Fight over road paving gets ugly

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

TAYLOR

A man who paid to pave Shiloh Road out of his own pocket is threatening to gate off the road after the County Commission refused Monday to reimburse him part of the expense.

“Well, in that case, I might just put up a gate out there, but I suppose you’re going to tell me I can’t do that too,” said an irritated Jim Fuller after being informed he would not be given any county money to offset his out-of-pocket costs.

Fuller went ahead with paving the short stretch of Shiloh Road recently which leads to the cemetery on the unpopulated rural dead-end road. Fuller reportedly paid $5,400 of his own money to contract a Cookeville firm to do the job after he said the county left the road in disrepair for almost 20 years.

The road was recently re-adopted by the county, after it had been considered a private lane for several years. It had formerly been tarred and chipped and then later graveled on top by the county a few years ago.

Fuller said he had complained to Commissioner M.A. Bouldin several times but the road was never repaired. Bouldin’s fellow commissioner, Hubert Wright, said he never heard from Fuller about the issue.

Fuller’s request for a partial reimbursement was turned down by Road Superintendent Harold Glenn, who told him state auditors said it would not be lawful for the county to reimburse him for contract work. Glenn said Fuller should have consulted him first and then perhaps, the county could have made some arrangements to fix the road.

“I’ve got to answer to the auditors,” Glenn said, invoking Fuller’s anger.

“Well, pretty soon, you’re going to answer to the voters too,” Fuller snapped, not remembering Glenn faces no opposition in his upcoming bid for a third term.

Fuller then reiterated he may put up a gate on the road which leads to the cemetery since he was the one who paid to maintain it. Glenn quickly pointed out state law forbids gating a public road and any action on Fuller’s part would constitute a misdemeanor violation of the law. Commissioner Danice Taylor, who also serves as sheriff’s chief deputy and was present at the committee meeting Monday, said Fuller would likely be prosecuted if he went ahead with his threat.

Regardless of whether Fuller goes through with his gate threat, the agitated constituent said he has hired a lawyer, meaning he may be eyeing a lawsuit to recoup some of the money he paid in paving the road.