Editor’s note: This letter was also being distributed to homeowners and businesses along Black River Road.

ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESSES LOCATED  ALONG BLACK RIVER ROAD!!

On Thursday, January 21, 2010, Georgetown City Council will consider issues related to truck  traffic on Black River Rd.  The meeting is at 5:30pm at City Hall.  You are encouraged to attend!

If you want to speak on this issue, you should sign up to speak during the public comment  session at the start of the meeting.  You must sign up before the meeting starts.  If you have issues  related to Black River Rd, you are encouraged to make public comments.

The condition of Black River Rd. is terrible.  It has become a major thoroughfare in our City,  but has not been maintained properly to handle the type of traffic it receives.  Heavy truck traffic causes  artificial earthquakes many times a day that rattles houses nearby.  This traffic also disrupts patient  rooms at the hospital.  This is unacceptable!

Eighteen wheelers and heavily loaded dump trucks going to the county landfill are the main  source of these problems.  The vibrations can and do cause problems in nearby homes, including  cracking of plaster walls, cracks around windows and an increase in the settling of foundations.  These  problems can be expensive to repair and are detrimental to home values.

Black River Rd. has numerous and significant surface defects.  Most of these problems have  been created by the city digging up the road and then improperly patching it.  The patched areas are not  maintained properly and then become serious depressions that amplify the truck traffic in the  surrounding area.

An additional source of vibrations from truck traffic comes from the poor placement of  manholes.  Many of the manholes are placed near the center of the road where trucks hit them and  cause vibrations.  If the manholes are even slightly raised or below the surface, it creates a bump or  depression that contributes greatly to the general problems with the road.

 I have personally brought these problems to the attention of the City and the South Carolina  Department of Transportation (SCDOT) for over two years.  They have done little to address the root  causes, and the condition of this road has now deteriorated to the point where it is intolerable.

One bright spot has recently occurred with this issue.   Mr. Sel Hemingway, the County  Administrator, voluntarily told his drivers to avoid Black River Rd. by routing their dump trucks going  to the county landfill through the Five Points intersection.  I have asked other private dump truck  companies to do the same, without success.  They have ignored the issue and have refused to cooperate.  Without voluntary cooperation from those causing the problems, we must seek government action.

I see two solutions to this problem. The first is to prohibit through trucks on Black River Rd., or at least prohibit truck traffic going towards Hwy 701 on Black River Rd.

The City already limits truck traffic to the major highways via signs at entry points to the city, and Black River Rd. is not on this list of truck routes.

Unfortunately, a conflicting city ordinance actually does allow trucks on Black River Rd.  If the City simply changes the ordinance to restrict through trucks heading to 701 North, and then enforces it, many of these problem will go away immediately.

The second solution is to resurface Black River Rd.  This would need to be done by the  SCDOT.  If SCDOT refuses to support restricting truck traffic on this road, then they should at least  maintain the road properly.

The City is currently set to issue a resolution during their meeting on the 21 st to request SCDOT  to approve traffic solutions to the Willowbank and St. James/Highmarket areas.  Black River Rd. needs  to be part of the City's resolution to SCDOT.

 If you are affected by the problems on Black River Rd., please plan on attending the City  Council meeting on January 21, 2010 at 5:30pm and speaking during the public comment period.  This  is also an official item that I have placed on the Council agenda.

If you cannot attend this meeting, please consider writing a letter to our new Mayor, Mr. Jack  Scoville, asking for action on this issue.  I will be glad to collect these letters and present them to  Council on the 21 st.  If you prefer to email him, his address is scorac@aol.com.  Please copy me on any  emails you send him.  My email is martytennant@gmail.com.

I would be glad to discuss these issues, or any other related issues with you on the phone at 5274485, or via email at the address above.  You are also welcome to come to my house at 1204 Saville St.  to talk in person.  I am normally home during the day and night and would be glad to receive you.

Together we can bring about the changes that are needed to protect our environment, our homes  and our property values.  Please get involved to improve our quality of life along Black River Rd!

Many thanks in advance for your support.

Marty Tennant