County and city leaders to have pow wow on pool, other issues

The Grady County Commission instructed the county clerk Tuesday to schedule a meeting with the Cairo City Council and Whigham City Council to discuss the possibility of putting the proposed Barber Park aquatic center back on the ballot to gauge public support.
According to Grady County Clerk Carrie Croy, commissioners will also discuss with their city counterparts projects for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum to be held this fall as well as the possibility of holding a referendum for a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax to benefit the county and two cities.
Tentatively, the meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 12, but Croy could not confirm that date and time Tuesday.
The Barber Park aquatic center, approved by voters in 2007 but not yet built, was a Grady County and Cairo joint project. At least one Cairo city councilman has said publicly if the project is not built he would vote for the county to return the city’s 39 percent share of the $900,000 collected in sales tax revenue for the project.
During Tuesday’s county commission meeting, Commissioner LaFaye Copeland asked Recreation Department Director Becky Bracewell about the status of the splash pad and play ground equipment project at the park. Bracewell said that project was on standby until a final decision on the aquatic center was reached.
The recreation director said that once a decision was made she would seek an extension from the state on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources $100,000 grant awarded to the county that requires construction to be completed by Dec. 31 of this year.