Perry P.D. squadron goes “beyond the call”

The Perry Mayor and Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, March 16 at the Perry Events Center. Starting promptly at 5:00 for the pre-council session, with the council meeting following the next hour, the council and staff made quick work of both agendas, taking time to carefully listen to various presentations and the recognition of a Perry Police Department squadron.

Notable discussion in the pre-council meeting included that Phase 2 of Legacy Park will ensue after the Main Street realignment project—which is in the final draft phases—updates that the new city hall facility is currently being analyzed by city administration and architects to evaluate and finalize which offices will function inside, and another update for the voting precinct option for Perry residents.

Lee Gilmour, Perry’s city manager, shared that they met with the Board of Elections concerning the council’s concern for where residents, particularly in the northeast section of Perry, can go vote. Looking at the situation of Warner Robins and how many citizens have to vote in separate locations depending on if it’s for city or county, state or federal, Perry council wanted to find a way to avoid that. Gilmour revealed that the Board of Elections, “met with Chief Parker…to take a look at either the Davis Fire Station or the Training Center at the Davis Fire Station.” He also divulged that the administration suggested possible schools in the area, but it was promptly denied by the board. Offering other locations such as churches, the board appeared to need more time to deliberate and according to Gilmour, “they have not made any final determination yet.”

After calling the regular meeting to order and a quick invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, Lannette Tomlin, a representative from Clover Wine Merchants, took the floor. Due to the threat of the spread of COVID, the Perry Chamber and merchants made the difficult decision to move the Dogwood Festival to the Georgia National Fairgrounds. The annual event usually took place throughout several blocks in downtown Perry. Though many merchants understand the rationale of the decision, they still harbor a sense of disappointment for the decrease of exposure they feel their businesses will be getting.

To combat the move of the festival, Tomlin requested approval from the mayor and council to host a “Pop-Up Tent Tasting” via two parking spaces adjacent to the storefront during the same weekend of the Dogwood Festival, April 8-11. 

“I still would like the opportunity to promote my business just a little bit more,” explained Tomlin. She went on to share that many businesses around theirs close early in the evenings and that the Tomlin’s would like to have the opportunity to heighten their exposure during what would have been a beneficial time.

Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman, Robert Jones, remarked that given the extenuating circumstances of COVID and the festival, he approved of the pop-up. The mayor and council unanimously agreed.

Next on the agenda was the recognition of Squad 4 of the Perry Police Department. Lieutenant Chris Sutcliff introduced the squadron to the mayor and council and shared about an incident that happened only a few weeks ago and demonstrated what Police Chief Stephen Lynn proudly calls, “going beyond the call.”

On February 25, Officers Daniel Layson, Skyler Bryant, Deborah Murberry, Sergeant Jacob Laster and Corporal Josh Brown responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle in a man’s driveway. After running the tags to ensure the vehicle wasn’t stolen, they then ran some information checks on the registered owner and discovered that he had an open warrant in Dooley County and was involved in multiple gang related activities. After notifying Dooley County of the find, they were recommended to tow the vehicle and return to their service. However, dissatisfied with the suggestion, the officers then notified Lt. Sutcliff that they would like to set up surveillance to catch the driver. After two and a half hours, the resident of the home with the suspicious vehicle informed the officers where the driver could potentially be located. Responding to the lead, the suspect was caught leaving the residence by the officers and was taken into custody without incident. 

Sutcliff ended the report by sharing that the officers on duty could have just towed the vehicle and walked away from the situation, returning to service, but they instead took the initiative to catch the suspect. “It makes me feel proud to know we have officers that work…and go above and beyond and do what needs to be done,” he declared.

After the recognition, Jim Marquardt with Perry-Houston County Airport Authority approached the podium to give an update on the activities and important improvements happening to the airport. He explained the history of the airport, the operating budget with an annual net income of $77,310.00, the importance of general aviation and its economic impact. Also discussed was the approval of the resolution of the areas for reclassification in the fire department and the support of the council for the Downtown Development Revolving Loan Fund (DDRLF) for the Muse Theatre.

Ashley Hardin, the Economic Development Director, informed the council and city staff that Perry’s Downtown Development Authority has been awarded a private-public partnership to be the flow through entity for two state loan programs totaling at $320,000 combined for the renovation and acquisition of the old Muse Theatre. The plans are to restructure it to be an event space and would be an approximate six-month project. 

After a few closing remarks from the mayor and council, the meeting was then adjourned.

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