The Hinesville City Council’s Thursday meeting was only 51 minutes long, but in that time the board approved three planning-and-zoning action items and two bids for equipment and services.
Council members also heard a quarterly update from Leah Poole, CEO of the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce, about recent activities and projects of the Liberty County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Poole told the council about activities supported by the bureau in May, June and July, and talked about ongoing or future projects, including the Blues & BBQ event Sept. 21 at Bryan Commons. She invited a member of the council to participate in the event as a barbecue judge.
“I volunteer Mayor Pro Team (Charles) Frasier to be a judge,” Councilman Keith Jenkins said.
Frasier, in turn, suggested Councilman Kenneth Shaw, who did not decline the nomination.
In more serious business, the council heard from Gabriele Hartage of the Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission about a request for a variance filed by D.R. Horton Inc. to allow for a side-yard encroachment amounting to less than 1 foot. Frasier asked if the variance was requested because of a design error. Hartage responded that it was something added on after the original design. The request was approved.
Council members also approved a special permit submitted by Donald Swartout, owner of a building on E.G. Miles Parkway, on behalf of Faith Temple of Heavenly Praises Ministries. The building, which previously housed Swartout’s church, is in an area zoned C-3 (highway commercial). The permit would allow the new church to hold services in the building previously used by Swartout’s church.
“There is a vacant lot near that building, is there not?” Jenkins said. “In the future, if someone else decides to build there, will they be restricted?”
Hartage acknowledged there is a vacant lot nearby, and by city ordinance there would be restrictions on alcoholic-beverage licenses being issued for a business near a church. Swartout asked for a special-use permit, explaining he didn’t understand the reason there might now be a concern about an alcohol license when his church had been there for some time. The request was approved.
A final plat for the Villages on Marne, phase II-A, also was approved after some questions from council members about special conditions they had approved for the preliminary plat. Hartage said the required letters of credit had been received, and there no longer were any special conditions.
Paul Simonton of P.C. Simonton & Associates also responded to questions about the streets in the new subdivision. He explained the process for bids for an engine-driven emergency power-supply system needed for the Fort Stewart wastewater-treatment plant.
“What we did was size the generator that we needed to replace the current one,” he said. “We bidded the project in two phases — purchasing the equipment, then installing it.”
Jenkins asked about the bidding process, noting the city’s policy for supporting minority and women-owned business enterprise. Simonton said only one company, Cummins Sout, bid on the equipment, while two companies, Y-Delta Inc. and McLendon Enterprises, bid on the installation. However, McLendon Enterprises’ bid failed to include a bid bond, so it was deemed non-responsive, he said.
The equipment bid for $312,135.63 and installation bid for $58,000 were approved.
The council also approved a bid by Hinesville Ford for a request by CH2MHILL/OMI for four new F-150 pickups. Hinesville Ford was the only bidder. Their bid of $16,865.50 for each truck was approved. The total cost of the four trucks is $67,462.
During the public-comments session, Jody Adams, Sistaz and Soljaz with Vizionz, spoke about her group’s drive to collect back-to-school supplies for a giveaway from 2-4 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Hinesville YMCA. She said those interested in donating school supplies or uniforms can call 977-5847 or 570-1273.