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Haven Zoo fence dispute and neighborhood dog-noise complaints raised at Hart County meeting
Summary
Volunteers for the Haven Zoo asked county staff to re-examine a verbal order to move a fence and to allow more time; a Rivier Shores resident also urged commissioners for guidance on persistent dog-barking that she said makes yards unusable. County staff said the fence matter is under review and removed an immediate deadline; commissioners noted leash laws and state nuisance options for noise complaints.
Two public commenters addressed local quality-of-life issues during the meeting's public-comment period.
Alan Brown, a volunteer with Haven Zoo, explained that the zoo's owner had been verbally directed to move a perimeter fence "a foot or two" and given deadlines to demonstrate progress by April 30 and finish by June 1. Brown said staff told him earlier that the matter was under review and asked the county to allow flexibility on schedule or to re-examine right-of-way mapping on Price Chapel Road. "I asked him for two things. I said first can you give us a dispensation on the mandated schedule?" Brown told commissioners; county staff member Terrell Partane said he had the matter under review and had instructed local marshals to contact the property owner and remove the immediate deadline.
Later, resident Lisa Krueger of Rivier Shores Drive told the board that persistent dog-barking across her neighborhood has made outdoor enjoyment difficult and sought guidance on enforcement options. Krueger asked whether the county has noise or nuisance remedies beyond the leash law; commissioners noted the challenges of enforcing duration/decibel standards and suggested that state public-nuisance law could provide a civil remedy in some cases.
What happens next: Mr. Partane said the fence/right-of-way issue is under review and the deadline for moving the fence has been taken off pending staff findings. Commissioners encouraged residents affected by dog noise to document incidents so county staff or law enforcement can evaluate potential civil or code-based remedies.
Why it matters: both items highlight how local code interpretation and enforcement intersect with property rights, right-of-way mapping and neighbor-to-neighbor disputes in growing residential areas.
