Haralson County commissioners appointed three new members to the county Development Authority and announced plans to demolish an eyesore property, among other business, during their Nov. 6 regular meeting.

Five positions on the Development Authority had expired and only two members – Donny Boswell and Richard Davis – wished to be re-appointed. The commissioners were poised to fill the three open slots last month, but Chairman Allen Poole requested the vote be delayed so that several applicants for the posts could be adequately considered.

In addition to Boswell and Davis, those seeking appointments to the posts included Jerry Luckey, Karen Higgins, Bill Travis, Pete Bridges and Benny Norton. The commissioners voted on each nominee and then agreed to accept those who had received three or more votes.

In the end, the commissioners chose Luckey, Higgins and Bridges to join Boswell and Davis on the Authority. Luckey and Higgins each received the unanimous support of the commissioners, while Bridges’ name was approved by commissioners Sammy Robinson, Jamie Bennett and Chairman Poole. Travis was supported by commissioners Vance Posey and Eric Robinson, while Norton received his single vote from Posey.

The commissioners also unanimously approved a motion to amend the SPLOST budget for 2012-13 for the benefit of the Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Eddie Mixon had wanted to put equipment on his current vehicles to adapt them to propane, but the budget for his department had only allowed him to use the money to purchase new vehicles. The amended budget will allow him to put propane converters on the cars the department already has.

During the public participation portion of the meeting, Poole announced that the county plans to demolish a vacant motel in the Corinth community that has become a haven for transients and alleged illicit activities.

Poole said the owners of the Summerville Motel had signed a quit claim deed over to the county, allowing the county to demolish the structure. Poole said that the contract for the razing and subsequent cleanup would be submitted for bids.

The property had been in the commission’s sights for some time, following numerous complaints from community residents. At the Sept. 4 meeting, commissioners heard how “bad things” were happening at the site and had agreed to file a nuisance suit against the owners if they did not move to resolve the problem.

During that same Sept. 4 meeting, the commissioners had discussed the ongoing construction of the new recreational facility being built near the Senior Center and how the search for a contractor to do the specialized work of preparing the athletic fields had caused a delay in the work.

At the Nov. 6 meeting, Poole announced that the project was now “progressing nicely,” and that curbs and gutters were ready to be finished. He also said that the fields had been seeded over to protect them from erosion and winter storm damage.

In other business, County Clerk Alison Palmer reported that several citizens had asked whether the time of commission meetings would be changed due to Daylight Savings Time. Palmer said that because it now became dark during the current meeting time of 6 p.m., several citizens with issues about driving after dark had requested the time be moved up to morning hours. After discussing the matter, the consensus of the board was not to change the 6 p.m. meeting time.

Also, the commissioners unanimously approved the appointment of Allen-Smith Consulting of Covington, Ga., to serve as the administrator of the 2012 Community Development Block Grant, pending the authorization of the state Department of Community Affairs.