HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting July 21, 2020REGULAR MEETING VIRTUAL/TELECONFERENCE
JULY 21, 2020
Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:00 p.m., July 21, 2020, the Hon.
Hardie Davis Jr., Mayor, presiding.
PRESENT: Hons. B. Williams, Garrett, Sias, Fennoy, Frantom, M. Williams, Davis, D.
Williams, Hasan and Clarke, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission.
Mr. Lewis: Okay, Mayor, we're ready to go.
Mr. Mayor: All right, do you want to bring to the attention of everyone around the
Addendum Agenda?
The Clerk: Okay, we have one item, Item 41 on the Addendum Agenda is an item that did
not make the required timeline. Planning is asking that it be added; it should be a part of their
consent items. The Planning Commission did approve it. It was an oversight that it didn't get in
in time. Item 42 is a request from Transit Department for the last renewal of their current contract
which will go through July 3 1 " 2022. 68 is a revised agenda item from what is printed on our
printed agenda.
Mr. Mayor: All right, very well. All right, I think we're tracking, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Mr. Sherman is available to answer any questions regarding the Planning
Petitions if there are any on the consent items as well.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk, do we know which items have objectors?
The Clerk: They're on the regular agenda.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, they're all on the regular agenda, all right, very well. Okay all right,
I'm ready to proceed if you are.
The Clerk: Yeah but for the sake of the record if we could ask Mr. Sherman if there are
any objectors who want to consider our Consent Agenda?
Mr. Mayor: Okay, hold on, let's get Rob in here. All right, okay all right, I don't see
Director Sherman.
Mr. Lewis: Mr. Mayor, he may be in there with the public.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Natasha, Natasha ---
Ms. McFarley: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- is that Rob?
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Ms. McFarley: Yes, he's coming up.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, fantastic, all right, fantastic.
The Clerk: Rob, were there any objectors to any of the Planning Petitions on the Consent
Agenda?
Mr. Sherman: Can you give me one minute? Let me go ask.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Sherman: Mayor, there are no objectors.
The Clerk: On the Consent Planning Petitions, correct?
Mr. Sherman: That's correct. There are no objectors.
The Clerk: Okay, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Madam Clerk, okay, all right, I'm ready to proceed I believe, I'm
ready to proceed.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we'll call this meeting to order. This is the July 21, 2020 Regular
Commission Meeting and at this time we'll call the meeting to order. The Chair recognizes Madam
Clerk.
The Clerk: Would you please stand for our invocation after which our Pledge of
Allegiance.
The invocation was given by Ms. Lena Bonner, Clerk of Commission.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America was recited.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Madam Clerk ---
The Clerk: Yes, sir ---
Mr. Mayor: --- all right, we're ready. Let's proceed.
The Clerk: --- with the Delegations?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, with the Delegations. I'll come back later.
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The Clerk:
DELEGATIONS
A. Astrid Utley regarding lack of services on Deans Bridge Road to include but not limited
to 1) Landfill issues and its impact on citizens of South Richmond County 2) lack of internet
service from major providers 3) crime and speeding on Deans Bridge Road south of Morgan
Road.
The Clerk: Ms. Utley?
Ms. Utley: Good afternoon ---
Mr. Mayor: All right, Ms. Utley, you may be able to see us on the screen there. You have
five minutes. If you'll state for the record your name and your address and you'll proceed. You
have five minutes.
Ms. Utley: --- okay, I wish I had longer because what I have is immense. My name is
Astrid Utley, 4192 Deans Bridge Road, Hephzibah Georgia. I will start out by giving you an
introduction into, and I represent myself as well as my eight siblings for the property at 4170,
4166, 4168, 4160 and 4192 Deans Bridge Road. This is the property my parents bought over 60
years ago and it is 66 acres minus the ten or so that the state took many years ago. Because of the
sacrifices of my parents made to afford us to be out there on that amount of land I feel like we are
compelled to protect and preserve this property and our rights as it pertains to such. After retiring
I moved back to the homestead in 2016 and I'm constantly fighting for services that are not being
provided on Deans Bridge Road. Being a state highway we are literally being bounced between
the state doing their part and the city shifting responsibility for getting the state to act. But is it
really our responsibility to work so hard at trying to get services or is that what we pay taxes for?
We collectively own properties throughout Augusta, Richmond and Burke County. Consequently
we are taxpayers who deserve to be served by the city as well as the state government regardless
of the fact that we are in what is considered "undesirable zip code". Whether densely or sparsely
populated our needs should be met. We are respectively asking our local elected officials to use
your power and influence to make this area of South Augusta as much a priority as you do West
Augusta, East Augusta and North Augusta area. So we are prayerful that the issues we are facing
with the landfill will not be like my aunt and uncle and cousin Charles Utley faced over in Hyde
Park. Here is a list of what we are, this is a letter, I have been writing letters since October 161'
about the issues that I have outlined in my agenda and here is just one example of a letter to one
of the officials. I've written letters to officials, GDOT, local and state representatives. Here is an
example. I have been trying to get internet in my mother's house at 4170 Deans Bridge Road for
three months. This is back in October 2019. I have been told by Comcast that it can't happen
unless we pay for running the line at a cost of over $1,100.00 dollars which is considered a
discount. We tried to get it through the Direct TV but they too are phasing out DSL and Universe
is not available in our area. We had internet prior to 2013 but discontinued everything when my
mother became ill with dementia and later passed in 2015. When Xfinity upgraded their
technology they removed the line rather than including those homes within inactive lines in the
change. Now they're trying to pass the cost onto us. I think it's unconscionable for them to be
allowed to deliver subpar customer service and at the same time increase fees and taxes with a
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constant push and insistence of government, education and private industry for citizens to do all
business online. I think that these providers should be required to insure that we have access. My
niece is a nursing student with a 16-year old son. She is moving into the family home at this
address and as you can imagine it's impossible to function without the internet. My second
concern has to do with the increase in traffic, speed and accidents along the stretch of Deans Bridge
Road from Bath Edie to Morgan Road. It's become very dangerous and hazardous to enter and
exit our driveways. There are countless accidents and near accidents at the Willis Foreman
intersection. I have sent numerous emails and made phone calls to various officials with the
Sheriff's Department and GDOT but I haven't gotten any adequate results from either. My
requests have been for a flashing or regular traffic light at Willis Foreman, magnetic speed board,
traffic signs denoting hidden driveways, etc. To support my efforts I have asked GDOT and the
Richmond County Sheriff's Department for statistical data on crashes and speeding. I still haven't
heard back. My family has lived on this 66 acres of land since my parents moved us here from the
south side of Augusta over 50 years ago. They raised nine of us all of whom became productive
citizens to include two attorneys, one pharmacist, one mechanical contractor. Also we have
exercise physiologist, hair stylists and a teacher and for others and we who are, we are very
involved in creating opportunities for others who come from similar backgrounds. Currently we
have five homesteads on the compound and honestly we feel neglected for the simple fact that this
stretch of highway is not as densely populated as others. I'm hoping to discuss these concerns
with you and hopefully you can give me some guidance on how I can access, I can get access to
the same services that are so easily given to other areas of the city, and I'm sure you guys know
what I'm talking about. And in conclusion this is my list of requests and it starts with the landfill.
I see where you guys gave $500,000 dollars to repairing the landfill and the report said that it
would take $12 to $18 million to get it up to snuff. I applaud you for that however this has been
going on for four years. The leachate is still leaking, the seagulls are still there and this is what
we're requesting as far as the landfill is concerned. I have gone up to Environmental Protection
Division and I have pulled documents. I need to have a copy of an updated remaining capacity
report. That report will tell you how much that phase is left. They're busting at the seams so that
report is over two years old. Possibly besides the rains causing it to leak it may be at capacity or
over capacity and updated report would help determine that. I don't see any data from you guys
about the damage that has already been done. Chemical analysis which details the level of
carcinogens which are cancer causing chemicals that are leaking out or what's up there and what
the levels are they acceptable or not. Water testing for our pond and our drinking water.
Enforcement of the policies for tying down the Waste Management trucks that are passing along
the highway entering and exiting. Consistent maintenance of storm drains and if you can't do it
which hasn't been proven thus far remove that from our taxes and we will handle it ourselves.
Conditions of seagulls. Thousands are flying over. I have a report and I would like to send that to
ya'll from this management called Waste Advantage Magazine and one of the highlights is when
birds settle into our landfill it is a danger not only to them but also to the environment and this is
for the entire CSRA. Birds migrate so while people think this is just our problem, it's not. As for
the environment it extends to the spreading of garbage, water contamination and bird nuisance.
Birds and their fecal matter can carry more than 60 transmissible diseases some of which are
known to be fatal to humans. These birds then move to other locations further promoting the
spread of diseases.
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Utley ---
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Ms. Utley: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right, let me get you to do this for us. It sounds like you've got a fairly
substantial list, I know there will be questions. What I would ask you to do is Ms. McFarley is
there in the room with you, if you will provide her with a copy if we don't already have that and
we will have that distributed to the members of the Commission. The Commissioner from the 8 h
is going to comment on a few matters and we're going to talk about some things that we will in
fact do to help and or support your efforts. All right, I'm going to the Commissioner from the 81h
so if you'll just watch the screen and I'll just listen in you're going to hear Commissioner Brandon
Garrett speak to this matter, okay?
Ms. Utley: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 8 h, thank you, sir.
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. Ms. Utley, it's good to see you again and I always look
forward to your calls. One thing I do want to direct our Engineering Department to do you know
from our recent call you were concerned about some ponds on your property and about the
leachate. So what we are going to do here is to direct our Engineering Department to test your
ponds to check for any leachate outbreak if there is any leakage over there so we are going to get
that taken care of for you and somebody from Engineering should be in touch with you. As far as
the Remaining Capacity Report, I believe that we can obtain that for you as well. You said you
had one that was two years old, is that correct?
Ms. Utley: Yeah, I believe the last report that I got from the EPD was in 2018 and one of
the notes from them was acknowledging that they were due another report. So I don't know if
they got it but I went up there before in February before COVID and that was the latest report that
I found up there so I'm pretty confident that that is the latest one that they have. And that's also
on the list of violations that I have from up there.
Mr. Garrett: Okay, yeah I would definitely like to see an update on that as well. And
another thing you mentioned about how tough it is to get your internet service and how much it's
going to cost. I know when I bought my current property it cost me almost $500.00 dollars to have
internet run to my house so I understand the pain that that is. But have you reached out to Jefferson
out in our area to see if they have a broadband that they could offer you?
Ms. Utley: Let me just say this to you, Brandon. I don't think I'm going to reach out
anymore. I have a folder full of reaching out to all kinds of people including communications from
GDOT who was supposed to help with that. And while you're saying that what you had to do
that's all well and good if we're talking about the properties that are back from the highway that's
one thing but if we're talking about the property that's on the road and through their fault they
didn't upgrade it when they took the line down that's a whole different issue.
Mr. Garrett: But, but ---
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Ms. Utley: I understand my house being back from the road but when you talk about my
mother's house and the only reason they took it down was because they want to keep people from
stealing internet and didn't upgrade it when they upgraded everything else, you're going to go
around a house for whatever reason and then you're going to pass that on to the customer, that
doesn't make a lot of sense. And here, this article right here I have an article in my hand Georgia
Senate approves plan to boost broadband, rural, so why is it that that can be something that be
considered when you talk about situations like this.
Mr. Garrett: --- that's what I was getting to is reach out the Jefferson about their broadband
initiative because they are part of that Georgia wide.
Ms. Utley: And should I do that as a taxpayer or should that be something that my
Commissioner says that I voted in ---
Mr. Garrett: Ma'am, us as elected officials have nothing to do with the internet service in
your area —
Ms. Utley: Okay ---
Mr. Garrett: --- I'm sorry I really wish we did.
Ms. Utley: --- okay, next thing then okay. Next thing ---
Mr. Mayor: All right Ms. Utley, Ms. Utley, Ms. Utley ---
Ms. Utley: --- yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right I'm going to get you to suspend for a moment if you don't mind.
We're trying to hear you concerns and take the appropriate information so we might be able to
address them holistically. You've got the Commissioner from the 81h who has in fact reached out
and certainly engaged me in terms of trying to understand the (inaudible) issues. So number one
you've requested a concern around testing of your ponds from a leachate standpoint. I believe that
that's something this Commission can in fact do. And so I'm going to ask the Commission to
support that effort that we go out and have your ponds tested to make sure that there are no
contaminants in those. As it relates to broadband in that area as the Commissioner from the 81h
has indicated that is an industry that's regulated by the Public Service Commission through the
authority that's promulgated by way of the legislature so we want to make sure we put that in the
right hands of the folks who have a vested responsibility in trying to address and we'll take those
necessary steps. We're going to take one more commenter, you're going to provide Ms. McFarley
with that information and then we will communicate directly to you after we've had a chance to
get the Commission to have your ponds tested, okay? We're going to the Commissioner from the
9'h who has a question for you. Commissioner from the 91h.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I sympathize with Ms. Utley and she has been
before this body before. I hear her frustration and I understand that. We need to make sure that
someone contacts her and not just say they're going to contact her and try to alleviate any problem
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we can. We do have a relationship with other governments around our government that we can at
least talk to about her issues not just hers but people on the south side of Augusta. So again I think
the pond testing is going to be good but I don't think we ought to ask her or have any of our
constituency to address issues that we can have our staff to do. We may not address it but we have
staff members that can address her concerns and her issues. So again she's got some issues that
have been ongoing. We know that South Augusta has not gotten the recognition it should have
with a lot of areas. Commissioner Garrett talked about his residency out there as well. We have
not done the things that we could've done so we need to try to catch up and do all we can. So I
appreciate Ms. Utley coming so I wanted to make sure we understand that.
Ms. Utley: Okay ---
Mr. Mayor: Absolutely.
Ms. Utley: --- I appreciate you saying that. Just one more thing, Mayor Hardie, if I could
address this to you. What is actually processes and procedures for state highway versus the City
of Augusta? Now like I said we are Highway 1/Deans Bridge Road. Whenever I put in a request
to 311 to come and clean the storm drain they flip it over to GDOT. Whenever I request
information for instance traffic signs, hidden driveway signs, I'm hearing GDOT. I get information
to call GDOT. I have tons and tons of correspondence to GDOT. GDOT does not respond. Mr.,
there are two different gentlemen with the same (unintelligible). They don't call back; this has
been going on since 2016. Traffic signals, traffic out there is horrendous and I'm sure that
Commissioner Sias knows that Willis Foreman coming out on Deans Bridge Road they have tons
and tons of accidents. I'm sure that anybody that has to travel that road and I do believe it's going
to get worse because they're building more housing having to help accommodate with Cyber
Security people. I believe that gate, Gate 5 is going to reopen the way it was robust back in the day
when I grew up out there. So what I'm trying to do is a simple, that was my next request is to talk
about traffic and safety in the area.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so absolutely again you've got a very broad list of concerns Ms.
Utley ---
Ms. Utley: I do.
Mr. Mayor: --- and we certainly we want to be amenable to those. We don't have the time
to exhaust this in the Delegation Section but these are matters that certainly have opportunity to
be discussed during the committee process from an Engineering standpoint. The delineation
between US highways, state highways and roads that's too lengthy of a conversation for us to even
give consideration to try and exhaust here.
Ms. Utley: I understand.
Mr. Mayor: But to the degree that you have a concern about who's responsible we certainly
can help with that. So what we're going to do at this time is that will be in fact as the Commissioner
from the 91h indicated we're going to place this much of your concerns will fall under Engineering
as it relates to your concerns that you raised at this point and that's where we're going to place
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this. And the Engineering Services Committee will take the lead on responding to and or
addressing that. Madam Clerk, if you'll make a note of that because much of her requests or
concerns today fall within the purview of our Engineering Services Committee. And so with that
Ms. Utley: Not to cut you but that is in fact that is in fact what I had done before I had
scheduled meetings with Engineering as well as Public Safety back (unintelligible) ---
Mr. Mayor: All right so Ms. Utley ---
Ms. Utley: --- March the 10'h before they were suspended.
Mr. Mayor: --- Ms. Utley let me get you to suspend. I don't know what happened before
but I can tell you what's happening today ---
Ms. Utley: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: --- we're here to address your issues to date as they've been brought to our
attention. I don't know what took place in 2016 but we're here to try to assist you as best this
government can in light of what's going on with COVID-19. And so what you're going to receive
is follow up communication from the office, the Administrator's Office will be coordinating
through Engineering Services to make sure that you get a response and w coordinate something
within the next 48 hours, okay?
Ms. Utley: All right, sir, I appreciate it.
Mr. Mayor: In the next 48 hours you'll hear our communications.
Ms. Utley: I appreciate it. Thank ya'll for listening and letting me vent. Hopefully
something positive comes out of it.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you so much.
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Ms. Utley.
Ms. Utley: All right, take care.
The Clerk:
DELEGATIONS
B. Dante D. Barley regarding unsafe road condition on Poplar Street.
Mr. Barley: Mr. Mayor, the Commission Board, I come today because ---
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Barley ---
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Mr. Barley: --- yes, sir?
Mr. Barley: --- Mr. Barley if you would just give us your address for the record.
Mr. Barley: Mr. Mayor, Commission, I come this evening because Poplar Street and
Wrightsboro Road has some serious road conditions.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Barley ---
Mr. Barley: Yes, sir?
Mr. Mayor: --- all right, I'm going to ask you once more if you'll give us your full name
and your address before you proceed. You have five minutes.
Mr. Barley: My name is Darius Dante Barley. I live at 1931 Tubman Home Road but I
attend church sometimes on Poplar Street which is Beulah Grove Baptist Church sometimes and
on that road is road danger on that road because when a lot of people come to church a lot of people
have to dip down in the road and then come back on the road which is a lot of potholes on that
road. And what I mean about potholes on the road that means like when it's a flood you've got to
dip the car in the road and then come back up to actually get out of the out of your car and stuff.
People cannot actually step out of their cars without stepping into water which is the sewer and
the drain system down there has been messed up for years and I would like to know how we can
fix that drain system down there. Actually because when we go to like funerals or church services
it's a lot of water that stands right there by that church and to me I feel like we ought to do
something about that problem because really somebody's going to accidently fall if we don't do
nothing about that problem soon.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Mr. Barley, I think what you're sharing with us is, you raised two issues.
One you framed it as unsafe road conditions on Poplar Street. Most of us are very familiar with
the Poplar Street area and it sounds like there may be some standing water concerns and/or
stormwater. What I would ask Madam Clerk is that we take his contact information and again this
is an Engineering Services matter and we handle it through that process. We can't unilaterally just
solve these things without putting the appropriate staff and/or resources to begin addressing these
concerns. And so to the degree that Mr. Barley brought this before us we recognize it. There has
to be a mechanism of follow up. Administrator Sims, I'm going to once again bring this to as
you're taking notes and your team's taking notes through Engineering Services to have a follow
up within the next 48 hours with Mr. Barley and we coordinate having staff go out and take a look
at it.
Mr. Barley: Okay, sir.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Mr. Barley, thank you.
Mr. Barley: No problem.
The Clerk:
DELEGATIONS
C. Farida Popal Farmer requesting the revocation of the Broad Street nightclub "The
Scene" business license.
Mr. Speaker: Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and Commissioners ---
Mr. Mayor: Good afternoon Mr. Popal, Mr. Farmer rather. You have five minutes. If
you'll state for the record your name and your address and then proceed. You have five minutes.
Mr. Farmer: --- yes, sir. My name is Edward Farmer. This my wife, Farida Popal Farmer,
address 106 Oliver Hardy Court in Harlem, Georgia. We're here to discuss the downtown
nightclub "The Scene" s-c-e-n-e, The Scene. Exactly one month ago today my brother-in-law,
Farida's brother, was murdered down there since then we've been looking into the issues with the
club especially leading up to what happened to the incident. We're finding a lot of negligence
with the club management, a lot of lack of security personnel. And another thing we looked into
is the precedent of when violent altercations such as murder and brutal beatings and stuff like that
take place. The precedent, it looks like it's been set is are closed up after that so we're looking
into this and asking the committee to look into it as far as closing this club down. And we worked
with a private investigator on a couple of issues and we uncovered, there's one thing the Richmond
County Sheriff's Department has asked for. It's called a Security Plan and a private investigator
was able to obtain a couple of security plans from local clubs but I guess they're not required to
give that information to us so The Scene did not give us that information. So one question there
is one did they create a plan and file that with the Sheriff's Department and if so did they follow
that plan accordingly because after reading some of the other plans it seems like the general idea
is once there's an altercation inside the club they can be escorted out in a staggered timeline and
then until then they evacuate the premises. The premises is defined in the paperwork in plain
English saying to include the parking lot and the subjects' car. So in this case in this specific case
there was an altercation inside the club led to outside where it escalated. One man produces a
firearm murders (inaudible) so a couple of issues on that. It looks like the club specifically in this
incident did not follow the general consensus for a security plan and we don't have theirs again
but I'm sure it's the same guidelines so they didn't follow that. And another one we discovered is
that night there was no special duty officer. They had one security guard it sounds like but no
special duty officers and we found out the requirements once you reach 50 to 100 people it's
required to have a special duty officer there. And we've had our private investigator go a couple
of weekends in a row and found out, and also went to other nightclubs on Broad Street found that
"The Scene" is the only one that doesn't have special duty officers. And I also found out just from
talking to my friends that are more familiar with the nightclub scene that this club in particular
stays open later than others which to me further addresses the problem once the bars start to close
they're going to congregate to this one location and create more of a problem. I guess the important
thing to the City of Augusta would be with an increase in crime through the negligence of the club
it's going to deter people from moving to the area for one and then the people who live in the
surrounding area like myself I've been downtown a couple of times and I don't go specifically
because someone has always tried to start some trouble so it's a deterrent to go down there and
spend tax money so it negatively affects the city through tax revenue businesses you know our
population growth and so on. That's all I have. Any questions?
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, Mr. Farmer, thank you again for sharing that with us. Do I have any
questions from the members of the Commission? All right I know we've got the Chairman of
Public Safety here on the line on the call as well. All right, Commissioner from the 2nd' did I see
your hand go up.
Mr. D. Williams: No, sir, I didn't have any comments.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, Commissioner from the 41h° go ahead, sir. State your inquiry.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mayor. To the gentleman and lady that's speaking, my regrets for
your loss. I do have one question for you in the subsequent investigation of your wife's brother's
death, what kind of conclusion was drawn from that if you don't mind sharing that with us? I don't
need all the details but what was the conclusion drawn from that? Was the club found negligent in
any way or anything from that incident? If you can explain that and any other parts of that.
Mr. Farmer: Yes, sir, unfortunately right now the investigation is still open so we don't
have a lot of the details regarding that.
Mr. Sias: All right, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Commissioner from the 9 h
Mr. M. Williams: Again, Mr. Mayor, I think Rob Sherman is the person that may be to
assist us about this particular incident of where it is now. Can Rob speak to that issue to let us
know what he knows about it, where we are? We have several clubs like the gentleman said have
been closed because there's been an incident such as this happening in their club so can Rob
enlighten me at all on that?
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Director Sherman.
Mr. Sherman: Commissioners, when we saw that this was on the agenda we contacted the
Sheriff's Office. At this time we have no more information than what has just been presented to
you. We did hear that there was an incident that started in the club and then it moved out to Broad
Street but that's the extent of the information we've got at this point. The Sheriff's Office as he
said is continuing the investigation and they will be able to present more to you if you desire that.
Mr. M. Williams: Sure, how long has this incident took place, Rob, I mean is it ---
Mr. Sherman: He was just saying it's been about a month ago.
Mr. M. Williams: --- about a month ago. Okay I guess, Mr. Mayor, our job is just to find
out from the Sheriff's Department what transpired and how this happened. You know there's an
altercation and it ends up someone losing their life but there's always an entry point and somebody
starts and somebody saying whatever else but I think the Sheriff's Department ought to be able to
enlighten us on some of the history. Someone was there, someone knew about the incident and
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how they take place so I think it will be our next step to Public Safety or however you want to
address it, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I think it's important for us to engage in these conversations from a law
enforcement perspective. Again I go back to trying to work out of our committees and this is a
Public Safety matter and it needs to be handled as such. And I think it'd be appropriate,
Commissioner from the 9d'° if we convened a meeting with the Sheriff's agency to get a better
understanding of what the security protocols are for nightclubs downtown working in concert with
the city in particular Planning and Development Department as we regulate those industries.
Commissioner from the 2nd, if you can lead on that, that would be extremely important,
Commissioner from the 2na
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, Mr. Mayor. I'll make arrangements with the Sheriff's Department
and Public Safety Committee as to a date and time we could get together and meet and get a
briefing on this matter and the policy.
Mr. Mayor: All right, fantastic and if we could do that in the next 7 days that would be
excellent.
Mr. D. Williams: Will do.
Mr. Mayor: All right, fantastic. All right, Mr. and Mrs. Farmer, again sincere condolences
to both of you to your entire family ---
Mr. Farmer: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: --- with this. Madam Clerk, if we can make sure that we have their contact
information so that the Public Safety Committee Chair can keep them informed on what's
transpiring.
The Clerk: Yes, sir, I (unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: Okay, fantastic. Again, thank you both.
Mr. Farmer: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Commission.
The Clerk:
DELEGATIONS
D. Ray Montana regarding the removal of the Confederate Monument on Broad Street.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Montana, thank you.
Mr. Montana: How are you doing, Mr. Mayor?
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Mr. Mayor: I'm well, the Commission members are well and if you would, Mr. Montana,
state for the record your name, your address and you have five minutes to share with us what
you've got.
Mr. Montana: Absolutely can I ask a question, can I speak for like three and a half and
give another person a minute and half to speak on my behalf also?
Mr. Mayor: Okay, that'll be fine.
Mr. Montana: Okay, my name is Ray Montana. My address is 3513 Bullock Avenue
Augusta Georgia 30906. Can you understand me, judge, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, we hear you loud and clear sir, continue.
