Heirs, neighbors clash over Cleveland Drive; commissioners take no action

Burke County commissioners held a public hearing on a request by Victoria Boyd and family to abandon Cleveland Drive, a dirt road at issue between the Boyd heirs and other residents. After hearing multiple speakers on both sides, the board made no motion and therefore took no action.

Victoria Boyd told the board she and family members own the land around Cleveland Drive and said county actions had encroached on family property. She asked the board to “abandon Cleveland Private Drive” so the family could control access; she said the road is private and that the family’s children use it for recreation.

Other residents and speakers disputed that claim. Robbie Boyd Jenkins (identified in the transcript) said Cleveland Drive is a public road used by school buses, emergency vehicles and the public and said a prior 2023 board decision kept the road as public. County staff explained that long-standing county maintenance—motor grader work and periodic scraping—can create prescriptive county-road status. The public hearing record included references to prior litigation, a judge’s order, and photos or videos submitted by participants.

County staff said maintenance of the road for years led to its acceptance into the county road system in the early 2000s; staff also noted recent incidents where equipment operators faced obstructions while trying to work the road. After hearing both sides the chair closed public comments and, with no motion from the board, no closure or abandonment was approved.

Commissioners said they would not proceed without clearer legal documentation and recommended participants pursue title and boundary clarification through legal process if needed. The board did discuss spelling out road-closure procedures at a later agenda item and indicated the ordinance language would be posted for public review.