The Morgan County Board of Commissioners sat down in front of the public this past Tuesday to discuss replacing some county equipment and the approval of retail sales on a plot of land off of Apalachee River Road.
First, the consent agenda encompassed the motion to accept the August 2022 payables from their Aug. 6 meeting to include, “General Fund in the amount of $500,203.76, TSPLOST in the amount of $169,151.94, SPLOST in the amount of $372,515.12.”
Next, the board moved on to hear the “Planning Commission New Business” which included Virginia Stewart’s request to be able to use 10.88 acres of land where the “Bait Shop” currently exists to allow for recreation-oriented merchandise.
The use of this space was previously denied a couple of times back in 2021. Those inquiries related to the use and storage of recreational vehicles, but the space was approved by the board last Tuesday.
According to the BOC’s agenda description, the user will be “specific to Recreation Conservation (RC) and Lake Town Center Overlay (LTCO) zoning districts where opportunities for lake-related recreation exist.”
Afterward, the commissioners moved on to the regular “New Business”.
Most of the agenda items for the rest of the meeting included replacing equipment or parts of local government buildings. The first approval came to replace the flooring in the Agricultural Extension Office. The expansion of office space meant renovations needed to be completed, and the funding for the additions were approved in the FY2023 budget.
The FY2023 SPLOST budget also included funds for equipment in offices around the county. Some of these upcoming purchases include HVAC systems for multiple government buildings in the area, as well as the purchase of a firearm cutter.
The firearm cutter request in the BOC’s agenda stated that “several members of the Public Works Department and Manager’s Office looked at products from several vendors and saw a demonstration of their products. After review of all the products, the recommendation is to purchase [an] Aspen from Energreen America for $211,069.06.”
One of the last county items discussed before the county manager's report was the purchase of new playground equipment. A brand-new playground will be coming to the “Soccer Complex” soon, and a new-poured rubber surface for the toddler playset at Bill Wood Park should also be completed in the near future.
The funds will come from the Capital Projects budget, and the project will be completed by PlaySouth to the tune of $88,705.