County condemns piece of property

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 9, 2014

The Covington County Commission on Wednesday voted to move forward with condemnation of approximately 2,500 square feet of land on Co. Road 89 needed to complete an ATRIP project.

County engineer Darren Capps said he talked with property owners, who now live in Huntsville, but that the owners stopped taking his calls.

The small strip of land needed is valued at $167, Capps said, and he offered the landowners $500.

The next step is for the county to ask the probate judge to condemn the property for the road project.

Jeff and Bertie Hanson are listed as property owners.

In other business, the commission:

• Agreed to donate $3,000 to the Covington Baptist Association for a monthy men’s ministry program it is starting at the old Stanley school, which also once was the Stanley Community Center. The property is now owned by a church, and the association is making improvements on it for its use in the ministry.

Commissioner Harold Elmore asked for the contribution.

“They’re gone meet once a month, and it’s nothing but men,” he said. “They’ve done a lot of work on it down there. They come to me and asked me for our help.:

• Amended the personnel plan for the county shop to allow an additional employee.

• Reappointed Gary Smith to the South Alabama Regional Airport Authority.

• Announced board vacancies on the Department of Human Resources Board and the Southeast Alabama Regional Planning Commission.