CAIRO — Grady County officials are moving forward with a plan to construct a new manned garbage dumpsite within Whigham city limits following a vote this week by the Board of Commissioners.

Commissioners voted 4-0 Tuesday morning to authorize the $10,000 purchase of a 1.37 acre lot on Bunn Lane that will be converted into the county’s next manned dumpsite, their fifth overall.

Officials have been searching for a suitable property in the Whigham area for much of the year, with a backup plan to construct a dumpsite on county-owned property off of State Park Road if a lot could not be found by September 1.

“This is huge, to be clear,” said County Administrator Buddy Johnson. “This is a big deal because this keeps it off of State Park Road and gives the Whigham area an excellent location to go to. It kind of meets everybody’s needs.”

Road Department Superintendent Stanley Elkins has surveyed the property and determined it to be “ideal,” Johnson added.

The new property will be converted into the county’s fifth manned dumpsite out of a planned seven overall — a plan the commissioners adopted early last year to combat overflowing garbage at unmanned trash drop off locations.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Commissioner LaFaye Copeland.

All remaining unmanned dumpsites across the county will be closed once the Whigham site is ready for use, which could come as early as December, Johnson said. The new dumpsite would join existing manned trash drop offs on Ridge Road on the north side of the county, 20th Street and North Broad Street in Cairo and Beck Branch Road in Calvary.

Construction on the new dumpsite is expected to begin as soon as the deal is finalized.

Commissioner June Knight abstained from Tuesday’s vote since the property in question being owned by relatives.