Jake Brake Noise Around GRP Plant Keeping Nearby Residents Up at Night

Franklin County Commissioners are looking at other avenues to solve a trucking noise problem around the Georgia Renewable Power plant.

At their work session last week, Commissioner Elizabeth Busby said she has received complaints living around the plant about noise from jake brakes truckers use to slow their vehicles down.

People complaining say the noise from the jake brakes goes on at all hours of the day and night and have requested an ordinance to stop truckers from using those kinds of brakes.

Busby, who requested the matter be put on the agenda, said they may have come up with another solution.

“There is an issue at Highways 59 and 198 with trucks from GRP using jake brakes keeping residents in the area awake throughout the night,” she explained. “In conversations with Board members, I think we may have come up with a possible solution to hopefully try to solve the issue without actually putting in an ordinance. I think we’re going to attempt to take that route first. This is not off the table but for now, we’re going to try a different approach to hopefully mitigate putting in a place an ordinance.”

“And just for clarification, I’ve had an opportunity to speak with staff. And we collectively will be writing a letter to GRP since the one common factor of all the trucks that are creating the issues is that they are basically customers of GRP. So, we will ask them to help rectify this issue and let them know of the nuisance that is creating for residents in that specific area and ask for their help. Again, this will be more of a progressive-type approach prior to adopting and implementing any type of specific ordinance,” added Commission Chair Jeff Jaques.

At their Monday night meeting, Jacques authorized County Manager Derrick Thomas to write a letter to officials with GRP asking for their help to solve the problem.

The Board did not have a timeline as to how long they planned to work with GRP before considering other options.