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LANETT – At the Lanett City Council meeting on Monday, a resolution to accept a proposal on the marketing and construction of some new hangars at Lanett Regional Airport was further tabled.

The LH Construction Group of Newnan, GA sent the city a letter of intent for the marketing and construction. The company built 30 small T-hangars at the Newnan-Coweta County Airport and would like to expand its services to other airports. They are seeking due diligence as they study to see if a similar project is feasible in Lanett. They would want to modify the project according to market demand.

Council Member Tony Malone made a motion to table the proposed resolution noting that he wanted to see the city get actual bids for the work.

Council Member Tifton Dobbs said he had some concerns about the resolution as well. “A drawing that’s with this proposal does not show where the hangars would go,” Dobbs said. “We need to have our own hangars, too.”

Airport Manager Craig Stapleton said that what LH Construction is proposing would be separate from what the city would be doing with T-hangars. “What the city would do is completely separate,” Stapleton said. “It’s like comparing apples with oranges.”

Dobbs said he’d like to see a proposed total cost estimate rather than just 30 cents per square foot.

Jason Goins, who represents LH Construction, told the council that LH won’t know the parameters being dealt with until they go to market. The proposal includes a provision that any cost the city would incur would be mutually agreed upon in advance.

Dobbs said he’d like to get down to specifics in a work session before the city takes action on the resolution.

In other action, the council approved a resolution to purchase a dump truck for the Street Department. Mayor Jamie Heard has been directed to negotiate a final price with low bidder Herc Rental of LaGrange.

City Clerk/Treasurer Deborah Gilbert was appointed as the election manager for the August 26 municipal election. Gilbert told the council that she’s looking for poll workers who would earn $100 for helping out on election day and $25 to attend the training session.

Qualifying for the upcoming city election is underway and ends at 5 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 24.

A large number of candidates have qualified thus far. They include six who are running for mayor and 13 in the five council district races. Seeking the office of mayor are incumbent Jamie Heard, present Council Members Tony Malone and Tifton Dobbs, along with Randall Aikens, Charles Autry and Erick Woody. Roderick Autry and Denise Zachery have qualified for the District 1 council seat presently held by Malone. Sherry Potts, Kristina Story and Teresa Woody have qualified for the District 2 council seat. Jarquez McCullough and incumbent Ronnie Tucker have qualified in District 3. Incumbent Angelia Thomas, Charles Bagley and Kenneth Smith are running in District 4. Tony Moffett, Kim Roberts and Emily Shepherd are running in District 5.

In the races for the Lanett City School Board, Board President Gwen Harris Brooks and Terry Reed are running for the District One seat, incumbent Myron Fears is running for reelection in District 2, incumbent Johnny Wood, Leilani Rudd and Patricia Woody are running in District 3, incumbent David Gagnon is seeking another term in District 4 and incumbent Gail Holley and Ryan Seymour are running in the District 5 race.

Two resolutions were approved to demolish nuisance properties, one on South Jennings Avenue and another on Veterans Memorial Parkway.

Resolutions were approved in support of recognizing the Juneteenth Holiday on Thursday, June 19, and in support of awareness of cervical cancer and Operation Wipe Out, an effort to eliminate cervical cancer in Alabama.

Four members of the local Juneteenth Committee, Trudye Johnson, Natalie Fannings, Sandra Bagley and Wanda Davis, accepted a copy of the resolution from the council. Linda Hayes accepted a copy of the resolution on behalf of Operation Wipe Out.

In council member communications, Angelia Thomas thanked Rev. Harold Henson and District 4 Neighborhood Watch members for the work they did in hosting a city-wide Neighborhood Watch gathering on the W.O. Lance playground on Saturday, June 7. “It was a very good event, and we appreciate what they did in getting it together,” Thomas said.

Thomas also asked for an explanation on why an arrest was not made in a recent incident in her district when an undocumented man ran off the road, hit a trash can and collided with a vehicle parked in someone’s yard. “He was drunk,” Thomas said. “I’ve been told the police couldn’t do anything with him because he was undocumented. It looks to me like they could have held him until he sobered up.”

Police Chief Denise McCain was not present at the meeting, but Lt. Richard Casner did address the incident on behalf of the police department. He said he wasn’t all that familiar with the incident Thomas was speaking of but did say that at least a dozen DUI arrests have been made in the city in recent days. “We are working these cases,” Casner said. “It does not matter if they are undocumented. We have had some people deported.”

“The woman whose car was hit told me she felt helpless,” Thomas said. “She told me nothing was done about it. I just want to see some enforcement. People are complaining to me about chickens running loose and trash being everywhere. We need something done about this. We don’t want our citizens to have to keep dealing with this.”

Casner said he would look into it and get back to her.

Mayor Heard said he would call the woman and discuss with her.

Council Member Tony Malone said he was well pleased to see some street paving going on in Lanett.

Bo Lauderdale of the Street Department said that six or seven more streets in the city would be paved in the coming days. “Thanks for the dump truck,” Lauderdale told the council.

Water Department head Richard Chapman noted that his department had gotten caught up on some needed work and that some scheduled street paving should be able to proceed in those areas.