRESENTS A NECESSARY LONG TERM SOLUTION TO IMPROVE SAFETY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS. WE CLOSE THAT. WHERE WHERE IS THAT TRAFFIC GOING TO GO? WELL, WE WOULD HOPE THAT IT WOULD GO ON INTO WEST POINT AND GO THROUGH THE ROUNDABOUTS THAT WERE SPOKEN ABOUT. SO YOU GO DOWN 18, RIGHT? WE WOULD HOPE NOW I DON'T KNOW COULD SOME OF THIS, SOME OF THIS TRAFFIC IS ALREADY TRAVELING ON SHOEMAKER ROAD. THEY MAY DIVERT DOWN SHOEMAKER ROAD THEN TO. HOWEVER
[01:05:01]
I WOULD ARGUE THAT SHOEMAKER ROAD IS A IS A IS A WIDER ROAD I BELIEVE. IF THAT'S NOT, THAT'S CORRECT. IT'S A LITTLE BIT WIDER ROAD. IT'S A STRAIGHTER ROAD. IT'S, IT'S IT'S MORE CONDUCIVE TO HIGHER SPEEDS. SO IT WILL BE LESS OF AN ISSUE. AND QUITE FRANKLY, IT'S A ROAD THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD 18 YEARS OF TRAFFIC COMPLAINTS ON THAT WE'VE THAT WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO DO TO SLOW THIS DOWN. AND ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT I WOULD SAY THAT AND LET ME TOUCH ON THIS, IS THAT WHEN WE GO OUT THERE AND WE WRITE TICKETS TO THESE DRIVERS, A LOT OF THESE DRIVERS WITHIN JUST A FEW MONTHS MAY NO LONGER WORK AT ONE OF THESE MANUFACTURING FACILITIES PLANTS. SO THEREFORE IT'S A NEW CROP OF DRIVERS EVERY FEW MONTHS. SO WE'RE JUST WE'RE JUST CONTINUING. IT'S A NEVER ENDING GAME. SO BUT WE DON'T KNOW. WE DON'T KNOW. IT COULD GO IT COULD GO ON IN THE WEST POINT OR IT COULD GO. SOME OF THEM COULD GO UP SHOEMAKER ROAD. AGAIN. CAN YOU CAN CAN YOU. AS FAR AS THE COUNTY, THE GROWTH WISE, I MEAN YOU, YOU HAVE SPEED AND ALL OVER. SO TO SIT THERE HAVE TO USE A RESOURCE AT ALL TIMES, CAN YOU SAY WHAT THAT DOES TO YOU? EVEN IF WE GET THE HEAT GRANT OR NOT, THAT THAT PERSON CAN STILL MOVE AROUND. BUT THE GROWTH THAT WE'RE SEEING THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY AND, AND IN THE COUNTY, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU TO HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY THERE EVERY SHIFT CHANGE EVERY DAY. SO JUST TO BE TRANSPARENT ON THAT, ONE OF THE ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT I'VE STRUGGLED WITH IS IS PUTTING OFFICERS OUT THERE IS WE HAVE WE HAVE OTHER ROADWAYS THAT WE HAVE A HIGHER INCIDENCE OR WE HAVE INCIDENTS OF TRAFFIC FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURY COLLISIONS. THIS ISN'T ONE OF THEM AT THIS TIME. NOW, WE DON'T WANT TO SEE A FATALITY OUT THERE OR A SERIOUS SERIOUS INJURY COLLISION. SO THEREFORE THAT'S WHY WE'VE BEEN PUTTING THEM OUT THERE. BUT WE'VE GOT ROAD RAGE SHOOTINGS ON THE INTERSTATES, WE'VE GOT HIGH SPEED FATALITIES. WE'VE SEEN THE MULTI MULTI-PERSON FATALITIES ON WEST POINT ROAD, HOGANSVILLE ROAD, ALL THE STATE HIGHWAYS THAT WE PATROL. SO WE'D REALLY LIKE FOR THESE OFFICERS TO ALSO BE ABLE TO BE UTILIZED MORE IN THESE HIGH RISK CORRIDORS AND HAVING TO TO PUT THEM DOWN THERE WHILE WHILE NECESSARY FOR THE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE CITIZENS THAT LIVE DOWN THERE, IF WE COULD CLOSE IT AND IT WOULD ELIMINATE THAT PROBLEM, THEN THAT WOULD BE IDEAL. BUT ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS JUST ONE ROAD IN THAT AREA. WE'RE ALSO HAVING TO ANSWER TO