HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting January 17, 2017
REGULAR MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER
JANUARY 17, 2017
Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:00 p.m., January 17, 2017, the Hon.
Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding.
PRESENT: Hons. Jefferson, Guilfoyle, Sias, Frantom, M. Williams, Smith, D. Williams,
Hasan and Davis, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission.
Absent: Hon. Fennoy, member of Augusta Richmond County Commission.
Mr. Mayor: All right, good afternoon, everybody. We are here to do the business of the
people. What an amazing week the City of Augusta has had with major announcements around
the Georgia Innovation, the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center. And we’ve heard
many reports and kudos to the reporters who discussed it and talked about it, many of whom are
in the audience on today. So, a lot of great things are going on in our city that all of us can be very
proud of. It’ll require collaboration between the State of Georgia, Augusta University and the City
of Augusta in order to see this come to full fruition or manifestation. And when you think about
it at the top of the year, Mr. Dudon, a $50 million-dollar announcement that’s going to take place
in our urban core truly tells us in the City of Augusta that we are on the rise, our star has risen and
we are becoming the tip of the spear in terms of the military’s power projection platform in the
words of General Fogerty and now General Morrison. And so we couldn’t be more pleased in
what’s happening in our city so a lot to be very proud of. With that being said we are here to
continue the good work that’s going on in the City of Augusta. Our Commissioners have been
deliberate over the last two years and as we step into the third year of what’s going on more good
stuff is going to happen, Ms. Jackson, and we are going to be at the very center of it all. The Chair
recognizes our distinguished Clerk to get us started.
The Clerk: Thank you, sir. I call your attention to our invocation which will be delivered
by the Reverend Marion Davis, Pastor of the Macedonia East Baptist Church after which we’d
have our Pledge of Allegiance led by our City Attorney, Mr. Andrew MacKenzie. Would you
please stand.
The invocation was given by Reverend Marion Davis, Pastor Macedonia East Baptist
Church.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America was recited.
Mr. Mayor: Reverend Davis, we want to thank you for coming to be with us on the day
and to the council would you join me in recognizing our Chaplain of the Day, Reverend Marion
Davis for his spiritual guidance and civic leadership as he continues to serve as an example to all
of us. In Commissioner Fennoy’s absence, he’s under the weather today, but I know that he is a
great friend of yours and a great friend of your church. Thank you for being with us on today.
(APPLAUSE)
The Clerk:
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DELEGATIONS
A. Update from Dr. Terrance Cook regarding Project Access services to the community.
(Requested by Mayor Pro Tem Mary Davis)
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Dr. Cook, for coming and being with us.
Dr. Cook: Thank you, sir, and thank you, Commissioners, for trust all these years that you
have placed in the Richmond County Medical Society to carry out the grant you so graciously gave
to us 15 years ago. Over the years, we’ve seen many patients from our community who were in
desperate need. We were charged to provide comprehensive medical care for those residents of
the county for at least six months who fell below 100%, 200% of the Federal Poverty Index and
were uninsured. I know it may be a surprise to you but there are many who are still uninsured at
this time, have no health insurance. We, I’m going to give you just a few statistics from 2015
because 2016 isn’t available yet. But last year we served 655 patients. They received
$1,579,000,674 dollars-worth of physician and hospital services at no charge. We filled 3,769
prescriptions for those patients and the return to the county was $5.00 for every $1:00 dollar spent
on this program. These people, I maybe didn’t realize completely until I retired about 15 months
ago and began to work a day a week at the Harrisburg Family Care Clinic on Crawford Avenue. I
did not realize the extent and the severity of illness the patients in our community have and their
lack of insurance has caused those conditions to be even more severe. So, it’s extremely important
that we obtain the funds needed in this program to be able to continue to fill prescriptions for
people who otherwise could not afford them. I think you’re all aware how expensive
pharmaceuticals have become and certainly there may be some relief on that eventually but at the
moment it’s very expensive to do. It’s been suggested that we had filed paperwork incorrectly for
this program and we did check with your Finance office. They said no that everything was properly
in order. We do appreciate all that you have done for us in the past. The $70,000 dollar reduction
in our grant will be very much felt by the patients who we serve so I would respectfully request
that you return that $70,000 to our grant so we can continue the work that is being done. Be aware
that through this program there is no charge to the patient for any hospital care, for any lab, for
any x-ray, for any physician services, zero charge to the patient. The only thing the patient pays
is a $4.00 dollar prescription per month per prescription. So it’s desperately needed by the weakest
members, the poorest members of our community and we hope to continue this good work for
another number of years. But we have 15 years behind us and it’s been a good relationship. Thank
you all.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you so much, Dr. Cook.
Dr. Cook: Are there any questions?
Mr. Mayor: We’ve had a long relationship when I was in the legislature and I know very
well the good work that you’ve done. This is an item brought forth by the distinguished lady from
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the 3 our Mayor Pro Tem Commissioner Davis, you have the floor.
Ms. Davis: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Dr. Cook, for that update. Dr. Cook and
I talked in December when we did pass the budget and so he had you know found out I think
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through the newspaper actually that you had been cut so the budget for Project Access. So I said
you know let’s maybe come in front of the Commission and kind of give an update on what you
all do and how this cut could possibly hurt services to the community so that’s why he’s here today
and he was concerned with any further cuts that might come down the pike. So I just, you know,
Dr. Cook, we do have our budget in place this year but as we always say it’s a rolling budget
always changing here and there so the Commission always has discussions on services like yours.
If funding is needed to be added back or not so, you know, we’ll have those discussions and I
appreciate all that you do for the community.
Dr. Cook: Thank you very much, thank you all.
Mr. Mayor: Dr. Cook, there are some questions. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner
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from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. Mr. Cook, how are you doing and I’m glad to know the work
that you all are doing here.
Dr. Cook: Thank you.
Mr. Sias: Okay, on what you all have been doing the last several years out there is very
commendable. I just have one question. As far as exactly what you all do, how much is actually
dependent on the exact amount that you get from the city?
Dr. Cook: We, the funds are used primarily to administer the program, also to pay the
salary of an individual who is the, who manages the patient’s as they come in decides which
program they would fit into and whether they qualify and then it goes to pay for medications,
Those are really the three things administration, the Commissioner that helps to decide who
qualifies for the program and medications so most of it goes to medications.
Mr. Sias: And do you serve folks from both Richmond and Columbia County?
Dr. Cook: Yes, we do but that’s a separate program but we do serve both counties.
Mr. Sias: Okay, thank you, sir.
Dr. Cook: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Are there any additional questions? All right, Dr. Cook ---
Dr. Cook: Thank you so much.
Mr. Mayor: --- thank you so much for your time.
The Clerk: I call your attention to the consent portion of our agenda which consists of
items 1-26. Mr. Mayor, before I proceed there’s an item on our addendum agenda, number four,
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the petitioner is asking that item number four under our consent agenda be deleted and with the
concurrence of the Planning and Development Director.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, can you also go on and mention the addendum that we want to
ratify as well while you are there?
The Clerk: Okay under the addition portion of the agenda to ratify the reappointment the
recommendation of the Mayor and the Mayor Pro Tem on the reappointment of Commissioner
Wayne Guilfoyle to the General Aviation Commission Daniel Field as the next ex-officio member
which was inadvertently excluded from the slate of Commission Ex-officio appointments in the
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meeting held on January 3, 2017. Our consent agenda consists of items 1-26, items 1-26. A
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notation on Item Number 2 which was approved by the Commission on December 20 however
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did not receive its second reading on the 3 so we’re asking that the Commission approve the
reading today as a first reading and waive the second reading just to come into conformity with
our rules.
Item 2: Is a request for concurrence to approve a petition to amend the Comprehensive
Zoning Ordinance as defined.
Item 4: Consideration for deletion and referred back to our Planning and Development
Department.
Item 5: Under the Public Services portion of our agenda Item 5 is a request for an on
premise consumption Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Club Twist
located at 1855 Gordon Highway.
The Clerk: Are there any objectors to this alcohol petition? Okay, our consent agenda
consists of items 1-26 with the recommendation to delete Item Number 4, to add the ratification
of the appointment of Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle to the General Aviation Commission at
Daniel Field.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, I’d like to remove Item Number 1 from the consent agenda.
All right, the Chair will entertain any other motions to add or remove from the consent agenda.
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The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’ve got a question about agenda item two. I
don’t necessarily have to pull it if I can get an answer to that but I would like to pull Item 12 and
15.
Mr. Mayor: Okay items 1, 2, 12 and 15 are removed from the consent agenda. The Chair
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recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just have a question again on items 2 and 3 ---
Mr. Mayor: All right.
Mr. Guilfoyle: --- it’s for the Director.
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Mr. Mayor: All right Item Number 3 remove from the consent agenda. The Chair
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recognizes the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to pull Item Number 11.
Mr. Mayor: Item Number 11. Any other motions to remove or add to the consent agenda?
Mr. Guilfoyle: Motion to approve.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
CONSENT AGENDA
PLANNING
4. ZA-R-246 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission
to approve a petition to amend Section 13 (R-1E-One-family Residential) of the
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta, Georgia by adding Special Exceptions in the
R-1E-Zone – Urban Village.
PUBLIC SERVICES
5. Motion to approve New Location: A.N. 17-1: request by Voncellies A. Allen for an on
premise consumption Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Club Twyst
located at 1855 Gordon Highway. There will be Dance. District 2. Super District 9.
(Approved by Public Services Committee January 10, 2017)
6. Motion to approve a request by Joel Sobel for a Sunday Sales License to be used in
connection with The Pinnacle Club located at 699 Broad Street. District 1. Super District 9.
(Approved by Public Services Committee January 10, 2017)
7. Motion to approve the contract through an FAA grant for Obstruction Clearing and New
Windcone at Daniel Field Airport. REF: AP017-9026-53(245) Richmond PID – T005959.
(Approved by Public Services Committee January 10, 2017)
8. Motion to approve Contract Modification #1 to Griffin Contracting, Inc. for the ARFF
Pavement Rehabilitation as approved by the Augusta Aviation Commission December 15,
2016. (Approved by Public Services Committee January 10, 2017)
9. Motion to approve a request by Zhi Ye for a Therapeutic Massage Operators License to
be used in connection with Yenny Massage located at 3218 Wrightsboro Rd. District 2. Super
District 9. (Approved by Public Services Committee January 10, 2017)
10. Motion to approve Mead & Hunt Work Authorization #32 for the oversight of the
Airport Taxiway A project as approved by the Augusta Aviation Commission December 15,
2016. The length of this contract is 420 calendar days. (Approved by Public Services
Committee January 10, 2017)
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
13. Motion to approve Fair Chance/Hiring Policy commonly known as “Ban-the-Box” in
accordance with action(s) taken by the Commission in its regular meeting held on December
20, 2016. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee January 10, 2017)
14. Motion to approve award for coating of the metal roofs at the Fleet Maintenance Facilities
on Broad Street and Tobacco Road to Horizon Roofing of Monroe, Georgia in the total
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amount of $80,000.00. (Bid Item 16-244) (Approved by Administrative Services Committee
January 10, 2017)
15. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department’s (HCDs) use of
the same procedure (as 2016) relative to authorization of agreements/contracts/task orders
for the Laney Walker/Bethlehem Redevelopment Project and the Hyde Park/Wilkerson
Gardens Drainage Improvement Project for program/calendar year 2017. (Approved by
Administrative Services Committee January 10, 2017)
PUBLIC SAFETY
16. Motion to approve an amendment and renewal for the Inmate Medical Contract for the
Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to Correct Care Solutions at a cost of $5,387,124.80 per
year for a two-year renewal period. (Approved by Public Safety Committee January 10,
2017)
17. Motion to approve acceptance of State grant in the amount of $19,200 to support the
operations of the State Court’s DUI court program for the period of 1/1/17 – 6/30/17, $2,133
or 10% cash match funding source is from 204022320-3511410. (Approved by Public Safety
Committee January 10, 2017)
ENGINEERING SERVICES
18. Motion to determine that a portion of Emmett Street Lane as shown on the attached plat
has ceased to be used by the pubic 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 inters,
pursuant to O.C.G.A. §32-7-2, with the abandoned property to be quit-claimed to the
appropriate part(ies), as provided by law with an easement being retained over any existing
water/sewer lines (or if relocated over new utility lines with old lines and easement being
abandoned in place) as directed by the Augusta Utilities Department, and an easement being
granted by the acquiring party(ies) in favor of Augusta (and the public) for ingress/egress
from the remainder of Emmett Street Lane to Druid Park Avenue as directed by the Augusta
Engineering Department. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee January 10, 2017)
19. Motion to determine that Franklin Lane from Tuttle Street eastward to the terminus as
shown on the attached plat 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, 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. (approved
by Engineering Services Committee January 10, 2017)
20. Motion to authorize Condemnation to acquire title of a portion of property for
Temporary Easement – 2702 Wellington Drive (Parcel 025-4-125-00-0). (Approved by
Engineering Services Committee January 10, 2017)
21. Motion to authorize Condemnation to acquire title of a portion of property – 2065 Willow
Street (7,500 sq. ft.) (Parcel 087-4-029-00-0). (Approved by Engineering Services Committee
January 10, 2017)
22. Motion to authorize Condemnation to acquire title of a portion of property for Right-of-
Way and Temporary Easement – 2648 Wheeler Road (Parcel 033-2-112-00-0). (Approved by
Engineering Services Committee January 10, 2017)
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23. Motion to approve the Engineering and Utilities Departments developing a joint plan to
correct the storm water flooding and the overflowing of the sewage systems in the Rocky
Creek basin in the general area between Peach Orchard Rd and Mike Padgett Hwy bordered
by Smith Dr. and Scott Rd. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee January 10,
2017)
24. Motion to approve the amount of $24,000.00 to have 39 Streetlights added to Corpse
Drive, Clifford St., Crawley St., and Summerton Dr. in the Haynes Station subdivision at a
cost of $1,014.00 per month thereafter. This is also to approve a new lighting tax district for
the 119 lots associated with above roads. Funding is available in the Street Lighting budget
account #2760416105312310. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee January 10,
2017)
25. Motion to approve the amount of $3,345.28 to have 8 Streetlights added to Weldon Adams
Dr., Ken Miles Dr., and Ted Tidwell Ln. in the Manchester subdivision at a cost of $120.00
per month thereafter. This is also to approve a new lighting tax district for the 27 lots
associated with above roads. Funding is available in the Street Lighting budget account
#2760416105312310. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee January 10, 2017)
PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
26. Motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Commission held January
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3 and Special Called meeting held January 10, 2017)
ADDENDUM
33. Ratify the recommendation of the Mayor & Mayor Pro Tem the reappointment of
Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle to the General Aviation Commission-Daniel Field as ex-
officio member. (Inadvertently excluded from the slate of commission’s ex-officio
appointments in meeting held January 3, 2017).
Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda.
Voting.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Passes 9-0. \[Items 3-10, 13-26, 33\]
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
1. TA-07 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve a petition to approve the updated Tree Ordinance for Augusta, Georgia.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Ms. Wilson, if you’ll approach. Just a few friendly questions Ms.
Wilson. I draw everybody’s attention to Tab 1 in your books. This is a fairly large document.
One, let me thank you and the staff for your work and also the Tree Commission for the work
they’ve done in putting this together, I see your hand Commissioner. There’s been a lot of
discussion in the business community, developers both in the commercial space as well as
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residential space with regards to the Tree Ordinance. My question stems from the proposed
amendments it says at the main change was from a point system for calculating the required
number of trees on the site to a canopy cover system. Can you help us understand what that is and
how that is going to help us with regards to businesses, those that are existing and new businesses
when one of the great concerns right now, Ms. Wilson, is a Tree Ordinance that requires a vast
number of trees to be put on a property which certainly adds expense to the overall project costs
and we’re trying to find a happy medium in that vein? If I were to use an example right now I
believe over in District 7 maybe District 3 we’ve got a long-standing business right there on
Washington Road that’s having significant challenges right now with the trees that are right there
in front on their dealership and they need relief, any relief today as a matter of fact. And that’s the
Mercedes Dealership there where the trees they are in their current form a safety hazard people
being able from an ingress and egress standpoint. So again if you’ll speak to the primary issue and
that is help us understand the issue around going from a required number of trees to a canopy cover
system how that helps us from a business standpoint.
Ms. Wilson: Basically and I’m just doublechecking to make sure that no one from the Tree
Commission is in the audience or has worked on this project is here just so that we can thank them
and recognize them, if they are please identify yourself. The Tree Canopy System the reason that
that helps is because now it’s kind of like you have to have ‘x’ number of trees. If you’ve got the
canopy they look at how much area an existing tree covers so you could have to do less versus
more. The situation that you mentioned again if there is a problem with regards to safety then we
always address those and work to make sure that that is remediated. The trees could be moved to
someplace else on the site, we asked them to do or align landscaping. But the Tree Canopy System
does make it a lot easier from the standpoint if someone that has existing trees to meet the
requirements of the Tree Ordinance.
Mr. Mayor: Follow up question, Ms. Wilson. You indicate in the case that they have
existing trees on the site. In the event they don’t have any trees on the site does it still help or is it
a wash?
Ms. Wilson: Um, it’s possible that it could help depending on the size and massing of the
tree that’s put in place. We try to work with each developer and citizen with regards to meeting
the requirements of the ordinance. It is set up so that we do have some flexibility with regards to
how we implement it and we try to make sure that we’re not doing anything on making a request
that’s overly burdensome to anyone that is trying to meet the requirements of the ordinance.
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you, very nice, the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. Ms. Wilson, in reading through this and looking at the main
points the Mayor pulled this before I had my opportunity so I had some concerns as you well know.
Number one we look at the trees that we require these businesses to put and most of them are put
in islands. And within about three months they’re dead and they don’t look very good. And
secondly here at the Municipal Building we ended up removing the trees for security reasons and
I’ll give you an example. There was a robbery at a Family Dollar on Tobacco Road somewhere
about 6:00 a.m. By 9:00 a.m. they were cutting a big tree down that was in front of the store so
it’s good that we can have these trees but I would love to see those trees normally toward the
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property line versus having to be out in the middle of the parking lots. In these kinds of areas we
can get there’s a standard thing that you all have in Planning and Development for your I don’t
know how to say it right but your border trees or your, I don’t want to call it setback trees but to
separate various properties. You all have a certain amount of tree foliage that and a type of tree
that can be put there, that seems to work very well. But these little small apple looking trees that
are put up in the parking lots they die relatively fast. If you go and look at the Wal-Mart
Neighborhood Wal-Mart on Tobacco Road and Windsor Spring those trees they’re having a lot of
trouble with them. So I would look forward to say we could eliminate that I was looking for some
major changes in this Tree Ordinance particularly with the parking lot trees. That is not working
very well. So for me that was what I was hoping to see.
Ms. Wilson: To basically answer your question with regards to the smaller trees the
developers have to post a performance bond. We’re going through right now signing and asking
them to deal with replanting. What we were looking at doing with the revision of the Tree
Ordinance we were looking at ways to try to help with making some improvements with regards
to making it less burdensome. However when you start talking about taking the trees out of the
tree wells and things it’s been proven that they do have some benefit with regards to the sunshades.
When you go to park at the mall most people in the summertime park closest to the tree. When
the Tree Commission looked at this they were looking at, you know, a few things that they could
do to try at least create a little bit of fairness with regards to the existing trees, keeping them and
having some of them so that they can keep them. One of the things that we also have the flexibility
of doing is asking people to deal with some type of landscaping versus an actual tree and that’s
one of the things that you’ll be able to do now (unintelligible). There’s nothing that essentially
says you have to have a tree; we look at that on a site by site basis. In several cases where there is
a large tree that’s near a commercial site, the applicant themselves have made the request to keep
the large tree. So ---
Mr. Sias: I’m okay with the large trees especially on the perimeter. I’m talking about these
small ones that go up in the parking lots and they just don’t seem to function very well. So, that
was the change I was looking for hoping to see and I’ll leave my comments at that. Thank you,
thank you, sir.
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Mr. Mayor: All right the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9 for a question
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and then the 8.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Ms. Wilson, I need a little bit of help on the
canopy type and exactly what that does as far as a tree. And I’m trying to picture the dealership
the Mayor mentioned up on Washington Road. A lot of times those types businesses don’t want
their business behind the trees so to speak; they want to be vigilant, they want it to be so people
can see in there. But what bothers me a lot is that we had bought some trees years ago before I
even got here that created a lot of leaves and the branches break very easily, they get top heavy or
whatever. Is anybody designing or telling us what type tree we ought to be putting out versus just
a tree? I mean and that’s why I need some help about the canopy when you talk about the canopy
I need some help with that. Is that a tree that overshadows? Even downtown I’ve got some issues
with the trees we’ve got on Broad Street. The trees on Broad Street are nice trees but they’re not
the type tree that should be on Broad Street in my opinion now. I’m not one of those tree huggers;
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I don’t hug trees but some people understand trees a lot better than I do. But I’m just trying to
figure out how do we look at other cities, what they’re using, what works. We complain about the
leaves but then we want to have the trees. If you’ve got trees you’re going to have leaves. I mean
you don’t have to have a tree because you’re got a leaf but if you’re going to have a tree you’re
going to have leaves on them. And they get into our drain system and we say we don’t get it
cleaned, so what type of tree are we recommending or what type of tree are we putting around the
city? Even those and I can’t think of the name Mr. Mayor, Ms. Bonner might be able to tell me
and those trees we planted back years ago that’s you know up and down the inner city that’s
breaking very easily. The wind just, and the cold and the ice coming and it really just, and they
looked good when they first put them out but I think we’ve got to understand that there’s a certain
type tree that goes into a certain area versus just a tree.
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Wilson, hold for just a moment I’m going to come right back to you,
Commissioner. I see some folks who are still here we’ve just voted on an adopted a consent
agenda. I see my good friend Joel Soebel still in the audience and I know he’s enjoying the
conversation. And I see Ms. Yinning from the Parlor your issue has been voted on and approved.
Thank you. Ms. Wilson.
Ms. Wilson: Commissioner Williams, in answer to your question the Tree Commission
actually was fortunate enough to, we received some funds and was able to hire an arborist, a
certified arborist to basically tell us what we need to be planting. That is one of the things that got
updated in the list. I agree there’s some trees that are just not appropriate to be planted in some
areas there could be another you know there’s substitutions that could be made. Those are all of
the things that were looked at when dealing with the update of this document and the tree selection
was done by Mr. Holcomb who is the arborist. And we also had someone from the Georgia I guess
it’s Georgia USDA but ---
Mr. Mayor: Georgia Forestry.
Ms. Wilson: --- forestry, thank you the Georgia Forestry Division as well on this
committee working with staff and the Tree Commission with regards to plantings and things of
that nature and types of trees that really need to be appropriate. I think that you know the trees
that were planted several years some of those trees might not necessarily be that appropriate now.
We are suffering you know from drought in some areas they require different watering so it means
that you end up having a little bit different type of tree that is going to be a little bit more drought
tolerant. But we did have all the tree species, that would be ones that would survive being in an
Augusta environment reviewed and looked and the trees that are a part of the list is what is
recommended by the arborist.
Mr. M. Williams: So my question would be then if someone was going build have to do
something with some trees they would have to come before the Planning and Zoning or before this
government to find out what tree?
Ms. Wilson: Basically what we do is we have now we have a Development Review
Committee hour. We ask that people come in beforehand when they’re putting together plans to
talk to us not only about the tree ordinance or any other ordinances that we’ve got in place. It is
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at that time that we work with them. We’ve got Parks and Recs also have a place at the table and
they also look at the landscaping/trees that are part of the development plans so they would know
before they even submit what they would have to do. And a lot of the times they come in with
trees that they would like to see planted because they need to hire a landscape architect to do their
plans and that landscape architect has already reviewed our documents to see what trees would be
able to survive in this environment.
Mr. M. Williams: That’s all, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Commissioner. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the
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8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Melanie, thank you for answering a lot of these questions. I actually did
have to follow and comply by ya’ll’s guidelines with the trees when I originally built my building.
I had to have it bonded. But some of the challenges that a lot of developers are facing is the size
of the trees that are required. I had brought one up to you last year where it was the requirement
of the I believe either five or seven-gallon tree. So the bigger the trees are the more expensive
they are where if you actually buy one in the three-gallon you get it at about 60% cheaper but in
two years it actually obtains to the same size as the five to seven-gallon. And plus to find
something here locally within reason the larger trees that are required or recommended by the Tree
Department it’s not user friendly to our developers, contractors, builders. So that might be
something that your tree horticulture should look at as well. If he had to go out and just what he
recommended on the site drawings to use this different type of tree Japanese Maple, White Oak et
cetera.
Ms. Wilson: Well, one of the ---
Mr. Guilfoyle: For him to find that that’s going to be a challenge on itself and this is what
we impose onto our developers.
