County hears rezoning request for VA Center

Pike County commissioners heard a request for rezoning for another potential VA Clinic site, accepted property offered for a fire station and approved closing the northern section and abandoning the southern portion of Fire Tower Road.A public hearing was held as property owner Larry Lynch and applicant Blue Cord DevGroup requested that the property at 10296 Highway 19 north be re-zoned from C-2 (General Commercial) to P-I (Professional-Institutional) for potential use as a VA Clinic. ’They are requesting the rezoning of a portion of land slightly across the highway from the old dirt track,’ said planning and zoning director Brad Vaughan. ‘The parcel is 11 and a half acres and currently has an advertising company on the property with a pasture with horses in front.’Vaughan said due to state requirements, since the VA Clinic would potentially involve drug treatment, the commission would just hear the request and make a decision in six months. A warranty deed from STS Development Group Sunnyside LLC was accepted by the board. The deed gives the county 1.29 acres on Blackmon Road on which to build a fire station within five years. If not, the property would revert back to the owners. ’I say the price is right on this land,’ said commissioner Tim Daniel. ‘If someone wants to give us something, I’m inclined to take it.’ It was noted that the property could be used for a two-bay fire station, not a full fire headquarters. County manager Bobby Bickley addressed the board about dealing with two portions of Fire Tower Road and requested that the southern portion be abandoned and the norther portion closed. He said a local business owner would maintain the southern part of the road after it was abandoned by the county. ’The northern part is a very rough place where a lot of trash gets dumped and people occasionally abandon cars,’ said Bickley. ‘There is one house on the corner near 341. The road is unstable and unsafe and creates a bad intersection. It’s much better to travel up Highway 341.’Commissioners authorized the county attorney to work through the proper process for abandoning and closing the portions of the road. A public hearing was later held as property owner Ronnie Ellis requested the rezoning of property from A-R (Agricultural-Residential) to C-3 (Heavy Commercial) in order to build a 60×100 structure to house a motorcycle repair shop near Fire Tower Road. ’He has a shop in the city of Griffin and has been a Pike County resident for 19 or 20 years,’ said Vaughan. ‘This would expand the commercial area of the 41 overlay. This area is exactly where Pike County would like to have these types of shops and these types of businesses.’He noted that under code, a portion of Fire Tower Road would have to be paved by the business owner. ’It would be good to have another business moving to Pike County,’ said Steve Reeves during the public hearing. ‘And it’s in a good spot for commercial use.’ Commissioners also approved a memorandum of understanding with the J. Joel Edwards Public Library regarding employee payroll and HR issues. The board also agreed to change the name of the library to the J. Joel Edwards Public Library of Pike County so the name reflects the county as do all of the other libraries in the Flint River Regional Library System. The county also: ’¢ Appointed Anthony Vinson to fill an unexpired three-year term on the J. Joel Edwards Library Board, set to expire Aug. 31, 2020. ’¢Â Appointed Scott Huckaby to fill a three-year term on the Pike County Board of Appeals, set to expire Feb. 9, 2020. ’¢ Agreed to pay for sewer lines out of E911 Impact Fees in the amount of $2,750. ’¢ Approved a Right-Of-Way deed dedication for water for Watering Hole Pass. ’¢ Postponed decision to surplus old fire truck on GovDeals until discussed with members of the Pike County Firefighter Museum. The fire department has upgraded to a better truck and the pump valves have major issues and the tank leaks. ’¢ Approved a master site plan for K&K Manufacturing/Paragon. ’¢ Approved a revised final plat for Deer Lake Subdivision.’¢ Approved a revised final play for Brookeside Estates. ’¢Â Accepted roads, right-of-ways and a bond agreement for Whitehorse Subdivision as of Dec. 1, 2018.