Sarah’s In The City Coming To Hazlehurst
By MARY ANN ANDERSON
Another chapter opened up in the ongoing saga of what to do with the city-owned community center on U.S. 221 North, but this time around it will be a win for the citizens of Hazlehurst.
During last week’s called meeting of the Hazlehurst City Council, Mayor Bayne Stone announced that Sarah Boatright, who owns Sarah’s in the City in Baxley and Boatright’s Buffet in Alma, plans to open the restaurant portion of the community center. Stone also noted that Boatright will be opening yet another location in Vidalia. Baxley and Alma locations are currently Southern-style buffets, and plans are that the Hazlehurst and Vidalia locations will follow suit.
The mayor said Boatright “is interested” in leasing the restaurant for $2,000 a month. The golf course, which is a part of the community center complex, is not included in the negotiations.
“She’s willing to lease the restaurant pretty quick,” he said of Boatright. “She’s ready to move.”
Stone then explained that with the anticipated volume of the Hazlehurst location that Boatright will need a walk-in cooler and a walk-in freezer that will require modifications of the existing kitchen. The restaurant will also need a new commercial dishwasher and ice machine. The electrical work will be done by an employee of the city who is an electrician.
At the end of the 10-minute meeting, Ward 4 Councilman John Bloodworth made a motion to order the dishwasher and ice machine and begin the electrical modifications. The motion also included a cost analysis of the cooler and freezer to be approved at another called meeting after the city gets the figures for the appliances.
City Attorney Ken W. Smith asked that Bloodworth amend his motion to also have a proposed lease agreement in place between the city and Boatright so that it’s “ready to go” at the next called meeting. The motion and its amendment were unanimously approved.
Also in last week’s meeting, the council okayed the intergovernmental agreement with Jeff Davis County for the final negotiation percentages of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, should the measure pass in the November election. The SPLOST vote is for a six-year period beginning in 2024.