Ms. Wilson: --- one of the things that I guess is a benefit from having gone through the
process with dealing with the update is that it has allowed for us to have more flexibility with
regards to the tree sites. It kind of, you know, it’s when they come in and they can always ask for
a waiver. They can do a mitigation where they basically say I’m going to pay a few hundred
dollars so that I don’t have to, that goes into a mitigation fund which goes to plant trees someplace
else. There are a number of things that can be done if someone is having a difficult time meeting
the Tree Ordinance. We’ve also put in place and Mr. Holcomb looked at all of our surrounding
communities landscaping and tree ordinances as well as regionally what the ordinance
requirements are and this still provides actually a lot more flexibility.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Well, that would obviously satisfy a lot of people’s requests or problems -
--
Ms. Wilson: That’s correct.
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Mr. Guilfoyle: --- challenges no different than the Mayor with the Mercedes Benz put ‘x’
amount of funding and plant trees somewhere else.
Ms. Wilson: That’s correct and that’s one of the things that we looked at doing. We still
need to have some type because in some cases people kind of go and take all of the trees down and
that becomes a problem. We try to encourage them to leave trees where possible because you just
can’t plant a tree that is large enough to replace you know a tree a large tree that’s being removed.
But on the other hand this isn’t to be prohibitive to anybody from moving forward. It’s to hopefully
make the city look a lot better and provide some shading ---
Mr. Guilfoyle: I understand ---
Ms. Wilson: --- so we do have a ---
Mr. Guilfoyle: --- the esthetic value.
Ms. Wilson: --- we have a mix of alternates that are part of this ordinance that people will
be able to use to come into compliance.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Ms. Wilson. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, sir, thank you, Commissioner. The Chair recognizes the
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Commissioner from the 7 for a question.
Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Ms. Wilson, one of the businesses in my district in
District 7 had to put about $30,000 dollars in landscaping in because of the tree ordinances and
things. My question is was this process vetted through the community to show that we’re being
pro-business because there’s also another issue of someone that’s called me in another district
trying to set up a business. But have we vetted this through the business community to truly, you
know, make sure that we’re pro-business and not putting up roadblocks on people, putting
businesses in by requiring these trees?
Ms. Wilson: As I said this has been a process that’s been going on for a year. We’ve
advertised our meetings. We’ve had it on the Planning Commission agenda where we had
workshops and we have a Tree Commission that has both private citizens and business members
that are seated on that board. It’s not just the businesses, it’s also the people that live in the
community as well that are impacted when you have mass development that does not take into
play by putting some type of tree or landscaping in place. Again I think that one of the things that
I will do this year or at least it is my hope is to have a few workshops with people on the tree
ordinance just to kind of let them know what their options are. I think folks are very quick to call
without kind of coming in to say well what is it I can do if I can’t do that. Some people don’t
know that we do have the ability to mitigate by dealing with going through that process which isn’t
terribly onerous at all. This of all the ordinances is probably one of the most flexible ordinances
that we have in place in order to try to make sure that we are providing trees and coverage for the
people in the community as well as the businesses.
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Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6 for a question.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Ms. Wilson, Mr. Mayor, I’d like to direct this to Ms.
Wilson? When Commissioner Guilfoyle was speaking to you ---
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Hasan, would you speak into the microphone?
Mr. Hasan: -- I’m sorry, Mr. Mayor, I apologize. When he was speaking you were saying
I guess there was a mitigation fee or variance or something that businesses could in some fashion
or form pay a fee and plant a tree somewhere else, is that in this booklet I’ve got here?
Ms. Wilson: Yes, that’s always been the case that you can mitigate the with regards to
paying the fee if you are in a situation where you can’t plant a tree.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, all right, well I thinking what I’m looking at I want to make sure this is
the Tree Commission and this is, Mr. Mayor, I know you like to know what page this is, I’m on
27D D-1, the Tree Commission at its discretion may require mitigation planning in city streets,
right of ways and city parks on city owned property as mitigation planning cannot be feasible
planned on the subject site, that’s what we’re speaking about now, right?
Ms. Wilson: That’s correct, yes, sir.
Mr. Hasan: If a tree cannot be planted on the site, why would they pay a mitigation fee if
it can’t be planted there?
Ms. Wilson: Because there are other places in the city that could benefit from having the
tree and in some cases other places on the site where the tree can be planted to, but those funds go
into a pool that is used to deal with landscaping.
Mr. Hasan: I get that but the language here is if it cannot be. So, if it cannot be I understand
that I may not want it which is different than saying my property cannot accommodate it. So, if
my property cannot accommodate I wouldn’t think I should have to pay a fee.
Ms. Wilson: Well, if you’re building, I mean if you’re building or developing a property
there are two things that get factored in. Usually when someone is putting together a project they
look at having a percentage of the cost for landscaping and development. So, you know you could
always technically have a tree fit. You could make the buildings smaller and have less parking;
there’s a lot of things that you could do. In most cases the developer would rather pay the
mitigation fee which basically is planting. Usually we try to make sure that it either goes in the
area which the property is located or a place that has a need for better tree coverage and they’re
happy to basically pay the fee because they don’t have to deal with it in order to meet the
requirements of the ordinance. The fees generally are not they’re not that terribly expensive but it
takes the burden off of them when they come in and make a request.
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Mr. Hasan: Okay, okay all right same kind of on the same line. If I as a business owner
am getting ready to build and I decide I want to mitigate, pay the fee and the next person wants
the same thing it says at the discretion of the board. As a business owner and wanting to mitigate
and pay that fee will you sometimes deny certain people for whatever reason even if they want to
pay the fee?
Ms. Wilson: Basically since I’ve been here we have not denied anybody that’s wanted to
pay the fee. In cases where someone has wanted to do something that was a little bit different with
regards to trying to meet the intended ordinance or meet the ordinance, we’ve been able to work
out agreements between either adjacent owners so that they could both benefit for whatever is
planted or use an alternative method whether it’s berming and having landscaping over that if it’s
to try to create some sense of from a design standpoint. But since I’ve been here I have not run
into a situation where the Tree Commission has not accepted the mitigation fee. Generally when
they come forward they’ve got a compelling reason of what they can (inaudible).
Mr. Hasan: Okay and I was asking the question because it said at its discretion I didn’t
know what you wanted to do for one (unintelligible) see the consistency so that’s where my
question came from. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: All right ---
Mr. Guilfoyle: Motion to approve.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I have a substitute motion.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. M. Williams: I’d like to send this back to committee to just get some understanding
because I’m still me I’m still a little bit confused about how you got to mitigate. I thought the
trees when you built anything or you added the trees was because it was necessary for that
particular location to have ‘x’ amount of trees for whatever reason for oxygen or whatever it is.
But to pay money instead of putting the tree down if the tree ain’t necessary why are we asking
them to put it there in the first place? I’m thinking it’s necessary. I mean as a Commissioner these
guys, they’re tree huggers. They understand that; I just don’t understand it. It looks like it would
be a reason to put the tree there or not put it there but if I’ve got the money I may not have no trees
around my place because I can mitigate the money and let y’all put the trees on one side of town
and the leaves go over there. I let all my leaves fall in part of my neighbor’s yard and when the
wind gets through blowing them I wait until they’re all over there and I take up whatever’s left so
I don’t have to do all that, Ms. Bonner. And a lot of people, I don’t understand because we’ve got
so many different facets of this and I don’t think it’s got to be done right away I don’t think. If it’s
an emergency and we’ve got somebody waiting to either mitigate the money or put a tree down
and they’re outside with a shovel we might need to do that but why can’t we send it back to
committee so we can get an understanding.
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Mr. Sias: Second on the substitute.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right I’ve got a motion and a second. All right, the Chair recognizes
the Mayor Pro Tem for an inquiry.
Ms. Davis: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’m fine with it to go back to committee as well. And
I was just going to suggest if we touch base with our appointees on that Commission because they
are very involved and very passionate about this commission so it would be a good conversation
to have with whoever is your representation on that commission, just to get because I need a better
understanding as well. So, I just wanted to recommend that.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, if I can I think we’re supporting it it’s not that we at least I
think I am. I’m in support of doing whatever it is but once you pass something it’s too late to go
back then and me and Ms. Wilson had a previous conversation earlier. I need to know for sure
what we’re doing. We’ve got some trees that you mentioned that was here before we got here that
really need to be discarded because they’re not conducive they’re not benefiting us like we thought
they would. They’re trees and there’s so many of them that’s so close together that they’re
blocking the light from you know the street lights. And so ---
Mr. Sias: And the security cameras.
Mr. M. Williams: --- and the security cameras, that’s right.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we got a motion and a second for the substitute. Voting.
Mr. Hasan votes No.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Passes 8-1.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Ms. Wilson, thank you.
The Clerk: Ms. Wilson, I think you’ll probably want to ---
Ms. Wilson: I was going to say (inaudible) about the answer to your question.
Mr. Mayor: All right, all right we’re going to go on to number two, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
2. ZA-R-245 – A request by the Augusta Planning Commission to approve a petition to
amend the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance as follows: • Section 2 – Definitions: Accessory
Building, Accessory Use, Breezeway, Building, Building Height, Building, Main/Main
Building, Lodging/Boarding House Section 3-B-1,2,3,4, & 5 - • Open Space/Recreation Area.
(Approved by Commission on December 20, 2016 – waive second reading)
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
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Mr. M. Williams: Ms. Wilson?
Ms. Wilson: Yes, the only thing that this basically is saying is that we need to have
something that’s to scale it does not have to come from an architect or anyone else. We just need
to have something that we can measure.
Mr. M. Williams: And my question was, Mr. Mayor, I had already spoke to Ms. Wilson
that’s why she can answer the question before I asked it, she knew what the question was because
we had a conversation. And I’ve got two questions first is shouldn’t there be a dollar amount as
to scale or the size. You know we said that it wasn’t very much to go and get an architect to do
the drawing for you I understand that but is that going to be for anything that comes. If Tom
Wiedmeier decides to build a closet on the outside of the carport, do we have to have that drawing
or can I mean because it ain’t significant for the cost or the amount or anything that comes, that’s
my point.
Ms. Wilson: It’s anything that basically has to end up having a building permit. If it’s a
really small shed or something that doesn’t have to meet the requirements. But you’d be amazed
at the number of issues that we have with people coming in wanting to put up a shed that they
freehand thinking that it would fit in their backyard and it doesn’t fit at all because they, you know,
they don’t have a good understanding about some of the siding stuff. So by at least having them
really look at or work with someone to look at ---
Mr. M. Williams: Well ---
Ms. Wilson: --- (inaudible) and stuff that ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- if you’re going to build a 20x20 building and you’ve got a 20x15 lot
or space I mean you just can’t do it. At one time you could freehand like you said a sketch to show
Planning and Zoning what you was doing because it wasn’t nothing that really didn’t need an
architect. But now we’re going to put this in place where if we’ve got to go get an architect which
is inexpensive like you, well I say inexpensive relatively inexpensive you said to draw something
for you or for that person to bring to the Planning and Zoning so they can see that it’ll fit. My
point is if you approve me to do something and my property is x, y and z numbers and I can’t get
it on there I mean I’m trying to figure out how do we get confused about something’s been drawn
and won’t fit on the property because we ought to know you’ve got a 50x50 area but you ain’t got
but 100 feet of doing something. And you’ve got it within certain feet from the property line and
all these other things that go with it, it don’t go, it don’t go like that. So, how do we get confused
as to not making it fit?
Ms. Wilson: Sir, it’s not us getting confused about not getting (unintelligible) ---
Mr. M. Wilson: I’m talking about the (unintelligible) property).
Ms. Wilson: --- the homeowner basically will come in and we see this a great deal. And
they’ll go and they’ll buy something and they have no idea if it’s going to fit or not. And then they
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come in and they freehand thinking that their backyard is bigger than what it is or whatever. All
that we’re saying is that they could, you know, the site plan has to be you know needs to be drawn
to scale so that what they’re submitting will be in compliance from the standpoint of size and their
yard.
Mr. M. Williams: My comment is that if a person comes in and, Mr. Mayor, he or she
can’t hand draw something and the go buy all this material that won’t fit, I might, talk to
Commissioner Dennis Williams and Commissioner Hasan know what I’m talking about but that
was my question.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you. All right thank you so much, Commissioner. I’m going to take a
moment to recognize. We have here with us we’ve got Ms. Nancy Bobbitt here with us today
representing Senator Isaacson’s office. Thank you so much, Nancy, for coming and being in the
audience today. Thank you and for the Senator’s work for the great State of Georgia. The Chair
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recognizes the Commissioner from the 5.
Mr. Jefferson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. As a former building inspector in the great
inspection department of Richmond County back in the day, I basically think that what Ms. Wilson
is asking for not necessarily an architect but a draft person or even a general contractor with an
architect ruler to basically go in and say well for every quarter inch that’s going to be a foot. And
so that way when the building inspector and the homeowner get together they’re comparing apples
with apples and there’s no mistaking about the size of the structure. And I think it’d be helpful as
far as the Tax Assessors going out there knowing exactly based on the heated square foot of what
is being assessed. I think it’s very simple. You know we’re not trying to put an added expense on
the homeowner or the general contractor but we just want something that’s measurable that we
could hold them accountable for putting into place if that’s you out, Commissioner Williams, and
help you explain more about what we’re trying to get to. That’s it, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair will entertain a motion at this time.
