Should the County Establish Zoning Regulations?

August 8, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Is it time for the county to establish zoning regulations for oversight in the development of certain land uses such as quarries, cell towers, pallet yards, junk yards, chicken farms, etc?

A year ago, the county commission considered but failed to adopt a “County Powers Act” resolution as well as one to establish and enforce regulatory standards regarding health and safety conditions of residential and non-residential properties within the confines of DeKalb County outside the boundaries of the municipalities which already have codes and ordinances.

The idea was to prevent or eliminate dangerous and or unsanitary conditions resulting from overgrown vegetation, accumulation of debris, trash, litter, and garbage, or the presence of vacant dilapidated buildings or structures. Although DeKalb County currently has no zoning regulations in place, the “County Powers Act” gives counties, without establishing zoning, the authority to set and enforce standards for county property owners with respect to nuisances and other practices deemed detrimental to their neighbors.

The issue of the need for regulations is being raised again, at least by one concerned citizen in the Snow Hill community after discovering only a week ago, along with his neighbors, that a concrete company was conducting blasting operations near their homes in preparation for the development of a quarry.
Michael Antoniak told WJLE this week that he was surprised to learn after contacting state officials that oversight authority over issues such as this is left largely to the county government. In DeKalb County there is no such oversight authority or regulations.

“Right now if someone has a decent amount of land next to you they can do pretty much anything they want until they get up against a state regulation or a federal regulation! So, if you have moved here from somewhere else you might be shocked to know that there is nothing in place to protect the haven you have come here for,” said Antoniak. “We have no kind of zoning restrictions and no way of even knowing what or why something is there until we see for ourselves”.

“This should be a wake up call that our government is not doing it’s job by not instituting zoning, planning, or some sort of restrictions,” Antoniak continued. “In most places where people go to fight something like this (quarry) is the county planning commission. They don’t go to the company…. local governments should have things in place to at least be aware of and review what is coming in or being proposed and to alert the public of what’s happening,” he said.

Antoniak said the residents of DeKalb County should contact their county commissioners if they have concerns because the public should at least know what is moving into their neighborhoods and have an opportunity to have a voice.

“No one saw this coming (quarry) because no one had to know. Ask yourself what’s next? It shouldn’t be up to someone to discover something like this. The public should have a right to speak out and that power only comes from government,” said Antoniak. “We have freedom of speech as Americans and we must exercise that speech but the power of being alerted that something is coming in or being proposed can only be given to the people through government and we don’t have it in DeKalb County”.

“In this case, this seems to be a decent company (SRM) so we will appeal to their decency and see if we can get something done about the quarry but that’s our only option because we have no one else to turn to,” explained Antoniak.

“It’s time that the county wake up. If you are concerned about what might come near you, start letting your elected officials and representatives know because we have to come out of this Stone Age. This just can’t go on,” said Antoniak.

August 8, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Less than a week after residents in the Snow Hill area were rocked by an explosion from a concrete company doing prep work for the development of a quarry on North Driver Road, the State Fire Marshal’s office has apparently concluded that no laws were violated in regard to the blast discharge.

The state opened an investigation after receiving complaints from those who felt the blast last Wednesday afternoon including Michael and his son Lucas Antoniak who live on the Old Snow Hill Road

Unaware that the company, Smyrna Ready Mix (SRM) had even moved into the neighborhood, the Antoniaks tracked down the source of the explosion and found work underway for a 100-acre rock quarry. According to the Antoniaks, some rock from the blast was also on the highway.

Michael Antoniak, who spoke with WJLE this week, said he has since learned from the State Fire Marshal’s office that the concrete company’s blast discharge was within the legal limits and he wanted the public to be updated.

“I think in fairness, since the complaint I filed with the state has appeared in the media, often times there is no follow up. I want to set things straight because I did talk to the fire marshal who is investigating my complaint and other complaints,” said Antoniak. “Everything about that explosion down there at what’s going to be a quarry we think was well within legal bounds. If anyone felt the shock you should be aware that it was only one quarter of what they are actually allowed to do so everything they did was legal as far as I can tell. The state fire marshal found no problems so, in fairness, we have to let that be known,” he said.

Antoniak also offered some advice for neighbors in the Snow Hill area who might yet again be affected by a blasting operation.

“It’s a good idea to know that if the quarry goes in you should document everything about your house including your foundation, your basement, your water source if you are relying on a spring or well”.

August 7, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A man arrested at his home last Wednesday on an active warrant for aggravated assault, was found to have methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

39-year-old Brandon Keith Thomas of South Mountain Street, Smithville is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver; false imprisonment; aggravated assault; possession of drug paraphernalia; and simple possession of a schedule VI drug. He is under a total bond of $39,000 and his court date is August 15.

Chief Deputy Brian Williams said that on July 31 a deputy went to Thomas’ residence and arrested him on an active warrant. A subsequent search of his person incident to arrest produced from his right pocket a baggie with a clear crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine which weighed 6.4 grams. Also found during the search were a bag with a green leafy substance thought to be marijuana that weighed 2 grams; and a black metal pipe that Thomas said he used to smoke marijuana.

In the other active warrant against Thomas, Chief Deputy Williams said that on July 24 Thomas and his female victim got into an argument that escalated into a physical altercation during which he allegedly struck the woman several times causing serious bodily injury while displaying a knife. Between the dates of July 23-24, Thomas allegedly used physical force to keep the woman from leaving her residence.

59-year-old Gary Gregory Greene of Evins Mill Road is charged with a second offense of driving under the influence. His bond is $3,500 and he will be in court August 15.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on July 24 a deputy spotted a red Pontiac with the driver’s door open, and a man was passed out behind the steering wheel. The officer approached the automobile to do a welfare check and found the man, Greene passed out and he smelled of alcohol. Green was awakened by the officer who found his eyes to be red and watery. His speech was slurred, and Greene was unsteady on his feet. Greene submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He had the keys to the vehicle in the seat with him. Greene admitted to having driven from Turtle’s Bar after consuming alcoholic beverages. His first DUI offense was in 2015 at Wilson County.

30-year-old Melinda Beth Murphy of Page Drive, Smithville is charged with forgery and theft of property. Her bond is $10,000 and she will make a court appearance on August 15.

According to Chief Deputy Williams, on July 19 Murphy allegedly stole two checks and forged the victim’s name on them in amounts of $340 and $430 to another person.

The case was investigated by the sheriff’s department criminal investigation unit.

23-year-old Jathan Sebastion Eli Cantrell of Short Mountain Road, McMinnville is charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $2,500 and he will make a court appearance on August 22.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on August 4 a deputy was traveling south on Highway 56 when he spotted a white Chevrolet Silverado leave its lane of travel several times. The officer pulled it over and spoke with the driver, Cantrell who smelled of alcohol and his eyes were red and watery. Cantrell admitted to having consumed six alcoholic beverages prior to driving. He submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks.

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