Accepting Bids for Projects, Hiring City Clerk on Alamo City Council’s Agenda

Accepting bids on several pending projects, accepting a resignation, and officially bringing acting City Clerk Dana Burkhalter on board in an updated capacity were among the actions taken by the Alamo City Council which met for a regular session on June 17.

Burkhalter, who has been filling the position of City Clerk since the departure of Marie Carrillo in April, was hired last week to continue in the roll in a full-time, permanent arrangement. A search will now commence to find a full-time employee to take on Burkhalter’s former duties as the City’s utility clerk.

The Council accepted the resignation of part-time Code Enforcement Officer Lekitte Holt-Robinson due to personal reasons. The Council hired Holt-Robinson, a nationally certified professional who is an inspector in the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, Investigative Division, in March 2023 to enforce the City’s ordinance for cleaning up and clearing derelict property. She was to be paid at a rate of $23.50 per hour, and the City voted at its March 25 meeting to renew her contract, although there were discussions during the session about her availability and the lack of observable evidence that the code was actively being enforced.

Committed to its goal to put a fresh face on the community, and because code enforcement is included in the City’s five-year plan for operations and improvements, the Council will begin the search for a new code enforcement officer and take a closer look at how other municipalities deal with the issues of derelict properties.

The Council passed a resolution to accept a bid from Greenline Architectural to design an amphitheater at Eastside Park. The project carries a price tag of $17,750 and is part of an enhancement of the public park located on 120 East Railroad Street. Upgrades to the park are being funded by a $2.2 million grant being administered by the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission. Expenses incurred by the City are reimbursable through the grant.

Also passed was a resolution to accept a bid of $307,956.09 for all Georgia Department of Transportation projects to be completed by Scruggs Company of Cochran. The work is being funded through the Georgia Transportation Investment Act program and involves resurfacing portions of five city streets.

The City also passed a resolution to accept a $43, 890.50 bid from Tindall Enterprises of Blackshear to undertake a lead line survey in the City. The work is being funded through a $58,000 grant from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority.

An engineering agreement with M.E. Sack for engineering for sidewalk replacement on East Railroad Street in downtown Alamo was approved. The $133,000 project is being funded through TLOST/ TIA and work is expected to commence this year.

The Council accepted a $18,500 bid from Webb Swamp Logging of McRae to replace a storm drain near lift station number 4. The project will be funded through TLOST.

City Manager Jeff Floyd’s proposal to apply for a Community Development Block Grant for sewer upgrades gained a nod from the Council. The grant could provide from $750,000 to $1 million for sewer upgrades, with the City’s portion of the funding amounting to between $27,500 to $47,500. The application is due by April 2025. A second grant, which the Council supported applying for, will supply a generator for a downtown City well. The grant would require an investment from the City of around $20,000.

The City announced that it will hold its annual Back to School Bash on August 3. The next meeting of the Council will be held on July 15 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.