Columbia County commissioners rejected appeals of two businesswomen who wanted to open daycares for the old and the young.
Angela Edmond, of Grovetown, had wanted to open a care facility for disabled and elderly adults on Riverwatch Parkway in Evans. The house she bought is in a newly created zone for businesses, but commissioners were concerned the elderly under her care would wander into traffic and get hit.
MORE: Blasting scheduled along Furys Ferry Road Wednesday and Thursday
“On Riverwatch, it concerned me with elderly patients right there with traffic going 55, 60, 70 miles per hour. That’s what troubled me with it,” Commission Chairman Doug Duncan said after the meeting.
Edmond said she was ready to install alarms that would alert her nurses if any patients opened the front door.
“We’ll take our business to Richmond County,” said Edmond’s husband, Desire Edmond.
Shonda Ray of Evans wanted to open a day care for preschool-age children on Flowing Wells Road in Martinez right across the street from Martinez Elementary School. The house she rents is zoned for daycare of elderly, but not for children. She has made changes to her plans and changes to the parking lot, but three of the five commissioners rejected her plea to change the zoning so she could have 25-30 children at the business at 208 Flowing Wells Road.
One of the commissioners who rejected her plea was Connie Melear, who said her two concerns were the lack of adequate parking, even with Ray’s expansion, and the danger of parents attempting to drive onto the lot from Flowing Wells Road, which is a fairly high traffic corridor. The property does have a driveway from Brockwood Drive and one on Flowing Wells Road.
MORE: Deciding how Augusta Regional Airport will use its Opportunity Zone designation
“I wasn’t completely convinced that all of the parking and everything was going to be 100 percent comfortable for the folks getting in and out,” Melear said. “She did make a good case for it.”
Tuesday night’s rejection was the fourth time the county has told Ray no. Ray says she will likely be back.
“I’m a fighter. I don’t know, I’m very persistent,” Ray said.
The house Ray is renting for the proposed daycare is owned by realtor Thomas “Tommy” McBride, who works at Sherman & Hemstreet Real Estate Co. Two owners of Sherman & Hemstreet Real Estate Co. are also owners of The Augusta Press.
Joshua B. Good is a staff reporter covering Columbia County and military/veterans’ issues for The Augusta Press. Reach him at joshua@theaugustapress.com
