Dalton City Council accepts grants for airport, approves policies for Burr Park

Aug. 2—The Dalton City Council voted 3-0 Monday to accept some $1.8 million in state and federal grants for improvements at the Dalton Municipal Airport.

The grants will fund the design for rehabilitation of the airport's runway and taxiway, obstruction removal on recently acquired property at the airport and other changes.

Council member Dennis Mock was absent and Mayor David Pennington typically votes only when there is a tie.

The local match is $24,139 but that may change depending on the costs of the projects after the city gets bids on the work back.

The council members also voted 3-0 to approve two measures clarifying how the Burr Performing Arts Park is used.

The first is a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Downtown Dalton Development Authority (DDDA) for Burr Park spelling out the various responsibilities for the park.

"The DDDA will provide support for park rentals, such as concessions, contract management and permitting," said city Parks and Recreation Department Director Caitlin Sharpe. "The city provides support through daily maintenance for the facility and on-site maintenance during events."

The agreement is for one year and will automatically renew each year for two additional years if neither the city nor the DDDA acts to stop it.

The council members also approved a set of policies and procedures for Burr Park that define the process to rent the park as well as the responsibilities of those that sponsor events at the park, the city and the DDDA. The policies and procedures were updated to include the new concession stand/pavilion that opened this year.

The policies require that those who wish to hold an event at the park submit an application to the DDDA at least 60 days prior to the event.