City council approves $572,872 resurfacing project bid
TIFTON — Reeves Construction was awarded the bid for the LMIG Resurfacing Project by the city at the Apr. 16 Tifton City Council meeting.
The $572,872 project will resurface 11 streets, which are as follows:
• 16th Street from Love Avenue to Tyson Street
• Goff Street from 20th Street to 22nd Street
• Fulwood Drive from Central Avenue to Outerbridge Road
• Eastwood Drive from Newton to Windsor
• Pineview from 8th Street to 12th Street
• Park Avenue from 12th Street to 20th Street
• 40th Street from Tift Avenue to Carmichael
• 9th Street from Central to Park
• Emmitt Drive from 20th to 28th Street
• 11th Street from Timmons to Central
• Ridge Street from 12th Street to 14th Street
Paving should begin around the beginning of May, according to City Manager Pete Pyrzenski.
The council also approved purchasing a service vehicle for the IT department for $19,563, purchasing a Elgin Pelican street sweeper for $204,728, purchasing a trailer mounted asphalt patcher for $105,130 and approving a master service agreement for engineering services from ESG Engineering.
The council also approved two new alcohol license applications for John’s Place, located at 314 12th Street, and EZ-Mart 2 located at 301 W. 7th Street.
The vote was unanimous to approve the license for John’s Place. The alcohol license for EZ-Mart 2 was met with opposition from District 3 council representative Johnny Terrell. Terrell left the council table and took a seat in the audience after the vote was passed.
The panhandling, begging and loitering ordinance was approved by the remaining members of the council.
The new ordinance would prohibit passive panhandling or solicitation within eight feet from the entrance of any building, public event venue, public accommodation or business, as well as any ATM machine, public parking garage or lot between dusk and dawn and within 10 feet of a sidewalk cafe during operating hours unless the solicitor’s presence is authorized by the proprietor.
Solicitation is already prohibited on any street, highway or alley, within eight feet from the corner of an intersecting street, highway or alley and within or upon any median on a state highway.
The ordinance regulating coin operated amusement machines was passed by the council.
There is a limit of no more than nine machines per business location and any business that has these machines must apply for a license from the state and will not be issued a business license in the city limits unless they do have that state license.
A disclosure of a conflict of interest for the CDBG Redevelopment Fund Grant was made at the meeting.
Jack Stone, who is a member of the Downtown Development Authority, owns two buildings downtown which the city is acquiring for the purposes of demolishing them and creating a new parking lot.
City Attorney Rob Wilmot said that while the city is acquiring the property, not the DDA, the DDA has entered into a memorandum of understanding to help pay for the parking lot. Wilmot said that under federal law this constitutes a conflict of interest, but that at the state and local level it does not.
Captain Steve Hyman with the Tifton Police Department presented Officer Jonathan Toledo and his canine partner Kimba.
The duo obtained their certification last month and have 263 cases, including 14 drug cases, under their belt since beginning work in January.
Follow Eve Guevara on Twitter @EveGuevaraTTG.