Shofner Bridge Road closing requested

Bedford County Board of Commissioners will consider whether to close a dead-end portion of Shofner Bridge Road at the request of the Cooper family.

John Cooper, son of the late Gov. Prentice Cooper and brother of U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, appeared with Highway Superintendent Stanley Smotherman and with Sammy Coates, who leases the property, before the commission's rules and legislative committee on Tuesday night. A home the Cooper family owns at the end of the road has been the target of vandalism.

The Cooper family owns the land on both sides of the road as it approaches its dead end and would like to see that part of the road closed to the public and taken off the county highway maintenance list. That way, the family could put a gate across it and restrict access to the site. Cooper said it makes no sense for taxpayers to maintain the road anyway.

The rules committee placed the request on the full commission's October agenda with its recommendation.

Other discussion at Tuesday night's meeting:

* The committee elected P.T. "Biff" Farrar as its chairman, with Ed Castleman to serve as vice-chairman and Jimmy Woodson as secretary. The committee had previously been chaired by Eugene Ray, but Ray gave up his commission seat to run for county mayor. As county mayor, Ray continues to chair the full commission.

* Farrar reported on a request from Commissioner J.D. "Bo" Wilson, who wasn't present, that the commission review the makeup of the Bedford County Nursing Home board. Currently, that board is made up of four members -- the chairmen of the commission's four standing committees, or their designates -- with the county mayor as chairman. Wilson, a frequent critic of BCNH administrator Wayne Schumann, would like to see the board reformulated so that it has nine members, one from each county commission district.

When the BCNH board was created a year ago, commissioners said it would have its current makeup for two years and would then switch over to having private citizens, instead of commissioners, as members.

The committee deferred action on Wilson's request for one month in order to seek public input.

* Ray reported that he is still identifying names to serve on a building appeals board. The board will hear any complaints or appeals related to the county's enforcement of building codes outside city limits, which began earlier this year.

* Former commissioner Wayne Tucker asked the committee to research how the Adequate Facilities Tax recently passed by the commission on new construction will affect Bedford Builds Habitat for Humanity. The tax does not apply to non-profit agencies, but since it is applied at the closing of the sale of a new home, there's a possibility it might be applied to a Habitat for Humanity client who is taking possession of a home.

The committee voted to ask the county attorney for an opinion on the issue.

* Michael "Fish" Fisher asked the commission to consider installing an electronic voting system for its meetings. Fisher said it would make it easier for citizens attending the meeting to track how commissioners voted on an issue. The rules committee referred the issue to the courthouse and county property committee, which placed the item on its committee agenda for next month.