By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
City partners with Fire Corps team
Placeholder Image
    City council unanimously agreed Tuesday to jointly fund a mobile unit designed to support the victims of a fire tragedy immediately after fire professionals are called to an emergency. Working in conjunction with Fire Corps, a new volunteer and donation sponsored arm of the Statesboro Fire Department, the city will pay for on-going expenses including insurance, fuel-costs and maintenance.
    The vehicle, funded by donations and run by volunteers, will show up shortly after the fire department begins to fight a fire. Trained volunteers will assist the home owners with shelter, clothing, insurance and the host of other decisions families are forced to make in the hours following a tragedy.
    Tommy Strickland, whose North Main Street home burned down the week before Thanksgiving, said even with the outpouring his family received, he could have benefited from having volunteers on scene to help.
    In other council news, the council voted to award up to a $72,000 contract to Karl Edwards of Excelciso Communications, a part of VC3 Inc., in order to facilitate the request-for-proposal process with bidders in the telecommunication industry.
Frontier, Northland and Clearwire Communications are likely to be among the companies that bid on the project.
    Edwards favors WiMAX technology since it has a much lower installation cost per square mile than WiFi, but specific technologies chosen for deployment will be determined during the RFP process.
    "The key is that whatever goes out (to bidders) is vetted by all the parties involved," said Edwards.
    In development, the council voted to spend $300,000 expanding Eastside Cemetery on Packinghouse Road. New roadway extensions from the old cemetery to the new section will be constructed during the expansion. The first two phases of the project will add 1,144 new single plots or 572 double plots, which is expected to sell out in 15 years.
    The Downtown Streetscape project was delayed again since only one contractor bid on the project. City rules state there must be at least two bidders before it can write a contract. Also, City Engineer Maj Elhaj said he is still waiting for the Notice to Proceed from the Georgia Department of Transportation.
    And a South Carolina company representing the W. A. Bowen estate attempted to rezone a 2.84 acre piece of property for the development of a small, mixed-use retail center. Bolstered by recommendations to deny from city staff and the planning and zoning commission, the council denied the rezoning request on the grounds that opening up Gentilly to further commercial development traffic would place too great a burden on Gentilly and would upset the residential feel of the neighborhood.
Sign up for the Herald's free e-newsletter