State Park Road to be paved later this year

State Park Road will likely be paved later this summer following action taken by the Grady County Commission Tuesday.

The board ratified action, which had been verbally approved late last week, to accept the low bid of $485,015.85 from The Scruggs Company of Valdosta to pave the main thoroughfare to Tired Creek Lake. The county’s consulting engineer, Stacy Watkins, recommended the board accept the low bid of the three bids received for the project.

The two other bids received were $606,550.10 from Oxford Construction Company of Albany and $1,146,292.50 from Capital Asphalt of Tallahassee.

The bids were opened on March 5 and Watkins issued his recommendation on March 6. The contract calls for work to be completed within 120 days.

Grady County administrator J.C. (Buddy) Johnson III, said Tuesday that District 173 State Representative Darlene Taylor had been instrumental in the state increasing the county’s funding from the Department of Transportation by approximately $386,000 to help the county have sufficient funding to complete the project.

In other business Tuesday, the board:

‰Approved the recommendation of the Grady Growth Marketing Development Committee to adopt “Opportunity Awaits” as the county’s new mantra and marketing slogan.

‰Authorized the solicitation of requests for qualifications for third party administrators for the county’s self insured health insurance program. County clerk John White said he was aware of at least three firms that would be interested in submitting qualifications. The deadline to submit a response to the the RFQ will be April 14.

‰Tabled action on a lease for a new ambulance until the board’s next meeting on April 2. The commission rescheduled its meeting on April 7 to Thursday, April 2 beginning at 9 a.m. Action was tabled after county attorney Gabe Ridley outlined concerns with the terms with the vendor, Leasing 2, and to provide time to obtain lease proposals from the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.

‰Approved the recommendation of County Fire Chief Richard Phillips to purchase five additional Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for the Volunteer Fire Department at a low bid of $31,391. Administrator Johnson and Commissioner LaFaye Copeland took the opportunity Tuesday to voice their appreciation for Chief Phillips’ work as the county’s emergency management agency director and his continued efforts in dealing the the COVID-19 virus crisis.

‰Heard a report from Ridley that he had been audited recently by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs on the Johnson Road Community Development Block Grant project. The audit, according to the county attorney, focused on the six parcels of right-of-way the county had to acquire after the grant funds had been issued. Ridley reported the auditors found no issues with the condemnation and acquisition of the right-of-way.