SPEEDING COMPLAINTS ON HIGHWAY 18 WHERE BARTLETT ROAD, SHOEMAKER ROAD ON OCCASION, WEBB ROAD, WEST POINT ROAD, ALL OF THOSE AREAS ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT ABOUT SHIFT CHANGE, SPEEDING ISSUES. BUT ADAMS ROAD BY FAR HAS BEEN THE WORST. YEAH, I MEAN, WE HAD ONE TODAY FROM FROM A CITIZEN THAT CALLED AND A LOT OF TRUCK TRAFFIC AND SPEED AND WANTED TO TALK ABOUT LOWERING THEIR SPEED LIMIT AND EVERYTHING TODAY. SO WE DO HAVE A LOT OF SPEEDERS.LET ME ASK YOU THIS. LET'S GO BACK TO THE LEGAL, BECAUSE I THINK EVERYONE IN THIS, PROBABLY EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM PAYS PROPERTY TAX. WE'RE ALL CITIZENS IN THIS. SO IF WE WERE TO GET SUED AND THAT'S BEEN MENTIONED TO US TWICE, I THINK AT LEAST WE HAVE TWO ACCOUNTS OF WHERE PEOPLE HAVE KIND OF THREATENED LEGAL ACTION. MARK, IS IT OKAY IF I ASK YOU WHAT THAT COULD POSSIBLY LOOK LIKE AS FAR AS WHAT THE COUNTY COULD BE LIABLE FOR, IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE ANSWERING THAT, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, RIGHT? YEAH. OKAY. SO WE'LL KEEP THAT AGAIN THAT THERE ARE VERY LEGITIMATE TRAFFIC CONCERNS AND REGULATION CONCERNS, BUT THAT I CAN'T RECOMMEND THAT THE COUNTY HAS FOR THE SHERIFF'S LETTER PERMANENTLY CLOSED A ROAD THAT'S TANTAMOUNT TO AN ABANDONMENT. AND THERE'S NO STATUTORY AUTHORITY THAT CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY I'M AWARE OF THAT WOULD ALLOW THE COUNTY TO DO THAT. AND THAT IS MY RECOMMENDATION. THANK YOU SIR. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? YES, MA'AM. HI, I'M SARAH FRANKS, SO I AM THE MOTHER OF THE CHILD THAT WAS GETTING ONTO THE SCHOOL BUS. IT'S KIND OF HARD FOR ME
[01:10:05]
BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF US, WE LIVE OFF THE ROAD ON ADAMS ROAD, SO WE DON'T REALLY SEE A WHOLE LOT OF THE SPEEDING AS MUCH AS I DO. BUT I LIVE AT 82, SEVEN, SO I LIVE RIGHT THERE ON THE STRAIGHTAWAY RIGHT THERE. AND EVERY MORNING, EVERY MORNING I CAN HEAR THEM REVVING UP THEIR ENGINES, READY TO. IT'S IT'S JUST A GAME FOR THEM. THE RADAR SIGN IS JUST A GAME FOR THEM.AND WHILE THEY DO HAVE ROTATION, THAT HAPPENS. IT'S THE SAME CARS IN THE MORNING THAT I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH. YOU KNOW, IT'S A IT'S A CHALLENGER THAT'S TRYING TO RAISE A WHITE MUSTANG THAT THEN IS TRYING TO RAISE THE BLACK CAMARO. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT HEAD ON TAKING MY CHILDREN TO SCHOOL ALL MY DAUGHTER'S 13TH BIRTHDAY THAT MORNING BY THOSE CARS. AND EVERY MORNING I HAVE TO WATCH MY RING CAMERA JUST SO I HAVE A CHANCE THAT MAYBE I CAN CATCH SOMEBODY SPEEDING. MAYBE I CAN CATCH A LICENSE PLATE, MAYBE I CAN CATCH SOMETHING. AND I LIVE IN FEAR. LITERALLY EVERY MORNING WHEN MY CHILD GETS ON THE SCHOOL BUS. NOW, NO, SHE'S NOT A LITTLE TODDLER, BUT HER LIFE IS STILL VALUABLE TO ME, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? AND SO I KNOW THERE'S LITTER. I KNOW THERE'S SPEEDING. I KNOW THERE'S LOUD MUSIC. I'M JUST WORRIED ABOUT THE SPEEDING. THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS DONE EVERYTHING THAT THEY CAN. JAMES HAS PUT SIGNS OUT THERE THAT WE'VE ASKED FOR, SUCH AS