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Hart County commissioners vote to seek city approval to name Gum Branch Mega Ramp for John Howard
Summary
The Hart County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to present a proposal to the city to incorporate John Howard’s name into the Gum Branch Mega Ramp’s official name, after a community member detailed Howard’s decades of volunteer work for local fishing programs and tournaments.
Matt Beasley, a community member and former City of Hartwell employee, asked the Hart County Board of Commissioners on a May 2025 meeting to name the Gum Branch Mega Ramp after longtime volunteer John Howard. The board voted unanimously to present the naming request to the city for its approval.
Beasley told commissioners that Howard “was instrumental in getting that program started” for youth fishing teams and that Howard volunteered as a boat captain and donated equipment for weigh-ins. “He donated the bait that the kids used out of his own expense,” Beasley said, recalling Howard’s work with school teams and Special Olympics fishing outings.
Chairman (title used in meeting) and several commissioners spoke in support of naming the facility after Howard, noting his long involvement with tournaments, the chamber and the county’s promotional efforts. Commissioner Dorsey moved to forward the proposal to the city; Commissioner Brown seconded the motion. The board voted 5-0 to present the request to the City of Hartwell with the condition that the city must approve the name change for the jointly owned facility.
The motion does not itself change the ramp’s name; it directs county staff to take the proposed name to the city for its concurrence. Commissioners emphasized the joint-ownership status of the facility in earlier correspondence and noted the county cannot unilaterally rename the ramp. Beasley asked the board to make the move quickly so Howard’s widow could be informed before she relocated out of state.
The item concluded with the board’s unanimous approval to submit the request to the city; no further timeline for final action by either the county or the city was specified during the meeting.
