Those Statesboro citizens who have enjoyed boiled peanuts and watermelon at the city's Public Works Department Annual Peanut Boil Appreciation Festival will want to come out Tuesday afternoon and thank the man that started it all.
    Bobby Colson, Public Works Director for the City of Statesboro, is getting set to retire from city employment after more than 25 years of service and those that know and respect him are throwing a retirement party.
    The city's Public Works Department sponsored the festival annually for the last 15 years with boiled peanuts and watermelon slices for anyone and everyone who showed up. Colson was largely responsible for starting the event, which drew hundreds of appreciative Statesboro citizens every summer.
    Colson's retirement party will be held this afternoon from 3 - 5:30 p.m. at the Public Works Building on Braswell Street — the same location the Peanut Boil Festival has been held over the years.    

Council Meeting
    After the retirement festivities, the Statesboro City Council will meet on the second floor of City Hall at 6 p.m. to tackle a diverse agenda.
    First on the agenda, The Grill, a restaurant on South Main Street, will come before the council for a due process hearing to argument related to an overcapacity-violation The Grill received in July 2009. According to the Statesboro Police incident report, 418 were counted leaving the building but the restaurant's capacity is on 175.
    The council will also revisit the request of Kimberly Robertson, representative for Club Zone Bar and Grill, to extend the timeframe for paving the off-street parking. Club Zone received a variance in June 2008 to delay the paving for up to 18 months.
    Council members will also consider a motion to appoint Teresa Concannon to the Statesboro Planning Commission and they will consider an additional motion to nominate individuals on one city council member to the Unified Land Development Code Stakeholder committee. The ULDC committee will work with the Lott & Barber Consulting group to help prepare ULDC documents, which will update, modernize and streamline the city's planning and zoning ordinances, as well as its development processes.
    Also on the table are two motions would authorize City Manager Shane Haynes to enter into agreements with outside consultants. The first contract, with Emergency Services Consulting Internation, calls for an agency review and strategic plan development for the Statesboro Fire Department. ESCI was the lowest bidder and total cost of the contract cannot exceed $49,346.
    The other contract, with Merchant Capital LLC, calls for the refinancing of various water and sewer system bond and loan obligations, financing certain improvements to the city water and sewer system and other refinancing or capital projects which the city may deem appropriate. The total cost and potential cost savings were not included with the council agenda packet.
    Phil Boyum may be reached at (912) 489-9454.