WARNING, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL BUS LOADING. CAREFUL CHILDREN PLAYING ALL OF THAT. AND THEY THEY JUST DON'T LISTEN. THEY DON'T. AND I JUST I DON'T I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THIS POINT. YOU KNOW, LIKE THE CAPTAIN SAID, THEY'VE DONE EVERYTHING THAT THEY CAN. HE'S PUT OUT THE SIGNS. I UNDERSTAND THE LEGAL ASPECT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CLOSING THE ROAD, BUT THIS REALLY IS YOU KNOW, HE SAID THAT THE SPEEDING WENT DOWN BY 2%. WELL, I CAN SIT OUT THERE AND I CAN WATCH THEM PASS THAT SIGN, DROP THEIR GEARS DOWN IN THERE. AND THEY'RE ALSO SPEEDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY DAUGHTER WHO IS WAITING FOR THE SCHOOL BUS. HE MENTIONED IT'S NOT SAFE TO CHECK YOUR MAIL WHEN SOMEBODY'S GOING THE NORMAL SPEED LIMIT. THESE PEOPLE ARE SEVERELY SPEEDING, PASSING EACH OTHER ON A DOUBLE LINE WHERE THEY'RE NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE SPEEDING. AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS IT WAS MENTIONED BEFORE THAT, YES, THEY CAN BRING THE POLICE OUT THERE. AND I MEAN, HE'S TRIED HE'S SET UP POLICE IN MANY DIFFERENT AREAS TO TRY TO CATCH DIFFERENT PEOPLE. BUT I KNOW WHEN THE POLICE ARE OUT THERE BECAUSE THEY'RE SLOWING DOWN, I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO SEE THEM. I KNOW, AND YOU KNOW, I MAY NOT SEE THEM WHERE I AM, BUT THEN WHEN I GO TO TAKE MY CHILD TO SCHOOL, I SEE ONE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. YOU CAN TELL. AND LIKE YOU SAID, THEY LET EVERYBODY KNOW. SO WHILE CLOSING THE ROAD MAY NOT BE AN OPTION, I DO ASK THAT YOU ALL THINK OF A VIABLE OPTION THAT MAYBE WE CAN DO. I DO UNDERSTAND THE RUMBLE STRIPS NEAR THE STOP SIGN, BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO SOLVE OUR ISSUE.
WE'RE THE FUNNEST PART OF THE ROAD, WHICH IS THE STRAIGHT PART WHERE EVERYBODY LIKES TO SPEED AND EVERYBODY LIKES TO GO CRAZY. SO IF YOU GUYS COULD JUST NOT SHUT DOWN A SOLUTION FOR THE ROAD, IF IT'S IF IT'S SHUT DOWN, WE CAN'T CLOSE IT DOWN. IF YOU GUYS CAN COME TOGETHER AND THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE THAT'LL WORK. AS A MOM, I'D GREATLY APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU MA'AM. PHILLIP STEWART, 1050 GERALD HALL ROAD. THIS WOULD BE OUR THIRD TIME TO GET HIT HEAD ON, AND ONE WAS JUST YESTERDAY AT 223 AND. 16 YEARS. AIN'T THAT THAT'S TOO LONG. YOU KNOW. WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON IN 16 YEARS? NOTHING. THE SAME SONG AND DANCE. NOTHING. HE'S HELPED ME MORE THAN ANYBODY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. BUT IF IT'S
[01:15:03]
LEFT UP TO ME, I'D SOLVED THE PROBLEM. BUT IT'S NOT LEFT UP TO ME. SO Y'ALL JUST NEED TO DO SOMETHING. 223 YESTERDAY AGAIN AND I'M TIRED OF. GET OFF YOUR CANS AND DO SOMETHING. WE'VE HAD FOR 16 YEARS. 16 YEARS. SHUT THE ROAD DOWN AND LET US HAVE OUR PLACE BACK. TRASH, SPEEDING. ONE CAME BY MY HOUSE. THEY WENT RUNNING BY THE 80. BACK IN DECEMBER FOR ONE.WASN'T RUNNING OVER A HUNDRED. HE WASN'T RUNNING ONE. Y'ALL JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE DOWN THERE. YOU CAN SIT ON MY PORCH AND SEE THE SHOOTER SHOOT EM. 65 AND 70 OFF OF ADAMS ROAD.
