This is what the Bibb County Board of Commissioners said when asked by Forest Hill residents whether they would stop the controversial Forest Hill Road project:
“We can’t stop it but the Georgia Department of Transportation can if it wants to,” they said.
This is what the Georgia Department of Transportation said when asked by Forest Hill residents whether it would stop the controversial Forest Hill Road project:
“GDOT won’t,” it said.
This was what county attorney Virgil Adams said yesterday when asked by county commissioner Joe Allen whether the Bibb County Board of Commissioners could stop the controversial Forest Hill Road project:
“The board can,” he said.
And the people were sore confused.
“County attorney: Commissioners can stop road project” macon.com 9/19/07
27 responses so far ↓
1 missoldmacon // Sep 19, 2007 at 9:47 am
GDOT’s plan for Forest Hill Road is one of the most “over-kill” projects imaginable. Grandiose hardly describes such. All needed are turn lanes, repaving of the street. And, yes, roundabouts are a good idea, too. But far be it from GDOT to be reasonable about such. $$$ are burning a hole in their pockets. And we, taxpayers, supply that fuel, too.
2 augustus // Sep 19, 2007 at 12:20 pm
There are exceptions, but for the most part the best and the brightest are not attracted to politics anymore. So you can’t expect a good work product from mostly second level type people/politicians.
Not many Jeffersons and Washingtons out there, and there probably have never been many.
3 Cotton Avenue Solon // Sep 19, 2007 at 1:52 pm
MissOldMacon is right about this project. The revised plans should be more in line with what was done to Tucker Road.
Why isn’t anyone talking about Tucker Road? That’s the model.
4 Anonymous // Sep 19, 2007 at 4:55 pm
So much money has been wasted on this Project, it is a poor example of our form of government. All the elected folks and the FHR Project folks had to do was just listen to the people most impacted—the FHR residents!
5 Irkle // Sep 19, 2007 at 7:48 pm
This is the most ridiculous waste of taxpayer money and governmental arrogance!!! My God, these people have been telling the Commissioners they don’t want this for how many years?
They sell ear wax removal kits at Wal-Mart for real cheap. Guess it will take an election to clean their ears.
6 kturnerga // Sep 19, 2007 at 10:03 pm
Let’s scale back the Forest Hill Road project. The town has changed so much that the project needs a second look. Macon Mall and West Macon aren’t as magnetic as they were. Yes I’d like to get from West Macon to Tom Hill but only some of the time.
Now for pete’s sake can’t we work on the Vineville project? I was in Cleveland, GA today (went to the Smith’s Soda Shop btw) and they have a THREE lane road in the middle of the town. What’s so wrong with doing that to Vineville Avenue?
KAT
7 missoldmacon // Sep 20, 2007 at 7:21 am
Cotton Avenue - - you are right! The Zebulon Road concept would work perfectly for Forest Hill! Has anyone from GDOT looked at that I wonder? It is the answer to handling Forest Hill. The present plan is major upheaval that is far too much for Forest Hill - and so unwanted!!
Why can’t the powers to be ever bend a tad for public opinion? Arrogance? Or perhaps a mentality that bespeaks “We may not always be right but we are NEVER wrong!”
8 joe allen // Sep 20, 2007 at 12:55 pm
I have asked that every one go back and read the comments, esp the one I wrote on the story at bottom of the page.(story in paper that is attached, to this blog. and if anyone wants to contact me he or she may.
If you want to attack me, then I will be on a level playing field.(leave your name and e-mail address)
I know I am not always right in my decisions, that is why sometimes I see I must change them. But the FHR decision made by the Commissioners and DOT is wrong, we need to relook at the entire project. what will affect us in 30 years will also affect us now,
I hope the people will continue to talk with the commissioners esp. our newest member Mr Edwards. The Commissioners only need 3 votes to change the outcome,
People. listen please. dont htink its a done deal it is not, I would rather not spend the money(millions) just because it is to be spent on FHR . when we know it is not being used to the best use of the community.
And yes as people have said I have and will make mistakes as I will in the future . But when I see I have mada mistake . I try to do what is right.Sometimes I do make mistakes,
9 Cotton Avenue Solon // Sep 20, 2007 at 11:48 pm
If in fact three votes from the county commissioners can stop this, then let’s go for it people. Will somebody make something happen?
