“We tabled the discussion last month after agreeing not to purchase the property without testing the land for water first,” said Mayor Chris Peck. “Since then, the owner of the land went to the realtor and said that if we paid a non-refundable deposit of $5,000 we could have 45 days to poke as many holes in the ground as we wanted in an attempt to find water.”
Councilman Tim Wyatt inquired about the total price that was to be paid.
“Is that an additional $5,000 that we must pay on top of the overall cost to purchase the land?” he asked.
Peck explained the process.
“No, the asking price is $25,000 total,” said Peck. “So after the $5,000 non-refundable deposit, we will then have to pay the remaining $20,000 if we’re still interested in purchasing the property.”
Wyatt questioned whether there would be additional cost for drilling.
“Wouldn’t we also have to pay for all the drilling that we have done as well?” asked Wyatt.
Mayor Peck confirmed the additional cost.
“Yes, we would also have to pay additional cost to whoever did the drilling for us,” he said.
Councilman Roger Fortson suggested pursuing other options.
“I really believe we should continue looking around to see what other kinds of options may present themselves,” said Fortson.
Peck offered a few final thoughts on the matter.
“I just feel like the $5,000 non refundable deposit and the additional cost of all the drilling is too steep of a price for us to pay,” said Peck. “Especially since, with our luck, they’re probably wouldn’t be any water under there anyway.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other matters, the city council decided repair air conditioning units in the old school auditorium. The next Christmas in Colbert meeting is set for Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. for anyone interested in volunteering or assisting in any way with this year’s program. Also, the new website for the city is up and running, and can be viewed at www.colbertgeorgia.com.
