County plans building for 4-H shooting teams

Published 4:32 pm Wednesday, July 12, 2023

MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday evening to construct a new building for the 4-H shooting sports teams near the county ag complex on Veterans Parkway.

The 50-by-100-foot building will be used by the existing BB gun team and .22-rifle team as well as a proposed archery team, according to statements made at previous county commission meetings.

The University of Georgia Extension Service’s Colquitt County office brought in bids from three companies, and the commission chose the low bidder, Walker’s Construction, for $135,000.

The exact location for the building will have to be decided, but commissioners leaned toward a spot behind the existing Extension Service building. They said they wanted to make sure wherever it’s put won’t interfere with livestock shows that are held at the barn in the same complex.

Currently the shooting teams train in the same building where the livestock are shown, officials said at the earlier meeting.

Funding for the construction will come from the county’s Capital Projects Fund.

Colquitt County Extension Supervisor Jeremy Kichler said they’ve been working with the county since before the covid pandemic to get a place for the teams to practice. At one time they had planned to renovate an existing concrete building that’s used for storage, but the project turned out to be so extensive that commissioners decided a new steel building was a better option.

In other action Tuesday:

• Commissioners voted to give up the easements for Barnhill Road and Ruby’s Road, a pair of connected dirt roads north of Berlin. The roads will now become the property of the adjacent landowners. The request was filed by landowner Brent Chitty, but County Administrator Chas Cannon, who also owns property on the roads, said all the affected landowners are in agreement. Barnhill Road resident Nancy Fitch was the only person who spoke at a public hearing on the matter. She and Cannon both cited loud music, trash dumping and trespassing as reasons they want the road closed to public traffic.

• The commission approved an application to sell beer and wine at Surchero’s, 352 Veterans Parkway North.

• Declared two 2021 Mack granite dump trucks to be surplus. They’ll go to auction.