By Taelor Rye
At its regular meeting on June 12, 2017, the Eastman City Council voted to approve the terms of a formal lease agreement for the piece of property at 5110 2nd Avenue, a building currently used as a karate instructional facility, for rent at $250.00 each month.
A previous word-of-mouth agreement saw the person running the studio making renovations to the property on his own in addition to paying a $250.00-per-month rent.
Given the unique situation of this agreement and the history of the building, city council member Buddy Pittman asked, “Will his future improvements go into the lease, or do we do improvements now?”
City attorney Rita Llop responded that the lease agreement is to rent the building as it is now and that any future repairs will be at the expense of the renter. Additionally, any alterations have to receive approval from the council.
The decision to keep rent at $250.00 a month began from the recommendation of city council chairman Raymond Mullis, who said that the renter has put and continues to put so much work in the place to steadily improve it.
The one-year rent is to begin on July 1 and end on June 30, 2018, if the renter agrees to the terms.
Chuck Eckles visited the council to call attention to the fact that the city is currently paying to do maintenance work in Eastman Cemetery, a privately owned cemetery within the city limits.
Eckles began his conversation with council members by requesting that they send a maintenance crew to his own house, stating that his tax dollars should go to have the city maintain his own property if the city is going to maintain another piece of private property.
City manager Jason Cobb responded by stating that the city’s policy is typically not to cut the grass of private residences. Cobb and Llop then stated that the city was performing a thorough historical look into the transfer of ownership of the property since the 1800s, and Eckles provided the council with information concerning the current deeds retrieved from the county’s office of tax assessors.
Eastman develops lease agreement for building
At the close of the discussion, Mullis said, “I really thought that it belonged to the city until you brought this up, so we are going to look into it.”
Carl Johnson, Eastman Fire Chief, informed the council that, for the month of May, the department received 53 calls: 26 from within city limits and 27 from elsewhere in the county. The calls concerned events such as structure fires, electrical fires, brush fires, natural gas leaks, medical calls, vehicle accidents and fallen trees and power lines, among others.
Eastman Police Chief Becky Sheffield informed the council that, for the month of May, the department patrolled 12,600 miles using 1,045 gallons of gas. The police department also responded to 1,083 calls and 22 wrecks.
Concerning roadwork in the city, Cobb asked Eastman citizens for continued patience as the Transportation Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) and Local Maintenance Improvement Grant (LMIG) projects continue to take place.
Additionally, the council approved to resurface Carnation Drive, a small side street in the city limits that is “more dirt than it is asphalt at this time,” Cobb said.
The preliminary cost estimate for the resurfacing is around $11,000.00, which would come from discretionary funds at the city’s approval.
The council also approved a building permit for Walmart, which is going to renovate its deli area inside for aesthetic purposes.
The council moved to reappoint Mimi Dennis and Frederick Miller to the Murrell Memorial Library Board.
The Eastman Lions Club visited the council to provide a donation to go toward the annual July 4 fireworks show.
Due to the Georgia Municipal Association’s convention, the city council’s next meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, 2017.
Carl Johnson, Eastman Fire Chief, informed the council that, for the month of May, the department received 53 calls: 26 from within city limits and 27 from elsewhere in the county. The calls concerned events such as structure fires, electrical fires, brush fires, natural gas leaks, medical calls, vehicle accidents and fallen trees and power lines, among others.
Eastman Police Chief Becky Sheffield informed the council that, for the month of May, the department patrolled 12,600 miles using 1,045 gallons of gas. The police department also responded to 1,083 calls and 22 wrecks.
Concerning roadwork in the city, Cobb asked Eastman citizens for continued patience as the Transportation Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) and Local Maintenance Improvement Grant (LMIG) projects continue to take place.
Additionally, the council approved to resurface Carnation Drive, a small side street in the city limits that is “more dirt than it is asphalt at this time,” Cobb said.
The preliminary cost estimate for the resurfacing is around $11,000.00, which would come from discretionary funds at the city’s approval.
The council also approved a building permit for Walmart, which is going to renovate its deli area inside for aesthetic purposes.
The council moved to reappoint Mimi Dennis and Frederick Miller to the Murrell Memorial Library Board.
The Eastman Lions Club visited the council to provide a donation to go toward the annual July 4 fireworks show.
Due to the Georgia Municipal Association’s convention, the city council’s next meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, 2017.
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