Selina Iglesias
Greene Publishing, Inc.
The Greenville Town Council met for their monthly meeting on Monday, July 11 at 6 p.m. At the start of the meeting, several citizens came forward with complaints about vendoring procedures for the recreation park. After much back-and-forth between citizens, council members and Recreation Board Coordinator Morris Bell, the council quieted down the crowd and reminded them that the issue would be addressed later in the meeting.
The first item on the agenda regarded placing signage to recognize local athletes Geno Hayes and Chris Thompson. The signs would state that Greenville is the home of these two athletes at the entrance of the Town of Greenville. The council would have to talk to the legislature in order to get permission to place these signs on Hwy 90, and the signs would most likely be put in place by the Florida Department of Transportation.
Next, Mayor Calvin Malone informed the council that John Nelson, Sr., who gave a presentation on Robert's Rules of Order during a workshop last month, should be compensated for his work.
“In the future, if someone wants to be compensated, they should tell us beforehand,” said Councilmember Brandi Seabrooks, adding that there could be options to get volunteers who would speak on the same caliber instead of paying other speakers.
Councilmember Barbara Dansey agreed with Malone. After much discussion, the council voted to pay Nelson $125 for his presentation.
The next item on the agenda sparked a heated discussion between Bell, the council members and Greenville citizens. Earlier in the meeting, citizens complained about Bell's behavior when allowing them to cook and sell food at the rec park. Many claimed that they were told they could cook and sell on certain days but Bell would change his mind last minute and tell them that they could not be vendors on those days. Bell came forward to the podium to address the situation, informing the council that when he began working as the rec coordinator, there was no job description that existed, so he was working from scratch to figure everything out. He handed the council members the procedures he created. Things became personal between Bell and Malone, and quickly the conversation went off track; Malone redirected the conversation, reminding Bell to remain professional.
“We relied on you to create a process to make the rec center enjoyable,” said Malone. “We assumed you'd mean what you say and do what you say, but when you tell one person something and another something else, you cause chaos.”
The council was concerned as to why Bell never gave them the procedures before, but Bell claimed he didn't give his procedures to the council because they never asked for them. Bell commented that he communicated clearly with the vendors and kept good character, but councilmember Joi Collins still had concerns. “If I came up to you and asked if I could sell, and then the next day it's something else, that's a problem,” said Collins.
The council agreed to establish a clear contract that would define procedures and keep the confusion to a minimum. In the future, the council will decide case-by-case on who gets to sell food in the park. They decided to create a stop-cap measure until everything was established. The council was also concerned that they had not seen or approved who was on the rec board committee.
Before any other discussion could begin, Bell handed his resignation letter to Town Clerk Kim Reams and donated $100, stating that it had been a privilege to work as the coordinator of the rec park.
“I don't think the kids will be missing out if Bell resigns over foolishness,” said Mayor Malone.
“I don't understand why we are having confusion when these vendors have been here since day one,” said Seabrooks.
“A lot has happened because we didn't have any [rules about vendors],” said Town Attorney Clay Schnitker. “It'll take some time, and I think we can smooth this out.”
Bell informed Seabrooks and the rest of the council that at the time he started, there was no vending going on. He commented that he felt there was no support from the council within his job, and he was “too scared” to ask for anything.”
Collins urged Bell to stay, as the rec park provides “positivity to the children” and that Bell should let the issues he's been faced with 'roll off.' “To keep things going for the betterment of our children, reconsider [the resignation],” said Collins.
Many citizens chimed in, asking Bell to stay, as the rec coordinator. “I don't want my son to be a statistic,” said one citizen. Bell agreed to stay and the resignation letter was ripped up by Reams. Procedures for vendors will be discussed further and the committee members will be reviewed.
To conclude the meeting, the council voted on adding basketball goals to Haffye Hays Park. Previously, goals were donated, but because the council took so long to decide on what to do with them, these goals were discarded to the rec park. The council has to purchase new goals to add to the park. The motion to purchase these goals failed with a vote of 2-2. It was retabled for the next meeting.
The council also voted to amend the fire department's budget. Chief Washington informed the council that items have been stolen out of the department, and there is no alarm system or security cameras in place. The council approved to amend the budget, allowing Chief Washington to use $4,500 for electric doors.
The next council meeting will be held on Monday, Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. at Greenville Town Hall.