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LCDA talks I-95 lighting, routine upkeep
LCDA office

The Liberty County Development Authority board discussed Midway Interstate 95 interchange light repairs among other projects during their Feb. 22 meeting.

A cable to a section of the lights has been damaged for several years, reportedly because of a Georgia Department of Transportation contractor who was working on a road widening project. The lights are owned by LCDA.

There is still confusion on which contractor is responsible for the cable damage, as there were several contractors on the project, according to Chris Fettes, vice president of engineering and operations with Coastal Electric Cooperative, which powers and maintains the lights.

Ron Tolley, the CEO of LCDA, said Liberty County Administrator Joey Brown had discussed the matter several times with GDOT.

Fifty-three percent of the lights are working, according to Carmen Cole, director of administration and finance at LCDA. There are a total of 72 fixtures at the interchange, according to Fettes, and some are not working for a variety of reasons, including age, that cannot be fixed with routine maintenance.

The issue was tabled until the next meeting as the board gathers more information on the situation.

Ditch maintenance
The board approved having the city of Hinesville, by way of a 2003 contract with them, use city equipment and labor to cut away growth at several LCDA properties where the ditches needed to be cleared.

The quote is for $7,312.50 and will cover more than what has been done in the past, according to Cole.

Cole added that the authority had an inspection of the largest area that needs to be cleared, located next to a spray field where trees had grown in the ditch, and the inspectors “weren’t overly pleased with how those look,” she said.

The board approved a one-time clearing of the ditches and then wanted to send out an annual maintenance contract for bidding.

Florapharm door
Tolley recommended that the board help pay to fix a door that is broken at the Florapharm Tea USA building.

He said previous tenants never used the door, but Florapharm has grown to the point that it needs to use it and needs it fixed. The door was in bad condition when the business moved in, so Florapharm is looking to LCDA to help with paying for the
replacement.

Florapharm has been one of LCDA’s better tenants, Tolley said.

“And given that recognition and the fact that we’re working with them to try to facilitate not only their retention but their expansion as well,” he said. “Perhaps we might be willing to show at least a little bit of good will in considering assistance with that door, which is now needed.”

Lovette motioned to pay for half of the door’s cost, based on the $7,314 estimate the company had received from their own vendor, and the board approved.

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