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All right. Welcome everybody to our annual planning retreat. Excited to have this time together. 00:00:07
Today, this is when we. This is when we. 00:00:13
Deliver ideas big and small that help our city staff set their budgets, set their priorities for the year. 00:00:16
And. 00:00:23
Do the things that make a difference for Watkinsville and for our citizens. I've been. 00:00:25
Reflecting. 00:00:28
On all the all the things that are done, Sharon's going to share, give you an overview of kind of what all we accomplished in 00:00:30
2024. It's pretty amazing. 00:00:34
I think as we all go around Watkinsville. 00:00:37
We have people approach us. Well, wouldn't this be great? Isn't this a great idea? How many times have we heard that, you know, 00:00:40
and. 00:00:43
I you know. 00:00:47
Not to be demeaning in those people. I love that so many people have ideas for Watkinsville. 00:00:49
But it's one thing to have an idea, it's another thing to have the will and the skill. 00:00:53
To act and execute on this. 00:00:56
And one of the things I'm most proud of with this council is we have the will to act and we have a staff with the skill to 00:00:58
execute. 00:01:01
On great ideas that we agree on, and what that does in the end is it creates opportunities that never would have existed. 00:01:05
For our community, if we hadn't done that and. 00:01:11
Several days a week I have the pleasure of sitting in this office when the when the sun's up, which is most of the time. Sometimes 00:01:15
like last night when the sun is down and. 00:01:19
And I hear the kids laughing and watch them run up and down the ramp and play. That's something that wouldn't have existed without 00:01:23
y'all's courage. 00:01:26
To ACT and insurance and her staff skill to execute that in partnership with the SP. 00:01:29
When you go to Watkinsville Woods, the exact same thing that took a little bit of courage to do years and years ago, and we did 00:01:35
that. 00:01:38
And then I think the finest example is Thomas Farm Preserve. Again, a big win this year. 00:01:42
I can't help but smile every time I drop by and and see all those people out there and think, wow, you know that just who would 00:01:47
have thought that would be an opportunity? 00:01:50
The same thing can happen on the sidewalk. The same thing can happen when you go to Wire Park. The same thing can happen when you 00:01:54
go to a retailer. 00:01:56
That's new, but is there? 00:02:00
Because of an environment that y'all helped create. So. So that's my preamble. I hope we'll all continue to think that way. 00:02:02
In terms of what are the opportunities that we can. 00:02:10
Set the tone for Not all of those require money. Some of them require a commitment on our part to. 00:02:12
Planning or land use some of them require. 00:02:18
Hire. Some of them require establishing a DDA, which we did a few years ago and what that's created so. 00:02:20
But what we'll do today will help set the tone for years to come. 00:02:26
And I'm grateful to all of you for giving us your time. 00:02:30
I am a nerd about keeping us on time with the agenda, so I'm going to facilitate it that way. If there's if the ideas get too far 00:02:33
out there, I might ask Sharon to put that in the parking lot and we'll come back to it. 00:02:37
If we can't stick to it, but in the past we finished up a little early, I hope we can do that today. 00:02:43
One of the things I always like to start with is to realign us on our. 00:02:49
City's vision and values Our vision is to create Georgia's most compelling community by honoring our history, building community, 00:02:52
and creating opportunities for citizens to engage and do business with one another every day. 00:02:58
Our tagline is to come connect and create. 00:03:04
Our values are efficiency, transparency, inclusivity, creativity, kindness, and connectivity. 00:03:07
This council changes every year or two, so I always like to look around and make sure we're all still comfortable with that vision 00:03:14
and those values because, like I've told you before, that guides the decisions that we make. 00:03:19
Are we all comfortable with that or do we want to discuss this? 00:03:24
OK, good. 00:03:28
We'll scratch the first item off the agenda then, if we're all good with that. 00:03:29
Unless anybody else, we do have a little bit of extra time, is there anybody anything anybody else would like to share off the top 00:03:34
on what you'd want to accomplish today? 00:03:37
If not, I'm going to let Sharon move on into. 00:03:41
2024 plan initiatives and funding. I would one thing I did mean to mention, I want to thank our department heads for being here 00:03:44
today. 00:03:47
In JNU as well which leads our DDA. 00:03:51
This is a big commitment on y'all's end. I know how busy y'all are. 00:03:55
I see Mark and the chief all over the city and and Lee never stops. So for y'all to give us five hours of your time today, we're 00:03:59
grateful. We're also grateful for y'all's leadership because without. 00:04:04
You guys, we know 90% of this stuff we can get done and. 00:04:09
Several of us remember those days where we were. 00:04:12
When Julie did it all. Yeah, yeah. When Julie did it all. And. 00:04:15
Brian. Brian was out asking for right away and Connie was. Connie was. 00:04:19
Making things happen. And so it's, it's really refreshing now to know we can get a ton of this done. 00:04:23
With the talented staff. 00:04:28
We also are broadcasting live. 00:04:30
Sharon, did I need to read the thing about the hearing loop? 00:04:32
Yeah, I'm not the best at looking up at that. The city does have a hearing loop system in the council chamber, a wireless network 00:04:35
for those with hearing aids. Signals can be picked up by most hearing aids. 00:04:40
City also has loop receivers for those who still have some difficulty hearing. 00:04:44
Anyone with questions about that can contact Sharon and we can make accommodations. 00:04:48
We do have the TV over here is on the Fritz. Can we just turn it off? 00:04:54
It's a little bit distracting. 00:04:57
Yeah. 00:05:03
All right. I think everything else OK, good. All right. 00:05:05
What's the what's the thing they show you on before you watch a movie now that the lights may be blinking sensitive to after after 00:05:08
five hours, we might have all been a little bit like that. 00:05:13
So anyway, so, so Sharon, unless we let, does anybody else want to share anything else off the top because we've got it. We're a 00:05:18
little ahead already, so. 00:05:21
The question I don't think this is the time for this, right? 00:05:25
Like brainstorming ideas, right? Right. 00:05:28
This isn't it. 00:05:31
Yeah. So we're going to get into that in the, we'll get into that in the 11:00 AM prioritizing. 00:05:32
Now we're going to get into that in the 10 AM, the long term planning and visioning, we'll probably get there pretty quickly, you 00:05:38
know, as it is so. 00:05:41
All right. Any other thoughts? 00:05:45
Questions. Otherwise, I'll hand it to Sharon and let you. 00:05:47
Take it from here, OK? 00:05:50
Thank you, Mayor. 00:05:52
Umm, so we all thought we did a lot in the five years. Umm. 00:05:54
Starting in 2019 to 2024 or 20 I guess 24, but last year was a really. 00:05:59
Really big year I think for us financially and just. 00:06:06
Physically and fiscally, it was a big year. We got a lot of money in and we also did a lot of projects. 00:06:10
I do want to thank everybody in the room because you guys are the ones who set the tone. You made the decision what you wanted us 00:06:16
to do and then gave it to us and let us do what we do best, which is making it happen. 00:06:21
Provided the funding resources for that, I'm very thankful for my staff. 00:06:27
And all the efforts that they went through to make sure that all these things did come to fruition and are in some of them are 00:06:31
still in process. 00:06:35
And as well as our partners, ESP. Oak half the chamber. 00:06:39
The groups that we work with to make some of these events and or. 00:06:43
Programs happen in the community. 00:06:47
So 2024, I think the biggest thing perhaps, I don't know, ties, the two top ones or we were named an All America city. We took a 00:06:49
delegation of 19 people to Denver, competed and won. 00:06:55
I think my throat still hurts from screaming so loud. That was so exciting but. 00:07:01
You know, that was a culmination of partnerships. 00:07:05
And collaborations with ESP and with Ohio County Little League and with private sector. 00:07:09
Funders and with our local African American church, Bethel Baptist and. 00:07:14
All those that's what we went, we presented on is what makes us our small town. 00:07:19
Sorry our. 00:07:23
Small town, big story. 00:07:25
And and really. 00:07:27
Really imbibes what? 00:07:31
Come connect, create means. And so that was I think the highlight of last year and it happened right in the middle of the year and 00:07:33
it happened. 00:07:36
On the heels of us getting. 00:07:39
The next big thing which was this $2.225 million loan and $1.5 million grant from G Tib for the Simonton Bridge Rd. pedestrian 00:07:41
connector, which is we're currently underway with phase one of. 00:07:47
And are releasing or in the process of releasing the RFP's for Phase 2? 00:07:53
Which will be the final phase of the project so. 00:07:58
Super excited about that. Of course, we get our local maintenance improvement grant funds last year and I believe this year we'll 00:08:01
be getting additional funds. 00:08:05
So roughly, you know, $100,000, which for our community is a lot of money. 00:08:09
When we only have a $3.2 million? 00:08:13
Budget. 00:08:17
We also received a $35,000 grant for Georgia Power for the for a strategic plan for downtown, for the downtown area and that's. 00:08:18
We're sort of in the process of pulling that together. 00:08:25
What that will look like and then we've also received some grant money's for safety. 00:08:27
Public safety through the Girma, through our insurance provider and GMA. 00:08:32
And obviously and every year we've worked really hard to keep the bulletproof vest partnership. 00:08:39
And that and this year we got $1800 for that as well. Library was a big win. Obviously wire parks continued to develop. 00:08:44
But the city now has a facility a we actually own the building as you all made-up. We made was made possible by the donation by 00:08:52
Duke Gibbs and his group. 00:08:56
And then the library funding from the state and from the local. 00:09:01
But city and county governments provided. 00:09:05
Provided umm. 00:09:08
Funding to make sure that that opened and it's. 00:09:10
It's booming. I think their biggest problem is our biggest problem at Thomas Farmers Parking. People just, you know, still need 00:09:12
parking, so. 00:09:15
We also resurfaced a lot of roads. I don't have the actual numbers as far as the the miles. It's not a lot, but. 00:09:20
It's a lot for our little city, so all Jackson St. Niagara, Dr. Simonson Way and then a section of School St. 00:09:26
And then we also, we actually completed some of those water St. storm water improvements in 23, but they bled over into into 24. 00:09:33
So I put them on there as well. 00:09:37
As the mayor mentioned, we hired ADA director at the end of last year. She started officially this year. So I didn't actually put 00:09:41
that as an accomplishment, but but we hired her in December, she started in January. 00:09:46
But we had several activities last year, the suite, the street. 00:09:52
The sidewalk poetry contest and the barbecue and Bake Off. The BBQ Bake Off is going to be an annual event, so we'll set that 00:09:56
again this year. 00:09:59
Oh, in Burger Week. 00:10:04
Sorry about that. Yep, missed that. Well, and that, yeah. So that wasn't something that required the City Council. And so I was 00:10:06
going back through the list of all our stuff that we did, and I didn't see that. So Yep, Burger Week, that was awesome. And 00:10:10
they're going to do that next year in January. 00:10:15
Right, so. 00:10:19
I finished up at rocket field with a net climber. We started. We actually completed Phase 1 and 2. 00:10:22
Of the Hair Shoals Park Master Plan that included paving the additional the roadway and adding additional parking spaces. 00:10:29
The Art Walk, I guess as we're calling it, installed 3 art pieces along the backside of City Hall, heading down towards the park. 00:10:36
And then, like I said, we began work on the Simonton Bridge pedestrian connector. So we awarded. 00:10:44
The first phase, which includes the construction of the sidewalk. I noticed when I came through this morning that Spectrum has 00:10:50
taken down the final. 00:10:53
Communication lines. 00:10:58
So now AT&T will come in and drop the polls, which they're going to leave for us to use on the property if we need them. So. 00:10:59
And then and. 00:11:06
And then we completed. 00:11:08
Thomas Farm Preserve, that was probably the biggest lift for all of us. A lot of things that were on our list as probably y'all 00:11:10
operate like I do. Sometimes you put things on your list and other things come along that have to bump those things off the list. 00:11:15
This is one of those things that we've really spent a lot of time. 00:11:19
Really making sure that Thomas Farm was ready for the public by December. 00:11:24
And so we moved mountains to make sure that happened. We renovated the bathroom at the dairy barn, installed more than 3 miles of 00:11:28
walking paths. 00:11:33
Two gravel parking lots. 00:11:38
Fencing along the front. 00:11:40
The trail interpretive. 00:11:42
Entrance signage and then establish the small and large dog park areas which I think. 00:11:44
Has have been great I know my phone goes off every time those cameras go off so there's a lot of people using the dog parks over 00:11:50
in that area so. 00:11:53
But and then we're in phase two where we talked about that at Council meeting last week, we're in phase two of. 00:11:57
Of Thomas Farm Preserve, the master plan, what we want to do there, there'll be some of that we'll talk about today about. 00:12:04
How that might roll out and what other things you guys might want to put on the list for us to do. 00:12:09
We also hired a police chief. 00:12:14
He also got hired, and he got hired in December, so he gets to count on my 2024 accomplishments officially. 00:12:17
And then we had the annual Easter Egg hunt, the annual Cops and Bobbers, which both of those events are scheduled. I believe the 00:12:23
Easter Egg hunt is April 19th and the Cops and Bobbers is May 3rd. And this year Cops and Barbers will be held at Thomas Farm 00:12:27
Preserve. 00:12:32
You all also passed some ordinances, mobile vendors, historic preservation and corridor ordinance. I know the historic 00:12:37
preservation will be discussed today. 00:12:41
As well. 00:12:45
Mindful A. 00:12:46
Some more pictures for bass. I was there yesterday. 00:12:48
No joke, I saw like. 00:12:51
5 LB bass pulled out of there yesterday. It was. 00:12:53
Do you see it put back in? 00:12:56
It was, it was. I was impressed when you get a picture. 00:13:01
Yeah. 00:13:05
Some some of the other things that we did I thought were highlights of the year. Colin Ferry had a student that painted a mural on 00:13:07
Hardin Hill on the Well House. 00:13:11
We accepted the 13th roughly 13 acres of green space at Trove Subdivision. 00:13:16
The city participated in various ways at the Piedmont Garden Tour, the Georgia Historic Trust Ramble. 00:13:22
We had a citywide litter pickup contest. The mayor. 00:13:27
Kicked off, I think it was maybe. 00:13:30
August or so, I can't remember now when that happened and anyway we had that and that was that was a lot of fun. And then the 00:13:33
downtown is trick or treating that happens on Halloween and the Christmas parade and tree light and so. 00:13:37
That's a lot for a staff of 21. And we weren't even fully staffed last year. We were down. 00:13:43
At least three people at any given time. We're still down. 00:13:49
Three now I think, I think we're still down three, one officer and well maybe maybe 21 officer and one public works person, so. 00:13:54
So I mean, that's a lot and I think, and I thank my staff again for, you know, once y'all pass it over to us for making sure that 00:14:02
all that stuff got done. It was a lot of work and it is still a lot of work, but. 00:14:08
But we're all pleased that you guys entrusted us to make sure it happened and we did our best to make sure it happened so. 00:14:14
Any questions about any of that or any comments I guess? 00:14:20
Thank you. 00:14:25
It's a tremendous amount of work and. 00:14:27
Let's see something recording. 00:14:29
And also, I mean, I we talk about this some. 00:14:32
But I am so appreciative. 00:14:35
Of how the city operates overall like. 00:14:39
The way all of the roles are actually done, the way they're supposed to be done, and that is not even unfortunately, normally the 00:14:43
case so. 00:14:47
The mayor provides tremendous leadership and direction. The council, you know we. 00:14:52
Discuss and dig in and disagree and come to a decision. 00:14:57
And then? 00:15:03
Sharon, you lead your staff and then the staff. 00:15:05
And you a lot late nights. I know you work a lot of hours. 00:15:08
Take it and run and make it happen. And that is the way this is supposed to work. 00:15:12
But like I said, I don't see that happening most places unfortunately, and so I feel so. 00:15:18
Grateful to be sitting here today. 00:15:25
And in our sphere, I feel incredibly hopeful. 00:15:29
Because. 00:15:33
When things are happening the way they're supposed to, look what we can do. 00:15:34
And this is everybody in this room. 00:15:39
I mean. 00:15:42
Pat yourself on the back like well done. 00:15:43
And so I am just very, very proud to be sitting here and to be part of this group. 00:15:46
And I am really excited to see. 00:15:51
Next year. 00:15:54
What 2025 is going to say. 00:15:55
I think the other thing that goes without saying is that all this gets done. 00:15:58
But you know, our city is remarkably safe. 00:16:03
The trash gets picked up, the streets are clean, you know so so that the table stakes. 00:16:06
Are taken care of. 00:16:11
And are well done. 00:16:12
You know, so you know, in a lot of cities that they, you know, a lot of places they struggle just to get the basics done well. 00:16:14
And I think I'm really grateful that we can do the basics, the most important things we're supposed to do. 00:16:19
And then we're able to do these additional things that our citizens love and that they want, that are important as we seek to 00:16:24
build community. So. 00:16:27
So it goes without saying that you're, you know, you guys are squeezing a lot through a small straw and doing a great job with it. 00:16:31
And I guess I'll add to I always, I, I, I always consider them staff, but they're not staff. Our city attorney and our city 00:16:38
engineer who we pay to help us with these projects. They have other cities and communities in private sector that they help, but. 00:16:44
We can't do what we're doing without them as well, so certainly want to recognize them in their efforts. 00:16:50
Absolutely. 00:16:56
So we can talk about strategic conditions will be a little bit ahead of schedule which might be good. 00:16:59
What I'd. 00:17:04
What I envision is we'll talk. 00:17:05
Generally about the strategic initiatives I was going to, I did provide a print out to everybody. Do not have this on the screen 00:17:08
because you wouldn't be able to read it anyway. 00:17:11
There are copies on the table for anybody that's here at once one. 00:17:15
And the packet is online, so everybody should have access to that, anybody that's paying attention online. 00:17:18
But what I'll do, what I thought is, is I'll I'll walk through the. 00:17:25
Strategic plan initiatives. 00:17:29
Briefly, I'm not going to get into the weeds too much and then we'll roll right into, OK, now that you see what's on the list and 00:17:32
where we're at. 00:17:35
You know, what are some of the things? 00:17:39
That that would be the big idea. Some of the things that Christine had mentioned a minute ago bringing up or some of the specific 00:17:41
things with like Thomas Farmer Historic preservation. 00:17:45
How much do we want to dig in in fiscal year 26 into those items? 00:17:49
Can you also reground us? 00:17:53
Why this is important from, you know, the DCA and the state level too? 00:17:56
So. 00:18:01
The department, Community Affairs, requires that we have a work plan and every five years it has to be updated. We have to report. 00:18:03
Back on how we did. 00:18:10
And there are the items that are in blue that are on your on the sheets in front of you or if you're, if you're looking online, 00:18:12
those items are part of our work plan. And it's really good that that a lot of them are on our work plan. That means, you know, 00:18:17
because we have to respond and show that we're actually working, we're actually doing something that makes us a qualified local 00:18:22
government, which gives us access to local auction sales tax and other. 00:18:27
Benefits. Umm. 00:18:34
Makes us eligible for grants both state and federal as well. 00:18:35
So the. 00:18:39
The blue items are. 00:18:41
Are things that we we need to get done. It doesn't mean that if for some reason something came along, you know again. 00:18:43
Something happens and it changes our course that we're going to get in trouble if we don't do them. We just have to say, OK, well, 00:18:50
we're working towards that. 00:18:53
And if that doesn't happen, we just have to respond why? You know, maybe there wasn't funding, maybe, you know, the priorities of 00:18:56
the City Council changed, etcetera. 00:19:00
But a lot of them on there are in our work plan and they're being actively. 00:19:05
Pursued. So I think it's it's really good the strategic initiatives. 00:19:09
We have thought we agreed back in 2019, there's five areas of influence that the city has and. 00:19:14
We've got it broken up into land use, government operations, community engagement, infrastructure and economic development. So you 00:19:19
know we. 00:19:23
At any given time, and I've talked to my staff about this, one of the reasons. 00:19:27
That I think our weekly meetings are so important. 00:19:30
And that all my department directors are are are there is that sometimes what happens in parts could affect something in finance 00:19:33
or in personnel or. 00:19:36
Something that happens in public safety could have an impact. 00:19:40
On, you know, something in public works or DD and the DDA. So in the downtown area so. 00:19:43
All of us, you know the Council's making decisions that affect many different areas. If you make a decision on land use, it could 00:19:49
affect economic development or vice versa. 00:19:54
Our government operations are affected anytime there's a decision made, like land use, like, hey, we're going to accept this 00:19:59
donation of land. OK, Well, now that's just affected a whole bunch of things, you know? 00:20:04
What you know, how do we have to budget for this? 00:20:09
You know, how, how are we going to manage, manage the space, etc. So, so these are the strategic initiatives. Everything that we 00:20:11
talked about we try to lay and we try to list under one of these areas. 00:20:17
And that's what we'll talk about briefly. I don't think I have. Yeah, I'm going to come back to that in a minute. 00:20:22
So like I said, I'm just going to walk through. 00:20:28
Fairly quickly. Not going to run too fast through them, but. 00:20:32
Right now. So when we started out, we had. 00:20:36
And I wish I didn't have my, I don't have my original sheet up here, but we had a number of community engagements. I put these in 00:20:39
order of alphabetic order. They're not in any other order. Just figured it made sense to go that way. But, but we're down to two 00:20:44
community engagement initiatives. I don't want anybody freaking out saying that we need to have 10 at any given time. I but I do 00:20:49
think we need to be thinking forward about how. 00:20:53
How do we want to engage the community because we are down to sort of two. 00:20:58
Items on our list, so that's something you may want to. 00:21:02
Is that where we throw ideas about this? Well, are you going over everything? Yeah, I think I'm gonna get over if that's OK. I'll 00:21:06
go through absolutely each of them, and then we'll come back. Is that mayor? Does that work? Do you want to? Yeah. When you said 00:21:10
we're down to 2, does that mean? 00:21:13
We've accomplished, right. We've accomplished all the rest of them and that's why they don't have the original. I'd have to pull 00:21:18
that up to see to show you what we've accomplished. But since the strategic initiatives were established in 2019. 00:21:24
But we only have two community engagement ones that are left on the list. So again. 00:21:31
Something to think about if you feel like we need to be fed up. Is it This would be, you know, an area we could identify that mean 00:21:36
we'll do it in 26? 00:21:39
Fiscal year 26 that may mean that you know we. 00:21:43
We're planning ahead for it in 27 or something like that, so. 00:21:45
So one of our community engagements is to support existing events that happen. We just talked about Easter egg hunt, the cops and 00:21:49
bobbers. Obviously every year the Chamber of Commerce has their fall festival at Rocket Field. We support them. They've actually 00:21:55
submitted their paperwork and that will be in front of you hopefully at the March meeting to make sure that that. 00:22:01
Keeps moving forward. 00:22:07
The Christmas tree Christmas parade tree lighting. 00:22:09
So those are ways that the community currently. 00:22:12
Participates or tries to engage. That's the way the city tries to engage the community in. 00:22:16
In these events and stuff so. 00:22:22
I, I'm sort of torn at whether or not we need to, it's become part of the fabric of what we're doing. I don't know that has to 00:22:24
continue to be on here. These were some of the things we said we needed to start doing. I think, you know, we've shown that we're 00:22:28
continuing to do these. 00:22:32
We can leave those on there. We can think bigger and say, OK, that's just going to be everyday operations, just assume that's 00:22:37
going to happen. 00:22:40
Tracking it, it's not a work program plans, it's not one of those things we have to go back and report to the state on. 00:22:43
So we may or may not. We may just want to say. 00:22:48
You know, yay for us, we've done it. There's obviously more work that we want to do, but I don't know that, you know, that level 00:22:51
detail needs to be in the strategic initiative anymore. 00:22:55
Because it's become so much of it so. 00:23:00
And we'll talk about that here in a minute when we get to the end of this. So the other is exploring the establishment of the 00:23:02
local History Museum. I know there has been a lot of discussion about that or there's been thoughts thrown around about what that 00:23:08
looks like, where it would be, who might be involved in that. The mayor just created an arts committee, will be hopefully today 00:23:15
finalizing that application and getting it out to the public. And that group can probably help lead that and provide some. 00:23:21
Input for the Council to consider. 00:23:28
As that moves forward, so that's those are those are the two community. 00:23:31
Engagement. 00:23:35
Items that are on our list. 00:23:36
On economic development, we have we're down to two on our list. We've completed a lot of the other ones. 00:23:39
The biggest one being developing a downtown master plan or a strategic plan. 00:23:45
A master plan tends to learn more towards master planning like land use or and or. 00:23:51
Physical type structures, whereas a strategic plan may be more about like how you do that, how do you, how do you. 00:23:57
You know, how do you grow your downtown? 00:24:04
In more of a programmatic way or policy way? 00:24:09
So the council does have money, $35,000 from Georgia Power. 00:24:12
To create a strategic plan and that is high on the priority list for the DDA this year. 00:24:17
So so. 00:24:24
And then economic development 21 explored the truck bypass. 00:24:25
In that case, you know there's very little the city can do at this point. It is underway. I think that the update on that was I 00:24:30
put the update that G dot awarded a $5,000,000 bypass project. 00:24:34
To NV5 their their works going to include geomatics, environmental studies, roadway and bridge design, hydraulic and hydrological 00:24:40
analysis, traffic and geotechnical engineering, right away services, and erosion control. 00:24:46
And I think they're still thinking 2030. 00:24:52
52032 something like that before it might actually be in place, but I think this is like a two to three-year effort to actually 00:24:55
plan, you know, figure out the route, figure out what needs to be done and then let the project. 00:25:01
And then it would have to be constructed. So there it's a, it's a long term. 00:25:07
Effort and so as much as it's important to the city, I don't know that you know y'all, you all will have to size that. Do we need 00:25:11
to put any major resources to it or not. 00:25:16
It's not actually in the city. Obviously it impacts us greatly whatever happens, but. 00:25:21
So think about that when we get into the into the discussion here in a minute. 00:25:26
Under government operations, we have 3 items that are still on our list that have not been accomplished, relocated public works 00:25:30
facility and that is to potentially free up. 00:25:35
Very valuable real estate on the corner of Main Street and Experiment Station or Highway 5315. 00:25:40
And so we are pursuing some options. We're trying to look for an area that would. 00:25:47
You know would. 00:25:52
Would be suitable for relocation of the Public Works department. 00:25:55
So that is still that is a high priority for a number of reasons. Like I said, it doesn't it does impact the downtown area as well 00:25:58
and what we just talked about strategic planning so. 00:26:02
The other two are pursuing certification of the Police Department. 00:26:07
The chief has already worked, he's working on the policies that that was something that was being worked on earlier last year. And 00:26:11
then we got a break on that and, and with the new chief, he's come in and started really working at on that in earnest. 00:26:17
Use of force, the really big policy. We need to make sure that we're lined up and shored up on everything on how our officers 00:26:24
react in those situations. 00:26:28
I don't know he's working with. 00:26:32
City attorney to make sure that that is. 00:26:34
Those are those are brought up to standard and that the officers are trying to appropriately for those. 00:26:36
And did a lot of preliminary work on that. Thank you. 00:26:41
We did considerable preliminary work on that maybe eight months or a year ago, but we need to finish that up and Chief look 00:26:46
forward to working with you to accomplish that. Thank you. 00:26:51
One of the side benefits of that is if we do, if we were able to get all those done, we can actually apply for. 00:26:57
The GMA has a. 00:27:03
Police excellence in policing. Excellence in policing. 00:27:07
Certification that will help, it'll actually reduce our our. 00:27:10
Liability insurance rates our premiums by 5%. There are, you know, bigger wins, but they also require bigger. 00:27:13
Bigger investments, so. 00:27:20
We don't have a lot of people that can can maintain the requirements for getting certification. You have to. 00:27:22
Do all these. 00:27:28
Checks and balances and everything throughout the year and that takes a person and I don't know for our size of city, it makes a 00:27:29
lot of sense to use that person to just keep track of reporting and stuff like that. So we'll go after what we can to make sure 00:27:34
that we're doing, we need to be doing and that our officers are trained appropriately at on all of those. 00:27:39
Issues, but there will be a little bit of the benefit once once we get that started so. 00:27:45
City charter amendments. I think this is something we definitely need to. 00:27:50
You know, either say you want to pursue or not pursue. 00:27:53
The council did approve a new charter. 00:27:57
Passed it to the legislature, they didn't move on it. And 20, I guess it was in 22, they didn't move on it and it's sort of sat 00:27:59
there, so I think. 00:28:03
Something y'all need to have some thought about. Again that's not a short term work program. That was something an initiative or 00:28:06
program that you guys. 00:28:09
We're looking at. 00:28:13
Quick comment on that. Your current charter is by memory, 43 or 44 years old. It's somewhat archaic. It does not track the Georgia 00:28:14
Municipal Association model. We all collectively as a group spent a lot of time on this three, 3 1/2 years ago and it is overdue. 00:28:22
Under infrastructure we have. 00:28:32
Six items. 00:28:35
Yes. 00:28:37
Sorry, I meant to ask under the. 00:28:38
Public works facility? How much land do we ideally need? Like minimum? 00:28:40
Just so if we see something in our minds. 00:28:46
Probably an acre to or maybe you should, maybe our city engineer can give you a little bit. So the variability would be sewer, 00:28:49
right? So if you have sewer, then you don't need as much land if you're on septic. 00:28:55
Then you would have to have a septic system associated with that. So if you would need less land, again probably maybe an acre and 00:29:01
1/2. 00:29:05
