By Andrew Wilkins

From left, Walker County commissioners Mark Askew, Angie Teems, and Brian Hart. Tap the photograph for a link to the June meeting’s video or follow this link.

(34:10) Several Walker County residents criticized the rezoning of a 99-acre agricultural property owned by the Walker County Development Authority to industrial use at the Walker County commission’s June 5 meeting.

The two adjoining properties in question are east of Highway 27 between Rock Spring and LaFayette in the Noble community, and located at 157 and 0 Glass Road. The commission vote on the rezoning was tabled in May, commission chair Angie Teems said. The rezoning requested by the authority was approved unanimously.

Teems said the planning commission recommended that the rezoning be denied for both parcels. The rezoned property is adjacent to property already established by the county for industrial use.

Robert Blakemore, District 1 commissioner, suggested that a 200-foot vegetative buffer be required along Glass Road and private property for any future development. Mark Askew, District 2 commissioner, said a process needs to be developed so the commission knows if the development authority will require a decision from them, but he said he thinks the buffer is a fair compromise to its neighbors.

No information on what industrial use is planned for the newly zoned site was given at the meeting. Askew said the development authority is being careful about what industrial use the current available industrial property will be used for, but said he wants to see it make money for the county and help the residents soon.

Stacy White is a Glass Road resident who said she is upset about the decision to develop a beautiful pasture into an industrial use. She said unemployment is low in the county and Audia Plastics, a manufacturer, already has difficulty hiring enough workers.

There are several large, unused industrial sites in Walker County, David Boyle, a resident of Noble, said at the meeting. He said technology changes rapidly, and the county could be burdened with another empty, polluted industrial site if whatever’s eventually built there closes.

The development authority is a quasi-governmental body, and Boyle said residents should be able to get notice on what they’re planning. Askew said they’re working on that, because “this did pop up and the board of commissioners was not aware until the purchase was made and then it gets dropped in our lap.”

The development authority already owns hundreds of acres of land, Jamie Hulsey said at the meeting. He said he thinks the authority hasn’t done enough to sell the land it holds, and he also thinks the residents of the county weren’t properly included in decision making regarding the development.

He also pointed out that a vegetative buffer won’t stop industrial noise. Other neighbors shared concerns about the threat of possible groundwater pollution, light pollution, and air pollution.

Teems said the property was purchased in 2022 before she assumed the chair, but the commission has to plan for the future growth of the county. She said she is working on selling other county property, but some can’t be sold because it’s historical, and other parcels are oddly shaped.

(1:37:20) Scott McNabb said he’s been attending development authority meetings for the last year. For the last half dozen meetings, he said attendees have been sent outside for the majority of meeting after the board claimed executive session privileges.

McNabb said he was concerned that the authority hasn’t sold any of its property recently or brought new businesses to the county. The commission also recently denied selling a property to a local businessmen. 

Walker County residents deserve more updates from the authority, McNabb said. He encouraged county residents to attend their next meeting: Tuesday at 10 a.m. at their office located at 10052 N Hwy 27 in Rock Spring.

Stephanie Watkins is economic director for the county, and executive director of the board. Non-public executive sessions are allowed by law to discuss issues like real estate, she said, but decisions are made in public. She also said the project McNabb said was denied is instead “a work in progress.”

County engagement

Teems said a series of county halls are being planned. The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 17 at Cedar Grove Community Center, and June 24 at Rock Springs Civic Center. Both county halls start at 6 p.m.

For further feedback from voters, she said a citizen survey is being developed and should be ready at the end of June.

The first-term chair also said that Walker County residents can receive a monthly newsletter detailing county news. Visit this county webpage to sign up.

Teems said a new location has been chosen for county commission meetings. The July meeting will be the first held at the Department of Education building, located at 201 S. Duke Street in LaFayette.

Animal control

(14:40) Bailey Clements, county animal services director, said her department has given out 85 spay / neuter vouchers— but the voucher waiting list is about 400. (Follow this link for more information on the program.) She also said the department has developed a volunteer program, to help with labor at the shelter and offer extra enrichment like taking the animals on walks.

Walker County Animal Shelter

The shelter is partnering with shelters in the Northeast US to transport animals to that region for adoption.

“They have a lot stricter laws up there,” she said about why the shelter is shipping animals to states like New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire. “They hold their animal owners to a lot stricter standard whether that be spay / neuter, how you contain them, how many you can have.”

x also said that a program has been developed to make free pet food available to those in need.

Rossville fire services training site

(1:20:30) Jonathan Lassiter, interim mayor of Rossville, spoke to the commission about his attempt to find a new site where the Rossville Fire Department could train. He identified county property near Rossville High School, but hasn’t been able to reach Teems.

Teems apologized for not being available, but said that after speaking with the county’s fire chief, they decided the site Lassiter wanted was too close to other houses. She said they could work together to find another site, and Lassiter agreed.

Road closure proposal

(1:07:45) The county commission also discussed the possibility of closing Concord Road between . A landowner petitioned the commission to close the road, and county staff are looking into it, District x commissioner Brian Hart said. Several neighbors said they wanted to keep it open, and Askew said the final decision would be made by the commission with community notice.

Contact Andrew Wilkins at andrewtaylorwilkins@gmail.com or 971-337-5285. To subscribe to Village NW Georgia, tap the Subscribe button at the bottom right corner of the page, or send an email to andrewtaylorwilkins@gmail.com.