Eatonton City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on April 2 and discussed several safety and infrastructure issues, including the installation of handrails on steps leading to The Plaza and the execution of a sub-recipient agreement for installing generators at the city’s fire and police departments.
The Council also discussed updates of rental policies for city-owned facilities and addressed a request from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office to reserve a city parking lot near the courthouse on South Madison Avenue, particularly during high-profile criminal trials.
In introducing the measure, City Manager Gary Sanders said a long-standing need for handrails to be installed on The Plaza’s front stairs existed and Lyn Hendren of the Historical Preservation Commission had been consulted and she agreed.
Sanders also mentioned Mayor John Reid had personal experience to support the cause, too.
“I was on my way to an event there one night and this young couple had their 80-plus-year-old grandmother with them, and she lost her balance and started to fall back,” Reid confirmed. “I just happened to be right behind her and she fell right back in my arms. If she would’ve fallen on the road, who knows what might’ve happened?”
With Ward 2 Commissioner James Gorley absent, the six council members present voted unanimously to authorize installing exterior stairway handrails at The Plaza.
The next order of business passed quickly as Sanders explained council needed to vote on the mayor accepting a recipient/ sub-recipient agreement between the state (GEMA) and federal (FEMA) Emergency Management Agencies for electricity generators to be installed at the city’s downtown police and fire departments. Sanders said the federal contribution will be $16,209, the state is contributing just over $2,001, and the city will contribute $3,242.
Council member Teresa Doster mentioned Gorley as a strong proponent of the generators and said he would be pleased to see them approved. All councilors present then voted in favor of the mayor signing the agreement.
Next, rental agreements for The Hut in downtown Eatonton and the old waterworks building a half mile east of downtown were discussed. Sanders pointed out several practices dealing with usage and cleaning requirements, some officially established and others unwritten, needed to be updated as well as $75 increases imposed on daily rental rates for both facilities.
All changes were unanimously confirmed, increasing rates to $200 daily for The Hut and $350 daily for the waterworks, plus a $100 refundable deposit, dependent on a post-event inspection at each location.
The final official matter to be voted on dealt with Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills’ request, on behalf of Ocmulgee Circuit Judge Brenda Trammel, to reserve a small parking lot near the intersection of South Madison Avenue and West Sumter Street for juror parking, particularly during high-profile criminal trials at the nearby Putnam County Courthouse.
“If you recall, there was a guilty verdict recently rendered in the Shell shooting case and as jurors left the courthouse they were scattered in all different (parking) places and there was some concern about safety,” Sanders explained to the council.
“This isn’t intended to be when they’re selecting the jury from the jury pool, (it is) just for the actual jurors of high-profile cases that (the sheriff) anticipates a potential problem. It’s only been one time this year and he anticipates very few times overall per year, but he did want to formalize a request on behalf of Judge Trammell that they can have the jurors park in a single place. (Sheriff deputies) can then escort and keep (jurors) a little more secure as they’re leaving the courthouse after their deliberations.”
Reid said he is not opposed to the suggestion; however, he mentioned the parking lot in question had already been committed by the city to the Hotel Eatonton resurrection project (scheduled to begin last month but which remains pending).
Regardless, Reid said he is not opposed to the sheriff’s request while “reserving the city’s right to use (the parking lot) as needed; certainly, in the absence of the city’s needs, he could use it.”
The council agreed and voted unanimously in favor of approval; however, with the prior commitment caveat attached. “So, this would be on the basis that they can use it until they figure out something else,” Reid repeated.