New lake authority members get up to speed

As the Grady County Lake Authority and Grady County Commission prepare to advertise a Request for Qualifications from prospective developers of Tired Creek Lake, the fine tuning of the document continues.
Newly appointed lake authority members Eric Cohen and Steven Childs attended their first authority meeting last Thursday afternoon and were brought up to speed on the project by consultant William F. Butler.
At last week’s meeting, the authority voted unanimously to designate Grady County Joint Development Authority Executive Director Julian Brown as the receiver of all submitted RFQs. Developers will submit their RFQ to Brown who will collect them. Brown will also collect any questions developers may have and transmit them to Butler, who in turn will share all questions and answers with all developers participating in the selection process.
“Julian’s name was shared with me and I have contacted him and he said he would be glad to assist us with this. He, too, has a background in real estate development, so his experience will be helpful in managing this process,” Authority Chairman LaDon Toole said.
Butler emphasized the importance of treating all developers fairly and providing them all the same, accurate information in order to avoid any future legal challenges.
The lake authority’s consultant also requested the authority appoint a committee to review the submissions. The authority unanimously approved the appointment of Chairman Toole and former authority member Travis Bryant along with Butler as its representatives on the selection committee. The authority is asking the county commission to appoint two representatives to round out the five-person review committee.
As the county prepares to open the lake to the public on May 25, the authority voted to recommend the county lease roll-away garbage containers from Taylor Waste Services at a rate of $20 per container and to place two at the State Park Road boat ramp and the Cedar Springs boat ramp. The authority is also recommending the county lease port-a-potties for the State Park Road and Cedar Springs boat ramps at a cost of $100 per month.
Lake Authority Executive Director Mike Binion was instructed to contact Grady EMC about erecting security lights at the Cedar Springs Road and State Park Road boat ramps.
On the recommendation of authority member Ray Prince, who is also chairman of the Grady County Commission, it was determined that no ceremony will be held on the opening day of the lake on May 25. “You’d have a bunch of folks trying to put boats in while we’re trying to have a ceremony,” Prince predicted.
A flagpole dedication service is planned for this Thursday, April 19 at 10 a.m., to recognize the generous contribution of the local Woodmen of the World lodge for its donation of a U.S. flag and flag pole at the lake.
Binion reported that officials with Schnabel Engineering have not submitted a cost estimate to repair the leaking main gate of the Tired Creek Lake dam, but one is expected soon. Binion said the preferred option of the dam engineers would be for certified divers to make the repairs underwater and eliminate the need for construction of a cofferdam or draining the lake. However, that option is still likely to be six figures, according to the executive director.
According to Binion, when the gate is closed as much as possible, approximately 500,000 gallons is being lost.