Baileyton welcomes all candidates to monthly meeting

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Baileyton Town Clerk Pat Gilbert and Mayor Johnny Dyar are seen at Monday night’s meeting. (Christy Perry for The Cullman Tribune)

BAILEYTON, Ala. – The Baileyton Town Council met Monday night for the last time before the upcoming Aug. 25 Municipal Election. All candidates, including incumbents and challengers, were present.

Mayor Johnny Dyar is being challenged by Councilman Windell Calloway. Running for Calloway’s seat, place 2, are Deborah Moon and Roy Shedd. For place 3, incumbent Wendell Peterson is being challenged by Randy Gaines. In place 4, incumbent Myra Martin will face challenger Benny Guthrie, while Pat Dyar will challenge incumbent Greg Griffin for place 5.

In place 1, Dewayne Sumner is unopposed. He will replace his father, Gene Sumner, who is stepping down after this term.

Gene Sumner received a round of applause in appreciation for his service to the Town of Baileyton.

Said the elder Sumner, “Johnny (Dyar) come in and asked me to come and fill in for (former councilman) Walter Mead. I’ve sat in his place, but I haven’t done what Walter Mead would do. I have enjoyed every moment of it and I sure appreciate the council and I love the community and I love the people.”

The council addressed complaints about Baileyton Park not being open.

“Somebody is telling that the park should be open,” said Dyar. “They are saying, ‘Why not the bathrooms being open.’”

The mayor provided information from the Alabama Department of Public Health pertaining to entertainment venues and tourist attractions.

Town Clerk Pat Gilbert read from the ADPH guidelines, “Temporarily close any common areas where social distancing is difficult or impossible to maintain.”

Gilbert said she reached out to other clerks to learn how other municipalities are handling the opening of public parks, adding, “The ones that have opened have posted signs saying, ‘Enter at your own risk’ and that they won’t assume any responsibility if anybody gets sick. The others said that they aren’t opening because they don’t have the capability to maintain the cleaning and sanitizing of bathrooms and playground equipment.”

Dyar emphasized that the bathrooms and equipment would need to be sanitized every three hours and that the Town of Baileyton lacks the manpower to do that. He asked the council to pass a resolution keeping the park closed. After clarifying that the walking trails would remain open, the council approved keeping the park closed.

Peterson disagreed with keeping the parks closed and voted against the resolution, explaining after the meeting, “If our kids are going to go to school, why can’t they go play in the park? I don’t want anybody sick, but you are out in the open. It’s not congested like it is in here. It’s in the open. There’s so many kids that if they were at the park, they wouldn’t be out on the streets. It gives them some exercise.”

In other business

After requesting time at last month’s meeting to look over information and examples of adopting a drug-free workplace, the council voted Monday night to officially implement a drug-free workplace policy.

The finishing touches are being put on Baileyton’s new $285,000 town hall. The Town received the final bill from Walker Brothers Ltd. for the construction of the new municipal building and authorized the payment of the final bill of $95,000.

Dyar asked the council about paving and landscaping around the new building, saying, “We are second to nobody in Cullman County when it comes to a town hall. Nobody, we are second to nobody.”

The council agreed to obtain the three lowest bids for the paving and to purchase plants and shrubbery for landscaping.

An inquiry was made about the Town helping with the maintenance needed for Dove Road. The road was first constructed as a private drive. Despite the mayor and council’s concerns and agreeing that the road needs repairs, Dove Road is not within the Baileyton town limits, meaning the Town is unable to assist.

The council also agreed to purchase a new lawn mower and bush hog. The aging lawnmower used to maintain the town’s park has become a regular maintenance problem. Dyar asked the opinion of both the current council and those running for council on the purchase of the new equipment. All were in agreement that the equipment is needed.

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