AND I DON'T LIVE THAT FAR FROM THE END OF IT. NOT AT ALL. BUT FOR 16 YEARS. WHAT IS HE GOING TO TAKE? I DON'T GIVE A RAT'S BUTT ABOUT THEM STUPID IDIOTS GOING TO KILL NONE. BECAUSE THEY SURE DON'T CARE ABOUT US. BUT YOU RUNNING THAT FAST ON A COUNTY ROAD. NOTHING'S BEEN THERE. YEAH, THEY COME DOWN AND GIVE TICKETS. 2 OR 3 DAYS. IT'S GOOD. 2 OR 3 DAYS LATER. RIGHT? WHERE'S THAT? THEY AIN'T SLOWING DOWN. BUT KELLY LIKE TO HIT HIS HEAD ON AGAIN. I HAD ONE TO PASS ME. BACK THERE IN THE SUMMER. AND I TRIED TO RUN HER OFF THE ROAD. AND I'M NOT GOING TO LIE ABOUT IT, BECAUSE SHE WAS PASSING ME. AS SOON AS SHE PASSED ME, SHE STOPPED AT THE STOP SIGN ON YOUR HOG ROAD IN BALI ROAD. WHEN SHE WENT AROUND ME, SHE STOPPED AT THE STOP SIGN. SO YOU TELL ME. YOU TELL ME IF I COULD DO. IF I COULD TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE NO PROBLEM, MAN. BUT I CAN'T. BUT THEY'RE IDIOTS. THERE'S NO OTHER WORD TO PUT IT BUT THE IDIOTS. SO ALL I ASK YOU TO DO IS SHUT THE ROAD DOWN AND I'LL BE HAPPY.
I'VE LIVED THAT FOR 40 YEARS, AND I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE THAT 40 YEARS. SO ALL I ASK Y'ALL DO JUST SHUT THE ROAD DOWN. AND IF YOU NEED SOMEBODY TO DIG A DITCH, I'LL DIG A DITCH FOR YOU. THAT'S IT. Y'ALL JUST NEED TO COME DOWN THERE AND PACK YOUR LUNCH ONE NIGHT.
WHEN THEY'RE COMING THROUGH BOTH WAYS. AND Y'ALL SEE WHAT WE GO THROUGH EVERY DAY. EVERY DAY. NOT ONE DAY, EVERY DAY. I MEAN, WHAT CAN WE DO? I MEAN, THEY CAN'T CHANGE THEM. CAN'T SIT DOWN THERE SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. THEY CAN'T UNDERSTAND THAT. YEAH. THEY COME DOWN AND GIVE TICKETS. BUT LIKE I SAID, THEY COME DOWN THERE FOR 2 OR 3 DAYS AND WHATEVER. OH, IT'S LIKE A TERRAPIN DOWN THERE AS SOON AS THEY KNOW THEY'RE GONE. LIKE NATHAN SAID, AS SOON AS THEY KNOW THEY'RE GONE, THEY JUST WIDE OPEN AS SOON AS THEY GO BY. THE SPEED SHOOTER AT MY HOUSE. THE FOOT GETS HEAVY AGAIN. I MEAN, YEAH, THEY DIDN'T FIGURED OUT. WHEN THEY GET THERE, THEY SLOW DOWN. BUT SOME OF THEM DON'T. SOME OF THEM DO. BUT AS SOON AS THEY GET PAST IT, THEY WIDE OPEN AGAIN. I'M SORRY YOU HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS 16 YEARS. YEAH, WELL, LIKE I SAID, I CAN HEAR YOUR COMPASSION ABOUT IT AS WELL. WELL, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR 16 YEARS, YOU KNOW, AND ALL I WANT TO DO IS JUST, YOU KNOW, GET BACK TO ALL OUR PEACE AND QUIET, YOU KNOW, CAN YOU STOP THE WHEELS FROM TURNING? NO. WE CAN'T. CAN YOU
[01:20:03]
STOP THE PROGRESS? NO, WE CAN'T. BUT CAN YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE TRAFFIC? OH, YES, YOU CAN.WE CAN'T. ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS DO THE RIGHT THING. CLOSE THAT ROAD OFF AND I'LL BE HAPPY. AND I MEAN, I MEAN, THAT'S ALL I ASKED, YOU KNOW? BUT WE CAN'T KEEP 16 MORE YEARS. YEAH, LIKE I SAID, WE DIDN'T KEEP THAT CAN UP THAT HILL SO MUCH. THE MORE DOWN YOU'RE TRYING TO GET A NEW ONE. WE CAN'T HAVE A NEW ONE. THAT CAN IS OVER WITH. WE NEED A ROAD CLOSED. OKAY. AND I UNDERSTAND ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE, I DO, BUT WE CANNOT EVEN CHECK OUR MAILBOX. I DON'T CARE WHAT TIME OF DAY IT IS THEY COMING? IF IT'S 1:00. IF IT'S 4:00, IT DON'T MATTER. THEY DON'T CARE.