Or sure if you had sewer. If you don't have sewer, it might be 2 1/2 acres. 00:29:10
Right. So it just depends on. 00:29:14
Obviously once you don't have sewer in your own septic than the condition of the soils. There are some places in the city. 00:29:16
Where their souls aren't great and you need to be able to perk and so then having. 00:29:22
Where those souls are as part of those variabilities. But I don't think you need 4 acres, but I don't think it's something you can 00:29:27
do on half an acre, right. So that that's the range. 00:29:31
OK. Thank you. 00:29:36
What do we need water for other than bathrooms? 00:29:37
Washing equipment or. 00:29:40
Is the building size. 00:29:43
So if you have a second system. 00:29:45
But you have X amount of land for the septic tank field lines or parallel. 00:29:48
Versus a sewer. 00:29:53
Sorry, sorry, I just would since we have people. 00:29:56
Yeah, bathrooms is a is a major portion of that, right. We can't have a public Forks facility without bathrooms for our employees. 00:29:59
But then the, the, the other aspect is currently there is an opportunity for, for for clean up or some other things associated 00:30:03
with. 00:30:08
Just what what Public Works and formerly known as the street department does so. So having a hose bib or having something for 00:30:13
that, that's not usually going into the septic system as well, which is a good point. 00:30:18
The use as far as the requirements. 00:30:23
For a septic system are not like a like a residential or a daycare or restaurant or anything that big. So it would be relatively 00:30:26
small. 00:30:30
OK. Under infrastructure? 00:30:36
We've got improvements of storm water conveyance systems we are actually working on. 00:30:39
Cleaning out some of the culverts that are around the city. That's a project that Public Works is trying to get underway. We've 00:30:47
been short staffed, unfortunately. 00:30:50
Had a really hard time. 00:30:54
Getting people we should be. 00:30:55
We're still going to be short staffed by one person, but we'll have one more person join us March 3rd, so we're working towards 00:30:58
trying to focus on that. There may be some larger. 00:31:02
Drainage improvement options for us or specifically there's one at on Harden Hill at the drainage, there's a area underneath the 00:31:06
the bridge there at Hardin Hill. 00:31:10
Sorry, not under the bridge, under the road that we need to address that something we need to talk about. So that's that's, that's 00:31:15
on the list. I think we'll continue to be on the list for a while until we get a good handle on that. 00:31:20
The street lights and signs the way front. 00:31:27
The wayfinding and all that, we've actually done all that. I think that one is an easy one to remove. Obviously operationally 00:31:29
we'll still continue to do sign updates, but we've. 00:31:34
I believe now gotten all of our wayfinding welcome signage in today or sorry, tomorrow we will see. You'll see a new sign down at 00:31:39
Harris Shoals Park. It'll be similar to the one at Thomas Farm and the coloring and whatnot. And it's supposed to be put in 00:31:43
tomorrow. And then the sun is currently down there. We're going to move up here on the other side of City Hall. So it'll be on the 00:31:48
east entrance into the park. 00:31:52
Exploring and adopting. I'm sorry, exploring and or activating the adopted transportation plan. 00:31:59
Obviously, that is fully underway with the sidewalk improvements that we've made the Thomas. 00:32:05
Sorry, the. 00:32:11
Santon Bridge Rd. pedestrian connector that's underway. There are some, I know there's some, there's been some discussion about 00:32:12
what to do about Barnett Shoals. And so I think that's a that's a discussion to be had about, you know, even though it's not a 00:32:18
road, it is in the city and there's improvements we've talked about in the past about. 00:32:23
That could be done to. 00:32:28
To make it more walkable. 00:32:30
And to connect it now to Wire Park, which is a big part of the city now too. 00:32:32
Establishing a streetlight policy, that's something. Honestly, that's one of the things that's been on the list for a while. It's 00:32:36
really, I think the plan was just to say how it would work if somebody wanted a streetlight. How? What's the process? 00:32:42
It's actually not a big deal to do, but I just haven't had time to put it together. 00:32:49
Again, I don't know that's such a high level thing. I think that's something once I get it done, I'll bring it to you guys to 00:32:53
approve. I don't know that needs to be on our sort of our what I say our big picture. 00:32:57
Thing it does need to be done and it is on my list, it just keeps getting moved down the list so. 00:33:02
I mentioned specifically we do have constructing the Mulberry Simonton Bridge Rd. pedestrian connector actually have that as an 00:33:08
item and of course that is underway. 00:33:12
And hopefully by this time next year, that will be off the list. 00:33:16
And then this goes to what I just talked about on Transportation Barnett Shoals. There's been some discussion about what to do 00:33:20
about Barnett Shoals and how to. 00:33:24
Widen the sidewalks and or produce. 00:33:29
Try to encourage more walkability along that road. 00:33:31
Those are infrastructure and then finally we have land use oops on it. Do it. 00:33:35
Yep, my last one land use we have. 00:33:40
Of six items on there that remain, all of them are fairly active. 00:33:41
The hair Shoals part master plan, we talked about that we. 00:33:47
We technically like I said earlier, we in phase two we did the parking and the. 00:33:50
The parking in the drive improvements and we did the. 00:33:57
The boardwalk, which technically wasn't. 00:34:01
That wasn't really on our list to do. That had to be done. 00:34:04
But phase three is the Girardini Green and possibly we'll see how Ghirardini green goes and and what monies are available and 00:34:07
whether or not you won't want to pursue it, but. 00:34:12
It does call for a bridge across the dam. 00:34:17
And so that's something we can talk about as well. I think right now we got a lot on our plate, but that's something I think y'all 00:34:20
can give us a little bit more direction on if you want us to pursue that, we can start looking at how that might play out. 00:34:25
And and how to fund that so and also from that master plan, another thing that I wonder if it would be less expensive. 00:34:31
Is the kind of amphitheater like the? 00:34:39
The natural amphitheater. 00:34:42
Area down, I think it was around the lake, right, Wouldn't it? Yeah, yeah, like down over here and that that's something that 00:34:44
isn't at Thomas Farm Preserve. I mean that is like a very. So I would be interested to know what that financially would look like. 00:34:51
To pursue that aspect of the master plan. 00:34:58
We also have exploring the rail trail opportunity, which you know would be obviously would be a huge deal for us would connect a 00:35:09
lot of things, but. 00:35:13
That is all privately owned. And so I, I, I'm not really sure the mayor be able to speak to that a little bit later. That may be 00:35:18
something the city can participate in, but I'm not sure the city wouldn't have the funds to buy it, I would guess at this point. 00:35:24
And I'm not sure you know where that all is with the with the estate of the gentleman who owned it. 00:35:30
Consider establishing arts committee. That was actually just done, so that would probably come off the list as well. 00:35:36
Unless you want to give specific. 00:35:42
You know guidance about what what you know if there's bigger pieces like you want to establish a. 00:35:44
You know. 00:35:49
If you want to add areas and and collaborate, I think there's still a lot of. 00:35:52
I know when I got here, there was a, there was. 00:35:56
Maybe a loose committee or something that was deciding about art boards and art, and there were some art sculptures and things 00:35:59
downtown. I think we're down to two sculptures downtown. They're actually still out. The one that's on our property in front of 00:36:03
Blind Peg or yeah, fine. 00:36:08
Yeah, fine pig. And then there's another sculpture that's actually, I think at the Murray house, but it's not, it's not actually 00:36:14
the city's. 00:36:17
So the one that was in front of ATT was falling apart. So that came down last year, but. 00:36:20
So anyway, we'll need a little bit of direction. The committee is going to need some direction too on that. If you all have some 00:36:25
big ideas about what that should look like, I think, you know, you could potentially leave that on here, but change it a little 00:36:28
bit. 00:36:32
Establishment green space program. 00:36:36
Obviously the city's been fortunate we've. 00:36:38
Received a fair amount of green space for free 13 acres over at Trove. We're looking at having some green space over here next to 00:36:40
Waters walk when that project is done. 00:36:45
And and. 00:36:51
So decide and then there's other properties in the community that are for sale that could potentially be. 00:36:53
Space like near Hair Shoals Park or potentially near Thomas Farm or somewhere like that, you know, where we might want to 00:37:00
consider, I think the mayor can speak to that some when we get into the deeper dive. 00:37:05
And then establishing a citywide beautification program. 00:37:10
Again. 00:37:14
That's sort of an ongoing thing that may be one of the things to peel off the list because that's become more operational now. 00:37:15
It's not a project, it's just an everyday occurrence. 00:37:19
We do have, we do have a contractor that handles Main Street just so we could have some consistency because we did have staffing 00:37:23
issues and whatnot. 00:37:27
So we have a contractor handling that. 00:37:31
We have our entry entryway signage and stuff. Our our guys are helping try to keep those tidy right now there's. 00:37:34
Plantings that were planned last year, hopefully we'll start developing some more. 00:37:41
This year. 00:37:45
But, and, and so I'm not really sure. Again, I don't know if that's something that needs to stay on the list or if we've just 00:37:46
operationalized it now and it it can, it can peel off. 00:37:51
The last one is. 00:37:55
Considering a historic preservation ordinance. 00:37:57
And that did get passed, but we still have to identify the historic preservation district, the parcels that will be included and 00:38:00
then your historic preservation Commission and the process. 00:38:05
By which it will operate. So some pretty big, there are some obviously some items on here that are big lists. There's some others 00:38:11
that maybe like I said we've operationalized and no longer need to be. 00:38:16
On a, you know on a project list or program list. 00:38:21
So the. 00:38:27
My thought process was that maybe and I these are just bulletproof bullet points to put on the. 00:38:29
To keep your. 00:38:36
To have some ideas up there for y'all to consider. 00:38:38
The ones at the bottom, I just want to point out real quick, obviously everybody knows today is Oconee County's official 250. I'm 00:38:41
sorry, 150th birthday. I'm trying to make them too old. 150th birthday. It's actually also our finance director Lee Black's 00:38:45
birthday today. 00:38:50
And it's and we won't sing the song. We already sang the song. 00:38:55
But yeah, that's right. Yeah. 00:39:01
She probably feels 150 sometimes. 00:39:04
But the the 100, it's also the city's 150th birthday is the seat of Oconee County, too. So I just want to make a quick note. The 00:39:08
sculpture that was at the AT&T building is actually in storage at Public Works. 00:39:14
The stand that it was on was in disarray, so we disassembled that sculpture and it's in public works. 00:39:21
Waiting to be reinstalled somewhere else. 00:39:27
Yeah. 00:39:30
So, so my thought was this is the point where if you know, if you have ideas, we can, you know, we can start writing them down. We 00:39:33
can decide where they best fit, how those evolve and then and then. 00:39:39
After we get done with this session, then the plan would be to give you guys some some numbers. I'll give you a couple sets of 00:39:46
twos, ones twos and threes and y'all will go to the table. 00:39:51
If we need to, we'll update the list that's on the table before. We'll print those out if there's additional things that are added 00:39:56
and then have you guys prioritize. 00:40:00
What's most important to you? Because obviously all these things are important, but we can't get them all done, you know, can't 00:40:04
get them all done at the same time. We can do them all, but it's not at the same time, so. 00:40:09
Mayor, I'm going to turn it over to you and let you handle this piece of it if you want. 00:40:13
OK. 00:40:17
I think we can. 00:40:18
I think maybe for the sake of. 00:40:21
Most efficient way to do this? You know, we've got some ideas up here that we can expand upon if we need to, but I think. 00:40:23
This point, why don't we just sort of round Robin and let council offer ideas? 00:40:28
And maybe we can just sort of go in this direction and if someone says I don't have any or I don't have it, I'd like to. 00:40:32
React to something we can, we can have a discussion about it, but instead of somebody saying here's my 6 ideas, let's just maybe 00:40:38
do one at a time. 00:40:41
And then sort of. 00:40:44
Unpack that or just share it, and if you need some processing time, that's fine, we can come back to it, but this will be 00:40:45
relatively informal. 00:40:49
You guys all got my e-mail from a few weeks ago so hopefully you've had time to think about. 00:40:53
Authorities and ideas and if you have. 00:40:58
Let's just kind of get those all out now. Let's discuss. 00:41:00
We've got. 00:41:04
Gosh, we've got until 11, so we've got about an hour, 15 minutes. 00:41:05
And if you don't have good ideas, I've got a long list, so. So go ahead. And yeah, good, Christine does too, so. 00:41:10
So, but mine may not be all good. I tell people a lot of times when when I'm. 00:41:17
Mayoring. It's kind of like being a baseball player, right? I might see 10 pitches and three of them might be hits, you know, but. 00:41:22
If I can get three hits out of every 10 pitches, I'd probably be in the Hall of Fame. So, so. 00:41:29
So anyway, so I, I like to like to take some swings. Some of them hit, some of them miss. But I'll, I'll throw out my ideas as we 00:41:35
move along. 00:41:38
And go through it, But maybe Jeff will let you go first. If you've got anything you want to share, let's just do one at a time and 00:41:42
we'll kind of move. 00:41:45
Jeff, Christine, Brett. 00:41:48
Chuck, Connie and me, and then we'll kind of just keep going around until we run out of steam. 00:41:49
So we're just doing one idea that moving on. Yeah, do one idea and then maybe we can people can react to it, discuss it briefly 00:41:53
and then I'll just move us along if it if we get bogged down so. 00:41:58
And it doesn't have to be one of those, it can be something totally different to SO. 00:42:03
You know, welcome to ordinance BE. Yeah, yeah. Something I wanted like to do this year is work on a shared kitchen ordinance. 00:42:06
It's something that I see. 00:42:16
In my travels to Atlanta. 00:42:18
With our store. 00:42:20
Little background, I go to Atlanta every week and I pick up some supplies like chips. 00:42:22
It's also things like that from a place called Prep Kitchens in Atlanta. 00:42:27
And it's an old office park that's been converted to shared kitchen space. And it's a great incubator space for people with ideas, 00:42:32
which I can relate to because years ago I created a BBQ sauce in my kitchen. 00:42:37
To see if anybody would. 00:42:42
You know, liked it and then it kind of grew. So I'm kind of. 00:42:44
Passionate about helping people with an idea to see. 00:42:47
Clearly can become a viable business. 00:42:50
And so I know several people are in the area that. 00:42:53
Have expressed interest in growing their business. 00:42:57
But don't can't afford a commercial kitchen on their own. 00:43:01
So they need they want to take this next step. They might have a cottage license currently. 00:43:04
But umm. 00:43:09
Can't go full board into. 00:43:10
The food business idea. So they want a shared kitchen. So anyway, that's something. 00:43:13
That I've been talking to a few people on and actually got someone who's. 00:43:18
Would like to do a shared kitchen in Watkinsville. 00:43:22
But we just need to. 00:43:25
Come up with an ordinance and there's. 00:43:26
Many cities across the state have them, so it's. 00:43:29
For me, it's something I learned in Thomasville. It's all about R&D, which is RIP off and duplicate. 00:43:32
So anyway, a little more research on that and I think would be. 00:43:39
A good. 00:43:43
A good ordinance for the city. 00:43:44
Anybody want to build on that, react to that, go ahead. I mean it supports all of our. 00:43:47
Our tagline come connect, create and I think it's a great idea. So full support. 00:43:53
One of the other things that I've talked with some other folks around is like. 00:43:58
Do we want to have a? 00:44:01
Is there a possibility as we sort of think about the future of our. 00:44:04
Industrial area to. 00:44:07
Have parts of it become a little bit more of a? 00:44:09
In a hub for entrepreneurs of different sorts. It already functions that way a little bit informally, but is there anything we 00:44:13
could do? 00:44:15
In the food and art space, you know, maker space, I guess you call it. You know where. 00:44:18
That terms become kind of trite, but. 00:44:23
You know, is there a way that we could encourage, you know, the food entrepreneurs in the community, the art entrepreneurs, give 00:44:25
them a safe landing space. 00:44:29
Or you know, through ordinances to your point have have. 00:44:33
Of, you know, an opportunity for more of them to land in Watkinsville and start those enterprises here. 00:44:36
Jeff, I have a client who has set up an entrepreneurship Academy or institute for lack of a better term, I just spoke to 00:44:45
yesterday. So offline let's you and I connect up and you can reach out to that individual and I hope they can help. This idea I 00:44:50
think with dovetail nicely what you're talking about. 00:44:56
Thank you. 00:45:02
All right, Christine. 00:45:03
OK. 00:45:05
So, umm. 00:45:06
I think this year we need to really start focusing on the House at Thomas Farm Preserve and see what we might. 00:45:09
Want to do with it if we want to. I mean, I think the. 00:45:16
The two ideas that I keep rolling around in my head is that. 00:45:23
The museum idea that would have to be volunteer staffed. 00:45:26
And then also. 00:45:32
Maybe some kind of community, small Community Center, because I know there's been talk over the years that. 00:45:34
City Hall used to function that way, but it doesn't anymore for lots of. 00:45:39
Valid reasons. 00:45:43
So maybe that's something that we would be able to. 00:45:44
To accommodate, again, I know there are staffing issues. I know that I mean there's a lot of factors to look at with that, but I'm 00:45:47
also open to hearing other ideas, but any? 00:45:51
Umm, any structures out there I think. 00:45:56
We need to. 00:46:00
To make the most of and make good use of and so. 00:46:01
I think there is a. 00:46:06
Current business owner that is looking to. 00:46:08
Take some of his space and turn it into a. 00:46:12
Community type center, a rentable community type center. Well that I mean like an event this. 00:46:15
Yes, I know of a couple of people who are looking at creating event spaces in Watkinsville and I think that's great. And I think, 00:46:21
you know, we should have, again, I think we already have some good ordinances around that to make sure it's a balance for the 00:46:25
community as a whole. 00:46:29
I'm thinking more of the. 00:46:34
Affordable, uh. 00:46:36
Small family reunion or a group of people want to have a card night? 00:46:38
And you know. 00:46:44
Building on again when we look at these and where we are with the community building. 00:46:46
If it is more of a Community Center, it would be more about community building. It would need to be sustainable. We need to make 00:46:52
sure it fits in in the budget and whatever that looks like. 00:46:56
Umm, but that it's a space that people can gather and a business is event space that's going to look different. That's when you, 00:47:01
you know, you you've got money to spend for a big birthday party or something for this would be a not-for-profit kind of thing. 00:47:08
So I like the idea of having a process to determine what the future of the house is. Probably the second or third most common 00:47:16
question I get about. 00:47:19
About Thomas Farm, you know, and I don't think we just want to let it sit there forever. 00:47:23
Is there? Do we have any limitations as to? 00:47:28
What can be there? And I know we can't. 00:47:31
Put in a restaurant, anything like that, but we can rent the house out. 00:47:33
If we want to to bring in money. 00:47:38
Is that? 00:47:42
Yeah, so that. 00:47:42
That's some of what I hope I'm going to get some direction from you guys today on what what you would like to see. Do you want it 00:47:44
to see it operate similar to what we're doing at Harris Shoals or people just rent the pavilion? 00:47:49
We don't. We've never. 00:47:55
And I don't think you guys want to go down the route of actually renting out the like shutting on the park for an event. 00:47:57
But we got to talk about, you know, just like we did with rocket field, we were trying to figure out what's a good. 00:48:02
Price, lot price point, right? 00:48:09
Right now we really haven't. Some of it's just been because of staffing. We really haven't pushed hey, come rent rocket field and 00:48:11
we haven't, we've done a couple of events and again, I think a lot of it has more to do with staffing and just the capacity we 00:48:16
have to handle what we've already got on our plate, but. 00:48:21
But I think the price points pretty good. I think rocket field, we figured out sort of the sweet spot potentially on, on what 00:48:26
groups that might want to come in would pay or be willing to pay for the use of that space. So we'll have to figure that out as 00:48:31
well. But I'll I'll need a little bit more direction from you all as to. 00:48:36
What do you envision, would you envision and we did in January allow, I think the JC's jog actually took part of their their dog 00:48:42
through the park. 00:48:46
You know, is there. 00:48:51
We didn't ask for any money on that. I don't know that you want to do that, but I need to know how you feel about that. Do we want 00:48:53
to? 00:48:57
Charge something they're charging people to, you know, to, to participate in their dog. Should there be a fee? If there's, you 00:49:01
know, the biggest thing is always about public safety. If, if there's a fee, we if there's an event like that happened, we 00:49:06
coordinated with them and they had to pay for the officers just like Lamar Park has an event or whatever. 00:49:11
To make sure that the safety you know is, is maintained. But Sharon just real quick, the question was specific specifically in the 00:49:17
house. Is there anything in our loan agreement that would prevent us from. 00:49:22
Doing things there that would require people to pay a fee or anything like that. Not that I mean, again, we. 00:49:28
Not hearing from any higher ups and we haven't really asked specifically, could we? 00:49:36
But from we and you know that came with the property and they were aware that was on the property. So I think we can use whatever 00:49:40
is on the property now. 00:49:44
And I don't think adding the pavilion did anything to affect it either. 00:49:48
So I don't think that's an issue. I think that the deed restriction was mainly on developing it into program, programmatic space, 00:49:53
etc, stay in passive space, so. 00:49:58
I don't think that's that's my recollection as well. I think you're correct. 00:50:02
Yeah, not like the idea of it being a kind of a Community Center since that's what this was originally. 00:50:07
I think that's kind of a need for the community. 00:50:13
And I think incorporated in the community. 00:50:16
Center can be museum pieces in history, but I don't see a manned. 00:50:18
Museum. 00:50:24
Community museum but I only open when it's rented out type space versus. 00:50:26
I don't know that we want to have someone there 9:00 to 5:00. 00:50:31
Manning a museum. 00:50:35
Someone available for a Community Center, but it has the history of. 00:50:37
Watkinsville, Kony. 00:50:40
In the space. 00:50:42
I think if we had something like that, we. 00:50:43
Maybe have some kind of committee and. 00:50:46
It could tie into community engagement as well. I, I do think there are a lot of people in our community as we have newer people 00:50:51
coming in that want to get connected, want to get in and so I think. 00:50:56
Taking advantage. 00:51:02
Of that in a good way of giving some opportunities for people to step in and be part of our community. 00:51:04
Umm. So I like the idea of maybe. 00:51:09
Some of the design. 00:51:13
Of the upstairs, having it kind of lean into the museum, so having pieces, you know. 00:51:14
Like Doctor Ward's book having some of those frame pictures, like there's, there's a lot of amazing history that we have. 00:51:22
Almost decorating it with that, but then maybe having it be. 00:51:28
Really an affordably rented Community Center and sometimes the city hosts something the year, you know, that's something 11 00:51:33
thought would be maybe we. 00:51:37
I think. 00:51:42
Group that together with. 00:51:44
Plan for that because I think we'll also have people who may want to rent the pavilion and use that house to cook in and. 00:51:46
You know, if they're going to have a family reunion or something out there, then OK, if we're going to. 00:51:52
Operate out of the pavilion, but we need the ability to warm up our food or to do some stuff there. 00:51:56
My other suggestion would be maybe we develop also. 00:52:02
We've talked about, you know, do we want to look into having a private partner? Do you know, this was another idea somebody else 00:52:05
may have had to but. 00:52:08
Do we want to explore the idea of the coffee shop and sandwich shop in the dairy barn? 00:52:12
So maybe we kind of wrap that all into one of these things around explore appropriate utilization of the structures that Thomas 00:52:17
farm. 00:52:20
And work on that this year and get some of those in place. I think some of it can be faster than others. 00:52:24
You know, but but I'd love to see. 00:52:30
I don't think we're going to see it slow down out there, you know, and and I think it's. 00:52:34
But I think anything we can do to kind of. 00:52:38
Create that sort of community experience on the front end while people get the. 00:52:40
Wilderness experience in the back is great, you know. 00:52:44
And maybe we can. I mean, this is getting to the weeds and it worked doing big picture here, but let the house be. 00:52:46
Available at dark, so it's. 00:52:53
It almost may be encouraging that. 00:52:56
Thinking about traffic, thinking about overlap, that you know, there's obviously lights and it's safe, that it's something that 00:52:59
people can. 00:53:02
Can rent and have opportunity for in the evening. Anything else on this one? I think it's a great. 00:53:06
Idea. I think we can spend more time unpacking it. Any concerns or other thoughts? 00:53:13
Possibly would haven't. You know, we don't have a welcome center here in Watkinsville anymore. 00:53:19
But I know when we went to that emergency. 00:53:25
Maybe no, but why park into library? You know they was talk about. 00:53:28
Having some place where a lot of information was provided for people that come into town. 00:53:32
You know everything that we offer and how do you get in touch with this person? That person I know we talked about putting it on. 00:53:39
Possibly putting on the. 00:53:45
On the tax bill or whatever, but anyway, something a little. 00:53:47
Just in your face like. 00:53:51
We if you go somewhere, if you have to go to the restroom, whatever, but there's. 00:53:54
Or the house. 00:53:58
You know, uh. 00:53:59
A place to have that kind of information would be great. 00:54:01
And we've just added bulletin boards out there too, so we can start, you know, we don't have anything on those yet, so we can 00:54:04
start putting basic information out there too. 00:54:08
They'll get a lot of eyeballs. 00:54:12
All right. So Sharon, I think that's a good. 00:54:13
That's a good. 00:54:16
List. All right, Brett. 00:54:17
Oh, where to start? 00:54:20
So you know. 00:54:24
I love how much time we're spending at Thomas Farms. It's, it's beautiful. 00:54:26
And I know that we are continually working on hair Shoals. 00:54:29
You know, as one of our oldest parks here, I would love to see that finish. I would love to, you know, let's, let's spend a lot of 00:54:34
time. 00:54:38
Finishing up hair Shoals. Make it Making it. 00:54:42
Being beautiful. 00:54:45
You know, I know we got to keep hair. Thomas Farms. 00:54:46
Preserved like it is. 00:54:50
Like let's let's look at. 00:54:51
Adding stuff. 00:54:55
Here, that gives people things to do. 00:54:56
I I. 00:54:59
I, I, I think you know. 00:55:05
When we had basketball courts or or if we had pickleball courts. 00:55:06
You know, give, give people things to do here in the city of Watkinsville at our parks. 00:55:10
I think that that would be a. 00:55:16
A good use of space and a good use of money to. 00:55:17
Have have them to be able to do stuff. 00:55:21
People like to walk around, but people like to. 00:55:24
Do things as well. So so so then maybe. 00:55:26
Explore opportunities for active recreation. We have a lot passive yes. 00:55:31
But what are opportunities for active recreation and our existing parks or elsewhere? Yes, OK. 00:55:35
For existing green spaces. 00:55:40
Thoughts on that? 00:55:42
I agree. You know, I agree. Yeah. I wish I could have been here two months ago. Yeah. I mean, I I. 00:55:43
I think the way Brian summed it up, I think is good. I think we need to look at that balance of passive and active. I don't know 00:55:52
that we need to all focus just on Harris Shoals. So I like how Brian worded it. I'm not saying none at Harris Shoals, but Hair 00:55:57
Shoals has a incredibly robust master plan that. 00:56:01
Have a insane amount of community input so. 00:56:06
But yes, I agree. I mean having active things is good. I think there's some other I only disagreement to that is that was before 00:56:11
we even knew anything about Thomas Farm preserves and the. 00:56:16
100 beautiful acres of green space. 00:56:21
And we got plenty of green space. It's going to take. 00:56:23
These guys over here. 00:56:27
Every bit of effort to maintain that green space that we have, let's let's start looking at a. 00:56:29
This is just Brett's opinion, let's start looking at some some passive stuff. 00:56:34
Not green space, not I'm not saying citizens, if you have green space, we don't want it. 00:56:38
We would love to take your green space off your hands, but we have a lot to maintain. 00:56:43
As it is so. 00:56:48
All right, so active recreation opportunities. 00:56:50
And I think that. 00:56:53
The sports like basketball, pickleball are good and that they don't require staff. I think that's where we get in trouble. You 00:56:55
know, think about how much the county has to put into. 00:56:59
If any of you look dug into the county's budget numbers for their new park, they're spending, you know. 00:57:03
With lights and electricity and staff. 00:57:09
You know they're spending as much as we spend on Thomas Farm basically on almost each ball field. 00:57:12
You know, it's gets kind of crazy so. 00:57:17
By the time they do the infrastructure. 00:57:20
Just a quick number. 00:57:22
On the pickleball. 00:57:24
If you don't have to have lights so you know if you. 00:57:26
About 100,000. 00:57:29
If it's not any heavy grading to do? 00:57:32
So 4 courts, 4 courts, 9000. 00:57:35
And who wants to? Who gets to live next to the **** **** ****? Yeah. So we gotta think about the location. 00:57:40
Chuck. 00:57:48
A couple of things. 00:57:50
The another historic. 00:57:53
We're working on that. 00:57:54
But the signs I know. 00:57:56
We on the last page was talking about the signage and stuff. 00:57:57
We never didn't get around to getting the. 00:58:01
We took down some historic district signs for the downtown area. 00:58:04
I think we were thinking we were going to redo them all and this was going to come a whole lot quicker. 00:58:09
But it's obviously a process. It's going to take a while. 00:58:14
But the. 00:58:19
End of S Main St. 00:58:21
You can't even. 00:58:24
Read them and read it. The old black ones, Yeah, Yeah. I mean, at least we should think about getting going on and getting those 00:58:26
done. Most of those fall under the. 00:58:31
Department of Interior whether the brownish bronze color. 00:58:36
You see it all. 00:58:40
State parks and stuff. So we do have a documented historic district. 00:58:42
And if you follow what most of the cities have, they do have that. 00:58:47
Type sign. It just says you know, historic district. 00:58:53
So I would like to see that. 00:58:57
On another note, the I know we've said the. 00:59:00
Old public works building is. 00:59:04
Very valuable property. 00:59:07
Are we thinking a traffic circle there or something? 00:59:11
Long term? Long term maybe, but. 00:59:16
My question is. 00:59:20
Why can't some of the equipment and stuff get moved to Thomas farm about? 00:59:21
Why do we? Why do we need a new public's work building? 00:59:25
