April 5, 2015

NEW BUSINESS–Mecchella Project on Magnolia
Just as it is generally understood in the law enforcement community that the majority of crime is committed by a small percentage of recidivists and repeat offenders, violators of the natural environment are habitual. So, we shouldn’t be surprised that the butcher of live oaks can’t be bothered to keep the soil he disturbs on his own property.

James Holland is on the case and has filed a complaint with the Glynn County Engineer.

The site belongs to a Mr. Edward Mecchella, a resident of St. Simons Island. The tax parcel number for this site is Parcel number 04-14678.

As my attached photos show, this developer does not have any visible Best Management Practices (BMP’S) on site to keep dirt on site during storm events. This is coming as a request for you to assign a field person to investigate this and if it is found in the condition(s) my photos show, it is also requested that this site be brought into compliance with Glynn County’s Erosion Control Ordinances. Thank you very much.
James Holland, S.L.E.A.T.Member

A complaint is warranted whenever a person (natural or artificial) is not compliant. Indeed, absent a complaint, our agents of government are not authorized to act.

OLD BUSINESS–The Reserve at Demere

To: alice.vick@dnr.state.ga.us
Subject: The Reserve at Demere
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2014 20:45:51 -0500

Good Evening Alice,
I understand that your investigation of this site is not completed as of yet, however, when you told me this afternoon that Glynn County said it was okay for this developer to use the street for storm water retention I just about choked. The County also said the developer was not flooding the street where people lived and the street is not open to the public yet….

This site has been scrutinized for its lack of storm water management from the start when it went in front of the County Commissioners. I have asked repeatedly for someone to show me how this site was authorized to manage and control storm water and no one has told me until this afternoon when you relayed to me what the county told you….

I hope you see and understand why I asked the EPD to take charge of this site and bring it into compliance with all local and state laws. Yes, I am one very unhappy camper tonight and this type of stuff must cease and desist. Thank You. James Holland

THEN

AND NOW

One of the unintended consequences of the requirement (per FOIA et alia) that public officials provide information to the public when it is requested, is that office holders have been well schooled in making no responses in writing. So, it is not surprising that the November complaint to the Glynn County Commission received no response and we must content ourselves with what is essentially a contemporaneous memorandum of conversations submitted by James Holland for the record.

From: jamesrholland@hotmail.com
To: dprovenzano@glynncounty-ga.gov; mbrowning@glynncounty-ga.gov; mhunt@glynncounty-ga.gov; bcoleman@glynncounty-ga.gov; bdykes@gaswcc.org
CC: alex.atwood@house.ga.gov; william@senatorligon.com
Subject: FW: The Reserve at Demere
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2014 21:36:47 -0500

Good Evening Mrs. Hunt and Gentlemen,
Please read this e-mail because this is a sad day for environmental law enforcement in Glynn County. I do not think you can say you did not see something like this coming because on each complaint (two) to Glynn County and a third complaint to EPD requesting from me that the state take away the environmental enforcement of this site because of the repeated same violations over and over and the county had no control over this site….
Please stop and investigate this because this is serious business and take whatever steps that are necessary to cause our officials to enforce their own local and state laws. Thank You very much. James Holland, A truly concerned citizen.

I’m reminded that in the late seventies, when people still relied on the U.S.P.S. to deliver letters, the Mayor of Atlanta had unpleasant communications stapled shut, after they’d been opened, and returned to sender as “undeliverable.” Old habits………….tradition…….Georgia……