Gray City Council members quickly took care of city business at their August meeting with all council members present.
Mayor Ed Barbee called the Aug. 3 meeting to order and led the opening prayer and pledge. In his mayor’s report, Barbee talked about the July 29 Jones County School System Convocation attended by him and Councilman Terrell Fulford.
The convocation is a kickoff for the new school year for teachers and employees. The mayor said he appreciated the invitation and the upbeat beginning of the school year.
Barbee said at a recent Georgia Tech Donor Appreciation Day, Gray was recognized for its Miracle Treat Day success.
Old Business consisted of the second reading of an ordinance amendment concerning 8,000-and/or 18,000-pound trucks on city streets. The amendment added the streets of Howard Court and Capps Drive to Chapter 66, Article 1, Section 1 of the city’s code, which restricts the heavy trucks from the streets.
Mayor Pro Tem James Collins made the motion to approve the second reading and adopt the amendment, and the motion passed with a unanimous vote.
New business
Council approved a preliminary plat for Stone Creek Subdivision located on Eatonton Highway across from Industrial Boulevard zoned R-3. The plat was submitted by Widner and Associates.
When completed, the subdivision will have 49 lots.
The process for the approval began with a public Planning and Zoning hearing. Zoning officer Tim Pitrowski said staff recommended approval of the preliminary plat. He said after the preliminary plat was approved, the developer can begin construction of the streets, and if the plat is approved, building can begin.
With no questions from council, the hearing was adjourned and the meeting reopened. Fulford made the motion to approve the preliminary plat, and the motion passed unanimously.
Item two of New Business was to award the Local Maintenance Improvement Grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation for the repaving of Ross, North and Dixie streets. ASA Paving was the low bidder at $82,472. Councilman David Tuffs made the motion to award the bid to ASA Paving, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
Council members approved a resolution between Gray and Laurens County’s Solid Waste Authority to haul the city’s solid waste sludge to the Laurens County facility. Fulford made the motion, and it was approved, but City Attorney John Newberry explained that the approval was contingent upon the finalization of Laurens County to the five-year contract.
During the July 20 meeting of city committees, City Superintendent Cheyenne Morgan said the change to Laurens County would be a big savings for the city. He said the price of $38 a ton to take it to Dublin is about one-quarter of what the city pays Wolf Creek.
The final agenda item was to reschedule the Sept. 7 council meeting to Sept. 14 due to the Labor Day Holiday.