And if you, what are you going to put in that building? 00:59:31
That, I mean, it's a terrible place to get in and out of. 00:59:34
I mean you, when you leave it, you're going to turn right and go away from town. 00:59:39
With all the traffic and stuff that we have, so it's just. 00:59:45
I was just wondering what what are the plans for that? 00:59:49
So, umm. 00:59:52
The the DVA. 00:59:55
Would love it if the city would lease it to DBA and then. 00:59:59
The DBA could use it kind of as some incubator spaces those. 01:00:04
Different bays would make really great little smaller. 01:00:10
Businesses. 01:00:14
There's also a lot of property with it. There's actually a lot of land and the way it's currently graded. 01:00:15
It is kind of awkward. I mean, a lot of it isn't particularly usable, but there is a lot of potential there. 01:00:21
So. 01:00:27
I also I will just speak. 01:00:28
Aesthetically. 01:00:31
My dad has, I mean, this is, this is random about my dad, but he doesn't say much about the city of Watkinsville. 01:00:33
But as soon as we moved here, he has said multiple times he's like. 01:00:39
Why is like in this main corner of town? 01:00:43
Like this, I mean, a public works building is just not very attractive or pretty. So we got one of our main corridors. 01:00:46
And we have very useful practical things we're grateful for. But is that really? 01:00:54
The best place to house them? 01:01:00
So I think with the size of that actual lot, if you actually walk it and look at it, there will be ways to improve the traffic 01:01:02
flow if some grading happened. 01:01:07
But I think there is just tremendous potential with that. That is a key piece of real estate and it seems like it is not at the 01:01:12
highest and best use. 01:01:16
Some of the one of the things we've looked at is, you know, there's, there's ways you can structure. 01:01:21
Leases you could do. You could do public, private joint ventures where you could. 01:01:26
Because remember, it can, it connects the lot behind it as well as the little. All small, but we're building so you could preserve 01:01:32
the brick structure. 01:01:35
You could level it out and you could do, you could do some different things on that site. And then if G dot came along years later 01:01:39
and offered to pay you out for a traffic circle, you know, then we'd still take the money. 01:01:44
But it's not like we'd be getting any less than we are now. 01:01:49
But we have no idea what the timeline is for that. 01:01:51
So the DDA is leading the way on that. 01:01:54
And and what I've seen too is that. 01:01:56
There is a way to do a traffic circle there and still keep that building? 01:02:00
I mean, it is. It is possible depending on how it's structured. So depending on how it goes, that building might. 01:02:04
Still be able to be preserved. 01:02:11
Because at this point, it is historic. 01:02:12
As well. 01:02:15
That was the first fire department, I think in Oconee County. Yeah, I don't I don't think we. 01:02:16
Ideally wouldn't want to lose the building. 01:02:21
Face it. Yeah. Lucky. Yeah. 01:02:24
So it looks like you've got two parcels there. 01:02:28
Yep. 01:02:30
Connie. 01:02:36
Well, I am concerned with. 01:02:39
Moving the. 01:02:42
Street department and using that building for businesses because of the traffic that that intersection is constantly busy. 01:02:43
And if the people are complaining now because of the street department machinery going in and out, it's going to be even worse 01:02:51
with. 01:02:56
Customers. 01:03:01
Going in if it's some kind of business? 01:03:02
And I just. 01:03:05
Not looking forward to that happening. 01:03:07
OK. Thank you. 01:03:10
I I've got a lot of ideas. One of them I'll throw out something that came up at the All America City. 01:03:15
Was how we engage our youth in the community and. 01:03:20
Create opportunities for our youth to understand. 01:03:23
Not just about Watkinsville, but about, you know, helping local government, why that's important, how that works. Some cities have 01:03:26
a. 01:03:29
You know, a city youth council or a youth leadership program of some sort. 01:03:33
You know, that gives young people the opportunity to get engaged and. 01:03:38
Be a part of you know, learn about everything from police to public works to. 01:03:42
You know our different departments and also how we make decisions and also give us some input on, you know, what do we? 01:03:47
Want to hear from the younger folks, what's important to them, you know, the people that we want to have to move back to this 01:03:53
community so. 01:03:55
I'd love for us to explore some sort of Watkinsville. 01:03:58
Youth council or youth leadership program that would. 01:04:02
Help get the youth in the community. 01:04:05
Engaged. 01:04:08
I'm thinking probably high school aged children. 01:04:09
But also think children of, you know, all backgrounds. So I don't want to just get the same kids who are in Beta club and 01:04:12
absolutely crushing it at Oconee or Athens Academy or Westminster. How do we really get a cross section of? 01:04:17
Kids from Watkinsville engaged and. 01:04:23
You know, giving us some feedback, you know, maybe they have a project, you know, as they work through their year, at the end, 01:04:26
they come to City Council with recommendations on things that they've seen and. 01:04:30
To give them an opportunity to engage, to learn. 01:04:35
And then maybe report back to the council on here's here's what's important to the next generation of Watkinsville citizens. 01:04:38
I think that's a great idea and I would piggyback on that. 01:04:45
There is a. 01:04:50
Community in Georgia. 01:04:52
I can't remember. It's a county that does it and they actually partner with the high school and have an entrepreneurship. 01:04:54
Kind of program. 01:05:02
Umm, which to me goes back to our, you know, wanting to. 01:05:05
To have that creative spirit. There's a great marketing teacher at Oconee County High School as well who's really engaged I. 01:05:11
So not that it would be ours to just run completely. I know that that would be a big lift and not really, but I would love to 01:05:18
facilitate that somehow if there's a way to start the conversations, if it's between even the chamber and the marketing teacher to 01:05:25
kind of kind of high school and and have another kind of piece of engagement for our youth that also we are. 01:05:32
Encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit. 01:05:39
So I'm in the Oconee County, one of the Oconee, one of the two Oconee County Rotary clubs. We made it in the morning and. 01:05:43
We spot help sponsor Rylai, the Rotary Young Youth Leadership. 01:05:50
And I mean, that's, that's a great program. 01:05:56
Of like. 01:06:00
Outside of your beta club people, I mean. Not saying they're not in the beta club, but. 01:06:03
They're very good, very intelligent. 01:06:07
Rotary Youth. 01:06:11
Kids that. 01:06:13
Would be beneficial. 01:06:15
All along same lines of school. I know you had mentioned high school, but we do have the one and only school in the city of 01:06:16
Watkinsville. 01:06:19
Called Ferry that I would love to get engaged with a little more often. 01:06:23
You know, I know our Police Department has in the past. 01:06:28
Sent officers up there, you know, Fridays or whatever to. 01:06:31
But you know, let's if we could get more involved, you know, maybe the council shows up every once in a while and opens doors for 01:06:34
kids or. 01:06:38
You know, I don't know. Let's see how we, us and Doctor Brown could get together and. 01:06:42
And and be engaged with the one and only school we have in the city of Watkinsville. 01:06:47
I like the idea of having a. 01:06:52
A different point of view. 01:06:54
Yeah, because this may sound weird, but stay with me. 01:06:56
The Super Bowl halftime show. 01:07:01
I thought it was the worst halftime show entertainment I've ever seen. 01:07:04
But then I spoke to my daughters and friends, my daughters who are teenagers. 01:07:08
And they loved it, Yeah. 01:07:12
I said, how can you love that? I can understand one word, the person said. That's not music. 01:07:14
But they told me a little background of whatever and they knew the words and apparently had to bleep out a lot of the words. 01:07:19
But anyway, I thought it was interesting how I thought that was horrible. 01:07:25
And I was like, oh, Prince back in Miami in the 90s was the best half time. 01:07:29
Whatever, but I couldn't comprehend that they liked it. 01:07:35
But I didn't know their point of view. 01:07:39
So I think if we had, you know, kids involved and probably. 01:07:41
You know, high school kids involved. What do you want in Watkinsville? 01:07:46
You know what's important to you. 01:07:50
So that down the road like you mentioned. 01:07:52
When they are our age, in their 30s, getting married and what? 01:07:55
Some people getting married sooner than others. 01:07:59
Now they're getting married, they want them to consider Watkinsville. 01:08:02
So, umm. 01:08:06
I think it's a great idea. 01:08:07
All right, cool. 01:08:10
We'll move on to you, Jeff. 01:08:13
I'll go back to my original thing, why I wanted a room for city council's and we're doing a good job with it. It's just 01:08:18
continuing. 01:08:21
With the sidewalks. 01:08:24
You know, expanding sidewalks and improving sidewalks. 01:08:26
I'm still. 01:08:31
I'm still hopeful for the day when we get to where we can have a. 01:08:34
There's a National School Day or Bike to School Day. 01:08:38
I want that here in Watkinsville and I want to see the kids ride by my house. 01:08:42
All the way down. 01:08:46
South Lane. 01:08:48
To Collin Ferry, that's. 01:08:49
My fondest memory as a child is riding my bike to school. And it was. 01:08:51
You know, a couple miles to school and. 01:08:55
I was in elementary school and. 01:08:57
You just did. It was. There's no supervision, but anyway. 01:08:58
I, you know, just. 01:09:03
Improving some of the existing sidewalks we have. I just personally see the ones on Main Street because that's where I live and 01:09:05
that's where I walk. 01:09:08
And it's. 01:09:11
A little bit of an obstacle course going down South Main. 01:09:12
So I just see that. 01:09:15
And then continue it down South means to where it hits Calvin Ferry. We can marry up with the wonderful extension we've got on 01:09:17
High Shoals. 01:09:21
I know there's other areas but that just. 01:09:26
But I see every day. 01:09:28
But that that's that's important to me is the sidewalk that I want to see kids walk into school. 01:09:31
I'd like us to also. 01:09:38
You know when we complete the phase, this year's work which will be to get. 01:09:40
Simonton Place to downtown. 01:09:45
Then I'd like us to begin planning in earnest. How do we get from Simonton Place to Wire Park? 01:09:47
You know, and I think that's, I don't think that's unreasonable. We've got some good partners who can help us with that. 01:09:52
You know, we'll have some of those conversations, but. 01:09:59
I think. 01:10:02
At that point, we'll have done two things that people said were impossible 10 years ago, which is a sidewalk on Hardin Hill and a 01:10:03
sidewalk on Simonton Bridge. 01:10:07
And then I, you know, we've got a good transportation plan on other areas. I think even looking at North Main Street, you know, is 01:10:11
another. 01:10:15
Spot, there's not a ton of houses down there, but those folks, those folks also, you know. 01:10:18
Are hungry for pedestrian connection back to town, so I think I think. 01:10:23
Jeff, I think we got to continue working there. 01:10:27
Yeah, I actually had. I've had two conversations now with Watkinsville First Baptist Church about. 01:10:30
The interconnect going through their property and their. 01:10:37
They have some stuff they're working on with the county for sewer, but. 01:10:40
Along the same lines that would love to. 01:10:45
Partner with us. 01:10:47
And get a. 01:10:49
A pathway that leads through there over. 01:10:51
Down Norton. 01:10:54
So. 01:10:54
All right, Christine. 01:10:58
OK, so. 01:10:59
Y'all might just shut this down. 01:11:02
And I don't know this has happened this year or ever, but when I think of the aesthetics of downtown. 01:11:05
I would love. 01:11:12
To not just move a power pole, but get rid of all the power poles. I mean, I know, I know, we got the former line like, like, but. 01:11:13
Every time I turn on, you know I'm sitting there at Ashford Memorial is one of the most beautiful churches. 01:11:22
It's I've never been able to get a good picture of it because there's all these stupid power. I mean, they're not stupid. We need 01:11:30
them. We like power, but like unattractive power lines right there. So. 01:11:35
If we're just, I mean, this council has done a lot of amazing big things so. 01:11:40
I'm gonna put, I don't know if anyone's ever put it out there, but I would love to have all underground utilities in downtown 01:11:46
Watkinsville. We're doing that on Simonton Bridge. 01:11:50
I know it might be a little trickier on Main Street, but I would I would. 01:11:55
Would love to see that happen. 01:11:59
Very, very expensive, and when it goes out, it's out for much, much longer. 01:12:01
But it wouldn't go out as much because there's no tree limbs falling on it. 01:12:06
So there's always an overhead line somewhere feeding underground. 01:12:10
Anyway I. 01:12:13
I mean. 01:12:16
Very, very expensive. I think it should just even be looked at. 01:12:17
So what I will say is we have a very good partner at Georgia Power right now. 01:12:21
Who's willing to work with us on stuff and look at things and explore things? 01:12:25
I think it would have to be part of a streets get bigger streetscape. 01:12:29
You know, effort, you know which, you know, it's been 20 years, you know, I mean, so. 01:12:32
It probably takes 10 years to get funding and get those things done, so I don't think it hurts to put it on a long range work plan 01:12:36
at all and just think about. 01:12:40
And it may be, hey, we get 1/4 of it done here and another quarter of it done. But you when you think about your strategic plan 01:12:43
for downtown. 01:12:46
That may also may be part of your long range plan is how do we. 01:12:50
In tranches, get some of these buried, like if you think about the. 01:12:53
East side of our downtown sidewalks between. 01:12:56
Between sunshine and. 01:13:02
Eagle Tavern, Those are tiny little sidewalks. They haven't been upgraded in a long time. I mean. 01:13:04
That stretch could be done, you know, so you can kind of take it in sections and think about it without tearing up your whole 01:13:08
downtown. But. 01:13:11
I don't think it's. 01:13:14
I encourage y'all to dream big. Let's dream big. The only other aspect of that is. 01:13:15
Most of the houses that rundown through there have overhead power get. 01:13:21
Goes to their. 01:13:24
Houses. So now you're actually. 01:13:26
Making the homeowners themselves incur a additional expense to go from an overhead service to an underground service. 01:13:29
I mean that's maybe there are grants to help with that. I'm not saying this is going to happen next week. I'm just saying. 01:13:35
I would love to see the city of Watkinsville not have those overhead power lines, so I would love to start the process of looking 01:13:42
at what would that take. 01:13:46
What grants are out there? How much time can we budget for that? Except. 01:13:50
Maybe some plans for some. 01:13:55
There may be some grants out there. 01:13:58
For water lines and stuff, because at some point we're going to be faced. 01:14:00
We we have a tremendously old. 01:14:04
Water system when the infrastructure lives, yeah, old pipes that nobody knows where they're in or anything about. So I mean, 01:14:06
that's something coming down the road, but hopefully there would be some grants. 01:14:12
To help improve those. 01:14:17
You know what they say about how you eat an elephant, right? Yeah, this is an elephant. But, you know, I think the first step is 01:14:20
to figure out what it look like. And I do think since we've got our. 01:14:26
Partner with our downtown strategic plan. It's a good. 01:14:32
Good way to engage them. 01:14:34
If you have something you want to add on, I agree with you know. 01:14:36
Getting rid of the power lines if possible and it it falls into the whole. 01:14:40
You know, streetscape. 01:14:45
Plan and you know you mentioned. 01:14:47
Ask for Memorial Church and that's such. 01:14:49
That's a intersection we'd all like to go to snap our fingers on how to figure out the sidewalk there and the big hill coming down 01:14:52
and what not. 01:14:56
It's all of a bigger picture and I'm. 01:14:59
I'm curious, you know. Let me know. 01:15:02
Has done a. 01:15:04
A very good job. 01:15:05
Their roads leading to downtown. 01:15:07
All got curbed with sidewalks and some. 01:15:10
Pavers in addition to the sidewalk. 01:15:14
And I'm just wondering, you know, and lighting it. 01:15:17
And the lights, which look great. 01:15:20
When they did that, how is that? How big is the? 01:15:23
Money to do that, I guess. Is that all some of the grants with some of it money from the city? 01:15:26
And I just explore OK. 01:15:33
We know those are things we like his other. 01:15:36
Communities that have done it, how did you do it? Well, I mean, I think it's ILA. 01:15:39
Al is the smallest town in the Dang world and they have sidewalks absolutely to nowhere and streetlights every 100 feet. It is 01:15:43
amazing they they don't have any people that live in Isle of. 01:15:49
But we know how much the street light cost. How did they fund that? Who is paying for, I mean, somebody? And they got thousands of 01:15:59
St. lights. So I used to work on all of them, I mean thousands of them. 01:16:04
Monroe has. 01:16:11
You know, one of the things that you kind of to pause and reflect on for us as a municipality we actually have. 01:16:14
Much fewer funding streams than most municipalities. 01:16:19
Monroe controls its own utilities. They have an Internet utility. They have a. 01:16:23
I think they have a gas Yeah. So my. 01:16:28
We gave up all that. Elberton doesn't charge any property taxes. 01:16:31
Because they have, they control, they can they have electric. There are me AG City, which is a they control their electric. 01:16:35
They control Internet they control. 01:16:42
So, umm. 01:16:43
So. 01:16:45
So that these some of these cities have some other utilities that give them a lot more financial flexibility to do things. But I 01:16:46
think it's a. 01:16:49
I think it's a great question on streetscape and planning and. 01:16:52
Like I said, this is the year when we've got this grant. And even if we need to plus up that grant, if like Georgia Power gave us 01:16:56
35, but we think it's going to take 50. 01:17:00
To get the information we need to have the best plan. 01:17:04
Then I think we need to think about that, right. So if we have the right partner and we think about that, then. 01:17:07
Let's let's take a little bit, let's take that Georgia Power money and marry up a little bit more and make sure we get exactly 01:17:12
what we need to take care of us for 10 years on that would be my advice. 01:17:16
To the DDA, as you'll think about how we're going to execute that if you want to make a request back to city to support you on 01:17:20
that if you. 01:17:23
Don't think we can get there, you know, be sure you work with Sharon around budget time because I love all these things. 01:17:26
You know these ideas because ultimately what it'll do is, you know, revitalize. 01:17:31
Fill in those gaps in our downtown and those people pay taxes and it pays for itself. That's why cities do that, I mean. 01:17:36
The beautification then give somebody a confidence to reinvest and. 01:17:42
Build and do something new. 01:17:45
You know, the same with the streetlights and those streetscapes. Monroe's seen it for sure. 01:17:47
The mayor over there and if we want to go visit. 01:17:51
With some of these communities, we could put that on the list for this year too, you know, and understand what they did. 01:17:53
All right, are we? To what? 01:17:59
Christine to Jeff to now back to Brett. So he pulled my sidewalk one but y'all had several amount which is good. We're scratching 01:18:03
off the lips He does have. I do have a questionable piece of sidewalk. I guess so over at Thomas Farms. 01:18:09
If around the small lake we have a the little bridge and it goes from a semicircle, half of it is. 01:18:15
Paved asphalt and then the part I guess through the wetlands is. 01:18:22
I guess that was done on purpose. My daughters had their little scooters yesterday and we're scooting around and then all of a 01:18:27
sudden it ran into gravel and I was like, pick it up. What? What with it? So yeah, it was the wetlands because. 01:18:33
The way the loan structure do, you really don't want to impact the environment. 01:18:39
Sensitive environmental areas. So that still allows it to be porous and doesn't interrupt the flow there. Yeah, good question 01:18:43
there. 01:18:45
Chuck. 01:18:50
OK, Connie. 01:18:52
Well, my main thing is to. 01:18:55
Keep the infrastructure. 01:18:57
All the infrastructure and good working order should be our main concern. 01:19:00
Keep the city clean and. 01:19:04
And keep all the buildings we currently have full. 01:19:06
And continue to work on our list that we are working on and get that all done before we start anything major. 01:19:10
And new. 01:19:18
OK. 01:19:21
We have. 01:19:25
I've got a couple more left that I'll I'll run through as we kind of take turns. 01:19:28
I've mentioned this last year. I still think it's something. 01:19:33
That we should explore and that is a. 01:19:36
Asking the voters. 01:19:40
Whether about a green space or Parks and Rec bond. 01:19:42
That would allow us to continue to preserve green spaces, not. 01:19:46
To Brett's point, not because we may not be able to activate it all in the next 5 years, but I do think in the next 5 to 10 years, 01:19:50
you know, we're already seeing tremendous development pressure. 01:19:54
On the outskirts of town. 01:20:00
Whether we do? 01:20:03
Whether we do anything or not, you know, do we? 01:20:04
Do we want to have? 01:20:07
And what this would require would probably be for us to go to the voters in November and ask them to choose, OK, do you want to 01:20:09
vote on? 01:20:12
Some sort of a bond issuance that would allow us, that would give us the resources we need. 01:20:15
If you know, 20 acres here, 40 acres there. 01:20:19
Some other opportunities came up to. 01:20:23
To do that, to prevent the development of the space, you know we've we've. 01:20:26
One of the reasons I've loved Thomas Farmers, people see, you know, the most common thing as well. 01:20:29
This, you know, here's what this would have become. You know, the grand opening. That was the most common refrain. I'm so thankful 01:20:34
this didn't become that. 01:20:37
I think we need to ask citizens, are you willing to invest? 01:20:41
To prevent that from happening. 01:20:45
If they're not, they're not, right? I mean, you know, they may not be willing to do that. Doesn't mean we can't do some other 01:20:46
things, but to do it in a truly significant way. 01:20:50
I think we need to ask the voters and say, look, are you willing to pay some additional property taxes? That gives us the 01:20:55
capacity. 01:20:58
To go out and bond. 01:21:01
And purchase these spaces and be able to do it in a financially responsible way. 01:21:03
We may or may not be able to do that. I think we could do it in some smaller ways, but I guess my perspective is. 01:21:09
Two things, one. 01:21:15
It's there's not going to be any more land in Watkinsville. 01:21:16
And two, I don't anticipate us. You know, we talk about the infrastructure. 01:21:21
We're not, there's, there's not space to build huge new roads and to do the, you know, to do the things that we need to do to 01:21:26
support these spaces. So. 01:21:29
There's other cities that have done that. The city of Milton is probably the most notable 1. 01:21:33
We'd have to have a process for evaluating which parcels we want and how all those things would work. 01:21:37
But do we want to take a big swing at something like that? 01:21:43
You know, that's what I love y'all's feedback on. 01:21:47
I don't think it's something we do unilaterally. I think it's something that we need to take to the voters and say. 01:21:50
This is a generational investment. Do we want to develop in a different way than most other small towns do and and that might 01:21:55
mean? 01:21:58
We don't have a lot more. 01:22:01
You know, umm. 01:22:03
We don't have a lot, you know these. 01:22:04
The places it could be around Thomas Farm, it could be around Column Ferry, There's there. Believe it or not, there is a fair bit 01:22:06
of. 01:22:09
Space left in the city that could be preserved, and then there's some smaller pieces around too. 01:22:12
I love y'all's reaction to that. 01:22:18
I agree that if we're considering something like that, it definitely should go. 01:22:22
To the voters. 01:22:26
Umm. 01:22:28
And a lot of. 01:22:31
Education even for I mean I need to be better educated on the insurance and outs of what that means. Obviously I know this is just 01:22:34
spitballing so. 01:22:38
And yeah, I mean. 01:22:44
And let me amplify to one thing about that. I don't, I don't limit that to just passive spaces like this could also be a funding 01:22:46
source to do some of the other things that we're talking about like. 01:22:50
To, you know, if we want to have, I mean, right now. 01:22:55
You want to take your kid to play soccer? 01:22:58
You got to drive all the way around Butler's and somewhere else. I mean, we don't have the money just out of our regular budget to 01:23:00
do to create. 01:23:03
The active spaces either right and so this is how a lot of communities pay for it is you know they they'll. 01:23:07
You know they can cover that out of you know. 01:23:12
Nobody's doing that now. What's that? 01:23:16
Yeah, and they probably do that sort of as a matter of course. I mean, they're so big. I mean, you know, when you've got a. 01:23:18
You know, 50 or $60 million budget, you can, you can just do that sort of thing with, you know, just go to the public market, do 01:23:23
it. It'd be a big deal for us and we don't really have to. 01:23:27
Borrowing capacity to do it without dedicating some property tax dollars to it. 01:23:31
It would. 01:23:36
I guess what I'd be asking you guys is, is it worth exploring and seeing what it could look like, what what feasibility is, how 01:23:37
much would it cost or not? 01:23:40
For us to. 01:23:44
Consider that. 01:23:45
I don't really want to get into specific parcels or anything like that now given, you know, we'd have to do that in executive 01:23:47
session and have to talk to owners, but. 01:23:51
It would give us the ability to. 01:23:55
In a fiscally responsible and very open way, determine what our citizens priorities are. 01:23:58
And be able to act on those. And if they vote it down, they vote it down, right? I mean, we're being transparent about what we 01:24:03
think is important and what the priorities are and what we're hearing. 01:24:07
But right now, we really. 01:24:11
We could still, we could still do that in smaller ways. We can activate it off of SPLOST and. 01:24:13
Some other things, but if we want to take a big swing at truly creating. 01:24:18
A community where we're we're, we're emphasizing quality of life and that quality of life doesn't revolve around. 01:24:23
You know every property owner feeling like they have to develop their land to exit. 01:24:28
Then, you know, I think we're ultimately going to have to be 1 of the backstops there. 01:24:34
So anyway, that's. 01:24:40
I'm, I'm, I really love that the, that we preserve that land in perpetuity. I think it's like you said, we're not developing any 01:24:43
more land and, and. 01:24:48
I, I grew up here. I I love. 01:24:53
I love this place 20 years ago, 30 years ago when it was much smaller than it is today and. 01:24:57
You know, if we don't start preserving land, there's going to be. 01:25:03
Houses and apartments. And I mean, they're going to. 01:25:06
People are going to come here. 01:25:09
When you have an all American city, people will come. 01:25:11
And the only way to. 01:25:14
Stop that. I think I mean the county is doing a great job at limiting growth. 01:25:16
And I think we could. 01:25:21
Do smart growth, I think that's when I talk to people about growth here. Let's do smart growth in the city of Watkinsville. 01:25:23
You know, let's, let's allow what we want to allow. 01:25:28
You know, because it has to grow. 01:25:32
But let's let's. 01:25:33
Do it smart, smartly. 01:25:35
I don't think that's a word. 01:25:38
I agree with that with the. 01:25:46
One comment to add to it, just like Jeff you had said earlier. 01:25:48
But watching the halftime show? 01:25:52
So we're going to have different ideas and things that come in. 01:25:55
And just like. 01:25:59
Christine, you have a different idea for the. 01:26:00
Public works. 01:26:03
So I feel like we all have to keep an open mind. 01:26:04
And be willing to. 01:26:07
To listen and not just say no. Yep, we don't want a tattoo shop. 01:26:09
We don't want, you know, different thing, but we have. 01:26:15
Catch up and we have all kind of other things that you have to have an open mind to. 01:26:19
Say, OK, that might work, you know. 01:26:25
Might not work for me, but it works for someone and that's what we want, you know, people to. 01:26:27
Come and create and connect. So I mean that's part of it. 01:26:32
All right, Jeff. 01:26:39
You got anything else on your list? 01:26:41
I'm not not real main thing or one other. 01:26:46
Thing is that. 01:26:49
It'd be nice to figure out how to connect hair Shoals to downtown so you could you could walk. 01:26:50
I guess at least if you got it to Durham St. with Durham St. gets repaved once the. 01:26:57
The complex goes in. If we could get a sidewalk up to there so that you could get down to there. 01:27:02
Then you could still get downtown through Durham St. so that would be. 01:27:08
Something. 01:27:12
I would I would like to see. 01:27:13
OK, Christine. 01:27:15
So we have great. 01:27:18
Nonprofits in our community with ESP Lydia Place O Calf. 01:27:21
And I really just want to continue leaning into that and be very intentional. 01:27:26
Waterways as a community. 01:27:32
We can lean into those organizations and maybe there are even other in our small downtown that. 01:27:34
Should be added to that list, but those are three that I know. 01:27:40
Umm, again, to me it it fits with our goals and we do, we do that. But. 01:27:44
Just being very intentional and maybe. 01:27:48
Practically looking at some things with that. 01:27:51
Now I do think OKAF. 01:27:55
Could be a great partner to like we talked about the idea for the History Museum and those kind of things. I still think of calf 01:27:56
could be. 01:27:59
A strong partner on that if we didn't wind up doing something at the house. 01:28:02
You know, I've talked about the the entry to the old gym, different spaces over there where we could. 01:28:07
Maybe help be the funding partner, but leverage some of the space that they have that's available might be more efficient and they 01:28:11
could. 01:28:15
Sort of maintain and they've got staff and the ability to. 01:28:18
Do that but I think. 01:28:21
You know, strengthening that. 01:28:23
Also, that physical connection to OCAF through our downtown is so important. 01:28:24
Jan and I've talked about that and I know that's probably be part of your downtown strategic plan, but how do we? 01:28:28
When somebody lands in downtown Watkinsville, how do we give them a couple different places to go? You know, and. 01:28:33
The sidewalk to Thomas Farmer is going to help with that too. 01:28:38
And particularly Lydia's place because we, I mean, we obviously have a very strong partnership with ESP. 01:28:42
No calf comes and we give them. 01:28:47
There's already some definitely things in place there. 01:28:49
But Lydia's place? 01:28:52
Does such a service to such an underserved population? 01:28:54
Umm, just have it on our radar to see if there are practical ways the city can enter in. 01:29:00
Anybody else? 01:29:08
I'll throw out a few more just for y'all's reaction. I. 01:29:10
The you know, we've talked about the street department a little bit. 01:29:14
I know in the past we've also talked about City Hall, you know? 01:29:17
Is this our? 01:29:20
Ultimate destination. Do we want to stay here? 01:29:22
It has occurred to me with some of these other ideas, the Lydia's plays the others. 01:29:25
You know, is there an opportunity for us to find a space where we could? 01:29:30
Efficiently. 01:29:34
You know how some of these other some of these other needs? 01:29:36
You know, does it make sense to find a place to put the Police Department, the street department, City Hall? 01:29:41
You know, together somewhere else, you know. 01:29:46
I don't know that. I mean, I think this building could serve us well for another 10 years, but do we? 01:29:49
We also know land is just going to do nothing but cost more and there's going to be less of it in 10 years, you know? 01:29:54
So do we. 01:29:59
Do we need to be thinking about that strategically and exploring options on? 01:30:00
Where we can land a. 01:30:04
Again, that may be something that takes four or five years, but. 01:30:06
Staffs staff's not going to go after that if we don't ask him to go after that, you know, So is that something that we. 01:30:10
Something that we need to think about. 01:30:15
To me it is like you said. 01:30:18
