Royce Leonard is dissatisfied with the handicapped parking that is provided at Fort Oglethorpe City Hall.FORT OGLETHORPE - An 88-year-old veteran with emphysema has filed complaints against Fort Oglethorpe for a second time, saying City Hall doesn't provide adequate parking for handicapped drivers.
Officials say they've proven the building exceeds requirements, and one councilman accused the man of wasting the city's time and money.
"I can put up a fight as well as they can. I've been through wars. I can take them on anytime," said Royce Leonard, who served with the Air Force in World War II and said his emphysema is so severe it qualifies as a handicap.
In 2003, Leonard filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice saying the handicap parking spaces at City Hall are too far from the building's doors. The city was found to be in compliance, but Leonard said he has filed again because he doesn't believe the city's measurements.
City Manager Ron Goulart said he knew Leonard was upset about the 5-year-old ruling, but thought the matter was solved.
"I pretty much thought the issue was dead," Goulart explained. "We've already done this once before, but we'll do it again. If we're not in compliance I'll do whatever we need to do."
Goulart said the City Hall, which once was a hospital, exceeds some requirements for handicap accessibility. The building is required only to have seven designated handicap spaces but has 14, he said.
Goulart said city workers are measuring the distances this week and would send the findings to the Justice Department and await a response.
Leonard said he was upset further when Councilman Eddie Stinnett came by his house for an angry talk about the spaces.
"He told me I'd cost the city a couple hundred thousand dollars," Leonard said. "I said, 'What have I done to the city?' I'm not the only one who's handicapped."
Stinnett said he did visit Leonard, whom he called a "grumpy old man," but claims he said hundreds or thousands of dollars rather than hundreds of thousands.
Stinnett said the city had spent at least $10,000 defending itself from Leonard's complaints in the past, but it had not been found at fault.
"The bottom line: He hates the city. He hates everybody," Stinnett said. "He's just looking for anything negative to gripe about."