Mr. Montana: All right, good afternoon, Mayor and county commissioners. Today I'm in
hopes to gain your votes to have the Augusta Confederate Monument removed. Although many
of us celebrate fallen heroes this monument reflects more than commemorating the Confederate
dead. I read and I learned this particular monument was making a claim about public space about
who should wield power in our city Augusta then, now and forever. It was invoking history. Even
recent history has been affected with this political outlook locally and internationally to make a
asserted political statement concerning white power. I read an article in 1878 a keynote speaker
spoke at this dedication here in our great City of Augusta, Georgia at this particular monument and
he made his point very clear. He spoke and when he spoke he said for the past we have no apologies
to offer. He said even now the fundamental claims of the Confederacy are a normal or a morale
point of view. Unaffected by the result of the contest or shall I say war the Confederacy had lost
the war but the holy cause was to live on he stated. I asked the question what was the cause, what
was the reason of the war it was to end slavery. They lost the battle but the organized new forms
and names for slavery the terms of nominal slaves and virtually free slaves created to only legally
enslave our people even more. Let's not go into a history lesson because we all know the deal.
Today in 2020 brown is against blacks by police and white supremacists have proven that this
monument in our city is a nuisance to our community and streets. Our Public Nuisance Ordinance
it deals with the odor, it deals with decay, it deals with rubble, it deals with overgrown vegetation
and fumes and gasses or any other threat or inconvenience and I must repeat any other threat or
inconvenience. From the public this is something that we must we the people must address. The
public threat and inconvenience to the public and especially to our black community and visitors
from across the world that visit our great city must know the facts. The threat is surreal. The public
which is we the people black and some whites feel our lives are being dictated and threatened by
the exact reason this image was created to cause division and flaunt white supremacy and power
to separate but to create organize slavery instead of balls and chains. Now we are shackled with
numbers and names. Even our judiciary and our school system has been affected by this also.
Wwe must rid this atrocity that depicts during a time when extreme prejudice and cruel acts was
performed on us blacks. I am a black man and I'm asking you for our black community and for
the rest of our city can you guys come together on one accord and make history to vote to take the
steps to make this state property be removed from our county and public property. Mind you we
know that this battle and this fight will be hard and it's more a state history than a county history
but at this time your citizens of this great city have asked me Ray Montana to ask you guys, the
13
Honorable Mayor and County Commissioners, to at least get you guys to come together on one
issue greater than your egos, on one issue greater than your beliefs and one issue greater than your
individual power. Today we ask that you all help us make history and they also want me to remind
you that we are the ones that voted you in and today we will want to make today that everybody
learns why we are a model city and why we call our city Greater Augusta. My name is Ray
Montana, I'm the CEO of CSRA Street Justice and today we demand change and today we ask
that it starts with you our leaders, we need a vote and agreement across the globe. Vote yes to take
the steps to have it removed and please note Texas has removed 31 memorials more than any other
state according to the Southern and Poverty Law Center. At least 114 Confederate monuments
have been removed throughout the nation. In the states of Georgia and South Carolina three have
been torn down by protestors. This is something we are trying not to have in our city. We come
with a peaceful approach. At this point we have a petition going around. There's over 9,086 in the
current number of signatures on the petition as we speak. A compromise resolution would be to
memorialize it in the Confederate grave where it can be idolized by its followers and ancestors and
out of the eyes of the public.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Mr. Montana ---
Mr. Montana: Yes.
Mr. Mayor: --- you have exceeded your time but I'm going to give Mr. Powell a minute
to speak if there's anything of substance to add to what you've already shared with us.
Mr. Montana: Absolutely.
Mr. Powell: Thank you, Mr. Montana, thank you Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: And if you would state for the record your name and your address, sir.
Mr. Powell: --- certainly, my name is Dr. Todd Powell Williams. I live at 2327 Central
Avenue in Augusta, have been there since August 1" 2008. Again thank you so much for allowing
me the space. I teach Sociology and in that capacity at Augusta University I also teach race and I
teach social (inaudible). You know since I've been here since 2008 I recognize this city as a
relatively progressive city as a city with solid leadership with leaders that have wisdom and can
get things done. I've seen this city move since I've been here in ways that have been fantastic and
I have every bit of faith that you all can find the political will to find another place for this statue.
The statue is not the neutral representation of heritage. It's a symbol of white supremacy, it's a
symbol of division, it's a symbol of treason, war against the United States and a war that was lost
against the United States. It's a symbol of a war that was fought in defense of slavery and it's a
symbol of lost cause mythology, a symbol of ignorance, a symbol if you will a whitewashing of
history. It's not a memorial to any heritage other than the ugly heritage of white supremacy. I'm
asking you to please if I can, if I can be of any assistance in any way that'll define the political
wherewithal to make the statue disappear please just let me know, thank you so much.
Mr. Mayor: Dr. Powell, thank you so much as well. All right, we appreciate that thank
you. There is going to be more that happens from this body here in the next few days. Mr.
14
Montana, thank you as well for coming and sharing with us. We look forward to engaging you all
in this ongoing conversation.
Mr. Montana: Absolutely, thank you, sir.
Mr. Mayor: All right thank you, thank you. All right, Madam Clerk ---
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- let's, I'm going to provide an update today on a number of matters that I
think are extremely important to our community. But let's address matters of consent first and at
least have a path forward in terms of where we're going to go before we get too far down the road,
okay?
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I'm going to go to the Commissioner from the 4 h- State your inquiry.
Mr. Sias: At this point are you requesting for items to be either added or deleted from the
Consent Agenda?
Mr. Mayor: Yeah but I want Madam Clerk to go through her preamble first though ---
Mr. Sias: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: --- and we'll come back to you, all right, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Our Consent Agenda consists of Items 1 through 11 with no objectors to our
Planning Petitions.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, thank you. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the
4th
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. First off I would like to request one item to be deleted from the
agenda and that would be Item 442.
Mr. Mayor: Hold on one second, all right continue, sir.
Mr. Sias: All right (inaudible).
Mr. M. Williams: Item 42 I've got some questions. I mean I'm not opposed to it being
taken off but I still need to get those answers.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner from the 9t'° to the degree that you still need some
answers they can come after. We've got Administrator Sims. If you can please give Director
15
Welcher some clear guidance on communicating to Commissioner from the 9 h that he might be
able to answer all the questions related to the Item 442 as captioned on this agenda.
Mr. Sias: And the reason it being deleted the Director Welcher has some issues that he
feels like needs to be resolved or relooked at on that and then they can make a decision if they
want to bring it back. He just wanted to get some clarity on some things that may or may not be
affecting that property and so in fact if that works out we'll see what they bring it back. That was
the reason.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Administrator Sims, if you still would have Director Welcher reach out
to Commissioner from the 9'.
Mr. Sims: Yes, sir, I will.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. All right, Commissioner from the 9''° I mean from the
4''° are you done?
Mr. Sias: Let me ask you a question. On the Public Services things are we going to be
able to consent those or are we going to have a person go through them individually?
Mr. Mayor: I think what Madam Clerk had requested is for us to particularly on the alcohol
petitions we need to read those in for the record.
Mr. Sias: All right, I'll start with Item 16 requesting I'm sorry, I'll start with Item 24. I
want to request that we consent Item 24 ---
record.
Mr. Garrett: I have questions on that one.
Mr. Mayor: All right, no worries.
Mr. Sias: --- check that one off. Item 26, Item 27, Item 28 ---
The Clerk: You said 26, sir?
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
Mr. Mayor: 26 through 29, Madam Clerk, 26 through 29 and we'll read the caption for the
Mr. Sias: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Continue, Commissioner.
Mr. Sias: Items 30, Items 30 through 40.
Mr. M. Williams: I've got some questions, Mr. Mayor, on Item 30 and Item 32.
16
Mr. Sias: Okay and moving along from Item 40, Item 41, we discussed Item 42 already,
Item 45, Item 48, 49, 50, 51, 52 ---
Mr. M. Williams: I have some questions on 52.
Mr. Sias: --- scratch out 52, so we went from 51 to 54.
Mr. Mayor: No, 51, no.
Mr. Speaker: Did he say 48?
Mr. Frantom: Scratch that one then.
The Clerk: (inaudible) 48 yes.
Mr. Frantom: I still don't understand what we're doing there, Item 48.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so let's pause, everybody, let's pause. All right, Commissioner, if
you would for our purposes go back to 42 and start from there and come back down, okay?
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, a Point of Personal Privilege, sir. I don't have no problem
with the Commissioner going down the list but he can't pop them off and we check them off as
fast he already made his list. So if he's going to give us time to address those issues then we need
to make sure that we're not pulling and adding and deleting all at the same time. I've got a problem
Mr. Mayor: All right, so that's, all right so just pause, Commissioner from the 9 h- I asked
the Commissioner from the 4 h if he would go back and go slow starting at Number 42. We were
all up to speed up to Number 42.
Mr. M. Williams: He's pulling 42, is that right?
Mr. Mayor: All right you're deleting 42, you're deleting Number 42 and Director
Welcher's going to give you a call pursuant to the Administrator directing him to do so.
Mr. M. Williams: I get that but then ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. M. Williams: --- we start to pull and then we start to add to the regular agenda, right?
Mr. Mayor: We're going to, no, we hopefully are going to get to a place of where the
Commissioner from the 4 h because he was recognized first is simply requesting that we in typical
form add items to the Consent Agenda at which any point in time you can say you object.
17
Mr. M. Williams: All right.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Commissioner from the 4 h, continue.
Mr. Sias: Next item was 45 ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. Sias: --- there was an objection to 48 so then 49, 50, 54, 58, 59, 60, 61
Mr. M. Williams: I've got a problem with Number 60. I need to know what we're doing
(unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: Hold on, hold on, everybody suspend, everybody suspend. All right, okay,
there's a problem with 60 so 60 is off. 61 consent, all right continue, sir.
Mr. Sias: 62, 63, 64
Mr. Mayor: Suspend on that. I'm not sure why the caption was written this way, Madam
Clerk, provide the Mayor's signature on furnished memorandum. That's kind of like saying we're
just going to take somebody and write the Mayor's name down there. I don't know about that but
I know that wasn't your intent.
Mr. Hasan: (Inaudible).
The Clerk: That's just the wording of a caption and what I'm thinking they're asking that
after that once this is approved that you be allowed to execute the document.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, that's standard language that we normally have for this. When I read
this (unintelligible) or no, no, no, no.
The Clerk: (Unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. Sias: But I think we can still do that because let's face it the document you need to
sign off on.
Mr. Mayor: Well, I'm okay with that I want to make sure we clarify that, we want to go
back to the original language as opposed we're just going to get somebody to put the Mayor's
name on there.
Mr. Sias: I was okay with that.
The Clerk: That would not be our process.
IV
Mr. Mayor: I know, Madam Clerk.
Mr. Sias: All right, 64, 65, 66 ---
Mr. Mayor: All right, so suspend there for a moment as well. That's another example of
a motion to determine. There is standard legal language that we use when we are abandoning in
place roads and things like this so I want caution those departments and/or staff members who are
inputting information into Novus and then sending it over to the Clerk. Let's make sure we're
using consistent language as we get things, okay?
The Clerk: This is a road abandonment and I think ---
Mr. Mayor: I know ---
The Clerk: --- General Counsel Brown this is the standard language that he uses when he's
submitting requests for consideration on abandonment of property but he's here to speak for
himself.
proper.
Mr. Brown: Yes, the language is our standard language. The approval letters will be
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. M. Williams: And, Mr. Mayor, Point of Order, again when this, when the Clerk goes
to the trouble of putting this agenda together, we know we're combining our committees and our
meetings together. That's a given because of this COVID. But this is, we normally have an
opportunity to discuss this kind of stuff in committee but now we're going to go ahead and assume
that everybody understands all this? I've got some issues. I'm not going to allow anything else to
be pulled, we don't have time, we put it on the next agenda, the book is already thick today. I'm
not going to sit here and just say I should have talked about it, should've asked that question and
I didn't because somebody wants to pull them all. I said earlier you've got to be reasonable about
this language and everything else. You can't disapprove this, this government; we've got to handle
it as such. I'm not accepting anymore pulls so commissioner from the 41h can stop right there. I'm
not going to agree to anything else being pulled. I'm going to object to it.
Mr. Mayor: So the Commissioner from the 4 h are you going to object to, let me offer a
few.
Mr. M. Williams: No, no, no, I'm not going to (inaudible) anything else whether it's you
or the Commissioner from the 41h or the I0'h or the 9 h or anybody else, you're not going to do that
now. I'm saying to you ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- I'm saying to you that the Clerk went through this process of getting
this agenda items together for us to look at. We had time to look at it for sure but there's some
19
stuff we're going to make decisions on because we're going to pull them and put them on the
Consent Agenda, we're not going to do that. If they was on consent in the beginning that's one
thing. These are items to be discussed by this body the elected officials now.
Mr. Mayor: --- yeah so ---
Mr. M. Williams: I'm not going to agree to anything else being pulled ---
Ms. Davis: Mr. Mayor.
Mr. M. Williams: --- stop and let's just stop at this point.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right, Commissioner from the 3rd
Ms. Davis: I'd like to make a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as mentioned by the
Commissioner from the 4 h.
Mr. Sias: Second.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, I've got one thing.
Mr. Mayor: All right, hold on a minute, I'm coming to you. You may as well. We're going
to start a powwow we've got it. The Commissioner from the 91h told me he was giving me a
birthday gift but he took it back ---
Mr. M. Williams: I gave it to you ---
Mr. Mayor: --- I don't know what that's all about.
Mr. M. Williams: --- I gave it to you when we was in Legal I said it was your birthday ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay well not now.
Mr. M. Williams: --- not now it's over with.
Mr. B. Williams: Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: All right, hold on everybody, hold on, hold on. All right, Commissioner from
the 6 h had the floor.
Mr. Hasan: Commissioner Williams Item 444 the Local Small Business Ordinance
Revision, I talked to the Compliance Director and she has it in there where she's modified. There's
a couple of things in there that we were concerned about that we kind of agreed to look at them.
So we want to try and pull this off here and going to set up a workshop because we also want to
discuss with us to give us an update on the Disparity Study. So it is to delete this from the agenda
and we'll set up a workshop so will you submit to that?
20
Mr. M. Williams: So you're saying that H.R. ---
Mr. Hasan: No, the Compliance Director.
Mr. Mayor: No, Compliance Department.
Mr. Hasan: The Compliance Director, we had a conversation about it and she and also she
wants to give us an update when we set up this workshop to look at some of the revisions that she
done for the Local Small Business Ordinance and at the same time talk about and give us an update
on where she is with the Disparity Study so it's about setting up a workshop so delete this from
the agenda today.
Mr. Mayor: In other words Commissioner it's not ready for primetime, we need to delete
it from the agenda.
Mr. M. Williams: --- all right, your next birthday remember that now you got.
Mr. Mayor: All right.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, sir. I needed to, I normally don't get a thing.
Mr. Mayor: Well, that's attributed to the Commissioner from the 6 h" birthday not mine.
I've still got more in the tank.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Commissioner from the lst
PLANNING
9. Z-20-37 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Louis White, on behalf of Josie Alexander,
requesting a change of zoning from Zone R-113 (One -family Residential) to Zone R-313
(Multiple -family Residential) affecting property containing 2.22 acres and known as 2403
Mount Auburn Street. Tax Map 034-1-210-00-0 REPLACES Z-20-19 DISTRICT 1 1. The
development must substantially conform to the concept plan filed with this application. 2.
Provide a sidewalk on Montgomery Street that connects the proposed parking lot to the
nearby intersection and meets ADA standards. 3. Any fencing above 4 feet in the front
setback will require approval of a variance. 4. Any building encroachment in the front
setback require variances from the minimum setback regulations. 5. The development must
comply with the provisions of The Augusta Tree Ordinance.
Mr. Fennoy: --- Mr. Mayor the agenda item 49 the residents and the pastors of Sand Hills
had a meeting scheduled with their developer on Weed School and that meeting was cancelled
because of COVID. They want to have an opportunity to meet with the developers before we move
forward with that project.
21
Mr. M. Williams: Then my understanding then Mr. Fennoy that they met not maybe the
recent one. They had a meeting with the developers about the project at Weed School and the
community was now I ain't got no problem waiting ---
Mr. Mayor: All right ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- until we're sure but they said they met and they were in favor of what
the developer wanted to do, that's what I got.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right Commissioner from the 9 h I appreciate you chiming in but wait
until you're recognized, okay?
Mr. M. Williams: All right.
Mr. Fennoy: As of last week, Mr. Mayor, I had a conversation with Reverend Thomas,
Victor Thomas and Reverend Miller and that was their posture. And the last meeting that they had
they had at Elam and it was with the residents and not the developers.
Mr. Mayor: So, Commissioner from the I "- what's the problem? So to the degree that this
is on the Consent Agenda it has met all the requirements of local law, why would we not move
forward with this?
Mr. Fennoy: Because we want to give the residents an opportunity to meet with the
development and have their concerns addressed.
Mr. Mayor: And can that not happen at the same time that this is moving forward because
I don't, I have not heard nor do I see any reason why we would change our position on this.
Mr. Fennoy: The reason we would change our position is to give the developers an
opportunity to meet with the residents.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I see no reason why they couldn't do that at the same time. Again this
petition that's in front of us is simply a request for concurrence as they always are with the
developer for a change of zoning. Is there something that happens that requires, that causes us to
deny this?
Mr. Fennoy: I'm not asking for a denial; I'm asking for a postponement.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. Sias: There are issues that the reason why we vote on it and I apologize for chiming
in but it's not a cookie cutter.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, I'm going to ask you I'm going to say the same thing to you
that I said to the 9 h, wait until you're recognized.
22
Mr. Sias: I already answered to that one.
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Commissioner from the, Commissioner I'm going to go to Rob
Sherman I mean what are you asking for, Commissioner from the 1st° that we simply postpone this?
Mr. Fennoy: Postpone it for 30 days.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Director Sherman, please unmute yourself, you've got to unmute
yourself. Director Sherman, Director Sherman ---
days.
Mr. Sherman: Yes.
Mr. Mayor: --- the Commissioner from the I" is asking for a postponement of this for 30
Mr. Sherman: Okay and we're talking about Z-20-37 Number 9 on the agenda?
Mr. Mayor: That is correct.
Mr. Sherman: Okay, the developer did meet with the neighborhood. We had a call -in ---
Ms. Speaker: (Inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: He is, we're here.
Mr. Sherman: --- okay, I'm getting a lot of direction here.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, just follow us, just follow us.
Mr. Sherman: Okay so the applicant did meet with the neighborhood. We had a call -in at
the Planning Commission meeting from the Sand Hills Neighborhood Development group and
they were in support of the application.
Mr. Mayor: All right, okay, it is currently on the Consent Agenda, it was not pulled. I think
it's prudent for us to move forward with this item.
Mr. Fennoy: I'm pulling this from the Consent Agenda, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, I'll defer to someone else. Commissioner from the 9th
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Serving on the Planning and Zoning Board I
met with some of the constituents on Sand Hills and then no one showed up to be in opposition.
Also I was told that they did meet and they were satisfied with the outcome with what the project
was going to be. Now I don't know if we hold it up for 30 days, Rob, would that affect the project
affect the start or affect anything but no one showed up from Planning and Zoning, no one have
23
expressed their objections. I'm from the neighborhood as well but at the same time they had an
opportunity to come to Planning and Zoning and they didn't. And I spoke with some residents of
Sand Hills and they said they was in favor of the project. Kind of surprised me but they was in
favor, nobody showed up, I guess they are.
Mr. B. Williams: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Hold on a minute, Rob?
Mr. Sherman: Well, as Commissioner Marion Williams was saying that's the way we
understand it that they were in agreement. Now ---
Mr. Mayor: Do you understand that, Rob, because they were there or nobody showed up?
You've got one Commissioner contending that nobody was at the meeting with any of the
developers, they didn't meet with the churches, what's true and what's not true.
Mr. Sherman: Well, sir, there were no, there was no one present supporting nor objecting
to it, we had a call -in, it was a virtual ---
Mr. Mayor: Was anybody on the call?
Mr. Sherman: --- yes, oh okay, well, there were two there to support it, Lucian Williams
and his son, and then the man that is over the Sand Hills development, Tim Wilson. Tim Wilson
spoke in support of it.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. All right, Commissioner from the 1st asked that this be
pulled from the Consent Agenda. Commissioner from the I", with the caveat postpone for 30
days?
Mr. Fennoy: Postpone for 30 days and I don't know why we're getting conflicting
information, Mr. Mayor, but I'm going to call my resources to try to while the meeting is going on
to find out whether they have had a change of heart or whether they have met with the developers
and whether they don't see a problem with moving forward.
Mr. Mayor: All right so, Madam Clerk, what we'll do is simply pull this from the Consent
Agenda and it will be placed on the regular agenda for further debate. If something changes
between now and when we get to Iwo Jima we'll address that then.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. Sias: That will be Iwo Jima and back again.
Mr. Mayor: Yes, absolutely. All right, Madam Clerk, if you would for us ---
24
Mr. B. Williams: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: --- all right, Commissioner from the 5 h, I'm sorry, I'm coming back to you
yes and thank you for the reminder.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, sir, thank you. Commissioner Williams, he kind of cut Mr. Sias off
when Mr. Sias already pretty much done the meat part of our discussions if we were to have it.
But on the next page Other Business you've got 70, 71, 72 and 79 they're just grants with DUI,
Felony Drug Court, Veterans Court Program. And then the last one is Criminal Justice
Coordinating Council grant award so if the Commissioner from the 91h would let those four go by
I think that'll help us out. It's just DUI grants and Veterans Court Program grant and the last one
is Coordinating Council grant award Adult Mental Health Program so I just submit those.
Mr. Mayor: All right, he's a as we would say in the Legislature he was a good man so I
think he's strongly considering consenting 70, 71 and 72 because you're completely accurate on
that. They are routine grants from the CJ, CC and/or (inaudible).
Mr. B. Williams: And seventy-nine.
Mr. Mayor: And seventy-nine I couldn't agree with you more, Commissioner from the 91h
Mr. M. Williams: (Unintelligible) hand, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: All right, very good without objection. He's a good man.
Mr. M. Williams: I ain't that good.
Mr. Mayor: I'm going to hold on to you until December 3 1 " 2020.
Mr. M. Williams: Now when ya'll were rolling all this other stuff out of the way I said I'm
not getting anything else, I mean we done The Clerk went through all this work the book is the
biggest I've ever seen come out here and we just act like nothing don't ever happen. I mean we
might as well let The Clerk off I mean (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: If you let her off then I'm going along with her. All right, Madam Clerk, it's
on you.
CONSENT AGENDA
PLANNING
1. FINAL PLAT — HAYNES STATION SECTION 11 — S-911 — A request for concurrence
with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to approve a petition by Cranston
Engineering Group, on behalf of COEL Development Co., requesting final plat approval for
Hanes Station Section 11. This residential subdivision contains 91 lots. DISTRICT 3
2. Z-20-13 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Bluewater Engineering Services, on behalf
of Andrea Connell Gibbs, requesting a change of zoning from Zone B-2 (General Business)
25
to Zone PUD (Planned Unit Development) affecting property containing approximately 1
acre and known as 955 and 947 Green Street and 302 Tenth Street. Tax Map 036-4-334-00-
0, 046-2-001-00-0 & 037-3-073-00-0 CONTINUED from June 1, 2020 hearing. DISTRRCT 1
1. Permitted used of the site be limited to 79 multi -family apartments, 1,519 square feet of
professional offices, restaurants and/or retail development and 3,600 square feet of amenity
area. 2. The total height of any structure shall not exceed 4 stories or 75 feet, to include any
attached or detached structures. 3. The total commercial space of the building shall not
exceed 13,000 gross square feet in area. 4. No front setbacks are required on Tenth and Ellis
Street, a minimum 10-foot on Greene Street and a minimum side setback of 0 to 3 feet or
more. 5. A minimum of 10% of the site shall be dedicated to open space. Such open spaces
may also include park, recreational or plaza primarily used for public use within 1,300 of
the development boundary. 6. The maximum lot coverage for each lot shall be 80%, which
does include parking and similar surface improvements. The developers intend to develop
the entire site. 7. A fence or screen wall in the required front yard shall not exceed six (6) feet
in height. 8. The 55 proposed onsite parking spaces are to be supplemented by: 20 spaces
located at 945 Ellis Street; 28 spaces located at 307 Tenth Street and 34 spaces located at 945
Ellis Street; 28 spaces located 307 Tenth and 34 spaces located at 1130 Ellis Street. 9. Any
outdoor storage shall be limited to enclosed buildings or screening with a 6-foot wood privacy
fence or masonry wall. 10. No freestanding signs permitted on the affected property without
approval by the Planning Commission. Building or wall mounted sings are limited to a
maximum surface area of 2 square feet per linear foot. Projecting signs may not project more
than 5 feet from the building wall it is attached except for canopy or awning mounted signs.
Window signs may not occupy more than 20 percent of the area of any window. 11. Sidewalks
on all adjacent streets must be improved and meet the latest adopted ADA standards. 12.
New curb cuts shall be approved by and meet the standards of Augusta Traffic Engineering
Department. 13. Lighting in the parking lot shall be directed away from nearby residences.
14. Final building elevations and materials of the proposed structures are subject to design
review. 15. Minor changes to an approved PUD site plan may be handled administratively
by the Planning Director. 16. Any changes deemed major will trigger the need to amend the
original PUD site plan and require Augusta Commission approval. 17. Building elevations
must reflect those presented with this application. 18. This project shall comply with all
development standards and regulations set forth by the City of Augusta, GA at the time of
development. 19. The final design must receive approval from the Historic Preservation
Commission.
3. Z-20-30 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Valerie Smith requesting a change of zoning
from Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) to Zone R-3C (Multiple -family Residential) to allow
3 living units in the existing structure affecting property containing 0.19 acres and known as
410 Telfair Street. Tax Map 047-4-175-00-0 DISTRICT 1 1. If the sale of the property does
not close within 90 days of approval the zoning shall revert back to the present B-1
(Neighborhood Business) at the request of the owner. 2. 410 and 412 Telfair Street must be
combined after closing to provide the necessary off-street parking. A copy of the property
combination paperwork must be presented to Staff before occupancy of the multiple -family
residential units. 3. If the properties are not combined, a cross parking agreement between
410 and 412 Telfair Streets must be recorded and maintained regardless of ownership of
either property. A copy shall be provided to the Planning and Development Dept. office prior
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to any building permits being issued for the conversion of the bed and breakfast into
multiple -family residential units. 4. All current building and fire code regulations must be
met before occupancy of the multiple -family residential units.