As I said above, the model for the reworking of Forest Hill Road should be Tucker Road, nothing more and nothing less. This is a no-brainer.
MissOldMacon…..thank you for your support and encouragement! Please don’t forget that I’ve asked you for the first dance at Reichert’s Inaugural Ball. Our News Anchor has agreed to be our chaperon if you are in the least bit uncomfortable dancing with a married man.
10 Victor Jones // Sep 21, 2007 at 3:21 am
Thanks to each and every one of you.
From the FHR gang…
11 Lindsay Holliday // Sep 21, 2007 at 8:23 am
Joe Allen is right to see his past mistakes and then work to correct them.
Charlie Bishop, on the other hand, will not admit his mistakes. He continues to say the Bibb Commission is powerless to change the FHR project. Bishop told me this 30 minutes after the County Attorney clarified that “The Bibb Commissioners can Change the Design”.
Bishop is intellectually dishonest. His integrity has left the building.
Bishop did this to himself. Citizens will continue to suffer under his broken leadership unless he changes or is forced from office.
12 setting the record straight-again // Sep 21, 2007 at 9:20 am
Thank you all for your concern about FHR. Here are the facts. Allen Peake went to Atlanta under the PRETENSE of being an advocate for the citizens of FHR, whom he represents. He never indicated to anyone from FHR that he was taking all the opposition (those bureaurcrats & elected county officials who either support the project or stand to gain unethically from its construction.He took five that I know of and none from the city! His returning excuse was that the traffic counts furnished by GaDOT justified the project. Well, here are three sample years and their cumulative percentage increase or decrease. They are from GaDOT’s official web site. DOT uses three counters along the road so there will be
three daily traffic counts at each counter for each year, but they are not cumulative.Respectively, 1991, 2,467-6711-6244. 1998, 12,776-7679-9690. 2006, 13970,8020,10,250. Averaged over the time period, there is an annualized MINUS drop for each counter, respectively as: -.001%- .01%- .01%. No way anyone (but GaDOT and Allen Peake) can extrapolate (or project) anything but a flat growth rate for the past 15 years. Old Miss Macon, you are right on about Tucker Road, a two lane road. The traffic counts for Tucker and almost identical to FHR. Go figure!
13 Anonymous // Sep 21, 2007 at 9:29 am
Hmmm, wasn’t it Joe who offered the motion to go forward? Where was Joe for the past 16 years?
One thing is certain, there needs to be an overhaul of the county commission. Where was Bert? Where was Sam? Where was Charlie? Where was Elmo?
Orchestrated community chaos is not a good thing.
14 drivel // Sep 21, 2007 at 9:52 am
Doc, how many years has it been? And how many millions of tax dollars has he squandered. You’re paying for his aloofness. Its good he’s trying to do the right thing now, but he deserves no pat on the back. Is it too much for us to expect our commissioners to LISTEN the first time? It’s a shame we have to have so much turmoil and heartache before these pompous egomaniacs begin to listen. WE’RE ALL PAYING FOR THEIR ARROGANCE? Heck, we didn’t even get a lousy T Shirt from Hawaii….
In my opinion, they can just leave. We would all live better lives.
15 Chopped Liver // Sep 21, 2007 at 10:00 am
Doc, how many years has it been? And how many millions of tax dollars has he squandered. You’re paying for his aloofness. Its good he’s trying to do the right thing now, but he deserves no pat on the back. Is it too much for us to expect our commissioners to LISTEN the first time? It’s a shame we have to have so much turmoil and heartache before these pompous egomaniacs begin to listen. WE’RE ALL PAYING FOR THEIR ARROGANCE? Heck, we didn’t even get a lousy T Shirt from Hawaii….
In my opinion, they can just leave. We would all live better lives.
16 missoldmacon // Sep 21, 2007 at 10:59 am
Whoops - - I should have said “Tucker Road” - not Zebulon….goodness knows Zebulon isn’t needed on Forest Hill…please excuse!!
