Hugh Mills Stadium resurfacing moving forward as planned

ALBANY — Dougherty County Stadium Authority Secretary Johnny Seabrooks, who serves as countywide director of athletics for the public school system, told the Dougherty County Commission Monday the Hugh Mills Stadium track resurfacing being funded through SPLOST VI is on track to be ready for the start of the high school track and field season.

In his pitch to secure funding for the track improvements, Seabrooks noted that Hugh Mills has hosted the girls GHSA state track meet, which is a prestige and economically lucrative event for the community, for the past 31 years. He told commissioners Monday Hugh Mills will, starting this year, host girls and boys state meets.

“We had five vendors express interest during our prebid meeting, and we’re going to close that part of the process out soon,” Seabrooks said. “Once a vendor is selected, we’re going to push to make sure we get through on time. We expect to have everything in place by our target completion date, March 5. That’s a few days before the start of the track season.”

In a busy meeting, during which the commission made a number of appointments to vacant positions on citizen advisory boards and committees, commissioners:

— Approved Albany Elevator Service’s $73,200 quote for an overhaul of the hydraulic passenger elevator in the county Judicial Building;

— OK’d a total $54,754 bid by U.S. General Service Administration contract holder Trane of Atlanta, which awarded the $22,263 labor/installation portion of its bid to Albany Trane dealer Comfort Systems USA, for a replacement air-cooled chiller in the Albany Police Department building;

— Gave blanket approval, based on the recommendation of DCP Police Chief Jackie Battle, to alcoholic beverage license renewals for 2017 to all license holders in the unincorporated portion of the county;

— Rescinded a $20,495.97 contract with Sunbelt Ford Town of Albany for a 2017 Ford Escape because the vehicle did not meet specifications, and then approved Sunbelt’s bid of $41,108.68 for two such vehicles — one for the Public Defender’s office and one for Public Works — based on a rebid.

“As it turns out, the specs that were sent out originally were impossible to meet,” Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas said. County Administrator Richard Crowdis further explained, “The time that the bids were sent out, in 2016, I don’t believe anyone (in city/county Central Services) was aware that the engine specs for the 2017 models were changed from the 2016 models.”

The contract for the original vehicle was rescinded because the engine size of the 2017 model Escape did not meet specifications sent out on bid documents.

After making some 40 of 47 board appointments for 2017, commissioners also:

— Agreed to a 30 percent match ($60,704 in SPLOST funding) for $202,348 in road safety improvements (including rumble strips, signage, pavement widening and guardrails) that will be primarily funded by the Georgia Department of Transportation ($141,643.60);

— Approved a recommendation by county District Attorney Greg Edwards and Assistant District Attorney Victoria Johnson authorizing Edwards’ office to apply for a three-year, $150,000 Violence Against Women Domestic Violence Grant;

— OK’d a resolution declaring a specific bulletproof vest surplus and authorizing sale of the vest to the city of Jeffersonville for $230.

Crowdis explained that the vest had been specifically designed for a former female DCP officer who is now working with the city of Jeffersonville Police Department.

“That vest is surplus — it’s sitting on a shelf right now — and it was fitted specifically for that officer,” the county administrator said. “It still has two years of life left in it, and Jeffersonville officials would rather pay for those two years instead of ordering a new one for the officer.”

District 3 Commissioner Clinton Johnson, “in the spirit of the season,” asked if the county might give the vest to Jeffersonville PD, but Crowdis said that since the equipment was bought utilizing taxpayer money, it must be sold as surplus.

ADA Johnson told the commission the district attorney’s office had “moved 300 extra cases a year” through the local court system by utilizing funds from the domestic violence grant. Edwards told the board, “Because we have an excellent record (of utilizing the funds), we’ve been given the opportunity to reapply.”

The grant provides $50,000 in funding a year for use in domestic violence cases.

At the start of the meeting, Dougherty 4-H Club member Zyan Campbell sang a stirring version of “O Holy Night” as part of extension officials’ annual show of appreciation to the commission.