Dalton City Council tables vote on Lakeshore Park track resurfacing

Charles Oliver, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·4 min read

Jun. 7—Members of the Dalton City Council said they want more information before making a decision on whether to resurface the track at Lakeshore Park.

The council members voted 3-0 on Monday to table a $212,800 agreement with The Surface Masters of Marietta to resurface the track. Mayor David Pennington typically votes only if there is a tie, and council member Dennis Mock was absent.

Parks and Recreation Department Director Caitlin Sharpe said after the resurfacing the track could be used for rec department and Georgia Recreation and Parks Association competitions and as a practice track for Dalton high schools but it can't be used for high school meets because it wouldn't have a needed coating. Council members said they had expected that after the resurfacing the track would be used by The Dalton Academy for meets. They asked Sharpe and City Administrator Andrew Parker to talk to high school officials about how they planned to use the track and if necessary look at supplemental pricing to bring the track up to high school competition standards.

Sharpe warned that people rollerblading on the coated track or walking on it with cleats could damage the coating.

"With the amount of soccer we have over there it could be a great deal of damage," she said.

The council members also voted 3-0 to:

—Approve a $1.138 million contract with Sutphen of Dublin, Ohio, for a new heavy rescue truck for the Dalton Fire Department to replace a 17-year-old truck. The delivery time is expected to be 24 months. The truck will be paid for from the city's share of the four-year Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) approved by voters in 2020. The SPLOST is a 1% percent tax on most goods sold in Whitfield County.

—Submit a pre-application to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for $243,000 in grant funds to expand the splash pad at the Mack Gaston Community Center. If the city receives the grant it would have to provide $243,000 in matching funds.

—Approve a $157,778 agreement with Croy Engineering of Marietta to design new hangars for the Dalton Municipal Airport. In May the city found out it had received a $2.25 million grant from the state to expand aircraft hangar space at the airport.

Airport Manager Andrew Wiersma said the project calls for "up to four corporate hangars and up to 10 hangars on three different building sites." He said he hoped to break ground on the project by the end of the year.

The contract calls for a $750,000 match from the city for a total amount of $3 million. The council plans to fund the match from excess Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) collections. The LOST is a 1% tax on most goods sold in Whitfield County. The city's LOST collections have been running ahead of forecasts this year, and officials expect to end the year with about $750,000 more in LOST funds than they projected.

—Approve a $16,475 contract with Magoba of Snellville for asbestos abatement at the John Davis Recreation Center which is being renovated.

The renovation is being funded by the 2020 SPLOST. Plans call for a complete renovation of the 1986 portion of the building, which includes all of the administrative offices and the conference and assembly space upstairs. In addition, plans call for a new gym where the current gym is as well as a new entrance and lobby, a new locker room for lifeguards at the outdoor pool and renovation of the pool equipment area.

The City Council members approved a $5 million contract with Felker Construction of Dalton to serve as contractor-at-risk for the renovation in September 2022. A contractor-at-risk agrees to deliver a project at a maximum price. The contract includes all of the contractor's overhead, profit and fees, as well as the building construction, design fees, project furnishings, site work and any contingencies.

The rec center was built in three stages. The original section was built in 1957. In 1963 the building was expanded with a gym and additional office space. In 1986 the city added more office space and programming areas.