The Jackson County Commission had to make a decision on two controversial issues at their meeting last Thursday.

The first decision was item F on the agenda, “Motion to sign a proclamation for the Crow Mountain Hill Climb.”  Dr.  Charles Lovelady and members of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) came to the commission at a work session on April 5 and asked permission to use County Road 33 for this year’s 8th annual Rich Shaffer Memorial Crow Mountain Hill Climb. The commissioners were unsure if they would allow them to use the road again. They invited members of the Crow Mountain area and members of the SCCA to their April 19 work session. Both groups showed up, each with petitions in their own favor. Despite the SCCA’s argument that the hill climb brings in around $340,000 to the county each year, the commission sided with county residents who argued that the road closure poses a huge inconvenience on citizens of the area, and that they had seen few local benefits of the event . At the work session prior to the meeting, Chairman Sadie Bias said, “We want what the people up there want.” At the meeting commissioners Jack Smith, Gaylon Stone and Jack Allen voted “no” on the matter, and Horace Clemmons abstained.
Lowell Bivens was also at the last work session with a new proposal for the commission from the Roseberry Rescue Group.  He proposed that the commission make a one year payment of $17,000, and said the RRG would come back next year and ask for another $17,000. “Even though the cost that everybody else has paid is $50,000 we recognize at this moment that may be more than this county commission is prepared to consider,” Bivens said.  Commissioner Clemmons told Bivens that the commission had looked at how to treat the county park, marina areas and access areas, and said that the cost for the county to do that would be $11,000.  “If TVA sprays as they say they are going to spray, we may not have to spend a penny,” Clemmons also said. Still, Bivens requested the matter be put on the agenda in hopes of finally knowing the entire commissions view on the subject. The item was put on the agenda and ultimately voted down by the majority of commissioners.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed