Burke County Commissioners Take Detour On Road Closing

(Burke County, Georgia) - Donna Watson has officially been placed on the Burke County Commission agenda to voice her objections to the closing of a mile and a half of Frank Farmer Road.

She depends on the road to get to Wadley and Louisville. Others also use the road to get to Jefferson County.

Commissioners will discuss the process for road closings as a part of their meeting next week.

Donna Watson: “If not for Channel 6 and our persistence, this would not have happened. The only thing we wanted was for it to be held in a fair manner.  The road may still be closed.  I don’t know but we wanted it to be done in the proper procedure.”

Neighbors say they were not told about November’s commission meeting to discuss the closing.

Last month we pointed out that the meeting had not been advertised in the town’s paper as required by law.  A public hearing is also required.

In an e-mail Watson received from County Administrator Merv Waldop he says after further legal research, the board finds that it will have to post a legal ad in the paper and reschedule the hearings on the road closings from last month.

Watson says this is way it should have been handled from the beginning.

“It’s about citizens getting involved and making sure they’re following the law and not going around the law.  I’m not a lawyer but through learning in school and watching the news if it’s a law you can’t take away but you can add to it.  If’s it something you don’t agree with be persistent.”