Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
April 16, 2008
^Reporter
State OKs funds to settle
High Falls Lake red-zone dispute
BARNESVILLE MARBLE & GRANITE COMPANY
Serving Middle Georgia for Over 100 Years
BY WILL DAVIS
Some High Falls Lake
property owners are one
big step closer to finally
having clear deeds to their
homes. That after the leg
islature approved funds
last week aimed at resolv
ing a dispute over shore
line property.
State Rep. Jim Cole (R-
Forsyth) says the new
state budget includes
$148,000 for survey and
legal work to resolve the
long-festering dispute on
High Falls Lake.
“I’m really pleased for
High Falls Lake,” said Lisa
Sayers, who led a citizen
effort to force the state to
resolve the issue. “This is a
huge leap toward final res
olution.”
This newspaper reported
last year that Gov. Sonny
Perdue and the
Department of Natural
Resources had agreed to
give up the state’s claims
to the shoreline property,
thus averting an expensive
legal fight. The legislature
made it official this yer by
passing House Resolution
1310, conveying the so-
called red-zone property
back to the adjacent
landowners.
Cole also got approval for
$148,000 to do the legal
and survey work so the
property can be handed
over. Cole said the process
will probably take about
three months.
The dispute dates back to
the 1960s and concerns
nine parcels of lake-front
property. The question has
been who owns the proper
ty, private landowners or
the state Department of
Natural Resources. The
state claims it has title to
a red zone buffer around
most of High Falls Lake,
land deeded to it by a
power company that built
the lake.
But landowners have also
claimed the land and many
have built homes and land
scaped the disputed shore-
front property.
The DNR considered
eight possible solutions,
everything from doing
nothing to going to court,
said Cole. Gov. Sonny
Perdue decided the best
thing for everyone is just
to resolve the issue out of
court, said Cole. The DNR
says it will offer boundary
agreements to the property
owners which will include
some restrictions but will
give property owners a
clear deed to the property.
The restrictions will
include a ban on develop
ment in a 25-foot buffer
from the shore.
The DNR said the agree
ments will apply to six dis
puted parcels, including
ones in Baggerly subdivi
sion on Buck Creek in
Monroe and Lamar coun
ties and Weavers Pasture
subdivision in Butts
County. The state will keep
three properties, Buck
Creek Park, Boy Scout
Park and Girl Scout Park.
While the state has made
its decision, it will be some
months before property
owners have a final resolu
tion. Cole said he’ll have to
get legislative approval in
January to resolve, and
will need about $300,000
appropriated to survey the
property. “There’s still a lot
of work to do,” said Cole.
Sayers said she still has
some concerns about the
restrictions. But for the
Zimbabwe native, Friday’s
decision was a welcome
verdict after years of thor
ough research and lobby
ing.
Cole said Sayers’ efforts
reminded him of the movie
“Erin Brockovich,” in
which a paralegal played
by Julia Roberts takes on a
large power company and
wins. Sayers said she’s
heard that too.
“I have been called a lot
of things in the last few
years and Eric Brockovich
is one of them,” said
Sayers. “I feel I have taken
on Goliath.”
Sayers said she was moti
vated by memories of
growing up in Africa where
government took people’s
property without cause.
She said the current dis
pute was eerily similar.
“The last few years it’s
been a nightmare,” said
Sayers. “We’ve been in
limbo since 2002. The state
of Georgia is an immense
entity to try to deal
with...and when (the issue)
is your home and whether
you can stay in it, it’s very,
very frightening.”
The areas
around High
Falls Lake
marked in red
show where
landowners and
the state have
been in a prop
erty dispute over
the shoreline.
The state has
budgeted funds
to settle the dis
pute.
Call your local Monroe County representative
Scott Harrell
478-256-3586
or toll free: 800-551-1102
3250 Vineville Ave., Macon, GA 31208 r
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