MOULTRIE, Ga. – The Moultrie City Council approved a rezoning request Tuesday, June 7, for a storage unit business.

The 4.59 acres of land located in Land Lot Number 246 of the 8th Land District will be converted from an agricultural district to a commercial district.

“The buyers, JoAnn Chapple and Georgeann Roberts are from out of town,” Stephen Godley, the city’s director of Planning and Community Development, told the council during his presentation Tuesday night. “They have storage unit businesses in surrounding areas.”

The land is located near Rainey Motors on Veterans Parkway. 

Daniel Dunn, a councilman for District 2, Post 3, asked if there would need to be an entrance and exit installed.

Godley said the plan is for the land to be entered and exited from an adjacent piece of property.

The council also approved another rezoning request for 4.78 acres of land in Land Lot 354 of the 8th Land District of Colquitt County, Ga, which would convert from an agricultural district to a commercial district. The applicant is Joe Baker. 

“I am unsure of what the applicant is planning to do with the land,” Godley said in an interview on Wednesday.

Godley said during the presentation that the buyer had a recommendation from the planning committee.

The land is located on South Main Street and is next to Sunset Circle.

Cole Posey, a councilman for District 2, Post 3, abstained from the vote.

“I’m buying [the land],” Posey, said in an interview following the council meeting.

Lisa Clarke Hill, councilwoman for District 1, Post 1 was present via phone, and Margaret J. Mathis, councilwoman for District 1, Post 2 was not present. The motion passed 4 to 0.

The council considered its first and second reading of the two rezoning requests during the previous Tuesday, May 17 council meeting. 

Other actions taken by the council

The council approved the $1,117,584 bid from Sutphen Corporation in Dublin, Ohio, for a 75-foot ladder truck for the Moultrie Fire Department. The new truck would replace the fire department’s current 20-year-old ladder truck.

“If the city completes a $28,000 prepay, it would save the city money,” City Manager Pete Dillard said during the work session.

Moultrie Fire Department Chief Chad Kilgore said that the truck would help raise the MFD’s ISO fire rating from a class three to a class two, which could save residents money on their homeowners insurance.

The Insurance Services Office gives fire departments an ISO rating. The score rates how well a fire department is prepared for fires. 

“Raising the ISO rating could save the city money,” Dillard said in an interview Wednesday.

Dillard and Kilgore briefly spoke about the fire at Dalton’s Monday night. 

“It was pretty major for a ten minute fire,” Kilgore said.

The council also approved the annual supplemental agreement between the stae Department of Transportation and the City of Moultrie, Colquitt County and the Moultrie-Colquitt County Airport Authority.

“The annual supplemental agreement is an extension for the contractor to resurface the runway,” Tina Coleman, the city clerk said during the work session.

Dillard mentioned leasing the old gymnasium at Spence Field Campgrounds to Southern Powder Coating to establish a sandblast operation. The city would spend approximately $6,000 to bring the build up to code prior to leasing.

He also asked the board to consider creating an intramural government agreement with the Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority to establish marketing for Spence Field. 

“The EDA would work on a master plan, and the city would delegate and add covenants,” Posey said. 

Dillard said it costs approximately $150,000 per year to maintain Spence Field, and the land comes with a huge administrative effort.

“The EDA wouldn’t be able to handle owning Spence Field,” Dillard said in an interview Wednesday.

“We would love to see a big distribution center [created] that would employ thousands of people in the area, Dillard said. 

Also during the work session, Dillard informed the council that Drew Durham, the executive director of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Humane Society, would be presenting during the regular session.

“The presentation would be asking for $15,000 which is a 12.5% increase for city funds to add to the part of the city budget,” Dillard said.

He asked the council to consider that the Humane Society’s fiscal year starts on July 1 and the council’s budget starts on Oct 1.

Mayor William McIntosh informed Durham that the council hasn’t budgeted yet for the proposal in the regular session.

“There is a time situation,” McIntosh said.