Perry CC turns down cemetery land sale

The Perry City Council denied abandoning a portion of a walkway at Evergreen Cemetery at a work session Monday.

Bobbie Richardson brought the matter up at last week’s council meeting and said she wanted to be given the walkway so that her mother and sister would be buried next to each other.

Council member Riley Hunt said Monday Richardson now wanted to buy the walkway. He added that though there appears to be a walkway, it is only 3 feet wide and would not able to handle any equipment needed to move a gravesite.

“You couldn’t even get a wheelbarrow in that walkway,” Riley said.

Mayor James Faircloth said he couldn’t see how the city could sell off portions of walkways for any of the lots. Riley noted the cemetery was close to 200 years old, and though walkways between plots appear on maps the reality of it is they aren’t there.

“We’ve managed to get by without them all this time,” he said. “I don’t see a need for them now.”

On a motion from Council member Phyllis Bynum-Grace, the council approved leaving the gravesites as they currently are. Hunt was the sole dissenting vote.

On another matter, the council agreed to move forward with a new canine facility.

Parrish Construction Group submitted the low design and build proposal, not a bid, of $544,200, and City Manager Lee Gilmour said the proposal could be lower.

The shelter would be at 500 Ball St. A donated building from Houston Healthcare is now serving as administrative offices.

The city is calling for a building with 27 kennels and outdoor runs, heating and air conditioning, exam room, quarantine room and other amenities.

“We’ve wrestled with this long enough,” said Council member Randall Walker. “We need to move on.”

Gilmour said he expects construction to begin within six months.

The council also heard from Paul Armistead of the Notting Hill Community who requested council put up No Parking signs and erect a barrier toward the end of Notting Hill Drive to help with trespassers and foil would-be criminals.

Chief of Police Stephen Lynn said they have received 153 calls from 911 over the past three years, with 45 of those calls dealing with a park in the community. The police do not have the legal right to arrest somebody because it is private property, he added.

“It also looks like nine of the 153 calls had anything to do with crime,” Lynn said. “It’s kind of a private entity-public enforcement situation, and that’s a gray area we don’t want to be in,” he said.

He added there have been about 45 situations over three years where police have responded to homeowner calls, asked people to leave and they complied, he said.

Faircloth said the city could only put up a block in the right of way, and people could drive around it through empty lots.

The council asked Armistead to meet with city workers to determine where exactly to put up a barricade, and he said he would notify property owners and report back to council.

The work session took place because next Monday is Presidents Day. Council will meet Feb. 16 at 6 p.m

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