Bainbridge park lawsuit lingers

BAINBRIDGE -- After more than a year of discussion, planning and bidding, construction for the salt storage building has finally begun.

After more than a year of discussion, planning, bidding, construction, complaints, flimflamming and lawsuits, the walk trail at East Point Park is still in need of repair.

The notice mailed to Steve Land was returned to sender, meaning the owner of Land & Son construction has not officially been served the lawsuit Bainbridge filed against him.

The next step is going to be town marshal Rodney Fenwick delivering the notice in person.

At last month's meeting, Town attorney Jim Ensley announced the lawsuit was already in the mail. The council agreed to give Land until the July meeting to finish his repairs on the park trail or they would close that window to him and seek other bids.

Bainbridge is claiming that Land failed to fulfill his contract and pave the walk trail to specifications.

"This guy seems to be kind of a flimflammer," council president Chuck McElwee said.

The town will now bring in an engineer to gauge a cost-estimate for bringing the trail to spec.

Originally, it planned to have three companies bid on the project, but it now appears likely the town will use the one bid for the lawsuit, then look into making necessary repairs on the trail itself.

The salt storage building will likely be completed in the next couple weeks.

In other business:

- The town has been active in catching wild animals, capturing more than 30 in the last month.

- The council agreed on a plan for the Safe Routes to School grant the town was awarded. The plan will call for a single sidewalk to run from Depot Street to the school, one on the west side of Washington Street, and dual sidewalks from Depot to U.S. 36.

The process has barely begun and construction will not begin until, at the earliest, next year.