4. Z-20-32 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Kevin Jones, on behalf of Cobbs Nixon,
requesting a change of zoning from Zone A (Agriculture) to Zone LI (Light Industry)
affecting property containing 48.51 acres and known as part of 1550 Four H Club Road. Part
of Tax Map 158-0-006-07-0 DISTRICT 1 1. Approved plat must be completed prior to site
plan approval. 2. This project shall comply with all development standards and regulations
set forth by the City of Augusta, GA at the time of development. 3. All Zoning Ordinances
including Section 28 Airport Regulations and Section 8-4-1 Augusta Tree Ordinance must
be met for sit plan approval. 4. FAA Form 7460-1 "Notice of Proposed Construction of
Alteration" must be completed prior to submitting for site plan review.
5. Z-20-33 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by COEL Development Co., on behalf of
Marsha Brinkman, Jeff Taylor et al, and Charles White, requesting a change of zoning from
Zone R-1B (One -family Residential) and Zone R-1 (One -family Residential) to Zone R-1 and
remove conditions from the R-1B zoning affecting property containing approximately 59
acres and known as part of 4506 Windsor Spring Road and 4477-B Windsor Spring Road.
Tax Map part of 194-0-001-08-0 and 179-0-186-00-01940-0-001-08-0 DISTRICT 8 1. This
development shall substantially confirm to the concept plan filed with this application. 2.
Sidewalks must be provided on at least one side of the street within the development and
comply with ADA standards. 3. Conduct a traffic study to assess whether acceleration
/deceleration lanes are needed. 4. All new street must meet the minimum specification of
Augusta Engineering and Fire Departments. 5. This development must meet all open space
requirements. These areas do not include stormwater detention. 6. Provide waking trails or
pathways to connect areas of the development. 7. Extend sidewalk on the side adjacent to the
property on Willis Foreman Road. 8. Conduct a traffic study to assess whether
acceleration/deceleration lands are needed. 9. This development must meet all open space
requirements. These areas do not include stormwater detention. 10. This project shall
comply with all development standards and regulations set forth by the City of Augusta, GA
at the time of development. 11. Street Lights will need to be installed and operating (or
bonded) prior to Final Plat approval. 12. Developer will need to coordinate project with
AED's widening project along Willis Foreman. Development should account for increased
right of way and storm infrastructure. 13. Detention Basin outfall will need to be tied to a
defined system. 14. Water Quality will be required and should include one -inch runoff
reduction. Existing pond shall not be used for Water Quality Stormwater Maintenance
Agreement.
6. Z-20-34 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by COEL Development Co., on behalf of
Marshal Brinkman, Jeff Taylor et al, and Charles White, requesting a Special Exception in
an R-1 (One -family Residential) Zone to develop single family lots not to exceed a density of
3 units per acre per Section 8-2-(a) of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta,
Georgia affecting property containing approximately 59 acres and known as part of 4506
Windsor Spring Road and 4477-B Windsor Spring Road. Tax Map part of 194-0-001-08-0
and 179-0-186-00-0 DISTRICT 8 1. This development shall substantially confirm to the
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concept plan filed with this application. 2. Sidewalks must be provided on at least one side of
the street within the development and comply with ADA standards. 3. Conduct a traffic
study to assess whether acceleration/deceleration lanes are needed. 4. All new street must
meet the minimum specification of Augusta Engineering and Fire Departments. 5. This
development must meet all open space requirements. These areas do not include stormwater
detention. 6. Provide walking trails or pathways to connect areas of the development. 7.
Extend sidewalk on the side adjacent to the property on Willis Foreman Road. 8. Conduct a
traffic study to assess whether acceleration/deceleration lanes are needed. 9. This
development must meet all open space requirements. These areas do not include stormwater
detention. 10. This project shall comply with all development standards and regulations set
forth by the City of Augusta, GA at the time of development. 11. Street Lights will need to
be installed and operating (or bonded) prior to Final Plat approval. 12. Developer will need
to coordinate project with AED's widening project along Willis Foreman. Development
should account for increased right of way and storm infrastructure. 13. Detention Basin
outfall will need to be tied to a defined system. Water Quality will be required and should
include one -inch runoff reduction. Existing pond shall not be used for Water Quality
Stormwater Maintenance Agreement.
7. Z-20-35 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with the conditions below, a petition by Herbert Newsome requesting a change of
zoning from Zone A (Agriculture) to Zone B-2 (General Business) to bring an existing self -
storage development into zoning conformance and to allow an expansion affecting property
containing 2.98 acres known as 5029 Parham Road and 1.08 acres of additional land
combined from a parcel claimed by Columbia County for a total of 4.06 acres. Tax Map 092-
0-002-01-0 DISTRICT 3 1. At the time of any future expansion, the applicant must work
with the staff of Planning and Development to get additional Tree Ordinance compliance for
the existing self -storage facility -specifically, additional screening is sought along Gordon
Highway and Parham Road, without creating sight -obstructions for the Gordon
Highway/Parham Road intersection. 2. Verification by the property owner will need to be
provided prior to approval of the sit plan as to whether there is substantial water storage to
provide fire suppression for the entire site.
8. Z-20-36 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Village on 5th LP, requesting to amend a
condition of Z-19-19 by amending the concept plan presented with the zoning petition
affecting property containing approximately 1.82 acres and known as 811 Fifth Street Tax
Map 047-3-276-00-0 DISTRICT 1 1. All conditions of approval from the Board of Zoning
Appeals and Planning Commission must be met at the time of site plan approval. 2. This
project shall comply with all development standards and regulations set forth by the City of
Augusta, GA at the time of development.
PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
10. Motion to approve the minutes of the regular and Special Called Meeting held on June
24, 2020.
APPOINTMENT(S)
11. Motion to approve the appointment of Ms. Trina Jackson, to the Board of Zoning
Appeals representing District 4.
W
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
30. Motion to approve the lease of two Motor Graders from Yancey Brothers Company
under a 36-month contract for a total cost of $171,720.00 for the Engineering Department -
Maintenance Division. Bid Item 20-189
31. Motion to approve the purchase of one Service Truck, utility body enclosed, from Wade
Ford for $81,599.00 for the Utilities Department -Construction Division. Bid 20-167
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
40. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department's (HCD's)
request to amend the contract between HCD and J. Lovett Homes & Construction, LLC for
the construction cost of one (1) single family housing unit identified as Lot No. 10, McQueen
Court, via the Twiggs Street corridor.
41. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department's (HCD's)
request to amend the contract between HCD and J. Lovett Homes & Construction, LLC for
the construction cost of one (1) single family housing unit identified at Lot No. 11, McQueen
Court, via the Twiggs Street corridor.
42. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department's (HCD's)
request to implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CGG Holdings and
Laney Walker Development Corporation (LWDC), a procured developer, to construct up to
70 new, affordable/market rate rental housing units as part of the Immaculate Conception
Phase 1 Development Area identified as 1016 and 1102 Laney Walker Blvd.
44. Local Small Business Ordinance Revision.
45. UGA Extension Services is requesting the approval of a MOU between the Board of
Regents and the University System of Georgia by and on behalf of the University of Georgia
Cooperative Extension and Richmond County.
PUBLIC SAFETY
49. Motion to approve the Commodities Point of Distribution (POD) Plan and authorize the
Mayor to execute the documents.
50. Motion to approve the Disaster Awareness Plan and authorize the Mayor to sign the plan.
54. Motion to approve the award of Bid Item #20-182 to Weinberger's Business Interiors for
the 911 Additions and Renovations Furniture Project in the amount of $27,557.28.
ENGINEERING SERVICES
58. Approve supplemental funding (SAl) for Engineering Phases of Design Consultant
Services Agreement to Goodwyne, Mills & Cawood (GMC) in the amount of $135,000.00 for
the 13th Street Improvements Project as requested by the AED. RFP 18-258,
59. Adoption of the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and the Flood Insurance Study (FIS)
as revised by Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) 19-04-6697P, effective October 30, 2020.
61. Approve supplemental funding (SAl) for Engineering Phases of Design Consultant
Services Agreement to Hussey Gay Bell (HGB) in the amount of $287,322.50 for the Broad
Street Improvements Project as requested by the AED. RFP 18-311.
62. Motion to increase the funding for approved RFQ #18-263: Task Order Program (2018)
for Utilities Department (AUD) in the amount of $3,000,000.00.
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63. Approve Task Order Three (3) funding for Streambank Stabilization Design, Permitting
and Construction Engineering Services Agreement to Pond & Company in the amount of
$16,708.50 for Rocky Creek Habitat Improvements Project Design Support. Requested by
the AED. RFQ 19-152
64. Provide the Mayor's signature on furnished Memorandum of Understanding to include
Augusta Utilities Department's water valves and sanitary sewer manhole adjustments in the
Georgia Department of Transportation contract, for GDOT Project PI M005872 Patching,
Milling, and Topping 3.82 miles of State Route 28 (Washington Road) beginning from
Calhoun Bridge and ending at CSX Railroad.
65. Provide the Mayor's signature on furnished Memorandum of Understanding to include
Augusta Utilities Department's water valves and sanitary sewer manhole adjustments in the
Georgia Department of Transportation contract, for GDOT Project PI M005974 Patching,
Milling, and Topping 0.66 miles of State Route 104 (Washington Road) beginning from Fury
Ferry Intersection and ending at Pleasant Home Road.
66. Motion to determine that a Portion of Former Hephzibah McBean Road at Peach
Orchard Road, as shown on the attached map has ceased to be used by the public to the
extent that no substantial public purpose is served by it or that its removal from the county
road system is otherwise in the best public interest, and to receive as information the results
of the public hearing held regarding the issue of abandonment pursuant to O.C.G.A. §32-7-
2, with the abandoned property to be quit -claimed to the appropriate party(ies), as provided
by law and an easement to be retained over the entire abandoned portion for existing or
future utilities as directed by Augusta Engineering Department and Augusta Utilities
Department and adopt the attached Resolution.
OTHER BUSINESS
70. Motion to approve to receive grant funds for the State Court of Richmond County DUI
and Veterans Court Program awarded by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
71. Motion to approve acceptance of FY2021 Criminal Justice Coordinating Council -Adult
Felony Drug Court Program grant award in the amount of $360,819.00.
72. Motion to approve the FY2021 Criminal Justice Coordinating Council grant award for
Veterans Court Program in the amount of $107,393.00.
70. Discuss the hiring of contact tracers for Richmond County to aid in stopping the spread
of the virus. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis)
The Clerk: All right, sir, our Consent Agenda consists of Item 1 through 11 with the
exception of Item 9 being pulled, Item 30, 31, 40, deletion of Item 41 that's on Consent, deletion
of Item 42 with Director Welcher getting with Commissioner Marion Williams, deletion of Item
44 with scheduling a work session and an update on the Disparity Study. Item 445 to the Consent,
Item 449, 50, 51 ---
Mr. Mayor: No, not 51.
The Clerk: --- he had issues with that, okay, Mr. Williams
Mr. Mayor: I did.
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The Clerk: --- oh, you did, okay. All right, 54, 58, 59, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 70, 71, 72
and 79. That's our Consent Agenda.
Mr. Mayor: Did you include 26 through 29? They were on that list.
The Clerk: No, sir, those are going to have to be taken up with the Alcohol Petitions.
Mr. Mayor: Right, we understood that but I think that we were just going to have to read
the caption because what we understood is that there were no objectors to any of those.
The Clerk: No, sir, to the Planning Commission items ---
Mr. Mayor: Oh, okay.
The Clerk: --- there were no objections.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, I thought that was the case with these as well. All right, very
well. Okay, all right, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Okay, we have the motion for the consent was Commissioner Mary Davis
seconded by Mr. Sias.
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
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Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Motion Passes 10-0. [Items 1-8, 10, 11, 30, 31, 33, 34, 40-42, 44, 45, 50, 54, 58, 59, 61-66, 70-
72, 79)]
The Clerk: And we'll move now to the ---
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk ---
The Clerk: --- Alcohol portion of the agenda, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: --- I want to pause for a moment and I want to give a COVID update.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: I think it's appropriate just to give an update as it relates to COVID just for a
moment. I think it's extremely important for us to continually talk about it in a larger setting with
this body and I'm going to go largely in reverse order. I want to thank the Commission for the
work that's being done in terms of communicating with your constituents, our constituents around
COVID. I think there's clear recognition that this is a serious issue across this country and without
question in Augusta as we see the numbers sharply increase and surging in our community. I'm
going in reverse order as of today July 21 we have seen an increase of 85 cases in Richmond
County. That's 85 additional cases in Richmond County in the last 24 hours. In the State of
Georgia alone there have been 3,413 new cases. The census accounting at this point is there have
been 2,390 positive COVID-19 cases, there have been 69 total deaths, of that number 69 represents
an increase of 6 six deaths in the last 24 hours and 296 hospitalizations. We're currently at 148,000
almost 149,000 positive COVID-19 cases in the State of Georgia, 3,254 deaths and from hospital
standpoint in the region as of the last 24 hours in the region we are 70% capacity in ER beds with
30% being available and that's in the region, that's a 12-county region. In terms of critical care
32
beds 74% of our beds in the region are in use with 26% available and in general inpatient beds
we're at 80% use in the region with 20% of our hospital beds being available. There's been great
discussion over the last several weeks around this public heath state of emergency. The Governor
extended the statewide public health emergency until 31 July 2020 at 11:59 p.m. In that public
health state of emergency there were recent guides given to schools that require to follow the 14
measures that were in the order that included but not limited to reducing class sizes, moving classes
to larger spaces like gymnasiums, stadiums, arenas or outdoor areas. In addition to those orders
the Governor in his most recent executive order as of July 15 provided schools with the authority
to require or mandate students and staff to wear face covers. Here in Richmond County on the
10h of July an executive order was issued requiring face coverings in all government buildings
and public spaces. That information was provided to each of you on the Commission. In addition
to that the Governor moved shortly thereafter to file a complaint in the Fulton County Court against
the City of Atlanta. That complaint while it was specific to the Mayor and City Council of Atlanta
there have been approximately 100 cities who had either already adopted a policy regarding the
wearing of face coverings or masks in their own buildings and/or public spaces in an effort to
protect their own employees and local citizens. As of this morning the Georgia Municipal
Association filed a Friend of the Court Brief in support of the City of Atlanta and all 538
municipalities and governments. As a result of that as many of you may have heard at this point
the court case that was supposed to take place at 11:00 o'clock today did not take place. The
Governor's Office asked that the Judge of Record Judge Ellerbe be recused, that she recuse herself
from the complaint and that has in fact taken place at this time. Pursuant to that all of the local
orders and requirements are still in effect. What the Friend of the Court brief argues is that the
Governor does not have the authority to usurp home rule that is conferred upon cities and
municipalities by the General Assembly the Legislature. And so that will be the argument that is
taken to the courts. There are standings for this but pursuant to Title 38 which is the code section
that the Governor has referenced it expressly provides not only the Governor but local
governments pursuant to public health emergencies with the appropriate authorities to provide for
the health, welfare and safety of all of its citizens and so I wanted to make sure I gave an update
as it relates to that. In addition to that from a COVID-19 standpoint we are in the possession of a
recent Corona Virus Task Force from the White House Commission Report and in the Commission
Report that was provided to the Governors of all 50 states there are 18 states that are declared red
zone states. These are states where cases new cases more than 100 new cases per 100,000
population test positive at a rate of above 10%. Many of you may be aware that Georgia has been
testing at a fairly significant rate as high as 15 to 16% in terms of positivity. While there are 18
states that are red zone states in those states and in particular in the case of Georgia there are 30
cities that meet the red zone criteria. Augusta, Georgia is one of those red zone cities in the State
of Georgia to include Columbus, Savannah, Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Alpharetta, Brunswick,
Macon, Valdosta, Gainesville, LaGrange, Athens Clarke County, Douglas. Many of these cities
if not most of them were cities that moved very quickly to enact local orders and/or ordinances
requiring face masks. This Corona Virus Task Force Report takes the recommendations that it
states that the CDC, the World Health Organization and those agencies that we look to should
include the local State Department of Public Health recommends that these things should be done
over a 14 day period of time where there's a decline in positivity rate that should be seen before
regulations are pulled back. They include requiring face covers, they include limiting the number
of large number of gatherings, those things that Georgia moved swiftly to relax the regulations on
and we now find ourselves back at this place. I wanted to make sure that we gave that update and
33
at the same time there's an item on the agenda that we'll take about later Number 76. I want to
applaud the Commissioner from the 8 h for his efforts on yesterday with the press conference
around the Mask up Augusta Campaign. I think that certainly will help bolster the conversation
around the need to wear masks and more importantly the requirement to wear masks in the City of
Augusta and in all of our government buildings. The Supreme Court Chief Justice, Justice Harold
Melton in his most recent judicial order across the State of Georgia mandated pursuant to CDC
recommendations and guidelines that in all courts in the State of Georgia you're required to wear
a face mask or covering and so there needs to be consistency. What we see here is that again
pursuant to the Governor's executive order the Georgia Constitution and General Assembly clearly
recognizes the different branches of government legislative, judicial and executive and that's
where we are in the State of Georgia, that's where we are in the City of Augusta and it's important
for us to be as vigilant as we can be with trying to slow the spread of this virus. And I want to ask
each of us to not only encourage our friends, our family members and loved ones to wear a mask,
wash our hands and to watch their distance if we're going to slow the spread of this virus in our
community and it's extremely important that we do so. Madam Clerk, at that point I turn it over
to you.
The Clerk: Thank you, sir. Mr. Sherman, I'm sorry Ms. Walton, we will now receive
consideration under our Public Services portion of our agenda of our alcohol petitions.
PUBLIC SERVICES
16. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 20-21: request by Marcy S. Adams
for an on -premise consumption Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with
Homewood Suites by Hilton Augusta located at 1049 Stevens Creek Rd. There will be Sunday
Sales. District 7. Super District 10.
Ms. Walton: This application has been approved by the Sheriff's Office and Planning and
Development.
Ms. Adams: Hello ---
Mr. Mayor: Hello.
Ms. Adams: --- my name is Marcy Adams, my address is 922 Pathview Court, Dacula,
GA 30019.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
Mr. Clarke: Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9 h, I'm sorry 101h.
Mr. Clarke: --- thank you, Mr. Mayor. Ms. Adams, does Homewood Suites have a
restaurant in it now?
34
Ms. Adams: They do not have a restaurant. They serve complimentary meals for breakfast
and for dinner and bear in mind are served complimentary.
Mr. Clarke: Okay, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you.
Mr. M. Williams: So moved, so moved, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: All right ---
Mr. Garrett: Second.
Mr. Mayor: --- can we do this everyone? Let's hear them in mass and then vote on them
all at once if we can provided there are no objectors, okay? Madam Clerk, let's call for the next
one.
The Clerk: Okay, Ms. Walton.
17. Motion to approve New Location: A.N. 20-22: request by Sohail Yoonas for a retail
package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Augusta Food Mart located at
1659 Gordon Hwy. District 2. Super District 9.
Ms. Walton: This application has been approved by the Sheriff's Office and Planning and
Development.
Mr. Yoonas: Good afternoon, my name is Sohail Yoonas and my address is 2451
Northmont Parkway in Duluth, GA and I'm applying for the application on 1659 Gordon Highway
Augusta, GA.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you. Ms. Walton.
18. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 20-23: request by Manpreet Kaur
for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Super Express #3
located at 2545 Peach Orchard Rd. District 2. Super District 9.
Ms. Walton: This application has been approved by the Sheriff's Office and Planning and
Development.
Ms. Kaur: My name is Manpreet Kaur. I live at 551 Blue Ridge Crossing, Evans, GA so
my application for Super Express 43 on Peach Orchard Road, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
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19. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 20-24: request by Ahmed Ali
Tharani for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Chevron
Food Mart located at 1503 Gordon Hwy. District 2. Super District 9.
Ms. Walton: This application has been approved by the Sheriff's Office and Planning and
Development.
Mr. Tharani: My name is Ahmed Ali Tharani, 1503 Gordon Highway ---
Ms. Walton: Your home address.
Mr. Tharani: --- my home address is 2249 Larkspur Run Drive, Duluth, GA 30097.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
20. Motion to approve Existing Location: A.N. 20-25: request by Ankitkumar Patel for a
retail package Beer License to be used in connection with World of Beer located at 2819
Washington Rd. District 7. Super District 9.
Ms. Walton: This application has been approved by the Sheriff's Office and Planning and
Development.
Mr. Patel: Good afternoon, my name is Ankitkumar Patel, address 175 Butler Drive,
Richmond Hill, GA 31314.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
21. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 20-26: request by Naushad Hooda
for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Super Express #7
located at 1901 Gordon Hwy. District 5. Super District 9.
Ms. Walton: This application has been approved by the Sheriff's Office and Planning and
Development.
Mr. Hooda: My name is Naushad Hooda, home address is 84 Lankford Road, Tucker, GA
30084 in connection with 1901 Gordon Highway, Augusta, Georgia.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
22. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 20-27: request by Ashfaque Khan
for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Shop & Go Mart
located at 2061 Gordon Hwy. District 5. Super District 9.
Ms. Walton: This application was been approved by the Sheriff's Office and Planning and
Development.
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Mr. Kahn: Good evening, sir. My name is Ashfaque Kahn, my address is1955 Bells Ferry
Road, Apartment 1724, Marietta, Georgia 30066 and I am applying for a license for Shop & Go
on 2016 Gordon Highway.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
Ms. Walton: Ms. Bonner, do you want me to proceed with the Massage Therapist?
Mr. Mayor: Yes
The Clerk: Please.
Mr. Mayor: --- I'd like for you to, go ahead.
26. Motion to approve New Application: request by Kimberly W. Mathis for a Massage
Operator License to be used in connection with Imagine That Massage Therapy located at
2215 Tobacco Rd. Ste. L District 4. Super District 9.
Ms. Walton: It's a new application we have a request by Kimberly W. Mathis for a
Massage Operators License to be used in connection with Imagine That Massage Therapy located
at 2215 Tobacco Road, Suite 1. This application has been approved by the Sheriff's Office and
Planning and Development.
Ms. Mathis: Good afternoon. I'm Kimberly Mathis, address 3630 Peach Orchard Road
apartment, home address 3630 Peach Orchard Road, Apt. 414 requesting permission for Imagine
That Massage Therapy on at 2215 Tobacco Rd. Ste. I.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you.
27. Motion to approve New Application: request by Shakia C. Padgett for a Massage
Operator License to be used in connection with Selah Massage & Bodywork located at 2315
Central Ave Ste C. District 3. Super District 10.
Ms. Walton: This application has been approve by Planning and Development and the
Sheriff's Office.
Ms. Padgett: Hello, my name is Shakia Padgett and I live at 2812 Joy Road, Unit 99
Augusta, Georgia 30909.
Mr. Mayor: And your address for your business please.
Ms. Padgett: It's 2315 Central Avenue, Suite C Augusta, Georgia 30904.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
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28. Motion to approve New Application: A request by Choa Tang for a Massage Operator
License to be used in connection with H Massage located at 1944 B Walton Way. District 1.
Super District 9.
Ms. Walton: This application has been approved by the Sheriff's Office and Planning and
Development.
Mr. Tang: Hello, good afternoon, my name is Choa Tang. I live 3426 Riverwalk Drive,
Augusta.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
29. Motion to approve New Application: request by Carla Lewis -Hawes for a Massage
Operator License to be used in connection with Carla Lewis -Haws, LMT located at 1250
Merry St. District 1. Super District 9.
Ms. Walton: This application has been approved by the Sheriff's Office and Planning and
Development.
Ms. Lewis -Hawes: Good afternoon, my name is Carla Lewis -Hawes, home address 2127
Revale Avenue Augusta, Georgia 30906, business address 1250 Merry Street, Augusta, Georgia
30904.
Mr. Mayor: All right, fantastic, thank you.
Ms. Lewis -Hawes: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk, in the words of the Commissioner from the 9 h I believe
we've got 26, 27, 28 and 29 along with ---
Mr. D. Williams: 16 through 22.
Mr. Mayor: --- yes. All right.
Mr. Sias: Move to approve.
Mr. Garrett: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, voting again Items 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 and
29. Madam Clerk, you're muted, we can't hear you.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
m
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy, out Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes for me too, Ms. Bonner.
The Clerk: Okay.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, pause for just one second. Let me get my bearings straight here.
I'm feeling some kind of (inaudible) that my birthday pal is taking things away from me.
Mr. M. Williams: He gave you a birthday present, Mr. Mayor, you can't get them all.
Mr. Mayor: Well, I keep reminding myself I'm God's favorite child so I'm wanting
everything that I've got coming to me.
Mr. Mayor: Today's your birthday that's right (unintelligible).
39
Mr. Mayor: All right, Madam Clerk, let's go, we're going to go in this order. I'm going to
take 12, 13, 14 and 15 and then we're going to go to 53 in that order.
The Clerk: Mr. Sherman, are you ---
Mr. Sherman: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Okay, we're doing Item 412.
PLANNING
12. Z-20-16 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Mark Herbert, on behalf of the Estate of
Waddell H. Pate, requesting a Special Exception in an R-lA (One -family Residential) Zone
to develop single family lots not to exceed a density of 4 lots per acre per Section 9-2-(a) of
the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta, Georgia affecting property containing
approximately 44 acres and known as 2345 Golden Camp Road. Tax Map 084-2-002-00-0
CONTINUED from June 1, 2020 DISTRICT 5 1. The subdivision development shall be
limited to no more than 67 residential lots and no more than 4 units per acre at 65' x 100'.2.
The subdivision development shall be required to have 27.97 acres of greenspace shall be
permanently protected in perpetuity. 3. The site plan shall meet all applicable City codes and
regulations including, but not limited to, Augusta Engineering and Augusta Utilities. 4.
Exterior building design and materials shall include garages, brick, stone accents or similar
features that substantially conform to nearby residences. 5 Sidewalks shall be installed along
one side of each street in the development and meet ADA standards.
The Clerk: Item 412, Mr. Sherman.
Mr. Sherman: Okay 412 just as Ms. Bonner read this involves about 44 acres. They're
requesting a change, a Special Exception to the R-lA Zoning which will allow them to have what
is proposed are 67 lots. They will be 65 feet wide, 100 feet deep and there will be, so that's
essentially that. At the Planning Commission meeting on June 1st it was postponed. There were
a few neighbors who called in, there was questions about the project. The applicant met with the
neighbors. There have been three meetings at the last meeting I believe we got the issues resolved.
The proposal from the Planning Commission includes five conditions. There has been another
condition that has been added to those five that is came out of the third meeting which the
developer and if I can read that sixth condition. It goes like this, the Proposed rezoning and
subsequent residential development must substantially comply in character and layout with
the concept plan to include exterior design elements, minimum house size of 1400 square feet
to 1850 square feet at a price range of $160,000 to $200,000 dollars as illustrated in the
elevations, specifications and pictures provided by the applicant and labeled as Exhibit A.
