Although it has not become a major campaign issue, the county’s purchase of land for recreational water access continues to be hotly debated.
County officials have insisted from the beginning that the public will have input into decisions about use of the land and that public meetings will be held.
County Administrator Joey Brown spoke to reporters Friday in an effort to answer questions that continue to arise.
Brown said, “I think the commissioners’ primary goal is to preserve the county’s options in case of a possible future time when a boat owner would have no place to launch his boat.”
Brown said those who think the price the county paid for the Greene Point tract ($1.54 million) was too high should contemplate what the cost might be in five or ten years if the county found itself trying to meet citizen demands for water access.
Brown added that he thought use of the term marina might have misled some people.
“We will probably wind up with something like a small park, not a large, highly commercialized activity. The county is not going to compete with any ongoing commercial enterprise. For example, we do not want to sell fuel or to sell beer.”
A boat hoist will be included because a number of boaters, for various reasons, do not choose to use boat ramps.
The Department of Natural Resources, which has a mandate to preserve and promote public access to water, says that access is endangered along the entire coastline.
Liberty County became a focus when the Yellow Bluff Fishing Camp was sold to developers who are building a residential community there. Plans call for the boat hoist to be for the exclusive use of residents at some undetermined future date. The Yellow Bluff boat hoist is open to the public now.
DNR officials worked with the county, examining several options before recommending the Greene Point tract.
Brown said some citizens have been frustrated because county officials have not shown them specific plans for the use of the property.
“We don’t have specific plans yet,” he explained.
One reason for this, Brown said, is because the public will decide what is to be done. “I’ve told people they need to be making a list. Do they want a children’s playground? cooking facilities?
“All these decisions have consequences. If you build a road, people are going to drive on it. If you put in sidewalks, people will walk...”
Brown said that most documents in his office are available for public inspection. “I invite people to just come in and tell us what they want to see.”
County officials have insisted from the beginning that the public will have input into decisions about use of the land and that public meetings will be held.
County Administrator Joey Brown spoke to reporters Friday in an effort to answer questions that continue to arise.
Brown said, “I think the commissioners’ primary goal is to preserve the county’s options in case of a possible future time when a boat owner would have no place to launch his boat.”
Brown said those who think the price the county paid for the Greene Point tract ($1.54 million) was too high should contemplate what the cost might be in five or ten years if the county found itself trying to meet citizen demands for water access.
Brown added that he thought use of the term marina might have misled some people.
“We will probably wind up with something like a small park, not a large, highly commercialized activity. The county is not going to compete with any ongoing commercial enterprise. For example, we do not want to sell fuel or to sell beer.”
A boat hoist will be included because a number of boaters, for various reasons, do not choose to use boat ramps.
The Department of Natural Resources, which has a mandate to preserve and promote public access to water, says that access is endangered along the entire coastline.
Liberty County became a focus when the Yellow Bluff Fishing Camp was sold to developers who are building a residential community there. Plans call for the boat hoist to be for the exclusive use of residents at some undetermined future date. The Yellow Bluff boat hoist is open to the public now.
DNR officials worked with the county, examining several options before recommending the Greene Point tract.
Brown said some citizens have been frustrated because county officials have not shown them specific plans for the use of the property.
“We don’t have specific plans yet,” he explained.
One reason for this, Brown said, is because the public will decide what is to be done. “I’ve told people they need to be making a list. Do they want a children’s playground? cooking facilities?
“All these decisions have consequences. If you build a road, people are going to drive on it. If you put in sidewalks, people will walk...”
Brown said that most documents in his office are available for public inspection. “I invite people to just come in and tell us what they want to see.”