Hart BOC to Take Up TORCH Request Tonight

Hart County’s Board of Commissioners will once again take up the issue of whether to donate money to the non-profit group TORCH to help renovate the old train platform on Railroad St.

Last month, TORCH president Mary Gidley came before the board and asked for $25,000 to go towards the renovation project in order to give the Hart County Farmer’s Market a permanent home.

TORCH is the non-profit group formed to oversee the fundraising and renovation of Railroad St.

But Commissioners balked at the thought of making another unexpected donation to another project until the county attorney could look into the legalities of the county giving funds to a private project.

Commissioner Joey Dorsey said renovation of Railroad St. is a private project and the County should not spend taxpayer money on it.

“The taxpayer can only take so much,” he said. “We struggle and we struggle every year to get a balanced budget,” Dorsey said. “I just don’t see the County spending taxpayer money on property that’s owned by private citizens.”

Realizing that three of the five Commissioners now on the Board were not there when the Railroad St. renovation project was first introduced four years ago, Gidley said TORCH members set up a time line presentation of the Railroad St project last week at the Hart County Chamber offices for the Commissioners and the public to view.

“We set up story boards outlining the Railroad St. project in the Hart County Chamber offices for Commissioners, the Hartwell City Council and anyone else who is interested to come and learn more about it,” Gidley said last week. “So far, we’ve only had one person come to look at it.”

Gidley said the City of Hartwell had already approved and allocated $25,000 towards the project.

Commissioners plan to discuss the idea further at their regular meeting this evening.

The Hart County Board of Commissioners meeting begins at 5:30p at the County Commission office in Hartwell.