Something in the water didn’t smell right for some Hinesville residents.

During the Hinesville City Council meeting Jan. 5, council member Diana Reid asked if anyone on the council smelled an egg odor in the water.

Council member Keith Jenkins said he also received phone calls about the smell.

City Manager Billy Edwards said the smell is from hydrogen sulfide which is “naturally occurring in the water.”

“Sometimes when water sits in the water main, it sits there for a while and the chlorine dissipates. That hydrogen sulfide smell will occur,” he said.

Jenkins asked about white foam coming out with the water.

It was air bubbles, according to Public Works Director Ray Richard, who said air was coming in from the well and the air release valve was replaced to fix the problem.

“It looks like cloudy water but it’s just many, many tiny air bubbles,” Richard said, adding the problem should be fixed.

Angry resident

At Thursday’s meeting, Hinesville resident Francis Christian said a Hinesville police officer was rude to his wife.

Christian said on early December his wife was ticketed for parking in the fire zone outside of Kroger while he went to refill a water bottle.

Christian said his wife is disabled and suffers from other problems.

“She didn’t even put it in park, she was still on the brake pedal…when she was approached by the officer. I asked him to give her a few minutes to relax to sign (a citation) and he said if she can’t sign it she shouldn’t be driving,” Christian said.

After the incident, Christian wrote a letter to the police department saying he did not appreciate the way his wife was treated.

Christian said he received a response, which he also was not pleased with, so he went to council on Thursday.

“There are a couple of items that I’m not happy with here (in the response). Two officers on the scene and there’s no talk of body camera here, also the footage at Kroger, it said it is obscured, which I don’t know anything about,” Christian said. “My understanding about the car camera was that it was away from us. I was just upset with the way my wife was treated and the way he (the officer) has conducted himself. I’m not happy with the response I got.”

Christian gave the council copies of documents related to the incident.

Council gets thanks

Not everyone was angry. Resident Nikkie Huerter thanked the council and Hinesville for helping her through domestic violence she suffered last year.

“I was going to introduce myself as a domestic violence victim because I have been for a year. I have fought hard over these last months to not be that victim anymore,” Huerter said. “I’ve always felt strongly about living in Hinesville. I love the city, the community. They’ve always been welcoming, kind, loving, compassionate.”

She said there is a lot of domestic violence in Hinesville, but commended the city for providing services for women and children.

Huerter said she wants to share her experience with others and new ideas about services with the council.

“I want to tell you how amazing the city is,” she said. “The people you’ve put in these organizations, the directors, council members, even law enforcement personnel, have gone above and beyond. I wanted to show my gratitude. If I could, I would give you a medal of some sort saying how great of a city you are. I am humbled.”

Hinesville Mayor Allen Brown said the council will be glad to hear her ideas.

Easement, etc.

The council approved obtaining an easement from Christine Wiese and Kathy Wilkinson, co-trustees of the Alternative Residuary Trust U/W of Christopher Stanford, to build a 24 foot force main and to authorize staff to purchase that portion of the property for $6,000.

A force main is a pressurized pipe that can carry water and sewage when gravity is not enough to move runoff and sewage.

City council also approved the terms and conditions for the city’s Georgia Municipal Association master lease supplement for the purchase of a $219,229 street sweeper, which was approved in October 2016.

Alcoholic beverage license requests were granted for Sawadee Thai Cuisine to sell beer and wine for on premise consumption, and for Tammy’s Restaurant and Bar, formerly the Dug-Out Sports Bar and Grill, to sell liquor for on-premise consumption.

Lieutenant Gary Eason of the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office asked the council to contribute to the Iron Butt Ride, a 1,000-mile motorcycle ride completed in 24 hours. It raises money for the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Tampa.

The ride is hosted by the Alee Iron Knights.