The Baldwin County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday to ratify the Dyer Construction contract for the new Milledgeville Aquatic Center, approve the Department of Energy Grant application submission, and update on county projects.
The meeting began with District 4 Commissioner Henry Craig reminding citizens in attendance of Memorial Day coming up next Monday.
“Many of the people who have served our country are no longer with us … as we have these free meetings and free discussions, this doesn’t go for all around the whole world, this is a unique country, and we need to treasure what we have. I want you to recognize the hundreds of thousands of Americans who ensured that we could do the kind of things we do in this country,” said Craig.
The board approved the Dyer Construction contract for the new aquatic center that will be located at Walter B. Williams Park.
County Manager Carlos Tobar noted that construction for the center officially started last Tuesday, and the city waived water and sewer fees for the project.
One concerned citizen, Edwin Atkins, commented publicly on the project, asking if the Dyer contract would include a certified archaeologist’s presence at the construction site in case any discoveries were made.
Tobar responded that the issue was discussed at the pre-construction meeting. If anything is discovered, the contractor will contact Baldwin County Recreation Director Traci Bowden for the next steps.
No comment was made on whether it is included in the contract.
The application for the Department of Energy Grant to update sports lighting at the baseball/ softball fields at Walter B. Williams Park was approved for submission at the meeting. The minimum requirement for the grant application is $900,000, and the grant will fund 95% of the estimated cost.
With a budget estimate of $900,000, there will be a $45,000 match from the county.
“There’s only $18 million [grant dollars in total] nationwide. They plan to award about 20 projects. This will be extremely competitive, and we’ll do the best we can. But we are eligible,” said Tobar.
The county manager’s report offered an update on the $500,000 Community Home Investment Program (CHIP) Grant awarded to Baldwin County for the third year in a row.
Tobar mentioned that there should be no delay this time now that the county has experience with the grant. There are three remaining houses to go on the existing CHIP grant that have all already started.
The county is still waiting for the Federal Highway Administration grant and The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s approval of the environmental document for the Oconee Heights project.
The funding for this project will be used to update the neighborhood by adding pedestrian pathways, sidewalk connections, and light fixtures and to repair infrastructure issues.