The Putnam County Commission met on June 6 for a wide-ranging engagement.
Even before the agenda was approved, a 10-minute discussion ensued over whether the commission needed to approve the commissioner signing off on the Putnam Development Authority's agreement to provide tax abatements regarding the proposed Helms College development off Harmony Road.
In the end, all motions were rescinded, and agreement was reached only to revisit the issue in the future.
The first official business involved the recognition of Allen Carlton McMichael, who recently retired after 25 years with the state’s Department of Corrections and an additional 17 years with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Howard Sills joined the commissioners in presenting McMichael with a plaque commemorating his service to the county.
“He (McMichael) is the only example of nepotism I have at the office. We have the same great, great, great, great, great grandpa,” Sills said to a chorus of laughter.
John Fox, president of the Sugar Creek Farm, spoke next in public comments. He said he’d already approached District 3 Commissioner Steve Hersey about the need for repaving 1.1 miles of Sugar Creek Trail near Lake Oconee.
“It’s got a little rough going through there with a golf cart and almost impossible with a bicycle,” Fox said. “I can give a free golf cart ride to see it if you got your fillings in tight,” he added.
Putnam County resident Jennifer Ray next brought up a street safety issue, showing photos of a broken convex mirror meant to aid drivers in seeing beyond a hill on Bluegill Road, in particular for those coming from South Bream Court. She explained that a fallen tree had damaged it during a storm the previous winter.
“I have contacted Public Works, and they have stated that they will not install a new mirror unless directed to do so by our county manager or commissioner (District 4, Jeff Wooten). Public Works believes they did not install the original mirror; however, there is precedent for such mirrors in this district, as evident by a similar installation on Bagley Road,” said Ray, who added she did the research, and a new mirror with brackets would cost approximately $200.
“A school bus stops there to pick up several children that live on that road. Regardless of who initially installed the mirror, it is situated on the county right of way and needs to be replaced,” Ray continued. “Ask yourself, what is a person’s life worth? We must consider the importance of safety, and I hope you’ll prioritize addressing this serious safety issue that has been brought to your attention today.”
Past county chairman Billy Webster next addressed the commission on behalf of Ione Foster, who lives at the Lake Oconee end of Ward’s Chapel Road and is having issues with utility providers and county contractors damaging landscaping in the right-of-way she maintains adjacent to her property.
“If the commissioner (District 3, Steve Hersey) or maybe the staff could give her a call and give her a little bit more than just a pat on the back, it would be highly appreciated,” Webster concluded.
Next, several routine consent agenda items were approved unanimously before County Manager Paul Van Haute gave an update on recent county paving efforts, which have been severely hampered by extended wet weather, he explained.
“The projects we’re working on today were initially approved in 2021; thereby, it delayed receiving the funds to just figure out if we get $4 or $5 million a year. You’ve got to wait one full year to get $4 or $5 million, then the second year you get $8 to $10 million, then the third year, and so on,” Van Haute said. “The problem was we decided to go to the bond market; we got a really good rate; we collected a million dollars more from the bank; and now we’re starting these projects.”
Van Haute further explained that the county can either bond the money and work on one district a year, based on the amount of money collected, or there are “a myriad of options.” However, the process will remain inherently lengthy.
“Going over 76 miles of road in the initial bid required engineering time to assess each road, come up with a strategy and a game plan to repair it, and modify it in the field if there’s a problem,” he said.
“I say that because I understand folks are frustrated with Harmony Road at the moment. Harmony Road was deemed in worse shape the closer we got to Highway 441 than was initially thought,” Van Haute continued. “So that road is going to be done with the lit-tech product, and we’re hopefully going to widen that road by a foot on each side. So, that should help some of the traffic flow out there, but again, these are old roads.”
Later, on behalf of the Jimmy Davis Park Partnership Advisory Committee, which she chairs, Eatonton City Councilmember Janie Reid provided an extensive update on the ongoing revitalization and improvement of the county-owned and operated park, located about a mile southeast of downtown Eatonton.
“We need more time, more people, and more resources, but all in all, everything is going well, extremely well,” Reid told the commission. “The committee is very pleased, as well as the community, so all in all, everything’s going well.”
She also endorsed the recent hiring of Jeremiah Bullard as assistant to JDP Manager Tweedy Parham, adding, “You cannot find two better people than you have at Jimmy Davis Park right now.”
Reid and the commissioners also discussed a proposed new sign for the entrance to the park to honor the memory of the Brown Bombers, an all-Black, World War II-era baseball team that once called the park “home.”
District 2 County Commissioner Richard Garrett next announced Kylie Reid and Brandon Riley as candidates to expand the JDP Partnership Advisory Committee, with both unanimously approved by the commission.
The final order of business was unanimous commission approval given for a right-of-way permit requested by BellSouth for work on Parks Mill Drive, Hickory Point Drive, and Cedar Cove Drive.
The work includes the lashing of 11,828 feet of aerial fiber optic cable to existing strands on existing pole lines, installing 1,478 feet of buried fiber cable, and an additional 219 feet of one-inch conduit for drop fiber.