TRASH. LIKE YOU SAID. TRASH, I SEEN THEM. I SEEN A A BLACK MAN. HE STOPPED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ONE DAY. GUESS WHAT HE DID? OPEN HIS TRUNK UP. THREW TWO TIRES ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
BUT IT JUST AIN'T. I MEAN, IT'S EVERYBODY, ALL. I MEAN, ON THE ON THE ROAD BECAUSE HE WAS A BLACK MAN. NO. OKAY. HE JUST GOT OUT AND LIKE I SAID, HE WAS JUST A BLACK MAN. I MEAN, IF HE WAS WHITE, I'D SAY HE WAS WHITE, BUT HE GOT OUT THROUGH TWO TIRES SIDE OF THE ROAD. REALLY TRASH. I MEAN, IT'S JUST EVERYWHERE, BUT DON'T MATTER WHAT COLOR HE IS. WHITE, BLACK, GREEN. THROWING TIRES OUT ON SIDE ROAD AIN'T GOOD. YEAH. AND IF IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT COLOR HE WAS, I RIGHT. I DON'T THINK YOU WOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT HE WAS BLACK, BUT I'M JUST SAYING HE WAS A BLACK MAN. OKAY. DON'T MATTER. I GOT GREAT BLACK MATTER. YOU WANT TO MENTION IT? BLACK? HE'S A GREAT SIR. I'VE BEEN REAL GOOD WITH NOT CALLING ANYBODY ON TIME, BUT IT'S BEEN MORE THAN THE THREE MINUTES. THAT'S GOOD. APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. I JUST WANT YOU TO SHUT THE ROAD DOWN SO WE CAN HAVE OUR ROADS BACK. THAT'S ALL I WANT. DULY NOTED. THANK YOU.
ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? ALRIGHT. GIVEN AMPLE OPPORTUNITY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, I THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. LISTEN, I WILL SAY THAT I'VE BEEN IN THIS SEAT GOING IN MY 12TH YEAR. WE, WE HAVE BEEN TRYING AND TAKING DIFFERENT OPTIONS. IT IS, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT. AND LIKE I SAID WE HAD A PERSON CALL TODAY GOT VERY SIMILAR ISSUES. AND HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THAT, WHETHER IT'S REDUCING SPEED OR SPEED BUMPS OR TICKETS OR REROUTING TRAFFIC.
IT IS IT IS AN ISSUE AND IT SOMETIMES IT'S NOT THE EASIEST THING TO RESOLVE. SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. WE KNOW THAT Y'ALL HAVE ENDURED THAT FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. AND PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND COME UP WITH SOME, SOME VIABLE SOLUTIONS TO ALL OF THIS. ALL RIGHT. SO I HAVE NO ONE ELSE THAT WANTED TO SPEAK THEN. ALRIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU. I THINK THAT CONCLUDES MY PART OF THE PROGRAM THEN. WELL, FOR ME, I TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, FOR THE LENGTH OF TIME IT'S WENT ON AND THE RESOURCES THAT HAS BEEN USED FOR THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, ALL OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, THE MARSHALS, I CAN'T EVEN COUNT THE LAST SIX MONTHS. HOW MANY TIMES THE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN DOWN THERE TRYING TO.
