Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Tuesday, April 22, the Lafayette County Board of County Commissioners met for its regularly scheduled meeting. The commission first opened the second public hearing regarding the Community Block Development Grant (CBDG). Spencer Nabors presented the plan to the board, which is to request $1.5 million to repair or reconstruct 21 homes in total. He also told the board that the deadline had been moved to Friday, May 16, so the commission still had one more meeting before they had to apply. There was no public comment, so the public hearing was closed, and the board moved on to its regular meeting. First, the board approved the minutes from the previous meeting. The board then called for public comment. There was one speaker, Kelly Fland, who had a few questions for the board. First, she asked who was in charge of Veteran's Memorial Park, as she had noticed a large amount of litter and was wondering if the Mayo Women's Club could help with park cleanup. The board told her that the Mayo Town Council was in charge of the park and she would have to discuss this issue with them. Fland then moved on to her second question. She was concerned about the recent spillages from Valdosta into the Suwannee River, and wanted to know what she could do to help prevent it in the future. The board told her that the Regional Planning Council had formed a task force that had been working with the City of Valdosta. Chairman Anthony Adams requested that she speak to him after the meeting so he could give her more information about the meetings in case she wanted to attend. The board then called for its department head reports. Public Works Director Seth Jackson told the board that the trees that were on Wolf Creek Bridge had been removed. He also told them that the right of way was in the process of being mowed. He also once again praised the work of the inmates around the county. Next to speak was Building and Zoning Director Garret Land, who told the board that the Ezell floating dock and boat ramp were nearing completion. Finally, Shawn Jackson with the Extension Office thanked everyone for their support of Lafayette County's students at the Suwannee Valley Youth Livestock Show and Sale. The board then approved a resolution declaring Friday, April 18, as Lineman Appreciation Day. The board then approved a resolution allowing the county to apply for the CBDG grant. The board continued the trend, approving a task order agreement with North Florida Professional Services for Patrician Oaks boat ramp repairs. The board then moved on to two items regarding State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) release and satisfaction. The first one, Clerk of Court Steve Land explained, had no work done and no money spent, so there was no reason to keep the lien on the house. The second did have repairs done; however, two hurricanes hit the house. Since then, more repairs have not been completed due to the lien. The board approved both releases unanimously. After this, the board approved Jimmy Norris to serve as the alternative member of the North Florida Economic Development Partnership Board. The board continued, selecting Lochner as the engineering company for construction engineering inspection services on County Road 536. They also awarded the bid for resurfacing of County Road 536 from US Highway 27 to State Road 51 to Capital Asphalt. The board then approved its bills for the month. The approvals continued with an annual agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for traffic signal maintenance. The board also approved a resolution providing more money for the County Road 536 project. Finally, the board approved $22,500 for the Ezell floating dock and boat ramp, as the company had come across flint and needed more funds to complete the dock. Commissioner Lance Lamb asked that, in the future, the board be cautious about approving items like that, as it is a continual problem. The meeting was then adjourned. The next Lafayette County Board of County Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 13, at 9 a.m. in the Lafayette County Courthouse, located at 120 W Main St., in Mayo.