Moreland council approves inspection at mobile home park
By W. WINSTON SKINNERwinston@newnan.com
Moreland is looking into conditions at the mobile home park in town.
Councilman Dick Ford reminded the council that the issue had been addressed in the past, but he said there is a need to look at the condition of some trailers at the Moreland Mobile Home Park.
Ford said he recently drove through the park again. “I counted six mobile homes that are just junk,” he said.
If nothing is done, “they could be dangerous,” Ford said. “Kids could get in them and get hurt.” He also expressed concern about rats and other vermin.
“I don’t know if y’all have been through there or not,” Ford said to the other members of the council at their September meeting in the town hall in the Moreland Mill. “It’s a hazard.”
Councilman Allyn Bell recommended the town “get our building inspector to go over there and evaluate whether they can be lived in or not.” Town Attorney Mark Mitchell concurred with that recommendation, and Mayor Josh Evans said he would take care of having the building inspector visit the mobile home park.
In other business:
• Councilman Jeff Burgess said he had talked with Coweta Public Works Superintendent Bill Cawthorne about “the big stones at the end” of Cameron Street, where a major drainage project has been under way.
“That’s something that will move along fairly quickly,” Burgess said. “That’s good news for all of us.”
• Town Clerk Jimmy Haynes said he had received a complaint from a concerned parent about bushes at U.S. Highway 29 and College Street.
“They’re growing back up, and they need to be cut back,” Haynes said. Most of them are located on private property.
“I think they’re totally off the right-of-way,” Burgess said.
“They are,” Councilwoman Carmen Brown said. “I see the concern.”
Brown said the resident at the property uses a wheelchair and probably is not able to do yard work. Brown said one of the local churches had helped in the past – and might again if asked.
“They’d probably do it again,” Brown said.
Haynes agreed to contact Howard Wilson, a member at First Baptist Church of Moreland.
“We can start there anyway,” Ford remarked.
• Bell said the council needs “to get started on” the 2013 budget “by October.”
Getting a start on the budget soon will enable the council to adopt it before 2013 begins. “We really need to get on that pretty quickly,” Ford agreed.
Bell said the town also needs a budget for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds it holds.
Mitchell agreed to work with Haynes to determine how much SPLOST money is available for which purposes. “They should be separated out by project,” he stated.
The council calls for the mayor to present a budget to the council. Evans said he would present a budget in October as “kind of a guideline, and everybody can give their input.”
• The council was updated on a project that involves the town’s auditor looking at the SPLOST funds.
“The auditor’s working on it. He should be finished soon,” Haynes said.
Evans said he also has been talking with county officials about Moreland getting part of the Local Option Sales Tax money that is collected in Coweta. He and Ford attended a meeting about LOST.
• The council approved purchasing a white board at Bell’s suggestion. Bell said the board could be used to keep track of projects.
“If we have a picture of it on the wall, it would be a lot easier than looking at a blank piece of paper,” Bell said.
Bell said the board will cost less than $200. Bell said he will get the board installed and “will move some things around” in the process.
