Buchanan city council members were asked to consider a private landowner’s plan to turn a vacant home into a business catering to the arts during their Jan. 29 work session.

Jonus and Maria Oblouk of Temple went before the council asking to have property they own at 3760 Business 27 rezoned from residential to allow for the opening of a combination art gallery and pottery studio. Oblouk said the business may eventually also include a small coffee shop offering free wi-fi, as well as house his web design company.

During his presentation, Oblouk added it was his hope the business would attract art patrons from across west Georgia.

The council members discussed with Oblouk the various requirements for his request, including a $250 fee he must pay for advertising the rezoning request in the city’s legal organ, and the fact he must post signs on the property announcing the proposal. Public Works Director Dean Tanner also discussed with Oblouk the possibility of adding an exit driveway on the Van Wert Street side of the property to avoid widening the current entrance, as the state Department of Transportation might require.

Oblouk told the council that the tentative name for the business was “Creative Spirits,” playing off the property’s location next to the Buchanan City Cemetery.

In other business, Mayor Pro Tem Kenny Hughes announced that concrete is about to be poured at the new city park, located behind City Hall. After that, playground and other equipment is expected to be quickly installed as the project moves forward to completion.

Also, Tanner informed the council members about bids he has solicited for a new lawnmower and a new truck.

The mower, with a 48-inch cutting deck, has an estimated cost of $9,200 and will replace a similar machine with a failing transmission, which he said will continue to be used on more forgiving terrain. No price was given for the truck, which would replace the vehicle Tanner now has for his own use. That vehicle, he said, would in turn replace another department truck that is no longer mechanically sound.

Hughes indicated the purchases may be discussed at February’s regular meeting, after the council has studied the bids Tanner has obtained from local dealers, as well as any special rebates offered by the manufacturers for government purchases.

Police Chief Tracy Lambert discussed with the council the purchase of a mobile defibrillator that will be carried in one of the city police vehicles while on patrol.

Lambert also informed the council of a recent incident in which one of his department’s officers was forced to taser a disturbed woman who had threatened the officer with a knife. No one was injured in the incident.