JUST DO ANYTHING TO HELP THE ISSUE. BUT AFTER 16 YEARS, I THINK IF THERE WAS ANOTHER WAY OF FIXING IT, WE WOULD HAVE FIGURED IT OUT BY NOW. SEEMS LIKE WE'VE TRIED EVERYTHING.
WHEN IT COMES TO ME. I'M BIG ON STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS. WHEN THE STAFF AS FAR AS SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY. LIKE I SAID, THE LETTER THAT THE SHERIFF WROTE, THE WAY THAT I'M LEANING, THAT I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE CLOSE ADAMS ROAD AT 18. OKAY. SO I HAVE A MOTION. DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'D LIKE TO JUST SAY THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME. I HATE IT FOR THE CITIZENS DOWN THERE. I DO BELIEVE THAT THE COUNTY HAS DONE ALL THAT WE CAN DO, AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT MARK SAID. BUT IT COMES TO THE POINT, YOU KNOW, SO AND FOR THE SAFETY OF THIS, WHAT'S BEEN NOTED OVER THE LAST 6 OR 7 MONTHS, I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION. OKAY. I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR ALSO WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE TO THE CITIZENS. EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT HERE 16 YEARS AGO. I HEAR YOUR FRUSTRATION.
AND, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THAT WE'VE TRIED ALMOST EVERYTHING POSSIBLE AT THIS POINT TO RECTIFY THE ISSUE WITH THE TRAFFIC, I DO SUPPORT CLOSING THE ROAD. I WAS HOPING TONIGHT THAT WE COULD TABLE IT, BUT YOU MOVE PRETTY QUICKLY ON THIS ONE BECAUSE I DID WANT MORE TIME TO
[01:25:01]
KIND OF HAVE SOME SOME DISCUSSION. WE DO HAVE A SENIOR COMMISSION THAT'S NOT HERE TONIGHT, AND HE'S HOME SICK. AND I WANT TO HAVE SOME MORE DISCUSSION WITH HIM AS WELL.BUT CERTAINLY HE'S NOT HERE. I SOUND LIKE YOU WANT TO MOVE FORWARD AND I WILL VOTE IN FAVOR AS WELL. I HAVE A MOTION A SECOND IF EVERYONE WOULD VOTE. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. SO. WE HAVE APPROVED THE CLOSING OF ADAMS ROAD. I GUESS THAT NOW WILL KIND OF TURN OVER TO OUR ROADS DEPARTMENT AND COUNTY STAFF FOR THE PLANS AND WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THEN MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT. THE NEXT ITEM I HAVE
[V. Public Hearings]
HERE THE PUBLIC HEARING I'VE KIND OF LOST MY AGENDA. HERE IT IS. DO I HAVE A MOTION. DO WE COME OUT OF REGULAR MEETING AND GO INTO PUBLIC HEARING. SO MOVED. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. SO, AUSTIN.GOOD AFTERNOON. SO WE'RE GOING TO COME BEFORE YOU TODAY. STAFF IS COMING FOR YOU TO ASK THAT YOU EXTEND THE CURRENT MORATORIUM ON THE DATA CENTER ORDINANCE. AS YOU GUYS KNOW, THE CURRENT MORATORIUM ENDS THE END OF BUSINESS ON MARCH 16TH. WE'RE ASKING FOR A 90 DAY EXTENSION TO START ON THE 17TH AND RUN UNTIL 11:59 P.M. ON JUNE 14TH. ANY QUESTIONS? I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE. WE'LL GIVE IT A MINUTE, SEE IF EVERYBODY, I THINK EVERYBODY'S READY TO GO HOME AND EAT. YOU WON'T SPEAK. THANK YOU.
