Peeling back the layers of Ibis Road

The problem stems from the persistence on the part of the developer, Heaton Brothers, to build a road which would allow future Maikaira Ridge residents to connect to Avalon Boulevard through Ibis Road, which is currently a cul-de-sac.

That road has been the topic of controversy since the beginning of the development (1996), and through the years several agreements have been made by the developer and the residents that access to Avalon through Ibis Road would not happen. It has been repeated over and over in meetings and motions every time the developer has had to come before the county for a zoning change.

In the latest series of events, Santa Rosa County approved the most recently submitted plans, which included the aforementioned road. Residents showed up in numbers to fight against the road, which was under construction, remind the commissioners of the previous agreements and express their feelings of betrayal on the part of the commissioners.

The outfall of it has been jaw-dropping. At some point during this mess, an unknown person or persons intentionally damaged the developer’s heavy equipment, drilling holes in the bottoms of their machines. The damage estimates spoken publicly have been as low as $200,000 and as high as $900,000.

The damage to the equipment came at the worst time for the residents of Ibis Road. Could it be a rogue resident of Ibis Road? Could it be a random act of vandalism? Either could be true. In this country, we don’t prosecute and persecute people on what “could” be true. We only do it on what we know to be true.

Yet, Colten Wright gave a very stern chastising to all the residents of Ibis Road, as if it were a mob who went and damaged the builder’s equipment saying, “I think if you have a deputy out there, they are probably going to think it has something to do with what is going on right now. Residents of Ibis Road, if it was none of y’all who did it, if it is truly no one you know I would ban together and try to find out in every way who did it to prove someone in your group is completely innocent.”

We think it was irresponsible of Wright to convict the Ibis Road residents before he knows the answers, and to make an assumption based on the timing of it. Again, it could have been anyone. We believe he owes the people of Ibis an apology.

Chairman Kerry Smith reacted appropriately saying he didn’t want to accuse the residents of Ibis Road without knowing the facts.

But the chairman has had his own set of problems from the dais, including his self-admitted quick temper. To have a successful term, he will really need to keep it in check, have Teflon shoulders and be cautious about how he interacts with county residents.

At the podium, while the residents addressing the commissioners should speak respectfully – the commissioners MUST speak respectfully. There is no room on this. And to be clear, everyone is welcome to the podium at public forum, as awkward as it is. A person has three minutes to speed talk through their issue and if they ask a question, the commissioners just stare at the speaker because there is no back and forth conversation allowed. After the very last speaker, the commissioners can provide answers to any questions asked if they choose to, but they don’t have to. We believe this set up leads to an additional layer of frustration on the part of the people.

We would like to see an atmosphere at the commissioners meetings where the public can speak without feeling like they are talking to a chalk board. Also, if these same people are speaking at every single meeting – Bravo to them! We need more of those people who speak on behalf of the communities of our county. We are blessed to have people who care. And some of them are holding up a mirror to the commissioners and holding them to their campaign promises. We hope they set an example for others to speak and become involved. That kind of interaction leads to a healthy county.

Last but not least, we need the commissioners to check their attitudes, egos and temper at the door. We should never see the type of communication with residents we have witnessed this year. Commissioners are our leaders and should be leaders we are proud to stand behind, and not in fear of challenging. We expect more, we deserve more.