Tuesday night’s county commission workshop briefly got heated after commissioner Joe Barton said he didn’t think the county could undertake another project at the present time due to the need to complete FEMA projects this year.

The commission was discussing reinstating the Braswell Road project and resurfacing Clark Road in District 3.

In November, the commission voted to halt work on Braswell Road, where Commissioner Harold Elmore lives, among other projects.

Barton said the Commission will have the Pigeon Creek Bridge situation to deal with and he was already receiving calls about road conditions with the recent rains.

“We’ve been fortunate the last years with weather, but this year’s not promising. I think we should concentrate on (FEMA projects), and the other issues come up that will take precedence,” Barton said.

Elmore asked the county engineer if he had any problems getting FEMA work done previously.

Engineer Darren Capps said they were pretty much caught up in the south end of the county and the majority of the work left was in the north end of the county.

County Chairman Bill Godwin said he thought it was more important to preserve the county’s roads.

“We always have need for bridges, resurfacing and repaving,” Capps aid.

Commissioners said they didn’t want to put any timelines on the Clark Road project and have no overtime.

Capps said he projected the project would be stretched out over the year and he planned to work a minimum crew.

The road is 3.15 miles of paving.

Commissioners asked if the project would go into the next budget year, and Capps agreed it was likely.

“I have a comment, Mr. Barton. I want that road paved, but I don’t have a time set on that road. I’m not in a hurry. I don’t want no overtime. Let’s go back to when y’all stopped the road. Y’all didn’t ask what it would cost to stop it when you stopped (the Braswell Road project),” Elmore said. “Do you know how much it cost, Mr. Barton?”

Barton said he guaranteed it didn’t cost as much as completing the project.

“Naw, that’s right, it didn’t cost as much,” Elmore said. “It didn’t cost as much to pave that road as it costs to fix this road up and pave it.”

Godwin asked the commissioners to keep their comments impersonal.