An open letter to the Baldwin County Commission:

I was born and raised in Fairhope and have always been able to go fishing or to jubilees at the beach by access of Zundel’s Road in Point Clear.

In 1940, my grandfather, Hillary Armstrong, purchased land in Point Clear from Mr. Klump, who owned a grocery store at the time. It is my understanding that the deed states a right of way to the Eastern Shore waters of Mobile Bay at Zundel’s Landing. Mr. McPhillips tried to stop the public access when he hired a man to arrest my grandfather in 1962 for supposed trespassing on this same right of way. I know this as my dad, James T. Allison, had to go get him out of jail, and a public hearing followed, which resulted in the right of way being opened to the public.

There is no good reason to cut off our access to jubilees as they typically happen during early morning hours. Part of the attraction to our local area and which we all pride ourselves in is to experience the jubilees on Mobile Bay. Closing the public access prohibits the public from this phenomenon.

I enjoy walking my dog there and am handicapped. If you obstruct our access, we all lose the right to experience and enjoy the wonderful Eastern Shore and to catch our own seafood. This is something we want our children and future generations to continue to have access to via the existing right of way. I respectfully ask that you do your part as public servants to keep this right of way open for public use, unobstructed day and night.

Fairhope