And so it goes on, any deviation of these conditions shall require the approval of the Planning
Commission and the Augusta Georgia Commission. So those conditions will be part if this
is approved will be part of the rezoning and will be recorded and that is the, those are the
conditions that the applicant will have to comply with. The applicant is here and I believe
he's here to answer any questions that you may have.
40
Mr. B. Williams: Let me chime in when you get a chance, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: I've got you, I've got you. All right, Commissioner from the 5''° you got any
questions?
Mr. B. Williams: I do ---
Mr. Mayor: All right, Director Sherman.
Mr. B. Williams: --- Attorney Brown, if I could.
Mr. Mayor: Attorney Brown, Attorney Brown.
Mr. Brown: Yes, sir.
Mr. B. Williams: Attorney Brown, you heard that last ---
Mr. Brown: Hello?
Mr. B. Williams: --- can you hear me?
Mr. Brown: Yes, my phone had died. I had to recharge it.
Mr. B. Williams: Got you. You heard all the conditions including the sixth condition,
correct?
Mr. Brown: Yes, sir.
Mr. B. Williams: All right, is that condition bindable by law?
Mr. Brown: Yes, if the party agrees with it.
Mr. B. Williams: Mr. Sherman, are you there?
Mr. Sherman: Yes, sir.
Mr. B. Williams: There's one more thing and Mr. Herbert said it himself I'd like in that
sixth condition all homes have double car garages.
Mr. Sherman: And that is included in the elevations and the pictures that are a part of the
Exhibit A.
Mr. B. Williams: All right so he has to accept the conditions, correct?
Mr. Sherman: That's correct and he wants to speak to that.
41
Mr. B. Williams: Okay, I just need to hear him accept the condition of Number 6.
Mr. Mayor: All right thank you, sir. All right Commissioner from the 9 h
Mr. B. Williams: Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: I'll come back to you, Commissioner, I'll come back to you.
Mr. B. Williams: --- okay.
Mr. M. Williams: I'm in support of this project for sure but when I read the caption and it
says sidewalks should be installed along one side that bothers me a lot because I'm worried about
the width of the drive through to get through there. Now in a lot of developments that we have
done in this government the roads have not been wide enough. I don't know if this developer is
doing that making them convenient but we have had some developments that wasn't equipped
enough for firetrucks to go down there and turn around. You're going to have some on street
parking for sure so why is it just one side on these sidewalks, anybody?
Mr. Mayor: All right, Director Sherman, Mark?
Mr. Sherman: So in the discussions with Mr. Herbert about the development that's what
was agreed to is to have the sidewalk on one side. The streets will meet the standard engineering
requirements I believe, 60 foot, 60 foot right-of-way and this is typically what's included in
residential development.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, now will it be curb or asphalt?
Mr. Sherman: It will be curb and gutter.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, I just wanted to get that clear. I'm in support of the project. I think
the project's a good project I just know what was done in the past I want to make sure we're not
following that track again, that's all.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner from the 5 h
Mr. B. Williams: Mr. Mayor, Attorney Brown said he has to verbally accept all of the
conditions and that's whnt I wanted him to do.
Mr. Herbert: My name is Mark Herbert. My office address is 5104 Pierce Court Evans,
Georgia. I do accept the conditions; the only change that I would like to make is where it says the
houses will be $160 to $200. I would like to see if we could change that the upper $150's to $200
plus. That kind of limits me on the upper side. And the reason for the $160 if you have someone
that wants to pay cash for a house then they want a discount for closing costs, at least that way I
have a little bit of flexibility in it.
42
Mr. B. Williams: All right, so you're saying the upper $150's to $200?
Mr. Herbert: Plus.
Mr. B. Williams: Okay, but my main thing was that when we met and you agreed
(inaudible) stipulation of $150 to $200 as you have it right now that was my main concern. And
we talked about Grove Landing and this subdivision being similar to Grove Landing. And I'm
hoping that we can get it done the way you said you would do it. I have confidence in you and I'm
going to make a motion to approve it.
Mr. Garrett: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Got a motion and a second to approve ---
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, one question.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right I've got several questions. I see a couple of hands going up over
here. All right Commissioner from the I". All right, Commissioner Hasan, you go first, he's
muted.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you. I'd like to speak to Mr. Sherman.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Director Sherman.
Mr. Sherman: Yes, sir.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Sherman, when you look at the sixth condition does you really need a
Special Exception to do these conditions if what it seems he agreed upon without giving the
Special Exception?
Mr. Sherman: Well, the property is zoned R-IA. Single -Family Residential requires 80-
foot lots, 80-foot widths in 10,000 square feet. He's under the Special Exception. It refers you to
what is R-lE Section where there's more flexibility in your design of your project. He has 44
acres; he can, he can only use roughly 27 acres because of the topography. This will give him
flexibility in the road width I mean excuse me the lot width and the size of the lot. So he does
need the Special Exception for this project with the base Zoning B or IA as it is.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Commissioner from the lst
Mr. Fennoy: Will there be streetlights in this project?
Mr. Herbert: Yes.
Mr. Mayor: Mark ---
43
Mr. Herbert: Yes, sir, there will be.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right great.
Mr. B. Williams: I have one more.
Mr. Mayor: All right, hold on. I'm going to say the same thing I've told the others. I'm
going to wait, wait until I recognize you. I'm going to Attorney Brown, Attorney Brown.
Mr. Brown: Yes, I just wanted to make sure that the condition that has been modified per
the petitioners' request to say the price will fall between upper 50's and 200plus, I just want to
make sure that was in the record.
Mr. Sias: Upper 150.
The Clerk: Yes.
Mr. Brown: The upper 150's not upper 50's.
The Clerk: Upper 150's to 200 plus.
Mr. Brown: Okay, thank you, ma'am.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner from the 5 h.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, sir, Mr. Herbert ---
Mr. Herbert: Yes.
Mr. B. Williams: --- I am a little concerned about the setback so will that vary the setback
vary between houses or is that the setback you're going to use?
Mr. Herbert: Whatever my engineer has on here is the setbacks is what we normally use
and we do normally set them back a foot behind that.
right
Mr. B. Williams: Okay, all right, Ms. Bonner, I'm ready ---
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. B. Williams: --- if the Mayor is.
Mr. Mayor: I'm trying to ascertain where we are. You know things keep changing. All
Mr. Sias: I had my hand up but ---
44
Mr. Mayor: --- I'm coming to you.
Mr. Sias: --- (unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: Well no, you don't. Like I said if I just get everybody to stick with it,
Commissioner from the 4 h.
Mr. Sias: I have one question but I think I'm just going to get rid of it. It was about the
distance between the homes but I'm not going to engage in it. Commissioner from the 51' says he's
good with everything so I'll leave it be.
now.
Mr. B. Williams: Amen.
Mr. Mayor: All right, amen (unintelligible).
Mr. B. Williams: We're going to be watching to see when that things started to develop
Mr. Mayor: All right, we'll entertain a motion.
The Clerk: We have one, Mr. Bobby Williams and Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Mayor: All right, voting.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
45
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Madam Clerk, regarding the matter of 13, 14 and 15 they're the
same petitioner and developer. If we could read the caption we'll do that but I'd like to take all
three of those together.
The Clerk: Mr. Sherman, are the petitioners and, Mr. Mayor, I'm thinking there were
objectors, are they here, Mr. Sherman?
Mr. Sherman: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: All right.
The Clerk: Do you want to proceed, Mr. Mayor, with that?
Mr. Mayor: I do and we want to hear from the objectors as well. Let's make sure we've
got a person who's speaking on their behalf, Rob.
Mr. Sherman: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, very well.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
46
13. Z-20-20 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Lorenz Quinn, on behalf of James Pond
Properties LLC, requesting a change of zoning from Zone R-1(One-family Residential, Zone
B-2 (General Business) and Zone A (Agriculture) to Zone R-IC (One -family Residential)
affecting property containing approximately 17.27 acres known as 4405 and 4414 Mike
Padgett Highway. Tax Map 234-0-004-00-0 and 234-0-005-00-0 CONTINUED from June 1,
2020 DISTRICT 8 1. The overall development for Spirit Crossing Subdivision and the
adjoining approximately 2.25 acre commercial site shall substantially comply with the
Concept Plan submitted with the rezoning application. Density for the 17.04 acre tract to be
rezoned to R-IC shall not exceed the 7.26 lots/acre. 2. Sidewalks shall conform to the Concept
Plan submitted with the rezoning application and shall be constructed on both sides of all
interior roads and both sides of the entrance road to Spirit Crossing Subdivision. Further
sidewalks shall be constructed along the south side of Brown Road to the intersection of the
subdivision with the proposed commercial tract. 3. Right turn lane into site from Brown
Road will be required. If intent is to make streets public, then all residential street standards
must be met (60' RW, 31' FL to FL). All interior streets (whether public or private) will need
sidewalks on at least one side with ADA ramps along property frontage on Brown Road and
Mike Padgett. 4. No development whatsoever, including the detention basin, will be allowed
in the 1% annual chance floodplain, wetlands or State Water buffer. 5. Finished floor
elevations of all residential structures shall be 3' above the BFE or 3' above HAG, whichever
is higher, as found on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for Augusta Georgia for the
subject property. 6. The 181 trees proposed for the subdivision must be installed pursuant
to the Concept Plan submitted with the rezoning application. Further, a street yard will be
required on the section of the subdivision fronting Mike Padgett Highway. Streetyard trees
along Brown Road and along Mike Padgett Highway are required to be a minimum of 3"
caliper, a minimum of 8' in height and unbranched to 6'. All trees will be bonded with a Tree
Establishment Bond for a period of 3 years to ensure their survivability. 7. This project shall
comply with all development standards and regulations set forth by the City of Augusta, GA
at the time of development.
14. Z-20-21 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Lorenz Quinn, on behalf of James Pond
Properties LLC, requesting a Special Exception in the R-IC Zone to establish develop 95 (66
single family lots and 29 attached townhomes) not to exceed a density of 7 units per acre per
Section 11-2-(a) of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta, Georgia affecting
property containing approximately 17.27 acres known as 4405 and 4414 Mike Padgett
Highway, Tax Map 234-0-004-00-0 and 234-0-005-00-0 CONTINUED from June 1, 2020
DISTRICT 8 1. The overall development for Spirit Crossing Subdivision and the adjoining
approximately 2.25 acre commercial site shall substantially comply with the Concept Plan
submitted with the rezoning application. Density for the 17.04 acre tract to be rezoned to R-
1C shall not exceed the 7.26 lots/acre. 2. Sidewalks shall conform to the Concept Plan
submitted with the rezoning application and shall be constructed on both sides of all interior
roads and both sides of the entrance road to Spirit Crossing Subdivision. Further sidewalks
shall be constructed along the south side of Brown Road to the intersection of the subdivision
with the proposed commercial tract. 3. Right turn lane into site from Brown Road will be
required. If intent is to make streets public, then all residential street standards must be met
(60' RW, 31' FL to FL). All interior streets (whether public or private) will need sidewalks
47
on at least one side with ADA ramps at every corner. Depending on existing conditions,
sidewalk may be required along property frontage on Brown Road and Mike Padgett. 4. No
development whatsoever, including the detention basin, will be allowed in the 1% annual
chance floodplain, wetlands or State Water buffer. 5. Finished floor elevations of all
residential structures shall be 3' above the BFE or 3' above HAG, whichever is higher, as
found on the Food Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for Augusta Georgia for the subject
property. 6. The 181 trees proposed for the subdivision must be installed pursuant to the
Concept Plan submitted with the rezoning application. Further, a streetyard will be required
on the section of the subdivision fronting Mike Padgett Highway, Streetyard trees along
Brown Road and along Mike Padgett Highway are required to be a minimum of 3" caliper,
a minimum of 8' in height and unbranched to 6'. All trees will be bonded with a Tree
Establishment Bond for a period of 3 years to ensure their survivability. 7. This project shall
comply with all development standards and regulations set forth by the City of Augusta, GA
at the time of development.
15. Z-20-22 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Lorenz Quinn, on behalf of James Pond
Properties LLC, requesting a change of zoning from Zone B-2 (General Business) with
conditions to Zone B-2 affecting property containing approximately 2.25 acres known as part
of 4405 Mike Padgett Highway. Part of Tax Map 234-0-004-00-0 DISTRICT 8 CONTINUED
from June 1, 2020 DISTRICT 8 1. The overall development for Spirit Crossing Subdivision
and the adjoining approximately 2.25 acre commercial site shall substantially comply with
the Concept Plan submitted with the rezoning application. Density for the 17.04 acre tract
to be rezoned to R-IC shall not exceed the 7.26 lots/acre. 2. Sidewalks shall conform to the
Concept Plan submitted with the rezoning application and shall be constructed on both sides
of all interior roads and both sides of the entrance road to Spirit Crossing Subdivision.
Further sidewalks shall be constructed along the south side of Brown Road to the intersection
of the subdivision with the proposed commercial tract. 3. Right turn lane into site from
Brown Road will be required. If intent is to make streets public, then all residential street
standards must be met (60' RW,31'FL to FL). All interior streets (whether public or private)
will need sidewalks on at least one side with ADA ramps at every corner. Depending on
existing conditions, sidewalk may be required along property frontage on Brown Road and
Mike Padgett. 4. No development whatsoever, including the detention basin, will be allowed
in the 1% annual chance floodplain, wetlands of State Water buffer. 5. Finished floor
elevations of all residential structures shall be 2' above the BFE of 3' above HAG, whichever
is higher, as found on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for Augusta Georgia for the
subject property. 6. The 181 trees proposed for the subdivision must be installed pursuant
to the Concept Plan submitted with the rezoning applications. Further, a streetyard will be
required on the section of the subdivision fronting Mike Padgett Highway. Streetyard trees
along Brown Road and along Mike Padgett Highway are required to be a minimum of 3"
caliper, a minimum of 8' in height and unbranched to 6'. All trees will be bonded with a Tree
Establishment Bond for a period of 3 years to ensure their survivability. 7. This project shall
comply with all development standards and regulations set forth by the City of Augusta, GA
at the time of development.
Mr. Mayor: Rob.
Mr. Sherman: Mr. Mayor and Commissioners, the three agenda items, companion items,
we're talking about roughly 17 acres. It's at the intersection of Brown Road and Mike Padgett
Highway. The first application 413 is to rezone the property to R-IC Single-family Residential.
The loan requires 60 feet of frontage, 6,000 square feet. The second agenda item is a request to
change to get a Special Exception to the R-IC Zone which again puts you back into the R-lE
flexibility in the development. What he's wanting to do is to have 95 lots or 95 units, there will
be 66 single-family lots and 29 attached townhouses I believe in groups of five. And then at the
corner there will be a commercial piece of property and the corner presently is zoned commercial
roughly 4 acres is zoned commercial. That will be reduced to roughly 2 1/4 acres. So it will be
residential development with the corner at Mike Padgett zoned commercial. It was on the June
Planning Commission Meeting, there were some objectors. The applicant and the objectors have
gotten together I think on three different occasions to try to resolve their concerns. The objectors
are here today and unless you have questions for me the applicant is here to answer any questions
as well and then the objectors.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I'm going to go to the Commissioner from the 81h and then I want to
hear from the objectors.
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. Actually I was going to wait until we heard from the
objectors and the developer if that's possible.
Mr. Mayor: Absolutely, not a problem. Rob, let's hear from the developer and then the
objectors in that order.
Mr. Sherman: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
Mr. Quinn: Good afternoon, my name is Lawrence Quinn. My address 4581 Bedford
Drive Evans, GA. Mr. Sherman kind of gave you the nuts and bolts of the proposed development.
It's currently already zoned commercial at the corner. We would like to sort of reshape and enlarge
the commercial zoning portion and then rezone the R-IA to R-IC with a Special Exception. That's
pretty much a general broad stroke kind of overview. I have no problem with letting the petitioners
sort of have the floor and I can address any concerns that you guys might have after hearing their
concerns.
Mr. Mayor: All right, fantastic, thank you.
Mr. Roberts: Hey, my name is Miles Roberts and I'm here because there's only one ---
Mr. Mayor: State your address, Mr. Roberts. State your address for us, yes, sir.
Mr. Roberts: --- 1302 Brown.
Mr. Mayor: Got it, thank you.
49
Mr. Roberts: I don't feel like I'm qualified, I don't think anyone of us is qualified to speak
for the concerns of over 400 people because so many different issues have been brought and so
many concerns raised. We're not professionals at this, we've just been doing what we know to do
and guided to do this is our only option we can to voice an opinion. We have over 400 signers of
a petition. We should've had a dozen speakers here on an open meeting so that we could get their
thoughts. There is a good bit of documentation and the petitions have been put on the agenda I
guess I guess you've seen those on the agenda prior to the meeting. I sent an email to each one of
you Sunday night. People who live there too many for decades many of them are elderly and they
live in a rural area and that's their choice. It's been a rural community from day one. We live on
one acre two acre and four acre tracts. We don't live in an area of seven housing units per acre.
This will be the most visible piece of ground for that neighborhood right at the corner of Highway
56 and Brown Road. There's been a number of problems that have been brought up at different
stages and some people have told me that they're tired and some Commissioners said they're tired
of hearing them the issues but we have brought up flooding issues. This parcel has carved out
recently locally so it would susceptible to the flooding zone regulations. We have tremendous
traffic problems and safety problems and it was brought up in Zoning how many accidents have
been occurring at the intersection over the last few short years. When we had the meeting the last
meeting from Zoning the very next morning I think all of you know a 35-year old lady lost her life
on a fatal head on Mike Padgett right in front on the property. There's speed issues particularly
right now on Mike Padgett. It hasn't had, Mike Padgett State Highway has not seen dense housing
on it ever in its history and there are reasons for that. It's been an agricultural and industrial area;
it's always been the nature of Highway 56. On as what sort of a neighbor is dense housing for
Graphic Packaging there are properties a quarter mile from this intersection. There's the noise,
the smells, you've got employees over there that their cars are washed before the leave the property
because of the sediment that's in the air. There's gunfire, there's hunters. Complaints will come
once the residents move in. Complaints will come with the noise because of the plant. There's
two hunting clubs, there's a firing range which is only about 2,000 feet away not 3,800 feet away.
I can see that on Google Maps. There's power lines that cross the properties right across the piece
that's being developed. There's two county wastewater ponds right behind Graphic Packaging and
they're only a half mile away from the property. Of course the flooding was an issue because two
creeks split the property one is one side and one's on the other. The procedure to get to this point
in my opinion has been a disgrace ---
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Robertson, Mr. Robertson, can you do me a favor for me can you put your
mask back on?
Mr. Roberts: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, just put your mask back on because you're talking into the microphone
and others will come up to that and be speaking into that same microphone.
Mr. Roberts: There's been a push to ignore public input and push it through overwhelming
objections. June I Planning meeting ZOOM didn't work. There were a lot of people who tried to
call in and couldn't get in because ZOOM was not working properly. Planning and Zoning was
aware of that. There's an invitation after that one for meetings that's been talked about the
community (unintelligible). It says James Pond representatives will be there, that's what we were
50
invited to. No one was invited to meet Commissioners, no one was invited to meet the Planning
personnel with Rob Sherman. They showed up and since then I've heard a hundred, I've heard a
dozen times that it was our fault for not showing up. Well, we were expecting to be given nothing
but a sales presentation from Mr. Quinn. We were against the project. If we had known there
were county officials who wanted to make it an official county meeting a lot of people would've
come just like if they could come here today there would be a lot of people here. We had flyers
that were sent along with that invitation and the flyers to us residents was an insult to our
intelligence by telling us that everything that we thought we knew was a lie or misleading. Give
me one second. I don't think that this was a done in good faith. I think it was done indirect cover
so like you say we had a meeting. I did meet once with Mr. Lawrence Quinn. His answers didn't
resolve any of the questions or the problems that I had. He said that we should be happy with this
as a compromise because it could have compared with something like on Long Point and Hargrove
off of Old Waynesboro Road. Then we had the July 61h meeting, one of the first ones postponed.
At the July 61h meeting John Clarke had told me that I should request that Zoning postpone this
until we could have an on person/in person meeting not under these COVID circumstances and I
promised that I would so I called in the same way I did on the June meeting. None of the phone in
participants were able to speak. We were not acknowledged as being online so I could not make
that request. The next day I called Zoning and it was admitted to me that that had happened that
the phone-ins got ignored and I was apologized to for that. I asked if Rob Sherman knew that that
happened and I was told that he did. I did get to listen to that meeting and I heard one of the zoning
members say "that I think that people signed a petition were told it was apartments so I think that's
why so many people signed it. That's an assumption that people that signed it couldn't read the
petition. It doesn't mention apartments. The phrase says we're opposed to the request for a Special
Exception to establish dense housing here in an R-I One -Family Residential Zone. I believe
people knew what they were signing and over 400 did so here we are. We're denied an open
meeting again in person with the Commission and perhaps we could've waiting another month to
pack this Chamber. Only one person gets to speak for 400. You have a proposal in front of you
that creates safety problems and it's been spelled out for you before. There's sidewalks that's been
talked about, sidewalks on the inside of the development. There's a business area set aside that
was approved by Zoning but no one knows what the business will be. I've asked the question
what is that business and that hasn't been filled yet, it hasn't been contracted. We don't know
what the business will be.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Robertson ---
Mr. Robertson: Yes.
Mr. Mayor: --- your time has expired.
Mr. Robertson: Can I have 30 more seconds?
Mr. Mayor: Okay, continue.
Mr. Robertson: I was told a fence would keep the kids off the highway but they can keep
them from walking out of the driveway. People will get run over on Highway 56. It's a dangerous
51
area, there's many nuisances and an open meeting is what the Commission should have allowed
for the residents.
Mr. Mayor: All right thank you, sir. All right, do you have any questions for,
Commissioners? Do you have any questions for Mr. Robertson? All right, the Commissioner
from the 8 h.
Mr. Garrett: Actually the question's not for Mr. Roberts. I actually have a question for Mr.
Sherman.
Mr. Mayor: Director Sherman.
Mr. Sherman: Yes, sir.
Mr. Garrett: Director Sherman, as this process has gone forward you know I guess to get
started when was this first put on the Planning and Zoning Commission agenda? When did the
signs first go up on Brown Road?
Mr. Sherman: I'm trying to hear what Mary is saying. This was originally to be heard
during maybe April and then was postponed, it was postponed because of the virus. And then so
we put the sign back up, signs back up for the June meeting and the Planning Commission decided
that the applicant and the neighbors needed to get together and discuss it. And I believe there were
two or three dates when they had meetings and then on the third date there were three meetings at
4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 o'clock in the afternoon.
Mr. Garrett: And how many people showed up to that meeting?
Mr. Sherman: Well, for the third meeting there were maybe ten, twelve people total. I
don't think that there was a big turnout. Okay, so the 400 signees on the petition I'm not certain
how many of those, it was maybe six or seven.
Mr. Garrett: Is this property in a flood zone?
Mr. Sherman: The property is in the 500-year flood plain which is not regulated. On the
north side of Brown Road is a floodplain, a 100-year flood plain, where there are regulations. The
south of this property there's a 100-year floodplain that cannot be encroached in and that's, at the
edge of that fringe is where the retention pond will be. The, one of the conditions and this has
seven conditions on it on each of the zoning cases it specifies that it has to be built above the, the
finished flow has to be above the highest adjacent grade in the 500-year flood plain where it's not
studied. I can read that to you, finished flood elevations of all residential structures shall be 3 feet
above base flood elevation or 3 feet above the highest adjacent grade whichever is higher as found
on the flood insurance rate maps.
Mr. Garrett: Okay and I've actually got a question for the developer if that's okay.
Mr. Quinn: Yes, sir.
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Mr. Garrett: So I know that you've met with quite a few of the developers and others. I
was at the meeting that you know I got the same invitation that those that had signed the petition
received so I went to the meeting. When I saw the invitation I invited Rob Sherman to come to
help answer some questions. My question is it seems the biggest misconception about this project
is that the townhomes are apartments. I know most of the calls that I received people are concerned
that there are apartments coming to this. But even talking with the constituents out in that area
they're very concerned about the townhomes so is there any way that this project can proceed
forward without the townhomes being part of it if it's just single-family homes?
Mr. Quinn: No, sir, that would pretty much undermine the financial liability of the project.
I can give you a little background on how we got the (unintelligible) if you'd like.
Mr. Garrett: Sure.
Mr. Quinn: Okay so in 2010 there was a basically a study paper about a commission a half
million dollar study which basically described where in South Augusta you'd want to put nodes,
specific nodes residential commercial nodes to help develop South Augusta and get the growth in
the areas that you needed. The concept of the node is to take a small piece of property and to
basically get the density strong enough in that one area in that small area to attract commerce to
give you the rooftops which will help the commerce survive and give your area the future growth,
sustain the growth that it needs. Up and down Brown Road there are things that are needed that
you don't find on Brown Road and the commercial corner of Brown and 56 will give the
constituents in that area what they need on a commercial basis but to get the commercial there you
need to rooftops in the areas so the node concept is what the City of Augusta went with. In that
node concept it calls for 2000 square foot lots and greater, a vast number of 2000 square foot lots
actually. We only have 29 and those are our townhomes; those are not apartments. Those are still
single-family dwellings. When you look at an apartment it can look similar to a townhome. These
townhomes all have garages and driveways individual for each one. The value on these
townhomes low end is 170's and then everything other than the townhome which there are more
of those are 66 otherwise are at a minimum 4000 square foot and many are bigger. It's the
townhome is you know you get pushback on smaller size density sometimes. People don't like
the look of them. The reality is it's a single-family dwelling, it's not an apartment, it's not a multi-
family dwelling, it's not Section 8 housing which is what a lot of people are told when they're
asked to sign the petitions. And we've had a few different Commissioners that have had phone
calls from people that support the project and were told that they're being asked to sign a petition
based on someone telling them at their doorstop it's for Section 8 housing. It's just a reality of the
situation. There are a lot of misconceptions; we understand them. We held four meetings one
with ---
Mr. Garrett: Can I stop you right there?
Mr. Quinn: --- sure.
Mr. Garrett: How big are these houses that we're talking about, the single-family
dwellings, how big are they?
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Mr. Quinn: On the townhome structure a standard 1,500 square foot home on the other --
Mr. Garrett: Is that the minimum or will that be what you're building?
