Thomasville City Council member Jay Flowers, center, speaks at Wednesday’s council meeting. Also pictured are Kha McDonald, interim city manager, left, and Thomasville City Council member Terry Scott, right.

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Hundreds of residents attended back-to-back Wednesday Thomasville City Council meetings to voice heated, no-holes-barred opposition to three-laning a South Pinetree Boulevard two-lane stretch.

After hearing comments from residents, council members agreed to put the matter on hold until a meeting in late June. A meeting date has not been determined.

“We will discuss it in a lively manner,” Council member Jay Flowers told an audience of about 350 at the Thomasville Center for the Arts auditorium.

Prior to the meeting, council members conducted a workshop with the audience in attendance. After the regular council meeting, Flowers said that between the workshop and meeting, the council was advised not to vote on a resolution to rescind the May 14 3-2 Pinetree vote.

The Pinetree project was not on the May 14 meeting agenda. There was no vote to add it to the agenda and no announcement it would be added.

Concerned residents retained Albany law firm Watson Spence that wrote a five-page letter to the council last week demanding the vote be rescinded. If not, the letter says, clients have a right to file a lawsuit.

At the workshop, Flowers proposed a meeting agenda add-on item to rescind the May 14 vote, take a neutral position and listen to people.

Mayor Greg Hobbs, reminding Flowers of potentially pending litigation, said the matter should not be discussed in open meeting.

“A motion to rescind that vote could be entertained,” said Tim Sanders, city attorney.

Hobbs said he was advised by the Georgia attorney general’s office that pending litigation should be discussed in closed session.

Flowers reiterated that he wanted to rescind the vote and receive public input.

At 4:48 p.m., Hobbs called a recess of the 4 p.m. workshop until the 5 p.m. regular meeting.

When asked Thursday about the decision to postpone a Pinetree discussion until June, Sanders told the Times-Enterprise it is his understanding the mayor and Flowers had a conversation between the workshop and the council meeting. Hobbs, understanding that Flowers would be out of town for the next council meeting, assured Flowers no Pinetree action would be undertaken in the meantime.

“I understand that Council member Flowers intends to address the Pinetree project at the next meeting at which he will be in attendance,” Sanders said.

William Sheftall, a longtime South Pinetree resident, told the council about neighborhood activity involving children and animals. Planned road infrastructure will expedite dangers along the stretch, possibly leading to multi-family zoning and “a mini-Capital Circle.”

“Please don’t take us down that three-lane road,” Sheftall told the council.

His remarks resulted in loud, long applause from the audience.

“We’re going to have some housekeeping,” Hobbs said. “We will not have applause, clapping and shouting.”

Jan Watt Adams, a Fairways Drive resident, said it appears the council “is led by a gang of three that does not represent the good of the city.”

Saying she was appalled at May 14 council action, Adams said potholes are a problem on Pinetree, not traffic.

Joe Brown, who lives on Gordon Avenue, asked if the council has been briefed on a traffic study. Hobbs said the council would not comment on a traffic study because of pending litigation.

Lucinda Brown said she has not talked to anyone who wants the road three-laned.

Nancy McCollum told the council she lived on Pinetree for 15 years and continues to regularly travel the road. Pinetree, she said, is a unique road that dates back to the 1800s.

Ken O’Neal recalled candidates running for council seats last year mailing campaign material calling for transparency and listening to constituents.

“Everything you did at the last meeting went against that,” O’Neal told the council.

Candidates spoke out against the city spending $2 million to purchase the Roses property, “and you give it away for free,” O’Neal said. The city conducted a “listening session” on Pinetree work, “and you spit it in their face,” he added.

Said Joseph W. Dent, an attorney in the firm Watson Spence, “My clients are requesting illegal action be rescinded.”

An open records request shows the Thomas County Commission Pinetree improvement plan the council approved by the council is not even in the city’s possession, Dent told the council.

He said his clients want the illegal action to be done validly, allowing for public comment and proper notice, he added.

Stephanie Tillman, a Heisman Way resident, expressed concern about possible litigation.

“That can be avoided,” said Tillman, an attorney.

She pointed out expenses that would be incurred to defend council action, adding that there is “resounding resistance” to the proposed Pinetree project.

“Please, please listen to the citizens,” she told the council. “Please listen to me.”

Tillman said a lawsuit would impact city employees as defendants.

“This is a costly process that truly can be avoided,” she said to applause.