Resources to be allocated to Twiggs Senior Center, more road concerns discussed at commission meeting

A nearly two-hour Twiggs County Commission meeting last week settled some old issues while residents brought up frequent concerns that have yet to be resolved. 

Senior Center transportation troubles

Representatives from the Middle Georgia Community Action Agency (MGCAA), a program that serves rural food deserts in the region, informed commissioners of their role with the Twiggs County Senior Center and raised concerns with transportation. 

The agency provides several services to Twiggs and the surrounding counties, but senior programs were primarily discussed. MGCAA serves homebound seniors and members of the senior center, providing meals at least five days a week.

MGCAA representatives said they service around 40 clients between the senior center and home clients, but they’ve had as many as 60 in Twiggs County. Due to transportation complications and other factors, however, participation has been declining.

Many seniors in Twiggs County, she said, do not have access to transportation, and the local Economic Opportunity Center (EOC), who would employ the driver, has had little to no applicants. 

MGCAA requested help from the county to find and fund a driver, which she said Twiggs used to do before the previous driver stopped working in that role. MGCAA has a lead on someone with a commercial driver’s license who is interested in working, but if they are employed by the EOC, they would be required to drive much more outside of Twiggs, including to and from Atlanta on occasion. 

They also mentioned that they were in need of a new vehicle, although finding a driver is the priority, so they weren’t “pushing the issue” yet.

The commission seemed willing to help, although a vote was not cast. 

Georgia Forestry Commission vehicle purchase

After very brief discussion, the commission voted unanimously to purchase a vehicle “through the Georgia Forestry Commission,” the agenda item states.

Road problems

Before entering executive session, the commission opened the floor for public comment. Some citizens raised concerns with roads near their homes, primarily due to potential damage to their cars from potholes and rough terrain. 

Hill and Dale Drive was discussed, but Chairman Ken Fowler said the county already has a road under contract, Lucy Chapel Road. 

“We’ll get to it as soon as we can,” Commissioner J. Clay Floyd told the resident who brought up the issue, who said the county has been “patching it for years” to no avail. 

“When we get some money,” Fowler said. “We ain’t got money right now.”

Deer troubles

Another resident brought up a “deer situation” on Cool Springs Road after losing $17,000 on an automobile. He said the deputy informed him that there are frequent deer-related accidents in that area. The resident requested that brush on the road be cleared for visibility. He has called the road department, he said, but lines were sometimes busy or calls never connected. He has been requesting help since July, he said.

Road Superintendent Lee Stringer said that the equipment to clear brush is on rotation, and they are currently in District 3 on Sgoda Road. It can take three or four months to cover a Twiggs district with their staff of seven people, he said.

“If I break rotation, I’m cheating one commissioner or another of not getting his time,” Stringer said. “And that’s the one thing we don’t skip on. We take each road as we go around. If we skip a road, all we’re doing is driving back and forth.” 

The resident also mentioned that the “deer crossing” signs continue to be stolen from the area. 

The deer signs, Stringer said, are “trophy signs” that are frequently stolen no matter how many times they put them up. 

“They’re not going to stay there,” Stringer said. “I mean, we can put them back up again.”

Loggers passing through

A resident took to the podium to discuss Field Road. The road, he said, is rough and tears up his car. 

“Sir, it’s not worth me spending money on that road when you’ve got loggers going down it,” Commissioner Keith Washington said. “I’m not going to pay for another road until I know that it’s going to be fine. Y’all see the loggers. That’s who’s damaging the road.”

A spectator asked where the timber tax is going, and Washington said he isn’t “seeing it” and that it should be going toward repairing the roads.

“I’ve been in third world countries all over the world during my military experience, and I ain’t never seen a road like that,” another attendee said. 

County Attorney Kerry Howell said there are ways to hold the loggers accountable, but it will not be easy. It will require residents to get involved and raise concerns with the state. 

“There is a statewide timber hauling ordinance that they passed about two years ago,” Howell said. “It makes it very difficult for counties to hold timber harvesters or anyone involved in the timber harvesting business responsible for the damage that you can hold them (accountable for). if you go through the process, and you go through it step by step, perfectly, the damages are very limited.

“…I do believe that if we don’t take advantage of the limited ways that we have to try to enforce this, this is the result. And I did not realize this was a problem. But letters have to be sent out when you see damage. Photographs have to be taken.”

Child welfare concerns

For the remaining 45 minutes of the meeting, resident Tracy Mitchum expressed concerns regarding code enforcement and health department issues in Twiggs County. She had frustrations with the county’s handling of a situation involving an 8-year-old child living in, she said, a shed that lacks running water and a toilet.

Mitchum, the sister of Twiggs County Sheriff Darren Mitchum, questioned the roles and responsibilities of various county departments and officials and challenged the board to take more proactive steps to address the community’s concerns. She argued that the family should be evicted and the county isn’t taking the appropriate action.

Fowler said he went to the area she mentioned last time she brought up the issue and didn’t see any problems. 

“What we have done, to my understanding, and I think I understand, is we’ve given them notice of violations of our planning, zoning and building ordinances, and we’re following the procedure that we follow in all these cases,” Howell said, citing an ordinance regarding accessory dwellings, or a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a single-family home. We cannot legally pass a motion to go take this child from her parent. 

“The people that are empowered to do that are child protective services … They have been out there, to my understanding, and investigated, and they have not done so. The person that could find someone responsible for child neglect and arrest them is the sheriff of this county … the sheriff has been out there and they have not arrested the parent.”

The discussion became heated at times, with Mitchum pressing the commissioners and county attorney for more information and action. There are also comments from other attendees supporting Mitchum’s position and urging the board to work together with the health department and other agencies to resolve the issues.

“I know Clay Floyd. I know Keith Washington. I know how they raise their kids, and they would poop themselves before their kids would live in this kind of condition,” Mitchum said. “I find it hard to believe when you’re a commissioner, you can’t (ask the health department to take action).”

Mitchum said she intends to continue pursuing this issue, and the commissioners went into executive session for the remainder of the meeting.