Mr. Hasan: Motion to approve.
Mr. Jefferson: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. Voting.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Passes 9-0.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
3. ZA-R-245–3 - A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission
to approve a petition to amend the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance as follows: • Section 2
– Definitions – Amend Accessory Building • Section 8-4 – Accessory Building, R-1 (One-
Family Residential) Zone; Section 30-2 – Building Permits and Site Plans.
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The Clerk: Item number three is a request for concurrence to approve a petition modifying
ordinance, item number two is that correct, Ms. Wilson?
Mr. Mayor: Item number three.
The Clerk: Number three, is that the modification to two or is it a different section?
Mr. Mayor: It amends Section 2.
Ms. Wilson: Yes, amend Section 2. One was just a clarification for the definition and now
this is just the amendment.
The Clerk: Thank you, Mr. Guilfoyle pulled that.
Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner ---
Mr. Guilfoyle: No Ms. Wilson just clarified it for me. I just, my question for her on all
three of these items was to make sure that the construction advisory committee that it has been
taken before them since a lot of them are the contractors, developers, builders et cetera in our
community and you know some of the changes that we have done in the past where we had reached
out via email, letter et cetera to our homebuilders either they did not get it or they were not aware
of the meeting et cetera. But with the Construction Advisory Committee that we do have it touches
so many people at one time I just wanted to make sure that they were aware of it.
Ms. Wilson: We spent a lot of time talking with several people that are either on the
Construction Advisory Committee as well as contractors in regards to these changes and the
Planning Commission spent several months going over the changes that are being put forth.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to approve.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? There
being none, voting.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Passes 9-0.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SERVICES
11. Z-16-41 – A request by the Augusta Planning Commission to approve, with the conditions
stated below, a petition by Stanley Mack, on behalf of Stanley and Shelley Mack, requesting
a Special Exception to establish a Family Personal Care Home per Section 26-1(h) of the
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta, Georgia affecting property containing .31
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acres and known as 3603 Richdale Drive. Tax Map 143-0-277-00-0 DISTRICT 6 1. The Home
shall be staffed in three (3) 8-hour shifts on a 7-day, 24-hour basis with no staff sleeping in
the home. 2. A private room shall be provided for staff to conduct business. 3. No more than
six (6) clients are permitted to reside in the home based on the number and size of the existing
bedrooms. 4. In order to continue to maintain a local business license, the applicant must
continue to maintain a license with the State of Georgia, proof of compliance with the
minimum requires of Chapter 111.8-62.01 of the O.C.G.A. must be provided, and the
applicant must provide updated fire department compliance for six (6) clients. All
requirements must be met within six (6) months of approval of this Special Exception
request, or the Special Exception is void. 5. If wheelchair bound persons reside in the
residence all 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design requirements must be met,
including but not limited to: • All doorways must be at least 3 feet wide. • At least one
bathroom that permits a wheelchair dependent person to use all bathroom facilities
unimpeded. 6. All conditions must be met prior to issuance of a local business license.
(Approved by Public Services Committee January 10, 2017)
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, as I think most of my colleagues realize
(unintelligible) this request is in Pepperidge Subdivision where I represent a significant amount
portion of it as well as my colleague Commissioner Sias also represents a significant portion of
Pepperidge as well it’s divided for those of us who doesn’t know that. This conversation as gone
on a little over a month now. We realize that the Planning and Zone has recommended that it be
approved. I think the Neighborhood Association President Mr. Covington filed this a little late in
the game. He did make it to the meeting the date of the Planning and Zoning making a
recommendation. I think it was a little late to get a lot of information on the table in terms of what
their concerns were. I think it boiled down basically to the covenant. But at the end of the day Mr.
Covington made some comments last week and I will be the first to say some of those comments
I was not pleased with. But at the end of the day I support the community wholeheartedly in terms
of their position in terms to deny this. And also, Mr. Mayor, my colleague Commissioner Sias
that I just mentioned earlier as I’ve been on the frontline of this for the last 20 years in this district
as well so I defer to him to make the comments about the legality of it and the covenant that
normally govern these things across Augusta, Richmond County.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, the Chair recognizes the Commission from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I want to say thanks for the opportunity. One of the
passions I’ve always had as a citizen, advocate and a Commissioner is that we protect our
neighborhoods I see as a bedrock. Now we’ve had some conversations behind the dais reference
to what the covenants say and in looking at that we went back and looked at the covenants of
several of our neighborhoods and one of the things that prominent in every covenant that we looked
at including the one that represents Pepperidge and it’s, you have different covenants for different
sections of development but all the ones for development as far as land use go it says residential
only. Now we said that we stressed to neighborhoods that they’re protected by the covenants and
I would be very alarmed if this Commission approved a business that is direct conflict with the
covenants then that means the covenants are enforced in civil court. Now you forced the people
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to take on the government in civil court where we can recognize what the needs and desires of the
community the neighborhoods are right here. If they don’t want these businesses in our
neighborhoods and that’s what the covenants also support then I think this government is
incumbent to support that. And clearly under land use it says residential only. Now can someone
babysit or have a person there? Absolutely as long as they don’t exceed three. Once they exceed
three then it becomes a business. You can babysit somebody’s child without it becoming a
business; you can do several things like that. So it’s my strong contingent to my colleagues on
here is to support the neighborhood. We’ve said read your covenants, use your covenants. Well
they are here. We have the covenants, we’ve seen the covenants and the covenants say residential
use only. So I ask my colleague to support the neighborhood that is a bedrock of what we do here.
We’ve got a lot of businesses in Richmond County make no mistake but we need also the folks
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here to support it. So I would say I support what my colleague from the 6 has said, we both
represent that particular neighborhood and that is a neighborhood that can that is been here for a
very long time, we’ve got folks who raised their families, paid for their homes and we don’t need
the disparity like this way. That’s my comment, Mr. Mayor, and I move that we disapprove
this.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’ve got a motion and a second to deny this petition. Any other
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discussion? All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, I was I guess in regards as far as the covenants when it comes
to neighborhood to protect the neighborhood you’ve got to have a covenant, HOA et cetera. It’s
not the government’s duty or responsibility to make sure that because the state had actually
permitted this years ago for this Personal Care Home to go in because they had three or less people
in it. It was under our radar since Melanie Wilson came in, she had put a new ordinance in place
to where Personal Care Homes have to comply and oblige by our new ordinance and actually do a
business license. I challenge this, this Personal Care Home has been in this neighborhood for
what, 12/14 years and nobody was aware of. They keep their property clean, maintenance free
and they actually live right next door to one of our police officers that protects our citizens. I know
that if talking with the Chairman or former Chairman of the Planning and Zoning everybody on
that Planning and Zoning actually looked at this and even included my appointment had approved
this. I don’t know what’s going to happen as far as litigation but I know that when it comes to the
Homeowners Association versus a Personal Care Home which they had the protection in your
covenants was not aware of that until about six minutes ago. That’s a civil matter, that’s not
Augusta Richmond County. Augusta Richmond County is trying to get a grip get a hold of all
these Personal Care Homes. If they’ve got the covenants, Homeowners Association, et cetera but
this place has been here for 12/14 years and I don’t how you would just stop it in midway. If you
don’t mind either the Attorney or Ms. Wilson could respond to that I’d be happy to go either way
but I will not put this government in jeopardy to a lawsuit.
Mr. Mayor: So, Commissioner, I’m going to pose a question to you. This is if you would
state your question.
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Mr. Guilfoyle: My question is what is the liability for Augusta Richmond County if this
request gets denied?
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. The Chair recognizes Attorney MacKenzie.
Mr. MacKenzie: Well, obviously with regard to enforcing Restrictive Covenants that
would be a private matter for the people who have that covenant on the deeds in that neighborhood.
What the Planning Department has put forth is a recommendation for approval. It’s up to the
discretion of this body whether to approve that but it needs to be based on legitimate, non-
discriminatory methods. You need to look at all the pros and cons as long as those are legitimate
then you’re within your realm to approve or deny it.
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9 for a
question.
Mr. M. Williams: I need the lawyer to explain what he just said because he said a bunch
of words but I, I mean he listen when the day’s over with I need you to give the Commissioner a
yes or no answer where we would be within our rights or not. Now I’ve got a question but that’s
his. I need an answer to his I ain’t heard that yet.
Mr. MacKenzie: The short answer is yes you are within your rights to either approve it or
deny it.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, that helps me a little bit. And my question is when I hear about
the state approving something, the state can’t give a license to run nothing in the City of Augusta.
The state itself can do something. The State Board can come in and do their own Personal Care
Rehabilitation Home themselves but the state don’t come in and then set up a business in Augusta
that we’re supposed to be setting up, that’s our job. If it is then we need to call the State
Commissioner because they’re in a different realm. But the other thing is that if it’s been going
along for a long time and nobody had any problems it probably wouldn’t have come out now but
because it did come out just because it was wrong then are we going to continue that is my question.
Sometimes, Mr. Mayor, not lately but I used to speed up and down the highway and every once in
a while I got caught but they didn’t say because I speeded yesterday. I got caught today and I had
to pay a fine or do something. So, I mean I’m not neither pro or con I said that last time I’m not
against it or for but I think we’ve got to do the right thing and I’ve been preaching that so that’
what I’m going to stand with.
Mr. Mayor: I really appreciate that, Commissioner, and I think these questions have all
been valid so here’s how we ought to do this right here. J.R., there’s been a motion and a second.
Either you support the motion or you don’t and those who are in favor will vote yea and those
opposed will vote no.
Mr. M. Williams: The motion or the substitute motion ---
Mr. Mayor: You haven’t given me a substitute motion.
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Mr. Sias: I made the motion to disapprove it.
Mr. Mayor: You did and there was a proper second for that and so you can vote on it now
which is what we’re saying.
Mr. Sias: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: You’ve heard a lot of discourse about the merits of whether we have the ability
to do it. The Attorney has answered in the affirmative that it is within your rights as a body to do
it and if there’s opposition to doing that, then you want to take a ‘pro-business approach’ and say
I’m going to go left or right and now’s your opportunity to do that. All those in favor will vote
yea and those opposed will vote no.
Mr. Frantom, Mr. Guilfoyle and Mr. G. Smith vote No.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Passes 6-0.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk, when you have a moment.
The Clerk: Sir?
Mr. Mayor: Well, I’m just, take your time, take your time. We’ll go to item number 29.
Mr. Sias: You know you skipped me a while ago but I may not get a Point of Personal
Privilege. I just want to say Bernie Madoff had a license until he got caught.
The Clerk:
FINANCE
29. Motion to approve a request $25K for MACH Academy to support the services they
provide to our community youth. (No recommendation from Finance Committee January
10, 2017)
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I think a lot of us have had an opportunity to hear or see
about what MACH Academy does for our youth. Folks way down there are growing up that we
need to ensure to grow up to be productive citizens not citizens that we’re caring for in the penal
system, not citizens that we are running behind and arresting every day. MACH Academy is
producing great kids that are being very productive to this city. They’re not doing it in a million-
dollar complex; they’re doing it in a location that’s right facing right back to back to a swamp. So
they’re producing some great, some great results in a very challenging area and I ask that we
support that. Move to approve.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, I’ve got a motion and a second. All those in favor will vote yea and
those opposed will vote no. Voting.
Ms. Davis, Mr. Frantom and Mr. Guilfoyle vote No.
Mr. M. Williams abstains.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Fails 5-3-1.
Mr. Mayor: All right Item 12.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
12. Motion to approve a one (1)-year extension of the existing fleet maintenance contract with
First Vehicle Services with the Central Services Director reporting back in six months with
information concerning the feasibility of bringing the operation back in-house. (Approved
by Administrative Services Committee January 10, 2017)
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Ms. Douse. Is that you, Commissioner,
which one of you all pulled that?
Mr. M. Williams: I pulled it.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Ms. Douse, how are you doing today?
Ms. Douse: I’m doing great, thank you.
Mr. M. Williams: That’s good, I’m glad to know greatness is going on. I asked this to be
pulled, I’m not against the one-year going out but one-year, but what bothers me a little bit is the
bringing it back in-house operation. Who’s going to do the verification of the study or the research
on that?
Mr. Douse: It’s currently being done in-house. I’m working closely with Ron Crowden
who is our Fleet Manager and we’re gathering data as well as comparing it with other cities and
we’ll be presenting that information to the Administrator and a recommendation.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, our auditors are not doing this work. Is that what we mentioned
last week that Cheery Bekaert Holland would be doing giving us a feedback on, maybe I missed
something I don’t know.