Mr. Quinn: --- that's a uniform for each one of the townhome sizes. The homes are a
minimum of 2500 square feet.
Mr. Garrett: So if we put it in stipulations that the homes cannot be smaller than 2500
square feet would you agree to that?
Mr. Quinn: You're asking me to speak for the builder which I'm fairly certain that that is
an accurate statement. I hate to speak for him and you know and kind of tie him down in that
without me saying I said around 2500. It may be 2300 on one or 2400 depending on the floorplan.
I don't know that, I'm just completely spit -balling there but we're looking at 2500 square foot is
the minimum and there will be many that will be bigger than that.
Mr. Garrett: And you know like we told them in the previous agenda item there were
minimums put on the pricing for these. Would you agree to those? I don't know what your price
point is so far I've heard anywhere from $200 to $260.
Mr. Quinn: Yeah, our lower end on the detached units is $200. That's the price it's
(inaudible) so you're looking at low to mid $200's.
Mr. Garrett: So we put in the minutes for this for part of the, you know, one of the things
he has to agree to homes from $200 plus, you'd he okay with that?
Mr. Quinn: My only concern when I see that if I'm honest, sir, is you know what if the
market tanks tomorrow? I mean if I build a house and I sell if for $200,000 and then the market
tanks like say something along COVID lines and the same house is built right next to it but I need
to move it, it needs to be bought, I mean it doesn't do the community good for the house to not be
bought if I have to short myself on the price even though I haven't built a smaller home. I would
hate to be locked into something to say that I have to sell that home for $200,000 when I could sell
to somebody else for $190 even though it's the same $200,000 home as the one next to it that was
pay full price for.
Mr. Garrett: I understand.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right ---
Mr. Garrett: Okay.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Garrett, anyone else? Commissioner Marion
Williams, unmute your mike, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: About that, can you hear me now?
54
Mr. Quinn: Yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: I thought I heard the gentleman just say that there was a study done that
came back to say these are the type homes built in that area. Is that, was that accurate?
Mr. Quinn: Yes, sir. In 2010 the Augusta Commission paid for a sustainable development
package that absolutely does recommend these nodes and this node. When we took on the design
of this we did confer with the City of Augusta with the Economic Development Authority, the
Housing Authority. I used to manage part of the Engineering Department, this is, I used to be a
state and federal regulator for the environment. Every aspect of this this project has been done
extremely responsibly and with a lot of due diligence and a lot of input from the City of Augusta.
And based on a lot of information the City of Augusta has spent a lot of money to get from third
parties of course it's not from us.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, thank you, that helps me a lot.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, Commissioner John Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Mr. Quinn, what is the square foot price of the
homes that you're building?
Mr. Quinn: It's a range of, hold on a second, I have to do some quick math for you if you
don't mind.
Mr. Clarke: Okay.
Mr. Quinn: At a minimum on a smaller size you'd be looking at $8.00 a square foot.
Mr. Clarke: Okay, thank you.
Mr. Quinn: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, Commission, anyone else have any questions for Mr.
Quinn? What's your pleasure here? Where do you want to go with this, Commission?
Mr. Sias: Number 8, what are you going to do?
Mr. Garrett: You know I think this project is a, you know, it is a step out of the comfort
zone for my district but I do understand that with the need for new housing, when I ran for office
one of the things everybody kept asking was when can we get different amenities out in our areas
such as new commercial and hopefully a new grocery store. Grocery stores are few and far
between in my district. You know I still do not agree with the townhome part of this but I do
understand that, you know, a townhome doesn't fit me and it may not fit, there are people that do
want to live in a townhome. They don't want the maintenance of a big yard. So I think this is a
good fit other than the townhomes so I make a motion to approve.
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Mr. Sias: Second.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We've got a motion and a second from Commission Sias. Ms.
Bonner, let's go ahead and vote please. Ms. Bonner?
The Clerk: I'm getting there, sir, I'm sorry. Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis, Mr. Fennoy?
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am and Ms. Davis is ready.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Thank you, Commissioner Sias, yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: And Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
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The Clerk: That motion carries to approve Items #13, 14 and 15.
Mr. Quinn: Thank you, sirs and ma'ams.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, sir. Ms. Bonner, if we can go to Agenda Item 452 please.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SAFETY
52. The Richmond County Sheriffs Office is requesting the re -purpose funds from cash
match that remain in fund 220 to the 2020 budget account.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Administrator Sims.
Mr. Sims: Yes, sir. The Sheriff's Office is requesting to repurpose funds from cash match
that remains in fund 220 to the 2020 budget account. Finance is in agreement with this request
from the Sheriff's Office of $48,750.00 from Account 220. The funds moved to Account
273032110-5311110.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, Commissioner Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes, sir. Can somebody tell me what cash match is and what's going to
be done with the money?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Administrator Sims.
Mr. Sims: Yes, I think Tim is available as well ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay.
Mr. Sims: --- a cash match, normally there's a grant and you are required to have a match
for a grant. Basically indicating that they now rather have the cash match converted over to their,
the 2020 budget account.
Mr. M. Williams: Yeah but Mayor Pro Tem, can I continue?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: If there was a match for a grant the grant was for something. It wasn't
a grant just to match cash I don't think. If the cash was the grant had a match to it then it was the
grant to do something with. What was that and how much is that?
Mr. Sims: Commissioner, the Sheriff's Office is saying that the cash match for the
proposed project is no longer needed and they are simply requesting the return of funds to its
origin.
57
Mr. M. Williams: Okay but I still don't understand because I'm getting a limited amount
of information. The cash match was for what and now it's not being used because they don't need
whatever this missing thing was. I'm asking a question as an elected official what was the initial
cash match for? I mean we going to turn it back over to whoever gave it I guess the Sheriff's not
using it but what was the initial part in the beginning?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Administrator Sims, can Tim speak to this?
Mr. Sims: He can if he's available. He should be added to the meeting.
Mr. Lewis: There he is.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Tim, can you speak to Commissioner Williams' question?
Mr. Schroer: I don't remember exactly what the grant was for but the funds came from the
Sheriff's Department to the Sheriff's Department's funds from the sale of firearms so they moved
that over to Fund 220 while we manage our cash were grants. Now that that program has ended
and I can find that out for you, sir, I don't know off the top of my head what the program was, just
moving the funds back to where they originated from.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, thank you. Looks like we've got Ms. Veronica.
Mr. B. Williams. Mr. Pro Tem?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Give me just a second, Commissioner Bobby Williams, Ms.
Freeman, can you speak to Commissioner Marion Williams' question about the program?
Ms. Freeman: Yes, sir, can you all hear me?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Freeman: Yes, Commissioner Williams, the funding was originally used for a GEMA
Fund Grant that we had but due to the specifications of the grant we were not able to complete the
grant. He submitted that information to the Finance Department. It was basically for a generator
grant but due to the specifications for that area being in a flood area we were not able to utilize the
funds so we want to move the money to our 2020 budget account.
Mr. M. Williams: I think I heard what she said but she's kind of low. You wasn't able to
use the money for the flooding that you got the grant for so now you want to move the money to
your regular budget but you still got the grant.
Ms. Freeman: No, we no longer have the grant. We sent in a letter to GEMA stating we
could not use the grant. As stated we're in a flood area and they wanted the specifications basically
for the generator be on the ground and due to our location we cannot do that so we want to use the
funding that we had set aside from that funding for the 2020 account now.
m
Mr. M. Williams: Okay and how much is that?
Ms. Freeman: It is $48,750.00 dollars.
Mr. M. Williams: What was the total of the grant that we would've gotten if it had not
been on the ground?
Ms. Freeman: The principal grant ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Are you there, Ms. Freeman?
Ms. Freeman: --- yes, sir, I'm having some (inaudible) what was that question
Commissioner?
Mr. M. Williams: I wanted to know the $48,000 dollars that you put up for that the
Sheriff's Department had matched the grant, how much would the grant had been had we gotten
it? If we put up forty-eight was there another 48,158 I mean, what was the other?
Ms. Freeman: The original grant I don't have it in front of me right now but it was a little
over $300,000.
Mr. M. Williams: And we were supposed to put up $48 and we didn't get it so we're going
to take the forty and put it back into the account, right?
Ms. Freeman: Correct.
Mr. M. Williams: That's simple, that's easy enough, I've got no problem with that but ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: So is that a motion to approve?
Mr. M. Williams: --- no, I ain't making no motion. I said that's easy, I didn't say a motion.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, Commissioner Bobby Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: We make things complicated.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Bobby Williams, I can't hear you.
Mr. B. Williams: Motion to approve.
Mr. D. Williams: Second.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Got a motion and a second from the Commissioner from District 2.
Ms. Bonner, if we could please vote.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke, is he muted? Ms. Davis.
59
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke, are you?
Mr. Clarke: I'm here ---
The Clerk: How are you voting yes or no?
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, Ms. Bonner, we're going to go to Agenda Item 53 please.
.c
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SAFETY
53. Discuss duties and responsibilities as it relates to the ARC Code Enforcement illegal
dumping/litter Division placed under the Marshal's Department. (Requested by
Commissioner Marion Williams)
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, Commissioner Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. We've got some backup in your material
that I'm very disappointed about. This has been an ongoing situation with the cleanup of Augusta.
We have been holding people back, we've got a, we had the Marshal's Department to take on this
responsibility, we fund their monies for the extra duty to do that and I'm very disappointed as it
has not been done. In the previous years of my 16 years as an elected official I have not seen very
much improvement. I remember when we went down to some of the inner city and we had a big
gathering where everybody brought their equipment, we cleaned up, get some stuff. One time,
only one time and the stuff is in the worse shape now than it was then. I'm disappointed in the
taxpayers who pay for this service and don't get it. Today just today this morning I rode out just
checking just looking at the dump sites that we got around Augusta, containers were being filled.
I had to call Rob Sherman the other day. I think he called the Marshall to talk to him about the
containers on Laney Walker when I find street going through here trash was all over the ground
and I appreciate the Marshal going in and getting the stuff off the ground but the container's still
there. Somebody's not enforcing the law to the fullest extent. I asked for a report that I have not
gotten yet. I want to know what had took place in the last, I mean in the first six months of this
year, how many citations. I mean we said we can't find the people that own these homes but the
taxpayers are suffering, the taxpayers are really bleeding with the devastation of just cleaning up
and that's the easiest thing in the world. We hadn't arrested anybody, we hadn't caught anybody,
we hadn't got anybody on camera. There's nothing I seen that's been done yet and I'm very upset
about it. I think the community deserves better for the money we put. My question is and I saw
the Marshal up here what's the responsibility of the Marshal to do the litter patrol, not just paper
on Deans Bridge Road going to the landfill, all over this city? Can I get an answer for that?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, thank you, Commissioner Williams. Marshal Lampkin.
Marshal Lampkin: Yes, sir, can you repeat your question again, Commissioner Williams?
Mr. M. Williams: No problem. My question is to you what has been done since the first
of this year about the devastation as far as arresting somebody, catching somebody? I mean we
can't catch people dumping tires. They dump tires in the same location every time. I hadn't seen
anything done with that. My question to you is what's the responsibility to the Marshal's Office
to do on this assignment that the governing body gave to them with extended equipment,
manpower and automobiles? We have not gotten very far with that.
Marshal Lampkin: Commissioner, have you had a chance to look at the stats that my
Colonel sent out all that's laid out in there from 2016 to 2017 and 2018 and thus far this year? All
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the stats that we've done for the illegal dumping everything we've done thus far was emailed to
the Commission, have you had a chance to look at those?
Mr. M. Williams: I looked at those and I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed what I see
though. I'm not talking about the stats; I'm talking about the actual work. Now I called last
meeting on Perry Avenue going between I Ph Street and 12'h Street on Perry Avenue was a third
world country and I wanted the Marshal even the Sheriff to come in, drug activity and I sit there
with them drug activity was going on on Perry Avenue. And the lady next door was just in literally
in tears about every day who told me that they're there every day at 2:00 o'clock. That Code
Enforcement come in and I asked Code Enforcement did you get the tag number? Well we, they've
got a registered tag I said I'm not talking about whether, did you get the tag number. Since then
we've got trees that's cut down, we got abandoned properties that's all on Perry Avenue and I Ph
Street right now the grass, I won't call it grass, the kudzu has done covered this burnt house to the
point you can't even see the house, you can't even see it. And it's two doors from Lumpkin Church
on the corner of Wrightsboro Road and I Ph Street. The stench is so bad that you can't even walk
down the street. That's just one location now. I'm not talking about the whole city just one location
that I'm talking about now that really got my gall because we put the money in the Marshal's
Department to handle this stuff and it has not been handled. So I'm very disappointed. I seen the
stats but I ain't seen no arrests, I ain't seen no convictions, I ain't seen, I hadn't seen anything.
There are more tires on the street right now than there is in any tire company around Augusta but
we paid for that but we hadn't get that service. I don't think the taxpayer ought to suffer with that.
Can your stats back that up?
Marshal Lampkin: Yes, sir, I can back what we're doing up. If you look we've more than
had a 250% increase in activity as far as when I took office. If you look at the first year if you just
look at just a yearly stats of what we did the first felony case we made for illegal dumping I think
my office has done a good job and we've gone a long way to help clean up this city. Like I said if
you just take a look at some of the stats we in 2016 before I took office there was only 1,700 cases
made total, 2017 my first year in office 2,400 cases, my third year in office 2018 2,300 cases. My
third year 2019 we wrote 4,766 citations ---
Mr. M. Williams: So let me interrupt you now because I don't want this to come between
me and you. I'm really concerned about the neighborhood. But if your staff are what they say they
are why is the conditions in the city are in the worse shape than when you came in? If your staff,
now wait a minute now, I don't do your job, I don't try to do your job. I've got responsibilities, I
ran for half of this city. I live in this city, I live in the hood and I don't mind staying in the hood
but I've got a problem when we can't people to clean up. It's a serious issue when we can't go
down the street and see the trash on and the overgrown lots and we say we can't find nobody when
people are dumping tires and we hadn't arrested anybody. I put a call into the judge. I wanted to
talk to the judge about it. Evidently something is not working, Marshal Lampkin. I mean your
staff says one thing but the community I see something else. We're always going to have some
trash. I get that. How many dumpsters have your people, if I hadn't called the other day and Rob
Sherman ought to be around here somewhere I hadn't called him myself because I was
embarrassed to go down Laney Walker, stuff on top of the can I mean the dumpster and this around
it, it's all around it, it moves stuff around it, but the dumpster's still there. If you look at these
pictures that we got you'll see the same stuff. The houses on Perry Avenue right now got stuff in
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the front yard. I know for instance we go to a lot of back yards. This is in the front yard of these
streets ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Williams, I'm respectful of what you're saying and a
lot I agree with but I also think that you have to understand that we didn't have anyone out cleaning
the city for two months, three months. This is unchartered waters but we didn't have any staff out
doing anything.
Mr. M. Williams: This is not about two months ago. This is about 16 years that I've been
here. This ain't just (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I'm not disagreeing with you but I think when you look at the stats
that the Marshal has had over in his four years I mean it's pretty impressive. And stats are facts.
Stats are what is the job and you're saying stats don't matter.
Mr. M. Williams: (Unintelligible) stats is what's on paper. Stats ain't no facts. Show me
the evidence. I want to see the proof in it. You can write anything you want to on a piece of paper.
You can make the stats sound what you want to. I don't know where you come from, now you
work with an organization that know about stats. You can make them seem like you want to. I
don't see the evidence.
Marshal Lampkin: Can I ---
Mr. M. Williams: Ms. Bonner, put this back on the agenda because I ain't through talking
about it. If we don't want to talk about it today we'll talk about it the next committee meeting but
we're going to talk about it because it don't make sense now. The community is being suffered
because we ride by stuff and hadn't addressed it.
Marshal Lampkin: --- can I speak to this please?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Continue, Marshal Lampkin.
Marshal Lampkin: Mr. Commissioner, I appreciate that. I know you're elected by half of
the county. I was elected by the whole county to do the job here and if you look at the stats what
we're doing, I'm not just looking at stats we go out in the community we talk to people and what
you're hearing and what I'm hearing are two totally different things. And when we do our stats
we actually take a picture but when we go in before and after so you are welcome any time to come
to City Works and look at the stats and look at the pictures of what we did instead of just us talking
here on the floor so you can see what we did actually with the evidence, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: Marshal Lampkin, I want to see the stuff moved. I don't want to see no
stats. I want to see the stuff obviously cleaned up. Now evidently our fines or penalties are not
severe enough. Something's not working and you tell me your stats are accurate?
Marshal Lampkin: Yes, sir.
63
Mr. M. Williams: The city still looks the same. There's a communication breakdown
somewhere. So I need to see something better than this. I need to see something all over the city.
I'll tell you what you ride with me and you ain't the only Marshal, now hold it, let me back up a
minute. Representative Gloria Fraser told me what a good job Steve Smith was doing. I got in my
car and carried him in the hood to show him some stuff and she couldn't stand it. On the outskirts
they look fine but in the inner city where we let people get by with doing wrong, then I think
there's a problem with that.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner from the 9 h, we appreciate that. I think again the
Marshal has been real clear about what his team has done; there's no question about that. As
you've indicated you know of some areas that are still not where we as a city need them to be or
want them to be and what I will counter with is that you've got an opportunity to work with and
partner with our Marshal, our Code Enforcement. There have been multiple start/stops in the
Wrightsboro Road area in several locations. You championed an effort two years ago where you
talked about let's go down and clean up Wrightsboro Road and the Marshal and his team they
came and got involved.
Mr. M. Williams: One day, one day.
Mr. Mayor: What has happened, what has happened is that there's an ongoing effort in the
city to try and do as much good as possible but what this Commission has to do is to allocate direct
resources to get after cleaning up this city holistically. And you say 16 years well you've got five
months left to help champion something and get after it and to get after it in a pretty significant
way using the resources that we have available to you.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, how much money how much money (unintelligible) ---
Mr. Mayor: (Inaudible) Commissioner from the 10'h ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- and I'm going to give you one more time okay, I'm going to the
Commissioner from the 10''.
Mr. M. Williams: --- unintelligible), Madam Clerk, put it back on the agenda. I ain't got
to go through this. If you don't want to talk about it today we'll talk about it every meeting we're
going to have. Now I'm trying to get some resolutions to some stuff that's been going on for 16
years and you're trying to cut me off. So, Madam Clerk, put this back on the agenda to discuss
the Marshal's Department and the money we have supplied him with to do and Code Enforcement,
he wasn't doing it before this was not his agenda but now we're paying him giving him the
resources ---
Mr. Mayor: All right ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- to do that.
Mr. Mayor: --- Commissioner ---
64
Mr. D. Williams: Receive as information.
Mr. Mayor: --- we'll put it back on the agenda, we'll talk about it but, Madam Clerk, when
we talk about it next time I'm going to have an expectation that the Commissioner from the 9 h is
going to bring some solutions to this conversation and not just another agenda item ---
Mr. M. Williams: I've got some solutions right now, Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: --- we're going to move on to the next item.
Mr. M. Williams: --- that we just take those (inaudible) and create our own department to
clean this city up. It don't make sense for people to be dumped on like we've been letting them
be dumped on because we ride ---
Mr. Sias: All right, let's move on.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we're going to move on to the next item.
Mr. M. Williams: --- (unintelligible) property.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we'll receive this as information.
Mr. M. Williams: I'm not receiving anything. Now if ya'll want to move on going to keep
it on the agenda though we're going to talk about it today or the next day.
Mr. Mayor: All right we appreciate it, next item, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Let's see Item 423?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SERVICES
23. Motion to approve the Masterplan and memorial concept at Fleming Park to honor
Melquan Robinson, Jr.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Administrator Sims.
Mr. D. Williams: I move to approve.
Mr. Sias: I've got a question.
Mr. Sims: Commissioners, there's a motion to approve a Masterplan memorial concept
for a memorial for Melquan Robinson, Jr. The dollar amount is listed also in the book. We also
have scheduled a memorial date I think it's July the 20'h I mean July the, I need to follow up with
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Ms. Bonner on a date but we also have a date that we have scheduled for this event. The plans are
included here for you all's approval.
Mr. D. Williams: It's not in the book.
The Clerk: I'll send it out.
Mr. Sims: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: All right ---
Mr. Sims: Funding is coming from also the SPLOST 7.
Mr. Mayor: --- okay. All right, we've got a question from the Commissioner from the 4 h.
Mr. Sias: Thank you. Administrator Sims, I just want to get something clear. When we
talked about this one time when a previous presentation made to the Commission it was my
understanding that this was a complete renovation of the park, new lights and greenspace and a
walking track and all that. When I see this agenda item it says $1.5 million dollars to honor
Melquan Robinson. I need a little clarification. Is this the renovation of the park or how are we
spending this? Can you clarify that for me?
Mr. Sims: I also have Mr. McDowell here to provide details regarding that matter. My
understanding is for some safety improvement and lighting but he could probably expound and
provide more details if we can chime him in.
Mr. Sias: I don't see where the dollar amounts are related to each, thank you
(unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: Yeah we're, okay, Mr. McDowell, there's a question for you. If you could
walk us through this proposal or what the Commission is being asked to do?
Mr. McDowell: I didn't hear the question. Could you repeat the question, Commissioner?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Sias.
Mr. Sias: I said looking at this when we had when we first heard the presentation about
the Fleming Park my understanding was a kind of a walking track and new lights and everything
and a few other amenities to the park and also was going to include this memorial, I guess stone,
for and with a little cover (unintelligible) Melquan Robinson for that. I'm just trying to get a
clarification and now when the agenda item said basically maybe not meant to be but said $1.5
million dollars for that honoring Melquan Robinson in Fleming Park. I want to get an
understanding what's the dollar amount related to all those issues per issue.
Mr. McDowell: All right, Commissioner as you may recall the Commissioners repurposed
Parks and Recreation SPLOST dollars I think last year and part of that process we had the Fleming
Park project and most of that project was to deal with some of the safety issues and concerns at
that particular park site. But as part of the Melquan Robinson settlement part of that settlement
called for some sort of memorial in honor of Melquan Robinson so we consolidated that settlement
that we had to in this particular park area and also the safety improvements to this particular park
area. We had a million dollars allocated for this particular project and then we're utilizing an
additional $500,000 from our safety and lights upgrade also line item that we have. This is the
concept that we were asking the Commissioners to approve so we can move forward with the
construction phase of the project.
Mr. Sias: So do you have, are you able to separate out the money for the progress of the
memorial?
Mr. McDowell: Not now only because we're in a conceptual phase we won't really get to
that point until we start the construction side to know exactly what each item will cost per se and
that's part this is just approving the concept so we can forward with Phase 2 with the architect to
go ahead and do the design and then go out for construction. And at that point we'll be able to line
item each item in terms of what the cost associated with it is.
Mr. Sias: Will that come back to us?
Mr. Sias: Absolutely.
Mr. Sias: All right, thank you, Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I'm going stay right here where you are Commissioner because I'm
concerned. And again with all deference to staff for the work that they've put into bringing a
concept back one of the great challenges that we have and have had is that we made a commitment
as a body to remedy a park situation particularly those safety concerns and I'm not hearing
anything as it relates to that which was priority number one. To date if what I'm hearing is
complete that we don't have a plan of we're addressing the lighting and/or the safety challenges
that were associated with Fleming Park such that we could resume if we were able to do it
obviously because of COVID we're not but if we were able to resume sports we've not been able
to do that because of the concerns around lighting and access to the park et cetera. So you've got
a community of interest that has not had access to this facility and others that were like it because
we have not been told that those safety issues were resolved. So I need you to speak to that, Mr.
McDowell, before we proceed with this conceptual plan around what effectively if I look at this is
transitioning a substantial amount of this park into greenspace.
Mr. McDowell: And, Mr. Mayor, the scope of this project is to address the safety issues
and concerns that was the catalyst behind this project. You're right in terms of we will have some
open greenspace in this particular area but the fencing comes down we're going to put in a walking
trail that will have lights around that walking trail, we're taking up all that old electrical stuff that
was there prior to this project. So the base of this project and the scope of this project is to address
the safety issues and concerns. But a part of that we're addressing also the settlement that was
agreed upon by the Commissioners and the family and we had to memorialize Mr. Robinson and
so we're doing that in concert with the safety improvements at that particular site.
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Mr. Mayor: To that end, to that end then I'm of the opinion that again consistent with the
Commissioner from the 4' is that while we may be reviewing this I don't know if we should
approve anything until we have that information to support this particularly in light of the fact that
that dollar amount may exceed $1.5 million or whatever that number is because of one how old
and degraded those facilities were and again there's a tremendous amount of new costs associated
with lighting at fields now and I think we're premature. I also don't see anything because the last
conversation that I remember is that we had moved in haste to rename the streets and that is also a
part of this overall effort to memorialize and/or name something for the late Melquan Robinson
Jr., all of which I support but I think we need the comprehensive package as opposed to necessarily
piecemealing it and if ya'll disagree with that I'm okay with that but I thought that was what we
were intending on working towards.
Mr. McDowell: The renaming of the street, Mr. Mayor, is a separate item from the project
itself. We've already scheduled for the renaming of the street on July the 27 h at 10:00 a.m. I think
that information had been disseminated from the Administrator to the Clerk's Office to be
disseminated to the elected body. So we've already planned the renaming ceremony if you will
for July 271h at 10:00 a.m. This project as you know this is just a conceptual phase of it. You
won't know exactly line item costs until you get to the construction side of it. Again we established
a budget based on what was allocated by the Commissioners for this particular project. Now once
you establish a budget for a project you develop the conceptual and then you move on to the design
phase and construction phase and at that point when you're back ready to bid the project out at that
point you'll really know hard numbers as to what's going to cost what and if we have enough
money allocated in particular budget that we have for this project or if we'll have to come back
and ask for additional resources. But this is just the conceptual phase of it. We're not going to
have construction documents until we get to Phase 2.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah and I'm not looking for construction documents just again. I know how
many foot candles a particular light provides. I'm going to let go. I just think there's more
information that's needed. I'm going to the Commissioner from the 9 h and then the 101h
Go ahead, Commissioner.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I thought we had already done some things for the late
Melquan Robinson as far as the naming of the street maybe not officially but we had that done.
There's some other things that we dealt with his family on but if we approve something the way
the caption is now I think we'd be getting ahead of ourselves and not knowing what we're really
approving. I'm in support but like you just said the safety issue about the park had not been
addressed yet so if we put everything in here with that amount and then don't have the rest of the
money then what happens? So I think we've got to be careful about just stamping stuff and saying
okay we're going to approve it. We got to make sure that we got those particular things in order
in the right places. So I'm like you. I support the effort, naming of the street and everything else
that goes with that but I think we need to be sure that we take care of the safety issues of that park
before we do anything else.
