Before the official start of Tuesday’s regular Centerville Council meeting, several of the city’s firefighters were recognized for outstanding actions. The honors were given outside Centerville City Hall in the open parking lot to allow family members and supporters of the honored men to attend while still practicing social distancing according to state and local guidelines.
Among those recognized Tuesday evening were Joseph Laimana, who was named Firefighter of the Year, as well as Sergeant Dustin Talley, Firefighter Clint Traxler and Firefighter Kendell Marzoll, who all, along with Firefighter Joseph Laimana received Firefighter Life Save Recognition Awards.
During the official meeting, Centerville Fire Chief Jason Jones shared details about the awards to the citizens of Centerville who watched the meeting as it streamed live through the city’s Facebook page.
“First of all, the Firefighter of the Year was Joseph Laimana,” Jones said. “He’s been with the department since September 2018. Joseph Laimana is a great employee… He has taken several courses since he was hired on with us. Joseph was also a part of the life-save back in January when they pulled a victim out of a burning home. Joseph is also taking courses to become a minister, and he, one day, plans to become a chaplain for the fire service. We want to definitely congratulate Joseph Laimana on his honor for Firefighter of the Year. This award is nominated and voted on by the Centerville Firefighters, and that’s a great honor to have.”
Of those receiving the Firefighter Life Save Recognition Awards, Jones said, “Back on January 27 of this year, the guys on shift that night got a dispatch from a structure fire call with entrapment. The guys responded. Two of the guys went into the structure, and the structure was on fire and full of smoke. Centerville Police officers were there as well,” Jones added. “My two guys went inside, did a search, located a guy in his bedroom who was asleep. They pulled this young man out and went back inside to look for more victims because there was the possibility of a girlfriend being in the house with him. They did not find another victim; however, they did find the family dog and got the dog out. The dog and the young man were treated for minor smoke inhalation, and they’re all doing fine. That was a great evening and a great save.”
Jones went on to explain that while two firefighters actively pulled the victims from the burning home, the other two were on the outside and assisted with giving medical attention to the victims. It was discovered that unattended cooking caused the fire. The man that was pulled from the fire had fallen asleep after starting to cook.
In the absence of Mayor John Harley, who was under the weather according to Councilman Justin Wright who carried out the meeting in the mayor’s stead, Wright read a proclamation declaring Fire Prevention Week in the city of Centerville. The proclamation ended with Wright, on behalf of Harley, saying the following:
“Therefore I, Mayor John Harley of Centerville, do herby proclaim October 4-10, 2020 as Fire Prevention Week throughout this city. I urge all the people of Centerville to check their kitchens for fire hazards and to use safe cooking practices during Fire Prevention Week 2020, and I support the many public safety activities and efforts of the Centerville Fire Department.”
In other business, a resolution for Georgia Cities Week 2020 was provided to all council members. Wright informed the viewing public that Georgia Cities Week was something that is done annually in partnership with the Georgia Municipal Association. Due to the fact that it is routinely adopted every year, Wright opted to forego the reading of the resolution, but told the public that a copy of the resolution would be made available for the viewing of anyone who made a request to the city to do so. The resolution received unanimous approval for adoption by the council members, all of which were present except Councilman Edward Armijo, who was traveling.
Councilman Wright, who explained that it also was something that was done on an annual basis, proceeded to read a proclamation for Triple Ribbon Month. During this time, citizens are encouraged to demonstrate their commitment to three specifics things: drug-free lifestyles, domestic violence awareness and breast cancer awareness. As a part of the proclamation, Houston County and Robins Air Force Base proclaimed October 2020 Triple Ribbon Awareness Month and urged citizens to actively participate in the events, programs and efforts to eliminate drug abuse, domestic violence and breast cancer to promote a healthier community. No action was needed on this item as it was a proclamation and did not need to be approved by council.
City Accountant Carol Harrison presented a resolution for the second and final budget amendment for FY 2020 (fiscal year 2020) amending the budget from $12,006,274 to $12,010,705, which is a $4,431 increase. Harrison explained that the increase came from the animal control department in the form of repairs that had to be done to vehicle, fuel expenses and also health insurance. Council approved the budget as presented.
Director of Operations Mike Brumfield presented an LMIG Application for approval for one mile of street resurfacing on Eagle Springs Drive in Centerville. The cost of the resurfacing will be $162,797.50 plus about $2,000 in application fees. Brumfield said that $86,989.83 would be covered by grant funds and the remaining $75,807.67 had already been included in the budget. Council granted approval of the application and street resurfacing.
Due to Mayor Harley’s absence, the scheduled executive session on the evening’s agenda was postponed, and the meeting was adjourned.
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