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April 21, 2007

ABANDONED ROAD GRADED & GRAVELED BY COUNTY

Why would the Public Works Dep’t grade and gravel an abandoned road when other roads that are used daily are neglected?

At the 4/2/07 Commissioners meeting, Mr. Allen Smith who lives on Felton McMichael Road asked that question. The neglected road was Felton McMichael Rd., which hasn’t been scraped in over 4 years from one end to the other and has had little other maintenance.

Mr. Smith told the Commissioners that he had tried to go through the chain of command, but got nowhere! The County Manager never did get back with him after promises he would. The Public Works Director told him that he determined which roads to do and how to do them.

TWG has obtained the transcript of Mr. Smith’s comments to the BOC. When he finished speaking, the Commissioners told the County Manager, Greg Williams, to make sure something was done about Felton McMichael Rd. Two plus weeks later, NOTHING has been done!

It is time the BOC started taking some action and replacing some “supervisors” and maybe doing some supervising themselves. They might be able to find out just what does (or doesn't) go on in the county and get some things done!

Read below and see pictures of the road (Hayes Road) with no houses that was graded and graveled its entire length to the end where the bridge is out.
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Transcript from 4/2/07 BOC meeting:

Chairman, Greg Johnson: Mr. Allen Smith.

Mr. Smith: Thank you, sir for hearing me. What I’d like to speak about is the roads, particularly the road that I live on. I live on Felton McMichael Road.

To make it short, it has not been completely graded from one end to the other in over four years and I can prove that. But my biggest complaint, in coming before the board today is you’ve got a road that is condemned, the bridge is out—it’s Hays Road and it’s been scraped recently and it’s got gravel from one end of Felton McMichael, all the way down to the bridge that’s out.

Now, I simply can’t understand why I can beg to have rock and have our road graded from end to the other and when I called Mr. Thurman, I get, “We cover the hot spots.” I said, “Well, who determines the hot spots?” He says, “I do.”

I’ve also talked to Mr. Williams about it. He was going to get back and let me know an answer as to why Hayes Road gets rock and gets graded and I haven’t heard anything yet.

You have to call and beg to get your right of way cut back. I talked with Jack (Bernard) once before and referred me to Greg (Williams). It seems like we just live in a lost land down there. I mean, the right of ways—I mean, I‘ve made pictures of the road. I’ve made pictures of the right of way.

I’ve asked and I’ve tried to go about it in the right way through the right chain of command. But every time that I try to go through the chain of command it’s: “We get the hot spots.” I called the last time it was graded. It was graded about three and a half weeks ago—the hot spots. I called Mr. Williams about a certain spot that was not touched. He got in touch with them. The motor grader went down there. One of the red county trucks comes down there. I go down the road to see what they’re doing. They move because I’m coming down the road and I watch in the mirror, the motor grader turned around and never puts the blade down and takes back off.

Now, my other thing is: I’m not trying to be smart with anybody here, but you have motor grader operators and you have people that can run a motor grader. We do not have a motor grader operator that can operate and grade a road. I’m sorry. You cannot go up that road with the blade down running wide open in high gear and expect the washboards to get out of the road. It’s not going to happen. There’s just no way it’s going to happen. I used to work putting down paving myself. So why can’t it be done and done right the first time and avoid people from having to come up here and go before you over silly things like this that should be taken care of.

There is no supervision out there. They take them out there and they turn them loose. You’ve got two motor graders on the road at the same time and it’s still just getting hot spots. When you get right down to it, if any of y’all will come out there and travel the road—the entire road is a hot spot.

You turn in off of 83 of onto Felton McMichael, the ditch that the county came out there almost six or seven years ago and cut and got with DOT to put in a new pipe to avoid the big water pool that was there, is slap filled up. I’ve got pictures of that. It’s slap filled up. Nowhere for the water to go, but back into the road back out onto 83.

Is it going to take somebody getting killed? Is it going to take somebody coming down Felton McMichael Road running 10 miles an hour, put on your brake, hit the rough washboards in there, the car spins out, you lose control. If you don’t think you can do it at 10 miles an hour on a dirt road, try it.

Mr. Bernard: Mr. Chairman, I’d like to know—consistent with this—I agree with the gentleman and I’d like to know why more hasn’t been done to this particular road because I know I’ve discussed it with folks and the county and I’d like to know why more hasn’t been done with this road from the county manager.

Mr. Smith: I would like to know that also but, I just cannot understand why we can do a road nobody lives on and it’s condemned. I don’t understand that.

Chairman, Greg Johnson: Yeah, I can’t understand that either.

Mr. Yarbrough: More than just knowing the reason why we haven’t done it, let Mr. County Manager get down there and Mr. Thurman go down there and address that road.

Mr. Bernard: Right. I agree with that. I don’t care what the answer is. I just want the road done.

Mr. Yarbrough: Sir,(addressing the County Manager) be sure you get with Larry (Thurman of Public Works) on that road.

Mr. Smith: That’s all I ask. I appreciate your time.

Mr. Bernard: Sorry you’ve been through all that.

Chairman, Greg Johnson: Thank you Mr. Smith.

TWG
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