Residents seek help with road access

A group of landowners who have property in a remote area of the county asked the Marshall County Board of Supervisors to remove a road block on Emmett Meeks Road put up by other landowners.

James Pennington, Ricky Bolden, Loyd Gibson and Aldo Giannini said they are being denied access off Blackwater Road to Emmett Meeks Road by owners who have property near the entry way to the road.

The discussion centered around whether Emmett Meeks is a county road or a private road.

Giannini said he and others are being denied access to their property because the other landowners say Emmett Meeks Road has been abandoned by the county.

District 5 supervisor Ronnie Joe Bennett took a stand on the issue.

“It cannot be abandoned except by this board,” he said. “It goes back to the landowner if the county abandons it.”

The road is still on the county road map.

E-911 executive director Stacy Reed provided an answer.

“It is on the county road register,” she said. “There’s a lot of land back there.” The only other route in to those properties, which are mainly being used to lease to hunters, is to come in from Tate County down Rock Hill Road, she said.

She said when a county road is not being maintained sometimes landowners take it upon themselves to put up gates across a county road.

In this case, landowners have put up a sign.

Gibson explained his situation.

“I leased 440 acres joining Tate County,” he said. “A sign was put up saying ‘no more easements per county.’”

He was told by supervisors that a road abandoned by the county goes back to the property owners, “You can’t give it to just people at the front,” Gibson said. “We all pay taxes.” Bennett said the road was not being maintained by the county because there was no one living on Emmett Meeks Road that is about 1.5 miles to the back end of the road.

“The only way to close a road is by this board,” said District 3 supervisor Keith Taylor.

County attorney Amanda Smith agreed.

“If it is on the county register, you can’t close it,” she said.

Bolden said he bought land in 1994 to start a pine tree farm for his retirement. He lived in Olive Branch.

“This is not the first issue with these people,” he said. “Three years ago they were trying to block loggers.”

Gibson said it is always a concern if he wants to buy land and lease it.

Bolden said Emmett Meeks Road was graded from Blackwater Road up to a house about 100 yards back.

“We’ve got hunters who pay to hunt,” Gibson said. “I would like to let them know before the weekend.” Bennett explained further that if a landowner has not given the county an easement to their property, but the county cuts and maintains the road and ditches, the owner’s property goes to the center line of the road, unless the road is kept up by State Aid.

Taylor made a motion to send someone out to remove the illegal sign put up by property owners. It passed by unanimous vote of the board.