The Columbia County Commission Tuesday denied a rezoning request for property at 5959 Boulder Court.
The request was for the property to be changed from an R-A (residential agricultural) to S-1 (special) at the Feb. 16 Columbia County commission meeting.
Residents Ryan Wilson and his wife had hoped to add a boarding facility in the detached garage on their property to house a maximum of 20 dogs. Neighbors did not want the facility location in the residential area because of noise and sanitation.
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Wilson presented his case by providing details on how the boarding facility would operate. He addressed the concern over sanitation by explaining how the kennels would be cleaned. Wilson planned to epoxy all concrete so smells and waste would not seep into the floor. He said that all dogs would be handled on professional leashes when walking outside.
Ivy Barnett, a neighbor, was particularly concerned about sanitation. According to her research, the building that would house the dogs does not have running water. Wilson did not provide a solution to the issue. Barnett was concerned that Wilson would run into issues trying to purchase cleaning products because of the pandemic.
Another neighbor, Tim Drennen stated that his main concern was noise. The garage is less than 300 feet from his bedroom window. He moved to the country for peace and quiet, said Drennan. Also, Drennen was concerned about his property value decreasing.
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In other action, Commissioners suspended the liquor license held by a local bar, Tumbleweeds Tavern, doing business as Backyard Tavern. The bar was considered out of compliance with the terms of its alcohol beverage license requirements due to not having a full-service kitchen. Their license has been suspended until renovations have been completed and the kitchen is up to code.
A full-service kitchen is a kitchen that must contain at least a 3-compartment pot and sink, a commercial grade stove or grill, an oven that is permanently installed and a commercial-grade cooler or refrigerator. The full-service kitchen must be approved by the health department, the development services and fire marshal, when the state law requires the establishment to be inspected by the fire marshal.
Owner, Janice Williams, was under the impression that the restaurant was compliant with all codes. She apologized for her mistake.
Chad Miller, who was representing the tavern, went over the kitchen remodel plans that would bring the restaurant up to date on all codes and regulations. He apologized multiple times about the miscommunication and stated that the restaurant will remain closed until the remodel is complete. The county did not force the closure.
Columbia County 2020 Employee of the Year was awarded to Jamarius Tate of Fire Rescue and the Columbia County 2020 Team of the Year was awarded to Roads and Bridges On-Call Team.
An overall consensus was agreed upon by commissioners to approve annual bank accounts; purchase of Lease Accounting Software from LeaseQuery; support agreements for Ceina Network Equipment, Software, and Services. Approval was given to amending the Bylaws of the Local Emergency Planning Committee and service agreement for Project Access FY2020.
Lastly, approval was carried to change the commission meeting from April 6 to March 30.
Haley Knight is a contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at haley.knight@TheAugustaPRESS.com
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