By Andrew Wilkins

Angie Teems, chair of the Walker County commission, and Gene Wilson, District 4 representative, participated in their first commission meeting Thursday, Jan. 9. Both are Republicans and new to elected public service.

At the beginning of the meeting, Teems said her priorities as chair are to re-stripe county roads, address littering, and re-build the county’s code enforcement program. As the meeting closed, she said some things in the county aren’t in the best shape (without giving specifics), but said she’s excited about the future.

The new board decided to have one monthly meeting instead of two per month, heard updates from community members, including plans to recognize 60 years of racial integration in Walker County this year, and appointed members to several county boards.

New Walker County commissioners, from left: Angie Teems, chair, and Gene Wilson, district 4

Commission decisions

The twice-monthly commission meeting schedule has been in place since the board moved from a sole commissioner to a five-member board four years ago, said Mark Askew, District 2 commissioner.

Commission meetings will be held on the first Thursday of the month, the board decided, and its next meeting is Feb. 6. That day was chosen to give the county commission and public two weeks to consider recommendations from the planning commission before a decision is made.

Teems said community members will still have access to their representatives, because of her new open door policy at the county’s offices in LaFayette. For better service, she said community members should reach out to her or their representative as a first step, instead of starting by testimony at meetings.

She also repeated her campaign promise to return all calls in 24 hours.

Community member Jim Pope said he didn’t like the change, especially since board members recently received a salary increase.

Moving to one meeting a month will give commission members more time to research and prepare, Askew said, and the two-meetings-a-month schedule was mostly to help with the transition from a sole commissioner form of government model.

Askew, who was re-appointed as vice chair at the meeting, said the board can call more meetings in a month if necessary, and commission work sessions will be called regularly. The schedule can be changed if a monthly meeting isn’t enough, he said.

Only Brian Hart, District 3 commissioner, voted against changing the meeting times, but did not say why.

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The commission also chose a company to conduct a historical survey of the southern portion of the county. John Culpepper, chair of the county’s historical commission, said the survey will help the county’s historical commission qualify for state recognition allowing access to more preservation grants.

Culpepper said that based on how fast the county is growing, a lot of historical structures are being lost and need to be preserved.

Community news

Beverly Foster, president & founder of the Walker County African American Historical & Alumni Association, announced that the 60 years of racial integration in the county will be recognized with several events in 2025. The first event, she said at the meeting, is the screening of a documentary about pre-integration Walker County featuring first-hand interviews with locals residents.

The film, “Let Us Tell Our Story,” will be shown at the Walker County Civic Center on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. Foster said the documentary was created by Berry College professor Brian Campbell. Watch the trailer below.

There’ll also be an exhibit in June at the Walker County African American Historical Museum, Foster said, and an October banquet to recognize “trailblazers,” the first black students to integrate the county’s public schools.

Foster said Walker County didn’t have the same problems other communities had with integration, and she was happy it was a smooth transition. She credited the schools, who she said did a wonderful job. 

Also at the meeting, the commission also voted to include Juneteenth, a holiday recognizing the emancipation of slavery in 1865, in county holidays. Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19.

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Jen and John Testa, who run the Rock Spring Resort, said they will be the new owners of Pie Slingers Pizzeria this month, after then previous owners had to step away due to family responsibilities. At the meeting, she said they are adding a free arcade at the Rock Spring location, because there’s not enough for the youth to do in the area during the winter.

The soon-to-be owners of Pie Slingers Pizzeria in Rock Spring, John and Jen Testa.

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At the commission meeting, Tina Groce said November’s Veterans Appreciation Banquet was a success with about 200 in attendance. She thanked the commissioners for attending, and gave a special thank you to Wilson, who was the last person helping to leave— even though that day was his birthday.

Inmates at Walker State Prison have constructed a replica of Washington D.C.’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Groce said, and it will be on display at the Rossville Gym on Feb. 21 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Spread the word about the recognition of Vietnam veterans, she said, since they were often treated badly when they returned home after their military service.

On the 28th, there will be a recognition dinner for Desert Storm veterans, she said, hosted by the LaFayette American Legion and JROTC at LaFayette High School.

She encouraged people to reach out to her on Facebook if then needed more information.

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A Walker County commission featuring two new members held its first meeting this week.

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