Group Effort: Magistrate Scotty Harrison discusses the shared goal of a safe, accessible Whitley Co. District 1

A look at the new guardrails on Croley Bend Rd. in Williamsburg

Now in his third term as magistrate of Whitley County’s District 1, Scotty Harrison has seen several transformative projects come to fruition in many of our local communities. His personal involvement in getting these projects to the finish line has obviously depended largely on where the work happens to be taking place, but regardless of that, he understands the overall importance of teamwork in making sure that plans can become reality.

“We serve as the liaison between our communities and the fiscal court,” Harrison said when asked to describe the main duties of a magistrate. “We’re the point of contact, and we’re always watching out for things like road conditions, where mowing may need to be done, and which areas may be especially impacted by severe weather conditions, like flooding or snow. Those are the types of things that end up taking up most of your time.”

Harrison’s district includes the communities of Rockhold, Meadow Creek, Wofford, about half of Williamsburg proper, and a stretch of Hwy 92E that includes the Maple Creek and Deep Branch areas. He says that he and his wife, Leah, will usually go out a couple of times a week to drive around these communities and take note of how things are looking.

“We enjoy doing that,” Harrison said of these little road trips. “It gives us an opportunity to just get out for a little while, just the two of us, and I know she likes being able to see parts of the county that maybe she wouldn’t normally see.”

While out-and-about in Whitley 1st District, drivers may notice some new guardrails that have gone up recently on Croley Bend Road. Harrison points to this as the most recent example of how he has worked with other county officials to make sure that the district’s roadways are safer for everyone to travel on.

“That was quite an expensive project,” Harrison said of the new guardrails. “But we felt a need to get that done sooner rather than later, because it was definitely a hazard area if someone were to run off the road in those particular spots.”

The stretches of Croley Bend Road that received the guardrails are located near steep drop-offs. Previously with no railing in place, it was indeed a very dangerous situation. Harrison said that, after working with City of Williamsburg officials and Whitley County Judge Executive Pat White, Jr., the necessary funding was allocated to install the safety railing, and give drivers some added peace of mind when traveling that particular roadway.

“Anytime that you can get money to spend on a road in one of your communities, it is a huge accomplishment,” Harrison said. “The expenses for these types of projects are just so much more than they used to be. The cost of materials has been increasing, so it is rewarding when you are actually able to get a job done, even though it is rare to be able to make things happen at the exact time that you would like.”

Harrison also recalled a re-paving project on Gail Hart Road in the Meadow Creek community, calling it one of his proudest moments as a magistrate.

“It was during my first term,” Harrison explained. “We were able to get the whole thing paved, and when it was done I remember my wife and I driving out there to take pictures. These road conditions can be tough on people, so when you can get something done like that, and know that it is helping those who are driving there every day, that’s what makes you feel the best.”

While county magistrates can play an integral role in making sure that improvement projects like the ones mentioned above get done, Harrison said there can sometimes be a misconception about other duties related to the position. “Sometimes I think people misunderstand how much of a role we play in final decision making,” he said. “We really have nothing to do with things like pay raises for county employees, or who gets hired and fired. We simply vote on the budget, and allocations within that budget, but what ultimately happens in a particular department is total up to the department head and the judge executive.”

Harrison said the keys to being a successful magistrate are really just caring about your communities, and taking the time to stay plugged in to what’s going on in those communities. He said that there are always improvements that can be made, especially when it comes to roads in the county, but there are also certain bigger picture projects that benefit citizens across all districts.

For example, Harrison and his fellow magistrates were recently able to work together to find the funding necessary to provide the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department with some new cruisers, and other needed equipment. They also were able to find funding to help pay for new ambulances that emergency medical technicians will use to save lives in all corners of the county.

Harrison also pointed to the county’s sanitation department, which has been offering garbage pickup for homes in all four districts for the last couple of years.

He said that he is proud of the fact that he and his fellow county officials could work together to make this possible, especially considering the number of folks in the area who were not receiving reliable trash pickup service, or were not receiving any pickup service at all.

In the end, Harrison stressed the importance of teamwork, saying, “What I have found in my time as a county magistrate is that there is a lot of reliance on volunteer work. There is an added level of importance when it comes to our community volunteer fire departments, but the volunteer work does come in all shapes and forms. Much of the time those efforts are unsung, but these individuals play a very important role in us being able to get things done.”