Stone Mountain, GA — At its Oct. 18 meeting, the Stone Mountain City Council approved spending $16,000 on equipment to fix the first group of numerous sinkholes within the city.

The expenditures, broken down, are $3,852.12 to Lashley Kubota for a 30-day rental of an excavator and trailer, $8,515 to Laser Products for purchasing surveying equipment, and $5,022.55 to Oldcastle Infrastructure for pipes.

The city presented a short report to council on how this equipment will be used to address this initial set of six sinkholes.

The excavator will be used to fill in the hole for the 682 Rockborough Drive sinkhole. Apparently, the pipe does not actually need to be replaced and the Stormwater Manager Jonathon Eggelston expects to have the hole fixed by Nov. 2. It made more sense to rent the excavator, given the price and the more intense maintenance.

There are two sinkholes at 1001 Hill Street at McCurdy Park. For these two, the pipes affected need to be totally replaced, which is why the pipes are being purchased.

The last three sinkholes are still in the survey stage, the extent of the problem still needing to be better understood, which is why survey equipment is being purchased.

Councilmember Gil Freeman was unsatisfied with the city’s report and asked for another report. Councilmember Chakira Johnson asked if there was a specific question he had, or any specific information he was looking for, to which Councilmember Freemen simply replied restating the report was unsatisfactory.

Despite this, the expenditures were approved unanimously.

In other news:

– City Manager Darnetta Tyus reported that the public works team has installed four benches and replaced the roof of the site stage at Leila Mason Park. Tyus said an RFP had been sent out for the SPLOST I street repavements and that contractors had been assigned to design plans for the park upgrades also paid for by SPLOST I.

– The granite from the recently demolished blue house next door to city hall (865 Main St.) is being made available for the public. It will be at 998 5th street on Friday Nov. 10, 12-7 p.m. and then Saturday Nov. 11 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. It will be first come first served. Anyone who wishes to have this granite will be totally responsible for transportation of it. There will be a waiver to sign that will serve to verify residence in the city of Stone Mountain.

– Leon Street from in front of the Georgia Military College Building to Manor Drive and Manor Drive, from in front of the Georgia Military College Building south to the end of the street will be closed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 21 for the city’s “Trunk or Treat” car show event.

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