17 setting the record straight- again // Sep 21, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Thank you all for your concern about FHR. Here are the facts. Allen Peake, state legislator, went to Atlanta under the PRETENSE of being an advocate for the citizens of FHR, whom he represents. He never indicated to anyone from FHR that he was also taking all the opposition (those bureaurcrats & elected county officials who either support the project or stand to gain unethically from its construction).He took five that I know of and none from the city, but he won’t tell us who he took! His returning excuse was that the traffic counts furnished by GaDOT justified the project. Well, here are three sample years and their cumulative percentage increase or decrease. They are from GaDOT’s official web site. DOT uses three counters along the road so there will be
three daily traffic counts at each counter for each year, but they are not cumulative.Respectively, 1991, (2,467-6711-6244). 1998, (12,776-7679-9690). 2006, (13970,8020,10,250). Averaged over the time period, there is an annualized MINUS drop for each counter, respectively as: -.001%- .01%- .01%. No way anyone (but GaDOT, the county dunces and Allen Peake) can extrapolate (or project) anything but a flat growth rate for the future based on these flat numbers. Old Miss Macon, you are right on about Tucker Road, a two lane road. The traffic counts for Tucker are almost identical to FHR. Go figure!
18 cornchip // Sep 21, 2007 at 3:44 pm
The city councils seats are filled with a lot of new faces-let’s hope the same for the commission seats as well-especially the chairman’s.
19 James Allen // Sep 21, 2007 at 4:15 pm
I can’t help myself. I have to say that Charlie Bishop was not the lone gunman on the Forest Hill Rd project. Mr. Elmo Richardson who is suppose to represent the district has not listened to his district voters. This alone would be a good reason to run against him next year, but it is not the only reason. I fail to see his thought process on this matter other than to follow blindly behind Charlie Bishop and his mindless philosophy. I am going to run against Richardson next year and I hope to have the support of the disillusioned voters of the third district.
20 Driving citizen // Sep 21, 2007 at 7:40 pm
It’s sad how a small group of rabid extremists have held up our city’s progress. Forest Hill Road needs to be widened for present traffic — and the new shopping now under construction will mean a major increase in traffic on that road. But if you speak out to say you think the widening is a good idea, you are demonized and attacked so viciously no one wants to do it (just watch to see the responses to this post). Nonetheless, many, many of us regular Macon drivers want to see FHR widened and re-set to handle the traffic it now holds.
21 Kathleen Ayerbe // Sep 22, 2007 at 4:10 pm
I agree with Lindsay’s comment. Those of uain favor of a revision to the FHR plan should not chastise Mr. Allen but rather take his support and use it to accomplishe what we prefer.
I believe that most of us see the need for improvements to the traffic flow on Fh. I just wonder why the same old plan (4-5 lanes)continues to be forced on us.
22 Kathleen Ayerbe // Sep 22, 2007 at 4:13 pm
I agree with Lindsay. Those of us in favor of alternate palns for
FHR should accept Mr. Allen’s support and worry about his reasons later.
23 kturnerga // Sep 24, 2007 at 10:58 am
Driving Citizen, where is the traffic going to come from? Macon Mall is going to be a dead mall like Westgate in the Eighties or like Houston Mall is today. FHR is a project that needs revision.
Sidebar: Someone is going to build a potential slum in South Bibb off Walden Road. Check for P+Z’s schedule on whether or not the hearing is this week. We don’t need to turn the heart of this community into the doo doo pile that Houston Road near GA2417 has become.
KT
24 citro // Sep 25, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Love the graphic on this one, Steve. Nice work.
25 kturnerga // Sep 26, 2007 at 5:16 pm
I don’t want to not do anything on Forest Hill Road. It does need work. I do want us to rework the figures. I will say this; I wonder why Joe Allen is so interested in the affairs of North Maconites?
If he cares about North Macon I want him to see if he can get the sheriff to close down Rockabilly’s on Riverside. 36 or more thefts have been reported and I see its name all over the Neighborhood Watch update report. The shooting early this week lends credence to RockABilly’s as a bad seed threatening the new stores on Riverside.
KT
26 drury // Sep 27, 2007 at 8:49 am
Where is the traffic coming from? It will be headed to the new Macon Mall out on Riverside. Forest Hill can spit you out directly behind this mall and folks are going to figure this out.
27 Victor Jones // Oct 9, 2007 at 7:02 am
The October Surprise
http://www.13wmaz.com
3 Segments: Alice Boyd, Susan Hanberry-Martin, Elmo Richardson & Steve Layson on the Randall Savage Show.
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/new_story.aspx?storyid=44092
http://www.13wmaz.com/video/player_news.aspx?aid=42192&storyid=44092
http://www.13wmaz.com/video/player_news.aspx?aid=42193&storyid=44092
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