The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors Monday voted 4-1 to authorize county road crews to help pave potholes in the city.
District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith made a motion, which was seconded by District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, to allow five members of the county Road Department to “go into the city, for one day, to assist with badly needed street repair.”
County Road Manager Ronnie Burns will take five people, using five pick-up trucks and one 18-wheeler truck, to work an entire day with the city”s road crews and Public Works Director Mike Pratt, to pave potholes, “starting with the worst (potholes) first.”
The city will pay for the needed materials.
“In the city, I have as many voting citizens as I do in the county, and everybody travels these roads,” said District 2 Supervisor Frank Ferguson, indicating his support for Smith”s motion. “I think that”s reaching out to the city, showing good will.”
“They don”t patch at the same quality as your guys do,” Brooks said to Burns, suggesting city road crews watch and learn from county crews.
“It should be on-the-job training for these people, if they need it,” said Ferguson.
Board President and District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders voted against the motion.
“I think it”s starting a precedent we don”t need to start,” Sanders said after the meeting. “The city collects taxes to do their roads. We just don”t have the wherewithal to do our roads and the city”s roads. It”s just not the right thing to do. We gave them $575,000 last year to do their roads with. They also collect millage to run their road department.
“We not only have already had to mow-grade their gravel roads, we”ve also come into town and trimmed limbs on streets for them,” he added, noting the city”s Public Works Department only has about three fewer employees than the county Road Department. “It”s not just the potholes we”re talking about. We”ve been doing work for them all along and they need to learn how to do their own.”
Burns Bottom update
Sanders updated the supervisors on a proposed soccer complex for the Burns Bottom area.
Construction on the soccer complex, which has been likened to a downtown park, could begin as early as the summer, Sanders reported, noting Dispatch Publisher Birney Imes earlier agreed to pay for the services of a landscape architect, whose work must be completed before work begins.
All 15 property owners in a core group of land needed to locate the soccer complex in Burns Bottom have agreed to sell their property for its appraised value; Sanders reported the shortest option is for six months.
Columbus-Lowndes Development Link officials and county officials currently are negotiating with 31 landowners whose property is on the perimeter of the core property on which the soccer complex will be located.
The City Council earlier voted to donate 14.9 acres of city-owned property and provide water and sewer infrastructure already in place, as well as in-kind services, for the soccer complex, which is to be located on 70 acres in the Burns Bottom area.
The total appraisal for the 70-acre Burns Bottom properties came to about $288,000.
In other matters, the board passed a resolution recognizing Joyce Gartman for serving more than 30 years in the County Extension Services office; Jatonya P. Ferrow was appointed to replace Gartman, who is retiring as an assistant receiving clerk.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