Long term, thinking about it, you you never want to. 01:30:22
Have to move in a moment because then you. 01:30:26
Sorry, put in my realtor hat on. Then you panic by and you don't necessarily get what you really want so. 01:30:28
If realistically this we're going to outgrow this in 10 years, then I think it's definitely something that should be on our radar. 01:30:34
Umm. But I think it also needs to be really clear that it's not because. 01:30:42
We think City Hall has to be this beautiful, grandiose. 01:30:46
Base and but that it's just very practical and if there is a way to. 01:30:50
Leverage this resource that's also going to help and serve the community. 01:30:55
And have it be not. 01:30:59
A big lift for taxpayers to make that move. 01:31:02
Than having our eyes open for that opportunity I think would be foolish not to. 01:31:05
Yeah, I don't want to, I pushed back. 01:31:11
Through the years on investing more money in a government building, so I'm not crazy about the idea. 01:31:13
But I do think we all have to sort of recognize there's. 01:31:20
There's probably. 01:31:22
You know, there will be a moment probably in the next decade where we either have to make a big investment here or. 01:31:24
Umm, you know, or do something different. 01:31:30
But, but I don't think we have to. 01:31:33
There's nothing urgent, there's no urgency around that, but there could be some opportunities in the next next year or two. 01:31:35
I think you know if we. 01:31:41
Are looking at a city location. I think it should be centrally located, easily accessible. You know, I don't think it should be 01:31:43
off the beaten path. 01:31:47
You know, I think when you think of the city seat of Watkinsville or the city seat of the county seat of Oconee County is the city 01:31:52
of Watkinsville. It needs to be something that. 01:31:58
Easily found. 01:32:04
You know, this has held us well for a long time here, but I, I. 01:32:06
I don't know where in downtown, the actual city of Watkins where you could place it, but I think that's. 01:32:10
Where it should be? 01:32:17
You know, maybe. 01:32:18
The school board will one day want to give us that piece of property that they have. And then it sits right up there over across, 01:32:21
I mean that I have this grand idea that you've got the County Courthouse and then you got the city of Watkinsville this, you know, 01:32:27
see, and they 2 are down this nice beautiful corridor. 01:32:32
I mean, like if you go to I think it's Tucker where every, all the government buildings are together and you've got them anyway. 01:32:38
Beautiful corridor. 01:32:45
From City Hall to the courthouse and. 01:32:46
And, umm. 01:32:48
Yeah. 01:32:51
All right, the other things I had on my list were just more streetlights in general. You know, even if we could every year add. 01:32:53
8 or 10 More on. 01:32:59
Even on Barnett Shoals, you know what a difference that would make. Just to kind of continue that feel of our downtown St. and 01:33:01
streetlights I think is nice. 01:33:04
Public art we talked about, but I would love us to have, once your committees established, like, what's a goal for public art? You 01:33:09
know, like, do we have? 01:33:13
You know, could we have one significant piece of public art a year to Watkinsville? And then you look back in 10 years and you 01:33:17
actually have kind of a nice. 01:33:20
Collection beyond the art boards and things like that that sort of paid Sharon did you have something you want to You said St. 01:33:24
lights or street light you mean like the decorative ones Decorative. OK all right I just want to make sure we weren't talking 01:33:29
because she's talking about getting rid of poles Yeah no I'm thinking more decorative like it just really sets a. 01:33:35
Nice tone on our sidewalks if we can extend those, you know. 01:33:41
And then I also thought about, you know, if we decide not if, if it's not feasible or if we don't want to pursue, you know, bigger 01:33:47
Parks and Recreation, do we want to look at some smaller bites in terms of parks? Do we want to look at some neighborhood spaces 01:33:50
where? 01:33:54
You know, umm. 01:33:58
Acre to two acre sort of spaces, you know, where people could gather. I like the idea of having everybody be within a 10 minute 01:34:00
walk of a park. You know, right now we have. 01:34:04
Some of that, we don't have a ton of that. 01:34:08
There's certain areas of the city where you just don't have that opportunity. So how can we how can we get a little closer that 01:34:10
those are lighter lifts to all point that's, you know, it's not that. 01:34:14
You know you get the land, but it's also you're not. That's not. 01:34:18
Millions and millions of dollars. It's more of how do we? 01:34:22
Get a little space and maybe add benches or a small playground or a place for families together or things like that. And to speak 01:34:24
to that, Brian, I feel like we have some of those little pocket parks that are really underutilized. 01:34:30
So I would like to see how to better utilize some of those spaces. We have the pocket park right by Wing House. 01:34:36
We have that one. 01:34:45
At column theory, the county has the counties, even though it's in the city. Yep, that's not ours. 01:34:47
OK, Now they'd probably give it to us as long as as we maintain. If we didn't, if we didn't change the name, then we would have to 01:34:53
maintain it. But they maintain it. OK. Yeah. 01:34:57
And what about? 01:35:02
Yeah, we the city does that. 01:35:04
We cut the grass that the county said the. 01:35:06
That McNally Park, Yeah, they'll cut it, but not as frequently. 01:35:08
OK, so. 01:35:12
They'll give it. They'll give it to us. I mean, John said they would as long as we didn't change the name. Yeah, I think we just. 01:35:15
Yeah, so just so. I mean, I'm not saying. 01:35:18
Yeah, I'm not saying we need to adopt that. I mean, there's obviously more. And then what about the, is it Patriot Park? That's 01:35:24
right by Jittery Joe's that little thing anyway, that's tiny. I mean, I don't see a huge play structure going on that, but. 01:35:30
I would love to to make sure that we really look at what we have and utilize what we have. 01:35:36
Yeah, No, I think that would you'd have to plan and say what are the needs, what do we want to do? 01:35:42
What's the walk shed for people so they can get there? Do we need to add? 01:35:47
Pedestrian infrastructure so people can get to these spaces. 01:35:50
Yeah. And say, OK, where's, where do our gaps and how do we want to address it? 01:35:54
So OK. 01:35:58
I think that's all I had. But now, yeah, now we got the land down in the trove as well. Pretty good parcel of land down there, 01:36:02
which I wish that we just let them have those be soccer fields. 01:36:09
I mean, does it have to be passive? Is there is there a way to change it? Yeah, by the by the. 01:36:17
Term. It stays passive by the terms of the thing. 01:36:22
The easement and all those things and well, just it can't be programmed. I don't know that it doesn't mean that. 01:36:26
Like unofficial oriented, we can create like a field, you know what it looks like right now, update a field or something, but you 01:36:32
can put a playground on it or something like that, right? 01:36:36
I don't know that you couldn't do that. I think that's passive. I know. I think we have to look at, I think maybe an attorney 01:36:41
question. Well, and I would love to. I mean, there's this again, this we're doing big ideas, but in Clark County. 01:36:47
School playgrounds when schools on session or public parks. So we do have Colin Ferry Elementary right there. I mean, again, don't 01:36:53
know that it's a. 01:36:58
Conversation that would immediately go anywhere, but I think it's certainly something. 01:37:03
Worth talking about? That's a. 01:37:07
A park that is right there. 01:37:09
A lot of work that. 01:37:12
It's been a while since my baby's played on that playground, so. 01:37:16
Trying very hard to get that redone right now. 01:37:20
Yeah, All right. What about? Let's go back to what's up here. OK, Go ahead, Christine. 01:37:23
So this is this might seem small but this has been something that I have wanted to see happen. 01:37:28
For years and years and years. 01:37:33
And part of our partnership with the library at Wire Park. 01:37:36
Was supposed to have the potential to do this with our funding. I would really like to see library hours extended. 01:37:39
They got cut back during the recession and I know again this is not. 01:37:46
Really in our control. 01:37:50
But. 01:37:52
I don't know if we have even influence in this. 01:37:54
But I would love to see not 6:00 closure times most days. That was cut back during the last recession and we are well past that. 01:37:57
So, umm. 01:38:05
You have a new library director starting this year and. 01:38:05
You know so. 01:38:09
Might be good conversation. 01:38:12
Mark no, I'll be happy to speak on that. I think it's a great a great comment. There is discussions. 01:38:14
The library if you talk to the library board. 01:38:19
As a former. 01:38:21
Board member. 01:38:22
You know, budget, budget, budget. It's it's all about about revenue. I will say this statistics and the data and James Mitchell 01:38:24
let the the Watkinsville branch of the Oconee Library has been great. 01:38:29
But there are really significant differences in the use times for the Watkinsville branch versus the Bogart branch. 01:38:35
So I do think that it's a great conversation. 01:38:44
Just with being partnered at Wire Park when when that move took place. 01:38:48
The utilization times of that library changed completely. 01:38:53
And a lot of it changed over the weekends, right? So I would say at the old location right here on Experiment Station Road, it 01:38:57
would utilize a lot during the week. 01:39:02
And not so much during the weekend and that's almost turned 180° with the with the wire part change, so. 01:39:06
I think. 01:39:14
A lot more of the houses get developed in there. You'll see it exponentially. 01:39:15
The growth in there as well and I think I think all those houses in there are great opportunities for library volunteers. 01:39:21
If you have a volunteer opportunity, you could walk. 01:39:28
And don't have to drive to. I think that's a. That's a good point. 01:39:30
But I do, I think it's a discussion to ongoing happen, but just don't be surprised if. 01:39:34
You know, the discussion is always hey. 01:39:38
Costs are increasing state requirements for for, you know, healthcare and retirement, some of those other things. And staffing is 01:39:41
always, you know, an issue from a library standpoint, so. 01:39:46
If you said hey, we'd like to be open till 10:00 at night, somebody might say that's a great idea. 01:39:51
But you got to pay somebody to work, be willing to work those hours. So that's the challenge. I know when we talked about the 01:39:56
contribution that Watkinsville will be giving to the library and is giving, but is going to continue to increase as Wire Park. 01:40:03
Is more activated. 01:40:10
A lot of that was specifically to have funding in order to increase library hours, knowing that we didn't have control over that, 01:40:12
but as a. 01:40:15
I agree. I agree 100%. I will say the the funding for this previous year because. 01:40:20
Some of the build out was. 01:40:26
Ongoing and not yet done. 01:40:28
It was actually a less. 01:40:30
For 2024. 01:40:33
Probably than than was expected, so so. 01:40:34
That money has not yet really been realized. 01:40:37
I think the other thing for us to remember is when. 01:40:40
Hours get cut back and. 01:40:45
Places and. 01:40:47
It's going to be short term. Let's just all remember a lot of times it turns into long term, you know, and that's unfortunate, so. 01:40:48
That kind of place. Is there anything on this list or Christine, you may have other ideas? 01:40:54
But that was some other things that Sharon suggested. Just the update on the dock on the large pond, we do have a. 01:40:59
I don't know if we made this clear at the last. 01:41:04
Meeting, but we have a donor who stepped up who's going to fabricate and install that dock for us, so we're responsible for. 01:41:07
The screw piles that will hold it. 01:41:14
And getting those installed and then I guess concrete up to the edge of it, but. 01:41:17
The uh. 01:41:21
IMI is going to donate and install. 01:41:22
The dock for us on the pond, A metal dock. 01:41:25
Yeah, yeah. 01:41:29
So cool. 01:41:30
So, which is a really, really awesome. 01:41:33
Contribution. 01:41:35
One one other thing on what's on the board, did anybody come up with anything on the traffic calming? 01:41:37
I mean. 01:41:48
Another chief you were going to look at. 01:41:50
Start looking at stuff and see if you had any ideas. I mean one I see constantly. 01:41:53
If you're coming down South Main. 01:41:59
Into downtown. 01:42:02
You sitting there Jittery Joe's? 01:42:04
The traffic coming out, Barnes shows. 01:42:06
That right turn, I mean, they'll fill it up. 01:42:09
And then the right turns green and nobody has anywhere to go or couple of them go, they're stuck out in the middle of the 01:42:12
intersection. 01:42:15
That don't happen all the time, just during peak times, but. 01:42:19
That's one big thing. 01:42:24
I see that should be addressed. 01:42:27
Possibly. Can we have a knife fight with everybody who uses Barnett Shoals? Can you put a note right on red? 01:42:30
Up there or because it's a. 01:42:38
State. Federal. 01:42:40
Road that goes through there. 01:42:42
Can you adjust the signage? The state would have to approve that. 01:42:44
It's killing me, yeah, but because 15 and 4:40, yeah. 01:42:49
But I guess you would be directing Barnett Shoals. No right on red. But yeah, you're right, You're right. Anybody that uses 01:42:54
varnish holes, they they take rights on red all day long. We probably got some of the same friends. We'd be in a knife fight on 01:42:58
that one for sure. 01:43:03
During the during the development of the transportation plan, there was discussion about some chicanes or things you may have seen 01:43:07
in other communities where it's basically a piece of concrete or median that maybe. 01:43:12
Because people come up on it just like people talk about having cars parked on the road that causes a lot of traffic home because. 01:43:17
They have to slow down, right? They don't want to hit a car. 01:43:22
There was a discussion at one point about something like that along Simonson. 01:43:25
Bridge Road, and I know the chief had mentioned that we're still getting high, high numbers, you know, high speeders on that road. 01:43:29
And so that may be something we can go back and revisit to is the transportation plan it talks about maybe a chicane or something 01:43:36
that would? 01:43:39
You know, an obstacle that would cause people to slow down in the road, you know, to come around and where you put it, That would 01:43:43
be something to have to be engineered. Obviously, it's not our roads, the county, so that would have to be discussion. But. 01:43:48
Since that was a specific. 01:43:53
Mentioned by the chief. That might be something to think about in the the reason I brought that up or the reason I put it on there 01:43:55
was, and I know the mayor's talked about this too. 01:43:59
We do have money in T spots. We have roughly 1.1. 01:44:03
$7,000,000 that's been set aside, not initially in the bank, but money's been set aside as that reference that continue as we 01:44:06
continue to receive collections on that, that are that is for traffic efficiency improvements roundabout. 01:44:13
Intersection realignments and improvements, signals, traffic calming measures, Rd. connections, etc. So those are the kind of 01:44:20
things that we really haven't. You haven't done any programming on that yet. And you know some of us because we've had some 01:44:24
changes in our. 01:44:28
And our, you know, in the Police Department where we need, you know, we need some focus on where it makes sense. And we wanted it 01:44:32
to be data-driven, not just, hey, let's just go drop something in the middle of the road or. 01:44:36
Whatever. So those, I do think that's an area we haven't. 01:44:41
Really focused anytime on need to. 01:44:44
Have some thought about what you guys want to do in that arena? 01:44:47
There's two aspects of that, right? We have congestion. 01:44:50
Where congestion is a functionally calming the traffic, you know, although it's not pleasant, right? I mean, if you go back to 01:44:53
where even 10 years ago we're, we're much more congested now than we were. 01:44:58
There's not a so I like the idea of it being data-driven. If there's a place where speeding is consistently an issue, then let's 01:45:04
look at calming if there's. 01:45:07
We know where congestion is, if there's a place where a small investment could make a significant difference then. 01:45:10
I'm all for it. A slip lane of, you know, something where we partner up with G dot to let people turn. 01:45:16
You know, terrible one is new high Shoals going on to 441 in the morning. You got every kid from the high school backing up there. 01:45:21
That's the county's problem. But they're slow to move on it, you know, But if they would just add a right turn lane. 01:45:26
From new high Shoals to 441 you would probably relieve. 01:45:32
50% of that traffic here. 01:45:34
Inexpensive because very little grading would have to be done on that. I mean, that's a real quick fix. So I mean, you know, so 01:45:37
I'm not excited about spending money for stuff outside of Watkinsville, but that might be a place where we could contribute and 01:45:42
help accelerate something that would benefit our citizens. It's a probably a frustration to 20 or 30% of our population in the 01:45:48
morning as they're trying to get out of the city or get to work. 01:45:53
But you know but one point. 01:45:59
One $7,000,000 sounds like a lot of money, but when it comes to traffic stuff it's not. But if we but some of these other ideas 01:46:02
that we had that we've talked through. 01:46:06
They may require us to do some of these. 01:46:10
Other things you know so. 01:46:13
You know. 01:46:15
Some of the other things that we we mentioned, you know that. 01:46:16
Getting kids to school safely. 01:46:19
You know, umm. 01:46:21
You know, different things that we did, we may have to use some of those funds to get those spaces safe. 01:46:22
Wasn't there something on? 01:46:27
Like sinking those lights. 01:46:29
I know it's been brought up before, something about sinking with the jittery Joe's light to Ashford light and. 01:46:31
But I just don't know. 01:46:36
Anything about that? But I know it's. 01:46:39
Been mentioned that they were sent maybe synced at one time and maybe they're not now or I don't. 01:46:40
Yes, yes, G dot can sync the lights or time. 01:46:45
Differently expand the seconds that they stay green to keep. 01:46:48
You know, North and South main open longer. 01:46:52
They can definitely do that. 01:46:55
But we'd have to ask. 01:46:57
Probably have to request some sort of a study. 01:46:58
You know, for them to look at all those lights because they're all interconnected. But I like that idea of. 01:47:01
You know, do we want to study those 3 traffic lights and make sure they're working as efficiently together as they could? Because 01:47:05
it all does affect, they affect each other. 01:47:08
Nowhere to go that turns yellow and you get one or two clocks. Well, it's the same way at Barnett Shoals. I mean, so when people 01:47:14
have been like you shouldn't be able to turn right on red at Barnett Shoals, I'm like, well then you would sit there forever 01:47:20
because when your light is green often you can't turn. It's actually when the. 01:47:25
Right the left hand turn lane. 01:47:31
Is on. 01:47:33
That's when you actually can turn right onto mainstream from Barnet Shoals is during that. So when people don't do it, I'm like, 01:47:37
come on, this is our chance. 01:47:40
All right, other ideas? 01:47:45
Last thing I this is going back to the roundabout on Norton Road. I know, I think I saw some stuff. We were putting some. 01:47:47
Aggregate around to try to make it a little bigger. Is that? 01:47:55
We're going to do that for a little while and then we're going to pave. 01:47:59
Is that is that? 01:48:02
Somebody I say we I saw a plan that said something about putting aggregate down on. 01:48:04
Besides and then that's going to expand it maybe and then if that works, put some permanent concrete. I think that's what I saw so 01:48:11
the. 01:48:15
The roundabout will stay. 01:48:20
Small. 01:48:22
OK. 01:48:23
What's the solution there, Mark? What's the plan? 01:48:25
There'll be additional concrete paving based on meetings with the developer and the designer. 01:48:29
We're we're lifting on this on a County Road. 01:48:35
And the city limits? 01:48:39
But it is, I will say, the. 01:48:41
Miniature. 01:48:44
Traffic circle. 01:48:47
On Norton Road is still a work in progress. Is that fair? 01:48:49
All right, it definitely calms the traffic, but it doesn't calm people's temperature. I left and went that way from church the 01:48:58
other day, and I went the correct way around. The guy behind me cut to the inside. 01:49:04
I just it. 01:49:09
They didn't pass me, but he cut to the inside. I mean, it's kind of people are being silly, but I mean, I see people do that too. 01:49:11
And I'm just like, you're just. 01:49:14
You're just making a point. 01:49:17
It's not, I mean, what, two extra seconds to take a right turn and go around it? I mean, if you have a trailer, your school bus, I 01:49:18
get why you're frustrated there, but. 01:49:22
I don't know. So are we going to? 01:49:26
Talk through this and look at the agenda. The prioritize that's the next thing is then going through. So things that are already 01:49:29
on this list. 01:49:33
That we want to prioritize. We do not talk about now, we're doing that later, correct? Sharon, how do you, how are we going to 01:49:37
handle that? 01:49:40
So is. 01:49:43
A little before 11, my thought would be to. 01:49:45
Give me a minute to try to add these under the areas they should be, try to reprint the list, put them out and then give you guys 01:49:48
your priority dots. 01:49:52
And let you go and it won't be as pretty as what's out there 'cause I'm going to drop it in real, real quick. But, um. 01:49:57
Then you guys would have, I think the mayor and I agreed, you'd have two number ones, two number twos and two number threes being 01:50:02
#1 being the most important to you. 01:50:06
#2 Second. Third. 01:50:10
The umm. 01:50:12
And so the idea would be for y'all to you know this is. 01:50:14
I think you need to. 01:50:17
Think about. 01:50:18
Think about what you really want to get done, whether it can get done this next year or not. What's the most important thing to 01:50:21
you? And then and then because we, even though it may be the most important, may not be feasible for us to get it done, but there 01:50:26
may be aspects of it we can start moving forward with. Like the mayor said earlier about eating an elephant, We could some of 01:50:31
those things we may have to start doing some of, but we're not actually going to complete whatever you've asked us to do. 01:50:36
So think. Think along the lines of what's the most important thing and then list those. The one thing we do need to talk about 01:50:41
though, before we take a break. 01:50:45
Is. 01:50:50
Next July 4th is the 250th birthday of America. I can't, we can't wait till the July 1 to get money for that or to decide what 01:50:51
we're going to do. So we need to be thinking about that. I don't know on what scale you guys are thinking. 01:50:58
I don't know what the county is going to be doing, you know, do we collaborate with them etcetera. The other thing is this year is 01:51:06
our. 01:51:09
210th birthday. 01:51:13
As a city, December 6th. So if there's anything you know again. 01:51:15
If maybe we pull from some of these groups, you know, our partners and or. 01:51:19
You know, these citizens, citizen groups that were establishing, if there's something that we want to do, just I just don't want 01:51:24
to forget about that because that's going to be here. I mean, we're already fixing to turn the page into another month, so. 01:51:29
Yeah, I love our little July like the little Kitty morning parade picnic at Rocket Field. It would be very. 01:51:34
Not a heavy lift, but is. 01:51:42
And then maybe it could become the 1st annual like we started on the 250th birthday. 01:51:44
So America and then? 01:51:49
I'm sorry, I'm talking about the July 4th like that's that's on here. Yeah, but like, maybe. 01:51:51
Get the plans together and and launch it. And because this has been on our plan for yeah, years and years and years. 01:51:57
I guess I was thinking that would be done on July 4th because. 01:52:12
It. That's right, July 4th, 26 of 26. 01:52:22
So. 01:52:27
We got a budget for it now, we got a budget for it in next year. Can I make a recommendation? So Russ Tanner, I think, does 01:52:28
everybody here know Russ Tanner? He throws a humongous July 4th thing out of his farm every year. 01:52:34
Humongous. 01:52:41
I mean. 01:52:43
$100,000 worth of fireworks off. 01:52:45
Humongous. 01:52:47
It might be worth us seeing if we could. 01:52:48
And I mean food, I mean it's all and it's all on donation. I mean, he sponsors the whole thing, him in a couple, he sponsors the 01:52:51
whole thing. 01:52:55
And so you give them 20 bucks if you choose to give them 20 bucks to eat. I mean, he's got BBQ, he's got food, he's got drink. 01:52:59
It's all. 01:53:03
Done already. 01:53:07
I didn't know if that's something we, the city, might want to. 01:53:08
Partner with. 01:53:12
Somehow you know and I don't know. 01:53:13
I don't know what his cleanup looks like out there and I don't know if I don't know any of that stuff. I don't know the logistics 01:53:16
of it. 01:53:20
But if we. 01:53:23
Partner with him, maybe move it to. 01:53:24
Thomas Farms or something and then fireworks being going off over the lakes, I mean. 01:53:27
Anyway, I just a crazy idea. 01:53:31
But he is already being done and. 01:53:33
Very well organized. 01:53:36
Already. Umm. 01:53:38
And hundreds, I mean, there'll be 500 people out there. 01:53:39
Already so. 01:53:44
I love leaning into. 01:53:46
Partnering with other people. 01:53:48
That our heavy lifting isn't so much. I didn't think that. 01:53:51
The fun thing to look at? 01:53:54
Yeah, yeah. I think we'd have to just see if Russ is willing to. 01:53:56
Partner with us and then we also need to see what the county is planning. I do have a lot of interest from Mike. 01:54:00
The younger citizens and the daughters, the American Revolution, they're already starting to think about this and. 01:54:05
You know, I think it's appropriate for the county to take the lead, but. 01:54:12
You know, you know, if we need to partner up or if they don't have big plans then. 01:54:16
I believe us to do something significant to celebrate the and it doesn't, I mean, I think the the coordinating makes a lot of 01:54:21
sense. 01:54:24
Because it doesn't have to. 01:54:29
All be. Let's see, when is July 4th next year. 01:54:30
It is Saturday, yeah. 01:54:33
But why not Independence Day weekend where the, you know, we see what the county is doing and then we make our plans for a 01:54:36
different time around that and then. 01:54:40
And then we could also use it. We're all together. 01:54:45
Or altogether, although I don't want the whole county in the city, I mean like we don't have the infrastructure for. 01:54:49
Him. 01:54:55
And not the 44,000 people will come but you know, like. 01:54:57
I like the idea. 01:55:01
I always like the idea when there's like a weekend of celebration. 01:55:02
And you have a lot of things and maybe there's one or two bigger things, but then there are smaller things because then you can 01:55:07
find. 01:55:10
It doesn't feel so overwhelming and. 01:55:13
Different people can participate in different things. And then of course having my DBA hat on, I'm like OK, how can we use this to 01:55:16
help promote? 01:55:20
Our local small businesses that summer is often kind of slow. And so no, I was, I mean I know we're talking a year and a half, but 01:55:24
like you said, we got a budget for it and start thinking about it now. So I think be great. 01:55:29
And I'll, I'll try to stay in town. 01:55:35
I have a nephew getting married in Scotland in July of 2026, so that's unfortunate. 01:55:37
So for the 210th, I mean, I'm not dying to do a big celebration. We did a little bit around our 200th, but if you all want to do 01:55:44
something, that's fine. If not, I don't know. 01:55:48
Mayor, I have a suggestion. 01:55:53
Yep, why don't we use the 210th birthday? 01:55:54
Of the city in coordination with. 01:55:59
The Christmas parade and that be the theme this year. 01:56:02
Excellent. Yeah, the parades the following day. 01:56:06
Yeah, Yeah. I think that we're thinking on the same line. I mean, it's a great parade theme, you know, the history of the city. 01:56:09
Yeah. Thank you, Toby. 01:56:13
OK. 01:56:18
Sharon. 01:56:19
Got anything else we need to think about? 01:56:20
I don't think so. All we're about to have a break. So say, yeah, we'll take a break, Let's do. 01:56:23
Let's just do. 01:56:30
Let's try 15 minutes, we'll come back. Y'all can take 15 minutes to prioritize and we can get back on track at 11:30 at work. 01:56:32
We'll take 15 minutes of a break and then 15 minutes. Prioritize that what you're saying? Great, let's do it 15 minutes. 01:56:39
Are still alive. I got to get on there and turn everything off then. 01:56:46
All right. 01:56:55
Welcome back everybody. That was fun prioritizing all the. 01:56:56
Items we will share and do we need to do you want to give us kind of the overview of where the votes landed? 01:56:59
And then I'll we'll update it and send it back out. But so it looks like number ones include. 01:57:07
Under government relocate public works department facility city charter amendments. 01:57:13
Under infrastructure we have we have three votes. This is a. 01:57:20
The other ones just had one vote on it, by the way. 01:57:24
The other number I'm just going to hit number ones I guess at this point but explore and activate. 01:57:27
Adopt A transportation plan. So there's three number one votes on that. 01:57:31
We also have continued sidewalk expansion improvements. 01:57:35
We have on land use, we have actually. 01:57:39
Basically three votes for establishing a green space program because I didn't go back and try to look see where somebody comments 01:57:43
you made actually fit into an existing 1 so. 01:57:47
We had y'all had added ask voters for green space bond, but there was a established a green space program already on the list. So 01:57:52
there's three votes for that. 01:57:55
Consider historic preservation ordinance. There's two votes for that. 01:58:00
For #1. 01:58:03
And then we've got another #1 under Thomas Farm Preserve the explore how to utilize the house. 01:58:05
And that those are all the number ones. 01:58:13
I don't know, there's an easy way to go about giving you all the number twos and stuff, but the the big priorities essentially are 01:58:16
Thomas Farm Historic preservation. 01:58:20
Green space. 01:58:24
And then transportation plan, which basically would also include sidewalks. So I mean we may again, I may be able to fold that 01:58:28
under that. So we'll have some. 01:58:32
Some high priorities. 01:58:36
I think. 01:58:39
And then city charter. 01:58:40
Yeah, OK, so on twos. 01:58:43
And I'll let you know if there's more than one. Otherwise just assume there's only one vote for this so. 01:58:45
Under community engagement, we have support existing events. We have a number two there. We have two number twos on youth 01:58:51
leadership. 01:58:54
Under government we have #2 on city charter, so. 01:59:00
Another essentially never vote for that. 01:59:04
Three number twos on and on improvements to stormwater conveyance systems. So that's a obviously a high #2. 01:59:07
We also have. 01:59:15
Two votes. 01:59:16
Two votes on. 01:59:19
The Barnett Shoals Evaluating Bart Shoals Rd. 01:59:22
We have. 01:59:26
One vote on on sidewalk expansion, which also got a number got a one priority. 01:59:27
Explore relocation of City Hall. We've got a number. 01:59:32
And then? 01:59:37
The last one is exploring opportunities for active recreation in our existing parks and spaces, green spaces, so. 01:59:38
And there may be, like I said, there may be a way and we may want to. 01:59:44
I may want to send this back out. They could let. I don't know. I'm trying to figure out how because I didn't have time to try to 01:59:49
figure out where some of these fit, but I know the. 01:59:52
The green space bond fits. 01:59:56
Really well in the green space program, so that's an easy one. 01:59:58
The recreation, I mean we really don't have, I guess that's going to have to be a stand alone because we don't have any of our 02:00:03
master plans say anything about it recreation so. 02:00:07
That would be a standalone. 02:00:10
I'll go back and Add all those. 02:00:12
In a put in priority order. 02:00:14
And I'll put, I'll probably put out the notes how many number ones and twos or something just so y'all know, it might be the 02:00:16
easier way to do it because it's just kind of hard to do it this way since we don't have like something I can look at on the 02:00:20
screen. 02:00:23
To show you. 02:00:27
You want me go through the threes as well? OK, so on the threes we had, we also had a #2 on this one that's supporting the 02:00:29
existing events in the community. 02:00:33
