The Baldwin County Board of Commissioners met April 1 to approve several resolutions and discuss safety at the gymnasium at Walter B. Williams Jr. Park.
The meeting began with Chairman Andrew Strickland reading a proclamation that deemed April “Donate Life Month” in recognition of LifeLink of Georgia, the Baldwin community’s “lifesaving doorway.”
County Manager Carlos Tobar presented a resolution to authorize a mutual termination agreement with C & A Aviation, LLC for termination of the Operators Agreement at the Baldwin County Regional Airport. According to Tobar, this resolution was brought forward because the old agreement was “hard to follow.”
“So, we wanted to have schedules and exhibits to make it easier to change in the future. We also have a need for more services,” said Tobar.
The resolution was approved unanimously.
Tobar then presented a resolution to authorize an agreement with Wright Brothers, Inc. to furnish and install a new VFR HVAC system in the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office administrative building. According to Tobar, the work would need to be completed within two months, but he did not have an exact start date. The resolution was approved unanimously.
The board then moved into a discussion about accepting a bid from Pittman Construction Company for Public Works Resurfacing Projects. The bid was unanimously approved. According to Tobar, paving should begin on May 1.
Commissioner Emily Davis presented two Certificates of Recognition to the Baldwin Bravettes for being the Georgia High School Association AAA Basketball State Runner Ups and the Baldwin Braves for competing in the Georgia High School Association AAA Elite 8 Tournament.
Latonya Howell then approached the podium and gave a brief speech on local women’s history for Women’s History Month. Her speech starts at 27:44 and ends at 38:50 in the recording posted to the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners’ Facebook Page.
In new business, commissioners went into discussion with Tobar about safety at the gymnasium after Commission Vice Chair Kendrick Butts questioned Tobar on closing the local gym.
He and other commissioners received complaints from citizens and had not been informed of the closing. Tobar responded that the gym was not fully closed but rather hours were shortened to suspend activity at 4 p.m. for safety concerns.
Tobar stated that an incident occurred last year and also a recent fistfight occurred outside the gymnasium, which led him to believe law enforcement presence was necessary to keep users of the facility safe.
“It was not closed; it was just closed early,” Tobar said. “It was open from 7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. We wanted to ensure everybody’s safety and to make sure that we could have law enforcement present at the gym all the way through 8 o’clock.”
Butts expressed concerns with how the matter was handled and that it was not communicated to commissioners, despite the gym being a county facility. The board agreed and said they should have been informed and any decisions should have been made by them. He asked for transparency moving forward.
Col. Scott Deason, chief deputy at the sheriff’s office, addressed commissioners on the issue.
“I agree with you, Mr. Butts and Ms. Davis, closing the facility is not the answer,” Deason said. “Mr. Tobar contacted the sheriff and I beginning last night (Monday, March 31), which is the only activity out there right now is the open gym. I … sat there from 5 till 8 and I’ve got deputies there from Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. in the parking lot.”
He stated his primary concern is “the traffic and the speeds that are sometimes used there, the loud music and the potential for fighting.” He also informed the board that there has been narcotics used there.
“I’m hoping that my presence there alone is a deterrent and lets the young children of this county enjoy the recreation facilities that y’all oversee,” Deason said.
Deason stated that when softball and baseball season begins April 14 at the recreation park, there will be a deputy at the lower fields, a deputy at the upper fields and a deputy in the parking lot at the gym.
“We hope that our presence is a deterrent. We don’t want to deter anybody from coming.”
Closing the meeting, Tobar reviewed the county manager’s report that is available online on the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners’ Facebook page.