Planning Commission to Hold Public Hearing on Proposed New Road Surfacing Standards in Subdivisions

September 4, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Regional Planning Commission will have a public hearing during its next regular monthly meeting on Monday, September 9 at 6 p.m. at the courthouse on whether to change the subdivision road standards by removing the tar and chip availability to contractors and requiring that only asphalt or concrete be the standard for new road construction.

If approved by the planning commission, the new permitted types of surfacing standards would only apply to newly constructed roads. Existing roads in subdivisions or those over the last five years that have already received at least preliminary plat approval by the planning commission could not be held to the new standards. Those roads would be maintained in the manner they were constructed, tar and chip, etc.

Road Supervisor Danny Hale, who is making the recommendation, said by changing the standards, roads would be built better and hold up longer.

In addition to this issue, the agenda for the planning commission is as follows:

Consideration of a preliminary subdivision plat for property located on Johnson Chapel Road (JRB Developers Division)

Consideration of a final subdivision plat for property located on Goff Ridge Road and Landis Road (Brown Division)

Consideration of a final subdivision plat for property located on Allen Ferry Road (Clayton Division)

Consideration of a final subdivision plat for property located on Old Snow Hill Road (Duke Division)

Consideration of a final subdivision plat for property located on A.B. Frazier Road (Turner Division)

Staff Report-Arms Division and Averbach Combination

Other business as necessary.

September 3, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A motorist was arrested Sunday after allegedly being found with heroin and methamphetamine during a traffic stop.

47-year-old Martha Renee Kirby of Smithville is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia; driving while in possession of methamphetamine; possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver; and possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. Her bond is $46,000 and she will be in court September 19.

Chief Deputy Brian Williams of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department said that on September 1 a deputy pulled over a BMW driven by Kirby and during the stop the officer received consent to search and found in the vehicle a clear baggie containing a white powdery substance believed to be heroin that weighed 1.66 grams; three other clear baggies that held a crystal like substance thought to be methamphetamine with a total weight of 5 grams; and three glass pipes believed to contain drug residue.

47-year-old James Walter Stringer of Dowelltown is charged with violation of the sex offender registry. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court September 12.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on August 30 a deputy went to a residence on West Main Street in Dowelltown to conduct a welfare check on a woman and child but found Stringer there alone with the child. Stringer claimed the woman, who had left the residence, was his girlfriend and that she had left the child, her daughter, in his care while she was gone. But that constituted a violation since Stringer is under a court order not to be alone with a child unsupervised not related to him.

43-year-old William Davis Tarpley of Gordonsville is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $2,000 and he will make a court appearance September 12.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on August 31 Tarpley was found to be under the influence. He allegedly admitted to having taken 10 pills earlier in the day and showed signs of intoxication by sweating profusely, being unsteady on his feet, and his pupils were dilated.

42-year-old William Joseph Scott is charged with possession of a handgun while under the influence, driving under the influence, and reckless driving, His bond is $5,500 and he will be in court September 19.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on August 31 a deputy was on patrol when he spotted a red Dodge Ram with a taillight out doing a burnout in the intersection of West Bryant Street and South College Street with the driver having no regard for other citizens and vehicles around. The officer pulled over the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Scott who smelled of alcohol. His eyes were bloodshot and watery. Scott was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. He allegedly admitted to having consumed two shots of alcohol and he said a loaded handgun could be found on the front seat. The weapon, a Beretta APX 40 caliber handgun, was recovered. Scott was asked to submit to field sobriety tasks, but he refused.

45-year-old Jessie Comer Harris of Dowelltown is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court September 19.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on September 1 Harris was found to be under the influence. He was sweating profusely. His pupils were dilated, and he could not focus on a single conversation.

27-year-old Raymundo Larragoytia Serrano of Smithville is charged with driving under the influence and no valid driver license. His bond is $4,000 and he will be in court September 19.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on September 1 a deputy was traveling west on East Broad Street when he spotted a black Chevy Monte Carlo leave its lane of travel several times. The officer pulled over the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Serrano who smelled of alcohol. His eyes were red and watery, and he was unsteady on his feet. He allegedly admitted to having consumed five alcoholic beverages prior to driving. Serrano submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Upon arrival at the sheriff’s department Serrano also allegedly admitted to having taken cocaine prior to driving. He had no valid identification.

September 2, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Can you hear me now?

For several weeks, greater Liberty area cell phone customers of Verizon and other providers have experienced trouble with their service.

Although subscribers have reported the problems, many are still having issues and are upset that little if anything seems to be getting done by their providers to resolve them.

“I have had about 70 complaints from people. Verizon has been the biggest issue but there have been some problems with AT&T and Straight Talk. Some people from Alexandria and Dowelltown have even told me they have had problems,” said Liberty Mayor Audrey Martin in an interview with WJLE Saturday.

“A lot of people’s phone calls are being dropped when they try to make a connection and even when they do get through you can’t hear what people are saying over the phone because of so much static,” Mayor Martin explained.

“People who conduct business out of their homes are being affected because they can’t get a good connection. I know one lady who reached out to the (phone) company at least 10 times and each time she got a different answer or she would get a ticket number that she was supposed to type in to get better service. They would give an explanation as to what was going on and said that it would be fixed in a certain time but when it wasn’t fixed and she called back they told her something totally different. Her husband works out of the home and his business is being affected because he can’t get through to people and they can’t get through to him”.

“I am really concerned what’s going to happen when someone has an emergency and has to get in touch with 911 and can’t get through. That’s a problem. Its pitiful that Verizon is not taking responsibility to get this fixed,” Mayor Martin continued.

Efforts may be made to reach out to state and federal officials or lawmakers for help.

“I just want everyone to know that we are on this and we will try to get this resolved as soon as possible,” said Mayor Martin.

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