Residents urge action on dust from road work and request school entry sidewalk for special‑needs students

Public comment at the April 1 Bay County commission meeting included three localized complaints and requests that county staff said they would follow up on.

Matthew Mitchell told the commission that crushed concrete placed during recent paving work near his home has produced severe dust that has rendered his yard unusable and repeatedly coated vehicles. "My backyard is unusable. My front yard is unusable... I have a dust cloud behind me," Mitchell said. He said a water truck did not arrive for several weeks to mitigate dust and raised safety concerns about exposed rebar in the roadway.

County leaders responded from the dais that they would not address operational matters during the public hearing but invited Mitchell to meet with staff after the meeting for follow‑up and investigation.

Another speaker, Christopher Goodwin, called attention to a bridge on Scott Road that he said has been out of service since Hurricane Michael; he said the out‑of‑service bridge forces vehicles onto county Line Road and damages trailers. Goodwin also spoke on behalf of his daughter who attends Cedar Grove Elementary and is served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. He said the child must use the school's main entrance this year because the county determined there is no sidewalk on Craft Avenue and asked the county to consider a project or alternate accommodations so students with sensory sensitivities can avoid a high‑stimulus main entrance.

County staff asked the speakers to meet with county staff after the meeting to exchange contact information and follow up on potential responses and next steps.