I THINK WE'RE AT A POINT. AUSTIN, IF YOU DON'T MIND REPEATING YOURSELF FOR. SO STAFF IS COMING BEFORE YOU TODAY TO ASK THAT YOU EXTEND THE CURRENT MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTER TEXT AMENDMENT FOR OUR UDO. OUR CURRENT MORATORIUM ENDS ON MARCH 16TH, THE END OF BUSINESS. WE'RE ASKING YOU TO EXTEND THAT TO START ANOTHER ONE STARTING ON MARCH THE 17TH AND THEN EXTENDING UNTIL JUNE 14TH GIVES US TIME TO REVIEW PUBLIC COMMENT, REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE BOARD, AS WELL AS GIVE US TIME TO SEE WHAT OUR SURROUNDING CITIES ARE GOING TO DO AND MAKE OUR ORDINANCE MORE COHESIVE WITH ONE ANOTHER. OKAY.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SIR. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF AUSTIN? NO. OKAY. ALL RIGHT.
NOW THIS IS THE PUBLIC HEARING PORTION. SO IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO COME AND SPEAK OF. MR. ATTORNEY, WE ASK HIM FOR HIM TO SPEAK ON SUPPORT OF THE MORATORIUM BEING EXTENDED FOR 90 DAYS, OR JUST THEIR THOUGHTS ON. IT'S THE MORATORIUM THAT WOULD BE THE AGENDA ITEM. THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE IS NOT BEFORE THE BOARD AT THIS POINT. OKAY. SO YOU WOULD SPEAK BE SPEAKING EITHER FOR OR AGAINST EXTENDING THE MORATORIUM. SO IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO. YOU'RE WELCOME.
I'LL TAKE THE PROS FIRST. THOSE FOUR THOSE ARE FOR EXTENDING THE MORATORIUM. IF YOU GIVE US YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS. FOR THE RECORD, MISS CINDY, MY NAME IS CINDY HUTCHINGS. I'M WITH TROUP COUNTY ANTI DATA CENTER COALITION. AS YOU KNOW, MY ADDRESS IS 912 SOUTH WILLOW CREST WAY IN LAGRANGE. HOWEVER, I IDENTIFY AS ALL OF TROUP COUNTY. GOOD EVENING. AS YOU KNOW, OUR COUNTY IS BEING SPECIFICALLY TARGETED FOR DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS BECAUSE WE CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE ORDINANCES IN PLACE TO KEEP THEM OUT. THEY KNOW THAT, AND THAT'S WHY THEY'RE HERE. WE'VE BEEN APPRECIATIVE OF THE EFFORTS OF THE COUNTY TO WORK WITH US TO STRENGTHEN THE ORDINANCES. HOWEVER, WE DO FEEL THAT THE CURRENT DRAFT IS STILL NOT ADEQUATE TO COUNTER THE PRESSURE THAT WE'RE FACING. IN LIGHT OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PAST 24 HOURS, AS WELL AS INFORMATION I HAVE ON ANOTHER PROJECT, I IMPLORE THE COMMISSIONERS TO REVISIT THE ORDINANCES AND REVIEW THOSE OF THE CITY OF LAGRANGE AND OTHER SURROUNDING CITIES IN ORDER TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO OUR COUNTY RESOURCES, CHARACTER, AND CITIZENS THAT COULD LAST GENERATIONS. WORKING IN CONCERT WITH THE ORDINANCES OF OUR CITIES IS DEVELOPING THAT THEY'RE DEVELOPING AS PARAMOUNT. OUR AIR QUALITY SOIL, WATER, POWER BILLS, AND PROPERTY VALUES ARE ALL AT STAKE. IF EITHER OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS ARE ALLOWED TO MOVE FORWARD, PROPERTY OWNERS OF THE COUNTY WILL LOSE LAND AND POSSIBLY
[01:30:02]