Ms. Douse: Cherry Bekaert has already given us feedback. They conducted a study and
basically did some research concerning how the Fire Department as well Environmental Services
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and how our current contract is being operated and gave us some feedback on their findings, so
that’s already been completed.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay and I’m really confused now because I thought we were going to
do a six-month study to come back. Somebody said nine-months and I said no we ought to be
doing a six-month when it comes out of the committee. But nine has already been done. I want
to know what they compare it to I want to know who they used because it’s already been done
from what you just explained. I’m thinking they’re going to be doing it but they already done done
it and I don’t know who gave them that authorization to do that. All those questions need to be
answered to me.
Ms. Douse: The information that Cherry Bekaert provided to us was not substantial for us
to make a recommendation to the Commission and to the Administrator. And we felt, I felt that I
would like to have more information before I come to you to say this would be the most feasible
route for us to take as far as our maintenance is concerned. So, a few months back maybe
September/October Cherry Bekaert spoke with like I said the Fire Department, Environmental
Services and reviewed our current contract to basically give us information that we already knew.
Mr. M. Williams: And that firm is a, what type firm is that?
Ms. Douse: They’re an accounting firm, they ---
Mr. M. Williams: Accounting firm.
Ms. Douse: --- they do audits.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, so what they’re doing is looking at prices you guess?
Ms. Douse: They were. That was the intention for them to go out and basically tell us, a
feasibility study to see would it be feasible for us to continue to contract out or services or bring
them in-house.
Mr. M. Williams: I really got some heartburn, Ms. Douse. I’m really not understanding
too much because my last my last meeting we had I thought there was going to be something they
was going to be doing it. That’s why when we got to this meeting I asked the question how would
they accounting firm except looking at what’s been turned in as far as the numbers. We know
what we pay now and what we have paid. They’re not new to this government; they’ve been doing
business for quite some time here in Augusta. If that information was relative to what they know
already they probably could give you that off their hand because you know they’ve been doing
this for quite some time. So I really take issue with what was told last time versus what was said
now that they already have done it and telling us they’re going to be the ones that do it. And I
don’t if the Administrator, I see her hand up maybe she can answer that, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’m going to recognize the Administrator.
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Ms. Jackson: Yes, we had asked some months ago we asked Cherry Bekaert to do some
preliminary analysis not so much an auditing task as it was a management analysis type of task to
look at our expenses that we’ve incurred under the current contract. What we’d like to do moving
forward is compare what we’ve done to in comparison to other municipalities that may have
similar size fleets and how they go about it. So, Cherry Bekaert’s information was gathered just
looking at our internal functions. What we’ll be doing going forward is looking externally at other
organizations to see if we can get some good comparative data that we can share with you to advise
you whether it would be a good decision to bring fleet management in-house.
Mr. M. Williams: So, Mr. Mayor, can I follow up?
Mr. Mayor: You may.
Mr. M. Williams: So they are our external auditors is that what you said?
Ms. Jackson: They’re not currently our external auditors. I think they have been in the past
but no, they’re currently not doing audit work our current external auditors are Mauldin and
Jenkins.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay are they internal because we’ve got two now we’ve got an external
and an internal so I’m trying to figure out which hat they’ve got on today.
Ms. Jackson: This was done separate and apart from any work that they currently have for
us. Right they’re an on-call internal audit firm as in if we believe that there is a problem we can
call them to do internal audit work but that is strictly on an on-call basis. This assignment was
taken on completely separate from that relationship, business relationship with the city.
Mr. M. Williams: But it was not done through this body here. I mean it was a decision that
the Administrator made I guess.
Ms. Jackson: Yes, the Administrator, yes, I did do that based upon the fact that the cost is
less than my threshold for entering into contract agreements.
Mr. M. Williams: I got something else in there but I’m going to save it.
Mr. Mayor: I understand, I do. All right, I’d like to have a motion to approve this matter.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor I ---
Mr. Mayor: I do want to remind everybody that when Ms. Douse brought this forward on
last week she noted that there was a cost savings from the previous contract that we were under
and whereby saving the city money. I also want to note that in last week’s meeting that I was able
to sit in on it was in fact recommended by this body to move forward with the 6-month review.
All of those things are noted here on your agenda item and at the appropriate Tab 12. And I think
it was in unanimity last week that we move forward and take that approach, I would like for you
to take that same posture today.
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Mr. M. Williams: (unintelligible) ---
Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- with the assumption though what you just mentioned ---
Mr. Mayor: --- no assumption.
Mr. M. Williams: --- yeah on my part with the assumption was that we were going to go
out and get a 6-month review then someone said nine. I suggested in my committee as a 6-month
and was told yeah, we’ll do a 6-month and we get that done. Now I’m hearing it’s already been
done.
Mr. Mayor: No, that’s not what you heard, Commissioner. That’s not what you heard.
What you heard is that again there’s been a consulting agreement that’s been arranged and entered
into to go out do a comparison between what we’re doing from a fleet standpoint against other
municipalities. What I might suggest is that that’s part of the 6-month work that you gave approval
to. That’s what I would think I could be wrong, I don’t know much I just try to (unintelligible) --
-
Mr. M. Williams: I agree, Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: --- you know I don’t know much.
Mr. M. Williams: --- let me get the minutes from the Clerk and I know exactly where I’m
at. I get the minutes from the Clerk because I’m getting confused like I always do. It don’t last
because you’re going to get there one day yourself so, Madam Clerk, can I get those minutes from
the last Administrative Services Committee as to what was said as to what, because I’m different
---
The Clerk: Yes, sir, I’ll provide those to you but I included that in the motion to make sure
that there was a clear understanding that Central Services was to report back to the Committee in
6-months with the information. So that’s part of this motion that’s on the floor now.
Mr. M. Williams: I’m in agreement with that ---
The Clerk: Yeah, but yes ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- all that I’m on the same page.
The Clerk: --- they were just asking that to complement apparently, what they may get
from the other (inaudible)---
Ms. Jackson: Adds to what’s already been provided by Cherry Bekaert, sir.
26
Mr. M. Williams: I didn’t know at that point and I’d like to get the minutes (unintelligible).
The Clerk: Yes, I’ll do that.
Mr. M. Williams: Please, ma’am, get that for me.
Mr. Sias: Move to approve.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Ms. Douse as well as the Administrator I know
that this has been a sticking point for quite some time now. Instead of looking at the accountant
the accountant the only thing they do is look at digits, numbers that’s all they can do is compare it
A and B and whatever C comes out it’s either a savings or a cost. That’s what an auditor would
do. Why don’t we look at putting or forming a three man or three woman ---
Mr. Jefferson: Three person.
Mr. Guilfoyle: --- three person thank you, Mr. Jefferson, committee that’s actually that’s
actually that’s in the automotive industry that actually runs a business that has no partisan to
anything to do with this government.
Ms. Jackson: Excuse me, sir, I just want to make clear for the 6-month review it was not
the intent to use Cherry Bekaert to do that ---
Mr. Guilfoyle: Okay apparently ---
Ms. Jackson: --- I just wanted to make it clear about that that they did what was done
before.
Mr. Guilfoyle: --- okay, thank you. But if we look at put a subcommittee of a three person
that’s in the automotive industry that knows the costs, repairs, et cetera. Let’s look at Columbia
County, let’s look at the Georgia State Patrol. They actually use a one of them 10-minute oil
change for preventive maintenance. We might be able to do it cheaper at our shop but through
efficiency to where we don’t have to bring a car all the way downtown and get another car et cetera
have somebody co-share a ride and get a ride back. In 10 minutes you’re in and out. That’s a
money saving to me. That’s efficiency. But you know I’m just throwing out my idea how we
could find out if it will work find out from an unbiased opinion from other owners and let’s see
where it goes. Right now we’re just based on just looking at numbers and you really can’t do that
with a fair outcome.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, we’ve got a couple of things that are before us.
Mr. Hasan: We’ve got a motion, Mr. Mayor.
27
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Mr. Mayor: I got it I got it the Commissioner from the 9 has asked for the minutes to be
distributed to Ms. Bonner. We also have a proper motion and a second to approve a one-year
extension on the existing fleet contract while also doing a review over 6-months and coming back
with that information about whether or not we can bring it in-house. Voting. The Chair recognizes
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the Commissioner from the 4 for an inquiry, state your inquiry.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I think one of the things that caused some confusion and
somebody from somewhere help me. I never, from my knowledge of the committee meeting is
was never called a 6-month review. It was said that they would come back in six months. It never
was a 6-month review. It was just that we extend this thing for a year and then within six months
these folks would come back with a recommendation as to whether we should be in-house or stay
with them. And if I’m wrong somebody from the staff please let me know, Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: Well ---
Mr. Sias: --- it was never a 6-month review.
Mr. Mayor: --- I’m going to tell you whether you’re wrong or not based on whether this
passes. Voting.
Mr. M. Williams abstains.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Passes 8-0-1.
The Clerk: Item number 15?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
15. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department’s (HCD’s) use of
the same procedure (as 2016) relative to authorization of agreements/contracts/task orders
for the Laney Walker/Bethlehem Redevelopment Project and the Hyde Park/Wilkerson
Gardens Drainage Improvement Project for program/calendar year 2017. (Approved by
Administrative Services Committee January 10, 2017.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I’d like to ask the Administrator a question
if you don’t mind.
Mr. Mayor: I don’t.
28
Mr. Hasan: Okay, Mr. Mayor. Madam Administrator, the motion you see here on the
board and some of the questions I had last week around the issues and I came in late today and I
apologize to the presentation by Mr. Welcher. In your mind were some of the questions answered
that we the concerns were about affordable housing and things of that nature, were some of those
questions answered today?
Ms. Jackson: The complete topic of the presentation today was affordable housing and
what the city’s approach has been to providing affordable housing as well as strategies in the up
come which will be implemented in the upcoming year. I mean I can certainly feel confident that
Mr. Welcher prepared a presentation that addressed those issues. Now I can’t say that it meets
with the approval of the board or not. I think that’s a question you all will have to answer for
yourselves as to whether you’re satisfied with the strategy that was presented.
Mr. Hasan: Okay this has no impact on my motion I mean with my concerns. I spoke to
Mr. Welcher afterwards and one of the things that was brought to my attention in all of the
presentations he showed us about the different programs. And just for the record I’d just like for
him to provide us with each one of the programs to show us where is the budget for each one of
the programs and how many potential families or persons that each one of these programs will
help have the potential to help moving forward because we didn’t necessarily get a budget for each
one of those programs that he had so I just wanted to put that on the record.
Ms. Jackson: And are you asking us to provide that information to the ---
Mr. Hasan: Well, I guess to all of us I would think because all of us want to know what
the budget looks like for each one of those issues I would think because that wasn’t provided. But
he did say he would so I’m just putting it on the record that we did speak about it and he did say
that we would so it was brought to my attention that we’d have a budget around each one of those
items. And, Mr. Mayor, I’d like to say for the record some of the things I did hear today they did
answer some of my concerns about affordable housing and things of that nature. I would make a
motion that we approve this today and we look forward to doing something next year as opposed
to stopping him now because he’s so far down the road around these issues. So I make a motion
to approve.
Mr. D. Williams: And I’ll second (inaudible).
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I think I pulled this item and I understand my colleagues
want to approve and at least I want to hear why the Commissioner pulled it to see what their
concern was. And my concerns is with the Citizens Advisory Group have not been put back in
place. If it is in place it’s not a working organization. We had several things, if we used the same
process you’re going to eliminate the Citizens Advisory Group who don’t have any authority but
to advise this body and to let us know what are some of the programs some of the things that have
been done. Now there is a group but they have not met in quite some time. They have not been
functioning like a group. But that’s why we’ve got a Citizens Advisory Group in place so they’ll
be able to let us know, let us see, let us get some feedback as to what they thought or didn’t think.
29
Now if we do the same process we did in 2016 we’re going omit that group so either we need to
disband that group and don’t have it or put that group back in place and let them be a viable part
of this community and help us who they’d their ears and eyes of this federal money that comes in.
We’ve got a lot of federal money that comes into this program. It’s no knock on Mr. Welcher; I
think he’s trying to do a good job but I think we’ve got to be good steward and we’ve got to know
exactly what’s there and what’s not there because when these funds get all tied in together and
there ain’t nobody up here including you, Mr. Mayor, can tell me what all those acronyms stand
for and all the money we get. So, at that point somebody needs to understand at least on another
level where the Citizens Advisory Group can know we are getting the best we can for these
communities. Now my last point is that Mr. Welcher brought out in his presentation about
affordable property it’s what you can afford. It’s not what, you can’t build a house for a certain,
a certain size and a certain amount because it depends on what because if somebody makes less
than that that you put together they still can’t afford that. So that brings a lot of issues, that’s a lot
of money we spent last year a lot of time went in last year and he said I think at 27/28 properties
that they did with all of the millions of dollars that came to the community I’m embarrassed about
it. So, I want to make sure these last four years somebody needs to know.
