Commissioners honor 30-year employees

The opportunity was taken to acknowledge Houston County employees that had achieved 30 years of service with the county at Tuesday night’s County Commissioner’s meeting. Chairman Tommy Stalnaker said that earlier in the day, the board had honored employees with 15 to 25 years of experience.

“When you get to the 30-year range, you get a little more special acknowledgement, and we hope what you get from tonight is that not only is the board of commissioners very appreciative of what you have done and continue to do for the county, but also that the citizens acknowledge their appreciation for the work you have done,” Stalnaker said. He further expanded that no matter the field of county employment, the service provided was very important. Stalnaker explained that there are employees in the county that stay upwards of 30 years, and that this solidifies the workforce for the county, which works better for everyone involved.

“I want to thank you for the 30 years you have given to this county. These commissioners want to thank you here tonight, but more importantly, the citizens of this county want to thank you for your service,” Stalnaker expressed.

Recognized from the Department of Public Works were Nathaniel Rawls and Ben Keen of roads and bridges, as well as Dihl Smith of public buildings. In addition, Lieutenant Darin Meadows and Captain Mike Stokes from the Houston County Sheriff’s Office were honored. Capt. Stokes is over the HCSO warrant division as well as SWAT team, while Lt. Meadows is with the HCSO juvenile division. Planning and Zoning Administrator Tim Andrews was recognized for his 30-year contribution to the county as well.

A group of citizens came forward in concern of the condition of dirt roads in the county. The three individuals were residents of Flournoy, Holt, and Brownhill roads in Elko. Lily Nichols, of Flournoy Road, said that she herself has shoveled dirt from the side of the road into potholes to keep herself and others from falling victim to them. “Our roads are not in good condition, I’ll call and they’ll come out and do something that might suffice for a week or two, and then they’re messed up again,” Nichols explained, “I just feel like a lot of money is being wasted.” Nichols also read an email from a fellow constituent that was not present who lives on Holt Road. The email stated that not only has the resident been stuck as a result of the roadway conditions, but has also assisted with other motorists who have succumbed to the roads as well. The email also said that the county roads that the residents live on should be taken care of because of the payment of county taxes.

Jonathan Gibbs of Brownhill Road said that if nothing is said about the conditions of the roads now, they would continue to deteriorate. A two-year resident of Holt Road, Levi Vitus, said that Holt Road is supposed to be a county maintained road, but that the county is not maintaining it. Vitus said that the last time he remembered the road being grated was before Thanksgiving.

“It’s a little ridiculous to have to complain and fuss as much as we do just to get [the county] to come out there and grate it one time and then it’s another three or four months before anybody does anything else about it,” Vitus explained. He further stated that the constituents feel that the roads could be better maintained.

Chairman Stalkner expressed that the goal for the roadways was to have them paved. “Actually we don’t want any dirt roads left,” Stalnaker said. Stalnaker explained that one of the issues with getting the roads paved was residents that do not want to give up their right of way, and also said that it is more expensive to maintain dirt roads than paved roads. Stalnaker assured the group that their concerns had been heard over the condition of the roads and that the board would do everything they could to improve the road conditions. The three residents were directed to leave their contact information with Director of Operations Robbie Dunbar, for further contact purposes.

There was a request submitted, by way of an Abandonment of County Easement/Right-of-way form, by property owner Jeffery Pennington for the abandonment of a portion of an existing Houston County utilities easement. The property owner has made a permanent improvement—consisting of a deck and swimming pool—to his personal property, which encroaches on this easement. It was the recommendation of staff to approve the request, and the board gave its approval.

A public hearing and second reading was had for an alcohol license application submitted by Shetalben Patel, owner of Lake Mart convenience store—which is currently under construction—at 451 Lake Joy Road, in Kathleen. This license would be for the retail packaged sale of beer and wine. There were no speakers for or against the application. The application was passed.

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