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The Decatur County Commissioners met Tuesday morning for their first meeting of the month. After the approval of the previous meeting’s minutes, the first item on the agenda was a public hearing concerning the abandonment and disposal of Handville Road. The road connects Madison Street in Climax with Salem Church Road. According to county legal advisor Bruce Kirbo, if abandoned, the property surrounding the road would be declared surplus property and sold by private bid. The commissioners approved the motion to abandon and dispose of the road. Kirbo also stated that a bid has already been submitted for the property.

Following this, assistant city manager Roy Oliver addressed the commissioners, giving them updates on the Chason Park expansion project. “When we talk about Chason Park and the River Walk, the vision that we have is to connect citizens and visitors to the Flint, by showcasing the connection of the river and downtown,” he said. “If you come downtown and you’ve never been downtown, you might not know that the river is right over there.” Some of the developments Oliver discussed included a planned pavilion with a shade structure designed after the courthouse tower; repaving nearby parking lots; as well as how the River Walk would connect to downtown and Chason Park. As one of the parking lots the city is looking to repave is owned by the county, at Kirbo’s recommendation, the county and city agreed to meet to discuss an intergovernmental agreement for that.

After Oliver finished, the next item on the agenda was a construction contract regarding the Philyaw subdivision. This subdivision would be a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project. According to county administrator Alan Thomas, the county had already accepted a bid for the project, but had to rebid it on account of a technicality, and had since received two bids, with the lowest bid being from Watkins Engineering, at $760,470.30. The commissioners approved the bid.

Next, the commissioners considered a resolution involving the US Army Corps of Engineers and the repairing of locks and damns along the lake and rivers, including the Woodruff Dam. The commissioners approved.

Lastly, the commissioners approved the listed errors and releases, before adjourning.

The Commissioner’s next meeting will be held Tuesday, April 25, at 7:00 PM.