Controversy Arises at Lyons City Council
Tensions were high during the regular monthly meeting of the Lyons City Council on Tuesday, February 6, as a controversy arose regarding a possible zoning variance for a property located at 155 Hilton Drive. The property, which sits within a residential neighborhood in Lyons, is owned by E. Muriel Bell, who desired to use the space for his program, “Redirection.”
“I’m a firm believer that what we are doing is great, but at the same time, there is a lot of misconception about what is going on [with Redirection],” he told the Council. “It is not a drug rehab center, it’s not a mental health center, no one lives there. Some that come to Redirection are people that have done somecontinued from page
thing wrong – and what I mean by that is there is a part of [each person] that [each person] doesn’t like – and they come on their own for help and to have someone to talk to. Other people [that] come to Redirection may have gotten arrested, and the Court sees fit for them to benefit from our classes on Saturdays.”
He continued, “We’re not there very late, we’re there in the morning. We get in and out by around 12 p.m. each day.”
Bell stated that the group also hoped to set up a tutoring center for local students as an opportunity for fellow students to help other students with homework. This work would also be completed in the house on Hilton Drive, which he stated has been vacant since 1997.
Accompanying Bell at the meeting were his attorney, David Pittman, and Shawn Corley, an individual who had been positively impacted by Bell’s program in Swainsboro. Corley shared how the program has changed his life, and how important it is to have a place where people can go to talk with others and receive advice on how to better their lives.
Bell appeared before the city’s Planning and Zoning Board at the Board’s meeting on January 23, but the Board denied the request because of several concerns which the Board members said they held. Several of the concerns included worries about having a business in a residential area, the parking that would occur on the streets, and the individuals that would be entering and exiting the premises.
“I attended the meeting and what I gathered was that it wasn’t that they did not like what you were doing, they loved what you are doing. They just don’t want it there in that neighborhood,” Councilwoman Cathy Benton clarified. “They would support it anywhere else, but they just don’t want it there in that community.”
Bell continued the discussion, as he explained that Redirection would not be the only business in the neighborhood. “That building used to be a daycare,” Bell told the Council. “Are you telling me I could go [to a business in the neighborhood] as a child, but not as an adult?”
Toombs County Commissioner Alfred Cason was in attendance at the meeting, and spoke up about the daycare, saying that it was his church that formerly had the charter for the facility. He also shared that he has spoken with his constituents within the city, and that most of them had shared that they did not support the Redirection being in the neighborhood, but would welcome it elsewhere.
Councilman John Moore, Jr. and citizen Tina Bentley addressed the current businesses – a construction business and an online retail shop – which listed the neighborhood as their location. “People may use their homes as the ‘home base’ of their operations or LLCs, so that they may do payroll and other business out of a home office,” Moore explained. “Yet, the actual business itself is not conducted there.”
Bentley shared that it was hers and her husband’s businesses being discussed, and that there are no apparent signs of the companies within the neighborhood. “The only things that may be seen are the packages that are dropped off to my house for my business,” she explained.
She went on to share her concerns with Bell’s honesty regarding Redirection’s operations, as she stated that he had already been working out of the home and often had visitors coming and leaving throughout the night.
Overall, the Council agreed to support the Planning and Zoning Board’s decision, and denied the zoning variance. The Council encouraged Bell to speak with Mayor Willis NeSmith, Jr. and City Manager Jason Hall to work on providing Redirection with a downtown location.
Also during the meeting, the Council recognized the Toombs County High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter in celebration of the upcoming National FBLA Week.
The week beginning with February 12 is recognized nationally as a time to celebrate the work and value of FBLA within school systems. Toombs County High School’s first FBLA chapter was chartered in 1988 and has since grown to great success. Mayor NeSmith presented to the club’s chapter officers an official proclamation declaring next week as FBLA Week in Lyons. “Thank you, Council members, for this honor,” TCHS FBLA Advisor Jessica Jones remarked. “This is my first year as FBLA advisor, and I could not ask for a better job.”
She highlighted that the TCHS FBLA is extremely successful, as 13 members recently placed in a region skills competition, including Chapter President R.J. Florez, who will compete in the Job Interview state competition in March.
Florez also addressed the Council, explaining that FBLA helps students learn important skills to use in their future endeavors, and urged the Mayor and Council to support the group in any way possible.
Mayor NeSmith thanked the group for coming and emphasized his support, stating that the group should let him and the Council know if there is ever anything with which they can assist.
During the meeting, the Council also agreed unanimously to declare a 2011 Chevrolet Express Van as surplus. The van will be donated to the Loving Lyons and Beyond nonprofit organization, which works to serve those in the city and surrounding areas.
Juneteenth Committee Chairwoman Attallaka Harris informed the Council that planning is underway for this year’s Juneteenth Celebration, and that the group plans to add fireworks to the event this year.
Toombs County Commissioner Darriel Nobles encouraged members of the Council to donate blood through the upcoming American Red Cross blood drives, as he shared that Lyons is among the top donating areas in the Southeast.
The next work session of the Council will be on Tuesday, February 27, at 6 p.m., while the next regular Council meeting will be Tuesday, March 5, at 6 p.m.
FBLA WEEK – Toombs County High School Future Business Leaders of America Chapter Officers were presented with an official proclamation by Mayor Willis NeSmith, Jr. and the Lyons City Council. L to R: Councilman John Moore, Jr., Councilwoman Cathy Benton, Sarah Ellis Walker, Jean Peterson, Carlie Richter, TCHS FBLA Advisor Jessica V. Jones, R.J. Florez, Adora Brown, and Madison Ho, Mayor Willis NeSmith Jr., Councilman Drayton Oliver, Toombs County Schools Assistant Superintendent Tabatha Nobles, Toombs County High School Assistant Principal Joey Montford.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
