Bonifay votes to return rec center to county

BONIFAY – Ownership of the Bonifay recreational center will soon return to the county.

Mayor James “Eddie” Sims brought the matter before council members when Bonifay City Council met in regular session Monday, Dec. 13, stating the City received news that it would not receive any legislative appropriations to support the cost of repairs to the aging building and grounds. The City had hoped to use those funds to renovate the property.

With the funding not forthcoming, the council asked attorney Michelle Jordan to move forward with the process of transferring ownership of the facility to the county. 

Jordan advised the council the matter would need to be done through ordinance which requires two public hearings. The first public hearing is expected to take place in January.

In other business, the Bonifay Fire Department was given approval to accept a grant from the State Fire Marshall’s Office totaling $21,000. The grant will cover the cost of five sets of turnout gear – gear Assistant Chief Travis Cook says is sorely needed. 

“Gear has to be replaced every ten years,” said Cook. “We have five sets that are due for replacement, so this is a tremendous help by taking the burden off of our budget. Lieutenant Ryan Martin did a great job securing this grant for us, and we owe him a debt of gratitude.”

A request to apply for advanced funding on the Department of Economic Opportunity grant for the Memorial Field project was approved by the council. Engineer Elissa Pettis will move forward with the request for $110,470 which will allow the city to cover the costs related to surveying, engineering, and design of the project. 

Bonifay City Council will meet again in regular session at 6 p.m. on Jan. 10.