May 22--The members of the Dalton City Council took steps Monday to make sure that flying into and out of Dalton Municipal Airport stays safe.
Council members voted 3-0 to accept an agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation to improve the runway flight zone, the area planes fly into and out of when entering or leaving the airport. Mayor David Pennington votes only in the event of a tie, and council member Dick Lowrey was absent.
City Administrator Ty Ross said federal rules call for the zone to be kept free of obstacles and for trees to be kept from growing into the zone. The total cost of the project will be $423,700. State and federal transportation funds will cover $412,675. As part of the project, council members voted 3-0 to approve a $405,860 contract with Barge, Waggoner, Sumner & Cannon of Dothan, Ala., for surveying and land acquisition services.
"It sounds simple, but the trees are on several different parcels owned by various property owners," said Ross.
Board members also voted 3-0 to:
--Renew the city's agreement with Dalton Public Schools to provide school resource officers. The Dalton Police Department will continue to provide one resource officer each at Dalton Middle School and Dalton High School and will provide an officer at Morris Innovative High School. The school system will pay the city $151,514 for those officers.
--Accept a building on Dug Gap Battle Road from Windstream Communications and apply to the federal government for a special use permit to place a communications tower on the site. Fire Chief Bruce Satterfield said the department has been looking to relocate its repeater on Dug Gap Mountain for some time.
--Approve an amendment to the 2012 budget that, among other things, accounts for $1.634 million in work Whitfield County will provide to the city under the current Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) agreement.
--Approve two change orders totaling $26,513 to the renovation of the old post office on Hamilton Street. The work will primarily include removal of bad concrete and restoration of the floor on the ground level.
The council also held the first reading of an ordinance that would bring city building code in line with international codes. City Attorney Jim Bisson said this move has been urged by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
And council members also heard from Frank Rotondo, executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, informing them that the Dalton Police Department has been re-certified.
"Your agency is among the cream of the crop," said Rotondo.
Copyright 2012 - The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
