HELEN — Helen officials agree that decorating Georgia's Alpine Village in a professional manner and continuing to enhance its year-round appeal are paramount to the city's continued success.
What they haven't agreed on yet is how that will be accomplished.
Tuesday morning, commissioners discussed a proposal from former Commissioner Dona K. Burke to decorate the city twice a year.
"I appreciate the fact that she's submitted a proposal, I believe that the amount she's looking for is $8,000 a year to decorate twice a year," Commissioner Cinnamon Spurlock said. "I broke the numbers down. I'm not in favor of the proposal. I would like to leave it volunteer. I understand the hours that go into it, but I just think that the money that's being requested here can be spent elsewhere."
Commissioner Helen Wilkins said she favors outsourcing the decorating, noting she discussed with Burke the proposal and that the price was reduced 20 percent from Burke's original proposal.
"We've tried the volunteer before here, Cimmi, and they don't show up," Wilkins said. "If we want the town to continue to look as good as it does, I think we're lucky if Dona will do it."
Spurlock said she will volunteer her time to help decorate.
Commissioner Judy Holloway said she decorated the city for a couple of years, but didn't put in the number of hours Burke is proposing.
"It takes a full-time job to do this, and I don't think any of us have the time to do it," Wilkins said. "We want these to look incredible, not just to happen. We want it to look really, really good."
Commissioner Jeff Ash agreed it is crucial for the city to maintain and build its appearance.
"I agree with Helen," Ash said. "You get what you pay for. I'd like to see it. We've reached the level in this town where everybody expects this town to improve each year."
Ash said whoever is selected for the work should be under City Manager Jerry Elkins' direction.
"I would expect it to look a lot better next Christmas, not that it doesn't look good now," Mayor Fred Garmon said.
"You look at the town as it's decorated today and it's been decorated for years even, it looks great," Elkins said. "It always has looked good, and we've improved every year, and our citizens expect it and our tourists expect it."
Following the meeting, Ash explained why he favors contracting someone to decorate the city, under the direction of City Manager Jerry Elkins.
"The city has reached the level now of professional in its decorations and that needs to continue on even more each year," Ash said. "A lot of volunteer work has been put into this over the past 15 or 20 years, and now it's time that in order to continue that we've got to be focused and organized."
He said city commissioners and others in the community have done their part to keep the city looking good, but that it's time for someone to take those reins and handle the decorating.
"People should be compensated for the time they put into this because of the tourism base up here," Ash said. "My intent was to make sure that whatever we do next year, we become more organized, we compensate the people that are going to participate, and the city should be involved a little bit in the decisions of the theme, whether it's a fall theme, a Christmas theme, or a spring theme — and I think we can do that."
