Dooly County Commissioners reverse plan to abandon Collier Cemetery Road and order repairs

The Dooly County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Feb. 3, 2005, to withdraw plans to abandon a hurricane-damaged section of Collier Cemetery Road and directed county crews to make the necessary repairs so the road can be reopened.

The decision followed a public hearing at which 11 residents attended and community spokesman Ronnie Cape and landowner representative Jim Braxton urged the commissioners to repair and keep the road open. Administrator Stephen C. Sanders had earlier said the county had begun the abandonment process after storm damage closed the road, and the Board originally considered abandonment because of the extent of the damage.

After hearing the public comments, Vice-Chairman A. C. Daniels moved — and Commissioner Harry Ward seconded — a motion that the county not abandon the section and instead make the repairs needed to reopen it “within a reasonable amount of time.” The motion carried unanimously.

Why it mattered: Residents said the right-of-way provides local access and serves a “substantial public purpose” in the district, a determination the board explicitly cited when reversing the earlier abandonment plan. The resolution to repair rather than abandon creates a funding and scheduling task for the road department and puts the item on the county’s near-term work list.

What comes next: Road Superintendent Tommy Watson will be responsible for scheduling and carrying out the repairs; Administrator Sanders was directed to follow up with the logistics required to reopen the road. The board recorded the public comment and the chairman attached an affidavit of the executive-session decision to the minutes.