Ridge Road Hearing set in Hancock County

A public hearing has been set in regards to the Ridge Road situation that Nicholson resident Boyd “Butch” Merrifield has been requesting action on for the section of Ridge Road from Asa McQueen Road to Texas Flat Road near the Hancock / Pearl River County line.

Merrifield has addressed both the Pearl River County and Hancock County Board of Supervisors in an attempt to have either board take action to have the gates constructed by a private citizen to be removed from Ridge Road to allow the public to travel the road.

In the past few days, a public notice of a hearing was placed on the road. The notice is an announcement of a public hearing to be held in Hancock County by the Board of Supervisors on July 17th at 1:30pm at the Board meeting room located at 854 Highway 90 in Bay St Louis. The hearing notice states the hearing is “to consider modification to the official county road map system to consider adding or deleting Ridge Road (or portions thereof) onto the Hancock County Road Map System, and/or abandoning that road or portions thereof. At the hearing the Board will determine whether said roads should be included on the county road map, and whether they are or are not part of the county road system.”

During Merrifield’s last discussion with the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors at their June 6th meeting, Merrifield alleged that the two gates, one on the Hancock County side, the other on Pearl River County side, were installed without permission from the federal government or any other entity, and have been there for a number of years.