COLUMN: A good dose of common sense is needed

Let’s look at just a few shall we?

Recently the Winder City Council, in an attempt to “clean up” the city, decided to take aim at local business owners John Scatterday and Melissa Hollis.

The two operate Scatts Automotive but appear to be in violation of some city zoning ordinances. After appealing to the council to be allowed to continue operating their business, Scatterday and Hollis must now go the legal route in an attempt to save their business.

Some thoughts: any time a governing body attempts to close down an honest business then something is wrong, terribly wrong. The owners of this automobile repair shop are simply trying to make an honest living, but they are being force fed red tape by city hall.

In a day and time when so many businesses are struggling to stay open as it is, here we have Winder officials telling these business owners they can’t continue to operate theirs. The fact city officials are doing so under the guide of “cleaning up the city” is laughable because for years, decades even, buildings in the downtown area have been allowed to sit and crumble under the nose of city officials.

As we speak, the old Winder hotel remains an eyesore, not to mention a hazardous sight. In addition, the old Peskins building is likely beyond repair.

Why has the owner of this building not been required to do something about this dilapidated property?

Could it be the owners of Scatts Automotive don’t carry the same political clout as the owners of some other properties?

Common sense should tell Winder officials to leave honest, hard-working business owners alone.

Common sense needed, part II: Anyone who has driven through downtown Winder recently no doubt has been caught up in the traffic congestion caused by the ongoing construction of the new Walgreens.

On a recent weekday, the construction caused two lanes of traffic to be blocked which sent the normal gridlock into an even more desperate state of affairs. To pour more gasoline on the fire, the trusty train decides to roll through going half a mile per hour. The train then decides to back up, go forward, then back up again, all the while causing more gridlock.

And whatever happened to the Winder bypass of years gone by? Perhaps city officials should be studying this instead of harassing honest business owners. Common sense. It goes a long way folks.

Finally, with each passing week we learn more about the desperate state of affairs the county is in financially. Out of control spending from the previous administration, with no foresight that the building boom had to eventually slow down or end all together, has Barrow in probably the worst financial shape it’s ever been.

A little common sense — as well as a tighter grip on the purse strings — would have prevented this mess we are in now. I only hope it’s not too late the save the sinking financial ship we are now trying to sail.

Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal. You can contact him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.