A group of citizens gathered at the First Baptist Church in Lyons on Tuesday, May 5, to get guidance from an Eminent Domain Attorney on how to handle an emerging situation caused by the construction of a new highvoltage power line.
In recent weeks, residents on the eastern side of Toombs County received notification that Georgia Power was intending to gain access to the citizens’ land through eminent domain law to construct a high-voltage power transmission line, which will run from Plant Hatch through Toombs, Emanuel, and Jefferson Counties to the Wadley substation. The project stretches between 45 and 65 miles, and uses extremely high voltage lines, sending around 500 kV of power through these lines.
The group of citizens, led by Sara Brown and Melinda Morris, previously met to try to piece together the exact path of the line, as though many landowners have been contacted by Georgia Power, they have not received a complete map of the project. They met again on Tuesday, May 5, to hear from an expert in eminent domain law to gain guidance on how to handle the situation.
Eminent Domain Attorney Jordan Walker – from the Sever, Walker, and Padgett firm – spoke at the meeting, as he explained he had become an expert in the subject. Walker has practiced law for 15 years and has only represented landowners in eminent domain cases. He is licensed to practice in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, and Missouri, and has a home office near Alpharetta, Georgia. He has done numerous cases dealing with pipeline and power line work.
“We’ve accrued quite a bit of knowledge and experience about how these projects work and how these companies operate,” he began.
