Bill Roundtree and Jay Strange presented the program for the Nov. 28 meeting of the Rotary Club and answered questions following their presentation.
Strange said early acquisition of three of the 74 parcels began in January of 2008 and acquisition of the remaining parcels started in 2010. He said so far the GDOT has acquired 63 of the parcels, and the remaining eight are at the point of closing.
He said the let date for the project is Feb. 15, 2013, which means that is when it will be put out for contract bids.
The speaker said an ecological study found more wetlands, but that should not stop the project. He said Board of Commissioners Chairman Preston Hawkins keeps in close contact.
“Mr. Preston is all about Jones County. He calls at least twice a month to check on our progress,” he said.
Roundtree said environmental conditions are constantly changing, and federal funding means a lot of red tape.
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