Floyd County police to get cars, bomb disposal truck

♦ Commissioners also approve a dirt-moving contract for the Ball Corp. site.

Floyd County commissioners signed off Tuesday on several contracts, including the purchase of five used cars for the county police at a total cost of $19,900.

Chief Mark Wallace said they’ll be buying used Dodge Chargers from the Calhoun Police Department with an average of 100,000 miles on them. The vehicles will fill a need created when the board added new positions for permanent school resource officers, which will be effective in January.

“It provides us some quick relief,” he told the board.

General funds will be tapped for the purchase. Other department equipment will be funded through state and federal grants.

A $46,000 grant through the Homeland Security explosive ordnance disposal K9 program will be used for a K9 truck, with $3,000 left over for other equipment.

Also approved was a $55,000 truck for the bomb squad commander. Wallace said it would be used daily on routine patrol, but will carry the gear needed to respond at any time to a bomb call.

There’s also $12,000 for response uniforms for members of the CBRNE unit, which is trained to handle chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear and explosive threats. Wallace gave as an example a methamphetamine lab, which typically has dangerous levels of airborne chemicals.

Commissioners also awarded a $613,140 contract to Evans Construction to cut and haul 122,000 cubic yards of dirt to the Ball Packaging expansion site just off Ga. 53 and West Hermitage Road.

The company announced plans last week to invest $217.8 million in a 250,000-squarefoot addition to its existing complex and add at least 145 more full-time jobs.

“We’re relocating dirt from (Rome-floyd County) Development Authority property to the Ball property as an incentive,” County Manager Jamie Mccord said.

Work is expected to start Monday and the company wants it done in 30 days, he said.

Assistant County Manager Gary Burkhalter said the bid was awarded as an emergency procurement. Officials contacted four companies and Evans was the sole bidder, “but it’s a reasonable price,” Mccord said.

Funding will come from the special purpose, local option sales tax. The 2013 and 2017 SPLOSTS both have earmarks for economic development.

In other actions, the County Commission approved a standardized rental rate for T-hangars at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport. Hangars that are 1,200 square feet or larger will rent for 25 cents a square foot and those that are smaller will cost 28 cents a square foot.