MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Moultrie City Council approved five lease agreements Tuesday to improve the area around the downtown theater district. 

Last June, the Downtown Development Authority shared plans to renovate the area around the Colquitt Theater. A contract between multiple property groups including the city itself, HGI Investments, Cranfords LLC, Johnny Slocumb and G & T Properties LLC gave the city the ability to lease the parking lots behind the theater and other shops on Main Street, according to a previous article published in The Observer. Proposed parking improvements would add approximately 20 parking spaces. 

The five lease agreements approved Tuesday include the same entities listed above aside from HGI Investments. Instead a lease agreement was made with Intrie Capital LLC and includes the Downtown Development Authority, according to the meeting’s agenda. 

“These lease agreements will get things moving along in the theater district,” Dillard told the council during the work session. “We still want to get the alleyway between the theater and the other buildings cleaned up.”

Along with the planned parking lot improvements, plans are to refinish the alley to match the existing sidewalk, add an eating area with tables and chairs and put in greenery and rope lighting. A staircase next to Every Thing Special was also set to be redone, according to previous plans released during the June 2021 DDA meeting. 

The council did not discuss when further work would continue downtown but Dillard told the council, “this will help things going in the right direction.”

The council voted unanimously to approve the lease agreements. 

Other actions taken by the council

The council held the third and final reading of an ordinance to amend the Hotel/Motel Excise Tax Ordinance, which would change the definition of a “long-term renter” from 10 days to 30 days. This was discussed in the previous city council meeting to accurately reflect standards made by other municipalities. 

A first and second reading of an ordinance to amend the Water and Sewer Service Ordinance was scheduled to be considered but was tabled during the work session to “consider more data before addressing,” according to Dillard. 

A bid for a rubber track high flow excavator was awarded to Yancey Bros from Austell in the amount of $173,919 from the 2019 SPLOST fund. This had previously been included in that year’s budget but due to the COVID pandemic, a bid wasn’t available to consider until now. 

The council approved the ballot for the Georgia Municipal Association District 10 officers:

• President – Travis Wimbush, Mayor, City of Blakely.
• First Vice President – Jay Flowers, Councilmember, City of Thomasville.
• Second Vice President – Kelvin Owens, Mayor, City of Camilla.
• Third Vice President – Chad Warbington, Commissioner, City of Albany.