By Teresa Williams
THOMASVILLE — Today is a big day for Grady County’s proposed recreation area, Tired Creek.
The Grady County Board of Commissioners, after a few rescheduled attempts, is in Savannah for a 1 p.m. pre-application meeting with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District Commander Col. Mark Held regarding Tired Creek’s permit.
“We’re going to meet the colonel, review the process with him and his staff,” said Rusty Moye, county administrator. “Hopefully, we will have a clear indication of how long it will take us to finish up on the permit application.”
This meeting came about after the board sent a letter to Congressman Sanford Bishop on May 18, asking him to become involved in the project’s application process. Bishop then had a member of his staff call Held to find out more about the project’s progress. A member of Bishop’s staff, military aid Col. Robert Young, will also attend the meeting.
“I think that, with a little additional interest that has come about out of Congressman Bishop’s office, we are probably going to have a positive response,” said Commissioner Bobby Burns. “At least I am optimistic that we are either going to get a permit or put it to rest. It’s been a long five years and a lot of money to get this far. All we ask and what was asked in the past is what does the corps need to make its decision. We’ve tried to comply with everything that they’ve asked for, and I feel like we have. We’re closer than we’ve ever been to a decision. I’m confident of that.”
The idea of Tired Creek began in 1969 when local businessmen and the state decided Grady County was a great area for a state park. The Department of Natural Resources agreed, and funding was acquired for the project. Since then, the recreational development has been in various states of development (also no longer a possible state park site but a proposed recreation area) and stagnation. For the past year, the board has been striving to get a permit for a lake and dam. It has spent more than $1 million on the process.
“We need to go ahead and get this thing finished,” said Charles Norton, commission vice chairman. “Every month we go along is costing money. We need to bring this to a close one way or another.”
The commissioners met on April 5 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (which can provide the necessary permit) to discuss the application and its process. The corps gave the board some items to improve in its permit application before a joint public notice (JPN) could be issued such as project purpose and wetland/stream delineation. The corps also told the board that it felt the Georgia Department of Natural Resources should provide more support for the project.
“We have given them the information and a letter asking them to put the project out for JPN,” said Moye. “Now, we need to see if there is something else we need to be working on that we’re not expecting.”
Post-JPN issues to be discussed at the meeting include: alternative analysis; a cultural resource survey; and, endangered species.
Al Ball, commission chairman, said he felt the board is ready for the meeting.
“I think there are two objectives to this meeting,” he said. “To get a time frame specific to when a JPN will be issued (so other agencies can look at the proposal) and, if and when the JPN is issued, what is the maximum time frame that the corps will be making a decision on the proposal. If we get those two things down pat, then I’ll be happy and satisfied.”
