A resident of Ennis Road addressed the commission Tuesday regarding flooding affecting his home and his neighbors. Sam Novosel told the commission that flooding occurring on Ennis Road is due to the actions of a local developer, Hamlin Homes. Ennis Road is between Pepper Road and McCulley Mill Road located in Commissioner Danny Barksdale’s District 2.

“Hamlin Homes bought the 6-1/2 acres, cut the woods off it, dug out the stumps, and then realized it’s a foot below the water table. Then, this spring, fills it in with dirt after we told him that’s the only drainage in the whole area,” Novosel said.

He continued, “Now it’s flooded. Despite my neighbors’ yards being flooded, access to my private property has been cut off. My neighbor across the street, he can’t sell his home when the water is up to the door.”

Novosel asked the commissioners how they could help the residents affected by the flooding. He told them that eight properties have been “destroyed” by the redirection of the water. He also pointed out that services, such as mail, fire, and ambulance, have been cut off due to the water.

“I am not against a man making a buck off a piece of property, but the way he has gone about it, it may not be unlawful but it’s highly unethical,” Novosel said.

The News Courier reached out to Hamlin Homes Tuesday morning but by press time Wednesday had still not received a response.

District 1 Commissioner Daryl Sammet asked the county attorney Drew Dill about what the commission could do. The issues described by Novosel would be a civil matter between property owners with Dill saying, “the roads being the exception.” With the road being owned and maintained by the county, they can intervene when the flooding affects the roadway.

Barksdale said, “I saw them fill the ditch up. I went out and asked the guy, ‘Don’t fill the ditch up.’ he told me that he did not care about the roads, did not care about the neighbors. It was his property. He could do what he wanted to do. He intentionally flooded the roads in my view.”

County Engineer Marc Massey reached out to Hamlin Homes about the flooding of the road and has been in communications with them regarding the problem.

“The property owner has done some surveying and retained an engineer to give him a plan of action. He is working through that process. I told him that I would meet with his engineer to make sure that we can come up with something that is satisfactory of the County Commission’s desires for mitigation. There is movement on it,” Massey said.