Dear Editor:

The petition drive to relocate the county seat of Bryan County to Richmond Hill is still very much alive and well. With two-fifths of the registered voters’ signatures on a petition we can ask the Probate Court Judge of this county to order that an election be held to decide the matter. Wouldn’t it be nice to vote on something for a change?

For those who may not be aware of it, the Bryan County Commissioners have voted to build a new county administrative building in the area of the new SPLOST park near Ft. McAllister. This has been done with no community input and no consideration to the residents who live on Highway 17 or in the city limits of Richmond Hill. They do not seem to consider the impact this will have on the already horrendous traffic problems on Highway 144 while knowing that the Georgia Department of Transportation has no intention of beginning a widening project until at least 2010 or later.

This new county administrative building on Spur 144 is where you will have to go to pay your taxes, get your tags, deal with planning and zoning, and where the Health Department will be located. Wouldn’t a better use of SPLOST money be a new state of the art courthouse large enough to handle these services in Richmond Hill? Why locate a county administrative building near Spur 144 when they know that within the next 5 to 10 years Highway 144 will turn into the yellow barrel parkway? If the county commissioners can be allowed to borrow money against future SPLOST money for pet projects they can do so for a new courthouse. Help spread the word and sign the petition.

For your readers who do not have access to the internet, the petition can be found at the following Richmond Hill businesses: Lemon Grass - Parker’s Square on Highway 144; Coastal Pak Mail- 3745 US Highway 17 Suite 500; Milan Salon Boutique & Day Spa- 3766 US Highway 17 and Blueberry Hill Organic Foods - Frances Meeks Way. Remember only registered voters can sign the petition. The voter registration form and the petition form can be found at www.bryancounty.net.