By Taelor RyeThe Eastman city council meeting on Monday, September 14, saw the majority of the council’s disapproval of a proposal to contract additional help for the relocation of water lines. Randy Knight, who represents city code enforcement, recommended the proposal from Mark Studstill, who represents Graham & Studstill General Contractors.
The proposal requested the transfer of city funding to hire an additional contracting company to relocate the lines so that a project in Bacon Heights for enhancing curbs and ditches, which is slated to begin work soon, can move forward as planned with no delays.
Studstill had already entered into discussions with a few other contractors, and Knight relayed that the cost for additional help would be an additional $20,436.00 at the lowest for work over an estimated three-week period.
Studstill’s company was hired for this project without competing bids on July 27 after a similar hire on June 22 in order to expedite the relocation of lines in what city council member Raymond Mullis referred to as an emergency situation.
Knight noted that Studstill has already saved the city approximately $35,000.00 in other Transportation Improvement Act projects in deeming water lines under three other streets appropriate as they are, with no work needing to be done on those lines. Studstill’s proposal was to have the city council vote to allot that saved money, which comes from Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds, toward this project, for which the council has already voted to allow the use of SPLOST funding.
In response to Knight’s presentation, city council member Milton Johnson stated, “I appreciate you trying to keep us on schedule on these projects. We’re probably doing more work in one period of time than we’ve done in a good little while. I guess my only issue with it is the perception of it. I understand why it’s intelligent for us to do it as a way to stay on track, but then at the same time… I don’t know if the community’s going to have that same perception that this is something that we need to do to keep these projects moving along.”
City council member Bobby Slye moved to approve the proposal, with his reason being that the three-week estimation is a short time period for such work.
City council member Buddy Pittman thought aloud, briefly pondering the benefits of spending the money for a shorter time or saving the city about $35,000.00 by not approving the proposal.
Chairman Raymond Mullis seconded Slye’s motion, and the two were the only city council members who voted to approve Studstill’s proposal, as Pittman, Johnson and city council member Prince Dawson voted not to approve it, creating a majority.
The meeting did, however, see the council’s approval of a proclamation to make September Literacy Awareness Month in Eastman.
The proclamation announces that the council “encourage[s] our citizens to join the many agencies working to eliminate the handicap of illiteracy, thereby ensuring a healthier and more productive life for all citizens.”
The proclamation states that about one-fifth of all American adults do not have the sufficient skill to read and write functionally in today’s society; in fact, “approximately 1.4 million adults have not completed high school or received a GED.”
Additionally, according to the proclamation, “Illiteracy rates are the highest among the economically disadvantaged and are closely associated with unemployment, high crime rates and welfare dependency,” so increasing literacy in such an effort works to improve citizens’ economic status over time.
Literacy is also regularly practical benefit, as the proclamation states that “Illiterate parents perpetuate an inter-generational cycle of illiteracy by being unable to teach their own children such daily tasks as how to read a medicine bottle, follow a bus schedule, do comparative shopping, make correct change, or prepare school homework.”
Therefore, the Eastman city council, supporting the state of Georgia and the National Literacy campaign, approved the proclamation, effectively announcing this month as Literacy Awareness Month in Eastman.
The council also approved Terry Hardeman’s request for funding to replace decrepit components at the airport lift station.
Pyles Plumbing and Utility in Macon will provide new parts, including pipes and pump bases, for a price of approximately $14,000.00 over an estimated work period of about two days.
In addition, the council approved its property tax millage rate, which will remain at seven mills.
Dawson brought to the council that citizens in his district have been asking him about potential improvements to the park in his area, which he stated was important for many people living in the area.
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