Then we had Explore Truck Bypass had two votes as a #3. 02:00:40
Evaluate creation of makerspace in the industrial area. We had a #3. 02:00:44
We had under government operations, we had two number threes for relocate public works department. So. 02:00:50
Three people in here thought that that ought to be at least, you know, a priority. 02:00:56
One of the top three priorities. 02:01:01
City charter amendment. Same thing there were. 02:01:04
They received a 12 and a three vote so. 02:01:07
Three people or three? 02:01:11
I guess probably not the same three people could be. 02:01:13
I should have put names on these so I know who did what. 02:01:16
Had a #3 for the doctor transportation plan, so again, four votes for that. That might be the better way to do is see top. Do the 02:01:19
number of votes reach? 02:01:23
Yeah. 02:01:28
Sidewalk expansion got a #3? 02:01:30
Activate and finish Hair Shoals Park got a #3 and it's the only vote it got. And then established a green space program Got a #3. 02:01:34
And then the house at Thomas Farm got a #3. So yeah, maybe the best thing for me to do is come up with. 02:01:41
The total, however, many showed up in the top three and give you those votes and then we'll put them in order on vote. So there's 02:01:46
probably some grouping you can do there as well. Great. 02:01:51
OK. Well, Council, that was great. I am curious, those of you who put stormwater, are there any? 02:01:56
That was something that we didn't talk about much. Is there any specific areas that? 02:02:01
You feel like need to be addressed or we need to think about why we've got staff here so we can put a little finer point on that. 02:02:05
I feel like we've done a lot of work in that area. 02:02:09
But umm. 02:02:13
Is there is just? 02:02:15
Does anybody have any thoughts on stormwater since it got so many votes on where we might want to invest or what we might want to 02:02:17
do? Specific thoughts? Well, I did not put it. 02:02:21
So, but when I think about storm water, we all have our areas of town that we go in. 02:02:25
And so as I walked down Lawana to Wilson. 02:02:30
That area is. 02:02:34
Just a disaster after rain. And that's part of that's part of the area we're looking at. I mean, so some of the issues we have, we 02:02:36
have one of the areas we actually have a really bad problem is that out in the White subdivision, because it's so old, all the 02:02:41
culverts are gone. They've got just all filled in with silt. So there's, when water comes in, there's nowhere for it, you know, 02:02:46
doesn't go back into the culvert because Culver's not there anymore. 02:02:50
The one on Wilson and Jeremy and all that same thing. 02:02:55
Have to keep that out. So that's some of what you all gave us operational money for this year was to try to get in there and 02:02:58
reestablish those culverts so that water coming in the pipes can stay in the channel and get to where it needs to go. 02:03:04
Problem with those SO. 02:03:10
It continues from Lawana across Wilson. 02:03:13
Down into a. 02:03:17
Very hard. 02:03:18
Ravine off 3rd St. and it's. 02:03:20
That that's I think we're going to have to be careful about how we push water because it goes through the. 02:03:24
Backyards of the people in 3rd St. 02:03:29
And it washes out, I mean. 02:03:32
Like their backyards have sank. 02:03:34
10 to 15 feet over the last. 02:03:37
10-15 years. 02:03:39
So we got to be very careful about how we manage pushing water. 02:03:42
Across Wilson and Lawana, Well, I mean off of off of Broad. 02:03:47
Not an engineer at all, but I just know that those yards get like. 02:03:53
There's just leaves and. 02:03:59
Crush pipes and stuff, but I don't know that that affects what's happening. The third I mean. 02:04:00
I don't know. We have gotten, I think there's two pipes, 210 inch or two 12 inch pipes to go under. 02:04:07
Wilson. 02:04:15
And then directs the water. 02:04:17
Towards the backyards of these these people down 3rd St. 02:04:19
And. 02:04:24
It is very much forced water that direction. 02:04:25
I mean, it's the natural flow though. I mean, there is a natural, yeah, I mean there. 02:04:29
And and when you buy a property, you look at yet possible erosion issues and that's part of. 02:04:34
Your due diligence. So the the story is that when they built Morgan Manor, they took all the trees that were from there and piled 02:04:41
them into this ravine. 02:04:45
And as the. 02:04:49
As the trees have eroded. 02:04:50
The ravine has revealed itself again, and so now all of this is. 02:04:54
And it's, it's a bad wash if you go over there, look, I mean, it's people's backyards or. 02:04:58
10 to 15 feet different than when they bought houses. 02:05:03
Good night. Yeah, there's a lot of issues there with this. 02:05:07
There's some. It's a little bit of a. 02:05:10
But, but ultimately, we can't. 02:05:11
Take responsibility for that. 02:05:14
Private storm water conveyance on their property. 02:05:16
Yeah, for, I mean for me, it's Morrison St. I mentioned it. 02:05:19
Privately to a couple people recently. 02:05:22
What I see on Morrison St. is that. 02:05:26
That 15. 02:05:28
Going down Morrison St. at the beginning though. 02:05:30
Culvert areas have kind of grown up. 02:05:33
Not really. 02:05:35
They're not deep at all. 02:05:36
Much more, and also the grass along the edge of the street. 02:05:38
Is high, so it keeps it starts off keeping the water in the street. 02:05:41
And then it funnels down the hill. 02:05:46
And a lot of. 02:05:48
Pretty much every. 02:05:50
On the industrial side of the warehouses. 02:05:51
They're all gravel entrances, so when? 02:05:54
The rain comes down, it's washes away. 02:05:57
The gravel. My warehouse for example has kind of two entrances, lower one. 02:05:59
Heavy rains, I lose that entrance, so I can't tell you how many times I've. 02:06:05
Bought gravel to. 02:06:10
No, Philip, I mean it's literally a three foot. 02:06:12
Ditch that you can't you can't drive in there at some of it, but I got some big rock on it hopefully. But anyway, the drainage 02:06:15
ditches kind of get filled with the. 02:06:19
You know the gravel sand from? 02:06:24
Above the street, they kind of all washed down and kind of clogged the culverts and if you look at the very bottom. 02:06:26
Right below the Otters Lake. 02:06:33
It becomes a lake. 02:06:35
When it rains and cool all the sand that's blocking the culverts under the driveway. So anyway, that's that's an area that I see 02:06:36
that. 02:06:41
You know, could be looked at. 02:06:45
I know we gave some operating money for that, but have we talked to the county about partnering is would it be more efficient if 02:06:50
they came in and helped us since they do that every year around the? 02:06:54
Anyway, versus US doing it ourselves in terms of blowing out the culverts and stuff. 02:06:58
So I've talked with Mike Weathers. He gave me a contact. 02:07:03
And we're looking at. 02:07:08
To Sharon's point, we're looking at the White subdivision and then over there on. 02:07:10
Wilson and Lawana. 02:07:15
And Jeremy? 02:07:17
Looking to see what can be done there. 02:07:18
And we just got to attack this in the stages. What I will say is once we start this process. 02:07:20
I'm sure we'll get plenty of calls saying. 02:07:25
Mine, mine, mine. 02:07:28
But we're looking at the more critical ones right now that don't have. 02:07:29
Any culverts because if you go over there white subdivision. 02:07:34
You see the pipes up under. 02:07:37
Driveways and then. 02:07:39
Right after the. 02:07:41
Is basically silted all the way in grass. 02:07:43
And it's just basically. 02:07:45
An impression at best in a lot of those areas where it flows. I talked to him, though, about what when we talked to right. So when 02:07:48
I talked to Mike about them being able to partner with us, they're just so overwhelmed with their stuff. 02:07:54
That you know. 02:08:01
The times that we do, get them to help us. 02:08:02
At more critical times, like when we had them help us with the tree over there on Jackson and stuff, but. 02:08:05
They're just so overloaded. 02:08:10
With their own stuff with the county. 02:08:12
And that's why he gave me the contact for the guy that does it independently. 02:08:14
What about? 02:08:18
I mean the. 02:08:21
Ditches, massive ditches and erosion on right there. 02:08:21
At Ameripride and down through there, I mean. 02:08:26
Those those of you can see they've sank. 02:08:28
They're pretty bad. 02:08:31
Eroded down through there. Oh, that's it. That's AG dot Rd. Yeah, happens to be the city, I mean. 02:08:33
You know, I mean that that is part of that will be addressed when they eventually finish out this last section of Mars Hill or 02:08:39
experimentation. We're gonna call Highway 15, you know, but. 02:08:44
We don't have a date for that. 02:08:49
When that will happen, so I agree with that is is. 02:08:51
We're losing it. 02:08:54
Going down through that big time, but one thing would help. 02:08:56
I know so many people. 02:08:59
Get the yards taken care of if and we do have we do offer leaf and limb pickup so if. 02:09:01
Each individual would get. 02:09:09
There, whoever they have doing the yards to get the leaves up and pile them up. 02:09:10
Instead of just blowing them into the ditch because that's. 02:09:16
Where that's where it starts, that's what starts it getting stopped up. 02:09:19
None of it gets hauled off, it just gets piled in there. 02:09:24
So. 02:09:28
Yeah, that is actually I wonder when we look at our policy, I think it's more of a policy than an ordinance on leaf and limb that 02:09:32
if. 02:09:35
If you have a landscaper or a yard guy who does the work that technically it's not supposed to get picked up. 02:09:39
But I wonder if. 02:09:44
As long as it's not like a big commercial job like. 02:09:46
We had somebody take out. 02:09:49
2 trees that were not responsible for that, but if it's normal. 02:09:51
Like yard clean. 02:09:56
Why does it matter if it is? 02:09:58
You know. 02:10:00
Jimmy down the street, your pain or? 02:10:02
You're doing it. 02:10:04
So what I'll say is typically curbside the only time they push back. 02:10:06
Is when it's a contractor that's removing a tree and Vanessa. 02:10:10
The leaves, I never hear Jennifer say, oh, they had a contractor pile the leaves up and so. 02:10:13
You know they should be taking care of it is more the tree removal and limbs. 02:10:19
That a contractor does that, they're responsible for getting it up then but. 02:10:24
She's never, they've never pushed back on leaves. 02:10:27
We might want to look at that policy then because it is a little bit of a pain, you know, if you have. 02:10:31
Somebody helping you and you're like, well. 02:10:35
You know by the letter of the law, you know they. 02:10:38
They can't leave a pile of sticks. 02:10:41
Out there, you know, if it's not you or someone in your family. 02:10:43
So they're, you know. 02:10:47
Only thing they're really specific about is like I mean cuz I I have cut neighbors trees down for them is root balls you can't 02:10:48
have anything. 02:10:53
I mean, even like bushes, you can't pull a Bush out and they will not take a Bush that's got a root ball on it. Oh yeah, yeah, 02:10:57
they shouldn't. I mean, they'll tear it up. 02:11:01
OK, all I'll say is the Chuck's point. 02:11:08
So a lot of people, you know. 02:11:10
Take care of their properties and stuff where we see the abundance of leaves that get inside of the culverts and inside of the 02:11:12
ditches. 02:11:16
Are the rental properties. 02:11:19
One other thing that came up while we were talking, I don't think it's a strategic priority sharing, but I think it's a good flag 02:11:25
and you and I've been dealing with it for. 02:11:28
A year or two and we probably need to just get it done. This year's do something with Business Blvd. 02:11:31
It looks terrible. 02:11:36
Off Morrison, Figure out who's. 02:11:37
Who owns the right of way? Who's the fallen trees? You know, all that kind of stuff. 02:11:41
We just need to push that to a conclusion because it's. 02:11:46
You know, umm. 02:11:49
Just looks awful. 02:11:49
Anything else we want to share? Because if not, we're. 02:11:54
Tweak our agenda here. 02:11:56
We're going to do the tour of the Police Department training room next. Then we'll eat lunch. That'll allow us to do the hearing 02:11:58
loop training as soon as. 02:12:02
Mr. Stiles here, and then we'll be able to wrap up early. 02:12:06
So that sounds good, everybody. Yeah. 02:12:09
Anything else anybody wants to offer while we're on the strategic stuff? 02:12:12
I just have a question with the process. 02:12:16
So for the things we talked about, but they didn't get any votes. 02:12:19
Do those still live somewhere or do you just take them off the list or what's the plan with that? Yeah, now there's still, I mean 02:12:22
all the rest of these things are going to stay on their special, the ones that are on our work, our short term work program. 02:12:28
I forgot. I just need to think through what the best way to do because once once I line these up, I've got to reorganize. I'm 02:12:39
going to reorganize them like I did last time I put number one, party number two, number three or something. So I've got to resort 02:12:44
that and I can't do that in my head right now, but but that I'll. 02:12:48
I'll do that on paper and then send it to y'all and then that'll be sort of the basis for the, when we go into budget for y'all to 02:12:54
keep that in mind. Those are the things you want us to focus on and those are things we'll try to budget around whether it's. 02:13:00
General fund dollars, philosophies lost, you know, whatever. 02:13:06
Capital funds so. 02:13:10
Yeah. So for now, everything will stay on the list though that we talked about today. Yeah, we'll just, we'll just leave it on. 02:13:13
And yeah, once we send it back out if y'all, you know, there were some things I think we mentioned. 02:13:18
There was. 02:13:24
Now that I've added all this stuff, I've changed my. 02:13:27
Sheet around umm. 02:13:29
The streetlight policy, I mean, that's something. 02:13:31
You know, I don't know, that's a big ticket, big thing, but it's on the list and I know it's important for y'all. We basically 02:13:33
have one that's operating. I just don't have it written down how we're handling that when somebody wants to, you know, street 02:13:37
light or whatever. 02:13:41
And you all said there seemed to be some. 02:13:47
Grouping of people wanting to do something about the charter, so that's going to stay on. 02:13:50
I'll go back through it if something comes up, I'll ask you and the e-mail to give me some direction at the next council meeting 02:13:54
or something about it. But so would it make sense to have under government operations like an ongoing that has to do with tweaking 02:14:00
ordinances in general and just like you have then the notes, like the specific ones? 02:14:06
But. 02:14:13
Because I feel like we're all, that's always something we need to be thinking about. They're always ordinances. 02:14:15
That we want to make our government more efficient. We want to make it. 02:14:19
Not always just sufficient, but what people want or need as times change. And so I feel like that almost should always be. 02:14:23
A priority, but then what? They are making changes? 02:14:30
Well, I mean, I think. 02:14:33
In in my mind anyway, I don't know if my staff feels there, but in my mind that's. 02:14:35
Just an understood party. I mean, if something, you know, at any point there need we need to do you know, I don't know that having 02:14:39
something written on there says update ordinance or I mean, well, I guess I'm just thinking because you have like the streetlight 02:14:43
ordinance as a specific thing, the streetlights not an ordinance. It would just be a policy. Just how do we handle that when 02:14:48
people call in because. 02:14:52
Every Tom, **** and Harry may call me, I want a little light here. Well, how we're going to handle that, you know, and so I've got 02:14:57
to think through. 02:15:00
You know, have we have any complaints? You know, how do I, yeah, collect that and make that data-driven instead of just. 02:15:03
A call in kind of. So I just need to think about that a little bit. 02:15:09
So it'll stay on the list, but. 02:15:12
Buffalo get done this year so. 02:15:14
You would look at that as a street by St. Once you start a street then you might probably be committed. 02:15:16
And have so many feet. 02:15:22
You know, I think that's not the decorative ones, Chuck. She's talking about the big ones up on the poles. We Yeah, that's what I 02:15:25
was talking about too. I mean, you know, if you. 02:15:29
Just I was asked the street she. 02:15:34
Below Trove. 02:15:39
They had asked, they had said it was real dark down in near the end, close to Colin Ferry Morrison. Morrison. 02:15:41
Robert had asked me about. 02:15:48
You know, I said. Well, call in and and see. 02:15:50
I didn't talk to Robert about that one too. And that is tricky because they're in the polls where Robert wants a poll, right? But 02:15:53
once you start. 02:15:56
That's what we just need to. I just haven't had time to do it. So sorry now to have opened up this rabbit trail. But why is it 02:16:30
vehicle? I mean vehicles have headlights people don't like. Why would it streetlights not be for pedestrians? 02:16:36
Well, the street lights are for this. 02:16:44
Straight not I know, but if we don't have sidewalk, I mean like like. 02:16:46
For much of our inner. 02:16:51
Where even if you have sidewalks. 02:16:53
But actually it's irrelevant. I mean, we, we want people to walk in our city. That is a major plan. So people are either walking 02:16:55
on sidewalks next to our streets or they're walking on the streets with no sidewalks. 02:17:01
And so I. 02:17:06
And there. 02:17:08
To me, I always thought it was about people say like just the safety of our community to have that light. But I mean, I think it's 02:17:09
used that way. But I mean, technically it's it's for vehicle traffic for, you know. 02:17:15
I mean, that's how I that's. 02:17:21
How I've grown up in government understanding it. I mean you have St. lamps for pedestrian. 02:17:22
I mean, people do take it. You do get a, you get the side benefit of the fact that people can use those lights for seeing if 02:17:27
they're walking on the street or whatever, or maybe next to a sidewalk that happens to have a street light. But the street 02:17:31
lighting is for vehicles. That's the difference between. 02:17:36
Pole lights and. 02:17:42
St. lamps. I thought that had to do with money and look. 02:17:43
That's two different you look at Georgia Power or any any power company, that's the difference one once for. 02:17:49
Road lighting and the other is for pedestrian lighting. 02:17:54
Send Christine for clarity, your street light. 02:17:58
Has a larger broadcast and not as defined. 02:18:01
And it's more about bringing attention to the roadway that you're traveling. 02:18:04
Of things that may enter the roadway. 02:18:09
And that's why I typically you see streetlights on. 02:18:11
Sections. 02:18:14
Where traffic is heavy. 02:18:15
And it brings caution to that area. 02:18:17
Were cars being parked on the side of the road or something entering the roadway? And that's why they're stationed up higher and 02:18:20
they have a larger broadcast out into the street to light the street. So in a sense you are protecting pedestrians because you 02:18:25
don't want cars to hit them because they cannot see them. 02:18:31
OK. 02:18:37
And that's why we added the ones on the Wanna too, because it was, it was also, it was street, but it was also going to have a 02:18:39
benefit of anybody walking in the area where there are no sidewalks, so. 02:18:43
All right, we ready for ready to head on over to the other side of the wall, Chief. 02:18:51
OK, all right, remember mics are still alive till I get. 02:18:56
Stop. 02:18:59
First, your scholar and gentlemen. Yeah, yeah. 02:19:14
We weren't. 02:19:23
Yeah, that's what we were just talking about, yeah. 02:19:28
Yeah, I know. Yeah, yeah. Let me just check it myself. 02:19:35
Testing 121212. 02:19:39
Sweet. 02:19:44
Don't tase me bro. 02:19:46
All right. So we've, I think we're back public here as we discussed potential Tasing candidates. 02:19:48
Welcome back to the hundreds of people who are observing. 02:19:54
To the Watkinsville Mayor and Council retreat, our final item on the agenda I think today. 02:19:58
Is hearing loop training. It looks like James Stole still well, Still well. 02:20:03
Thank you. Welcome. Glad you're here. Tell us. 02:20:08
What we need to know? 02:20:11
Well, I. 02:20:13
These are my hearing aids. 02:20:18
And I'm not going to put them in because I don't want to hear myself talk. 02:20:19
OK, but your loops working really really well. 02:20:23
Even where these chairs says it's not working. 02:20:26
Like, oh, there we go. Thank you. 02:20:28
Check, check, check. All right. 02:20:31
Hey my name is James Stowell and I am the owner. 02:20:33
And CEO of a company called. 02:20:36
American Hearing loop. 02:20:39
Been around 15 years. 02:20:40
Got loops from here. Well, let's see. 02:20:42
Not much West, but we did all of Broadway, all the museums in Washington DC. 02:20:45
Virginia Beach. Norfolk, VA. 02:20:50
Richmond, VA. All their big theaters and auditoriums we've done all of Duke and Chapel Hill, all their. 02:20:53
Examination rooms and. 02:20:58
Where did you leave here? That's right. OK. 02:21:00
Hey you guys are on Google. I saw it. 02:21:04
Gotta go loop in the council room right here. 02:21:06
And, umm. 02:21:09
It was an interesting process to put the loop in here, but how many of you knew about a hearing loop before you walked into this 02:21:10
room? 02:21:14
Saw this sign or did you even notice the sign coming in the room? 02:21:17
Yeah, that's the international sign. 02:21:23
Where here you live? 02:21:27
And if you're hearing impaired? 02:21:29
Then you know what that is. 02:21:32
Because it says right here. See that? 02:21:33
Switch your hearing aid to T coil mode. 02:21:35
And I'm already doing the worst thing I can do this microphone etiquette. 02:21:38
Move the microphone. 02:21:42
So if you're hearing impaired, you can raise your hand and say put the microphone back up to your mouth again. 02:21:43
So here another word for hearing loop is audio. 02:21:48
Frequency induction. 02:21:51
Listening system. 02:21:54
It's a tongue twister. 02:21:57
So everybody got tired of saying that. 02:21:58
Saying hearing loop. 02:22:00
Which is much easier. 02:22:01
And uh. 02:22:03
He basically is. 02:22:04
Old technology. 02:22:07
But its job is to take. 02:22:08
Speech between 100 Hertz and 5000. 02:22:12
And that's important, and I'll tell you why in a minute. 02:22:15
Take it into this digital microphone. 02:22:18
And there's a box in there that converts it. 02:22:23
Into old analog, so we're going from. 02:22:26
Digital. 02:22:29
Back in time again. 02:22:29
And it takes it. 02:22:31
And puts it into this wire. 02:22:33
It's right here. 02:22:35
The one right there. 02:22:37
There's some back there. 02:22:38
And it induces a. 02:22:40
Magnetic signal. 02:22:42
Closest thing I can tell you that it's coming out of there is. 02:22:44
Does everybody here have magnets on the refrigerator? 02:22:47
Yeah, we all do, don't we? OK, so take one of those magnets. 02:22:50
And try to hold it. Get it as close as you can to that refrigerator and hold it off. Don't let it touch. 02:22:53
What happens? 02:22:59
It wants to you just start shaking. 02:23:01
It's got to get on the refrigerators, got to get on that steel. 02:23:03
That's called induction. 02:23:07
That's not James Bond. Don't mix it up with seduction. 02:23:10
This is induction OK. 02:23:13
You're inducing a current into that refrigerator. 02:23:15
And what's happening, if you could see it? 02:23:18
If we all see it. 02:23:20
And we have instruments. 02:23:22
We can see this floor, not right now with a naked eye, but. 02:23:23
We could see it with our instruments, which are out in our truck. 02:23:26
We can see the electrons when they get close to that refrigerator. 02:23:29
They go from this and all your right hand. 02:23:33
They go from this curling motion. 02:23:37
To this. 02:23:39
So in this room. 02:23:42
This wire. 02:23:44
Is seeing that wire. 02:23:46
Seeing that next wire? 02:23:47
And once they see each other. 02:23:49
They're like best friends. 02:23:52
They're the straightest lines in the world. 02:23:54
And then all we do is add a little bit of voltage. 02:23:56
About. 02:24:00
A AA battery. 02:24:01
OK, what Appalachian did the Michigan State and the AA one time when they beat him? You guys probably didn't follow that, did you? 02:24:03
I followed it all the way to the very end of that game. 02:24:08
When the guy. 02:24:12
Narrating that games, it's just hard. 02:24:14
Can be and they got tired. 02:24:18
What in closing, they just smack them right off the field, so. 02:24:20
When those water see each other, we induce a current. 02:24:24
It brings it up and in this room is 6 1/2. 02:24:28
Almost 7 feet right here. 02:24:31
Now. 02:24:33
It also spills over. 02:24:34
This is in the loop. 02:24:36
This is out of loop. 02:24:40
And as you get further from the loop, it dims down, it starts to go down, the signal goes down and down and down. 02:24:41
And when you're talking in these microphones? 02:24:47
It's in the loop. 02:24:50
It's not here. 02:24:51
But you can hear it here, but not much. 02:24:53
So. 02:24:56
In the loop. 02:24:57
Out of the loop, so if you have a speaker out here like me with a microphone. 02:24:58
And uh. 02:25:02
These microphones are really good. You can actually I could. 02:25:03
Go outside in the parking lot and still talk to you. 02:25:06
That's how good they are. 02:25:08
And. 02:25:10
It puts that signal into here. 02:25:11
Old oxygen. 02:25:13
Now, is anybody here wearing hearing aids? 02:25:15
Besides me. 02:25:18
We're breaking. We're breaking the rule here. 02:25:20
It's one in three. 02:25:22
One in three people. 02:25:24
Our hearing impaired. 02:25:26
Now think about that. There's 335 million people in the United States. 02:25:28
In one and three. 02:25:32
It's a big number. 02:25:35
What do you think the CDC thinks about that? 02:25:37
That place in Atlanta? 02:25:39
Center for Disease Control. 02:25:41
Well then, classified hearing impairment as a chronic disease. 02:25:44
Yeah. 02:25:49
The biggest issue is why does the insurance pay? 02:25:52
For hearing aids for chronic disease. 02:25:54
Well, I guarantee you representatives in this. 02:25:57
State, our state, North Carolina, Virginia, working hard on that to change that. 02:26:01
Right there. 02:26:05
But it's a disease, a chronic disease is a disease that you get. 02:26:06
That gets worse. 02:26:10
And the only way it goes away is when you die. 02:26:11
How many people in here know somebody who's hearing impaired? 02:26:15
Now we know what's coming up on TV, right? It's called March Madness. 02:26:19
Right. Yeah. 02:26:23
I got 5 uncles. 02:26:24
What do they do when they sit in front of a TV and they're all shot Gunners? They're all. 02:26:26
Shotgun bird hunters. 02:26:30
Turn it up. Turn up. 02:26:32
Supper ties it'll go. 02:26:35
That's what I hear from them. 02:26:38
Yeah, they're all hearing impaired. They don't believe it. 02:26:40
But we do. 02:26:43
And that's when you hear it the most is around the holidays. 02:26:45
And the other thing that happens is that. 02:26:48
How do you know somebody's hearing impaired? 02:26:52
What's the first thing that gives them away? 02:26:54
What's that? What what you say? 02:26:55
Yeah, you got it right there. You'll see it all the time, especially here. Here's what I see it the most. 02:27:00
And I don't spend my life in a hospital, but the outpatient clinics in the hospital. 02:27:06
When the people lean over and go. 02:27:10
I'm trying, I'm trying to help. 02:27:12
Trying to help the lady sitting there is leaning way back going. 02:27:14
I hear you. 02:27:18
So those are our biggest customers. We those little inpatient, outpatient things that we put. 02:27:19
Pairing lips, each one of them. 02:27:24
So that both people the employee. 02:27:25
Who could be here impaired? 02:27:28
And the patient who's here impaired, we do it at banks, we do it at. 02:27:29
All the ticket offices is the ball game. 02:27:34
You know, at the at the. 02:27:36
Football stadiums. 02:27:38
But that's how you tell you hear somebody because they can't hear themselves talking. 02:27:40
So that. 02:27:46
When you wear a hearing aid. 02:27:47
You've lost over 80% of your hearing. 02:27:49
Go ahead everybody. Just. 02:27:52
Take your two fingers. 02:27:54
Put them in years. 02:27:57
OK, there you go. There you go. 02:27:59
Now you're experiencing. 02:28:01
My, I'll go ahead and take them out. 02:28:03
That's mild hearing loss. That's what somebody with mild hearing losses. 02:28:05
And it comes from children just being born or babies being born. 02:28:09
All the way to what day does it happen? 02:28:12
I'm working with that the school district. 02:28:16
Up in North Carolina, Rowan County. 02:28:18
And they have. 02:28:21
Teacher just a star Super teacher 24 years old. 02:28:22
She's a superstar of the school. 02:28:26
Everybody loves her, she loves everybody. 02:28:28
Week of December, she got up in the morning. 02:28:31
What's going on? 02:28:36
And it went just like this. 02:28:39
Downhill. Her hearing. 02:28:41
Until when I was there last week. It's almost gone. 02:28:43
24 years old. She has to get cochlear implants. Do you know what those are? CIS? 02:28:46
Yeah, that's that's those are miracles. 02:28:51
They they put a piece of foil. 02:28:54
Down inside in the new. 02:28:57
Your audio network of your brain. 02:29:00
It's it's that whole network, it's like this and your brain sits in it. 02:29:02
And it picks up the sound from that. 02:29:07
And then it has a magnet in your head. 02:29:10
And the hearing aid which hangs on your ear like a regular hearing aid. 02:29:13
It's plugged into that and you probably see those magnets on peoples heads right there. 02:29:16
When you get to that point, that's profound hearing loss, so you've lost almost everything. 02:29:20
So 100 Hertz to 5000. 02:29:26
Is what this loop is built for. 02:29:28
So that will work in your hearing aids. 02:29:31
We build these to the same specifications that the ADA requires. 02:29:33
And the federal government requires. 02:29:37
The hearing aid manufacturers to build their hearing aids. 02:29:39
We have the same. 02:29:42
Specs. Same specs. 02:29:44
And in North Carolina is the Fire Marshall. 02:29:47
South Carolina is the Department of Health. 02:29:50
Environmental Science. 02:29:53
And I forget who it is in Georgia. Who doesn't expect that you have? 02:29:55
I met with him at a meeting in Marietta. But then you have a group of inspectors. 02:30:01
Who abide by the ADA? Make sure everybody abiding by the ADA. 02:30:05
You know, putting in wheelchair ramps and things like that. 02:30:09
That's your protection. 02:30:12
That you'll be able to hear. 02:30:14
If you're not wearing hearing aids now. 02:30:17
You might be very soon, you never know. It could be overnight like that gal. 02:30:19
Another gal that we did was the the head of the HR department for the hospital system in Greenville. 02:30:23
And everybody had to get a flu shot in the hospital. 02:30:29
Or you're fired. 02:30:33
That's a pretty big deal. 02:30:35
You can fire everybody at the hospital 'cause they don't get a flu shot. What if they don't want it? 02:30:38
Well, she started the pioneering. The way she goes, I'll go first. 02:30:42
She got her flu shot and everything was great. 02:30:47
Next day we get a call. 02:30:50
She lost her hearing. 02:30:53
24 hours. 02:30:54
She was head HR for all the hospital systems. 02:30:56
Now her office is completely looped. 02:30:59
She couldn't hear a thing in that office if he didn't have a hearing loop and her hearing aids. 02:31:02
So, so it can happen to anytime, to anyone. We know people, so we have to learn to talk to people. 02:31:06
We have to look when you speak into your microphones. 02:31:12
These microphones all have different designs, not the these are the two of the same. All these are the same but this ones 02:31:15
different. 02:31:18
I have to talk here. 02:31:22
Three fingers, elbow in tight. 02:31:23
If I. 02:31:26
So if you're hearing impaired, you can raise your hand. 02:31:29
Call it here. Report microphone etiquette, please. Straighten up, fly right. Get that microphone back up there. 02:31:32
A lot of places need. 02:31:41
Hearing loops. 02:31:43
And the word of mouth, of hearing moves. 02:31:44
When you meet those people with these family, what we got March Madness coming up, but we got the 4th of July coming up, but it's 02:31:47
outside. 02:31:50
But then you got Thanksgiving and Christmas. 02:31:53
And what's going to happen there? 02:31:55
If I told you how many? 02:31:59
Family reunion tables with loop. 02:32:00
You wouldn't even believe it. 02:32:03
Because. 02:32:04
And it's a family reunion. 02:32:06
And if you're hearing impaired? 02:32:07
It's nothing but a noise gathering center. 02:32:09
But if you have a loop. 02:32:12
And some microphones. And, you know, the kids, grandkids really know what those might. They know what microphones are. 02:32:14
Just don't give them one. Just let them hold it for them. If you give them one, you're in trouble. 02:32:19
They I've seen it in the church they had. 02:32:24
In the church they had them. 02:32:27
Grandparents Day. 02:32:29
Pick up all your grandkids. Bring them to the church. 02:32:31
And they have the. 02:32:34
The master of the. 02:32:36
