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Surfin’
the News
Published by Permar Publications • P.O. Box 20539 • St. Simons Island, Ga. 31522 • 912-265-9654 • ssislander@bellsouth.net
October 20, 2008 Established 1972 Vol 36 Issue 42
Judge hears
eminent domain
case appeal
By Matthew J. Permar
What turns faster - the
wheels of government or the
wheels of justice?
OK, it’s not just a rhetorical
question, it’s a trick question
too - they both turn slowly.
And right about now I’m
betting the Glynn County
Commission is wishing the
wheels of justice would turn
a little faster in their eminent
domain case to obtain the last
two pieces of property they
need for the Comity Detention
Center expansion project.
On Wednesday, Septem
ber 10, Special Master Pat
rick O’Conner ruled in favor of
Glynn County saying Bruns
wick businessman Bob Torras,
Sr. must sell his two pieces of
property at 406 J St. and 1914
Newcastle St. in the downtown
block between I and J Streets
to the comity for the jail proj
ect.
Torras appealed O’Conner’s
decidsion and on Monday, Oct.
13 Atlantic Judicial Circuit
Superior Court Judge Charles
Rose, Jr. heard the case.
After the one day hearing,
during which most of the evi
dence was presented by Tor-
ras’s attorneys, Judge Rose did
not indicate when he would
make his decision.
Torras’s supporters, oppo
nents of the jail project, said
they did not expect a ruling
last week because Judge Rose
said he had a three-day trial to
preside over after the eminent
domain appeal hearing.
Torras’s attorney’s, Todd
Brooks of Brunswick and Wal
ter Hartridge of Savannah,
asked Judge Rose to overturn
O’Conner’s decision based on
three points.
One - Hartridge held that
the Georgia Landower’s Bill of
Rights and Private Property
Act of 2006 did not give equal
protection to landowners.
The lawyer said the law
gives property owners protec
tion from having their land
taken under eminent domain
by the state. It does not, Har
tridge said, provide landown-
Turn to Page 5
Eminent domain appeal
County to
demolish pier
putt-putt course
• New course already
under construction
By Matthew J. Permar
The Glynn County Com
mission voted unanimously
last week to have their Pub
lic Works Department begin
demolition of the miniature
golf course in Neptune Park
in the St. Simons Island pier
village.
In lieu of seeking competi
tive bids on the project, Public
Works Director John Carter
said his crew could do the job
for $6,700, which included
$500 for disposal of the mate
rial, $5,200 to sod the area and
$1,000 for irrigation. All costs
are estimates.
Carter said that allowing
his department to handle the
project they would be faster
than using the bid process.
Carter said any materi
als worth saving, such as the
brick and the larger shrub-
Turn to Page 9
Putt putt course
Retired Fire Chief
receives state award
By The Islander
Newspaper
Lee Stewart, retired City of
Brunswick Fire Chief, recently
was named 2008 Fire Chief of
the Year by the Georgia Asso
ciation of Fire Chiefs.
The award was announced
during the association's annual
joint conference with the Geor
gia State Firefighter's Associa
tion held in Macon in August.
Stewart will receive the honor
February 3, 2009, during Fire
fighter Recognition Day at the
Capitol in Atlanta.
Stewart, who retired from
the City position in June,
served as Brunswick's Fire
chief for 20 years and as a
Glynn County firefighter for 13
years before becoming chief.
Stewart began his career
in Florida as one of the first
in the state to receive a Fire
Science Degree. Other degrees
include Business Administra
tion, Marketing and Manage-
Turn to Page 5
Retired chief awarded
South End controversy
This house at 902 Halifax
Square in the South End of
Brunswick was build as a
single family residence in
1900. Sometime later it was
turned into apartments
which may now be out of
compliance with current
city zoning ordinances.
The owner has applied to
the city for a conditional
use permit to operate it as
apartments.
Islander Staff Photo
City Commission defers on conditional use application
It's one of those beautiful,
oak-tree canopied neighbor
hoods that makes the south
end of Brunswick such a desir
able address.
But, it's not without occa
sional controversy and this
time the controversy is about
an apartment house at 902
Halifax Square that many
neighbors say is operating ille
gally.
In addition, the neighbors
are concerned because apart
ment house owner Jon Palmer
Fortune rents solely to men
who are in either drug or alco
hol recovery.
And as they often do when
faced with a knotty problem
or controversial decision, last
week the Brunswick City Com-
By Matthew J. Permar
mission deferred Fortune's
request for a conditional use
permit to operate the apart
ments on a 4-1 vote during
their Wednesday, Oct. 15
meeting.
Mayor Bryan Thompson,
who said he was not comfort
able with Fortune's request,
was the sole vote against the
deferral.
While neighbors were con
cerned about the nature of
Fortune's tenants, the central
issue was whether the apart
ment house was operating
legally.
According to City Planner
Arne Glaeser, the building was
built in 1900 as a single-family
residence on property that is
currently zoned General Resi
dential (GR).
At some point the house
was converted into five apart
ments.
City resident Hal Hart, who
once lived in and still owns the
house next door to Fortune's
property, told the commission
that 902 Halifax Square was
an apartment house in the
1950's when he was growing
up.
Glaeser reported that dur
ing World War II many houses
in that area were broken up
into apartments and have been
allowed to remain because
multi-family dwellings were
allowed under the GR zoning.
But the trend has now
Turn to Page 5
Conditional use