Mr. Mayor: I couldn’t agree with you more. My caution and I’m going to recognize the
Administrator is that last week there were two items that were essentially companion items, this
item and what was before from a committee standpoint item number four, items four and five that
were “coupled together” and were the term was used Susan “pumping the brakes” and refer back
to committee for a period of three weeks I believe to talk about it. This one somehow some way
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to the Commissioner from the 6 made its way forward. I’m not quite sure how or why it made its
way forward but it was supposed to have been included in that process for us to look at it at the
same time. And so I’m going to stop there and I’m going to recognize the Administrator but that
was in fact our posture on last week to have them both dealt with at the same time three weeks
from last week. Madam Administrator.
Ms. Jackson: Yes, regarding the Citizens Advisory Board that board had been disbanded
but it has been reinstituted over the last year and a half. I think you all made appointments to the
board and they’ve been meeting on a quarterly basis over the last year and a half.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, I can speak to that, okay all right, so the Commissioner from the 9 has
stepped away. All right again those are my comments. You’ve heard from the Commissioner from
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the 9 and heard from the Commissioner from the 6th and you’re about to take action on a matter
that we said last week it should’ve been pushed back to be in consistence. All right should I say
consistent with item number four.
The Clerk: Yes, sir, item four was referred back to committee and this one was approved
after you discussed it and discussed it.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion and a second. Voting.
Mr. M. Williams and Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Passes 8-0.
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The Clerk: Item number 27 sir?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SERVICES
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27. Update from Recreation and Parks Director about Riverwalk cleanup from 8 to 10
Streets. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
Mr. Mayor: All right thank you, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Do you want them to do companion no on 27 and 28 or are you going to do
them individually?
Mr. Mayor: We’ll do them separately.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Recreation and Parks Director, Mr. Parker.
Mr. Parker: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Since the last time we updated you we have continued
to place emphasis on the Riverwalk. Since the not going over the entire list but since the last time
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you will have noticed flowers being planted along the levee. At the 8 Street pine straw has been
added in that area, that’ll become a turf area probably in the spring. There’s been a removal of a
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number of poor quality shrubs between 9 and 10. We’ve limbed up a number of Crepe Myrtles
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near the 8 Street area to again increase visibility. Last week started the pressure washing. We’re
continuing that this week tagging along with the good weather that we’re having right now. If the
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weather holds up the small stage at the 8 Street bulkhead will be stained this week. We are adding
two benches near the playground. Those should be ordered and in by around March 1 and then by
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April we look to complete the seating area around the 8 Street and we’re adding near the
amphitheater on each side of the amphitheater there’s two little patches of dirt that really need to
be something placed in those. We’re placing variegated liriope in those; it’s something tough; it’ll
provide a little color so we’re continuing. Now that we’re in the spring we’re into a new budget
year we’re continuing to do some things along the Riverwalk. So that’s just a quick update of
where we are. I hope you like the process that’s going on down there right now. The visibility has
greatly enhanced itself if you walk along the top of the levee now you can easily see the water
which you could not do that in the past.
Mr. Mayor: That is absolutely correct. All right, Mr. Parker, thank you so very much. All
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right the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 7.
Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Parker, the stage when we walked there we
talked about getting rid of the trees closest to the stage. They were there a couple of months ago
and because it’s winter they had not filled in. Have we removed those two tree, they’re like both
on both sides of the stage about twelve, fourteen-feet tall.
31
Mr. Parker: The small stage?
Mr. Frantom: Yes.
Mr. Parker: I’ll have to follow up. I know we looked at that, I think we limbed those but
let me make sure.
Mr. Frantom: I mean when we have a big crowd once the weather gets better you’re not
going to be able to see those people on the stage with those filling in because that was one of the
things we talked about on the walk. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Can somebody help me and tell me when we
started this venture at Riverwalk how long has it been now?
Mr. Parker: I think that the inspection if I may was done in June. I think we as staff
received the list in September, September/October so there was a period of time there where we
had gotten a list from the Administrator but then we got the official list a little bit after that and
we’ve been working on that list ever since.
Mr. M. Williams: I’m a little bit disappointed. I’ve been down there twice. I went down
there with the walk through, talked about cutting some stuff back. Even the stairs going up from
the bulkhead there the tree is so large that anybody could be hiding behind something like that.
Are the inmate crews, the inmate crews are the only people I’ve seen down there doing some work.
Now I don’t know who else has been down but we’ve been trying to get this done for quite some
time, and I’m really upset because you know we talked about pressure washing, we talked about
all the things done, the Mayor’s talking about the painting on there we have not done those things
that we should’ve done a long time ago. You’re talking about June when it was initiated and we
talked about on this dais and we had another inspection to go back down there and I went down
and I seen some work had been for sure but nothing to the magnitude that it should’ve been done.
There’s old dead, and I hadn’t been lately so I’m just going on when I was there. There was some
stumps and stuff laying up that hadn’t been cut up just laying out there. We talked about some
tree limbs that we down there. We talked about being able to see the river and you mentioned you
can see the river now. When I leave here today if the sun’s still shining I’m going back down there
today because I want to be able to walk along and see. But the bulkhead we talked about the stage.
We came back and reported all the vegetation out there where people can’t get there, those Crepe
Myrtles had grown up only because the winter was here and there were no leaves on them and we
asked that to be taken down in the beginning and now you got to go back and check to see if they’re
down so we’ll look at it together today I guess. But it don’t make sense why we’ve got all of this
equipment, all this manpower with inmate labor and everything else that we hadn’t done those
things.
Mr. Parker: Let me address the stumps. We have removed six of the stumps that staff
could do internally. We have a contract, we can’t reach them all with our equipment because
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they’re on the slope. We do have a contract with a company in the range of $20,000 dollars that’s
taking out some trees and removing the balance of the stump.
ththth
Mr. M. Williams: Well this is from 8 Street to what, 8 to 10 Street is what we’re talking
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about we’re not talking about the whole thing this is from 8 to 10 Street. And if it’s in June of
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last year 2016 to now January almost the mid, well it is mid-January the 20 is Friday that we had
not got a contract somebody to get that stuff then? I mean I don’t understand if the money wasn’t
there I think you would’ve come to this body and said look we don’t have the funds to do it or talk
to Ms. Jackson we don’t have the funds to do it so I’m not hearing it’s a money problem. I need
to know what the problem is. Is it that we can’t find a contract, we didn’t go through the bid
process something had to hold us up and I’m really disappointed that we had not cleaned off the
Riverwalk. We talked about cutting all of the shrubbery so that no one would be able to be sitting
and not be seen, we don’t want nobody to be surprised like that incident that happened that one
time. It ought to be cleaned off and we said that up here but people doing what they want to do
not what this Commission said to do, not me but this body I just happened to be on this body. But
when this body gives direction somebody ought to do something and I’m embarrassed to say from
June of last year to January of this year it still hadn’t been done.
Mr. Mayor: Let me speak to that. I appreciate that, Commissioner Williams. I think that
there were several trips taken in June then subsequent to that there was a series of meetings and
actions. I think what I’ve just heard from Mr. Parker that there’s been some notable work that’s
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been done particularly with regards to 8 to 10 Streets which is the last action that this body gave
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and to accelerate those efforts around 8 and 10 Street. I think what would be helpful, Mr. Parker,
moving forward is what you’ve communicated to us if you’d put that in writing some visuals would
be really nice. I hear the Commissioner saying let’s take a jaunt over today and just take a look at
it but maybe a timeline moving forward of the remaining items of interest that need to be done and
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if you can put in the words from the Commissioner from the 4 suspense dates attached to those
so that we can all have some sense of comfort that we can communicate to our constituents at. Not
only are we talking about it but there’s actual work being done and I want to applaud you and your
folks for doing what you can. I want to caution this body that we often times talk in terms of “a
labor force” whether that be internal or external. There are just some things that government can’t
do. There are some things that government should do because we don’t have the expertise
notwithstanding the fact we don’t have the equipment to do it and so let’s be mindful of that as we
do move forward with some of these projects.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor?
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, on that note I wholeheartedly agree in terms of having the
equipment and the manpower to do some of that specialized work as I would describe it. Mr.
Parker, what is in terms of before you procure something what is your threshold that you can do
something just award it before you have to procure it out?
Mr. Parker: I think anything over $1,000 dollars I believe it is we have to bid that project.
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Mr. Hasan: Okay.
Mr. M. Williams: Is that right?
Mr. Mayor: All right, Mr. Parker, can you repeat what you just said?
Mr. Parker: I think it’s $1,000. I need to make sure.
Ms. Jackson: The threshold’s a little higher than that; it’s five or ten.
Mr. Hasan: And the reason I asked is because I heard you mention it and I apologize to
you in advance if I’m wrong about this. I heard you mention that you had someone on I guess on
call or something in the neighborhood of $20,000 dollars to get some of those stumps out. And I
know per our conversation, I don’t quite remember us doing it so that’s why I asked you the
question so maybe I missed that. And I apologize to you in advance if I did.
Mr. Parker: This is one of the on-call companies that we have a contract with through
Engineering. We’re able to use those companies also so that’s who we’re using to do this project.
Mr. Hasan: Interesting, okay thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right that’s fantastic. Mr. Parker, if you can do those things that would be
great.
Mr. M. Williams: Is there a timeline with that, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Uh-hum yeah, I mean from a timeline standpoint of communicating that in
writing if he could have that back to us Ms. Bonner by next Friday.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right item number 28.
The Clerk:
FINANCE
28. Motion to approve one time funding for repair and paint of rail fencing along Riverwalk.
(Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes Ms. Douse.
Ms. Douse: Since the time we last met we have two estimates on painting the handrail.
They vary drastically one being $89,000 dollars and the other being $176,000 dollars. Because
both of these bids are over $10,000 dollars it will require us to excuse me, because both of these
estimates are over $10,000 dollars it will require us to bid this out through Procurement. We are
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working on and finalizing those specs and this item should be ready for bid by the end of the
month.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right so does that work include the sandblasting that’s necessary and
then the, okay.
Ms. Douse: Our specs will be specific and it includes almost 6,000 linear square feet of
railing as well as the light poles and the trash cans so all of the will be uniform.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right so we’re working on and RFP now ---
Ms. Douse: Yes sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- that will include all of that, outstanding. All right the Chair recognizes the
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Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. That’s really extremely high in my personal
opinion. The rails will never look like they looked when they put them up. I don’t care how much
sandblasting we do, I don’t care how much paint we put on them because it’s going to be different.
Now most city’s have a history and that ought to be something about history we ought to try to
paint those areas but you’re going to have paint that builds up on top of paint. If we had somebody
to continually maintain them whether it be inmate labor or, we used to have a painter, Ms. Bonner.
I don’t know where he’s at but we had a painter around here that had paint all over him and wasn’t
much on the building but we used to have a painter. The city had a painter but to spend that kind
of money we’re talking about painting those rails and sandblasting with the equipment with the
debris that comes off going into the water we’re going to create another problem here. What I
suggest that we build some history and let this community know along with our visitors that we
ain’t just put the Riverwalk up yesterday. It’s been here for a long time and that’s age that changes.
When I started out I didn’t have this gray hair, Ms. Douse, but it’s what I got on my head now that
comes from being around awhile. So that Riverwalk should not be in my opinion, Mr. Mayor,
sandblasted with that kind of a cost with the debris and other stuff going into the water because
there ain’t no way you can catch it no way you can stop it once you pressurize it on the water all
that’s going into the river. So my point would be that we ought to, those rough areas that we can’t
sand or can’t get to we ought to put some paint on those rough places and just keep the Riverwalk
there so we’ll have some history. A lot of places on that Riverwalk people have marked their
names and birthdates and address and loved ones name and I love you and all that stuff on the river
and they’ll probably come back 40 years from now, Ms. Bonner, don’t laugh, to look at that. Now
I’m not suggesting that people do that but I’m sure there’s some marks on the thing that if we
sandblast it we’re still going to have that kind of stuff engraved in there. So we ought to make
sure we can buy the paint. We’ve got some community service workers, nonprofits been looking
for things for folks to do trying to train painters. We can put somebody down there to paint some
of that stuff and save the city a lot of money. I think that’s quite expensive just in my opinion, Mr.
Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: You know what? That’s fantastic. I’m going to ask you a question. If you
were working on a 69 Chevelle ---
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Mr. M. Williams: Sixty-six.
Mr. Mayor: --- sixty-six yeah that’s good too I like that and you had rust in the fender in
the body and you wanted to fix that you wouldn’t just put Bondo on it and just sand it down and
then just paint over it would you.
