THOMASVILLE — Tired Creek is one step closer to possible reality with the issuance of a Joint Public Notice by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District.

“I am delighted that it has finally gone out for public comment,” said Bobby Burns, commissioner. “It has been a long time coming since 2001, when we ventured into this endeavor. The county has complied with every request that has been made of it and, in some cases, more than once. I’m hopeful that the comments received will be favorable. Tired Creek would be a tremendous economic boost for the county and the surrounding area.”

The idea of Tired Creek began in 1969 when local businessmen and the state decided Grady County was a great area for a state park. The Department of Natural Resources agreed and funding was acquired for the project. Since then, the recreational project has been in various states of development (also no longer a possible state park site but a proposed recreation area) and stagnation. For the past year, the board has been striving to get a permit for a lake and dam. It has spent more than $1 million, to date, on the process.

It had a pre-application meeting in August in Savannah, where the Corps asked the board to improve some items in its permit application before a JPN could be issued including, project purpose (one purpose as opposed to several, fishing instead of fishing/recreation/economic development) and wetland (proper acreage of wetlands on maps) /stream delineation.

The board addressed those concerns and the JPN was dated Sept. 13.

“It feels good, and we’re all very pleased that we’ve gotten this far,” said Rusty Moye, county administrator. “The people who have interest in the Tired Creek project are encouraged to make comments to the Corps of Engineers regarding their interest.”

There is a 30-day window for public comments.

“I’m happy that we are at that stage, even though I realize that there could be a lot of critical comments,” said Al Ball, commission chairman. “But, we are hoping there will be some positive comments.”

A cultural resource survey will also be done before the corps makes a decision.

A ruling is expected in less than six months.

“This is a test and, depending on the outcome of those comments and if there is a public hearing and its outcome, we’ll know whether we are likely to get a permit or not, based on the results and any additional studies we have to do,” said Ball. “The Corps can decide to grant or deny the request and bring closure to the Tired Creek issue.”