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AMERICUS – At its monthly work session on Tuesday, May 10, the Sumter County Board of Commissioners (BOC) dealt with several topics that were on its agenda, such as the request by Joseph Greene to build a conference center on Mask Road and a Request For Proposal (RFP) made by Sumter County Emergency Management Director Nigel Poole regarding a contract for ANS Services, LLC to repair and maintain an outdoor weather siren.

The BOC has been discussing Greene’s request to build a conference/events center at 863 Mask Road, which is located in the General Business District, but up until the work session, it hadn’t heard from Greene about his specific plans as to what it would look like, how it would be constructed and how it would be used. Board Chairman Mark Waddell stated at a previous meeting that he wanted to see those specific plans in writing before he could go along with the decision to grant Greene’s request. Greene was in attendance at the work session and stated that he had with him the drawn up plans for the elevation, the soil testing and drawings of what the building will actually look like.

Greene went on to say that the property on which the center is to be built belongs to him and is zoned as commercial and that he would like to push the process forward.

Waddell told Greene that what he was presenting to the BOC is exactly what it was looking for, as far as specific plans for the facility. Waddell then entertained a motion to approve Greene’s request. Commissioner Scott Roberson made a motion for approval and Commissioner Jesse Smith seconded the motion. The BOC voted and Greene’s request was officially and unanimously approved.

The BOC also approved the signing of a contract by ANS Services, LLC to repair and maintain the county’s outdoor weather siren. According to Sumter County EMA Director Nigel Poole, the BOC approved a Request For Proposal (RFP) regarding this issue several months ago and now all it needed to do was approve the signing of the contract for the company to do the work. Commissioner Roberson made a motion for approval and Commissioner Smith seconded the motion. The BOC voted and the request was approved unanimously.

The BOC also approved the ratification of the grant funds and all the documents from the Rural Development Community Facilities Disaster Relief Hurricane Michael Grant not to exceed $100,000.00 with the total project cost of $609,537.00. According to the particulars of this grant project, the Sumter County BOC will provide $509,537.00 of leveraged funds for the project and the grant will be administered by USDA Rural Development to purchase two fire trucks to be used by the entire county. Waddell stated that at the BOC’s last meeting, it didn’t have all of the documentation, but now it does. According to Waddell, this is basically ratifying the approval of the documentation for the project. Commissioner Roberson made a motion to approve the ratification and Commissioner Smith seconded the motion. The BOC voted and the approval passed unanimously.

In other news from the work session, the BOC approved the ratification of a five percent increase to Gurley’s Lawn Care. The current rate is $1,454.80 monthly and the new rate will be $1,527.54. The rate increase will go into effect on July 1, 2022.

According to Waddell, the BOC has already approved the ratification of the rate increase via email and it decided to go ahead with a formal and official approval. Waddell asked for a motion to approve the ratification. Commissioner Roberson made a motion for approval and Commissioner Smith seconded the motion. The BOC voted and the motion to approve the ratification passed unanimously.