Highlights:

• Approved $10,000 grant from Dept of Natural Resources to be used to produce residential and commercial historic district design guidelines
• Waived vendors fees for vendors participating in the 2010 Peach Festival activties.  Peach Festival is June 11th - June 19th. (visit www.gapeachfestival.com for details.)
• Denied request of Valley Pines Apartments for refund of garbage fees
• Approved Company to offer long-term disability and supplemental life insurance to city employees.
• Announced vacancies on the DDA/Mainstreet Board, Planning and Zoning Board, Zoning Appeals Board and the Housing Authority Board.
• Pledged support for the Pine Street Weekend scheduled for June 11th-13th.

Next regular meeting:  Thursday, June 17th @ 6:30pm.

Construction began a few weeks ago on a Farmer's Market Building.  The structure is being paid for with funds obtained by the City from the United States Department of Agriculture. 

The new Farmer's Market will open in May.  Fort Valley Main Street is taking applications for vendors.  Products just need to be "Georgia made or Georgia Grown."  Call (478) 825-5986 for further information.

Saturday, April 24 at the Health & Physical Education Complex of Fort Valley State University

8:00 a.m.—11:30 a.m.—Registration requires a fee (call Barrett at 478-825-6290 )

8:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. Show

Show is free and open to the public

Proceeds to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Georgia Heatlands and the FVSU Scholarship Fund

Enter for a chance to win a 16 X 20 portrait on canvas from Forever Young Photography. ($349.00 value) No purchase necessary

Enter at any participating merchant. Drawing will be held 12:00 noon, Friday, May 7th.

Sponsored by: Fort Valley Main Street Down-town Development

Tour nine of the Finest Gardens in the Fort Valley area. Starting at the Everett Square Park in the Everett Square Historic District Tickets may be purchased at the Troutman House for $8.00 prior to the tour or at Everett Square Park for $10.00 the day of the tour. *This event is sponsored by the Design Committee and Fort Valley Main Street. .

Free Shuttle buses will be available for touring or you can go out on your own.

As an added attraction, we have invited vendors to sell outdoor items, plants, home items, food, drinks & even a bake sale!

A special thank you to Fort Valley State University for providing the shuttle buses and drivers

“Fort Valley decided to allow our portion of SPLOST proceeds to be used to try to address some of the stormwater drainage problems in the City,” stated Mayor John Stumbo.  The City’s drainage system consists of over twenty miles of pipe. Some of the pipes are undersized.  Others are completely or partially filled with silt and other items.  “We’ve even found a toilet in one drain,” chuckled Stumbo.

Before it can be determined if any pipes will need to be replaced, the City has purchased a Vactor truck that will be used to clean the pipe out and to conduct continued maintenance.  With the assistance of the engineering firm of Carter and Sloope, Inc., plans have been drawn and a study has been completed which helped to identify the more serious problem areas.  “We will need permission from some property owners in order to gain access to drainage ditches so that we can open up the flow of water,” said Stumbo.

Officials will soon begin contacting property owners to obtain the access easements necessary to move into the next phase of work.   “We are going to do as much as we can with the funds that we have available.  This is a multimillion dollar problem and it will take years to complete but we have to start somewhere,” concluded Stumbo.