Mr. M. Williams: No, sir, Mr. Mayor, let me tell you why. Because that would be a classic
automobile I’m working on and if I was to take it to that level it would be very, very valuable when
I finish with it. So I would take a 66 Chevelle and then I would treat the rust and then I would
sand it down and I would get a professional painter to paint it because that’s a 66 Chevelle. Now
if you’re going to compare a 66 Chevelle with the metal on the river downtown and the water they
have to deal with it’s totally different, Mr. Mayor, you could’ve come up with a better analogy
than that now.
Mr. Mayor: You didn’t let me finish. The Preacher just he just talked about you know the
welfare of the city and the welfare of the city is important to us. All right, the Chair recognizes
Administrator Jackson.
Ms. Jackson: I just want to make sure yeah, we do have one staff painter available so we
believe this would beyond the extent of what he could handle internally and that’s the reason we’ll
be bidding this out.
Mr. M. Williams: I’ve seen him, I mean ---
The Clerk: That one you know retired.
Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Mayor Pro Tem.
Ms. Davis: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Can I, I was just going to ask Ms. Douse as far as the
funding source for this project.
Ms. Douse: SPLOST, SPLOST VII funds we have funding for upgrades to existing
facilities.
Ms. Davis: Okay, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the, all right the Chair recognizes the Commissioner
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from the 10 ---
Mr. M. Williams: (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: --- all right I know, I know hold on, hold on. The Chair recognizes the
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distinguished Commissioner from the 7 who hasn’t had much conversation.
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Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. SPLOST VII that sounds like maintenance but I
guess you all know what you’re talking about on putting that. What about making it, I agree with
Commissioner Marion Williams on the fact that we should be able to find the labor to get this done
but I would challenge maybe we make it some kind of community effort where the community
comes together to help us. I mean we provide the paint, they help us I mean we have the most
nonprofits per capita in this region and they’re always looking for ways to give back maybe we
look at trying to do some kind of community day where we don’t have to put it all on the taxpayers.
And I’ll help lead the charge because I love giving back.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so I’m going to go down and I’m going to recognize the
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Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, since you brought up restoring old
cars I’d just like to inform you on one thing. Let’s go ahead, Ms. Douse, look at, on your procure
side look up POR-11 and POR-15 is a paint that we use on our frames which it has a built in rust
inhibitor which would actually save time, get the longevity of the paint and the durability for years
to come versus using Rustoleum which ain’t gonna last but three to five years because I did my
wrought iron gates out there in front of my house so POR-11 or 15 would be my suggestion.
Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner the Mayor Pro Tem.
Ms. Davis: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I appreciate the comments as far as trying to get
volunteers and different people to help but I guess I don’t have enough confidence that it would
be done correctly if we did that. And I don’t even know as far as liability and stuff like that with
the city but are you asking right now to approve the lower bid or what are you asking for today?
Mr. Mayor: I don’t think she’s asking to approve either bid. What she’s asking for is that
and again the reason that it was written that way was for us to have this conversation so we’d get
to the point that an RFP has been put out so that we could in fact get the best and the highest value
and then you decide on that, that was the intent. And I think that’s what Ms. Douse has indicated
to us.
Ms. Davis: Okay so ---
Mr. Mayor: All right, I think we want to make sure that we have an appropriate motion
and that is to move forward with getting an RFP done and then coming back to us that’s what
we want that motion to read.
Ms. Davis: That’s my motion.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’m going to count on my Madam Clerk to tell us what we just said.
37
The Clerk: The motion was to task the Central Services, well, the Administrator and
Central Services Director to proceed with obtaining bids for the repair and paint of railings
along Riverwalk and report back to the Commission.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk: You didn’t give a date specific, I don’t know if the bid will be back in 30 days.
Ms. Douse: It will not be back within that timeframe, sir.
The Clerk: Then you want 60, 90?
Mr. Mayor: We’d like to have this done before Masters.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: I mean that and or the bids and the work done before Masters.
Ms. Davis: Ms. Jackson is grimacing.
Mr. Mayor: We’ve got tourists coming into this town now, we’re going to break ground
on this new Cyber Innovation and Training Center. We were there yesterday for the MLK
celebrations. I had folks running, I’ve got folks biking, I’ve got strollers with babies in them and
you know we get this done it’d be fantastic, yeah it’d be fantastic. All right so.
Ms. Douse: Sir, I am concerned that the work will not be able to be completed by Masters
Week.
Mr. Mayor: All of it may not but some of it could be.
Ms. Jackson: I can suggest that we bid that two ways. One is that a normal timeframe,
one with that accelerated timeframe and just compare the numbers, we’ll see if there’s going to be
a higher price to get it done more quickly.
Mr. Mayor: I think that would be fantastic.
Mr. Hasan: Motion to approve we got one already.
Mr. Mayor: All right, very good, all right.
Mr. M. Williams: Point of Order, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, sir. My question would be if the painter’s expense went up
but you’re talking about sandblasting. Now are we giving consideration to what it takes to
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sandblast on the river on the rails which is going to be going into the water. You can’t get on the
other side on a boat to sandblast back this way so we got to sandblast into the river. So ya’ll ---
Mr. Mayor: Madam Administrator.
Ms. Jackson: Yes, that’s part of the trick for the painting contractors. They’re going to
have to figure out how to contain that material. They’re going to have to line it with plastic or do
whatever to make sure they contain all that material and that is one of the things also that drives
the cost up.
Mr. Mayor: Well, Madam Clerk, I don’t know much but you know I had a little bit of work
going on at my house over the last several months and they put up this little containing wall. It
wasn’t but a piece of plastic with tape on it kept all the dust from coming in the other room. And
they have something called a canopy that they can just hang over to catch all the flakes and the
paint and everything.
The Clerk: They can bid alternatives so you can, it’s like a Chinese menu you just pick
and choose what you want.
Mr. Guilfoyle: They call that a buffet.
The Clerk: (unintelligible) some alternates.
Mr. Mayor: If you can’t laugh, you’re not living. Thank you so much, Ms. Douse, for
what you shared with us. We’ve got a motion from the Mayor Pro Tem and second from the
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Commissioner from the 6 for a course of action with appropriate recommendations about getting
bids and then the corresponding work. All those in favor will vote yea and all those opposed will
vote no.
Mr. M. William abstains.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion carries 8-0-1.
The Clerk:
FINANCE
30. Update from Finance on status of Risk Recover efforts from April 13, 2016 meeting.
(Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, we’re going to refer this back to the committee and we’ll have
a conversation then.
Mr. Sias: So moved.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
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Mr. Mayor: All right item number, all right so refer it to committee. We’ve got a motion
and a second to refer back to committee. Voting.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Passes 9-0.
The Clerk:
ENGINEERING SERVICES
31. Update from staff regarding the James Brown Enhancement Project. (Requested by
Commissioner Marion Williams)
Mr. Parker: Yes, sir, just a quick update at this point. Our plan would be we’ve talked to
some folks about what we want to do. Our plan would be to include this in the overall budget for
the Common that will come back to the Commission as part of the CIP Project that will be
presented to you in a few weeks. Commissioners Williams, Frantom, Mr. Rhinehart and I have a
meeting coming up with Kruhu who’s a company down on Broad Street. They’re a design creative
type firm so we’re hoping from those guys to give us some ideas what we can do with the statue.
And then at that point we would need to also select probably through an RFQ process select
someone to help us with the removal, safe removal and then the replacement of the statue. Some
of you are looking at me a little cross-eyed I think you may not be aware we are looking at the
potential of moving the statue from Broad Street into the Common.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, sir, the same question. Can somebody tell me how long
we’ve been attempting to do something with this James Brown Enhancement? I just want to know
the date I want to know how long and it ain’t got to be exact just give me a ballpark within the last
two, four years now can somebody tell me something? Abie, I see you getting up so maybe he’s
got an answer, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: I don’t have one.
Mr. M. Williams: Well, I mean it’s really ---
Mr. Mayor: All right, what’s your question Commissioner.
Mr. M. Williams: --- how long, my question is how long have we been trying to do the
James Brown Enhancement? When did we begin this journey?
Mr. Ladson: It’s probably been well over a year. I know since I at least want to say March
of last year we actually started doing some work out there so I know the planning process is
actually it’s probably been longer than that.
Mr. M. Williams: Oh yeah, it’s been much longer than that, Abie. I’m on my second term;
I’m on my second four years now and I came in with this in the first four years but my point is we
40
have not gotten any closer. We did take the vegetation out of the way, we did make the statue
visible where people can see it, we did have to argue with the tree hugger, we got the tree down
but now I’m wanting to know where are we. You know and we met with the architect, not the
architect the design, what’s the name?
Mr. Ladson: Cooper Carry.
Mr. M. Williams: We met with them twice I know we had a least two meetings with the
architect but we still hadn’t got anything done. We’re still waiting. We’re hurrying up and waiting.
So, can somebody tell me what we’re waiting on now to get something in there. Mr. Mayor, the
space is small; we understand that. The (unintelligible) talked about they didn’t have much input
because the way it was situated. I know we need to do something else. But I thought by pursuing
this that would create some more interest for folks to say hey, look what we done with this piece,
let’s do something else. We are missing a lot of money that we could have in this city because
we’re not good stewards enough to say hey this man can enhance and bring a lot of visitors to
Augusta. Anybody else would have been glad to have a name like James Brown in their
community in order to do that so my question is, Abie, where are we now, what are we waiting
on?
Mr. Ladson: We got everything done as far as what we’ve been working on with the money
that we actually had. I think some things have changed as far as with moving the statue and those
type things but we got a fee and the only things that’s I mean for us would actually be funding this
to do if we’re going with that original plan. From my understanding right now the plan is actually
changed to moving the statue so if that’s the case then the whole thing changes.
Mr. M. Williams: I heard through the grapevine and I’m going to use that word that the
statue’s been planned somebody talked about moving the statue. I don’t know where it came from
or whose idea was it. I’m not against it but we hadn’t had any physical conversation in no
committee about moving the statue. It had been mentioned several times but we had not come
together and decide that so I’m wondering who’s driving the train or is it just loose because if
somebody ought to be driving it we’ve got an Economic Subcommittee that we put together and
we had several meetings. Ms. Davis, you were there at some of those meetings. Mr. Frantom,
you’ve been there and now we done turned all the way to the left, and I know I’ve got my right
hand up I got my other left but we done turned all the way around going in another direction and
we haven’t got anything accomplished. This don’t make good sense, Mr. Mayor. This does not
make good sense when we’ve got employees that we pay to get things done. Now if you needed
the money, if you needed the whatever you needed, it should’ve been brought back to this body
and let us say well hold it, let’s stop right there.
Mr. Ladson: We did bring it back to this body.
Mr. M. Williams: And this body said what?
Mr. Ladson: This body I think ya’ll took it as information if I’m not mistaken but it was a
hundred and some odd thousand dollars that we actually brought to this body and I presented it
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and I say hey, we can’t move any further until we can get these funds. And I think this body took
it as information.
Mr. M. Williams: Well, if I can continue because you see I’m a little bit disappointed and
I guess a little bit confused too because my last understanding was after talking with Cooper Carry
they had come up with some stuff, I came back to you, Mr. Ladson, and said they can’t give me
or give this body what they want us to have they got to give us what we asked for because we’re
paying them. We talked about some interaction things, Mr. Mayor. We talked about activities
create activities. We met, instructed Abie Ladson to get with them to let them know that we wanted
something that’s going to be interactive. Now I’m hearing that it was brought to the Commission
or this body and we said hold it put the brakes on because we ain’t got the money.
Mr. Ladson: No, I don’t think you said put the brakes on it –--
Mr. M. Williams: But the brakes on, who put the brakes on?
Mr. Ladson: --- well I think the brakes actually came where it is there’s some kind of
change in scope there where we’re moving the statue and that type stuff now. How that came
about I don’t know.
Mr. Mayor: Hold on just a minute, there’s still business before the people that we need to
get done. I know folks are packing up but we can’t go anywhere yet we’ve got a little bit more
business to take care of. Madam Administrator, I want you to speak to this, I’m sorry?
Mr. Sias: Watching my bag?
Mr. Mayor: I am watching your bag. I’m watching everybody don’t leave with the people’s
business in your bag, we’re going to take care of it today. I’m going to recognize the Administrator
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then the Commissioner from the 7 because I’ve heard, I’m hearing conflicting things here that
these have been ongoing conversations and there’s a lot of stuff that’s happening now. Madam
Administrator.
Ms. Jackson: Yes, sir, thank you. There is a lack of cohesion to this conversation and I
want to try and bring some to it. We’ve got at least three or four different processes going on here.
