Residents in the Austin Bottom Community can expect to see law enforcement patrols a little more often this summer.
The Putnam County Access is among the lakesite areas covered in a new three year agreement between the county and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers for extra patrols.
Sheriff Patrick Ray presented the proposed new contract to members of the county commission during an all committees meeting Thursday night. The commissioners formally approved the deal during the regular monthly meeting Monday night.
Under the new contract, the Sheriff’s Department will provide lakesite patrols at Johnson’s Chapel, Ragland Bottom, Floating Mill, Center Hill Dam Area, Hurricane Bridge, and the Putnam County Access (Austin Bottom Community) on Center Hill Lake. The contract runs from May 6 through September 5, 2016.
The total amount of the agreement under which the Corps pays the county is $23,571, which is more than last year. The deal calls for 97 patrol periods with six area patrols per period along with an orientation meeting. The county has also accepted the Corps’ officer to make this a three year contract with the county to receive $24,057 in 2017 and $23,814 in 2018.
Sheriff Ray plans to hire a part time officer funded by the Corps under this contract to patrol all the sites and he wants the part time officer to have POST certification. “We would like to hire a part time officer to take care of the lakesites for us because of the extra place at Austin Bottom. We only have two deputies on during the weekends on our day shifts so there is no way we would want to leave the whole county with just one officer here. He (part time officer) would be paid from the money out of the (Corps) contract,” said Sheriff Ray during Monday night’s County Commission Meeting.
According to Sheriff Ray, when the officer patrols the Putnam County Access, he will also check out the Denny Bottom Recreation area to further heighten a law enforcement presence in the community.
In August many residents in the Austin Bottom community of DeKalb County met with several local officials and the Corps of Engineers at the fire station there to vent their frustrations about public nuisance issues at a boat ramp in the area.
Corps Resource Manager Kevin Salvilla took questions and comments from the group. County Mayor Tim Stribling, Sheriff Patrick Ray, County Fire Chief Donny Green, and Fourth District County Commissioners Wayne Cantrell and Jonathon Norris were also there.
While most of the residents at the meeting said they didn’t want the Putco Boat Ramp (Austin Bottom Lake Boat Access Area) closed, they did want to see more law enforcement to keep undesirables out.
“We had a meeting over there and at that time Kevin (Salvilla) said if he could find some money to put in for that specific area he would and he did come through and put some money in the contract which makes it better for us,” said County Mayor Stribling during Monday night’s County Commission Meeting,
“I’d like to go on record and say I appreciate all those who went over there and met with the people in that district to work this out and for the Corps for meeting us and allowing us to do this. I think they (residents) often feel unrepresented over there and we often feel a lack of resources to address it but at least the Corps has helped,” said Commissioner Jack Barton.