City regulations killing progress
To the editor:
I’m a longtime resident of Waycross. I moved here in 1974 and married a beautiful Waresboro girl in 1978.
We live out in the county, and I’m retired but continue to work parttime as the Property Manager for the Phoenix Center in historic Downtown Waycross.
I’ve tried for 2 years now to bring new businesses to downtown and the City of Waycross could not be more unwelcoming. They send out the building inspector if the store or executive office needs as much as a door hung. Insisting on a building permit and plans.
Never mind there’s no electric or plumbing necessary. And they will delay any approval for opening that new business until they can get around to inspecting the work. One business moves from across the street and the city requires a $50 transfer document/approval.
Everyone says it — contractors, electricians, plumbers, HVAC companies — the building inspector treats any renovations of any kind in the city as his own fiefdom and (Community Improvement Director) Marc (Hawkins) will not waste any time threatening to close you down. I want to see downtown come back.
I encourage businesses to take a chance on downtown and they’ll be glad they did. I’ve watched businesses try to do just that and The Ware Frame Shop failed, The Computer Repair Co. from Jacksonville gave it a year and said they were out.
An on-line company, folks from New Jersey have been totally disappointed with the lack of southern hospitality they were expecting. (Their words not mine.)
This is why we sit and watch Douglas growing despite their lack of easy access. They’re accommodating, welcoming and cooperative. The county and the city work together to encourage new businesses.
Our attitude has got to change from being so “only me and mine” and requiring a fee for every little thing. The county and city work independent of one another. There’s no cooperation.
You ask a county commissioner to help with something in the city and they say we can’t help with that. It’s the same if you ask a city councilman about something in the county. Why? This has to change.
And before you say I don’t know what I’m talking about, please read paragraph one again. Yours truly is tired of sitting back and watching things stay the same. I want to see progress and most of us should agree with that.
R. David Walker, Jr. Waycross
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