Political Notebook: Fire station discussion prompts a little laughter from Macon mayor
Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert's signature cackle erupted this week during discussion of a new land agreement for a fire station.
Commissioner Elaine Lucas said she wasn't going to complain at Tuesday's committee meeting because she knew details were being worked out on land for a proposed fire station in her district.
On Tuesday, a committee approved a land deal for a different station that would be used for the relocation of the Breezy Hill Fire Station on Forsyth Road.
Lucas has said a new east Bibb station must be a priority after recent environmental tests revealed that land that the Bibb County Commission bought in 2013 wasn't strong enough to support the building and equipment.
County Attorney Judd Drake said his understanding was that details were being worked out for a nearby site, which could go before commissioners soon.
"That's why I'm not fussing too much," Lucas said, drawing a laugh from the grinning mayor.
WARNER ROBINS SETS GROUNDBREAKING FOR PARK
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new veterans memorial park and multimillion-dollar renovations to City Hall is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday on the front lawn.
City Council voted 5-1 during its Nov. 16 meeting to hire Warren Associates Inc. for the jobs, which total $4.11 million. It will be paid for using proceeds from the sales tax initiative that voters approved in 2012, when Councilman Chuck Shaheen was mayor.
The lone dissenting voter in the meeting, Shaheen took issue with spending just $600,000 on the veterans memorial park and contended that veterans were promised a $900,000 memorial park.
"At our retreat two years ago, we talked about 'what are our projects,' and 'what are our priorities,'" Shaheen said to the council. "The sports complex was our priority. But now I'm told we don't have money for a sports complex, but we're finding money to renovate City Hall. ... We're getting the order of our projects skewed."
Mayor Randy Toms said recently that City Hall was built in the early 1970s and needs electrical work and other renovations to make it betters for users. Toms also said the park will be a draw to the area and a place for community events such as outdoor movies.
"This is not a memorial like the memorial we're planning for our Vietnam veterans memorial. That's a different feel. That's a different outlook on it," Toms said. "We want this to be part of our park system, not just a memorial."
TILLMAN CITED FOR TRAINING
Representatives from The University of Georgia and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia will recognize Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Al Tillman on Tuesday.
The ceremony, scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Macon-Bibb County Government Center, is for Tillman's becoming the first certified commissioner of the new consolidated Macon-Bibb government.
Over the last two decades, more than 2,800 county officials have received the certification, according to the ACCG website.
Telegraph writers Stanley Dunlap and Laura Corley contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 9:52 PM with the headline "Political Notebook: Fire station discussion prompts a little laughter from Macon mayor ."