This is a copy of a letter which was sent last week to each member of the Paulding County BOC, as well as multiple Departments.

In addition, there has been no mention of Mt Tabor or the access road on the BOC meeting agendas for October.  Other meeting agendas for the Planning Commission and various review committees do not yet indicate any activity regarding decisions affecting Mt Tabor.  

But it is only a matter of time before the subject comes up, so please be prepared to attend a meeting as necessary.

To All Who Should Be Concerned,       

I am writing to you today on behalf of the many concerned patrons of Mt Tabor Park, who by now very well understand that an emergency access road will be cut through Mt Tabor.  What was once a remarkable and unique woodland park is now under severe pressure, both because of the approved access road as well as the numerous houses that will eventually be backing up to the park’s borders.  

It is the responsibility of Paulding County to make every effort to mitigate this pressure by protecting what is left of the Park.  Requiring fencing on its borders with the new development and limiting access to a single entry point to Mt Tabor would serve this purpose.  This single entry point could be the emergency road gate at the adjoining park/development border, or another location of the county’s choosing.

Also critical to the protection of the Park is the necessity of being absolutely certain that the access road creek crossing complies with all local, state, and federal requirements for this type of construction.  It has already been demonstrated that the adjoining development’s installed perimeter erosion control measures were completely inadequate and not in accordance with approved plans, resulting in heavy off-site sediment deposits both in the creek bed and the flood plain.  None of these off-site deposits were cleaned up or addressed and very little concern to protect Mt Tabor was shown.  It is imperative that the creek crossing and road construction be accomplished with the least disruption possible, implementing the use of all available devices and methods for creek and park preservation.

While it is very unfortunate that Mt Tabor Park will be forever changed, there is still an opportunity for you to implement safeguards that can have a real impact on the long term prospect of people continuing to enjoy what’s left of what the park has to offer.

Thank you.

On Behalf of the Concerned Patrons of Mt Tabor Park,

Tim Steininger