Commissioners Temporarily Close Part of Dobson Road

By JACK BAGLEY
The Meriwether County Commission voted on March 24 to approve a request from Robert Williams to temporarily close a portion of Dobson Road.
Williams told the Commissioners that the 4,144-foot portion of the dirt road is in very poor condition and is unable to be maintained, with any repair work washing down into a nearby creek. Additionally, the bridge on a portion of the road is all but impassable and has been given the Department of Transportation’s lowest rating. Williams also said that there are terrible problems with dumping on the road, along with night shooting after dark.
At the March 9 Commission meeting, when the request was first heard, only the County 911 staff had responded to a request for comment on the closing of that portion of the road. The item was tabled to the March 24 meeting to give other necessary county departments time to reply. Of those, the Public Works and 911 Departments had no issues with closing the road, and the Sheriff’s Department also had no problem with the idea provided Deputies would have access to the suggested gates at each end of the closed portion. However, the Fire Department said they would prefer the road remain open, as it could be a vital route in time of emergency or disaster.
Williams said that in his memory, the road has never been used for emergency access, saying fire trucks would not be able to use the bridge. Regarding the bridge, the Public Works Department said that it cannot be repaired, and would have to be replaced.
Commissioner Bryan Threadgill asked if the main concern was the road or the bridge, and he was told that the road itself is the primary concern. He added that there would be a definite need for access in the event of emergencies.
The board voted to temporarily close the road until the county can get the road and bridge up to standards, with gates installed to close off the section of road between 969 and 2171 Dobson Road.
Another road in the county, Hoss Bowden Road, was on the agenda as well. The road was believed to have been county-maintained until 1999 but has not been maintained since then. A bridge on that road was identified as being difficult to access due to the condition of the road, along which no one lives. The state has also asked the Commission to consider abandoning the road. A public hearing on the abandonment question was set for May 11.
Collection of property taxes was also discussed. Threadgill told the Commission he had met with a resident who asked if the annual collection could be restructured away from just before Christmas, which causes a hardship for some families. Suggested were two options – splitting the collection in half, with one half being due in June and the other half in December; and collecting during the month in which the homeowner was born. County Administrator John Gorton said that changing the collection would be a burden for budgetary purposes, but overall it would have no financial impact on the county. He said he would research the issue and bring it up with the Commissioners at the April 13 meeting.
In other business, the Meriwether County Commission:
• Heard a presentation regarding an update for the 2026 Meriwether County Transit Development Plan from Stephanie Wagner of the Three Rivers Regional Commission;
• Tabled to the April 13 meeting a decision to approve a contract with SmartCop containing a $1.6 million liability clause;
• Approved a proposal from Tara Coe to be a grant writer for the county at a rate of $35 per hour;
• Approved a change order for the Courthouse roof repairs not to exceed $24,500 and to match the new Courthouse roof;
• Tabled to April 13 a request from the Airport Authority for a $200,000 match to $1 million in federal funding for apron rehabilitation at Roosevelt Memorial Airport;
• Approved placing $150,000 into the contingency fund for the Courthouse roof and exterior project;
• Approved recaulking exterior windows at the Courthouse at a cost of $13,750;
• Approved replacement of bricks on the north and west sides of the Courthouse for $2,184;
• Approved $25,900 as a service agreement for operation of the Three Rivers Regional Transportation System as part of Section 5311 Public Transportation Service;
• Approved an agreement with Flint Fabrications for installation of ADA-compliant handrails along the concrete steps of the Elections Building, not to exceed $20,000;
• Approved pending legal review a contractual agreement between the county and the city of Manchester for housing of inmates;
• Approved pending legal review a contract with Tri-Color for Microsoft licenses for the county;
• Set a work session for April 13 at 4:30 p.m. with the Water and Sewerage Authority;
• Identified 12 inoperative vehicles as surplus and approved disposal by listing for bid on the govdeals website; and
• Approved spending up to $26,850 for a new baseball field at Lake Meriwether.
The next regular meeting of the Meriwether County Commission will be Monday, April 13, at 6 p.m.