Builder takes on Worley

That reference was to the salary negotiations with the county’s newly hired CFO, who was seated in the audience for her first commission meeting.

As Clack quickly moved on to his next point, Chairman Danny Yearwood interrupted him and told him not to speak to any individual commissioner, but to address his remarks to the entire board, which is proper protocol for public comments at board meetings.

Regrouping, the young builder said his company had owned only two of the three lots cited by Worley at the May 4 meeting. He said that while the commissioner was correct in saying he had not obtained building permits for those two lots, there was a reason for that: While they were “grubbed” in preparation for septic tank permits, which he said would be obtained prior to getting building permits, his bank was issued a cease and desist order and no money was available.

“We were never able to get the septic approval so we were therefore never able to pull a permit on these two properties,” Clack said.

He also responded to Worley’s objection to Lyn Clement, director of license & permits and building services, hiring Clack’s company to do maintenance work at the historical museum and county annex when the Clement’s department had the staff to perform the work.

Clack said the work at the museum was not general maintenance and he said he was not hired by Clement, but by operations development manager Bob Hohe for the other maintenance work at the annex.

“Mr. Hohe informed us that we were the low bid and we proceeded with the contract we were hired to do,” Clack said. “The majority of the contacts on general maintenance issues came from the purchasing department, not from Mr. Clements.”

Clack also called attention to another controversy involving the demolition of an old house near the intersection of Hwy. 81 and Hwy. 316.

“These owners were sent letters by Barrow County essentially forcing them to spend their money to tear down a building that someone deemed necessary to remove,” he said.

He said “in this tough economic time the owner found the money to do what was requested,” but instead of thanking the owner for getting the job done, “they bash them for not obtaining the proper permits.”

The owner of that site is a trust controlled by the family of Thomas D. Moreland, one of the owners of Moreland Altobelli Associates Inc., an engineering firm that does business with the county.

Clack said he has received calls from two other property owners who received similar letters from the county asking them to demolish old structures.

“Here is the reply I gave them, ‘Send a letter to Barrow County and inform them that when they clean up their property and house that they currently own at the corner of Hwy. 53 and Hwy. 316, we will be glad to clean up ours.”

Clack, refraining from reading his entire statement due to Yearwood’s instructions, finished his remarks by suggesting all citizens and business owners start attending commission meetings to make sure their names are not drug through the mud.

Worley responded by pulling documents out of a packet he had prepared for last week’s meeting. He said the documentation was provided by Clement and by the Tax Commissioner’s office.

Clack said the documentation was out of date. He told the Barrow Journal after the meeting that he had sold the two lots on Jan. 2 of this year. His work at the properties took place a couple of years ago, he said.

Clack told Worley that he would provide him with a packet of papers proving his points. Worley said he would be happy to meet with him.

In other business at the meeting, the board voted:

•to appoint Ansel Garrett to the Barrow County Council on Aging.

•to appoint Liz Moore, who recently retired from her position as director of the Barrow County Senior Center, to the Barrow County Parks & Recreation Board.