Posted: 9/18/07
Mayor Morey feels city council must do whatís right for residents
By Charlie Warner
Argus Editor
"The 60-day extension on the countyís zoning requests was more than just giving us time to conduct a traffic study. I wanted to hear from the public, from the people who would be affected by the countyís plans before I made a decision one way or the other," Caledonia Mayor Mike Morey explained last week.
After receiving a cost estimate of conducting a traffic study (which was between $10,000 and $12,000) Morey asked city councilmembers where they stood concerning the 82,000 square foot criminal justice center (CJC) Houston County is proposing to locate next to the existing court house in downtown Caledonia. Morey and three of the four councilmen all stated at the Sept. 10 council meeting they are not in favor of the downtown location and would not approve variances in current city zoning laws or vacating portions of two city streets for the project.
"The vast majority of the people I talked to concerning the downtown CJC location were against it," Morey continued. "As a member of the city council, I am here to represent the people, listen to their comments, and make the best decisions for the city. The county has other options. They are in the process of purchasing 22.5 acres of land on the west edge of town for the county highway department. There should be plenty of room to locate both facilities there. And I donít think the county would have any problems getting the proper variances, if needed, at that location.
"Itís not that the city of Caledonia doesnít want a new facility like this in town, but we have to listen to our residents, and they donít want the CJC downtown," Morey added.
When asked about the councilís indication that it does not support the downtown location and would not approve the necessary zoning requests to make it a reality, Houston County Board Chairman Ann Thompson said she was very disappointed.
"I really donít know where we will go from here," she said Wednesday morning. "I know some people feel the reason we are looking at the 22.5 acres of land on the west edge of town is so we would have an alternative site. But thatís not true. The county highway department said they need approximately 20 acres of land for their facility and potential expansion. That would only leave us with 2.5 acres. Thatís just not enough land."
According to Thompson, County Highway Engineer Marcus Evans feels the county will be asked to handle more of the maintenance of township roads in the upcoming years, which will require more equipment, a larger workforce, and expanding the facility. She added Evans also predicted the state might be pawning off some of the maintenance issues of the state highways on the county.
Caledonia Argus
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