Pastor who's taking care of all the kids? 02:32:42
And he made the mistake. 02:32:45
You got all the kids up there and the grandparents are in the loop. They're in the back. They never heard the grandkids. 02:32:47
I mean, all they hear is. 02:32:53
You know a little girl yells at 8000 Hertz. 02:32:55
I hear he only works at 5000. 02:32:58
You don't hear it. 02:33:00
You'll hear him scream. 02:33:02
They'll be screaming all day. You'll never find them. 02:33:03
So. 02:33:06
Put all these kids up there and they were asking questions about what they learned and on. 02:33:08
Sunday, that little. 02:33:12
Religious class in the. 02:33:15
He made the mistake. 02:33:17
Given the microphone to a little girl. 02:33:18
He said. What's your favorite thing? She said. Well, let me tell you what my mom and dad do. 02:33:21
And again, I said you can give that microphone back, but she got up and walked off down and proceeded to tell everybody too much 02:33:26
information. 02:33:30
About what her parents did. 02:33:33
Oh, I see these. 02:33:37
Is there a weak signal right here? 02:33:41
That that's what we've been told. That's it. That's what we're going to have you check today. 02:33:43
There there's a thing about a hearing. 02:33:47
And it's pure physics. 02:33:51
I use the right hand rule because that's the first thing we learned in physics class. 02:33:53
Is that the energy is coming out of my thumb? 02:33:56
And then the radiation. 02:34:00
For the energy. 02:34:02
Curly, it's called the right hand rule. There's not a left hand rule. It didn't count. 02:34:03
It's only the right. 02:34:07
So this wire right here. 02:34:09
Has energy coming this way? 02:34:11
It's rolling this way. 02:34:13
And it has to intercept. 02:34:15
The Wire over here. 02:34:17
This way. 02:34:19
If you're right over top of the wire. 02:34:22
When I say right over top of the fire, no matter what the size. 02:34:26
That's called the null NUL. 02:34:29
So if you stand over. 02:34:31
And you can get your hearing aids just about perfect. 02:34:33
You'll hear. 02:34:36
It dies down. 02:34:38
All you have to do is move over a little bit and get the sweet spot. 02:34:40
If you sit right over it. 02:34:43
And I can sure I'll find it. 02:34:45
We'll bring instruments as if you sit right over it. 02:34:46
With your ear right over the wire. 02:34:50
Not going to happen, It's just physics. 02:34:53
If somebody sits here and says to you. 02:34:56
Gosh, I can't hear sitting here. 02:34:58
But he steers me just fine, right? 02:35:00
Yeah, yeah. 02:35:02
Yeah, well, scoot your chair up a little bit. 02:35:03
That's all you're gonna do. 02:35:06
And it's not against the well. 02:35:07
So if you go there. 02:35:09
Now your head against the wall so where I can hear it, you're right, you're not going to be able to hear it. 02:35:10
So you it's it's a two way St. you got to find a sweet spot. 02:35:16
And. 02:35:20
You got to tell somebody if you're not getting it, but it does work, works well, and I just listen to it. 02:35:21
So I'm going to open this up to question and you can ask anything if. 02:35:26
You know, I I can do it technically or I can try to do it in layman's language. 02:35:31
I like the technical answers better. Are we Speaking of these microphones? 02:35:36
How close is it in the same three finger? Ideally it's not. 02:35:41
OK, it said. It has to be played at the level of your mouth. 02:35:44
So that's tilted right there is perfectly nice. Go ahead and. 02:35:47
You tell me, go ahead and just speak normally. 02:35:50
Hi there, Can you hear me good? 02:35:52
See that you see where yours is up on your forehead. 02:35:55
So you watch. 02:35:58
OK, talk like this. Perfect. 02:35:59
Bend it down so you don't have to have the floor because these are really good mics. These are 12 inches. 02:36:02
Right here, but right at your mouth. Point at your mouth and don't lean into it because it'll get loud and it will distort. 02:36:08
You don't want to do that. 02:36:17
Here for me, this one right here, it's like this. 02:36:18
So good question. 02:36:22
That's really good to know. It's OK because if you have a lot of hearing impaired people in here and they talk to me, they be 02:36:26
raising their hands on you. Hey, fix that microphone. 02:36:30
I mean, you wanted to say, come on, yeah, I'll fix mine. Can you hear better now? 02:36:34
James, question for you. There are 159 counties in Georgia, 500 plus municipalities. 02:36:40
Do you know statistically how many of those counties, how many municipalities have an installed functional hearing? I do them, I 02:36:46
know that has answered that question one. 02:36:51
One, most lawyers don't ask questions that they don't know the answers to. 02:36:57
This one right here. 02:37:03
We tried real hard and some people are still trying very hard, but. 02:37:04
Here's the problem. 02:37:08
How many people here here in Paris? 02:37:10
Model Yeah, just hanging around here so I have no hearing in my left ear. 02:37:15
Profoundly on my right ear. 02:37:20
That's why I have those hearing aids over there. 02:37:21
Here's the problem hard enough to crack. It's a law, by the way. 02:37:24
ADA. And who manages the ADA? Do you remember who manages them? Who's your boss? 02:37:29
The Department of Justice. 02:37:34
They're busy these days, aren't they? 02:37:36
And they can. And they're going to get busy on this kind of thing soon enough. Right now, they're just finishing up the wheelchair 02:37:39
ramps. 02:37:41
And you get a city like Charleston who hasn't put one in yet. 02:37:44
They call it the Holy City, but they won't put a wheelchair ramping for anybody. 02:37:48
So the Department of Justice and ADA, there's a law was passed in 2010. 02:37:52
One in active in 2012 and says where there are two or more people. 02:37:56
I count more than two here. 02:38:02
Gathered in a public place. 02:38:04
That has. 02:38:07
A microphone PE system. 02:38:08
You must have assisted listening. 02:38:10
Those municipalities are breaking the law. 02:38:12
But they're not the only ones. 02:38:15
Did any of the federal conference buildings? 02:38:17
In downtown Atlanta. 02:38:20
They got nothing. 02:38:21
And it says in their building code they have to have it. 02:38:23
But they're not doing it. 02:38:26
So who's the victims here? 02:38:28
Here we are. We've got. 02:38:30
One in three. 02:38:31
60 something million. 02:38:33
Folks who are hearing impaired, and by the way, don't let anybody fool you if you say I'm not hearing impaired. I just have 02:38:34
ringing in my ears. 02:38:38
You got a problem. 02:38:43
That ring, it didn't come from nowhere. 02:38:44
It comes from a disease. 02:38:46
OK, so how do we as a group get going? 02:38:48
You know, there's a there's like Salt Lake City. 02:38:53
Their City Council decreed. 02:38:55
Here loops on every new renovation, every new. 02:38:58
Public floor, The City of Marietta. 02:39:02
Same thing. 02:39:05
They've got loops everywhere, you know, life and university everywhere. Their loops. 02:39:06
It's where do we start? 02:39:10
I thought maybe. 02:39:13
Working with the governor would help, but. 02:39:14
Try to get in to see. 02:39:16
Well, back then it was it was, it was a he Brian Camp. 02:39:18
Try to get in and see him. It couldn't make any headway at all. 02:39:21
None. 02:39:24
He's not hearing impaired. He doesn't know anybody. 02:39:25
Why we care? 02:39:28
He's not wheelchair bound, why would he care about that? 02:39:30
Why? 02:39:33
How much does it cost to install a system? 02:39:35
To install the system. Well this system here. 02:39:39
I'm going to say the average system, I can't. This one doesn't count because this, you know, this municipality discounts things 02:39:45
like that. 02:39:48
Our average system is between 12 and $20,000. 02:39:52
Per room. Wow. 02:39:55
OK, none, five year warranty. 02:39:57
It works. 02:39:59
Satisfies. Legally, it satisfies the requirement. 02:40:01
And it's a capital investment. 02:40:05
You know, you put the money out there. 02:40:08
And you get what you pay for. 02:40:10
So that's that's about right, but I've done some that are. 02:40:12
Like let's say 5 theaters. 02:40:15
On Broadway was 200,000. 02:40:18
Michigan State Basketball Arena. 02:40:23
186,000. 02:40:26
I'm trying to think of something the Peace Center in Greenville. 02:40:30
Seats 3700. 02:40:33
And that. 02:40:34
Fleming Arts Center. 02:40:36
Another 180,000. 02:40:38
It's got 18 loops and. 02:40:39
25,000 feet of wire. 02:40:41
And it works wonderful. Have my favorite seats in there. 02:40:44
So. 02:40:50
Good question. 02:40:51
Every place is different. 02:40:52
Like before the loop went in here. 02:40:54
We tested it over and over. 02:40:56
Several hours, over and over. 02:40:58
And. 02:41:00
You look at the budget and you say, Gee, what can I get by with? OK, so this loop is made just like it is in a church. 02:41:01
It's made for you to do exactly what your mother told you to do. 02:41:08
Sit the back straight and sit up. 02:41:12
Don't fall asleep at the table. Don't put your elbows on the table. 02:41:14
This is how it's built. 02:41:18
Why is it built like this? 02:41:19
Because the. 02:41:21
It's inside that hearing aid. 02:41:23
Is built perpendicular to the loop. 02:41:24
OK, so here it is. 02:41:28
Walk my head. 02:41:31
I go horizontal with the loop, everything. 02:41:34
All bets are off. 02:41:35
It's got to be perpendicular like. 02:41:37
What John's holding there, so he's holding it up right like that. It's got to be like that. Put it in your shirt pocket. Do 02:41:40
anything you want, but keep it upright. 02:41:43
This is called a single. 02:41:47
Array loop. 02:41:49
We do. 02:41:50
I just finished a NBA basketball court. 02:41:52
In Richmond, VA. 02:41:56
For special needs school. 02:41:58
Got a huge gymnasium? 02:41:59
And they want their young athletes to be able to hear with their hearing aids. 02:42:01
While they're tumbling, jumping and playing ball. 02:42:06
So we put in a phase array. 02:42:08
So we have this loop that's here. 02:42:11
Why are there? Why are there? 02:42:13
Every four feet we put a wire. 02:42:15
In the concrete. 02:42:18
So anywhere you go. 02:42:21
Including all the way under the bleachers. 02:42:23
In that basketball arena. 02:42:25
If you're hearing impaired, you can hear everything going on. 02:42:28
Even if there's not microphones, they've got to be microphones. Got to have a source. I'm sorry I didn't explain it. Source. 02:42:30
Goes to hearing loop driver in the closet. 02:42:38
To the wire. 02:42:40
OK, three things you got to have and they can be. 02:42:41
You got to go test it. 02:42:45
Now when we get a new construction like. 02:42:47
That one in Richmond, they, you know, two years ago they sent us the drawings. 02:42:49
It's just here's what we're planning. 02:42:53
We want the gymnasium and here's what we want in it. Here's what we want to have happen. Can you do it? 02:42:56
Answers. Yeah. 02:43:00
So now I've done probably. 02:43:02
2000 basketball NBA basketball courts. 02:43:03
In the concrete. 02:43:07
Then they lay the wooden frame, and then they lay the rubber, and then they lay that nice wood. 02:43:08
There are a lot of churches that have huge gymnasiums like that that we've done. 02:43:13
In Atlanta. 02:43:16
Probably, I would say. 02:43:17
I did 4IN Atlanta right now. 02:43:20
And they have these schools. 02:43:23
Religious schools. The Episcopal Church. 02:43:27
Christchurch, they have huge gyms. 02:43:29
So we're able to do that. 02:43:31
You know, I think. 02:43:34
Toby, did you have a question? 02:43:35
Yeah, barring an outside source like. 02:43:36
Cutting the line or severing a line was the longevity of. 02:43:40
The system that you've seen. 02:43:43
You know, I know you weren't here for five years. 02:43:45
Yeah. The question is, oh, you guys aren't in the loop. But anyway, the question is, is how does the longevity play out based on 02:43:48
the equipment? 02:43:52
So, umm. 02:43:56
A wire. 02:43:57
That's in the floor, undisturbed, like under this carpet. It's a flat wire. 02:43:58
It'll probably outlast you. 02:44:03
And everybody in this room. 02:44:05
If we put it in concrete, it has 100 year warranty on it. 02:44:07
So he's going to outlive me. I'm not going to be 100 so. 02:44:10
The drivers. 02:44:14
Or normally five years. 02:44:15
And the new drivers seem to barely make it 5 years. The old ones, the old big heavy duty opera style seemed to last. I probably 02:44:20
have 100. 02:44:25
Those old opera style drivers that I put in and. 02:44:30
2010. 02:44:33
And they're still working. 02:44:35
I sure wish they'd break. 02:44:38
I'm a business guy. I don't want to break. 02:44:41
You know what they pay for those drivers 15 years ago? 02:44:44
There's probably more than what they cost today because, you know, this is this kind of electronics has gone down in price, not 02:44:48
up. 02:44:51
You know, because they got smarter. The new ones look like an iPhone on the front. 02:44:56
The old ones you had to have a little screwdriver. 02:45:00
And you had to have up two or three meters going on and you had the tunnels and lights just right and get them just right. 02:45:02
So it's the box that breaks, not the wires. 02:45:10
What? The wires, they break when people remodel. OK, but because I was like, wow, that'd be really expensive to have to replace 02:45:14
all the wires every five years is. Yeah, if you decide to replace this carpet every five years, you need to think about putting it 02:45:18
down in the concrete. 02:45:22
We do a lot of retirement homes. 02:45:28
And they do replace their carpet every five years. 02:45:30
And so when they're replacing carpets, we're we're cutting concrete, they started out like this. 02:45:34
But now they want it in the concrete. They want that 100 year warranty. 02:45:39
So. 02:45:43
And but boy, I'll tell you what, a carpet cutter with that knife. 02:45:44
They are so good, it'll cut this wire so fast you wouldn't believe it. 02:45:48
And it may happen to you in here. And then we can find the cut and we can fix a lot. 02:45:52
I'll say the worst case was a. 02:45:57
In Greenville First Baptist Church. 02:45:59
Seats 2500. 02:46:01
Big amphitheater. 02:46:04
Church umm. 02:46:05
The they were putting a new carpet, so we laid all the wire, flat wire just like this. 02:46:06
Everywhere. 02:46:11
I mean, just thousands of feet, thousands of feet. 02:46:12
Came back two days later and here's that beautiful carpet in. 02:46:15
Test salute. Nothing. 02:46:20
No. Check all the wires, nothing. 02:46:23
And the guy was a was a company called Bonnets. 02:46:25
And they had a big guy run it. 02:46:29
And I said hey. 02:46:31
I got a question for you. I was pulling up the carpet here, somebody cut this wire and we had put boards. 02:46:32
Wood boards. 02:46:38
On top of every place they could possibly cut that wire. 02:46:39
And said do not cut the wire. 02:46:42
Gave him a place to cut the carpet on the board. 02:46:45
He said to me, he said. 02:46:48
We don't cut no wire. 02:46:50
We didn't cut the water. 02:46:52
I said, yeah, somebody did whoever's in here putting this carpet and cut the wire and he said no, we didn't. 02:46:53
And he was a big guy. 02:46:58
Got up against me, but right here in my face. 02:47:01
It's pushing you backwards. I was going. 02:47:05
This is not going to happen like this. 02:47:07
Call the. 02:47:09
The facility manager. 02:47:10
He had the whole thing on video. 02:47:12
And every time that carpet knife cut that wire. 02:47:14
You got to spark a copper. 02:47:17
I mean called the boss, the owner and showed it to him. 02:47:20
It's $1000 a cut to fix. 02:47:25
I'm not crying. 02:47:28
Well, look at me. I'm. 02:47:31
One of the guys that worked for me, Don, he retired. He he's just mad because he's a Craftsman. 02:47:33
You know, you cut my wife ****** me off. I don't care how much you pay me, but me, I just said get your checkbook outlet's get 02:47:37
going, you know? 02:47:40
So yeah, it's $1000 to fix it so. 02:47:44
Try to impress upon anybody that comes in here to work on this. 02:47:48
If you've got to pull it up. 02:47:52
And let's pull it up. 02:47:53
But this one wasn't that expensive. 02:47:55
So we can replace this unless if you want to put it in concrete. 02:47:57
You know we. 02:48:00
We used to contract out concrete cutters. We've seen it on the street, right with the big sauce. 02:48:01
Well, OSHA, which is the safety people to protect your lives. 02:48:05
Like the writing on the cigarettes and stuff, they're there to protect you. 02:48:09
They they tighten it way up. 02:48:14
The silicon dust from concrete will kill you eventually. 02:48:17
So they tighten that all up so that we. 02:48:21
We decided to start cutting concrete on our own. 02:48:24
So we bought all the right equipment that OSHA approved. They came and proved it, washed his cut. 02:48:26
And if you get our Facebook page for American Hearing Room. 02:48:31
Just turn your volume down because you can watch us cut concrete because it's loud. You know, we wear earplugs and knee pads and 02:48:35
helmets and boots and stuff. 02:48:38
But we do ourselves. 02:48:42
And the price difference is interesting. We're talking about price. 02:48:44
If you bring in somebody concrete cutter. 02:48:47
They'll charge you about anywhere between 25 and $45.00 a foot. 02:48:50
The cut. 02:48:54
We charge $5 a foot. 02:48:56
Because when we cut half an inch down. 02:48:58
Those guys with those big saws on the street cutting their curbs and stuff. 02:49:01
I mean, they're cutting. 02:49:04
Like that? 02:49:06
So yeah, if you, if you have to pull this up and if it does start sticking when you're pulling it up. 02:49:07
Then it might be best just to go ahead and just pull it up. 02:49:12
And have us come back, put wire and it wasn't that expensive. 02:49:16
I mean, it's expense, but it's not that expensive. 02:49:19
All right. OK. Questions, more questions. 02:49:21
I know it sounds like you're going to be doing an inspection here this afternoon. Yeah, we're going to. We're going to run tests 02:49:26
on everything. Great. 02:49:29
Well, thank you very much. This has been super enlightening. Yeah, you're welcome. Be sure you tell everybody, though, that's. 02:49:32
I want you to talk to those other municipalities, you look like the right guy, and ask him say. 02:49:38
Ada. 02:49:45
It's a law. 02:49:46
You got to do it. You're supposed to do it anyway. 02:49:48
Those folks that aren't shy anymore, they're retired. 02:49:52
They'll drop it down on anybody. 02:49:55
No call. No. Call Ada and they'll call me. 02:49:58
They weren't you down here putting the loop in? I said. I didn't know. 02:50:01
So. 02:50:03
Oh, you guys know? 02:50:05
Yep. So we've done all their theaters down there. So yeah. So if you end up in Sun City. 02:50:08
You got a wonderful theater with hand movement, so. 02:50:12
Well, people retire there. 02:50:16
Sharon, thanks for the invite. 02:50:17
Thank you. Thank you. 02:50:19
All right. Well, Council, with that, I think that's our. 02:50:21
Final agenda item we advance the Police Department tour. Is there anything else anybody wants to share before we wrap up? 02:50:25
All right, Well, this meeting is done. Thanks again to everybody for their input. All right. 02:50:33
My. 02:50:39
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All right. Welcome everybody to our annual planning retreat. Excited to have this time together. 00:00:07
Today, this is when we. This is when we. 00:00:13
Deliver ideas big and small that help our city staff set their budgets, set their priorities for the year. 00:00:16
And. 00:00:23
Do the things that make a difference for Watkinsville and for our citizens. I've been. 00:00:25
Reflecting. 00:00:28
On all the all the things that are done, Sharon's going to share, give you an overview of kind of what all we accomplished in 00:00:30
2024. It's pretty amazing. 00:00:34
I think as we all go around Watkinsville. 00:00:37
We have people approach us. Well, wouldn't this be great? Isn't this a great idea? How many times have we heard that, you know, 00:00:40
and. 00:00:43
I you know. 00:00:47
Not to be demeaning in those people. I love that so many people have ideas for Watkinsville. 00:00:49
But it's one thing to have an idea, it's another thing to have the will and the skill. 00:00:53
To act and execute on this. 00:00:56
And one of the things I'm most proud of with this council is we have the will to act and we have a staff with the skill to 00:00:58
execute. 00:01:01
On great ideas that we agree on, and what that does in the end is it creates opportunities that never would have existed. 00:01:05
For our community, if we hadn't done that and. 00:01:11
Several days a week I have the pleasure of sitting in this office when the when the sun's up, which is most of the time. Sometimes 00:01:15
like last night when the sun is down and. 00:01:19
And I hear the kids laughing and watch them run up and down the ramp and play. That's something that wouldn't have existed without 00:01:23
y'all's courage. 00:01:26
To ACT and insurance and her staff skill to execute that in partnership with the SP. 00:01:29
When you go to Watkinsville Woods, the exact same thing that took a little bit of courage to do years and years ago, and we did 00:01:35
that. 00:01:38
And then I think the finest example is Thomas Farm Preserve. Again, a big win this year. 00:01:42
I can't help but smile every time I drop by and and see all those people out there and think, wow, you know that just who would 00:01:47
have thought that would be an opportunity? 00:01:50
The same thing can happen on the sidewalk. The same thing can happen when you go to Wire Park. The same thing can happen when you 00:01:54
go to a retailer. 00:01:56
That's new, but is there? 00:02:00
Because of an environment that y'all helped create. So. So that's my preamble. I hope we'll all continue to think that way. 00:02:02
In terms of what are the opportunities that we can. 00:02:10
Set the tone for Not all of those require money. Some of them require a commitment on our part to. 00:02:12
Planning or land use some of them require. 00:02:18
Hire. Some of them require establishing a DDA, which we did a few years ago and what that's created so. 00:02:20
But what we'll do today will help set the tone for years to come. 00:02:26
And I'm grateful to all of you for giving us your time. 00:02:30
I am a nerd about keeping us on time with the agenda, so I'm going to facilitate it that way. If there's if the ideas get too far 00:02:33
out there, I might ask Sharon to put that in the parking lot and we'll come back to it. 00:02:37
If we can't stick to it, but in the past we finished up a little early, I hope we can do that today. 00:02:43
One of the things I always like to start with is to realign us on our. 00:02:49
City's vision and values Our vision is to create Georgia's most compelling community by honoring our history, building community, 00:02:52
and creating opportunities for citizens to engage and do business with one another every day. 00:02:58
Our tagline is to come connect and create. 00:03:04
Our values are efficiency, transparency, inclusivity, creativity, kindness, and connectivity. 00:03:07
This council changes every year or two, so I always like to look around and make sure we're all still comfortable with that vision 00:03:14
and those values because, like I've told you before, that guides the decisions that we make. 00:03:19
Are we all comfortable with that or do we want to discuss this? 00:03:24
OK, good. 00:03:28
We'll scratch the first item off the agenda then, if we're all good with that. 00:03:29
Unless anybody else, we do have a little bit of extra time, is there anybody anything anybody else would like to share off the top 00:03:34
on what you'd want to accomplish today? 00:03:37
If not, I'm going to let Sharon move on into. 00:03:41
2024 plan initiatives and funding. I would one thing I did mean to mention, I want to thank our department heads for being here 00:03:44
today. 00:03:47
In JNU as well which leads our DDA. 00:03:51
This is a big commitment on y'all's end. I know how busy y'all are. 00:03:55
I see Mark and the chief all over the city and and Lee never stops. So for y'all to give us five hours of your time today, we're 00:03:59
grateful. We're also grateful for y'all's leadership because without. 00:04:04
You guys, we know 90% of this stuff we can get done and. 00:04:09
Several of us remember those days where we were. 00:04:12
When Julie did it all. Yeah, yeah. When Julie did it all. And. 00:04:15
Brian. Brian was out asking for right away and Connie was. Connie was. 00:04:19
Making things happen. And so it's, it's really refreshing now to know we can get a ton of this done. 00:04:23
With the talented staff. 00:04:28
We also are broadcasting live. 00:04:30
Sharon, did I need to read the thing about the hearing loop? 00:04:32
Yeah, I'm not the best at looking up at that. The city does have a hearing loop system in the council chamber, a wireless network 00:04:35
for those with hearing aids. Signals can be picked up by most hearing aids. 00:04:40
City also has loop receivers for those who still have some difficulty hearing. 00:04:44
Anyone with questions about that can contact Sharon and we can make accommodations. 00:04:48
We do have the TV over here is on the Fritz. Can we just turn it off? 00:04:54
It's a little bit distracting. 00:04:57
Yeah. 00:05:03
All right. I think everything else OK, good. All right. 00:05:05
What's the what's the thing they show you on before you watch a movie now that the lights may be blinking sensitive to after after 00:05:08
five hours, we might have all been a little bit like that. 00:05:13
So anyway, so, so Sharon, unless we let, does anybody else want to share anything else off the top because we've got it. We're a 00:05:18
little ahead already, so. 00:05:21
The question I don't think this is the time for this, right? 00:05:25
Like brainstorming ideas, right? Right. 00:05:28
This isn't it. 00:05:31
Yeah. So we're going to get into that in the, we'll get into that in the 11:00 AM prioritizing. 00:05:32
Now we're going to get into that in the 10 AM, the long term planning and visioning, we'll probably get there pretty quickly, you 00:05:38
know, as it is so. 00:05:41
All right. Any other thoughts? 00:05:45
Questions. Otherwise, I'll hand it to Sharon and let you. 00:05:47
Take it from here, OK? 00:05:50
Thank you, Mayor. 00:05:52
Umm, so we all thought we did a lot in the five years. Umm. 00:05:54
Starting in 2019 to 2024 or 20 I guess 24, but last year was a really. 00:05:59
Really big year I think for us financially and just. 00:06:06
Physically and fiscally, it was a big year. We got a lot of money in and we also did a lot of projects. 00:06:10
I do want to thank everybody in the room because you guys are the ones who set the tone. You made the decision what you wanted us 00:06:16
to do and then gave it to us and let us do what we do best, which is making it happen. 00:06:21
Provided the funding resources for that, I'm very thankful for my staff. 00:06:27
And all the efforts that they went through to make sure that all these things did come to fruition and are in some of them are 00:06:31
still in process. 00:06:35
And as well as our partners, ESP. Oak half the chamber. 00:06:39
The groups that we work with to make some of these events and or. 00:06:43
Programs happen in the community. 00:06:47
So 2024, I think the biggest thing perhaps, I don't know, ties, the two top ones or we were named an All America city. We took a 00:06:49
delegation of 19 people to Denver, competed and won. 00:06:55
I think my throat still hurts from screaming so loud. That was so exciting but. 00:07:01
You know, that was a culmination of partnerships. 00:07:05
And collaborations with ESP and with Ohio County Little League and with private sector. 00:07:09
Funders and with our local African American church, Bethel Baptist and. 00:07:14
All those that's what we went, we presented on is what makes us our small town. 00:07:19
Sorry our. 00:07:23
Small town, big story. 00:07:25
And and really. 00:07:27
Really imbibes what? 00:07:31
Come connect, create means. And so that was I think the highlight of last year and it happened right in the middle of the year and 00:07:33
it happened. 00:07:36
On the heels of us getting. 00:07:39
The next big thing which was this $2.225 million loan and $1.5 million grant from G Tib for the Simonton Bridge Rd. pedestrian 00:07:41
connector, which is we're currently underway with phase one of. 00:07:47
And are releasing or in the process of releasing the RFP's for Phase 2? 00:07:53
Which will be the final phase of the project so. 00:07:58
Super excited about that. Of course, we get our local maintenance improvement grant funds last year and I believe this year we'll 00:08:01
be getting additional funds. 00:08:05
So roughly, you know, $100,000, which for our community is a lot of money. 00:08:09
When we only have a $3.2 million? 00:08:13
Budget. 00:08:17
We also received a $35,000 grant for Georgia Power for the for a strategic plan for downtown, for the downtown area and that's. 00:08:18
We're sort of in the process of pulling that together. 00:08:25
What that will look like and then we've also received some grant money's for safety. 00:08:27
Public safety through the Girma, through our insurance provider and GMA. 00:08:32
And obviously and every year we've worked really hard to keep the bulletproof vest partnership. 00:08:39
And that and this year we got $1800 for that as well. Library was a big win. Obviously wire parks continued to develop. 00:08:44
But the city now has a facility a we actually own the building as you all made-up. We made was made possible by the donation by 00:08:52
Duke Gibbs and his group. 00:08:56
And then the library funding from the state and from the local. 00:09:01
But city and county governments provided. 00:09:05
Provided umm. 00:09:08
Funding to make sure that that opened and it's. 00:09:10
It's booming. I think their biggest problem is our biggest problem at Thomas Farmers Parking. People just, you know, still need 00:09:12
parking, so. 00:09:15
We also resurfaced a lot of roads. I don't have the actual numbers as far as the the miles. It's not a lot, but. 00:09:20
It's a lot for our little city, so all Jackson St. Niagara, Dr. Simonson Way and then a section of School St. 00:09:26
And then we also, we actually completed some of those water St. storm water improvements in 23, but they bled over into into 24. 00:09:33
So I put them on there as well. 00:09:37
As the mayor mentioned, we hired ADA director at the end of last year. She started officially this year. So I didn't actually put 00:09:41
that as an accomplishment, but but we hired her in December, she started in January. 00:09:46
But we had several activities last year, the suite, the street. 00:09:52
The sidewalk poetry contest and the barbecue and Bake Off. The BBQ Bake Off is going to be an annual event, so we'll set that 00:09:56
again this year. 00:09:59
Oh, in Burger Week. 00:10:04
Sorry about that. Yep, missed that. Well, and that, yeah. So that wasn't something that required the City Council. And so I was 00:10:06
going back through the list of all our stuff that we did, and I didn't see that. So Yep, Burger Week, that was awesome. And 00:10:10
they're going to do that next year in January. 00:10:15
Right, so. 00:10:19
I finished up at rocket field with a net climber. We started. We actually completed Phase 1 and 2. 00:10:22
Of the Hair Shoals Park Master Plan that included paving the additional the roadway and adding additional parking spaces. 00:10:29
The Art Walk, I guess as we're calling it, installed 3 art pieces along the backside of City Hall, heading down towards the park. 00:10:36
And then, like I said, we began work on the Simonton Bridge pedestrian connector. So we awarded. 00:10:44
The first phase, which includes the construction of the sidewalk. I noticed when I came through this morning that Spectrum has 00:10:50
taken down the final. 00:10:53
Communication lines. 00:10:58
So now AT&T will come in and drop the polls, which they're going to leave for us to use on the property if we need them. So. 00:10:59
And then and. 00:11:06
And then we completed. 00:11:08
Thomas Farm Preserve, that was probably the biggest lift for all of us. A lot of things that were on our list as probably y'all 00:11:10
operate like I do. Sometimes you put things on your list and other things come along that have to bump those things off the list. 00:11:15
This is one of those things that we've really spent a lot of time. 00:11:19
Really making sure that Thomas Farm was ready for the public by December. 00:11:24
And so we moved mountains to make sure that happened. We renovated the bathroom at the dairy barn, installed more than 3 miles of 00:11:28
walking paths. 00:11:33
Two gravel parking lots. 00:11:38
Fencing along the front. 00:11:40
The trail interpretive. 00:11:42
Entrance signage and then establish the small and large dog park areas which I think. 00:11:44
Has have been great I know my phone goes off every time those cameras go off so there's a lot of people using the dog parks over 00:11:50
in that area so. 00:11:53
But and then we're in phase two where we talked about that at Council meeting last week, we're in phase two of. 00:11:57
Of Thomas Farm Preserve, the master plan, what we want to do there, there'll be some of that we'll talk about today about. 00:12:04
How that might roll out and what other things you guys might want to put on the list for us to do. 00:12:09
We also hired a police chief. 00:12:14
He also got hired, and he got hired in December, so he gets to count on my 2024 accomplishments officially. 00:12:17
And then we had the annual Easter Egg hunt, the annual Cops and Bobbers, which both of those events are scheduled. I believe the 00:12:23
