Lee County commissioners approve road resurfacing contract

LEESBURG — Rick Muggridge, chairman of the Lee County Commission, already had declared that 2015 would be the Year of the Road. Tuesday night, commissioners set that plan into action.

Commissioners unanimously approved a request from County manager Ron Rabun and Planning Director Matt Inman to accept a bid from Reeves Construction Co. for resurfacing more than six miles of roadway, including almost four miles on Lovers Lane, for $806,977. The project includes 1.05 miles of resurfacing on the Lee County portion of North Doublegate road and 1.33 miles on James Pond Road.

The commission opted to spend an extra $162,707 to add two feet to the width of Lovers Lane in each direction when the resurfacing is done. The contract price without the widening included would have been $644,292.

Inman said work on the resurfacing and widening will begin after the first of the year when the weather warms enough to allow construction workers to apply asphalt. Inman said the roads should be ready for traffic within six months.

The commission also:

— Approved the design of the Forrester Parkway extension and called for bids on the Oakland Parkway/Forrester Parkway Phase 1 work which includes 0.84 mile.

— Approved the design of Marlow Road work and call for bids for new construction of 0.26 mile of roadway, including turn lanes and signalization.

Road work is an emphasis of the commission, but the panel also wants to continue making improvements in the county’s firefighting operations.

To that end, the commission accepted a bid of $277,855 Tuesday night from Rosenbauer South Dakota LLC for a new 1,500 gallon per minute fire engine pumper.

Rabun, who had been instructed by the commission to explore the possibility of purchasing a used firetruck, found two options for the commission to consider. One was a 2009 model for $189,000 and a 2010 model for $195,000.

“The used equipment we found was not a real bargain,” he said. “I think something in the $140,000 range would have been better. I recommend we buy new.”

Commissioners Greg Fritch made a motion to table the decision until Rabun could make a more thorough search for used equipment. The motion died for lack of a second.

The commission then voted 4-1 to buy the new pumper, with Fritch casing the lone opposition vote.

Commissioners also heard a request from Regeana Hinds, who coaches the tennis teams at Lee County High School, to consider helping finance an eight-court tennis complex in Leesburg that could be used by the school system and the community. Hinds said the tennis teams now use courts at Darton State College for their matches with other schools.

She said Lee County was unable to host the region playoffs this past season because it did not have a suitable facility.

“Maybe the school system and the county could go into this together,” Hinds said.

No action was taken on Hinds’ request.

Tuesday’s meeting marked the final regular session for District 3 Commissioner Ed Duffy who is ending an eight-year stretch on the commission. Billy Mathis will replace Duffy in January.

Duffy received a framed map of Lee County from commissioners and was commended by commission members for his service.

Chairman Rick Muggridge said Duffy was responsible for many improvements during his time on the commission. Muggridge specifically commended Duffy for his fiscally conservative stands and for helping turn Grand Island Golf Club into an asset for the county rather than a fiscal liability.

“We haven’t put money into the club for the past four years and no one is more responsible for that than Mr. Duffy,” Muggridge said.

Duffy said he ran for office at age 74 primarily to improve communications between the County Commission and other governing agencies in the county. He also took pride in his record of never having voted for a tax increase.

“I am going to be 83 my next birthday and I think I have had all I can stand with Lee County politics,” Duffy said, with a smile.

The Commission also:

— Recognized Mike Sistrunk, Lee public works director, for his service as 2014 branch president with the Southwest Georgia American Public Works Association.

— Approved the renewal of 24 alcohol licenses in Lee County for 2015.

— Authorized the closure of Turkey Farm Road as a public roadway at the request of property owners.

— Approved an annual agreement with Lee County Youth Baseball Inc. to operate the local youth baseball program. In turn, the county provides the fields and field maintenance in exchange for a fee of $15 per player.

— Agreed to rebid the construction of a replacement office building at the Lee County Landfill after initial bids exceeded the budget.

— Appointed Mike Sabot to a four-year term on the Board of Elections and Registration by a 4-1 vote. Fritch voted for Cindy Martins because she lives in his district and because he thought the county would benefit by having a second female member of the board.

— Granted a third Christmas holiday for county employees. County workers now have Dec. 26, a Friday, off in addition to Dec. 24-25.