Mr. Sims: Mr. Commissioner, if I maybe could respond that is the scope of the project that
is the scope of the conceptual we're asking for the memorial for Mr. Robinson is just a component
of that, that's not the primary focus of the project it's just a component of it that we're bound by
the settlement to do.
Mr. M. Williams: If I can respond, Mr. Administrator, the way it is this topic is read in my
mind that we're going to do something totally different than what we just said and that's the way
I read the caption. Now maybe like the rest of ya'll, ya'll know it all, I'm trying to figure it out.
But I ain't got no problem talking about it. If that's the case I think it needs to be plain as the nose
on your face as to what it ought to be versus assuming that it's plain so I think the wording needs
to be better than what it is now. When I saw it I thought that was just about memorializing and
doing stuff we agreed to for him, nothing about the safety issues when I saw it.
Mr. Sims: Right there is a diagram in your agenda packet that outlines on the left you will
see the improvements to the park area itself and at the right you'll see the memorial that represents
the memorial of Mr. Robinson.
Mr. M. Williams: What does the caption read?
The Clerk: Motion to approve the Masterplan and memorial concept at Fleming Park to
honor Melquan Robinson, Jr.
Mr. M. Williams: To honor Melquan Robinson, Jr. that's right and I ain't got no problem
honoring him but that tells me that the caption is about that. Now one word from my Legal counsel
will tell you it will get you killed. One word. So we need to make sure that we dot the is and
cross the t's. I'm not against any of this but one word a lawyer will walk in and make this city flip
upside down if you ain't dotted your is and crossed your t's. That's all I'm saying.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I think this is going to raise a series of questions, Commissioner
from the 91h. Let me get a couple of others in here and then we'll come back to it because these are
all relevant. Once again to Administrator Sims' effort and Administrator McDowell, thank you
for bringing this forward but this is an important site beyond the memorialization of this young
man. For those of us who lived on the south side of town this has been the go to place and if I look
at what's here and I know the Commissioner because he's spent more time over here than I did is
going to talk to this but this is a complete repurposing of what we once known as Bernie Ward.
All right, Commissioner to the I Oh and then the 6 h.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, sir, thank you, Mr. Mayor. The thing that I would like to say is
when we're talking about safety with our parks and our facilities like this what led us to this was
faulty wiring. And I would like to see the Parks and Recreation and us move forward with solar
lighting so that we do away with the electrical part of it and it's a straight solar powered lighting.
And I think that that's the best way that we could go here. You know it will pay for itself with the
cost savings that we pay for electricity so we'll have you know two things going for us there we'll
have safety with solar lighting and we'll have savings. So I would like to see that explored with
the Parks and Recreation. Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 6 h.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. McDowell, is Mr. McDowell there?
Mr. McDowell: Yes, sir.
Mr. Sims: He's here.
Mr. Hasan: From the Masterplan perspective I'm assuming that's the grounds out there, is
there anything else you're planning to do in the long run other than what we've got here on this
caption from the blueprints in the back or that's all that's going to be done at the park going
forward?
Mr. McDowell: Well, going forward keep in mind the original allocation by the
Commission was a million dollars for the improvements of this entire area over here. Now we've
also, we'll be asking for some additional resources with SPLOST 8 to further the development but
we only had a million dollar allocation that was authorized and approved by this body when we
repurposed SPLOST dollars. Back last year we've added an additional $500,000 dollars to this
particular project. We know that it's going to far exceed the million dollars as we do address those
safety issues surrounding the lights and install new lights and new electrical. So we upped the
project budget by one and a half million dollars just so we'll have some cushion or some room to
maneuver in terms of making a viable project as well as honoring our commitment to the Robinson
family.
Mr. Hasan: Let me mention this then. Let me mention this then and I apologize and so
let's discuss SPLOST 8 for a moment.
Mr. McDowell: Okay.
Mr. Hasan: Do you intend to ask for money for the facility in SPLOST 8 or are you asking
for more money on the grounds?
Mr. McDowell: A combination. Primarily the facility itself because it does need upgrading
Mr. Hasan: Okay.
Mr. McDowell: --- as well as the entire corridor over in that particular area.
Mr. Hasan: Okay let me ask you one more thing. Is the name Melquan Robinson, is that
up or did ya' ll take it down?
Mr. McDowell: It's down until the July the 27 h memorial where we will officially have
the renaming ceremony for that particular road opening.
Mr. Hasan: So because that means that we, so it was there for a while and then the
Commission got a whiff of it and it was taken down (unintelligible). And how long do you foresee
70
for you to do just what you got on paper here? How long in a perfect world, how long before you
actually this comes to reality what you've got here?
Mr. McDowell: Okay so if we can through the conception is what we're asking for today
then we get to the construction phase that;s where the designs that's when we start seeing hard
numbers and that's when the we start having construction documents. So that's going to take us
at least five to six weeks then you go through your Procurement process to bid out for construction
about another eight weeks. And so we'll be I'll say this project will probably let early spring next
year and probably construction starts probably summer of next year.
Mr. Hasan: Yeah, because I just myself personally even if you stuck with this and
obviously some of my colleagues I don't disagree have problems with what we're looking at here
but even if you stuck with what you got here I'd just keep the street name until that particular time
because if you had it at one time you took it down it almost don't have any real value from the
point of announcement now because you've done nothing else all this time in that area you know.
I'd almost see you put the name back up and stuff like that. I mean so this call it out next Monday
to do the name not that the name should be up there it looks like you been through that before to
some degree so it's almost like it shouldn't have the value that it had you know just to catch you
off guard, so if you hadn't said that we didn't know that.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I don't know if the Commissioner from the 9 h had his hand back up
but I'm going to ask Mr. McDowell I'm going to ask you a couple of other questions. Not to
belabor it but that's where I am. If I take a look at this conceptual plan here today is it not true,
well, before I go in that page where are the ballfield at that we see and know today? Where are
they in relationship to your Masterplan?
Mr. McDowell: As you well know, Mr. Mayor, in this design in this concept this open
area can be conducive to a ballfield that's almost like a grassed infield as well as it could be utilized
for a soccer field or you name it. Defects are going away, you're adding a walking trail around it
so that the baseball field or component of it, it is not part of this. It's pretty much a multipurpose
open area to play there. We don't really have the resources for this to go back as a traditional
baseball field. We had talked about it early on in the project but the scoring tower alone would
cost us well over $600,000 dollars to construct. So we just don't have the budget there to do all
that what you would probably like to see in that particular area but that doesn't say that we can't
come back later if the Commission so desires and to move in that vein but keep in mind we only
have a million dollars allocated for this project.
Mr. Mayor: I am going to take an approach that again I'm going to ask my colleagues to
join me in this is that we, is that we table this for further discussion. I'm thinking about this park
what it has meant to the community. I grew up on this side of town and not to terribly long ago I
know ya'll see the white hair but at the end of the day this is for many people right there adjacent
to Jeff Maxwell Library this is the park where Commissioner from the 5 h where many of his
players got their start at whether it was football or baseball and even basketball and for us to go in
a completely different trajectory I'm not sure that's with the community's best interest in mind.
And again I defer to my colleagues here but knowing the community, knowing not just the students
at Butler but Glenn Hills in those areas this is where we all congregated at. You know I hit some
71
of my biggest shots from a basketball standpoint right at Bernie Ward. If you don't believe it ask
Daryl Benning. He will tell you. And so at the end of the day this is a very important resource
that we have (unintelligible) and it's been a long standing one and if we take this approach I think
we further take a step towards removing the fabric of the community that has long held there and
it's still needed today. I'll pause there. All right, Commissioner from the 9 h.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I agree with you but I agree with you 100%. I mean we
don't need to belabor this but Bernie Ward has been neglected in a lot of different ways over a
period of time. We just know that the swing set that just move in the last year was there when they
built the building so there's a lot of need in that area for sure. So we need to make sure that we do
this right when we do it not any worse or any better than any other park we need to make sure
because a young man lost his life that we make it eye appealing and something that the City of
Augusta will be proud of.
Mr. D. Williams: Receive as information.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. M. Williams: We got to go, go ahead.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we're going to receive it, receive it as information. Madam Clerk,
we'll have a follow up, we talked about a number of items that we're going to continue to discuss.
This will be one of those that are priority because it's important.
The Clerk: All right.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Mr. McDowell, thank you. Administrator Sims, thank you both.
Next item.
The Clerk: Mr. Mayor, can, Commissioner Fennoy, are you ready for Item 9? We still
have the Planning Department waiting for that item, is he ready, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: He walking down the hall. Stop that man (inaudible), Commissioner?
Mr. Fennoy: Yes, sir.
The Clerk: Are you ready to address Item 49 now?
Mr. Fennoy: I am.
The Clerk: Okay, all right.
PLANNING
9. Z-20-37 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Louis White, on behalf of Josie Alexander,
requesting a change of zoning from Zone R-IB (One -family Residential) to Zone R-3B
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(Multiple -family Residential) affecting property containing 2.22 acres and known as 2403
Mount Auburn Street. Tax Map 034-1-210-00-0 REPLACES Z-20-19 DISTRICT 1 1. The
development must substantially conform to the concept plan filed with this application. 2.
Provide a sidewalk on Montgomery Street that connects the proposed parking lot to the
nearby intersection and meets ADA standards. 3. Any fencing above 4 feet in the front
setback will require approval of a variance. 4. Any building encroachment in the front
setback require variances from the minimum setback regulations. 5. The development must
comply with the provisions of the Augusta Tree Ordinance.
Mr. Fennoy: I had talked to Reverend Thompson, Reverend Thomas and I talked to Tim
Wilson and both said that they have not had a meeting with the developers. A meeting was
scheduled but because of a death and because of the COVID virus that meeting was canceled and
that they would like to have a meeting before they move forward to address some concerns that
they may have.
Mr. Hasan: I make a motion to postpone for 30 days.
Mr. Fennoy: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right voting.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Sure.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias, Mr. Bobby Williams.
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Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: No, ma'am.
Mr. Sias out.
Mr. M. Williams votes No.
Motion Passes 8-1.
The Clerk: Next item will be Item 24.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, let's go to Item 25.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SERVICES
25. Discuss city's Marina Lease Agreement. (Requested by Commissioner Ben Hasan)
Mr. Brown: Mr. Mayor, what item was that?
Mr. Mayor: Item 425.
Mr. Brown: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Administrator Sims.
Mr. Hasan: I put that on there, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Oh, okay all right the Commissioner from the 6 h.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, sir Mr. Mayor. they okay, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, please continue.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, thank you, sir. Mr. Mayor, I put this on the agenda because about two
and a half weeks ago now there was an email that went out that a boat had actually sunk down at
the Marina. And with that being said as I began to, the Fire Department went down and looked at
the boat to make sure there was nobody, no body was on the boat from there began to look around
and try to, who was going to be responsible for getting the boat up. Another thing with talking
with the Administrator's Office talked with Deputy McDowell and he sent me some information
74
from the Marina operator because I thought the Marina operator would have some liability here or
the owner of the boat but at the same time the Marina operator will have some sense of proof of
insurance or what have you on that particular boat owner. Mr. Mayor, Ms. Bonner got a short
email that I got from Deputy McDowell I'd like her to read to the Commission if you don't mind
before I proceed on. It's a short email.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, is it included in our notebooks?
The Clerk: No, sir, he just handed it to me. It's about a paragraph I can
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk: --- okay.
Mr. Hasan: I apologize, Mr. Mayor.
The Clerk: Insurance at the Marina. Our procedures for boatowners having liability
insurance is as follows: When a boatowner asks to be A, B, or C Dock we give them a copy of the
lease and also a copy of our Rules and Regulations. In the lease first paragraph in Rules and
Regulations Page 2 Item 12 it states dock liability insurance is required. After going over these
with the boatowner he asked that ---
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, hold up.
Mr. Mayor: Go ahead, Commissioner.
Mr. Hasan: Go ahead, I'm sorry.
The Clerk: --- okay. After going over these with the boatowner we ask that proof of
insurance be provided. We will normally give 30 days to comply. Before we renew a lease we
also ask for current proof of insurance. If during the year we receive a notice from the insurance
company that the policy has elapsed we ask for a new proof of insurance. At the present time
around ten boatowners have no current proof. Eight have responded and will be bringing in a letter
of proof. They have stated they have insurance but we don't have a current card. We will give
them 30 days to comply.
Mr. Hasan: Ms. Bonner, you can stop right there if you don't mind.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, my point of thinking, Ms. Bonner, my point is that this is a Marina
operator who we have a contract with that the warehouse and the Marina and ten people like they
said they don't have no insurance, eight (inaudible) say so over 50% of their people down there
they have no evidence that there's proof of insurance there. We still may have a sunken boat down
there by the boathouse in the middle out there that could hurt somebody because it's out of sight.
Much of the debris has floated upstream towards the Lock and Dam and nobody knows who's in
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charge. So my thing we're right at the point of this Marina operator in terms of renewal or what
have you and I'd like for the Administrator's Office to bring back a recommendation to us because
what Ms. Bonner just read it's the Marina operator who in essence in my mind is out of compliance
with the contract they have with us and this contract should be expiring or something in a few
days. And so we need to bring back for me personally I say we need to cancel because they're not
doing their job and then in terms as a result of that there's some other things came to light which
I talked about the Marshal's Office that I wanted to talk about but I'll save that and reach out to
the Marshal and try to get some understanding around some of those things as well. But I think
this puts us in harm's way, Mr. Mayor, I think ultimately we're going to be responsible, we've got
a sunken boat. We need to decide are we going to go ahead and pay and try to get our money back
from the Marina operator because there may be a boat out there and somebody could get hurt and
that's where we currently are at this particular time. And so are my colleagues I'm asking do you
want to for them to bring a recommendation back at the next meeting or do we want to take action
because in between that time the Marina operator's insurance could possibly be lapsed. I think it
comes up on the 24 h.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 4 h.
Mr. Sias: Sir, I'd like to ask my colleague a question there from the 6 h and if not maybe
the Administrator. Has the location of the boat been marked and designated so that with a marker
or a buoy or a light or some kind of marker to indicate where it sunk at?
Mr. Hasan: Let me answer that, Mr. Mayor. As I understand it when the boat first was
leaning and the boat sunk the, Chief James' dive team went to make sure nobody was in there.
They took the boat back and then we had a high tide of rain to come through a few days later and
they walked through it and the boat sunk and where it is now at this particular time I currently
don't know. But much of the debris did float upstream because I had some pictures and it looked
like the rooftop went down stream but the base of it is sunk down by the boathouse.
Mr. Sias: Well, I just think one of the most immediate concerns that we should have
somebody do is locate that boat and then kind of go from there about getting it out of the river.
But I think most in marking I think in my mind that would be the most immediate thing we need
to do.
Mr. Hasan: I don't have a problem with that so I do think it needs to come up about who
we put the cost to and we come back and try to get reimbursed but I definitely think our Marina
operator is this is what he's doing. I think we should not be doing business with because
(inaudible) contract.
Mr. Sias: I would suggest we task the Administrator's Office to handle that whether they
delegate it, however they do it, but to get the boat marked and then come up with a procedure for
getting it out of the river.
Mr. Hasan: (Unintelligible) I think the Administrator's Office should've done that already
but if they haven't definitely (inaudible).
76
Mr. Sias: Do I need to have
Mr. Mayor: Okay ---
Mr. Sias: --- guidance from, Mr. Sims, are you okay with that?
Mr. Sims: Yes, we're okay on it. Deputy Administrator McDowell has been intimately
involved with it and he can kind of speak a little bit more about this.
Mr. Sias: Well, I don't I just really want to just say hey, I put it in the form of a
motion that we have the Administrator's Office locate the boat, have it marked, have the
Administrator's Office get the boat located, marked and then come up with a plan and
remove it from the river. That's a motion.
Mr. Hasan: Let me ask you one thing about that motion ---
Mr. Garrett: Second.
Mr. Hasan: --- when you say mark it do you mean for them to go ahead and get it up once
they mark it so they don't have to come back or do you want us to get it up?
Mr. Mayor: --- Commissioners, I think we've got some direction about what needs to
happen. Let me go to the Commissioner from the 9 h and the Administrator again has got a task
and will report back to the full Commission. Commissioner from the 9 h, state your inquiry.
Mr. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. First of all if the Fire Chief pulls the boat up or
mark the boat they should've brought it in, they should've tied it off. I don't see how it got lost
back in the bottom again if they brought it to the dock, that's the first thing. The second thing is
along the lines of the guy who's running the Marina, the young man came to me about starting a
Jet Ski, doing jet skis on the river and this may be not related it may be related but he wants to get
a license or a partnership that the same other entities have so I'm going to ask the Clerk to put that
on the next agenda since it's not on the agenda today to approve someone who's got insurance,
who's in business to rent Jet Skis on the river and have the same opportunity for the same price as
the other vendors are doing with our current boat dock, so that's a request for the Clerk.
The Clerk: Okay, we've got this motion ---
Mr. Mayor: All right, we've got a motion ---
The Clerk: --- Mr. Sias, okay to task the Administrator to locate and mark the boat and
develop a plan for its removal.
Mr. Hasan: As well as bring back information about this Marina operator what are we
going to do with his contract.
The Clerk: Okay, so the Administrator bring back a recommendation on that?
77
Mr. Hasan: Yes.
Mr. Mayor: --- voting.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: No.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: No, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy, Mr. Fennoy you're muted.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Mr. Clarke and Ms. Davis vote No.
0
Motion Passes 8-2.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, Madam Clerk?
The Clerk: Yes, sir?
Mr. Mayor: Let's take a stab at it again, Commissioner from the 9 h- He's offering birthday
gifts again so let's see if we could do the following. Item 424 ---
Mr. Garrett: I've got a problem with that.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right, oh my Lord, okay you've got a problem with that. Item 436, 37
The Clerk: What are you doing, you doing a consent here or ---
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
The Clerk: --- okay.
Mr. Mayor: --- 36, 37, 38, ---
Mr. D. Williams: 39.
Mr. B. Williams: Dennis, did you say 39?
Mr. Sias: I thought we consented the thirties.
Mr. Mayor: --- I remember 36, 37 and 38.
The Clerk: We stopped with Commissioner Williams (inaudible).
Mr. Sias: Where did we stop at, Ms. Bonner?
Mr. Mayor: At 32?
Mr. Frantom: No, we didn't. 33 through 41 and deleted 42.
Mr. D. Williams: That's right.
Mr. Sias: We went past that.
Mr. Garrett: Yeah.
Mr. B. Williams: He went up in the 60's.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay I remember those (unintelligible).
Mr. Hasan: I don't think he done 39 though.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I didn't think so either.
Mr. Garrett: We could do 24 while we're talking about it.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so 39
Mr. Sias: 39 was on there too.
Mr. Hasan: Oh, you did, okay.
Mr. Sias: Yeah we went past the 40's when, that's why the Commissioner from the 5 h
said we've got to meet.
Mr. Garrett: Numbers are hard.
Mr. B. Williams: Yeah, he was up in the 60's.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
Mr. Hasan: What's my age got to do with this?
Mr. B. Williams: You look it too.
Mr. Sias: Wow, that was a low blow.
Mr. Garrett: That's the only one Bobby can take.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, number 24 was not on the Consent Agenda. There were
questions about that one and Number 39 I do not remember that being on the Consent Agenda.
The Clerk: No, sir, I didn't have it.
Mr. Mayor: Right.
Mr. Sias: Mayor, I think the only one I pulled out there was 42 I had requested it. Maybe
we didn't do it but I know I requested it.
Mr. Mayor: 24, 39 ---
Mr. Frantom: 30.
The Clerk: We're doing 39, 40 ---
M
Mr. Mayor: --- Number 30 ---
Mr. Hasan: Yeah.
The Clerk: --- 40.
Mr. Mayor: --- Number 40 was already consented, I think 40 was consented already.
Mr. B. Williams: What about 43?
Mr. Mayor: 43 we should consent.
The Clerk: Did we do okay 41 had already been.
Mr. Mayor: Right 41 has already been so right now, Madam Clerk, I've got 24, 30, 39, 43
Ms. Davis: Not 43, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Garrett: Not 24 either.
Mr. Frantom: Just go down the list.
Mr. Mayor: All right so alright, 46 so 43, 46
Mr. Frantom: We didn't consent 46.
Mr. Mayor: --- 47 ---
Mr. Garrett: Did you say something, Mary, about 43 or 46?
Ms. Davis: No, I said I don't approve consenting Number 43.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk: So what are you doing with 46, you're consenting that, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: No, I'm just going down the list, 43, 46 and 47 we will debate those matters -
Mr. Garrett: 24.
The Clerk: 44 was deleted.
Mr. Sias: 44 is deleted.
0
Mr. Mayor: Yeah 24, he said he's going back to 24. He's stuck on 24.
Mr. Garrett: Who deleted 24? Did I miss that one?
Mr. Sias: No, 44.
The Clerk: You all it was decided without objection to have a work session (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: All right, Number 48 is still under debate. Number 51 is still under debate.
Mr. Clarke: What number was that, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Number 51 ---
Mr. Clarke: 51, thank you, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- Yep.
Mr. Sias: (Inaudible) 52.
Mr. Mayor: Yes, so I'm down now to 55, 56 ---
The Clerk: 57.
Mr. Mayor: --- 57 ---
The Clerk: 60. There was some (unintelligible) about 60.
Mr. Mayor: --- 60 ---
The Clerk: And 67 ---
Mr. Sias: There you go, that's where we stopped the consent right there.
The Clerk: --- 68,69
Mr. Mayor: --- 67 ---
The Clerk: 68 and 69.
Mr. Sias: Can't consent 68, there was an issue with that one.
Mr. Mayor: Right, yeah so ---
The Clerk: Well, 68 that was the new, 68 has become Item 42 on the Addendum Agenda.
It's a replacement of Item 68.
Mr. Sias: Okay.
The Clerk: I'm sorry number, on the, it's a revision on the Addendum Agenda for the one
on the current agenda 68.
Mr. Sias: All right, that's great, thank you.
The Clerk: Okay. So then we want to consent the item on the consent the revision?
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, let me let's do this right here. Give me just one second and
hopefully what will it will please the Commission with this next request. Okay, okay, Madam
Clerk, the items for consent are Items 39 and 30. Item 39 if we could consent those Item Number
30, Item 39.
Mr. Brown: 30's already consented.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, 39 without objection, Item Number 39 without objection.
Mr. Sias: That was pulled already.
The Clerk: Okay, yeah that was in your group.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, I just don't remember that so Item 30, 39 were already in our group is
what you're saying.
The Clerk: Well, what we're saying when you started over Item 36, 37, 38, 39, I didn't
have it either. I think we're doing 46, 47.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Madam Clerk, let me tell you what I'm thinking right now. So what
we just heard is Item Number 30 was already consented, is that correct?
Mr. Brown: Yes.
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: All right Item Number 39 we're saying consent that now?
Mr. D. Williams: Right.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right so we're going to consent Number 39 without objection. All
right without objection, Madam Clerk. Now that brings us ---
a
Mr. M. Williams: Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute 39 you're going to do what without
objection?
Mr. Mayor: We're going to consent Item Number 37.
The Clerk: Well, does that mean approve or just consenting it putting it on the Consent
Agenda you're formulating?
Mr. Mayor: That we're trying to formulate.
The Clerk: Okay, all right, okay.
Mr. B. Williams: I'm confused.
Mr. Mayor: Don't be, don't be, I mean all right so we'll take 439 do we have a motion to
approve this item?
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
Mr. Mayor: All right without objection.
The Clerk: Why don't we get it put Item 39 on there.
Mr. Mayor: All right Item 39, motion to approve ---
Mr. Sias: We need to vote on it.
Mr. Mayor: --- without objection.
The Clerk: Okay, we're going to put 39 on this vote here. Now give me a few more and
then we'll ---
Mr. Mayor: Well, I'm not sure you're going to get a few more but that's why I wanted to
dispose of that one first. All right, so without objection Item 439 motion to approve.
The Clerk: Well, could you not, I mean
Mr. M. Williams: 37, Mr. Mayor, is the same as 34 just different wording because they
came in different times.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, but what I heard is that Item 36, 37 and 38 were already on the Consent
Agenda.
Mr. Sias: They were.
Mr. Brown: They were not listed ---
01
Mr. Sias: Ms. Bonner got it but I requested it.
Mr. Brown: --- it was not what Ms. Bonner read off.
Mr. Mayor: That's exactly what I was referring to, Attorney Brown, that I didn't remember
that either.
The Clerk: Okay let's put 36, 39, 36, 37, 38 on a vote, Mr. Mayor, and then we can dispose
of those right quick here now.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, that's what I'd like to do ---
The Clerk: Okay ---
Mr. Mayor: --- 36, through 39 motion to approve ---
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
36. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department's (HCD's)
request to provide HOME funding to assist (1) low to moderate income homebuyer with gap
financing, down payment and closing costs to purchase a home through HCD's Employee
Incentive Program.
37. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Departments (HCD's) request
to provide additional HOME funds to J. Lovett Homes and Construction, LLC for (3)
affordable housing units on McQueen Court, via the Twiggs Street corridor.
38. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department's (HCD's)
request to provide Laney Walker/Bethlehem Revitalization Funding to Capitalrise, LLC for
the new construction of one (1) single family unit.
39. Motion to approve seven (7) Rehabilitation projects.
The Clerk: --- who did that, we've got a motion?
Mr. D. Williams: So moved.
The Clerk: Thank you.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
The Clerk: Who was that?
Mr. M. Williams: I'm going to let this slide now. Let me tell you something. I'm going
to put a pin in that too. I ain't sitting here asleep like a lot of folks been sleeping all day. I've been
awake, I'm doing my job. Now I'm going to let this go now. I want you to know that, I'm going
to let it slide.
The Clerk: Oh I'm sorry, Mr. Williams, I thought you were in on this.
tW
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, he is on he's trying to buy you a birthday gift now.
Mr. M. Williams: Well, no, I'm letting you know I ain't stupid. I see what's going on. We
stopped it now then ya'll are going back and do the same again like you do a child when he got
tired, I ain't no child.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I got you. All right, Madam Clerk, Items 36 through 39 motion to
approve Commissioner from the 6 h has the second.
