(The Pierce County Board of Commissioners discussed and/or voted on the following during their regular meeting Tuesday, August 13. The meeting was delayed a week due to Hurricane “Debby”.)
Grady Street: The commission approved the low bid from SEC Sitework of Bristol in the amount of $69,200 for demolition of the old Grady Street School. A total of 13 bids were received for the demolition. The board also awarded the bid for asbestos removal at the old school. Southern Asbestos Abatement Company of Statesboro was the sole bidder in the amount of $59,755.
(See related story.)
Closed session: Commissioners adjourned into a 40-minute closed session to discuss litigation. No action was taken after the closed session.
Tuten/Clark Road project: East Coast Asphalt of Douglas was the low bidder for the Tuten and Clark Roads projects at $799,715.28. Other bidders were Scruggs Company at $963,507.23 of Hahira and Thrift Brothers at $1,102,504.21 of Waycross. The project will include resurfacing and road improvements.
Road department fencing: Commissioners approved Thrift Contractors of Blackshear for installing fencing at the road department, even though they were not the low bidder. Thrift bid $17,200 for the work and the commission opted to keep the work in county. Wright of Waycross was the actual low bidder at $16,900. T&T Fencing of Waycross was the other bidder at $19,020. The fencing is required by the Environmental Protection Agency for the county to host tire amnesty days. The old tires collected must be stored in a fenced in area.
Stryker load stretcher for EMS: The commission approved the purchase of a new power load stretcher for the new ambulance. Cost of the stretcher is $29,218.93. The item will be paid for using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
Surplus items: Several items were declared surplus by the board. They include a 2013 Ford F-450 ambulance, two Stryker Pro stretchers, all from EMS and a 2001 Freightliner bucket truck from the facilities department. The Stryker stretchers have low hours of use on them, but they are not compatible with the new ambulance and will need to be upgraded.
Purchase of a road grader: Commissioners tabled the lease/purchase of a new road grader for the road department from Caterpillar. Third district commissioner Randy Dixon wanted to investigate the offer further. Caterpillar was offering the county a lease/purchase in the amount of $132,500 using ARPA funds.
Public Comment: Wayne Crawford of Hacklebarney Road complained about the county’s mowing contract. (See related story.) Lawrence R. Nanoy of an Alma address (Pierce County), was listed on the agenda, but was not present at the meeting. Nanoy was to talk about a neighbor being a nuisance, shooting guns and harassing people.
County Employee of the Month: Custodian Jim Scales was recognized as the employee of the month. (See related photo).
Annual bids: Commissioners approved advertising for annual bids for fire extinguishers, culvert pipe, fuel, oil, tires and mowing.
County Manager Report: County Manager Raphel Maddox praised county employees for their efforts in dealing with Hurricane “Debby”. “We worked together as a team,” he said. Maddox also praised the county’s legislative delegation including State Representative Steven Meeks (R-Screven) and State Senator Russ Goodman (R-Cogdell). He also commended Governor Brian Kemp and State Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper (R-Ocilla). Maddox expressed his thanks to Department of Transportation District 5 and members of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 148th Brigade Support Battalion and 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade who assisted with clean-up and repairs after the storm. Maddox and County Chairman announced local residents who sustained damage in the storm, can apply for disaster relief funding.
(See related story.).
Pledge leader: Retired U.S. Army veteran and retired New Jersey Police Officer Gerrard Freeman was scheduled to be this month’s pledge leader, but he was unable to attend.
Invocation leader: Pastor Tony Reynolds of the Kingdom Faith Church in Blackshear led the meeting’s opening prayer. (See related photo).
Next meeting: The next regular commission meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 2 at the Southeast Georgia Regional Agriculture Center in Blackshear.
