Whitfield County commissioners approve new equipment for senior center kitchen

Charles Oliver, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·3 min read

Apr. 11—The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 on Monday to ratify a $25,054.78 bid from Douglas Equipment of Bluefield, West Virginia, for a new steamer and water filter for the Whitfield County Senior Center kitchen. The funding will come from the 2020 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).

Board Chairman Jevin Jensen typically votes only when there is a tie.

Officials are working on remodeling the kitchen and replacing aging appliances.

"The steamer and related water filter are in the worst shape and thus are being replaced first," according to the meeting agenda. "Due to concerns over the condition of the existing steamer, (Jensen) approved the bid award on March 12 so that an order could be placed."

"We've been working on the kitchen. We've been working on the flooring," said Jensen. "We've done a lot of improvements over the last 14 months at the senior center. This was kind of urgent because it was completely out of commission."

The county took over ownership and management of the senior center on Jan. 1, 2023. Previously, the senior center was jointly funded by the county and the city of Dalton and operated by the city.

The commissioners also voted 4-0 to:

—Approve a $38,550 change order for a bathroom remodel at Fire Station 2. According to the agenda packet, after demolition, contractors found a steel beam would need to be installed to help carry the load of a wall that was removed. In addition, the contractor has completed one restroom and determined the cost of the main drain connection. The change order includes all anticipated expenditures to complete the renovation of five fire stations.

—Use $22,617 in COVID-19 Mitigation in Georgia Confinement Facilities grant money to replace air filters in the jail's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Including this award, the sheriff's office will have received $225,000 in grant funding for HVAC equipment and janitorial supplies.

—Approve sewer pump repairs for Edwards Park. The commissioners had approved $50,000 for that work. The final cost was $59,064. The board is scheduled to approve the higher amount and to use federal American Rescue Plan Act money to fund the work.

—Accept an $11,183.40 bid from Sansara for a GPS system for Public Works Department vehicles and equipment.

—Accept a bid from Wheat Trucking for tandem trucking services. The contract will pay Wheat $100 per hour for the first half of the day and $95 per hour for the second half of the day.

—Reappoint Wendy Saylors, a paramedic formerly with Hamilton Emergency Medical Services, as the county representative to the Region 1 Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council.

—Extend the county's contract with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service to provide a county extension agent through June 30, 2025.

—Approve a request by Corey Shields to rezone from general commercial to rural residential 0.14 of an acre at 4832 S.E. Tibbs Bridge Road. According to a staff analysis, the property had a manufactured home and was long out of compliance with zoning. Shields wishes to use the property for a single-family residence, and the rezoning is necessary for that.

—Approve a request by Integrity Construction of Dalton to rezone from low-density, single-family residential to rural residential 0.69 of an acre on Dycus Road. The company wishes to build up to two duplexes on the site.

The Dalton-Varnell-Whitfield County Planning Commission recommended approval of those two requests at its March meeting.