Monday Mail: Off the record, dam road closes

Insisting that the world keep turning our way, it's Monday Mail.

On the road again

Today's opening is from Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again."

If you've been going out of town a lot lately like me, you need to know which area roads are closed, so here's a notice:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, West Point Project, announced that vehicular and pedestrian traffic across the dam road will be closed intermittently beginning in early November and going through mid-March to ensure public safety as work is performed on West Point Dam. The dam road is scheduled to start closure Nov. 4.

Please be advised schedules are subject to change without notice. Alternate routes across the river U.S. Highway 29 Bridge in West Point, Ga., and the Georgia Highway 109 Bridge near LaGrange, Ga.

Dear Corps:

We need a dam road down here in Columbus so we can cross the river when one of the bridges shuts down, and traffic clogs all the others.

If we could drive across the North Highland or Oliver dam, that might ease the strain.

It's hard to escape Columbus when the city closes the roads.

Poetry emotion

Feeling tense as the holiday season nears? Maybe what you need to relieve that stress is a trip to the library to hear a poetry reading. Then you can run by Kmart and get some shopping done:

The Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians Presents the 2015 Marguerite and Lamar Smith Writing Fellow Rebecca Gayle Howell, Wednesday, Columbus Public Library Auditorium, 3000 Macon Road. Reading begins at 6:30 p.m.

An award-winning poet and translator, Howell has been working on her second collection of poetry while living in the Smith-McCullers House this fall . Howell will read from her new works in this collection and will also be available for a book signing. We look forward to seeing you there!

Nick Norwood, director,

The Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians.

Dear Nick:

What a great gift idea. Will she sign it "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"?

Off the record

Here's a brief note from area native Steve Gordon, now of San Antonio, Texas, who recently copied me on emails to his friends:

Tim:

Thanks for allowing me to include you in that. All I ask is to please do not publish it in your column. Just please respond privately.

Thanks!

Dear Steve:

Don't worry about my publishing one of your emails. I got your back.

Tim Chitwood, tchitwood@ledger-enquirer.com, 706-571-8508.

This story was originally published November 15, 2015 at 10:33 PM with the headline "Monday Mail: Off the record, dam road closes ."