Grand jury subpoenas spaceport records

Mar. 14—A grand jury has issued subpoenas seeking public records regarding Spaceport Camden that the Camden County Commission refuses to release.

The subpoenas seek records that will show how more than $12 million was spent in an attempt to establish a spaceport in Camden County.

The Camden County Commission, County Attorney John Myers and Camden County Administrator Shawn Boatright will appear before the grand jury at noon on Wednesday at the Camden County Courthouse in Woodbine.

They are asked to bring all vendor bids, all contracts and contract revisions, all invoices, all payments, all deliverables received and contracts between the county and vendors, all vendor activity reports and all communications between the spaceport administration and vendors.

Camden County voters approved a referendum overwhelmingly in March 2022 prohibiting the county from spending more money to establish a spaceport. The Georgia Supreme Court denied the county's legal challenge about the validity of the referendum vote, leaving no reason for the records to be withheld from the public, those seeking the records say.

Steve Weinkle, a longtime spaceport opponent, questioned why the Camden County Commission refuses to release the records explaining how the money was spent.

"We thought the Georgia Supreme Court decision against our county commissioners would be enough to shake some sense into them," he said.

The court's unanimous decision upholding the referendum, "in no uncertain terms, told our commissioners that the voters' voice was supreme," he said.

Camden County Commissioner Jim Goodman said he has called for the release of the spaceport records since taking office in January. He said he responded to the grand jury summons to explain his position.

"I'm innocent," he said. "I don't know anything. They're keeping it from me."

Goodman said he cannot think of any reason why the records should not be released. The only pending litigation is the open records request by the environmental group One Hundred Miles for the release of spaceport documents and the county's lawsuit against Union Carbide for backing out of an agreement to sell property that would have been used for a spaceport launch site.

Union Carbide decided not to continue negotiations after voters approved the referendum. The Georgia Supreme Court upheld the validity of a March 2022 referendum where 72% of casting ballots voted to prohibit the county from spending any more money on the spaceport project.

Voters said there were too many concerns, including the potential for a launch accident that could endanger people and structures on Cumberland and Little Cumberland islands.