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LANETT —  At its Monday meeting, the Lanett City Council took steps toward building a new access road to Lanett Regional Airport and doing a roof replacement at the James A. Hardy Gym.

The council approved a resolution to use funds from an existing line of credit it has with AuburnBank to procure the property needed for the new access road. The road will provide faster access to the airport from I-85 than what’s now available off Cusseta Road. The resolution directs the mayor and city clerk to sign the documents needed for the land purchases on behalf of the city.

The new road will likely start across from the present junction of 45th Street SW and head an estimated one mile directly to the airport.

Another resolution declared an emergency need to repair the roof of the James A. Hardy Gym. Recreation Director Trent McCants informed the council that the roof was damaged several years ago in a hailstorm, and leaks onto the gym floor. Some new bleachers have also worsened since that time. It has gotten to the point that events inside the gym have to be canceled after it has rained. The gym is used for summer youth camps, recreation basketball games, senior citizens events and municipal elections.

“It’s now leaking in 20 different places,” McCants said. “We are having to cancel events in the gym. Some people are afraid to come there because of the roof.”

“We have put in a new gym floor and new bleachers,” said Council Member Ronnie Tucker. “It would be foolish for us not to put in a new roof if the one that’s now there is leaking that much.”

The resolution currently reads “The condition of the gym roof has created an imminent threat to public safety.”

McCants said the nearby senior center has also had problems with a leaking roof, especially in the kitchen area.

Three local roofing companies have been asked to submit bids for doing the needed work. The council will likely accept the lowest responsible bid.

The council approved a third resolution declaring violations of the city’s weed ordinance at 38 different sites in the city. Each property owner will be sent a notice giving them 21 days to clean up the site on their own. If they fail to do so, the city will do it and place a lien on the property to recoup its costs.

Recreation Director McCants presented four local men with certificates of appreciation for their roles in a mentoring program. McCants commended Edward Frazier, Michael McCants, Fred Roberts and A.Z. Jennings for their exemplary work in interacting with local youth. Basketball coach Robert Cotton spoke on their behalf. “They are trying to break the cycle that brings many of our young people down,” he said. “They are trying to show these guys the right way.”

Trent McCants thanked the mayor and council for their support of what these men are doing. 

Mayor Jamie Heard and members of the council commended the four men for taking it upon themselves to set good examples for local youth. “I want to thank Trent for getting this program started,” said Council Member Tony Malone.

“When you get something like this started, people will participate in it,” said Council Member Tamalita Autry.

Certificates of recognition were also given to members of a seventh-grade basketball team that has won three district tournaments in recent weeks. They have posted a 12-0 record and won first place in their most recent tournament in Columbus.

The council congratulated three local students on having received the 2025 Energy Southeast scholarships. The Lanett Electric Department is a member of Energy Southeast. The recipients include recent Springwood graduate Carter Plank, Lanett High graduate Dominique Thompson and Valley High graduate Immanuel “Manny” Williams. Plank plans to attend Auburn University and will major in chemical engineering, Thompson will attend Alabama State University, where she will major in computer information systems and Williams will continue his education at Troy University.

In other business, the council approved a contract agreement with Spectrum Business on behalf of the Blue Skies Flight School and approved an on or off-premise retail beer license for The Hampton Inn.

Two Lanett Fire & EMS Department auto pulses were declared surplus property. These devices are no longer needed due to a recent upgrade and can now be sold, traded, or disposed of.

In council member communications, Angela Thomas thanked the police department for their recent actions on South 9th Street. “People who live in that neighborhood have complained to me about a plethora of problems they have been dealing with,” she said.

She also commended the men who were recognized for participating in mentoring efforts and congratulated the three students who received scholarships.

Council Member Tifton Dobbs thanked the Street Department for having repaired some potholes in his district. He asked the mayor when a scheduled paving project would be getting underway in the Crystal Springs area. Mayor Heard said it should be taking place within the next several weeks, depending on when Chris Clark can get caught up from several other paving projects.

Heard also invited volunteers to help out in a litter cleanup effort this coming Saturday. The Restoration Committee will head out from City Hall at 8 a.m. to work in areas of the city for approximately two hours. From noon till 2 p.m. on Saturday, the District 4 Neighborhood Watch chapter will have an event at the W.O. Lance playground. Lanett residents are invited to come out for some free refreshments while they talk to active Neighborhood Watch members about what can be done to make their neighborhoods cleaner and safer places to be.

From 3 to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, the Valley Local will be hosting an event in downtown Lanett. There will be some live entertainment, lots of food trucks and jumpers for the kids.

Greater Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carrie Wood reported to the council on some upcoming events. The Chamber’s third annual Kids Fishing Rodeo will be taking place Saturday, June 7 at Hardley Creek Park, just below West Point Dam. It starts at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Johnny’s Pizza will be providing lunch. Bluffton Bait and Tackle will be providing fishing bait.

Other Chamber events this month will include a Catch Up Over Coffee at Chick-fil-A in Valley, starting at 7:30 a.m. on June 10, an open house at AL-GA Insurance hosted by Robert Waldrop on June 24 and a ribbon cutting at Mustardseed Mercantile on June 26.