We’ve got the Cooper Carry study which is being paid for through TIA. And I think everybody
recognizes that best case scenario those things don’t implemented until about 2020. So, we’re
several years away from any other Cooper Carry items being fully funded and implemented. The
second thing we’ve got going on is you know we’ve talked about enhancing the Common, perhaps
expanding the Common. We’ve got conversations going on around that that are still very much in
the planning stages and have not been presented to the board yet because they’re not ready at this
point to be presented. And then we had the work of the Economic Development Subcommittee of
this group that focused on the James Brown Plaza and various other things. What I would like to
do if you all would permit me is to put all of those ideas and things together in a comprehensive
plan that I can bring back to you relatively shortly. I don’t think it takes a whole lot of time
unfortunately this being placed on the agenda today we did not have the time or opportunity to put
it all together in a comprehensive format in a way that I would’ve liked to. And I’m sorry about
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that but if you all could allow us a couple of weeks I think I can come back in a couple of weeks
giving you a comprehensive look at everything that we think needs to be done to bring those things
together, and we can provide you with some timelines that are realistic based upon the funding
that’s available and the various plans that are in place.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I think that’s certainly reasonable. I do. I think that’s reasonable to
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bring that and couple it all together. All right, I’m going to go to the Commissioner from the 7
first.
Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So, Commissioner Williams, you talked about the
train stopping. Well the train stopped because of us not because of anything the department heads
did. They’ve all done what we’ve told them to do. We spent the $45,000 that was allocated. We
needed another $102 to finish what was left and that was the end of the discussion. Now when
Cooper Carry had their plan they talked about moving the statue. Many people that I’ve talked to
have been saying why is the statue in the middle of the road, it’s not handicapped accessible, the
buildings behind it. So, then I guess two months ago I reached out to you saying, you know, let’s
start this discussion with different department heads on what do we do with the statue. So, to sit
here and say that the department heads are stopping the train it’s, that’s just not true. They’re
doing a great job for us and I just want to make sure everybody understands that and I look forward
to future discussions led by Janice. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I have some questions around what
Madam Administrator just mentioned. With the Cooper Carry she mentioned about 2020 I don’t
know exactly what you’re going to present. I’m just asking around in terms of what you just said.
I know Commissioner Williams one of the things he proposed if the Commission would allow me
for just a minute and indulge in myself and what I think that he was proposing the kind of boxes
that light up and all those kinds of things. And we realized about $81 million dollars is going to
be spent over there between now and 2020 as you mentioned. So my question becomes with that
in mind short of moving the statue as we are just now hearing in a very real way moving it over to
the Common around that anything that you do would it not be temporary for a couple of years at
best because number one we have not made a decision about what we want. The couple of plans
that’s out there about what Broad Street is going to look like in a couple of years based on the
Cooper Carry plans out there. So what would you be able to bring us, not ideally but what would
you bring us around because there’s so many moving parts going on that we could actually sink
out teeth into. What are your thoughts on that?
Ms. Jackson: You’ve highlighted the primary challenge here is that there’s several
different things happening from different funding sources at different times. At best, what I’d like
to do is be able to at least lay it out for you in terms of stages, you know, what can happen with
what funding source first and what’s going to have to wait later and how do we integrate all those
things together so that they don’t conflict with each other. That’s what I hope to give you.
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Mr. Hasan: So that’s the mode you want to give us because I was thinking, my take away
that you’re going to have a suggestion for us then you’re going to give us a broader picture what
we’re up against let us ---
Ms. Jackson: Yeah, I just want to put this whole thing ---
Mr. Hasan: Okay good.
Ms. Jackson: --- in context.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, you’re right okay (unintelligible). Okay, thank you, ma’am.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, so you know there are moving parts and I think we need to move
optimistically forward. Director Ladson, can you approach? So I think it’s important for this body
to understand too that those projects along those five, six streets those are Band 3 Projects?
Mr. Ladson: There’s a combination of Band 2 and 3.
Mr. Mayor: All right, but again they’re futuristic projects.
Mr. Ladson: That’s correct.
Mr. Mayor: And as I understand it not withstanding that the futuristic projects Cooper
Carry has not gotten all of the public recommendations and then couple that with any other projects
that may or may not happen and brought that back and presented to this body, which is going to
happen as well. And so to that end that won’t happen at least for the next five months perhaps
maybe a little earlier ---
Ms. Jackson: Maybe a little earlier.
Mr. Mayor: --- maybe a little earlier but so you’ve got all of those things that are going to
happen down the road in terms of at least having something that you can look at and ultimately be
able to vote on and say this is what we futuristically see happening and the monies are going to be
allocated through T-SPLOST. Okay so I think the recommendation that I’ve heard is an
appropriate one with regards to you know coming back. All right, the Chair recognizes the
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Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, let me slow down just for a minute. I understand everything
that’s been said. I agree with Commissioner Frantom. We just got through approving some money
to paint the rails a hundred and some thousand dollars to paint the rails. We’re talking about
enhancing a man known all over the world to draw other people here and this body has chosen not
to go any further. We’ve been paying Cooper Carry from the time we started with the
enhancement. Now the DDA is doing something with Cooper Carry and I don’t who else is
probably contracted with them. But if the train stopped and we stopped it somebody should’ve
said something hey, we’re not going any further. Now Mr. Frantom asked one point how much is
it going to cost. My reply was how much money do we want to make because the more money
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we put into this venture the more people we’re going to draw to Augusta. But for whatever reason
we can’t see that and we keep waiting on time. We done had several meetings; we did talk about
moving the statue is a possibility. I said I’m anything I understand where it is now. But I’m trying
to get something started that will light a fire under this city to know that we have got a diamond in
the rough. If we use that right it’s going to draw people from everywhere and we say we need
money. When people come in they don’t come in and just look around. They come in and spend
money. They shop, they buy gas, they buy food, they do everything. That’s what other cities do.
But all of this time for the last four years, Abie, it’s just January now but for the last four years
we’ve been talking about this. We had several meetings, everybody had their input. I’ve been
talking about doing some interaction stuff because we’ve been told that activity creates activity.
When people come to your city and do something when they go home, they talk about it. If they
come and just look and read something they forget about it. So, we have stopped this train as a
group but we’re going to okay to spend $130,000 dollars to put paint on the river down there
where, it just don’t add up. This ain’t for me but for the City of Augusta. This is something I
know and everybody else outside of Augusta knows that it would enhance the revenue that we
have not just in that little spot that’s all we’ve got to work with, Sean. Until we move it until we
expand the Common but at least take what we got and do something with it. Don’t wait where we
ain’t got no room we would never have any room so I’ve been pushing to do something there.
Even when we took down the trees, Mr. Ladson, even when we took down the vegetation if you
got up there right now there’s going to somebody wanting to take a picture where the statue won’t
move at all. There ought to be several statues on the Common with James Brown. Why? Because
he’s an icon, he’s somebody who people will come to see and we need to do that. We need to do
something but we keep waiting on time and that’s not getting us anywhere. So, the train did stop,
Sean, and it may have stopped because of money but if we find the money to put paint on the rails
or at least go out and get a bid on it but we’re talking about somebody who can attract people to
Augusta to bring money for us. It don’t add up to me, Mr. Mayor, but that’s just me.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner. I think what I heard is that they’re still working on
your project and that ---
Mr. M. Williams: (inaudible) give them money though won’t do no work so (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: --- you’re going to see something happen with that, that’s what I heard. All
right, the Chair will entertain a motion.
Mr. Hasan: Receive this as information.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, voting.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Passes 9-0.
Mr. Mayor: All right, one more item before us. Mr. Parker, if you’ll approach. Madam
Clerk.
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The Clerk:
ENGINEERING SERVICES
32. Motion to approve removal of mulch and replace with sod at James Brown Plaza by
February 14, 2017. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, this is an item that again that there has been some discussion
about last year. It’s again consistent with some of the conversations around James Brown Plaza
what we’ve heard. And it was part of the original work that Commissioner Williams had requested
over there and we’ve got funding for it et cetera. I’m going to let Mr. Parker speak to this matter.
Mr. Parker: Thank you, sir. Our plan would be at this point to come in in just the next
week or so remove the mulch that’s there. There are some existing stumps and some roots from
the original trees that were there that need to be ground down. We would grind those down put
the appropriate heads on the sprinklers to accommodate turf as opposed to trees or flowers and
those kinds of things. And then we have a PO with Piedmont Landscaping currently that can come
in and do the work, they originally did some of the work. They would come in do a fine grade and
then lay sod. Our goal would be to get sod that’s currently over-seeded if Piedmont can still find
that it would just look a little bit better when we put it down. We feel very comfortable doing that
in the next 30/40 days working with that company. You know whether we move things or not
we’re not going to do it by this Masters so it would very much enhance what we have there I think.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, it absolutely would need something that the business owners and the
citizens who live in and around downtown have been calling for for some time and it would look
a whole lot better. All right, the Chair recognizes the Mayor Pro Tem.
Ms. Davis: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Parker, where is the funding source for this
project? Do you have this in your budget?
Mr. Parker: I need to ask Mr. Ladson this is a P.O. he had open ---
Mr. Sias: He went out the door.
Mr. Parker: --- I think he may have just left.
Ms. Davis: Ms. Jackson, do you know by any chance?
Mr. Rhinehart: It’s whatever the $45,000 was that you appropriated last year for that initial
landscaping work. That’s what Engineering encumbered. I can’t remember off the top of my head
if it was General Fund capital or it was an additional appropriation but it’s the authorization you
made last year.
Ms. Davis: Okay, Mr. Mayor ---
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Mr. Mayor: It’s an existing P.O. Mr. Ladson’s coming back but that P.O. still has $16,000
which is more than enough money to cover this amount. Mr. Ladson, if you’ll approach. Mr.
Ladson, the question’s that’s before us and you now the Chair recognizes the Mayor Pro Tem.
Ms. Davis: Mr. Ladson, we were talking about sodding the James Brown Plaza and we
were just talking about the funding source. And Mr. Parker thought it was something you had
already started from a P.O. from the funds we were using to enhance the James Brown Plaza.
Mr. Ladson: I think it was, and I have to double check. I think it was from the, I think it
was from putting the mulch and removing the trees those types things, I can double check.
Ms. Davis: I was just making sure it was something we have in our budget.
Mr. Ladson: That’s the funds that, I mean that’s left over.
Ms. Davis: And already approved.
Mr. Ladson: I don’t think any more being incurred but I’ll double check.
Ms. Davis: Okay, thank you, Mr. Mayor.
th
Mr. Mayor: Absolutely. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 7.
Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Does the funding include the, I notice there’s a lot
of John Deere little flags all over the place right now currently sticking up. I was there on Saturday.
Does that include fixing all that to where it’s clean and the heads and everything’s fixed?
Mr. Ladson: I mean the funds would be for all of those items. I mean if there’s some funds
left then they could be used for that.
Mr. Frantom: Are those little flags sprinkler heads?
Mr. Ladson: I’m not sure, normally when they put up little flags they’re pretty much trying
to mark a utility or something like that so like I say I’ll have to double check to see what they
actually are, what the flags actually are there for.
Mr. Frantom: All right, thank you, thank you, sir.
th
Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, I believe that Mr. Ladson was speaking about he’s going to
have to look back in his records to see what the cost is going to be and everything to be done. You
want to send this back to the next Commission to where we could have a hard number.
Mr. Mayor: No, I don’t.
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Mr. Guilfoyle: So you’re going to approve something without a number, I’m asking.
Mr. Mayor: They’ve already got a quote on what the sod is, that’s information that they
had last year. And so what’s being asked for right now is something well within the scope of what
the original budget was in terms of what the encumbered funds are, they’re able to accomplish
this. This was work that was slated to be completed before Masters 2016. The stopgap measure
was to put mulching we started with the red mulch and then there was a complaint by the business
district of citizens. Then you went from red because it leaked into the streets et cetera and then
you put brown mulching in but the goal was always the sodding.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Can I respond?
Mr. Mayor: You may.
Mr. Guilfoyle: You know ---
Mr. Hasan: Motion to approve.
Mr. Guilfoyle: --- apparently yeah you all could approve it apparently, this must have
happened last week. We could’ve put this in and had a discussion and that way Abie would’ve
had his numbers presented to us during the committee cycle but it was put on the Commission but
it is what it is, Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, all right, the Chair recognizes the Mayor Pro Tem.
Ms. Davis: Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to approve this with the understanding that
it’s not going to go over that money that was already allocated for this area.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We’ve got a motion and a second. Voting.
Mr. Jefferson abstains.
Mr. Fennoy out.
Motion Passes 8-0-1.
\[MEETING ADJOURNED\]
Lena Bonner
Clerk of Commission
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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
January 17, 2017.
______________________________
Clerk of Commission
49