Kenny Casteel speaking at Tuesday night's meeting... Photo by Barry West
Coffee County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday night. A controversial vote on re-zoning land in Hillsboro was on the agenda. Wright Paving and Custom Stone wants to use the property they own to be used as a rock quarry. County commissioners voted to send the issue back to the Coffee County Planning Commission for further review with a report due by the November meeting. Commissioners also were to vote to restore the original reclamation plan that was presented to the planning commission several years ago. Reclamation is done to put land back to as close to the way it was before use by a quarry. Companies are responsible to be bonded for an amount determined by the county commission. Right now the way the plan is written a bond would have to be at $95,000 per acre for unlimited acres. The land in question in Hillsboro is 127 acres. A planning commission representative and some county commissioners agree the amount is too high, saying it should be in the neighborhood of $2,000-$5,000 per acre, with some saying as high as $10,000. Commissioners voted to ask the planning commission to re-study the plan and have a recommendation by the November meeting.
At the end of the meeting Coffee County Director of Schools Kenny Casteel spoke to board and thank them for their hard work and working with the school system. After receiving a standing ovation from all in attendance, Casteel then introduced new director Dr LaDonna McFall to the commission.