The Clerk: Oh good, okay, Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Motion Passes 10-0.
The Clerk: We're done with those.
Mr. Garrett: Good job.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Madam Clerk, now that brings me to the following. We're going to
debate 424 which would then take us down to 43. We can debate that one 43, 46 we'll debate that
one ---
Mr. Sias: Can we get the debating on?
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, yeah all right and then 47 and what I'd like to do with 48, 51, 55 so
we'll debate 24, 43, 46 and 47. The remaining items we'll move to the next Commission agenda.
The Clerk: So we're moving forward with 48, 53 ---
Mr. Mayor: 51 ---
The Clerk: --- 51 ---
Mr. Mayor: --- 53 we've already, yes right.
The Clerk: --- 55, 56, 57, 60 ---
Mr. Mayor: --- 67 ---
The Clerk: --- 67 ---
Mr. Mayor: --- 68
The Clerk: --- 69 ---
Mr. Mayor: --- 73 ---
The Clerk: --- 73,74 ---
Mr. Mayor: 5, 6 and 7.
Mr. Sias: Wait a minute, what did you say about 68?
a
Mr. Mayor: All right, I'll come back to you, hold on Commissioner, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78 and
80 we'll move forward to the next meeting.
OTHER BUSINESS
74. Update on monument committee. (Requested by Commissioner Bill Fennoy)
75. Discuss ending the flawed curbside recycling program. (Requested by Commissioner
Sammie Sias.
76. Plan a Mask Up Augusta campaign to include providing masks to members of the
community. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
78. Discuss the hiring of contact tracers for Richmond County to aid in stopping the spread
of the virus. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis)
80. Abolish the Augusta Land Bank Authority/discuss/received information consisting of a
total list of all properties when they were purchased and a copy of the rules governing the
Land Bank Authority. (Deferred from the June 24, 2020 meeting).
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, what about 73? What about 73?
Mr. Mayor: uh, ---
Mr. Garrett: Let's go ahead and approve that one.
Mr. Hasan: I make a motion to approve 73.
Mr. Garrett: Second.
Mr. Mayor: That's on the ticket. All right, hold on a minute. Let's make sure we've got
these items for debate. Madam Clerk, you've got the debated items, okay?
The Clerk: I had them.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I've got them. 24, 43, 46 and 47 we will debate.
Mr. Frantom: Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- I think 477, are we coming back in the Chamber in two weeks?
Mr. Mayor: No.
Mr. Mayor: Then we've got to make a motion or something on 77.
Mr. Mayor: Well, I, but I think that can be done. We can handle committee meetings
through ZOOM just like every other city's doing and we can so we can take action on that one as
well (unintelligible) meetings through ZOOM.
::
Mr. Garrett: We need to go ahead and do 57 as well. It's time sensitive.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, that is time sensitive. All right, so I've got 57, 73, 67
Mr. B. Williams: 77.
Mr. Mayor: --- um, 68 and 69, Madam Clerk, for approval. I'll go through that again ---
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: 67, 68, 69, 57 and 73 for approval.
Mr. Garrett: So moved.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Sias: Before we start just for reference, Ms. Bonner, we are approving 68 with the
updated version okay, correct?
The Clerk: Right
Mr. Sias: Okay, thank you.
The Clerk: That's on the Addendum Agenda.
Mr. Mayor: That's correct.
FINANCE
57. Approve developing a resolution authorizing execution of intergovernmental agreement
(IGA) with the Urban Redevelopment Agency (URA) to refinance the Laney Walker
Bethlehem Bonds Series 2015.
ENGINEERING SERVICES
67. Approve the installation of 14 street lights in the Granite Hills Phase 4 development with
an annual cost of $4,520.88. Also approve the creation of a special service district for the 52
lots within Granite Hills Phase 4. Funding is available in Street Lighting budget account
#2760416105312310.
68. Approve the installation of 51 street lights along Old McDuffie Road between Barton
Chapel Road and Milledgeville Road with an annual cost of $11,468.88. Also approve the
creation of a special service district for the 58 parcels adjacent to Old McDuffie Road
between Barton Chapel Road and Milledgeville Road. Funding is available in Street Lighting
budget account #2760416105312310.
9•
69. Approve supplemental funding for various Tasks under Final Design Phase of
Engineering Consultant Agreement to WK Dickson & Co., Inc. in the amount of $190,300.00
for Wilkinson Garden Area Roadway Drainage Improvements as requested by AED. RFQ
07-114.
73. Approve award of Construction Contract to J & B Construction in the amount of
$1,819,119.00 for Old Waynesboro Road Sidewalk and Landscaping & Drainage
Improvements. Award is contingent upon receipt of signed contracts, proper bonds and
Utility Contactor or Manager License associated to contractor performing utility work.
Request by AED. Bid 19-284.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
M
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams, was that a weak yes?
Mr. M. Williams: That's a weak yes.
The Clerk: Okay.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, all right I'm back at you now. Let's go to Item 477.
OTHER BUSINESS
77. Discuss the resumption of committee and commission meetings in August 2020.
(Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
Mr. B. Williams: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 5 h state your inquiry.
Mr. B. Williams: Without a whole lot of talk every time I look up we're coming back
talking about this date. I'm looking I'm just going to say January 1 because if we move it now
you're going to probably see October or something happening in October you want to move it
back again. So I'm saying January 1 should be the date we come back into the Chamber.
Mr. Sias: That ain't what the item's about though.
Mr. B. Williams: What does it say?
Mr. Mayor: So let me speak to the caption on this right here. This was discuss the
resumption of committee and commission meetings in August 2020 via ZOOM, to do it via
ZOOM. Again there's a lot of debate that's happening today the perfect example of had there been
some pre -discussion preferably we wouldn't be here until 6:00 o'clock almost 7:00 o'clock now
at this point. And so we resume our committee/commission calendar with committee meetings on
the 2nd and 41h via ZOOM utilizing technology and our commission meetings on the 1" and 3ra
that's what this proposal is.
The Clerk: Okay, are we going, well committee is the 2nd and last Tuesday, are we still
going to do that?
Mr. Mayor: Well, that's why I said 2nd and 4 h, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Sir?
91
Mr. Mayor: That's why I said 2nd and 41h.
The Clerk: The second and last Tuesday.
Mr. Mayor: Okay 2nd and last Tuesday. All right, Commissioner from the 5d'° state your
inquiry.
Mr. B. Williams: Well, I just wanted to tell Ms. Bonner put that on the agenda, the next
agenda to approve a date back for resuming meetings in the Commission Chambers.
Mr. Mayor: Why don't we address that while we're here? I think it is subject matter is
germane for us to talk about that as well ---
Mr. B. Williams: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right, Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Mayor, are we going back to Legal on committees or are we going
to do Legal on Commission if we're going back to the regular schedule?
Mr. Mayor: I'm open to either suggestion.
Mr. Sias: Do it on the committee days.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, I'm fine with that (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: (Inaudible) as well. All right, so we will resume our normal committee and
commission meeting schedules to include Executive Session on the day previously determined.
And now the question before us is the issue of when we return to the Chamber.
Mr. Sias: We don't even need to address that.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Commissioner from the 9 h
Mr. M. Williams: Whatever day we address that we've got to remember that the other
committees Planning and Zoning and anybody else is going to have the same opportunities to do
at the same time. No sense in us saying we're not coming back and have them to come back. So
whatever we set let's make sure that they understand that's going to be everybody (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: Well, I guess to that end let's address the matter that's in front of us and that
is motion to approve resuming committee and commission meetings along with Legal on the
prescribed dates.
Mr. Sias: So moved.
92
Mr. M. Williams: Second.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Effective date August 2na.
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay.
The Clerk: Okay, who seconded that? I'm sorry I didn't ---
Mr. M. Williams: That was a weak second.
The Clerk: --- oh that was you okay, thank you.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke:
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan ---
Mr. Sias: He's muted.
The Clerk: --- Mr. Hasan, yes?
Mr. Sias: He's muted.
The Clerk: He's muted.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
93
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, can I get a Point of Personal Privilege?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Go ahead, Commissioner Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay, what has been brought to my attention is that some departments due
to the virus and the number of people that have contracted the virus in their department have shut
their department down. And I think that we as Commissioners need to know what departments
are not operating and we need to get that information to all of the departments. And that's not
something that's not happening and I think it's something that needs to happen.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Administrator Sims, do you want to speak to that?
Mr. Sims: Yes, Commissioners, that's not true. There was one department that needed to
be cleaned on Monday and that department continued to provide services. They worked remote
however Tuesday that department today is back. No other departments have shut down.
Recreation and Parks had a positive testing there and they are alternating the services there but as
far as Recreation and Parks we were only limiting types of services that we were offering at those
locations anyway. But as far as shutting down it's not necessarily shutting down of services. Some
of the departments work remotely which you all did approve in our Continuity of Operational
Plans. H.R. as I indicated was the department on this past Monday had cleaning services but they
returned back full services today and they have their team working in conjunction with teleworking
as well as being in the office.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay, thank you. May I respond to that?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yes, sir.
94
Mr. Fennoy: And I might have used the wrong terminology but from what I understand
and this just may be wrong information but the Clerk of Court her office was closed down for a
number of days. The Probate Court they were closed down for a couple of days and I think that, I
mean I know they are elected officials but if they're going to shut the offices down and I understand
that Procurement might have been temporarily shut down for a day or two. But what I'm saying
is that I think this is something that we need to know.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yeah.
Mr. Sims: Commissioner, if I may add additional information as we know the virus is
ongoing and as soon as we get notification of presumptive cases we are immediately responding
so we are making you all aware once we find out certain things. I am planning on providing a
update like I have in the past regarding operations.
Mr. Fennoy: Thank you, sir.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I would appreciate that too, Administrator. I mean I got reached out
to the media this week. I didn't even know that we shutting down Parks and Rec for two weeks. I
don't even know how that happened and why we did it. And the media reached out to me so any
kind of information you can at least kind of let us know what's going on so we can at least know
what's happening would be greatly appreciated.
Mr. Sims: We will, thank you.
Mr. Hasan: Well, Mr. Mayor, let me say something around that too (unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Hasan.
Mr. Mayor: Hold on, hold on, Commissioner Hasan, can you just suspend for just a
moment? I'm going to come back to you.
Mr. Hasan: Mayor Pro Tem is conducting now.
Mr. Mayor: No, hold on, hold on, ya' ll are again you wait to be recognized. Madam Clerk,
can we go ahead and continue with this vote?
The Clerk: Which vote is that, sir, it's 67, 68, 69, 57 and 73 so we're at 77?
Mr. Mayor: No, no, no. I want to make sure that we concluded the vote around ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We did.
Mr. Mayor: --- coming back into the Commission I had a gentleman there's somebody
working in the building right here in the office.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We did vote ---
95
The Clerk: We did vote.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- that was a Point of Personal Privilege by Commissioner Fennoy.
Mr. Mayor: Okay I'm sorry, the gentleman was here working on the air conditioning.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, I just want to make sure I think we started back up you know when the
virus first hit us when we made some adjustment. We had people or departments that would kind
of stagger their office. And I think that's what they need to be mindful of so you want necessarily
have to shut down the whole office when these things happen. Let some employees work from
home and in the event you have them back in force so you won't have to shut down the whole
department. And so if that is happening and it is happening it seems to be happening even if it's
not true the perception that it's happening and so they need to take full advantage of staggering
their employees not to be sending them home to do nothing but they can do some work from home
and they can be changing back out from home and move them on site.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yes, sir. Commissioner Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yeah, I'd to say a couple of things. I think through all of this with the
departments and the employees and everything I think this government has functioned quite well.
I think that shows the caliber and devotion of most of our city employees that they are willing to
do what it takes to keep us going and I think we all appreciate that. The other thing I'd like to say
is I don't want to make, commit to a date to come back into Chambers and then when we get
(inaudible) get it again we get daily updates and I think that this should be a date that just kind of
flows along. I think we'll know when the time is right to come back into Chambers so I would
just like to leave it the way it is and not vote on a particular date to go back into Chambers. It may
be sooner it may be later so just keep it fluid, thank you.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yes, sir. All right, moving on Agenda Item 24.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SERVICES
24. Motion to approve a month to month contract extension with Hall Marketing to provide
Airport marketing services. This will be until the contract or contractor is consummated.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Garrett, you pulled this agenda item?
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. We have seen this item in one form or another
numerous times over the past year and I was hoping that the airport director would be here to be
able to speak but I'm sure he's not because of the timeframe. Do we have any idea why we are
still not under contract with the marketing group after they went out for an RFP, I heard that there
was numerous problems with the RFP and the process once again. But you know it seems this is
just a backdoor way to make sure that the marketing group stays in service there.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, Mr. Judon, I see you've joined us, sir. Did you hear that
question from Commissioner Garrett? Mr. Judon, Director?
The Clerk: He's muted.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: You're muted, sir.
Mr. Judon: Okay, I'm unmuted now. Can you hear me?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Sir, did you hear Commissioner Garrett's question?
Mr. Judon: I did, you are asking about the, you've seen it previous times?
Mr. Garrett: Well, we've had this discussion. You know I know it went through committee
at one time and it's been back and forth trying to lock down this previous RFP to find a marketing
person or group for the airport. And I'm just kind of curious to see why we're still in limbo with
finding somebody permanent.
Mr. Judon: The most recent issue that we've had with the RFP I think we put it out the
most recent one was earlier in the year maybe I believe it was January or maybe December. And
as we were in that process the Procurement got shut down during the COVID-19 situation so we
were I believe we were right at the bid opening process at that point or right around that stage of
the process. And Procurement was down for a period of time. I forgot the exact amount of time
maybe a month, month and a half or so. And then when, when those activities resumed one of the
companies that was vying for this particular service protested so that further extended the ability
to bring a new company on board. So that's kind of, and there's some more history but that's kind
of the latest that's kind of why we're in this current situation.
Mr. Garrett: Has the protest been settled?
Mr. Judon: No, sir, not that I'm aware of. And I guess even if, I guess another concern
even if it was settled we would still have to do the evaluation and then bring it to the bodies and
ultimately contract with the new company. So you know even best case scenario if it was settled
today it would still probably take us another month, month and a half or so to get a new contract
consummated. As I mentioned in my writeup my concern is that with I consider airport an aviation
business right now very vulnerable and we're kind of silent from a marketing standpoint right now.
So I'm just asking to do this ---
Mr. Garrett: Do we even need to have a marketing person? I mean I know there's an in-
house marketing director. I mean why couldn't we just use that during this time of the slowdown?
Mr. Judon: --- yes and we do. I mean one of the things that we started to do I mean we've
taken some elements of this in-house for example we are we've done some production of some
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materials and they've been pushed primarily through social media. We've also taken on the
website management as well but there are some elements that the marketing company does that
we either don't have the expertise to do and sometimes not even the, for example my marketing
director she has multiple, that's just one of multiple duties and responsibilities so this person is
also responsible for business development and our tenant airline relations. So there are some things
that the marketing company does that we don't have the depth or the breadth to do but the things
that we can do we've assumed.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, thank you, Commissioner Garrett, Commissioner Dennis
Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: I'd like to move for approval.
Mr. Fennoy: Second.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, I've got a motion and a second. Commissioner Hasan was
next to speak.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, thank you, sir. I'm like Commissioner Garrett. This about the third
extension you know and I heard Mr. Judon say also I guess a challenge or what have you who was,
would that wouldn't come before the Commission eventually? I mean are you all stopping it before
it gets to us and trying to resolve it yourself? That's for Mr. Judon.
Mr. Judon: It does come to the Commission, sir, and I think it is in the process to come to
you. I'm not sure what that date is but yes, sir, it does come to you for resolution.
Mr. Hasan: So is this not the third extension you've gotten on this though?
Mr. Judon: This is the second extension that we've done.
Mr. Hasan: And how much time are you asking for now and I apologize (inaudible).
Mr. Judon: I'm just asking for a month to month until the new contract is in place. I mean
whether that you know it could be whatever amount of time that is.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, all right, okay. And, Mr. Chair, I'd like to know once we vote on this,
I'd like to have a Point of Personal Privilege.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, okay Commissioner Mary Davis.
Ms. Davis: I was just saying let's vote.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, so we've got a motion from Commissioner Dennis Williams
and a second from Commissioner Fennoy. Ms. Bonner, if we could go ahead and vote if no one
else has any.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: No.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: No.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias, Mr. Bobby Williams, Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: No.
The Clerk: That motion fails 5-3 with Mr. Sias not voting, out Mr. Bobby Williams out.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, thank you.
Mr. Sias: I voted, I was muted, I voted ---
Mr. Hasan: (Unintelligible) Commissioner.
Mr. Sias: I voted.
Mr. M. Williams: You voted too late.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Attorney Brown.
• •
Mr. Brown: In that a presumption of a Commissioner making a statement on the record
that he voted the fact that we did not hear him does not negate his vote. I think his vote would be
counted.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, Ms. Bonner?
Mr. Sias: We also call out the other mutes until they got a chance to vote, Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: We didn't know you were there.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner, okay, let's hold an adjust here.
The Clerk: The motion carries with Mr. Sias voting yes.
Mr. Frantom, Mr. Garrett and Mr. M. Williams vote No.
Motion Passes 6-3.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Ms. Bonner, Commissioner Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem this is about the third time possibly
today we've heard the Procurement Department you know has shut down at some particular time
early on in this process and it seems to be having an impact or so people say. I'd like the
Administrator to try to get with the Procurement Department in the event that something else
transpires in that office how do they approach shutting the office down. I mean sometimes things
you can't get around but we keep hearing (inaudible) we've heard that so see that they can have a
flexibility in their schedule or they continue to go if they have a you know somebody gets ill or
something and we can continue to go. And so I'd like the Administrator to check in there to see
how (inaudible) afloat so we won't lose that. Thank you, sir.
The Clerk: Mr. Mayor Pro Tem, did we do 32?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: No, we just did 24.
The Clerk: Right, so we're at 32 now?
The Clerk: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
32. Motion to approve annual bid for the Utilities Department. The item requires
Commission approval due to the fact that purchases on the individual purchase orders will
exceed $25,000.00 per order. The following annual bid item requires Commission approval:
Utilities Department, 20-066 Warehouse Supplies.
Mr. Garrett: Motion to approve.
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Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Mr. Judon.
The Clerk: Okay, that's Mr. Garrett and ---
Mr. D. Williams: Second.
The Clerk: --- Mr. Dennis Williams?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We've got a motion and a second. Is there anyone for comment,
let's go ahead and vote please.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett:
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams, he's out Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
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Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Mr. B. Williams out.
Motion Passes 9-0.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Next agenda item number 43 ---
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- you've got it, Mayor, go ahead.
Mr. Mayor: Thank ya' ll. Go ahead, Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Agenda Item 43.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
43. Motion to approve June 19 (Juneteenth) as an ARC holiday. (Requested by
Commissioner Bill Fennoy)
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Bill Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes, Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Days, Jubilee Days, Liberation
Day and Emancipation Day. It is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who have been
enslaved by the United States. Unfortunately in Texas the slaves were not actually freed until June
19'h two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. And three states I think the State of North
Dakota, the State of Hawaii, and the State of South Dakota have declared June 10h a state holiday.
What I'm asking is that the city declare Juneteenth a local holiday in Augusta and we have, they
are paid, the employees for a paid holiday for city employees.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Is that in the form of a motion?
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Is there a second?
Mr. D. Williams: I'll second it.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Dennis second, Commissioner Hasan, did you have a comment?
Mr. Hasan: I'd like to say to the Commission can it become effective in 2022 and not 21?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: That's fine.
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Mr. Hasan: Okay.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Any further discussion, all right let's vote, Ms. Bonner.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: No, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Muted, you're muted.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams, he's out Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Davis votes No.
Mr. B. Williams Out.
Motion Passes 8-1.
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Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, I'm sorry. Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: You've got it, you got it, Mayor, go.
Mr. Mayor: Let's go to Item 460. We need to include this one on here. We said we moved
everything else well Item 6 (unintelligible) if we don't action on this they may pull out of bid. We
awarded this over a month ago almost. So Item Number 60 if we can get a motion to approve that
that's the bid ---
ENGINEERING SERVICES
60. Consider Award of Bid #20-181 for the Construction of the Alternate Water Feed to
Downtown Augusta Project to Legacy Water Group, LLC in the Amount of $4,421,762.75.
Mr. Hasan: What about 40, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: --- that's Number 60.
Mr. Sias: So moved.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right okay ---
The Clerk: That was Mr. Sias and Mr. Frantom?
Mr. Mayor: --- yes.
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Mayor: Why are ya' ll laughing?
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis, Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
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The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams, out. Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Ms. Davis and Mr. B. Williams Out.
Motion Passes 8-0.
Mr. Mayor: All right, hold on, hold on, hold on, 46 and 47 are the last items we've got.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor (inaudible) ---
Mr. Mayor: Hold on ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- item here and I'm not going to sit back any longer now. That's not
fair. You done skipped all around. All these items are very significant and very important items
that should have been in front of everything else and now ---
Mr. Mayor: Hold on ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- we've done skipped all around spending money that we really don't
have and not bringing money into this city. I'm not going to (inaudible) now ---
Mr. Mayor: --- hold on, Commissioner, we're getting ready to go to your items.
Mr. M. Williams: --- I let you go three times I said what's going to do it. I let you go three
doggone times now, now you want to take the rag off the bush, you're going to act like you ain't
got good sense now don't do that, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: So, Commissioner from the 9 h, suspend, if you listen we're trying to get to
your item. If you listen we're trying to get to your items. All right now I gave you time. If we're
going to get to it or not, you decide.
Mr. M. Williams: --- I need to discuss this item the very point we should've done this ---
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Mr. Mayor: Okay if you let us call it up we're going to be fine. Just suspend. Madam
Clerk, Number 47.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
47. Discuss/approve Augusta, GA partnering with the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of
Fame to make Augusta its home and making its induction ceremony an annual event.
(Requested by Commissioner Marion Williams)
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 9 h, the floor is yours.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Out of all the time we've been waiting on the
items this special like this one. Now with all of the stuff that's been said in the media, on Facebook
and all of the stuff that's been done about this item this is an item that I am so happy to even be a
part of. I've been preaching about this for years about something that's going to bring economic
dollars to Augusta. James Brown had a club in Augusta called the Third World. James Brown
owned two radio stations, James Brown owned a Lear jet. I brought somebody to the meeting
today, Mr. Mayor, I don't normally bring nobody to a meeting. I brought my dog. I want you to
just kind of (inaudible). I brought James Brown to the meeting today because I know how
important it is for the City of Augusta to have a National Rhythm & Blues induction ceremony in
Augusta at the James Brown Arena every year. Do you know how much impact that would make
for the City of Augusta for its economic dollars? Do you know how much growth would come
behind that? Several people have moved to Augusta because of James Brown. Several businesses
have moved to Augusta so I'm going to leave it right there. I'm making a motion to go ahead and
approve and get the businessmen and the parties together so we can discuss this to see how we can
partnership and move this forward. That's my motion.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: No.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, Madam Clerk, hold on. We've got the Commissioner from the
2nd
The Clerk: Oh, okay.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, what would this organization expect from our city to go along with
them for the Hall of Fame? What would be some of the responsibilities that we would have to
provide?
Mr. M. Williams: And that's why we need to talk, that's why we gave a Letter of Support,
District 2 Commissioner. W we gave a Letter of Support so we can come together and discuss
partnership. Now you have been a part of partnerships on the river on the pension property and
106
then didn't know what we were partnering about. I mean I see your eyes bugging but I've been
here too. We done partnered with a lot of people; we need to discuss how we can partnership this
deal to bring economic dollars. I'm not saying give the farm up, I'm not saying give the city up.
What I'm saying is at least sit down and have a conversation with a business owner to see how we
can promote this to bring economic dollars to Augusta. If it don't work then it don't work.
you?
Mr. D. Williams: Well, I can understand that but it says discuss and approve.
Mr. M. Williams: Discuss and approve. The first thing is you have a discussion, don't
Mr. D. Williams: Don't be funny, Commissioner.
Mr. M. Williams: I'm not funny. I'm a long way from being funny. I'm serious. I'm serious
as a heart attack right now.
Mr. Mayor: Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Commissioner Williams, I want to support
this but frankly you know I haven't met with them. They met with most of the Commissioners a
few of us ---
Mr. D. Williams: I haven't met with them either.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- you haven't met with them either. So I mean I feel like let's have
some meetings and some dialogue and understanding what the expectations are on both sides
before we just agree to something that we don't even know what we're agreeing to. That's kind
of where I'm at ---
Mr. M. Williams: I'm so glad ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- I mean if this, let's have a conversation with them.
Mr. M. Williams: --- I'm so glad you said that, Mayor Pro Tem, because there's a lot of
conversation that needs to be had and I agree. But when Top Golf came to Augusta you brought
Top Golf ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I didn't bring Top Golf to Augusta.
Mr. M. Williams: --- you brought Top Golf, gave it to the Development Authority. They
got with the people and brought it in and then got a job I didn't get an application for a job.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I didn't bring Top Golf to Augusta.
Mr. M. Williams: Listen, you didn't bring ---
107
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: (Inaudible) ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- you introduced Top Golf ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- you think a million -dollar company is going to come to Augusta
because of me?
Mr. M. Williams: --- you ended up getting a job with Top Golf. I ain't got no problem
with that.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Because I earned it, you're right, because I earned it.
Mr. M. Williams: I guess you're a golfer, you're a golf teacher ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I was.
Mr. Mayor: All right so let's do this let's suspend for a minute. Let's try to help this
conversation along.
Mr. M. Williams: All the negative talking
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 9 h, I need you to suspend (unintelligible).
Commissioner from the 9 h.
Mr. M. Williams: --- (unintelligible) conversation when you put cease and desist after we
gave a letter of agreement to work with this company at least see what they're talking about. We
hadn't had any of that. I mean ---
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner, I'm reminded of the old adage and I know you've heard those
in yourself as well there's a way to catch bees with honey and not vinegar ---
Mr. M. Williams: I ain't catching no bees, I ain't catching no bees.
Mr. Mayor: --- I suggest, I suggest that you take a page out of the playbook and decide
that if you're going to allow your colleagues to express their concerns about a matter then you
either do that but if you're going to take the time to spend all your time talking and diminishing
the opportunity then we won't get anywhere. Everybody understands your passion about James
Brown and what it means to this city, what he means to this city. And so instead of taking that
approach why not take the approach and say here's what I would like to propose that we do which
clearly has not come out at this point. And if you've got an agenda item on here Number 47 if
you're request of the Commission is that I'd like to get Commission support for the induction
ceremony in Augusta, Georgia then say that. If your secondary issue is I'd then like for the
Commission to consider a series of meetings for discussion about the possibility of building a
National R&B Hall of Fame then say that. Don't spend all your time murmuring and complaining
and shouting everybody down and not giving anybody an opportunity to try to help you with this
process.
