The leaders of twelve North Georgia county commissions today put pressure on Gov. Brian Kemp to close Georgia’s state parks.
The letter was signed by the chairmen of the commissions in Banks, Dade, Fannin, Franklin, Gilmer, Habersham, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White.
The coalition was organized through the efforts of Habersham County Commissioners Tim Stamey and Stacy Hall. It follows weeks of mounting criticism aimed at the governor for his decision to keep state parks open in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and in direct opposition to Kemp’s own statewide shelter in place order (see letter below).
“While we are blessed to live in such a beautiful and abundant area of Georgia that hosts so many wonderful state parks, our constituents are highly concerned about the increased traffic to our area during the Statewide Shelter in Place Order,” the letter states. It addresses concerns about the influx of out of state traffic and from “COVID-19 hot spots such as Atlanta.”
Commissioners point out in the letter that the United States Forest Service shut down its ‘sited’ campgrounds to discourage tourism “but the continued operation of the state parks is stressing our community’s resources in a substantial manner.”
“Our communities simply do not have enough hospital beds or medical personnel to care for the inflated population. Similarly, there is not enough food, dry goods, fuel, and other supplies to adequately provide for the numbers we are experiencing.”
They want the governor to shut down state parks “immediately.”
“While during normal times we welcome folks to enjoy the beauty of North Georgia, we want to encourage folks during this pandemic to postpone travel to a safer time and to shelter in place,” says Chairman Hall.
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More to come
Tim Stamey was the first Habersham County commissioner to raise concerns about the influx of tourism in the region. White County, Fannin, and Rabun County commissioners were early adopters of strict restrictions aimed at curbing tourism in their communities.
Stamey has been working the phones and recruiting support for the effort from fellow commissioners since Friday. He says he’s mentally exhausted “but happy that it’s done.” In addition to the letter commissioners sent today, he says the governor can expect another one from the Georgia Mountain Regional Commission (GMRC).
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“The GMRC will now be coming out with another letter late tomorrow or Wednesday which will also include up to 39 municipalities,” Stamey tells Now Habersham.
The governor’s office has not publicly responded to the commissioners’ request.
North Georgia commissioners’ letter to Gov. Kemp
This article has been updated to include comments from Habersham County Commissioner Tim Stamey.
