Shelby County residents voice opinions on proposed Coosa River bridge

The chambers of the Shelby County Commission had a standing room only crowd for the Jan. 27 meeting.

While the topic of the proposed Coosa River toll bridge was not on the commission’s agenda, a crowd of over 60 people attended the meeting. When attendees who were opposed to the bridge were asked to stand, every person in the room stood. All those in attendance were opposed to the bridge.

Each person had three minutes to address the commission and eight people signed up to do so.

George Kinderdine, a 22-year resident of Shelby Shores, began the public comment section of the meeting and said he is opposed to the bridge because of the disturbance to the lake it would cause, along with noise pollution and property values.

“Tim James has a vision of progress coming through, but what I see is a truck route that he is using our tax money to make money,” Kinderdine said. “I know he’s in the business of building bridges, but I don’t think it will work here. I don’t think he has any position of making roads we aren't in control of.”

Commissioner Chair Elwyn Bearden said that any meetings or discussions will not be done behind closed doors.

“This isn’t something where it’s a vote and you don't have a say,” Bearden said. “If this proceeds, we will have public comment situations. If you fear us doing something without y’all present, you don’t have to worry about that. We made our point clear that this has to pass the county engineer and county management to even present it to us and start discussions. This is very premature and we’re not close at this point.”

Jenny Davis, another Shelby Shores resident said she feels the homeowners in Talladega didn’t have the opportunity to have their voice heard. She said if the bridge was needed, the state would have already paid for it. If it was an economic necessity, the county would’ve paid for it.

“Without it, we are the state’s richest county,” she said. “It seems like nothing more than a shortcut that would bring more traffic.”

County Manager Alex Dudchock told the audience that the commission will use tools for public communication and feedback. Incoming County Manager Chad Scroggins said that the plan is right now utilize a public involvement meeting prior to any proceedings.

“Our COO has developed an email address to send in your comments. Very soon we will have all the information and any submittals that come in to the county engineer’s office on that webpage, so if it's submitted to us, you can see it, and we want to hear feedback from everyone.”

Another Shelby Shores resident, Paul Hartz said when he first heard of the proposed bridge, he did a lot of his own research and will provide it to the commission and when they have enough information, “the decision will make itself.”

Ginger Johnson of Shelby Shores said the bridge has been debated for years, and at one point Talladega said they would solely fund the construction, but did not.

“Now all of sudden, James is proposing a privately owned toll bridge all of us have to use,” Johnson said. "If this is passed it's only going to maybe save 10 miles, and I just don't see any sense in another bridge, especially a private-owned one, for our citizens.”

Chief Tony Miller of Kingdom Fire Department spoke of potential injuries and deaths from the bridge due to incoming commercial traffic.

“My major concern is for the safety of our current tax paying citizens who call Shelby home,” he said. "I love our quiet community and all the Shelby County citizens we protect and serve. I have been in service to the county for free for 28 years and one of the overwhelming amount of people against the bridge.”

Patty Cochran said Shelby Shores is a tight group who loves where they live.

“Would you really want more traffic where you live?” she asked. “We moved here from Jefferson County 16 years ago to get away from all that.”

Gary McGrady, was the only person in attendance from Talladega County and brought a list with 218 signatures of others from there who oppose the bridge, and thanked the commission for all they are doing.

Commissioner Kevin Morris is over District 1 where the proposed bridge would be located. He spoke about his personal feelings and his choice to build a house on Lay Lake. He said his responsibility is to vote for the position of his district and he is against the bridge.

“One thing i know is whether this gets built or not, Tim James won’t live in this place, but I will,” he said. “We can all listen to each other’s opinions. From day one, I have been to multiple meetings and heard questions asked, but my opinion has not changed since day one. There’s nothing I’ve heard to make me vote differently.”

The next Shelby Commission meeting will be held Feb. 10 at 8:30 a.m. at the Shelby County Administration building.