13
Mr. M. Williams: First of all ---
Mr. Mayor: --- so if you want to do that then let's take that approach of where you say I'd
like for my colleagues to support the National R&B induction ceremony in Augusta, Georgia in
2021 and we task the Administrator with meeting with a meeting with Lamont Robinson and his
team and some Commissioners, that's how we do that but if you're going to spend this time ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- Mr. Mayor
Mr. Mayor: --- (inaudible) on everybody you're not going to get support.
Mr. M. Williams: --- I'm not, I don't plan to get no support. Let me tell you something if
we turn this down ---
Mr. Mayor: Well then, don't do this.
Mr. M. Williams: --- no, no listen (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: If you want support then let's work towards getting support. Let me pose a
substitute motion that the Augusta Commission support the National R&B induction ceremony to
be hosted in Augusta, Georgia in 2021 ---
Mr. M. Williams: So what's the difference then ---
Mr. Mayor: --- a substitute motion.
Mr. M. Williams: --- so what's different with your substitute motion than what's on the
floor? Because I brought it ---
Mr. Mayor: No, because you didn't articulate what it is you wanted us to do.
Mr. M. Williams: --- it's as plain as the nose on your face. A Commissioner just accused
me of meeting with someone and I hadn't met with anybody. I don't know who else had met with
anybody.
Mr. Mayor: Well we're trying get you to (inaudible) conversation to action. We want
action now.
Mr. Sias: (Unintelligible) attacking. We got to vote, we have a motion.
Mr. M. Williams: Listen I still say ---
Mr. Mayor: We've got a substitute motion and a second.
109
Mr. M. Williams: --- all of the deals that have been made, all of the partnerships that came
by didn't come through Commission go on the floor but nobody did say I want to do it. Somebody
came up with an idea and put it out there and we ought to have the dialogue at least to talk to the
vendors about what they'd like to do and what can we do and that's all I said but because I don't
let you get away with it and I'm not going to do that. And the Mayor Pro Tem just accused me of
meeting with somebody and when he brought a whole scenario in then and went to work for them
(unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 9 h we've got a substitute, we've got your main motion
which I'm not sure is clear but we've got a substitute with a second, Madam Clerk, we're going to
dispose of that first.
The Clerk: Well, Mr. Mayor, there is no substitute. This will be the original motion that
was just a printed caption (inaudible) ---
Mr. M. Williams: That's all it was.
The Clerk: --- caption, it was a recommended caption.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so now we're trying to move along then.
Mr. Hasan: A motion was made and seconded, Ms. Bonner.
Mr. Sias: Yeah, we already voted.
The Clerk: We had it.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, Madam Clerk
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- can you say the motion again?
The Clerk: The motion was to approve partnering with the National Rhythm and Blues to
make Augusta its home and making its induction ceremony an annual event.
Mr. Sias: And that was the motion and a second and we started voting.
Mr. Mayor: All right let's do it, voting.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Too many unanswered questions, no.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis, Mr. Fennoy.
110
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: No, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Not like this.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: No, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams, Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: No.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Ms. Davis and Mr. B. Williams Out.
Mr. Clarke, Mr. Frantom, Mr. Garrett, Mr. Sias and Mr. D. Williams vote No.
Motion Fails 3-5.
Mr. M. Williams: Madam Clerk, put this back on the next agenda.
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, we've got Item 448.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, can I get a Point of Personal Privilege?
Mr. Mayor: We're going to go to Item 457 first before I do that.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Hasan, I'll come back to you. I'm coming back to you.
Mr. Hasan: Okay.
111
Mr. Mayor: Item number 57 is an important matter that needs to be addressed. All right,
I'm going to recognize the Administrator to speak to Item Number 57, Madam Clerk, if you'll read
the caption.
The Clerk:
FINANCE
57. Approve developing a resolution authorizing execution of an intergovernmental
agreement (IGA) with the Urban Redevelopment Agency (URA) to refinance the Laney
Walker Bethlehem Bonds Series 2015.
Mr. Mayor: Administrator Sims.
Mr. Sims: Yes, Mayor. This motion does require our immediate attention. This is for the
bonding project at the Laney Walker Bethlehem Redevelopment Project issuing of bonds will
satisfy what we're doing. We are proposing to refinance the bonds and we are looking as far as a
$1.2 million dollars for additional funding for this particular project. If we don't make a decision
today we will have to start the process back over again so this is very time -sensitive.
sir?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 4 h.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. With the Administrator is anybody from Finance on the line,
Mr. Sims: Tim might still be here.
Mr. Mayor: Tim is here, we're bringing him in now.
Mr. Sias: Thank you.
Mr. Sims: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Hold on just a second. Tim, if you'll unmute your microphone.
Mr. Schroer: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. All right, hold for a question. Attorney Brown, state your
inquiry.
Mr. Sims: No, I was just going to say I just contacted Tim to help with this situation.
Mr. Mayor: Yes, he's here. All right Commissioner from the 4 h.
Mr. Sias: Thank you. Mr. Schroer, with this particular agenda item and the funding that
we get I guess this is from the hotel/motel tax. And this amount of money that I hear in this
112
particular agenda item how far is that amount of money supposed to go with what this project is
doing?
Mr. Schroer: This is the third time we've gone forward, Commissioner, and that about
$1.2 million dollars well go back into the program to keep the program going, well, it will be for
another five years. I talked to Hawthorne. It's not enough to do what they want to do but based
on the timing we need to get the bonds due. The bonds are due October 1st so based on the time
to get this issue done he's fine with that. If we come up with a new funding source to have more
money for this project we can go out for a bank placement bond next year.
Mr. Sias: So what you're saying is what we get done now we will still have to do something
else next year.
Mr. Schroer: If we find a new funding source, yes, sir.
Mr. Sias: If we find a new funding source?
Mr. Schroer: Yes, sir.
Mr. Sias: I'm missing something here because I know this $1.2 is not going to go that far.
Mr. Schroer: I understand that, sir, but that's what the bonds, that's what the debt service
will cover.
Mr. Sias: So we're going to have to do something else next year bottom line then am I
right?
Mr. Schroer: If you want the program to expand yes, sir, something else will have to be
done.
Mr. Sias: All right, that's all I want to know. I don't have a problem supporting it but I
want to know, I know this is not enough money, all right, thank you.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We've got a motion and a second, is that correct, Ms. Bonner?
The Clerk: I don't have one.
Mr. Fennoy: Motion to approve.
Mr. Clarke: Second.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Fennoy and Commissioner Clarke.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
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The Clerk: Ms. Davis out, Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams out, Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams, Mr. Marion Williams out.
Ms. Davis, Mr. B. Williams and Mr. M. Williams Out.
Motion Passes 7-0.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We have 46 and then 48 is that correct, Ms. Bonner?
Mr. Mayor: Let's go to 48.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: 48.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SAFETY
48. Motion to authorize the Administrator and HR Director to conduct a Needs Assessment
of the Augusta Fire Department; and authorized expenditure up to $25,000 from the Fire
Department's training budget for additional professional assistance as needed and conclude
within a six -weeks' time period. (Requested by Commissioner Ben Hasan)
Mr. Hasan: Thank you very much ---
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Mr. Mayor: Hold on, Commissioner Hasan. All right, I've got a series of hands regarding
this. I'm going to go in this order Commissioner from the 6', then the Commissioner from the 91'
and the I" in that order, all right, Commissioner, go ahead.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, sir. Mr. Mayor, my colleagues how I got to this place here as you
got information a few weeks ago I began to just kind of look through the information quite a bit of
it was provided to all of us. Among that also was the Tik Tok video and then at some point in time
after looking through that I called Deputy Administrator McDonald because you know it had been
mentioned that he had been at a couple of those meetings with the Fire Association with Ms.
Jackson and asked him did he have that information as well and he told me he did and he sent me
some information out (unintelligible) information. And once again did he have additional
information and he sent me some additional information (unintelligible). Also I was able to request
from one of the firefighters who was a week ago he was might have been, I saw about some audio
that was out there and I requested that audio. The first audio they gave me was about 20 minutes.
I listened to it and then I request that they have another audio and it was a little over 5 minutes. I
listened to that audio as well and then as you begin to hear a lot of rumors around things as well.
So from that I think in fairness to everybody Chief James and the firemen and women who are on
the Fire Department as well as the citizens of Augusta -Richmond County I come to, I came to the
conclusion that I think it's just best that we do an assessment of the department. What that means
for me, Mr. Mayor, is that you take the Administrator, you take the HR Director and then they hire
someone also a future source. You take the first two weeks and they get that new person onboard
beyond that and they take the next month and they go through and they talk to all the firefighters
all of them, don't' exempt anybody, and talk to them you know they don't have to give any names
or anything, just get a feel for it but at the same time bring back is there a problem to bring back
some solutions and if there's no problem bring back and say there are no problems, there no
concerns there. I don't think an assumption and in fairness to everybody that we need to just find
out where we are actually and that's what I'm putting on the table today and for us to get started
immediately with this. And we make sure like I said, like my colleagues are saying today that the
HR Director's actively involved and hire someone and she be the keeper of that because the
Administrator's got so much going on and we try to get this done, I think it needs to be done and
so I make a motion to that effect.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner, thank you for that. All right, I'm going to the
Commissioner from the 9 h, Commissioner from the 9 h it's on you now.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I agree with the concept that Mr. Hasan just talked about
but what I don't agree with this body has not addressed the issue with the Fire Department. The
whole time we've been getting these complaints about the Fire Department from this person, a
lawyer and staff he had working with him from (unintelligible) Griffin and Michael Myers used to
be there. There's been a bunch of stuff going on with the Fire Department for a long time so we
as a body have not taken any steps or addressed it in any kind of way. Mandatory overtime, well
I talked with the Attorney he says yeah you can mandatory overtime but you can't mandate
overtime from now on. When you hire a fireman to be a fireman then you force him or her to be
an EMT person when they hired on as a fireman that's a change in job duties. Well we let a person
hire on if they know that from the oncoming that's one thing. But there's some issues with the
painting contract that was in the Fire Department painting we hadn't addressed none of this we
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have not said a word about none of this stuff but everybody's got their head in the sand walking
around here like they done lost their minds. So I'm going to leave it just like that, Mr. Mayor, I
can understand getting a getting someone to come in and analyze the Fire Department and see
what's there but we've got to face some hard issues. There's been some trouble in the Fire
Department for a long time even from the point of the airport. We had the Fire Chief out at the
airport at one time trying to, the man he was in charge of the airport. So there's a lot of issues
that's been going on and we have not addressed it. It's going to be up to this body to address it
even if when we get someone to come in or not.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I'm going to the Commissioner from the 10''° Commissioner from
the 10'h then the Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Clarke: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I agree with the Commissioner from the 9 h- I think
this is an internal problem that we need to handle internally first. And many of us have been
calling for open conversations and meetings and that means gathering the Chief, gathering his
officers, gathering the Firefighters Association, the Commission being involved let's and Human
Resources and let's talk about what's going on. I mean every time we turn around every day it's
something different and it doesn't get any better it gets worse. And when you hire someone from
the outside that doesn't really have a history of what's been going on you're just throwing money
down the drain. So I think the best thing that I would like to see happen is let's sit down together
at a round table discussion, let's have open dialogue, no finger pointing, let's ask questions, let's
give answers, let's try to find a solution. If a solution calls for change well we've got to make
change. We got to do something. We've let this get by a long enough. It's time to do something.
I suggest that we keep it internally and let the Commission be a big part of it, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, let me go to the Commissioner from the lst
Mr. Fennoy: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. You know after the, after the conversation that we
had in Executive Session earlier I'm wondering why we're doing a Needs Assessment on the Fire
Department as opposed to a Needs Assessment on that other department. Chief James has
developed incentives for firefighters. They get better pay, they've gotten a pay increase. In 2012
firefighters who were previously promoted and received only 5% increase he gave the firefighters
an additional 5% increase. He increased the stipend for EMT's and paramedic certification. He
raised (inaudible) and promotions and rights. He promoted education for pay increases. He
established the awards banquet to recognize the heroic efforts of the firefighters in the area of fire
safety. He issued two sets of fire gear to each firefighter. Now every firefighter has a radio. He
issued ballistic vests and helmets for active shooters events. He ensured face masks were properly
fitted. He implemented safety officers on all structure fires. He implemented annual physicals for
firefighters. I think our Fire Chief has done an outstanding job. He has raised the Fire Department
from a 5 Rating to a 41 Rating. I think only 84 Fire Departments across the country have that
designation. And the last thing I need I think that we need to do is to sit down with an association
that we don't recognize. If fire employees have an issue they need (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the I", were you finished? You muted yourself.
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Mr. Fennoy: It's on mute; somebody must have a remote control somewhere. I think the
Chief has done an outstanding job and the only reason he's being criticized is because he was
black. The Fire Association about three or four years ago when Chief Few accepted a position in
Rock Hill sent us documentation that saying that he mismanaged $6 million dollars but there was
nothing in that documentation to substantiate what he was accused of. As a result of that the
opportunity that he had in Rock Hill we lost. That same Fire Association after Chief Few had
accepted a position in Washington followed him all the way to DC to try to get him fired. I don't
think we need to be listening to an association. If a firefighter has an issue then the same grievance
process that our employees go through the firemen should be no exception. They should go
through that same process.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner, I'm going to go to the Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- so I think a lot of it's been discussed to what I was going to say.
My question was around the agenda item. The Needs Assessment, is that an internal, like who
would handle that or would there be like a third party involved or what? I guess it's for
Commissioner Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, can I respond to that?
Mr. Mayor: Sure.
Mr. Hasan: Yes (unintelligible) the third party is not handling the investigation. The third
party is neutral and has the ability to know how to also perform assessments and assist as a neutral
party. That's what they're there for. They're not ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay ---
Mr. Hasan: --- (inaudible) internal.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- but they would be engaged in the process is what you're saying?
Mr. Hasan: In the process, they're engaged in the process ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay.
Mr. Hasan: --- one of them should have a neutral party as well.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay I'll second your motion then.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 8 h.
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Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. I was going to ask the same question the Mayor Pro Tem
did but also I want to chime in a little bit on the discussion that's been taking place. You know
it's really interesting that for two, three years now we're hearing the same issues constantly on and
on and on so why not have the investigation and do away with it. You know just because somebody
has a complaint doesn't mean that's a racial issue every single time. I'm not saying that racism
doesn't happen. I mean it does we live in this world, we see the hatred among people out there
today. But I think that this is one way that we can cleanly hopefully resolve the issues with the
Association and the Fire Department if there is one. Let them you know do the investigation let a
third party take a look and I think that in moving forward we all disagree with the results then let's
move forward. Thank you.
Mr. B. Williams: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: All right, hold on, Commissioner, I've got the recognize the Commissioner
from the 2nd before he gets over there. All right, I'm going in this order as we try to wrap up
debate. I'm going to the Commissioner from the 2nd, the 5 h and the 4 h okay in that order,
Commissioner from the 2nd
Mr. D. Williams: All right, I'll be real short. Okay, once again we're in the same position
we've been in several times before. If an employee is unhappy, they go and complain to somebody
and a Commissioner and then want to go before the Commission board versus going through the
process that they need to go through. And how I feel about this Needs Assessment we already
know that the Fire Department needs more bodies, more people but if you look at that particular
profession it's not 25 guys standing over on the corner learning to be a firefighter so that's the
profession that you always have difficulty in trying to meet. And also we have to, we have to get
away from where every time an employee is dissatisfied with the policy or procedure if they want
to complain and that's major and that's what the major issues are here, the policy and procedures.
Every employee will not be happy on the job and I don't think we need the Needs Assessment. It
doesn't encourage other employees if they don't like something they complain to the
Commissioner and they'll get one by tail and they go running with it. I don't think we need it.
Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you, Commissioner from the 5 h.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, sir. I'm going to support the initiative but I need people to
understand this is not an investigation. Needs Assessments are done all the time, Needs
Assessments are done to see what you may need, what you may not need, what you can get rid of
and it can assess just in general the operations of the other particular entities. Now I favor doing
a Needs Assessment for all of our folks, Utilities Department, an assessment for the Engineering
Department so that we can assess where we are and then we can make some informed decisions.
So I am going to support the Needs Assessment but I can tell you unless you find something that's
way out of the way and I've talked to some folks. You know they complained about overtime.
Well if you had enough people you wouldn't need overtime so it makes sense. You know they're
talking about you know certain policy and procedures. That's not something that needs to be
determined by us. They need to get with the Administrator, the Administrator can pull together a
team of folks who can sit down and look at the policy and procedures and just do away with this
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do away with and/or get something that might be a little bit more better or advantageous to
employment. So some of these things they're complaining about are not necessarily things that
you know lead to something that's going to be drastic and way out of the way but I am going to
support it.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner, thank you. Commissioner from the 4 h.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. I'm going to echo some of my colleague's comments but first
I'm going to say this. I will support this Needs Assessment but I want to make clear a couple of
things, extremely clear. Every Fire Chief since consolidation has been ran off including Chief
James. Now if Chief James was such a problem why did they bring him back? They brought him
back by running behind him. Same thing with Chief Few they ran him behind. So obviously it's
not the problem that that individual, the individual's not the problem. It's the fact that they won't
let them go when they try leave but they claim they're doing all this stuff wrong. That sounds kind
of unsmart to me. Second thing it seems like if an individual goes into a stall in the bathroom in a
station and there's no toilet paper in the roll but it might be in the storage room we're going to get
an email saying Chief James didn't provide any toilet paper. That was a thing about some guys
who wanted to come out in support Chief James. Next thing I see an email coming to me saying
Chief James out there on duty doing this and that. Chief James had nothing to do with that, didn't
even know a thing about it. But look here these folks done already given him blame for this and
that so if a roll of toilet paper is missing Chief James is the problem. Now I think that's just utterly
ridiculous. You have a whole chain of command for these folks to communicate with. I haven't
seen anything come up from the Association about the developing the morale and the good stuff
in the community. Maybe somebody else has but I haven't seen it. All I see is these complaints
about the Chief, ones that they wouldn't let go, they had volunteered to leave. So I look forward
to this Needs Assessment and an end to the B.S. Thank you.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, let me have a final word, please, if you don't mind.
Mr. Mayor: Hold on, I do mind but I think I might let you have it. I'm trying to find my
Clerk just hold on, just hold on, I'm trying to find my Clerk.
The Clerk: She's here.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, I'm going to give you one minute, one minute.
Mr. Hasan: And that's all I need, thank you, sir. Let me be very clear about this part of it
but I don't disagree with nothing that has been said. This is not a conversation so that the
Administrator, this entity and the HR Director go sit down and talk to the Association. If those
firefighters don't want to talk to them as individual firefighters they can pull up out of there. This
is not to go sit down and break bread with the Association. Please don't misunderstand that. So if
they don't get the support that's fine but this is not to walk in there and sit down and talk to the
Association. Every firefighter will stand on his own merit in this conversation and I just wanted
to say that, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, fantastic. All right, Madam Clerk, we have a motion and a second.
Can we reiterate that motion and second?
The Clerk: The motion is to authorize the Administrator and the HR Director to conduct a
Needs Assessment of the Augusta Fire Department and authorize expenditure up to $25,000
dollars from the Fire Department's training budget for additional professional assistance as needed
and conclude within a six -week time period.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, did you see my hand?
Mr. Mayor: And I can even call the late arriving hand. I'm going to call it an appearing
hand, after we've had all of the debate.
Mr. Fennoy: We didn't have all the —
Mr. Garrett: We see your ceiling though.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we're going to go ahead and vote on this matter. Madam Clerk,
continue.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: I can't say what I want to say. I'm just going to say no, Ms. Bonner.
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
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Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: No, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Mr. Fennoy and Mr. D. Williams vote No.
Motion Passes 8-2.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, since we're here I'd like to take up 51 with the caveat that on
51 I'd like for the Commission to entertain a motion to accept the payment from Chatham County
with no disbursements at this time.
PUBLIC SAFETY
51. Motion to accept payment from Chatham County for the Richmond County shelter
activities related to 2019 Hurricane Dorian. Authorize Finance to distribute checks to the
Richmond County Health District and Richmond County School System. The remaining
amounts will be allocated to Animal Services, Augusta Transit, and Richmond County
Sheriffs Office.
Mr. D. Williams: Oh, yeah, that's good, so moved.
Mr. Hasan: Motion to accept it as is with no disbursements at this time.
Mr. D. Williams: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, very well.
The Clerk: Who seconded that? Mr. Dennis Williams, are you seconding?
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Okay, no disbursements at this time, okay. Mr. Clarke.
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Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Ms. Bonner, my hand's still up.
The Clerk: Yes, sir, I see it.
Mr. Fennoy: All right, I'm going to say yes, I'm going to say yes and leave it up.
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Motion Passes 10-0.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, fantastic, Madam Clerk. All right, Commissioner from the I", I'm
going to give you an opportunity to be recognized but I don't want you to mess up the conversation
about 46, so you may want to yield and wait on Item Number 46 to talk.
Mr. Fennoy: I just want to ask Ms. Bonner to put on our next agenda that we do a Needs
Assessment of Environmental Services.
Mr. Garrett: I'll second that.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
46. Erect a Memorial Wall in honor of Augustans who lost their lives to COVID-19.
(Requested by Commissioner Bill Fennoy)
FINANCE
55. Approve budget adjustments for departments that exceeded 2019 expenditure budgets.
56. Motion to approve funding source for COVID-19 expenses.
OTHER BUSINESS
74. Update on monument committee. (Requested by Commissioner Bill Fennoy)
75. Discuss ending the flawed curbside recycling program. (Requested by Commissioner
Sammie Sias.
76. Plan a MaskUp Augusta campaign to include providing masks to members of the
community. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
78. Discuss the hiring of contract tracers for Richmond County to aid in stopping the spread
of the virus. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis)
80. Abolish the Augusta Land Bank Authority/discuss/received information consisting of a
total list of all properties when they were purchased and a copy of the rules governing the
Land Bank Authority. (Deferred from the June 24, 2020 meeting)
ADDENDUM
81. Z-20-31 — A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Phil Winsett, on behalf of Augusta
Association of Baptist Churches, Inc., requesting a change of zoning from Zone R-lA (One -
family Residential) to Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) affecting property containing 1.53
acres and known as 1120 Marks Church Road. Tax Map 031-0-004-06-0 DISTRICT 3
A. Permitted uses included in the B-1 zone but all businesses must close by midnight.
B. May not request a Special Exception for a convenience store, liquor store or tavern.
C. Any parking lot or security lighting must be directed downward and not toward adjacent
residences.
D. Any new construction must meet all applicable codes and regulations in place at the time
of submission of a site plan, including but not limited to, parking and tree ordinance
compliance.
E. No reduction of the required tree buffer may be requested along the property lines that
are adjacent to residential uses.
Mr. Mayor: All right, very well. So at this point, Madam Clerk, we have, we've got Item
55 and 56, 75 and 76 that as well as 78 and 80 that we can move to the next agenda.
The Clerk: Are we going to move 74 as well?
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Mr. Mayor: Sure.
The Clerk: Okay, was that 46 to the next meeting?
Mr. Mayor: Sure, that sounds good.
The Clerk: All right, on the Addendum Agenda we had one Planning petition that needs
to be addressed. It was on the Consent Agenda.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk: And the Item 42 regarding the renewal of the Transit Contract how are we
going to do that?
Mr. Mayor: Is that time -sensitive, Administrator Sims?
The Clerk: Yeah, I'll let Administrator Sims ---
Mr. Sims: Yes, it is.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, so let's take up that measure, Administrator Sims, if you can speak to
that measure and give us some sense of the time -sensitive nature of it and what has been requested.
I'll believe this is a renewal of the current contract. All right, Madam Clerk, if you'll read the
caption.
The Clerk:
ADDENDUM
82. Motion to approve the Renewal and Amendment of Augusta Transit's Management and
Operations Agreement dated August 1, 2013 by and between Augusta, Georgia and
McDonald Transit Associates Inc. nka RATP Dev for the last and final renewal term of
August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2022.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Administrator Sims, you are on deck and we have Ms. Dottery who's
here as well.
Mr. Sims: Okay, Ms. Dottery is here but this is a grant that is time -sensitive, Mayor and
Commissioners. Ms. Dottery is here to provide a quick just overview of the grant on this agenda
item.
Ms. Dottery: Can you hear me?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, Ms. Dottery.
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Ms. Doddery: All right, good afternoon, Commissioners, Mayor, the grant that I had listed
Mr. Mayor: Okay if I can get everybody else to mute. Ms. Dottery, you have the floor.
Mr. Doddery: --- okay what I was stating is this is the renewal for RATP Dev for their last
and final two years with this contract and the grant in this contract in this agenda item that I listed
is one of the Cares Act because Finance said that I needed additional dollars for this. So we agreed
to go through the end of December and their contract starts the new contract starts August 1 of this
year and then I need additional dollars for next year starting January 1. So I have that money in
the Cares Act and will be able to take care of any additional dollars needed.
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Dottery, is this part of the $8 million that we received for Cares Act
Funding?
Ms. Dottery: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, we'll take a motion to approve.
Mr. Clarke: Motion to approve.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, voting.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy out, Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan, Mr. Sias.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma'am.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma'am.
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The Clerk: Okay thank you, Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma'am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams, is Mr. Dennis Williams there? Mr. Mayor, no, he's out.
Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. Sims: Commissioner Fennoy's here.
Mr. Fennoy: Yeah, I'm here.
The Clerk: Are you voting?
Mr. Fennoy: Yes, ma'am.
Mr. D. Williams and Mr. M. Williams out.
Motion Passes 8-0.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk, members of the Commission, I believe that's all the
business that's before us at this point and in the words of Commissioner from the 9' you all have
worked hard today. All right, if there be no further business this meeting is adjourned.
Mr. Garrett: Hallelujah.
Mr. Sias: Amen.
[MEETING ADJOURNED]
Lena Bonner
Clerk of Commission
CERTIFICATION:
I, Lena J. Bonner, Clerk of Commission, hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy
of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of The Augusta Richmond County Commission held on
July 21, 2020.
Clerk of Commission
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