Will town lose popular boat ramp in process?
Midville needs new bridge over the Ogeechee
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

Fans of fishing on the Ogeechee River have taken advantage of the boat ramp next to the bridge in Midville for years.

But now that the Georgia Department of Transportation has decided that the bridge is "structurally deficient," the city must decide the fate of the popular entry point on the river.

According to Alan Smith of the DOT, a new bridge will be constructed just east of the current bridge.

When DOT planners began planning the site, they discovered a small problem. The boat ramp is on DOT right of way, but the DOT does not maintain boat ramps. They aren't really sure how the ramp was con- structed on DOT right of way in the first place.

After a few inquiries with the Department of Natural Resources and the City of Midville, DOT officials found that no one actually has an agreement to maintain the boat ramp.

Now, DOT officials want to know if the city wants to keep the ramp and who plans to maintain it.

"We're not in the business of maintaining boat ramps," Smith explained to a group in Midville Monday evening.

One man in particular said he hopes the situation will rid the site of the boat ramp.

Virgil Choate, who has lived on the property adjacent to the bridge for several years, said the ramp is only a nuisance for him. "I have to keep it cleaned up myself," Choate told Smith.

Choate said he's tired of picking up trash in his yard and pulling people out of precarious situations while they try to back boats into the water.

Smith said DOT officials wanted to weigh in with the city before making any decisions about the ramp. He added that he knew the ramp was a popular site and could also possibly affect the town's Ogeechee Redbreast Festival fishing tournament.

If a maintenance agreement is obtained for the ramp, DOT is willing to build a parking lot beside it to mitigate any parking woes created by construction of the new bridge, according to Smith.

While the city could not make a decision because there were

not enough council members present for a quorum, Mayor Pro Tem Scotty Womack told Smith that council would discuss the matter and contact DNR before making a decision.

While no official action could be taken at the scheduled monthly meeting, the gathering didn't lack action altogether.

Two citizens attending the meeting appeared to be slightly unsteady on their feet. While one man simply lounged in a chair with his shirt unbuttoned and a dazed look on his face, the other man took an active part in the bridge discussion.

At one point, the vocal one of the pair suggested to Smith that the DOT not waste money on a new bridge in Midville. He said they could just drive to Wadley if they needed to cross the river.

Council member Norma Thorne called police officer Robert Baynham to come sit in the meeting due to the incident.

After the men left and the crowd dispersed, Thorne was overheard saying that people who had been drinking should be barred from future meetings.