Easter Egg hunt is April 19th and the Cops and Bobbers is May 3rd. And this year Cops and Barbers will be held at Thomas Farm 00:12:27
Preserve. 00:12:32
You all also passed some ordinances, mobile vendors, historic preservation and corridor ordinance. I know the historic 00:12:37
preservation will be discussed today. 00:12:41
As well. 00:12:45
Mindful A. 00:12:46
Some more pictures for bass. I was there yesterday. 00:12:48
No joke, I saw like. 00:12:51
5 LB bass pulled out of there yesterday. It was. 00:12:53
Do you see it put back in? 00:12:56
It was, it was. I was impressed when you get a picture. 00:13:01
Yeah. 00:13:05
Some some of the other things that we did I thought were highlights of the year. Colin Ferry had a student that painted a mural on 00:13:07
Hardin Hill on the Well House. 00:13:11
We accepted the 13th roughly 13 acres of green space at Trove Subdivision. 00:13:16
The city participated in various ways at the Piedmont Garden Tour, the Georgia Historic Trust Ramble. 00:13:22
We had a citywide litter pickup contest. The mayor. 00:13:27
Kicked off, I think it was maybe. 00:13:30
August or so, I can't remember now when that happened and anyway we had that and that was that was a lot of fun. And then the 00:13:33
downtown is trick or treating that happens on Halloween and the Christmas parade and tree light and so. 00:13:37
That's a lot for a staff of 21. And we weren't even fully staffed last year. We were down. 00:13:43
At least three people at any given time. We're still down. 00:13:49
Three now I think, I think we're still down three, one officer and well maybe maybe 21 officer and one public works person, so. 00:13:54
So I mean, that's a lot and I think, and I thank my staff again for, you know, once y'all pass it over to us for making sure that 00:14:02
all that stuff got done. It was a lot of work and it is still a lot of work, but. 00:14:08
But we're all pleased that you guys entrusted us to make sure it happened and we did our best to make sure it happened so. 00:14:14
Any questions about any of that or any comments I guess? 00:14:20
Thank you. 00:14:25
It's a tremendous amount of work and. 00:14:27
Let's see something recording. 00:14:29
And also, I mean, I we talk about this some. 00:14:32
But I am so appreciative. 00:14:35
Of how the city operates overall like. 00:14:39
The way all of the roles are actually done, the way they're supposed to be done, and that is not even unfortunately, normally the 00:14:43
case so. 00:14:47
The mayor provides tremendous leadership and direction. The council, you know we. 00:14:52
Discuss and dig in and disagree and come to a decision. 00:14:57
And then? 00:15:03
Sharon, you lead your staff and then the staff. 00:15:05
And you a lot late nights. I know you work a lot of hours. 00:15:08
Take it and run and make it happen. And that is the way this is supposed to work. 00:15:12
But like I said, I don't see that happening most places unfortunately, and so I feel so. 00:15:18
Grateful to be sitting here today. 00:15:25
And in our sphere, I feel incredibly hopeful. 00:15:29
Because. 00:15:33
When things are happening the way they're supposed to, look what we can do. 00:15:34
And this is everybody in this room. 00:15:39
I mean. 00:15:42
Pat yourself on the back like well done. 00:15:43
And so I am just very, very proud to be sitting here and to be part of this group. 00:15:46
And I am really excited to see. 00:15:51
Next year. 00:15:54
What 2025 is going to say. 00:15:55
I think the other thing that goes without saying is that all this gets done. 00:15:58
But you know, our city is remarkably safe. 00:16:03
The trash gets picked up, the streets are clean, you know so so that the table stakes. 00:16:06
Are taken care of. 00:16:11
And are well done. 00:16:12
You know, so you know, in a lot of cities that they, you know, a lot of places they struggle just to get the basics done well. 00:16:14
And I think I'm really grateful that we can do the basics, the most important things we're supposed to do. 00:16:19
And then we're able to do these additional things that our citizens love and that they want, that are important as we seek to 00:16:24
build community. So. 00:16:27
So it goes without saying that you're, you know, you guys are squeezing a lot through a small straw and doing a great job with it. 00:16:31
And I guess I'll add to I always, I, I, I always consider them staff, but they're not staff. Our city attorney and our city 00:16:38
engineer who we pay to help us with these projects. They have other cities and communities in private sector that they help, but. 00:16:44
We can't do what we're doing without them as well, so certainly want to recognize them in their efforts. 00:16:50
Absolutely. 00:16:56
So we can talk about strategic conditions will be a little bit ahead of schedule which might be good. 00:16:59
What I'd. 00:17:04
What I envision is we'll talk. 00:17:05
Generally about the strategic initiatives I was going to, I did provide a print out to everybody. Do not have this on the screen 00:17:08
because you wouldn't be able to read it anyway. 00:17:11
There are copies on the table for anybody that's here at once one. 00:17:15
And the packet is online, so everybody should have access to that, anybody that's paying attention online. 00:17:18
But what I'll do, what I thought is, is I'll I'll walk through the. 00:17:25
Strategic plan initiatives. 00:17:29
Briefly, I'm not going to get into the weeds too much and then we'll roll right into, OK, now that you see what's on the list and 00:17:32
where we're at. 00:17:35
You know, what are some of the things? 00:17:39
That that would be the big idea. Some of the things that Christine had mentioned a minute ago bringing up or some of the specific 00:17:41
things with like Thomas Farmer Historic preservation. 00:17:45
How much do we want to dig in in fiscal year 26 into those items? 00:17:49
Can you also reground us? 00:17:53
Why this is important from, you know, the DCA and the state level too? 00:17:56
So. 00:18:01
The department, Community Affairs, requires that we have a work plan and every five years it has to be updated. We have to report. 00:18:03
Back on how we did. 00:18:10
And there are the items that are in blue that are on your on the sheets in front of you or if you're, if you're looking online, 00:18:12
those items are part of our work plan. And it's really good that that a lot of them are on our work plan. That means, you know, 00:18:17
because we have to respond and show that we're actually working, we're actually doing something that makes us a qualified local 00:18:22
government, which gives us access to local auction sales tax and other. 00:18:27
Benefits. Umm. 00:18:34
Makes us eligible for grants both state and federal as well. 00:18:35
So the. 00:18:39
The blue items are. 00:18:41
Are things that we we need to get done. It doesn't mean that if for some reason something came along, you know again. 00:18:43
Something happens and it changes our course that we're going to get in trouble if we don't do them. We just have to say, OK, well, 00:18:50
we're working towards that. 00:18:53
And if that doesn't happen, we just have to respond why? You know, maybe there wasn't funding, maybe, you know, the priorities of 00:18:56
the City Council changed, etcetera. 00:19:00
But a lot of them on there are in our work plan and they're being actively. 00:19:05
Pursued. So I think it's it's really good the strategic initiatives. 00:19:09
We have thought we agreed back in 2019, there's five areas of influence that the city has and. 00:19:14
We've got it broken up into land use, government operations, community engagement, infrastructure and economic development. So you 00:19:19
know we. 00:19:23
At any given time, and I've talked to my staff about this, one of the reasons. 00:19:27
That I think our weekly meetings are so important. 00:19:30
And that all my department directors are are are there is that sometimes what happens in parts could affect something in finance 00:19:33
or in personnel or. 00:19:36
Something that happens in public safety could have an impact. 00:19:40
On, you know, something in public works or DD and the DDA. So in the downtown area so. 00:19:43
All of us, you know the Council's making decisions that affect many different areas. If you make a decision on land use, it could 00:19:49
affect economic development or vice versa. 00:19:54
Our government operations are affected anytime there's a decision made, like land use, like, hey, we're going to accept this 00:19:59
donation of land. OK, Well, now that's just affected a whole bunch of things, you know? 00:20:04
What you know, how do we have to budget for this? 00:20:09
You know, how, how are we going to manage, manage the space, etc. So, so these are the strategic initiatives. Everything that we 00:20:11
talked about we try to lay and we try to list under one of these areas. 00:20:17
And that's what we'll talk about briefly. I don't think I have. Yeah, I'm going to come back to that in a minute. 00:20:22
So like I said, I'm just going to walk through. 00:20:28
Fairly quickly. Not going to run too fast through them, but. 00:20:32
Right now. So when we started out, we had. 00:20:36
And I wish I didn't have my, I don't have my original sheet up here, but we had a number of community engagements. I put these in 00:20:39
order of alphabetic order. They're not in any other order. Just figured it made sense to go that way. But, but we're down to two 00:20:44
community engagement initiatives. I don't want anybody freaking out saying that we need to have 10 at any given time. I but I do 00:20:49
think we need to be thinking forward about how. 00:20:53
How do we want to engage the community because we are down to sort of two. 00:20:58
Items on our list, so that's something you may want to. 00:21:02
Is that where we throw ideas about this? Well, are you going over everything? Yeah, I think I'm gonna get over if that's OK. I'll 00:21:06
go through absolutely each of them, and then we'll come back. Is that mayor? Does that work? Do you want to? Yeah. When you said 00:21:10
we're down to 2, does that mean? 00:21:13
We've accomplished, right. We've accomplished all the rest of them and that's why they don't have the original. I'd have to pull 00:21:18
that up to see to show you what we've accomplished. But since the strategic initiatives were established in 2019. 00:21:24
But we only have two community engagement ones that are left on the list. So again. 00:21:31
Something to think about if you feel like we need to be fed up. Is it This would be, you know, an area we could identify that mean 00:21:36
we'll do it in 26? 00:21:39
Fiscal year 26 that may mean that you know we. 00:21:43
We're planning ahead for it in 27 or something like that, so. 00:21:45
So one of our community engagements is to support existing events that happen. We just talked about Easter egg hunt, the cops and 00:21:49
bobbers. Obviously every year the Chamber of Commerce has their fall festival at Rocket Field. We support them. They've actually 00:21:55
submitted their paperwork and that will be in front of you hopefully at the March meeting to make sure that that. 00:22:01
Keeps moving forward. 00:22:07
The Christmas tree Christmas parade tree lighting. 00:22:09
So those are ways that the community currently. 00:22:12
Participates or tries to engage. That's the way the city tries to engage the community in. 00:22:16
In these events and stuff so. 00:22:22
I, I'm sort of torn at whether or not we need to, it's become part of the fabric of what we're doing. I don't know that has to 00:22:24
continue to be on here. These were some of the things we said we needed to start doing. I think, you know, we've shown that we're 00:22:28
continuing to do these. 00:22:32
We can leave those on there. We can think bigger and say, OK, that's just going to be everyday operations, just assume that's 00:22:37
going to happen. 00:22:40
Tracking it, it's not a work program plans, it's not one of those things we have to go back and report to the state on. 00:22:43
So we may or may not. We may just want to say. 00:22:48
You know, yay for us, we've done it. There's obviously more work that we want to do, but I don't know that, you know, that level 00:22:51
detail needs to be in the strategic initiative anymore. 00:22:55
Because it's become so much of it so. 00:23:00
And we'll talk about that here in a minute when we get to the end of this. So the other is exploring the establishment of the 00:23:02
local History Museum. I know there has been a lot of discussion about that or there's been thoughts thrown around about what that 00:23:08
looks like, where it would be, who might be involved in that. The mayor just created an arts committee, will be hopefully today 00:23:15
finalizing that application and getting it out to the public. And that group can probably help lead that and provide some. 00:23:21
Input for the Council to consider. 00:23:28
As that moves forward, so that's those are those are the two community. 00:23:31
Engagement. 00:23:35
Items that are on our list. 00:23:36
On economic development, we have we're down to two on our list. We've completed a lot of the other ones. 00:23:39
The biggest one being developing a downtown master plan or a strategic plan. 00:23:45
A master plan tends to learn more towards master planning like land use or and or. 00:23:51
Physical type structures, whereas a strategic plan may be more about like how you do that, how do you, how do you. 00:23:57
You know, how do you grow your downtown? 00:24:04
In more of a programmatic way or policy way? 00:24:09
So the council does have money, $35,000 from Georgia Power. 00:24:12
To create a strategic plan and that is high on the priority list for the DDA this year. 00:24:17
So so. 00:24:24
And then economic development 21 explored the truck bypass. 00:24:25
In that case, you know there's very little the city can do at this point. It is underway. I think that the update on that was I 00:24:30
put the update that G dot awarded a $5,000,000 bypass project. 00:24:34
To NV5 their their works going to include geomatics, environmental studies, roadway and bridge design, hydraulic and hydrological 00:24:40
analysis, traffic and geotechnical engineering, right away services, and erosion control. 00:24:46
And I think they're still thinking 2030. 00:24:52
52032 something like that before it might actually be in place, but I think this is like a two to three-year effort to actually 00:24:55
plan, you know, figure out the route, figure out what needs to be done and then let the project. 00:25:01
And then it would have to be constructed. So there it's a, it's a long term. 00:25:07
Effort and so as much as it's important to the city, I don't know that you know y'all, you all will have to size that. Do we need 00:25:11
to put any major resources to it or not. 00:25:16
It's not actually in the city. Obviously it impacts us greatly whatever happens, but. 00:25:21
So think about that when we get into the into the discussion here in a minute. 00:25:26
Under government operations, we have 3 items that are still on our list that have not been accomplished, relocated public works 00:25:30
facility and that is to potentially free up. 00:25:35
Very valuable real estate on the corner of Main Street and Experiment Station or Highway 5315. 00:25:40
And so we are pursuing some options. We're trying to look for an area that would. 00:25:47
You know would. 00:25:52
Would be suitable for relocation of the Public Works department. 00:25:55
So that is still that is a high priority for a number of reasons. Like I said, it doesn't it does impact the downtown area as well 00:25:58
and what we just talked about strategic planning so. 00:26:02
The other two are pursuing certification of the Police Department. 00:26:07
The chief has already worked, he's working on the policies that that was something that was being worked on earlier last year. And 00:26:11
then we got a break on that and, and with the new chief, he's come in and started really working at on that in earnest. 00:26:17
Use of force, the really big policy. We need to make sure that we're lined up and shored up on everything on how our officers 00:26:24
react in those situations. 00:26:28
I don't know he's working with. 00:26:32
City attorney to make sure that that is. 00:26:34
Those are those are brought up to standard and that the officers are trying to appropriately for those. 00:26:36
And did a lot of preliminary work on that. Thank you. 00:26:41
We did considerable preliminary work on that maybe eight months or a year ago, but we need to finish that up and Chief look 00:26:46
forward to working with you to accomplish that. Thank you. 00:26:51
One of the side benefits of that is if we do, if we were able to get all those done, we can actually apply for. 00:26:57
The GMA has a. 00:27:03
Police excellence in policing. Excellence in policing. 00:27:07
Certification that will help, it'll actually reduce our our. 00:27:10
Liability insurance rates our premiums by 5%. There are, you know, bigger wins, but they also require bigger. 00:27:13
Bigger investments, so. 00:27:20
We don't have a lot of people that can can maintain the requirements for getting certification. You have to. 00:27:22
Do all these. 00:27:28
Checks and balances and everything throughout the year and that takes a person and I don't know for our size of city, it makes a 00:27:29
lot of sense to use that person to just keep track of reporting and stuff like that. So we'll go after what we can to make sure 00:27:34
that we're doing, we need to be doing and that our officers are trained appropriately at on all of those. 00:27:39
Issues, but there will be a little bit of the benefit once once we get that started so. 00:27:45
City charter amendments. I think this is something we definitely need to. 00:27:50
You know, either say you want to pursue or not pursue. 00:27:53
The council did approve a new charter. 00:27:57
Passed it to the legislature, they didn't move on it. And 20, I guess it was in 22, they didn't move on it and it's sort of sat 00:27:59
there, so I think. 00:28:03
Something y'all need to have some thought about. Again that's not a short term work program. That was something an initiative or 00:28:06
program that you guys. 00:28:09
We're looking at. 00:28:13
Quick comment on that. Your current charter is by memory, 43 or 44 years old. It's somewhat archaic. It does not track the Georgia 00:28:14
Municipal Association model. We all collectively as a group spent a lot of time on this three, 3 1/2 years ago and it is overdue. 00:28:22
Under infrastructure we have. 00:28:32
Six items. 00:28:35
Yes. 00:28:37
Sorry, I meant to ask under the. 00:28:38
Public works facility? How much land do we ideally need? Like minimum? 00:28:40
Just so if we see something in our minds. 00:28:46
Probably an acre to or maybe you should, maybe our city engineer can give you a little bit. So the variability would be sewer, 00:28:49
right? So if you have sewer, then you don't need as much land if you're on septic. 00:28:55
Then you would have to have a septic system associated with that. So if you would need less land, again probably maybe an acre and 00:29:01
1/2. 00:29:05
Or sure if you had sewer. If you don't have sewer, it might be 2 1/2 acres. 00:29:10
Right. So it just depends on. 00:29:14
Obviously once you don't have sewer in your own septic than the condition of the soils. There are some places in the city. 00:29:16
Where their souls aren't great and you need to be able to perk and so then having. 00:29:22
Where those souls are as part of those variabilities. But I don't think you need 4 acres, but I don't think it's something you can 00:29:27
do on half an acre, right. So that that's the range. 00:29:31
OK. Thank you. 00:29:36
What do we need water for other than bathrooms? 00:29:37
Washing equipment or. 00:29:40
Is the building size. 00:29:43
So if you have a second system. 00:29:45
But you have X amount of land for the septic tank field lines or parallel. 00:29:48
Versus a sewer. 00:29:53
Sorry, sorry, I just would since we have people. 00:29:56
Yeah, bathrooms is a is a major portion of that, right. We can't have a public Forks facility without bathrooms for our employees. 00:29:59
But then the, the, the other aspect is currently there is an opportunity for, for for clean up or some other things associated 00:30:03
with. 00:30:08
Just what what Public Works and formerly known as the street department does so. So having a hose bib or having something for 00:30:13
that, that's not usually going into the septic system as well, which is a good point. 00:30:18
The use as far as the requirements. 00:30:23
For a septic system are not like a like a residential or a daycare or restaurant or anything that big. So it would be relatively 00:30:26
small. 00:30:30
OK. Under infrastructure? 00:30:36
We've got improvements of storm water conveyance systems we are actually working on. 00:30:39
Cleaning out some of the culverts that are around the city. That's a project that Public Works is trying to get underway. We've 00:30:47
been short staffed, unfortunately. 00:30:50
Had a really hard time. 00:30:54
Getting people we should be. 00:30:55
We're still going to be short staffed by one person, but we'll have one more person join us March 3rd, so we're working towards 00:30:58
trying to focus on that. There may be some larger. 00:31:02
Drainage improvement options for us or specifically there's one at on Harden Hill at the drainage, there's a area underneath the 00:31:06
the bridge there at Hardin Hill. 00:31:10
Sorry, not under the bridge, under the road that we need to address that something we need to talk about. So that's that's, that's 00:31:15
on the list. I think we'll continue to be on the list for a while until we get a good handle on that. 00:31:20
The street lights and signs the way front. 00:31:27
The wayfinding and all that, we've actually done all that. I think that one is an easy one to remove. Obviously operationally 00:31:29
we'll still continue to do sign updates, but we've. 00:31:34
I believe now gotten all of our wayfinding welcome signage in today or sorry, tomorrow we will see. You'll see a new sign down at 00:31:39
Harris Shoals Park. It'll be similar to the one at Thomas Farm and the coloring and whatnot. And it's supposed to be put in 00:31:43
tomorrow. And then the sun is currently down there. We're going to move up here on the other side of City Hall. So it'll be on the 00:31:48
east entrance into the park. 00:31:52
Exploring and adopting. I'm sorry, exploring and or activating the adopted transportation plan. 00:31:59
Obviously, that is fully underway with the sidewalk improvements that we've made the Thomas. 00:32:05
Sorry, the. 00:32:11
Santon Bridge Rd. pedestrian connector that's underway. There are some, I know there's some, there's been some discussion about 00:32:12
what to do about Barnett Shoals. And so I think that's a that's a discussion to be had about, you know, even though it's not a 00:32:18
road, it is in the city and there's improvements we've talked about in the past about. 00:32:23
That could be done to. 00:32:28
To make it more walkable. 00:32:30
And to connect it now to Wire Park, which is a big part of the city now too. 00:32:32
Establishing a streetlight policy, that's something. Honestly, that's one of the things that's been on the list for a while. It's 00:32:36
really, I think the plan was just to say how it would work if somebody wanted a streetlight. How? What's the process? 00:32:42
It's actually not a big deal to do, but I just haven't had time to put it together. 00:32:49
Again, I don't know that's such a high level thing. I think that's something once I get it done, I'll bring it to you guys to 00:32:53
approve. I don't know that needs to be on our sort of our what I say our big picture. 00:32:57
Thing it does need to be done and it is on my list, it just keeps getting moved down the list so. 00:33:02
I mentioned specifically we do have constructing the Mulberry Simonton Bridge Rd. pedestrian connector actually have that as an 00:33:08
item and of course that is underway. 00:33:12
And hopefully by this time next year, that will be off the list. 00:33:16
And then this goes to what I just talked about on Transportation Barnett Shoals. There's been some discussion about what to do 00:33:20
about Barnett Shoals and how to. 00:33:24
Widen the sidewalks and or produce. 00:33:29
Try to encourage more walkability along that road. 00:33:31
Those are infrastructure and then finally we have land use oops on it. Do it. 00:33:35
Yep, my last one land use we have. 00:33:40
Of six items on there that remain, all of them are fairly active. 00:33:41
The hair Shoals part master plan, we talked about that we. 00:33:47
We technically like I said earlier, we in phase two we did the parking and the. 00:33:50
The parking in the drive improvements and we did the. 00:33:57
The boardwalk, which technically wasn't. 00:34:01
That wasn't really on our list to do. That had to be done. 00:34:04
But phase three is the Girardini Green and possibly we'll see how Ghirardini green goes and and what monies are available and 00:34:07
whether or not you won't want to pursue it, but. 00:34:12
It does call for a bridge across the dam. 00:34:17
And so that's something we can talk about as well. I think right now we got a lot on our plate, but that's something I think y'all 00:34:20
can give us a little bit more direction on if you want us to pursue that, we can start looking at how that might play out. 00:34:25
And and how to fund that so and also from that master plan, another thing that I wonder if it would be less expensive. 00:34:31
Is the kind of amphitheater like the? 00:34:39
The natural amphitheater. 00:34:42
Area down, I think it was around the lake, right, Wouldn't it? Yeah, yeah, like down over here and that that's something that 00:34:44
isn't at Thomas Farm Preserve. I mean that is like a very. So I would be interested to know what that financially would look like. 00:34:51
To pursue that aspect of the master plan. 00:34:58
We also have exploring the rail trail opportunity, which you know would be obviously would be a huge deal for us would connect a 00:35:09
lot of things, but. 00:35:13
That is all privately owned. And so I, I, I'm not really sure the mayor be able to speak to that a little bit later. That may be 00:35:18
something the city can participate in, but I'm not sure the city wouldn't have the funds to buy it, I would guess at this point. 00:35:24
And I'm not sure you know where that all is with the with the estate of the gentleman who owned it. 00:35:30
Consider establishing arts committee. That was actually just done, so that would probably come off the list as well. 00:35:36
Unless you want to give specific. 00:35:42
You know guidance about what what you know if there's bigger pieces like you want to establish a. 00:35:44
You know. 00:35:49
If you want to add areas and and collaborate, I think there's still a lot of. 00:35:52
I know when I got here, there was a, there was. 00:35:56
Maybe a loose committee or something that was deciding about art boards and art, and there were some art sculptures and things 00:35:59
downtown. I think we're down to two sculptures downtown. They're actually still out. The one that's on our property in front of 00:36:03
Blind Peg or yeah, fine. 00:36:08
Yeah, fine pig. And then there's another sculpture that's actually, I think at the Murray house, but it's not, it's not actually 00:36:14
the city's. 00:36:17
So the one that was in front of ATT was falling apart. So that came down last year, but. 00:36:20
So anyway, we'll need a little bit of direction. The committee is going to need some direction too on that. If you all have some 00:36:25
big ideas about what that should look like, I think, you know, you could potentially leave that on here, but change it a little 00:36:28
bit. 00:36:32
Establishment green space program. 00:36:36
Obviously the city's been fortunate we've. 00:36:38
Received a fair amount of green space for free 13 acres over at Trove. We're looking at having some green space over here next to 00:36:40
Waters walk when that project is done. 00:36:45
And and. 00:36:51
So decide and then there's other properties in the community that are for sale that could potentially be. 00:36:53
Space like near Hair Shoals Park or potentially near Thomas Farm or somewhere like that, you know, where we might want to 00:37:00
consider, I think the mayor can speak to that some when we get into the deeper dive. 00:37:05
And then establishing a citywide beautification program. 00:37:10
Again. 00:37:14
That's sort of an ongoing thing that may be one of the things to peel off the list because that's become more operational now. 00:37:15
It's not a project, it's just an everyday occurrence. 00:37:19
We do have, we do have a contractor that handles Main Street just so we could have some consistency because we did have staffing 00:37:23
issues and whatnot. 00:37:27
So we have a contractor handling that. 00:37:31
We have our entry entryway signage and stuff. Our our guys are helping try to keep those tidy right now there's. 00:37:34
Plantings that were planned last year, hopefully we'll start developing some more. 00:37:41
This year. 00:37:45
But, and, and so I'm not really sure. Again, I don't know if that's something that needs to stay on the list or if we've just 00:37:46
operationalized it now and it it can, it can peel off. 00:37:51
The last one is. 00:37:55
Considering a historic preservation ordinance. 00:37:57
And that did get passed, but we still have to identify the historic preservation district, the parcels that will be included and 00:38:00
then your historic preservation Commission and the process. 00:38:05
By which it will operate. So some pretty big, there are some obviously some items on here that are big lists. There's some others 00:38:11
that maybe like I said we've operationalized and no longer need to be. 00:38:16
On a, you know on a project list or program list. 00:38:21
So the. 00:38:27
My thought process was that maybe and I these are just bulletproof bullet points to put on the. 00:38:29
To keep your. 00:38:36
To have some ideas up there for y'all to consider. 00:38:38
The ones at the bottom, I just want to point out real quick, obviously everybody knows today is Oconee County's official 250. I'm 00:38:41
sorry, 150th birthday. I'm trying to make them too old. 150th birthday. It's actually also our finance director Lee Black's 00:38:45
birthday today. 00:38:50
And it's and we won't sing the song. We already sang the song. 00:38:55
But yeah, that's right. Yeah. 00:39:01
She probably feels 150 sometimes. 00:39:04
But the the 100, it's also the city's 150th birthday is the seat of Oconee County, too. So I just want to make a quick note. The 00:39:08
sculpture that was at the AT&T building is actually in storage at Public Works. 00:39:14
The stand that it was on was in disarray, so we disassembled that sculpture and it's in public works. 00:39:21
Waiting to be reinstalled somewhere else. 00:39:27
Yeah. 00:39:30
So, so my thought was this is the point where if you know, if you have ideas, we can, you know, we can start writing them down. We 00:39:33
can decide where they best fit, how those evolve and then and then. 00:39:39
After we get done with this session, then the plan would be to give you guys some some numbers. I'll give you a couple sets of 00:39:46
twos, ones twos and threes and y'all will go to the table. 00:39:51
If we need to, we'll update the list that's on the table before. We'll print those out if there's additional things that are added 00:39:56
and then have you guys prioritize. 00:40:00
What's most important to you? Because obviously all these things are important, but we can't get them all done, you know, can't 00:40:04
get them all done at the same time. We can do them all, but it's not at the same time, so. 00:40:09
Mayor, I'm going to turn it over to you and let you handle this piece of it if you want. 00:40:13
OK. 00:40:17
I think we can. 00:40:18
I think maybe for the sake of. 00:40:21
Most efficient way to do this? You know, we've got some ideas up here that we can expand upon if we need to, but I think. 00:40:23
This point, why don't we just sort of round Robin and let council offer ideas? 00:40:28
And maybe we can just sort of go in this direction and if someone says I don't have any or I don't have it, I'd like to. 00:40:32
React to something we can, we can have a discussion about it, but instead of somebody saying here's my 6 ideas, let's just maybe 00:40:38
do one at a time. 00:40:41
And then sort of. 00:40:44
Unpack that or just share it, and if you need some processing time, that's fine, we can come back to it, but this will be 00:40:45
relatively informal. 00:40:49
You guys all got my e-mail from a few weeks ago so hopefully you've had time to think about. 00:40:53
Authorities and ideas and if you have. 00:40:58
Let's just kind of get those all out now. Let's discuss. 00:41:00
We've got. 00:41:04
Gosh, we've got until 11, so we've got about an hour, 15 minutes. 00:41:05
And if you don't have good ideas, I've got a long list, so. So go ahead. And yeah, good, Christine does too, so. 00:41:10
So, but mine may not be all good. I tell people a lot of times when when I'm. 00:41:17
Mayoring. It's kind of like being a baseball player, right? I might see 10 pitches and three of them might be hits, you know, but. 00:41:22
If I can get three hits out of every 10 pitches, I'd probably be in the Hall of Fame. So, so. 00:41:29
So anyway, so I, I like to like to take some swings. Some of them hit, some of them miss. But I'll, I'll throw out my ideas as we 00:41:35
move along. 00:41:38
