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Resident urges council to address gate blocking access to Hamilton Cemetery; county to discuss in executive session
Summary
Theresa Dobson, a Bluffton-area resident, told the Hampton County Council that a private gate has blocked a dirt public road providing the only access to Hamilton Cemetery. County staff said the matter will be discussed in executive session on legal advice concerning a road‑closure litigation.
Theresa Dobson told the Hampton County Council that residents who have maintained Hamilton Cemetery for years found a private gate blocking a dirt public road that provides the cemetery’s only access.
"That cemetery has been there for many years. Family members are buried there," Theresa Dobson said during the public comment period, describing neighborhood efforts to maintain the site since 1993. She said a private landowner placed a locked gate on the road; county staff briefly removed the gate after an initial inspection but later informed her that the property owner "started the process of closing the road." Dobson said she received notice of a hearing and asked the council to protect neighborhood access and the cemetery.
In response, the chair said the matter would be addressed in executive session under the agenda item described as receipt of legal advice regarding a road‑closure litigation. Staff indicated county counsel would discuss the legal status and next steps in private session. No open‑session action was taken at the meeting.
