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County to hold informational meeting on upcoming road bans
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
In an effort to try to save the roads and keep folks complying with the upcoming road bans, the Houston County Board has agreed to organize an informational meeting on weight restrictions and spring road bans.
Highway Superintendent Tom Molling brought the idea to the board during the Jan. 26 meeting.
“We’ve received so many calls in the past about what is allowable and what isn’t,” Molling told the board. “With farm equipment getting larger all the time, businesses wanting to move large mobile and modular homes through the county, I really feel it would be a good move to set up some type of informational meeting.”
Molling added that Tim Irwin has taken the necessary training and is well-versed in road bans and vehicle weights. He felt it would cost the county less than $400 to rent the basement of the Caledonia Municipal Auditorium and advertise the event.
Molling continued that Sheriff Doug Ely has expressed interest in the idea, as well as a number of other county highway staff.
“There has been so much confusion over the years, what is permitted, what isn’t. I feel this could be very beneficial to many people,” Molling noted.
Molling felt all of the farmers should be invited, as well as any contractors and/or construction companies that have applied for special weight permits.
“We could get the state involved in this as well,” Molling said. “Someone from the bridge division would be good too.”
County commissioners agreed with Molling’s line of thinking and encouraged him to get moving on the informational meeting right away. The meeting will probably be scheduled for February, as the road bans usually go into effect in March.
In other board action:
Zoning issue
Brownsville Township resident Melvin Davy, who had appeared at the Jan. 12 board meeting concerning a zoning issue, said his application for appeal and $400 check had been returned to him and he wanted to know why.
At the Jan. 12 board meeting Davy explained he had built a woodworking shop with a bathroom in 1982 and converted it into an apartment for is mother in 1984. He claimed back then the county didn’t have any stipulations governing this type of living arrangement.
When Davy’s mother was moved to a nursing home he decided to rent it out. He received a letter from the County Zoning Office informing him the apartment was now out of compliance. He added that Zoning Officer Bob Scanlan warned him that if he didn’t bring the building into compliance (get rid of the renter) he would be fined $75 per day until he did so.
Following a lengthy discussion Davy was encouraged to take the case to the County Board of Appeals, which he agreed to do.
At the Jan. 26 meeting Davy said he got the necessary forms from Scanlan’s office, felt he filled them out correctly and made out a check for $400, which is the fee for making an appeal.
“I got my check back with the forms and a note saying I didn’t follow the proper protocol,” Davy said. “I want to work with the county and get this straightened out, but how can I when I don’t know what I did wrong?”
Commissioner Larry Connery said he appreciated the fact Davy was trying to work within the system and suggested that he either work with Scanlan or Rick Frank, who also works with those issues.
“We could get this straightened out right now, if you (the county board) would agree that this was grandfathered in and I can do what I want with it,” Davy said.
“We can’t bypass the system,” Commissioner Dave Corcoran said. “Otherwise we would have all kinds of other people coming in here asking us to do the same.”
“Don’t we have a unique situation here with Mel having this apartment for his mother for that many years?” Commissioner Jack Miller asked.
“The red flag came up when Mel decided to rent it out. It isn’t in compliance as long as it’s a rental unit. If we let this one go, there will be many more people coming in here,” Corcoran said.
Miller said he appreciated the fact Davy was trying to work through the proper channels. “We’re losing population in this county. We need to find every way possible to encourage people to live here. Sometimes we need to think beyond the regulations,” Miller said.
Davy said he would sit down with Frank and try to figure out what was needed to follow proper protocol.
“I’d like to know one thing,” Davy added. “Rick Frank said this case fell through the cracks a long time ago at the last meeting. I didn’t see anything in the official minutes that he said that. Why wasn’t that statement in the official minutes?”
No one could answer that question.
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