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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Residents feel C'ville singling them out
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
Rosemary Rose and Mike
McFarland are unhappy
with the city of Centerville.
In their words, they feel
they have been “chasing
their tails,” to live in a fifth
wheel trailer on their prop
erty on Collins Way, while
they renovate their hojne.
The city of Centerville has
a problem with the sanita
tion equipment on their
trailer, which according to
the Environmental
Protection Agency and the
Department of Natural
Resources is illegal.
The equipment, a holding
tank for wastewater, is not
legal for a residential area or
living arrangements, only
for temporary construction
sites.
The equipment is classi
fied as a holding tank.
In the recent council
meeting, Mayor Ronnie
Brand said holding tanks
are not legal and no debate
would be allowed in the
meeting.
Last week in a council
work session, neighbors
complained about smells
from the property.
City Attorney Rebecca
Tydings had conferred with
the state that the type of
equipment present at the
Collins Drive address was
Commissioners opposed to court decision on eminent domain
By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Words like “concerned,”
“disappointed” and
“against,” were some of the
ones used by members of
Houston County Board of
Commissioners in reference
to the U.S. Supreme Court’s
recent ruling on eminent
domain,
“I believe strongly in pri
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only for use at construction
sites and not for living
arrangements. She said if
the site was occupied by res
idents, any “pump and haul
equipment” is not allowed.
In a later interview with
McFarland and Rose, they
said they paid SIOO to apply
for a variance request to
stay on the property and
renovate, which they were
denied.
They had been approved
for a prior variance that
allowed them six months to
“have a single mobile unit,
travel trailer or motor
home...during construction
of permanent residency on
the same lot ... for a period f
not to exceed six months,”
according to Centerville City
Code.
The couple said they have
had various health problems
and did not complete reno
vations during the allotted
time period. Rose is a dia
betic and said her husband
has suffered from heart
attacks.
Rose said she pays S7O a
week to have the tank
pumped and disagrees with
her neighbors about any
odor from the residence.
The couple says they
would like to stay on the
property to finish renova
tions, which are taking
longer than expected.
vate property rights,” said
Commission Chairman Ned
Sanders. “In Houston
County, eminent domain is
used only for acquisition
where there is a clear-cut
public need involved, not for
private development.”
Sanders noted that use of
eminent domain is justified
in certain instances, like
roads.
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“We feel we are being sin
gled out,” Rose said.
The couple said they have
put a lot of work into the
property.
McFarland said in clean
ing off the property he spent
his last S6OO to purchase, he
hauled 35 loads of trash to a
local landfill.
“I’ve done nothing but
better this property,” he said
looking over his well-kept
garden of corn, tomatoes
and squash.
“It was a neighborhood
eyesore and we cleaned it
up,” McFarland said.
At the meeting, Brand
said the couple had until
Sunday to disassemble the
tank, and the property can
not be used as a residence.
According to Centerville
city code, mobile home units
“must be supported by a
permanent foundation ...
and must be connected to
water and sewage in compli
ance with the applicable
ordinance of the council.”
“We would rather put
money into renovating our
home, than into variances,”
Rose said.
About the Sunday dead
line, McFarland said he is
dead in the water.
“I own property - now I
have to move,” McFarland
said.
“Sometimes, it has to be
used for public good,”
echoed Commissioner Tom
McMichael, but not to sup
port private enterprises.
Vice Chairman Gail
Robinson said she was dis
appointed in the Supreme
Court decision.
“I don’t agree with it,” she
said. “The increase in tax
revenue is not in the public
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Mike McFarland shows a book of information he has collected in a struggle with the
city of Centerville to allow him to live on his property in a trailer while he renovates the
home also there. They city denied him an extension of the six-month variance he was
given.
good. ”
Commissioner Jay Walker
noted that the court said
cities, counties and states
can make their own deci
sions.
Both Robinson and
Walker are attorneys.
McMichael said he expects
some action on the issue
from the Georgia legisla
ture.
Their responses were
prompted by a regular
speaker during the public
comments portion of the
meetings, who asked for
their comments. Senders
told he he’d already planned
on it.
The Kathleen resident,
Maurice Braswell, was also
“asking for a tweaking.”
Braswell said the commis
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SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2005 ♦
sioners said they would
“tweak” the unified animal
control ordinance if needed.
He asked that it be changed
to include property zoned R
AG (residential agricultural)
under five acres.
The ordinance restriction
on the number of pets does
not apply to residential lots
over five acres or property in
the R-AG zoning.
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