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Frustrated citizens seek relief from WashCo Commission The commission room was filled to overflowing and some people were standing at the Nov. 14 meeting of the Washington County Commission, when residents of Bates Lake Road, frustrated and angered by a recent closure of that road appealed to the commission for relief. Ronald Knapp, spokesman for the group presented the commission with a list of questions to which they sought answers. The Bates Lake Road was closed following the settlement of a lawsuit filed by Ellen Jones in the Circuit Court of Washington County, number CV-03-180. Knapp passed to each commissioner a list of nine questions, many of which were compound. The questions covered such items as: +No public notice of intent to settle the suit +Record of commission minutes on this decision +Record of commission's maintenance of this road +Record that Jones paid for maintenance (if private) +Use of boat ramp for county search and rescue, etc. +Commission's consideration of accessibility to emergency vehicles +Commission's plans for response to closure +Will taxpayers have to take action themselves? Knapp explained that Bates Lake Road has been a public road for 70 years. He went on to say that it had always been maintained by the county. Commissioner Willie Dixon, in whose district the disputed road lies, agreed, "In my tenure of 14 years, we have maintained this road approximately twice annually." He went on to explain that Jones' attorney and the commission's attorney, Michael Onderdonk, worked out the agreement. Knapp responded, "This road was county maintained longer than 14 years. Commissioner Allen Bailey's grandfather maintained it." He continued, "Approximately 10 days prior to this road being barricaded, I had 35 senior citizens at my camp for a cookout. What if we have an emergency down there? How will an emergency vehicle reach us? Who's going to be sued if my grandchild gets snake bit?" Judge John H. Armstrong suggested several times that the group seek legal advice and added, "I'm sure that Willie didn't know that man would put up a gate." Knapp insisted, "This is the county governing body and you are the presiding officer. Are you saying that taxpayers should hire at our expense a $10,000 lawyer? We were advised to bring this first to the Commission." Another resident, Paul White, presented a copy of a land deed, dated 1940, in which his wife's grandparents had sold the property in question to the Jones. The deed stipulated that the road in question is public and granted the right of ingress and egress. After the other items on the agenda were finished, the commission passed a resolution for their attorney, Michael Onderdonk to write a letter to Harold Jones about the prospect of getting the barricades down granting ingress and egress to both sides. Additionally, the commission will subpoena Jones to the next commission meeting. Other Business +The bridge is now completed on the Bama Williams Road. +Intention to close the Lower Hobson Road Bridge on County Road 12 next week was announced. +Work on the Roberts Creek Bridge project on County Road 6 is expected to begin within the next month. +The commission will advertise and get bids for old Hwy. 5 to Hwy. 43 (Co. Rd. 34) by Dec. 11. +The commission will advertise several pieces of used county equipment on govdeals.com +The commission will advertise for two equipment operators, one pay class 6 and one pay class 5. Applications will be accepted through 10 a.m., Nov. 27. Other Resolutions +The commission approved the incorporation of the Malcolm Community Center. Future plans for the center included a nutrition center and possibly a site as a sub fire station. +At the request of Janelle Sanderson, executive assistant, the commission passed a resolution revising the description of several job classifications, which do not affect the pay scale. +The commission approved a CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) invoice request for payment in the amount of $108,658 payable out of ADECA (Alabama Department of Economic Affairs) funds. +At the request of Sheriff Wheat, a resolution was passed to advertise for a deputy and a jailer with applications ending on Nov. 27. Also, the sheriff brought up the matter of political signs littering county roadsides. The commission passed a resolution stating that political signs must be removed from Washington County roads within 30 days of an election. Charges for removing signs past that date will be billed to individual candidates. +The creation of permanent folders for the Highway 17 water line easements was discussed and Judge Armstrong, who goes out of office in January, assured commissioners Robbins and Beasley (the districts concerned) that this would be done. Catholic Social Services Joyce Yocum told the commission that she has need of funds to continue the services of her senior aide, whose job she said is to train older people to work in order to supplement their Social Security income. Since Catholic Social Services is a private nonprofit organization, Judge Armstrong said that the commission must seek advice about this request and he would have an answer for her at the Nov. 27 meeting. The commission meets again on Nov. 27. That meeting will be followed at 1 p.m. by a public hearing on the Washington County landfill. Solid Waste meeting Chairman Allen Bailey announced that the balanced owed has been reduced to $94,335.26. Last month's minutes were approved.
Judge Armstrong said that nine or 10 companies have picked up packages for giving proposals to build the landfill. The body will accept one of these proposals at its Nov. 27 meeting.
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