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Tuesday, August 24,2021 Heraltr <©a?t4tf 3A
THE HERALD GAZETTE/WALTER GEIGER
Milner PD receives donation
Milner police chief Mike Bailey (left) receives a check for $1,900 from Tonya Grammer and members of the Milner Civic
Committee at last week’s city council meeting. The committee spearheaded a festival on Aug. 14 to benefit the local police
department. Other members shown are (from left) Van Palmer Sr., Daye Williams and Helen Palacios. The event was declared
a success, despite “what seemed like the hottest day of the year, and we are very grateful to everybody for their help,” Bailey
said.
13.67 acre Ramah Church Road
development okayed despite backlash
WALTER GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
The Lamar County
commission voted 3-1
Aug. 17 to approve the
subdivision of 13.67 acres
on Ramah Church into
six lots despite backlash
from residents of the area
- particularly those living
on Reeves Road. Com
missioner Bob Heiney
cast the lone dissenting
vote on the matter.
Chuck Thompson,
Clint Ward and Thomas
Ward will sell lots. Buyers
will have to construct
stick-built homes of at
least 2,000 square feet.
At a public hearing prior
to the vote, residents
proclaimed their distaste
for the plan.
Travis and Ashley
Johnson of 273 Reeves
Rd. were among them. “1
moved to this county to
be in the country,” Ash
ley said. “1 dislike people.
1 need to be in the
country to get away from
people,” Travis added.
Dennis Rich of 293
Reeves Rd. moved here
in 1999 after leaving
a subdivision in For
est Park where he had
resided for 26 years. “We
moved here and built
our dream home. These
developers are here to
make a buck. Once they
do, they will be gone.
Stop this cancer before it
spreads,” Rich urged to
commissioners.
Kevin Rich, a law en
forcement officer who is
building next door to his
father, noted he has an
autistic child who thrives
in the quiet of the coun
try setting. “There are no
Lamar countians here to
speak in favor of this,” he
alleged.
Dana Platt of 285
Reeves Rd. said, “A sub
division right up on top
of us is not going to be
compatible.”
Developers Thompson
and Clint Ward, who both
live on Estes Road in
Monroe County, seemed
genuinely surprised by
the opposition.
“We are not asking for
any variances. 1 am from
Lamar County. My fam
ily has been here since
the 1960s. We do care
about Lamar County. My
brother lives on Ramah
Church Road. These are
going to be nice, upscale
QUALIFYING:
Contested races in B'ville;
lack of candidates in Milner
Qualifying for munici
pal elections in Novem
ber was supposed to
close Aug. 18 but Milner
was forced to extend its
period until 4:30 p.m.
today due to a lack of
candidates. Meanwhile,
in Barnesville, two of the
three council races on
the ballot will be con
tested.
Milner has four seats
open - three council seats
and the mayor’s post
- due to resignations,
etc. Its council race is
a plurality in which the
top three vote getters
would be seated. Only
two people qualified last
week, incumbent council
member Skip Seda and
newcomer Christopher
Ponder.
According to city clerk
Lacey Merritt, Seda and
Ponder will be seated.
Qualifying was extended
to hopefully attract can
didates for the remain
ing council seat and the
mayor’s job. Longtime
councilman and mayor
pro-tem George Weldon
did not qualify. Merritt
said she did not expect
him to run.
In Barnesville, incum
bent Ward 5 councilman
Butch McDaniel will
run opposed. In Ward 2,
incumbent Chris Hight
ower will be challenged
by Daniel Veon Benton.
In Ward 4, incum
bent Larry Whitworth
qualified. He will be chal
lenged by Joe Sims and
Neal Devane.
Monitor barnesville.
com for updates on the
Milner qualifying situa
tion.
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509 Greenwood Street • P.O. Box 220
Barnesville, GA 30204
homes. We think it is the
best case scenario for the
land,” Thompson said.
“We are not changing
in the zoning. We are not
putting in a subdivision.
There will be no roads,
no curb and gutter,” Ward
added.
The Reeves Road
contingent was also
concerned about future
plans for about 170 acres
the developers own
across Ramah Church
Road from the property
in question.
“The land across the
road will be estate lots
ranging from eight to 50
acres. The land is not
suitable for a high-den
sity subdivision. We are
not the bad guys here,”
Thompson concluded.
Email news@barnes-
ville.com to submit a
calendar item.
• The John Birch Soci
ety Chapter Meeting will
meet Wednesday, August
25 at 6:15 p.m. at The
Barnesville Lamar County
Library meeting room.
Speaker Laurie Heiney
will present a program on
the critical race theory
and if it is planned for
local schools in Lamar
County?
