Depot bids to be sought

Published 11:53 pm Monday, June 20, 2016

Members of the Dalton City Council say they are eager to find a new tenant for the historic Western & Atlantic railroad depot.

“We need to get moving on that,” said Mayor Dennis Mock on Monday.

At their work session, council members directed City Administrator Ty Ross to have a request for proposals (RFP) to lease the building ready by June 30. The RFP will be advertised for six weeks.

City officials closed the building in November due to conditions that “posed potential health hazards to the public” including mold in the crawlspace, standing water under the bar, “liquid splash” under the building when the toilets were flushed and an open electrical junction box.

They recently reached an agreement with T.J. Kaikobad, owner of the Dalton Depot and Trackside Tavern which had occupied the building on Depot Street for some 25 years, which paid him $80,000 for lost inventory and business and forgave more than $20,000 in back rent and taxes he owed in return for him signing a lease termination agreement.

At their regular meeting, council members voted 3-0 to:

• Amend the city’s pension plan to allow city retirees covered by the plan to serve on its board. Previously, only current city employees who were covered by the plan could serve on the board.

• Amend the city’s noise ordinance. Previous city law banned loud noises after 10 p.m., and that will remain the law for most of the city, but in the central business district, which is essentially downtown Dalton, that has been pushed back to midnight.

Council member Tate O’Gwin was absent and Mock typically votes only in the event of a tie.