Staff Writer
To honor their son, Rob and Veronica Taylor will again lead a cleanup of Osborne Park in Euharlee on Saturday, June 9, as approved by the Euharlee City Council during their Tuesday night meeting.
Rob Taylor told the council he had heard many compliments from coaches and their teams about the conditions at the Robert H. Taylor III "Little Rob #5" Memorial Ball Field --named after the Taylors' son -- and that Target, Taylor's employer, wishes to continue working with the community. Target employees will assist in the cleanup as they did last year, with projects such as mulching flower beds and fence painting on the to-do list.
"My boss at Target wanted to start making it an annual event where Target would come down and clean up and just be there for our family... You know, to honor Rob," Taylor said.
Ron Goss, Euharlee's Planning and Zoning Administrator, asked the council to approve their selections for the Planning and Zoning Commission. The commission had three vacancies due to expired terms and members leaving the city. Richard Hawkins and Dennis Thayer were both approved to three year terms, while Steve Gray was approved to serve a one year term.
"We had six excellent candidates," Goss said, as he expressed his pleasure at having twice the needed amount of candidates. "I got calls as late as yesterday from people wanting to submit, but you [the council] already had your considerations, so we had to cut that off."
Goss also updated the council on the Memory Bench project, where interested residents can buy a bench with a plaque honoring or remembering an individual. Goss said that he had five committed buyers, which was the minimum amount needed to start the project. The council approved the purchase of five benches from Victor Stanley, a manufacturer based in the United States, with the stipulation that it not cost more than $1,500, including shipping.
Tuesday's meeting also saw Wanda Gray, a member of the Euharlee Library's board, announce the library's decision to stay open on Saturdays, which pleased City Manager Trish Sullivan and Mayor Kathy Foulk.
"Guys we got four hours for children, and for families, and aunts and uncles and grandmothers to come on Saturdays," Gray told the council. "I believe it's going to be an overpouring amount of children and young people and adults that are going to be there Saturday mornings."
Gray said the library should be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., but added that the board had yet to finalize the hours. However, she could confirm that the library will be open on Saturdays for six months as a trial basis. The library will monitor usage from individuals and groups to determine if the hour change is a success.