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the Monroe County
www.mymcr.net • VOL. 45 NO. 26 • USPS 997-840 24 pages • Wednesday, July 6, 2016 • $1.00
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2013 fatality
See Page 6A
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Surveyor: Dispute
still rigged for Bibb
Georgia Secretary of
State Brian Kemp held
a 45-minute closed door
meeting at the State
Capitol Thursday with
attorneys from Monroe
and Bibb counties to
discuss matters per
taining to the ongoing
county line dispute.
Although the Reporter
was the lone media out
let to attend the meet
ing, Kemp asked that
the Reporter remain
outside during the dis
cussion, which included
Monroe County attor
neys Ben Vaughn,
Letitia McDonald
and Carolyn ‘Tippy’’
Burch, Bibb County
attorneys Virgil Adams
and James Jordan
and surveyor Terry
Scarborough. However,
Kemp granted Reporter
news editor Richard
Dumas an exclusive
interview at the con
clusion of Thursday’s
meeting to inform citi
zens of his attention to
hold what he termed a
“final hearing” concern
ing the line on Aug. 30.
MCR: Was the pur
pose of today’s hearing
to set up the ground
rules for the Aug. 30
hearing?
KEMP: Yeah, it
really wasn’t a hearing.
It was a meeting of the
parties, which is why it
was the attorneys that,
were here. Basically,
I sent a letter about
holding a final hearing
on this matter, which
is set up for Aug. 30.
So I just, thought it
would be good to get
everybody together
today all the parties
involved, the attorneys
for Bibb and Monroe
County, and we also
included Mr. (Terry)
Scarborough to lay out
see KEMP page 6A
Surveyor Terry Scarborough (right) explains why his survey established
the Monroe-Bibb line where it did during secretary of state Brian Kemp’s
(left) visit to the disputed area at the Ocmulgee River in 2011. (File photo)
COUNTY LINE TIMELINE
Dec. 9,1822 Gov. John Clark signs
legislation creating Bibb County
out of southern Monroe County.
It establishes the Monroe-Bibb
boundary as a straight line ex
tending southwest from the
Waller orTorrentine Ferry on pj*
the Ocmulgee River.
• Feb. 20,1877 The Legislature
alters the Bibb-Monroe county line to
move 50-75 acres belonging to Dr. Lee Holt
from Monroe County into Bibb County.
be established as required by state law.
• Jan. 15,2005 Bass Pro Shops an
nounces it’s building a 175,000 square-
foot store and 500,000 square-foot
warehouse off Bass Road near the
Bibb-Monroe county line.
> June 1,2005 Monroe
County surveyor Hugh Mer
cer presents commissioners
with 40 pages of evidence on the
county line issue, but the consen
sus is there’s no consensus.
• November 2004 A Monroe County
grand jury calls for the Monroe-Bibb line to see TIMELINE page 7A
BY WILL DAVIS
publisher@mymcr.net
Seven years after he submitted his
survey marking the Monroe-Bibb
county line, Terry Scarborough may
finally get his chance to tell secre
tary of state Brian Kemp on Aug.
30 why he set the boundary where
he did. But
Scarborough
said he’s
skeptical that.
Kemp will do
anything but
carry water
for Bibb
County.
“I don’t
think any
thing has
changed,”
Scarborough
said after a
pre-hearing
conference with Kemp on Thursday.
“Bibb County is still running the
show. I could show him the corpse
of [original 1822 surveyor] James
Whatley at the line and he wouldn’t
care.”
The counties have long disputed
the boundary since the original 1822
survey of the line cannot be found.
After Bass Pro Shops announced
plans to build a store in the bound
ary area in 2005, a Monroe County
grand jury asked Gov. Sonny Perdue
to appoint a surveyor to establish
the line.
Perdue appointed Scarborough, a
Houston County surveyor, to mark
the line, but Kemp rejected his
survey in 2011. However, Monroe
County sued and the Georgia
Supreme Court, agreed that, the law
requires Kemp to set the boundary.
So Kemp has called for a new hear
ing on Aug. 30, saying he aims to set
the line.
At Thursday’s preliminary confer
ence, Scarborough said he wants to
give an in-depth presentation of his
evidence that, would take 2.5 days.
But he said that. Kemp and the Bibb
County attorneys are trying to pre
vent that..
“They all just, rolled their eyes,”
said Scarborough.
Scarborough said he has a “mag
nificent” Powerpoint presentation
planned with details and a “war
see DISPUTE page 6A
‘I could show
him the corpse
of [original 1822
surveyor] James
Whatley at the
line and he
wouldn’t care.’
- Surveyor Terry
Scarborough
New BOE
BY DIANE GLIDEWELL
news@mymcr.net
As its new Fine Arts Center takes
shape, the Board of Education
won initial approval on June 27 to
erect, a new LED sign in front, of
the school system’s central office to
advertise programs at. the Fine Arts
Center and other school events. The
Planning & Zoning Board recom
mended approval of a variance for
the sign at. 25 Brooklyn Avenue on
Monday, and it. will now go before
city council.
The school system needs the vari-
digital sign gets early nod
ance because the sign is in the
Highway 41 corridor overlay where
‘monument.’ signs are not. allowed.
A monument, sign is a free-standing
structure near the entrance of a
business or facility. Martin Presley,
chair of the Planning & Zoning
Board, said that, the sign requested
could be considered grandfathered
from the corridor overlay regulations
because it. will replace the school sys
tem’s existing sign.
Bob Day, architect, for the Fine
Arts Center, said the new sign will
be 12 feet, high and 11 feet., 8
inches wide. It. will be made
of brick, cast, stone, a
stucco product, and
shingles. The
electronic sec
tion in the
middle will
be 5 feet., 6
inches wide
and 2 feet., 4
inches high.
It. will be
five feet, from
Highway 41,
A sketch of the
proposed sign.
(Courtesy
BOE)
see SIGN page 5A_
MONROE COUNTY
BOARD
OF
EDUCATION
