Fulfilling a promise they made several weeks ago, Hall County Commissioners Ashley Bell, Craig Lutz and Scott Gibbs voted Thursday to move the North Hall library back to Clermont and halt construction on the Cool Springs park.

Both decisions were passed with 3-2 votes, with Chairman Tom Oliver and Commissioner Billy Powell in opposition.

Gibbs moved that construction managers and newly appointed Interim County Administrator Jock Connell meet to discuss how to remove the library as part of the North Hall community center on Nopone Road and report back to the commissioners by their Jan. 13 meeting.

"I have a problem with the liabilities. We'll be in breach of contract," Oliver said. "Will that come out of (special purpose local option sales tax) or the general fund? We can have the response later on, but I want to ask that."

Oliver also wondered when and how the construction would stop.

"I went there today, and there's no concrete down," Gibbs said. "We're at a point to where we can slow the progress for a week. In the middle of the winter, very little work gets done in January or February."

Because design and construction on the community center has begun, Gibbs suggested leaving a shell where the library was to go and talking with community leaders later about what would best fill the space.

"After not knowing about the new county attorney or county manager, I'm curious about what else might be a surprise," Oliver said.

Later in the meeting, Gibbs also asked to move the library to Clermont and fund it at a later time.

"To be clear on this, we've agreed already in the previous motion that we're going to have a shell there at Nopone Road," Bell said. "This particular vote is to declare our intention to put a library in Clermont."

Once again, the motion passed 3-2, with Bell, Lutz and Gibbs in favor and Oliver and Powell in opposition.

Lutz then moved that construction managers and Connell also meet to discuss how to stop the construction at Cool Springs park and report back to the commissioners.

Julius Hulsey of Hulsey, Oliver & Mahar spoke on behalf of Marina Bay residents who gave up storage area for the county to build the park. In exchange, the residents were promised a new storage area.

"However, the county road to the new storage area is not complete, and tremendous erosion is going on out there," Hulsey said. "We request that the county complete the road so these people have access to store their property. There's some urgency about this, as the people were advised to move their property by Jan. 15."

The commissioners bickered and proposed several motions, finally deciding to halt Cool Springs park construction after the land is stabilized for Marina Bay residents.

After another 3-2 vote with Bell, Lutz and Gibbs in favor and Oliver and Powell against, Bell joked with Oliver, who said he would agree to the motion after they "got it right."

"I just changed my mind," Oliver said with a smile. "Have you heard that story before, Ashley?"