Thursday’s Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners meeting saw an attempt by the board to take the Pea Ridge site, owned by Coldwell Banker, out of consideration. While support always split between the East Milton site, to be donated by Cotton Byrom, and the current, downtown Milton location, commission meeting attendees rarely expressed support for the Pea Ridge site. The discussion at the meeting focused on the looming August 29 date by which the ballot language, including commission promised costs per site, is due. Commissioner Bob Cole said, “We’ve always said we’re going to tell everybody the pros and cons and basically the bottom line of what each location will cost.”
Speaking before the board, regular commission meeting attendees Sam Mullins and Jerry Couey suggested removing the Pea Ridge site.
Commissioner Jim Melvin said, “It’s no secret I’ve never been a fan of that particular piece of property out on Pea Ridge and I would welcome that motion.”
Commissioner Bob Cole said, “At this point, with the three sites being on there, we’re not being asked to remove a site. We’re being asked to remove a right, the right of the people that feel it should be on the west side of town.”
Still new in office, Commissioner Jayer Williamson said, “I’ve felt, as we narrow sites down, that that’s going to be the easiest way for us to get something passed for a new courthouse. The more we jumble this up with more sites, it will be more confusion, more public sentiment out there that they don’t know what’s going on. As we narrow them down, that’s the way we’re going to shore that up a little bit and have a chance at getting our courthouse passed.”
Melvin moved to remove the Pea Ridge site and Williamson seconded the motion. Commissioner Lane Lynchard, with the motion on the table, said, “Every time we added a piece of property, it was an addition to the ballot. Back in February, the motion was to put the Pea Ridge property on the ballot. That motion was passed. In late May we made the motion to put the Byrom property on the ballot. That was passed. Then we made the motion to put the Milton property on the ballot and that was passed. The people that have not showed up because their choice is on the ballot, they’re going to wonder, ‘What is this board doing?’ You talk about waffling. We already have three choices on the ballot. Leave Pea Ridge on the ballot, and let the chips fall where they may.” Lynchard said he’s heard constituents support the Pea Ridge site and it came in second, not last, at Williamson’s town hall meeting.
Commissioner Don Salter said, “I spoke to a relatively large group out at Whiting Field on a chamber update. Probably 95% of those in attendance liked the Pea Ridge site. People out in Pace I talk to like the Pea Ridge site. We started a process. That process eventually said the Pea Ridge site. Then we started deviating from that process. Every time a group would show up, we would say ‘We’ll do what you want us to do.’ If we start taking things off that the process produced, that would be even more ludicrous.”
James Young of Jay Consulting LLC, said, “I find people passionate about the Pea Ridge position. Why they don’t show up at meetings is because they understand they’re going to be able to make their voices known at the ballot.”
So for now, the ballot does include all three locations. Melvin called for a vote and he and Williamson voted to remove the Pea Ridge site while Salter, Cole, and Lynchard let it remain.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Three sites remain on ballot for courthouse