Last Tuesday night, Greensboro City Council approved a contract with engineering firm Goodwin, Mills, and Cawood to seek federal funds to improve the city’s airport. GMC has been working with the city for several years on a number of FAA-funded projects at the facility.
This year, they will seek to work around the property to remove any obstructions to the runway approaches. The grant structure would be 90-10, with the FAA funding 90% of the cost and the city providing 10%.
City Clerk Lorrie Cook said the city’s attorney had already reviewed the contract and made changes, and the council needed to vote to give Mayor J.B. Washington the authority to sign it. The council voted unanimously to approve.
Also that night, Cook told councilmembers that the city’s payment to the Alabama Municipal Insurance corporation was due. This year, she said, the city would pay $105,632. Last year, she said, the cost was around $93,000, but this year the city had added a garbage truck and four new police cars over the past year. The council approved the payment by unanimous voice vote.
Fedra Britvic and Jumoke Sanusi, two Project Horseshoe Farm/Hale County Hospital Fellows, were in attendance to give an update on the planned Greensboro Bicentennial Festival. The festival will take place on Saturday, April 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Fellows said vendor applications were currently being sent out for the festival, and organizers were working to apply for a parade permit as well as get Health Department approval for any food vendors who will be there.
The organizers are also seeking to form subcommittees, made up of local volunteers, to work on different aspects of the planned festival, including children’s’ activities, music and entertainment, healthcare, parade, and cleanup. Councilmember Mary Bragg said there were problems with potholes in her district.
City Street and Sanitation Superintendent Aaron Evans said he was aware of the problem. “We’ve got them all over,” he said. “The asphalt won’t hold right now,” because of the wet and cold weather conditions, he said, “but we’re going to get them.”
Councilmember Scotty Naylor noted that the city’s Little League was starting up for its season and asked about replacing lights at Lions Park.
“A man is volunteering to use his boom truck,” Naylor said, to replace the lights at the facility. Naylor asked if they needed to contact the Parks and Recreation Board for their approval before going forward.
Washington said he would contact Susie Harris, the city’s point of contact for the park, and let her know.
The Mayor and Council made plans to carpool to the first of four statewide Economic Development Academy for municipal leaders scheduled throughout 2023. The inaugural workshop will be held all day Thursday, Feb. 9 in North Alabama. The program, which is open to all Alabama municipal officials, aims to train local leaders in effective approaches to economic recruitment and development for their communities.