THEIR HOMES. I'VE SEEN IT IN PERSON. I'VE LIVED THIS ALREADY. ADDITIONALLY, PFAS CONTAMINATION HAS NOW BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH SOME DATA CENTER SITES. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSES FOR THIS AND THE MITIGATION NEEDED. CONSIDERING THE DISASTER UNFOLDING IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA DUE TO THE CARPET INDUSTRY AND THE FACT THAT WE ALREADY HAVE PFAS IN OUR WATER HERE, WHICH HAS YET TO BE MITIGATED, WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE THE CHANCE OF WORSENING THOSE CONDITIONS. THE LOW FREQUENCY HUMMING CREATED BY THESE SITES AFFECTS BOTH HUMANS AND LIVESTOCK. THIS IS NOT TYPICAL NOISE FROM A MANUFACTURING PLANT. THIS PARTICULAR SOUND HAS BEEN SHOWN TO RAISE THE HEART RATES OF PREGNANT MOTHERS AND AFFECT THE DEVELOPING BRAINS OF SMALL CHILDREN, AND I DO HAVE MORE INFORMATION I CAN PROVIDE YOU ON THAT. OUR AIR QUALITY, WHICH IS ALREADY BAD AT TIMES, WILL BECOME EVEN WORSE DUE TO THE GENERATORS AND THE FACT THAT MORE FOSSIL FUELS WILL BE USED TO CREATE THE NEW POWER GENERATION FOR THESE BEHEMOTH ENERGY GUZZLERS. THERE'S A GAS PIPELINE EXPANSION PROPOSED TO BISECT THE STATE ACROSS THE FALL LINE AS WE SPEAK. THIS IS TO POWER THE DATA CENTERS. AND I WAS JUST AT A MEETING ABOUT THAT THE OTHER NIGHT. IT'S PRETTY HORRIFYING DUE TO ALL THE RISKS INVOLVED WITH THESE PURELY SPECULATIVE DEVELOPMENTS, I ADVISE THE COUNTY TO CONSIDER ITS EXPOSURE TO LEGAL ACTION IN THE FUTURE, DUE TO THE HARMS THAT COULD COME FROM THESE SITES. RIGHT NOW, THERE'S EVEN A LOT WE STILL DON'T KNOW.LASTLY, ANYONE WANTING TO KEEP THEIR SEAT ON THE BOARD IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS MAY FIND A CONVERSATION I HAD WITH A CURRENT CANDIDATE LAST NIGHT PRETTY INTERESTING. HE TOLD ME THAT THE MOST QUESTIONS HE IS GETTING FROM PEOPLE ARE ABOUT DATA CENTERS, SO SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT THERE. AND PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR EMAIL BECAUSE WE DO HAVE MORE INFORMATION WE'LL BE SENDING TO YOU IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. NOW LET'S PROTECT TROUP COUNTY AND EXTEND THAT MORATORIUM. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT? ALRIGHT. HEARING NONE. IS THERE ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK AGAINST EXTENDING THE MORATORIUM? ALL RIGHT. HEARING NONE. I. AUSTIN, DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD TO THAT? NOTHING. OKAY. ANY COMMENTS? NO SIR. IF NOT, THEN I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION THAT WE COME OUT OF PUBLIC HEARING, GO BACK INTO REGULAR MEETING AND ADJOURN. OH, WE GOTTA VOTE ON.
WE SURE DO. WE VOTE? I THOUGHT EVERYBODY WAS IN FAVOR OF IT. ALRIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF EXTENDING THE MORATORIUM FOR ANOTHER 90 DAYS. MAKE A MOTION. DO I HAVE A SECOND? 90 DAYS FROM THE END OF THE. OH, YEAH. THAT'S RIGHT. CORRECT. IT'LL GO 90 DAYS FROM THE DATE MARCH 7TH THROUGH JUNE THE 14TH. IT'LL GO THROUGH JUNE 14TH. EASIEST WAY TO SAY IT. YOU'RE RIGHT. OKAY.
MAKE A MOTION. WE EXTEND IT TO JUNE THE 14TH. ALRIGHT. DO I HAVE A SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION HAS CARRIED. THE MORATORIUM IS EXTENDED. ALRIGHT.
THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. GOT ADJOURNED. OH I GOTTA I GOTTA HIT THAT LITTLE HAMMER. THERE WE GO. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO COME OUT OF PUBLIC AND GO BACK TO. GOTTA MAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. OH I DIDN'T, I JUST THREW IT ALL OFF. OKAY THEN.
YOU ALRIGHT. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION THAT WE COME OUT OF PUBLIC HEARING, GO BACK INTO REGULAR MEETING AND ADJOURN. SO MOVED. SECOND. ALL RIGHT. I HAVE A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR?
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.