Covington County commission votes to close portion of H.D. Wilson Road after public hearing

The Covington County Commission voted to close a portion of H.D. Wilson Road on a motion made after a public hearing in which nearby landowners described public-safety and nuisance problems on the dead-end segment.

During the public hearing, a resident identified as Speaker 6 told commissioners the road had become "a haven for the people that, you know, that you don't need down there," and described incidents of theft and illegal dumping. The speaker said the road is a dead end and that private ownership parcels abut the closed segment; he said he and other landowners had discussed closure with the timber company Rayonier and county staff.

Following the public comments the board deliberated, a commissioner moved to close the section and the motion carried. County staff explained the next steps: the action will be published in the local paper, a statutory waiting period will elapse, and paperwork will be filed with the probate judge to document the closure officially.

The commission did not adopt a separate resolution at the meeting; staff said the motion taken was sufficient to proceed with the public-notice and probate-filing steps required to effectuate the closure. Commissioners asked county staff to include correspondence from the city (requested earlier regarding related appointments) in the meeting minutes for future reference on multi-year appointments tied to other bodies.

The closure affects a short, predominantly private stretch of road described in testimony; commissioners did not discuss relocation of through traffic or any county-funded construction related to the closure at the meeting. The county will publish formal notice and complete the probate filing as the next procedural steps.