Sumter County works on making private roads more accessible

An article in the March 29-April 1 weekend edition about Sumter County Council updates on private roads should have said the Sumter County Public Works Committee was working on ways to repair the roads rather than pave them, as there are no plans to pave private roads. The article should have read:

The Sumter County Public Works Committee, made up of Councilman Artie Baker, Jimmy Byrd and Carlton Washington, have been working together on ways to make residents' homes accessible. This effort followed comments from residents about how emergency vehicles, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office and mail services were unable to make it into their driveways because of the disrepair to the entrances/exits into their residences. According to Washington, the county has a legal responsibility to ensure its residents have ingress and egress access to their residence. However, because the roads are privately owned, everyone on the road will have to agree to the ingress and egress repairs in order for them to take place.

For the past couple of meetings, the council has focused on the issue, going from having 30-minute meetings to hour-long meetings. Washington said considerable progress has been made, with all members being in unanimous agreement about the operation so far. Next time they meet, Washington said, they will begin "tackling another phase."