Interception
Lamar’s Donavan Sanford (18) turns upfield after intercept
ing a pass from Pike quarterback Gage Lee. Sanford also
had a rushing touchdown in the contest. LC goes to Crawford
County this Friday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
County approves
Rudy's racetrack
WALTER GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
The Lamar County
commission voted
unanimously Aug. 17 to
approve a zoning excep
tion for Randolph (Rudy)
Vaughn which will allow
him to operate a horse
track on his property at
276 Old Alabama Road.
Multiple residents of
the area, most from ad
joining Fieldcrest subdi
vision, were not pleased
with the plan nor the
approval of it.
A public hearing on
the exception under
concentrated outdoor
commercial status began
with a lengthy statement
from Vaughn’s attorney
Newton Galloway.
“I’ve known Rudy for
years. 1 have had many
interesting experiences
with Rudy. He built the
first new commercial
building in 3040 years.
He has been mostly a
positive influence on Mil
ner,” Galloway said. He
also noted Vaughn had
already agreed to mul
tiple conditions far more
stringent than those at
a similar facility on High
Falls Park Road that the
commission previously
approved.
Jennifer Bentley of 139
Belleflower Way noted
Fieldcrest residents can
not park on the streets of
their neighborhood but
alleged Vaughn will have
cars parked everywhere.
She said the county was
allowing 1,500 people on
the site or 71 per acre.
“This is going to
increase traffic in Field
crest. Our roads are
already bad. We will not
be held hostage to pol
lution, noise and traffic,”
Bentley said.
Jennifer Wilson of 103
Gardenia Court was wor
ried about road condi
tions and alcohol.
“Old Alabama Road is
already in bad shape. It
is patch after patch after
patch. What will horse
trailers do to it? He has
said there will be no
BYOB on the site. People
will sneak alcohol in. You
can’t stop it,” she argued.
Bobby Brantly was
worried about hormones
and antibiotics from the
horses getting into the
water supply and dust. “1
think (Rudy) has a great
plan. 1 think he’s going
to have a money-maker,”
Brantly said, wishing
Vaughn well.
Devin Bentley noted
their property backs up
to Vaughn’s horse barn.
“His wire fence isn’t
going to stop trash. My
backyard was my priva
cy. Now 1 don’t have any
privacy. 1 can’t relax on
my back porch,” Bentley
said.
Mark Rivard of 471 Van
Buren Rd. sounded off
on the track already in
operation near his home.
“We’ve already got a
race track. You said it
was going to be a horse
farm. They have guards
in black with AR-15s. It’s
a racetrack. You pulled
one over on me last time
but you can just walk
away with your bag of
cash,” Rivard said.
The commission voted
to okay the exception
with multiple conditions,
many of which Vaughn
had already agreed to,
Galloway said.
They include: no
motorized ATV trails,
no shooting, adherence
to the noise ordinance,
events will conclude
at dusk, no lasers, no
spotlights, privacy fenc
ing, evergreen buffers,
security when more than
75 people are present
and traffic control.
Additionally, three
or more citations in a
year will lead to a cease
and desist order for the
venue.
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Commissioners hear comments on millage rate
Two citizens showed
up to discuss the mill-
age rate with the county
commission Aug. 17. The
county plans to approve
a rollback rate of 12.464
mills on Friday, Aug. 27
at 11 a.m. at the court
house.
Les Hubbard said the
assessment on his prop
erty on Hunter’s Glen
went up 110%. “This is
an extreme hardship on
people, especially those
of us on fixed income,”
Hubbard said.
Gregg Martin of Pied
mont Road said there
has been a 28% increase
in the tax levy over five
years. “You have a thank
less job. I urge you to
reconsider and have no
increase,” Martin said.
In other business, the
county:
•Unanimously ap
proved a kennel on
property owned by Amy
Renfroe at 135 Ledbet
ter Rd. The dogs will be
under 25 pounds and
limited to 15 per day.
There will be no traffic as
drop off and pick up will
be at Renfroe’s Paw Spa
location in downtown
Barnesville.
•Created the Lamar
County Public Facilities
Board. The initial mem
bers are Linda Olivier,
Mark Rischbieter, Natoya
Fletcher, Sylvia Bush and
Keith Hendrix.
•Heard from county
administrator Sean
Townsend that he has
still not tapped into
TAN funds and sales tax
incomes are setting new
records.
•Voted 3-1 to reap
point Dr. Lee Woodall,
Samantha Bishop and
Laura Trice to the board
of health. Commissioner
Bob Heiney voted no.
•Accepted a bid of
$51,475 from Southern
Comfort to replace HVAC
at the courthouse.
•Heard from Alton
Kendrick regarding a
three-way stop sign that
is no longer needed.
•Heard from Sandra
Puckett who thanked
the board for new signs
and reflectors on behalf
of the neighborhood
watch group along lower
Yatesville and McCollum
roads.