Keg Creek residents want money spent wisely

Editor:

I would like to clear the record of a few misnomers.

I, as well as many of my neighbors, are citizens of Columbia County and pay property taxes every year. We are not only concerned about what happens in our neighborhood and Columbia County, but also the efficient use of our tax dollars - just as every citizen should be.

I, nor any of my neighbors along Keg Creek, have ever been against a golf course or any other development in or along the shores of Keg Creek on Clarks Hill Lake.

What many of use were opposed to was the Wildwood Park Comprehensive Plan Prepared by Bartram Trail, Inc.

First of all, it was a secret plan that only the developers had access to. It was not until we demanded a copy and a public meeting that the plan was presented to the public. Wildwood is a public park and should remain as such. Any plans in Wildwood should be open to the public for all the citizens of Columbia County to have input.

Our biggest objection was the idea of moving some 75 and adding another 75 campsites from the Big Branch side to the Keg Creek side under. The plan also called for 10 acres containing 60 private modular mobile homes on the Keg Creek side.

I welcome a golf course or any other development ideas at Wildwood Park. Our neighborhood would love to see a first-class development for Columbia Countys most-prized resource.

As taxpayers of our great county, we would only hope that any plans at this facility be open to the public an seriously thought out by the decision-makers with a total comprehensive master plan in mind.

The recent plans for a boat ramp, tournament fishing and cabins is a much-needed project that will benefit every citizen of the county through increased tax revenues generated by this overdue facility.

Anyone who has been in Keg Creek from April to September, on the weekend, will tell you the amount of boat traffic that already exists. If Columbia County is to spend some $1 million, I only hope that the decision-makers consider not only the cost of the land-based facilities but also the increased traffic to an already saturated portion of the lake. Lets not put $1 million into a facility that we may regret in the future.

Many of us feel the Big Branch side of Wildwood offers a much-less-crowded area with a straight shot to open water that would be a more commonsense alternative for the project.

Roy Giles

Appling