Black Men United’s annual Friends and Family cookout will take place in the Earle May Boat Basin during Memorial Day weekend, as the event’s organizers had sought permission for.

The cookout, the 21st annual held by Black Men United, will take place Sunday, May 30, in the Boat Basin. To get permission to hold the event there, organizers had to meet requirements set by City of Bainbridge officials concerning event security.

Cookout organizer James Lodman Sr., who has been representing the group at Bainbridge City Council meetings, said Friday they had met the city’s final two requirements.

First, city officials’ request for Black Men United to pay for the assignment of 10 Public Safety officers to handle security at the event, in addition to any private security staff that might be hired.

The second requirement would be for the group to have a temporary worker’s compensation policy, which would protect the city from any costs related to officers being injured while working, in addition to a general liability insurance policy.

For the past couple of years, the cookout has been held in the Boat Basin on the weekend following Memorial Day weekend, after city officials asked organizers to move the date to avoid conflicting with recreational boating going at the same time.

But Lodman had said the last two June cookouts were poorly attended in comparison with the large crowd of thousands of people during previous events.

In addition to the cookout, Friends and Family Day will also feature entertainment and other activities. Organizers said they welcome donations of food and money for the cookout.

To make a contribution or for more information on the event, interested persons can call Lodman at 220-2196, Norris Akins at 220-3000 or Rod Martin at 220-0341.

The Memorial Day holiday itself will be observed Monday, May 31.

Other business

In other business, the council:

 Resolved, by unanimous vote, to abandon an alleyway behind a business at 701 S. Scott St., with the alley space to be sold at fair market value to Charles Simms.

 Approved, by unanimous vote, a new alcoholic beverage license fee schedule.

 Selected, by unanimous vote, Mayor Pro Tempore Glennie Bench as the City of Bainbridge’s voting delegate to the annual convention of the Georgia Municipal Association.

 Appointed, by unanimous vote, Jason Lee to the Industrial Development Authority to fill a seat made vacant by the recent resignation of Bruce Kirbo from the board.

 Heard a presentation from employees of the city’s Utilities Division on their recent work.

 Heard a presentation by citizen Austin Spooner, who talked about his service project to encourage voter registration.

Bids and Bills

Bills: $40,551.85 from Decatur County Commissioners for monthly inmate and landfill charges; and $4,469.18 from Georgia Municipal Association of Atlanta, for 2010-2011 membership dues.

Bids: $12,125.70 from Barber Fertilizer of Bainbridge for mosquito spraying chemicals; $7,722 from Ashland Chemicals of Greensboro, N.C., for 55 drums of polymer; $4,861.32 from Consolidated Pipe of Albany, Ga., for pipe supplies at Bill Reynolds Sports Park Phase Three; and $3,308.46 from Blankenship Contracting of Green Cove Springs, Fla., for sanitary manholes with rings, covers and precast inverts for installation at Bill Reynolds Sports Park Phase 3.