And go through it, But maybe Jeff will let you go first. If you've got anything you want to share, let's just do one at a time and 00:41:42
we'll kind of move. 00:41:45
Jeff, Christine, Brett. 00:41:48
Chuck, Connie and me, and then we'll kind of just keep going around until we run out of steam. 00:41:49
So we're just doing one idea that moving on. Yeah, do one idea and then maybe we can people can react to it, discuss it briefly 00:41:53
and then I'll just move us along if it if we get bogged down so. 00:41:58
And it doesn't have to be one of those, it can be something totally different to SO. 00:42:03
You know, welcome to ordinance BE. Yeah, yeah. Something I wanted like to do this year is work on a shared kitchen ordinance. 00:42:06
It's something that I see. 00:42:16
In my travels to Atlanta. 00:42:18
With our store. 00:42:20
Little background, I go to Atlanta every week and I pick up some supplies like chips. 00:42:22
It's also things like that from a place called Prep Kitchens in Atlanta. 00:42:27
And it's an old office park that's been converted to shared kitchen space. And it's a great incubator space for people with ideas, 00:42:32
which I can relate to because years ago I created a BBQ sauce in my kitchen. 00:42:37
To see if anybody would. 00:42:42
You know, liked it and then it kind of grew. So I'm kind of. 00:42:44
Passionate about helping people with an idea to see. 00:42:47
Clearly can become a viable business. 00:42:50
And so I know several people are in the area that. 00:42:53
Have expressed interest in growing their business. 00:42:57
But don't can't afford a commercial kitchen on their own. 00:43:01
So they need they want to take this next step. They might have a cottage license currently. 00:43:04
But umm. 00:43:09
Can't go full board into. 00:43:10
The food business idea. So they want a shared kitchen. So anyway, that's something. 00:43:13
That I've been talking to a few people on and actually got someone who's. 00:43:18
Would like to do a shared kitchen in Watkinsville. 00:43:22
But we just need to. 00:43:25
Come up with an ordinance and there's. 00:43:26
Many cities across the state have them, so it's. 00:43:29
For me, it's something I learned in Thomasville. It's all about R&D, which is RIP off and duplicate. 00:43:32
So anyway, a little more research on that and I think would be. 00:43:39
A good. 00:43:43
A good ordinance for the city. 00:43:44
Anybody want to build on that, react to that, go ahead. I mean it supports all of our. 00:43:47
Our tagline come connect, create and I think it's a great idea. So full support. 00:43:53
One of the other things that I've talked with some other folks around is like. 00:43:58
Do we want to have a? 00:44:01
Is there a possibility as we sort of think about the future of our. 00:44:04
Industrial area to. 00:44:07
Have parts of it become a little bit more of a? 00:44:09
In a hub for entrepreneurs of different sorts. It already functions that way a little bit informally, but is there anything we 00:44:13
could do? 00:44:15
In the food and art space, you know, maker space, I guess you call it. You know where. 00:44:18
That terms become kind of trite, but. 00:44:23
You know, is there a way that we could encourage, you know, the food entrepreneurs in the community, the art entrepreneurs, give 00:44:25
them a safe landing space. 00:44:29
Or you know, through ordinances to your point have have. 00:44:33
Of, you know, an opportunity for more of them to land in Watkinsville and start those enterprises here. 00:44:36
Jeff, I have a client who has set up an entrepreneurship Academy or institute for lack of a better term, I just spoke to 00:44:45
yesterday. So offline let's you and I connect up and you can reach out to that individual and I hope they can help. This idea I 00:44:50
think with dovetail nicely what you're talking about. 00:44:56
Thank you. 00:45:02
All right, Christine. 00:45:03
OK. 00:45:05
So, umm. 00:45:06
I think this year we need to really start focusing on the House at Thomas Farm Preserve and see what we might. 00:45:09
Want to do with it if we want to. I mean, I think the. 00:45:16
The two ideas that I keep rolling around in my head is that. 00:45:23
The museum idea that would have to be volunteer staffed. 00:45:26
And then also. 00:45:32
Maybe some kind of community, small Community Center, because I know there's been talk over the years that. 00:45:34
City Hall used to function that way, but it doesn't anymore for lots of. 00:45:39
Valid reasons. 00:45:43
So maybe that's something that we would be able to. 00:45:44
To accommodate, again, I know there are staffing issues. I know that I mean there's a lot of factors to look at with that, but I'm 00:45:47
also open to hearing other ideas, but any? 00:45:51
Umm, any structures out there I think. 00:45:56
We need to. 00:46:00
To make the most of and make good use of and so. 00:46:01
I think there is a. 00:46:06
Current business owner that is looking to. 00:46:08
Take some of his space and turn it into a. 00:46:12
Community type center, a rentable community type center. Well that I mean like an event this. 00:46:15
Yes, I know of a couple of people who are looking at creating event spaces in Watkinsville and I think that's great. And I think, 00:46:21
you know, we should have, again, I think we already have some good ordinances around that to make sure it's a balance for the 00:46:25
community as a whole. 00:46:29
I'm thinking more of the. 00:46:34
Affordable, uh. 00:46:36
Small family reunion or a group of people want to have a card night? 00:46:38
And you know. 00:46:44
Building on again when we look at these and where we are with the community building. 00:46:46
If it is more of a Community Center, it would be more about community building. It would need to be sustainable. We need to make 00:46:52
sure it fits in in the budget and whatever that looks like. 00:46:56
Umm, but that it's a space that people can gather and a business is event space that's going to look different. That's when you, 00:47:01
you know, you you've got money to spend for a big birthday party or something for this would be a not-for-profit kind of thing. 00:47:08
So I like the idea of having a process to determine what the future of the house is. Probably the second or third most common 00:47:16
question I get about. 00:47:19
About Thomas Farm, you know, and I don't think we just want to let it sit there forever. 00:47:23
Is there? Do we have any limitations as to? 00:47:28
What can be there? And I know we can't. 00:47:31
Put in a restaurant, anything like that, but we can rent the house out. 00:47:33
If we want to to bring in money. 00:47:38
Is that? 00:47:42
Yeah, so that. 00:47:42
That's some of what I hope I'm going to get some direction from you guys today on what what you would like to see. Do you want it 00:47:44
to see it operate similar to what we're doing at Harris Shoals or people just rent the pavilion? 00:47:49
We don't. We've never. 00:47:55
And I don't think you guys want to go down the route of actually renting out the like shutting on the park for an event. 00:47:57
But we got to talk about, you know, just like we did with rocket field, we were trying to figure out what's a good. 00:48:02
Price, lot price point, right? 00:48:09
Right now we really haven't. Some of it's just been because of staffing. We really haven't pushed hey, come rent rocket field and 00:48:11
we haven't, we've done a couple of events and again, I think a lot of it has more to do with staffing and just the capacity we 00:48:16
have to handle what we've already got on our plate, but. 00:48:21
But I think the price points pretty good. I think rocket field, we figured out sort of the sweet spot potentially on, on what 00:48:26
groups that might want to come in would pay or be willing to pay for the use of that space. So we'll have to figure that out as 00:48:31
well. But I'll I'll need a little bit more direction from you all as to. 00:48:36
What do you envision, would you envision and we did in January allow, I think the JC's jog actually took part of their their dog 00:48:42
through the park. 00:48:46
You know, is there. 00:48:51
We didn't ask for any money on that. I don't know that you want to do that, but I need to know how you feel about that. Do we want 00:48:53
to? 00:48:57
Charge something they're charging people to, you know, to, to participate in their dog. Should there be a fee? If there's, you 00:49:01
know, the biggest thing is always about public safety. If, if there's a fee, we if there's an event like that happened, we 00:49:06
coordinated with them and they had to pay for the officers just like Lamar Park has an event or whatever. 00:49:11
To make sure that the safety you know is, is maintained. But Sharon just real quick, the question was specific specifically in the 00:49:17
house. Is there anything in our loan agreement that would prevent us from. 00:49:22
Doing things there that would require people to pay a fee or anything like that. Not that I mean, again, we. 00:49:28
Not hearing from any higher ups and we haven't really asked specifically, could we? 00:49:36
But from we and you know that came with the property and they were aware that was on the property. So I think we can use whatever 00:49:40
is on the property now. 00:49:44
And I don't think adding the pavilion did anything to affect it either. 00:49:48
So I don't think that's an issue. I think that the deed restriction was mainly on developing it into program, programmatic space, 00:49:53
etc, stay in passive space, so. 00:49:58
I don't think that's that's my recollection as well. I think you're correct. 00:50:02
Yeah, not like the idea of it being a kind of a Community Center since that's what this was originally. 00:50:07
I think that's kind of a need for the community. 00:50:13
And I think incorporated in the community. 00:50:16
Center can be museum pieces in history, but I don't see a manned. 00:50:18
Museum. 00:50:24
Community museum but I only open when it's rented out type space versus. 00:50:26
I don't know that we want to have someone there 9:00 to 5:00. 00:50:31
Manning a museum. 00:50:35
Someone available for a Community Center, but it has the history of. 00:50:37
Watkinsville, Kony. 00:50:40
In the space. 00:50:42
I think if we had something like that, we. 00:50:43
Maybe have some kind of committee and. 00:50:46
It could tie into community engagement as well. I, I do think there are a lot of people in our community as we have newer people 00:50:51
coming in that want to get connected, want to get in and so I think. 00:50:56
Taking advantage. 00:51:02
Of that in a good way of giving some opportunities for people to step in and be part of our community. 00:51:04
Umm. So I like the idea of maybe. 00:51:09
Some of the design. 00:51:13
Of the upstairs, having it kind of lean into the museum, so having pieces, you know. 00:51:14
Like Doctor Ward's book having some of those frame pictures, like there's, there's a lot of amazing history that we have. 00:51:22
Almost decorating it with that, but then maybe having it be. 00:51:28
Really an affordably rented Community Center and sometimes the city hosts something the year, you know, that's something 11 00:51:33
thought would be maybe we. 00:51:37
I think. 00:51:42
Group that together with. 00:51:44
Plan for that because I think we'll also have people who may want to rent the pavilion and use that house to cook in and. 00:51:46
You know, if they're going to have a family reunion or something out there, then OK, if we're going to. 00:51:52
Operate out of the pavilion, but we need the ability to warm up our food or to do some stuff there. 00:51:56
My other suggestion would be maybe we develop also. 00:52:02
We've talked about, you know, do we want to look into having a private partner? Do you know, this was another idea somebody else 00:52:05
may have had to but. 00:52:08
Do we want to explore the idea of the coffee shop and sandwich shop in the dairy barn? 00:52:12
So maybe we kind of wrap that all into one of these things around explore appropriate utilization of the structures that Thomas 00:52:17
farm. 00:52:20
And work on that this year and get some of those in place. I think some of it can be faster than others. 00:52:24
You know, but but I'd love to see. 00:52:30
I don't think we're going to see it slow down out there, you know, and and I think it's. 00:52:34
But I think anything we can do to kind of. 00:52:38
Create that sort of community experience on the front end while people get the. 00:52:40
Wilderness experience in the back is great, you know. 00:52:44
And maybe we can. I mean, this is getting to the weeds and it worked doing big picture here, but let the house be. 00:52:46
Available at dark, so it's. 00:52:53
It almost may be encouraging that. 00:52:56
Thinking about traffic, thinking about overlap, that you know, there's obviously lights and it's safe, that it's something that 00:52:59
people can. 00:53:02
Can rent and have opportunity for in the evening. Anything else on this one? I think it's a great. 00:53:06
Idea. I think we can spend more time unpacking it. Any concerns or other thoughts? 00:53:13
Possibly would haven't. You know, we don't have a welcome center here in Watkinsville anymore. 00:53:19
But I know when we went to that emergency. 00:53:25
Maybe no, but why park into library? You know they was talk about. 00:53:28
Having some place where a lot of information was provided for people that come into town. 00:53:32
You know everything that we offer and how do you get in touch with this person? That person I know we talked about putting it on. 00:53:39
Possibly putting on the. 00:53:45
On the tax bill or whatever, but anyway, something a little. 00:53:47
Just in your face like. 00:53:51
We if you go somewhere, if you have to go to the restroom, whatever, but there's. 00:53:54
Or the house. 00:53:58
You know, uh. 00:53:59
A place to have that kind of information would be great. 00:54:01
And we've just added bulletin boards out there too, so we can start, you know, we don't have anything on those yet, so we can 00:54:04
start putting basic information out there too. 00:54:08
They'll get a lot of eyeballs. 00:54:12
All right. So Sharon, I think that's a good. 00:54:13
That's a good. 00:54:16
List. All right, Brett. 00:54:17
Oh, where to start? 00:54:20
So you know. 00:54:24
I love how much time we're spending at Thomas Farms. It's, it's beautiful. 00:54:26
And I know that we are continually working on hair Shoals. 00:54:29
You know, as one of our oldest parks here, I would love to see that finish. I would love to, you know, let's, let's spend a lot of 00:54:34
time. 00:54:38
Finishing up hair Shoals. Make it Making it. 00:54:42
Being beautiful. 00:54:45
You know, I know we got to keep hair. Thomas Farms. 00:54:46
Preserved like it is. 00:54:50
Like let's let's look at. 00:54:51
Adding stuff. 00:54:55
Here, that gives people things to do. 00:54:56
I I. 00:54:59
I, I, I think you know. 00:55:05
When we had basketball courts or or if we had pickleball courts. 00:55:06
You know, give, give people things to do here in the city of Watkinsville at our parks. 00:55:10
I think that that would be a. 00:55:16
A good use of space and a good use of money to. 00:55:17
Have have them to be able to do stuff. 00:55:21
People like to walk around, but people like to. 00:55:24
Do things as well. So so so then maybe. 00:55:26
Explore opportunities for active recreation. We have a lot passive yes. 00:55:31
But what are opportunities for active recreation and our existing parks or elsewhere? Yes, OK. 00:55:35
For existing green spaces. 00:55:40
Thoughts on that? 00:55:42
I agree. You know, I agree. Yeah. I wish I could have been here two months ago. Yeah. I mean, I I. 00:55:43
I think the way Brian summed it up, I think is good. I think we need to look at that balance of passive and active. I don't know 00:55:52
that we need to all focus just on Harris Shoals. So I like how Brian worded it. I'm not saying none at Harris Shoals, but Hair 00:55:57
Shoals has a incredibly robust master plan that. 00:56:01
Have a insane amount of community input so. 00:56:06
But yes, I agree. I mean having active things is good. I think there's some other I only disagreement to that is that was before 00:56:11
we even knew anything about Thomas Farm preserves and the. 00:56:16
100 beautiful acres of green space. 00:56:21
And we got plenty of green space. It's going to take. 00:56:23
These guys over here. 00:56:27
Every bit of effort to maintain that green space that we have, let's let's start looking at a. 00:56:29
This is just Brett's opinion, let's start looking at some some passive stuff. 00:56:34
Not green space, not I'm not saying citizens, if you have green space, we don't want it. 00:56:38
We would love to take your green space off your hands, but we have a lot to maintain. 00:56:43
As it is so. 00:56:48
All right, so active recreation opportunities. 00:56:50
And I think that. 00:56:53
The sports like basketball, pickleball are good and that they don't require staff. I think that's where we get in trouble. You 00:56:55
know, think about how much the county has to put into. 00:56:59
If any of you look dug into the county's budget numbers for their new park, they're spending, you know. 00:57:03
With lights and electricity and staff. 00:57:09
You know they're spending as much as we spend on Thomas Farm basically on almost each ball field. 00:57:12
You know, it's gets kind of crazy so. 00:57:17
By the time they do the infrastructure. 00:57:20
Just a quick number. 00:57:22
On the pickleball. 00:57:24
If you don't have to have lights so you know if you. 00:57:26
About 100,000. 00:57:29
If it's not any heavy grading to do? 00:57:32
So 4 courts, 4 courts, 9000. 00:57:35
And who wants to? Who gets to live next to the **** **** ****? Yeah. So we gotta think about the location. 00:57:40
Chuck. 00:57:48
A couple of things. 00:57:50
The another historic. 00:57:53
We're working on that. 00:57:54
But the signs I know. 00:57:56
We on the last page was talking about the signage and stuff. 00:57:57
We never didn't get around to getting the. 00:58:01
We took down some historic district signs for the downtown area. 00:58:04
I think we were thinking we were going to redo them all and this was going to come a whole lot quicker. 00:58:09
But it's obviously a process. It's going to take a while. 00:58:14
But the. 00:58:19
End of S Main St. 00:58:21
You can't even. 00:58:24
Read them and read it. The old black ones, Yeah, Yeah. I mean, at least we should think about getting going on and getting those 00:58:26
done. Most of those fall under the. 00:58:31
Department of Interior whether the brownish bronze color. 00:58:36
You see it all. 00:58:40
State parks and stuff. So we do have a documented historic district. 00:58:42
And if you follow what most of the cities have, they do have that. 00:58:47
Type sign. It just says you know, historic district. 00:58:53
So I would like to see that. 00:58:57
On another note, the I know we've said the. 00:59:00
Old public works building is. 00:59:04
Very valuable property. 00:59:07
Are we thinking a traffic circle there or something? 00:59:11
Long term? Long term maybe, but. 00:59:16
My question is. 00:59:20
Why can't some of the equipment and stuff get moved to Thomas farm about? 00:59:21
Why do we? Why do we need a new public's work building? 00:59:25
And if you, what are you going to put in that building? 00:59:31
That, I mean, it's a terrible place to get in and out of. 00:59:34
I mean you, when you leave it, you're going to turn right and go away from town. 00:59:39
With all the traffic and stuff that we have, so it's just. 00:59:45
I was just wondering what what are the plans for that? 00:59:49
So, umm. 00:59:52
The the DVA. 00:59:55
Would love it if the city would lease it to DBA and then. 00:59:59
The DBA could use it kind of as some incubator spaces those. 01:00:04
Different bays would make really great little smaller. 01:00:10
Businesses. 01:00:14
There's also a lot of property with it. There's actually a lot of land and the way it's currently graded. 01:00:15
It is kind of awkward. I mean, a lot of it isn't particularly usable, but there is a lot of potential there. 01:00:21
So. 01:00:27
I also I will just speak. 01:00:28
Aesthetically. 01:00:31
My dad has, I mean, this is, this is random about my dad, but he doesn't say much about the city of Watkinsville. 01:00:33
But as soon as we moved here, he has said multiple times he's like. 01:00:39
Why is like in this main corner of town? 01:00:43
Like this, I mean, a public works building is just not very attractive or pretty. So we got one of our main corridors. 01:00:46
And we have very useful practical things we're grateful for. But is that really? 01:00:54
The best place to house them? 01:01:00
So I think with the size of that actual lot, if you actually walk it and look at it, there will be ways to improve the traffic 01:01:02
flow if some grading happened. 01:01:07
But I think there is just tremendous potential with that. That is a key piece of real estate and it seems like it is not at the 01:01:12
highest and best use. 01:01:16
Some of the one of the things we've looked at is, you know, there's, there's ways you can structure. 01:01:21
Leases you could do. You could do public, private joint ventures where you could. 01:01:26
Because remember, it can, it connects the lot behind it as well as the little. All small, but we're building so you could preserve 01:01:32
the brick structure. 01:01:35
You could level it out and you could do, you could do some different things on that site. And then if G dot came along years later 01:01:39
and offered to pay you out for a traffic circle, you know, then we'd still take the money. 01:01:44
But it's not like we'd be getting any less than we are now. 01:01:49
But we have no idea what the timeline is for that. 01:01:51
So the DDA is leading the way on that. 01:01:54
And and what I've seen too is that. 01:01:56
There is a way to do a traffic circle there and still keep that building? 01:02:00
I mean, it is. It is possible depending on how it's structured. So depending on how it goes, that building might. 01:02:04
Still be able to be preserved. 01:02:11
Because at this point, it is historic. 01:02:12
As well. 01:02:15
That was the first fire department, I think in Oconee County. Yeah, I don't I don't think we. 01:02:16
Ideally wouldn't want to lose the building. 01:02:21
Face it. Yeah. Lucky. Yeah. 01:02:24
So it looks like you've got two parcels there. 01:02:28
Yep. 01:02:30
Connie. 01:02:36
Well, I am concerned with. 01:02:39
Moving the. 01:02:42
Street department and using that building for businesses because of the traffic that that intersection is constantly busy. 01:02:43
And if the people are complaining now because of the street department machinery going in and out, it's going to be even worse 01:02:51
with. 01:02:56
Customers. 01:03:01
Going in if it's some kind of business? 01:03:02
And I just. 01:03:05
Not looking forward to that happening. 01:03:07
OK. Thank you. 01:03:10
I I've got a lot of ideas. One of them I'll throw out something that came up at the All America City. 01:03:15
Was how we engage our youth in the community and. 01:03:20
Create opportunities for our youth to understand. 01:03:23
Not just about Watkinsville, but about, you know, helping local government, why that's important, how that works. Some cities have 01:03:26
a. 01:03:29
You know, a city youth council or a youth leadership program of some sort. 01:03:33
You know, that gives young people the opportunity to get engaged and. 01:03:38
Be a part of you know, learn about everything from police to public works to. 01:03:42
You know our different departments and also how we make decisions and also give us some input on, you know, what do we? 01:03:47
Want to hear from the younger folks, what's important to them, you know, the people that we want to have to move back to this 01:03:53
community so. 01:03:55
I'd love for us to explore some sort of Watkinsville. 01:03:58
Youth council or youth leadership program that would. 01:04:02
Help get the youth in the community. 01:04:05
Engaged. 01:04:08
I'm thinking probably high school aged children. 01:04:09
But also think children of, you know, all backgrounds. So I don't want to just get the same kids who are in Beta club and 01:04:12
absolutely crushing it at Oconee or Athens Academy or Westminster. How do we really get a cross section of? 01:04:17
Kids from Watkinsville engaged and. 01:04:23
You know, giving us some feedback, you know, maybe they have a project, you know, as they work through their year, at the end, 01:04:26
they come to City Council with recommendations on things that they've seen and. 01:04:30
To give them an opportunity to engage, to learn. 01:04:35
And then maybe report back to the council on here's here's what's important to the next generation of Watkinsville citizens. 01:04:38
I think that's a great idea and I would piggyback on that. 01:04:45
There is a. 01:04:50
Community in Georgia. 01:04:52
I can't remember. It's a county that does it and they actually partner with the high school and have an entrepreneurship. 01:04:54
Kind of program. 01:05:02
Umm, which to me goes back to our, you know, wanting to. 01:05:05
To have that creative spirit. There's a great marketing teacher at Oconee County High School as well who's really engaged I. 01:05:11
So not that it would be ours to just run completely. I know that that would be a big lift and not really, but I would love to 01:05:18
facilitate that somehow if there's a way to start the conversations, if it's between even the chamber and the marketing teacher to 01:05:25
kind of kind of high school and and have another kind of piece of engagement for our youth that also we are. 01:05:32
Encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit. 01:05:39
So I'm in the Oconee County, one of the Oconee, one of the two Oconee County Rotary clubs. We made it in the morning and. 01:05:43
We spot help sponsor Rylai, the Rotary Young Youth Leadership. 01:05:50
And I mean, that's, that's a great program. 01:05:56
Of like. 01:06:00
Outside of your beta club people, I mean. Not saying they're not in the beta club, but. 01:06:03
They're very good, very intelligent. 01:06:07
Rotary Youth. 01:06:11
Kids that. 01:06:13
Would be beneficial. 01:06:15
All along same lines of school. I know you had mentioned high school, but we do have the one and only school in the city of 01:06:16
Watkinsville. 01:06:19
Called Ferry that I would love to get engaged with a little more often. 01:06:23
You know, I know our Police Department has in the past. 01:06:28
Sent officers up there, you know, Fridays or whatever to. 01:06:31
But you know, let's if we could get more involved, you know, maybe the council shows up every once in a while and opens doors for 01:06:34
kids or. 01:06:38
You know, I don't know. Let's see how we, us and Doctor Brown could get together and. 01:06:42
And and be engaged with the one and only school we have in the city of Watkinsville. 01:06:47
I like the idea of having a. 01:06:52
A different point of view. 01:06:54
Yeah, because this may sound weird, but stay with me. 01:06:56
The Super Bowl halftime show. 01:07:01
I thought it was the worst halftime show entertainment I've ever seen. 01:07:04
But then I spoke to my daughters and friends, my daughters who are teenagers. 01:07:08
And they loved it, Yeah. 01:07:12
I said, how can you love that? I can understand one word, the person said. That's not music. 01:07:14
But they told me a little background of whatever and they knew the words and apparently had to bleep out a lot of the words. 01:07:19
But anyway, I thought it was interesting how I thought that was horrible. 01:07:25
And I was like, oh, Prince back in Miami in the 90s was the best half time. 01:07:29
Whatever, but I couldn't comprehend that they liked it. 01:07:35
But I didn't know their point of view. 01:07:39
So I think if we had, you know, kids involved and probably. 01:07:41
You know, high school kids involved. What do you want in Watkinsville? 01:07:46
You know what's important to you. 01:07:50
So that down the road like you mentioned. 01:07:52
When they are our age, in their 30s, getting married and what? 01:07:55
Some people getting married sooner than others. 01:07:59
Now they're getting married, they want them to consider Watkinsville. 01:08:02
So, umm. 01:08:06
I think it's a great idea. 01:08:07
All right, cool. 01:08:10
We'll move on to you, Jeff. 01:08:13
I'll go back to my original thing, why I wanted a room for city council's and we're doing a good job with it. It's just 01:08:18
continuing. 01:08:21
With the sidewalks. 01:08:24
You know, expanding sidewalks and improving sidewalks. 01:08:26
I'm still. 01:08:31
I'm still hopeful for the day when we get to where we can have a. 01:08:34
There's a National School Day or Bike to School Day. 01:08:38
I want that here in Watkinsville and I want to see the kids ride by my house. 01:08:42
All the way down. 01:08:46
South Lane. 01:08:48
To Collin Ferry, that's. 01:08:49
My fondest memory as a child is riding my bike to school. And it was. 01:08:51
You know, a couple miles to school and. 01:08:55
I was in elementary school and. 01:08:57
You just did. It was. There's no supervision, but anyway. 01:08:58
I, you know, just. 01:09:03
Improving some of the existing sidewalks we have. I just personally see the ones on Main Street because that's where I live and 01:09:05
that's where I walk. 01:09:08
And it's. 01:09:11
A little bit of an obstacle course going down South Main. 01:09:12
So I just see that. 01:09:15
And then continue it down South means to where it hits Calvin Ferry. We can marry up with the wonderful extension we've got on 01:09:17
High Shoals. 01:09:21
I know there's other areas but that just. 01:09:26
But I see every day. 01:09:28
But that that's that's important to me is the sidewalk that I want to see kids walk into school. 01:09:31
I'd like us to also. 01:09:38
You know when we complete the phase, this year's work which will be to get. 01:09:40
Simonton Place to downtown. 01:09:45
Then I'd like us to begin planning in earnest. How do we get from Simonton Place to Wire Park? 01:09:47
You know, and I think that's, I don't think that's unreasonable. We've got some good partners who can help us with that. 01:09:52
You know, we'll have some of those conversations, but. 01:09:59
I think. 01:10:02
At that point, we'll have done two things that people said were impossible 10 years ago, which is a sidewalk on Hardin Hill and a 01:10:03
sidewalk on Simonton Bridge. 01:10:07
And then I, you know, we've got a good transportation plan on other areas. I think even looking at North Main Street, you know, is 01:10:11
another. 01:10:15
Spot, there's not a ton of houses down there, but those folks, those folks also, you know. 01:10:18
Are hungry for pedestrian connection back to town, so I think I think. 01:10:23
Jeff, I think we got to continue working there. 01:10:27
Yeah, I actually had. I've had two conversations now with Watkinsville First Baptist Church about. 01:10:30
The interconnect going through their property and their. 01:10:37
They have some stuff they're working on with the county for sewer, but. 01:10:40
Along the same lines that would love to. 01:10:45
Partner with us. 01:10:47
And get a. 01:10:49
A pathway that leads through there over. 01:10:51
Down Norton. 01:10:54
So. 01:10:54
All right, Christine. 01:10:58
OK, so. 01:10:59
Y'all might just shut this down. 01:11:02
And I don't know this has happened this year or ever, but when I think of the aesthetics of downtown. 01:11:05
I would love. 01:11:12
To not just move a power pole, but get rid of all the power poles. I mean, I know, I know, we got the former line like, like, but. 01:11:13
Every time I turn on, you know I'm sitting there at Ashford Memorial is one of the most beautiful churches. 01:11:22
It's I've never been able to get a good picture of it because there's all these stupid power. I mean, they're not stupid. We need 01:11:30
them. We like power, but like unattractive power lines right there. So. 01:11:35
If we're just, I mean, this council has done a lot of amazing big things so. 01:11:40
I'm gonna put, I don't know if anyone's ever put it out there, but I would love to have all underground utilities in downtown 01:11:46
Watkinsville. We're doing that on Simonton Bridge. 01:11:50
I know it might be a little trickier on Main Street, but I would I would. 01:11:55
Would love to see that happen. 01:11:59
Very, very expensive, and when it goes out, it's out for much, much longer. 01:12:01
But it wouldn't go out as much because there's no tree limbs falling on it. 01:12:06
So there's always an overhead line somewhere feeding underground. 01:12:10
Anyway I. 01:12:13
I mean. 01:12:16
Very, very expensive. I think it should just even be looked at. 01:12:17
So what I will say is we have a very good partner at Georgia Power right now. 01:12:21
Who's willing to work with us on stuff and look at things and explore things? 01:12:25
I think it would have to be part of a streets get bigger streetscape. 01:12:29
You know, effort, you know which, you know, it's been 20 years, you know, I mean, so. 01:12:32
It probably takes 10 years to get funding and get those things done, so I don't think it hurts to put it on a long range work plan 01:12:36
at all and just think about. 01:12:40
And it may be, hey, we get 1/4 of it done here and another quarter of it done. But you when you think about your strategic plan 01:12:43
for downtown. 01:12:46
That may also may be part of your long range plan is how do we. 01:12:50
In tranches, get some of these buried, like if you think about the. 01:12:53
East side of our downtown sidewalks between. 01:12:56
Between sunshine and. 01:13:02
Eagle Tavern, Those are tiny little sidewalks. They haven't been upgraded in a long time. I mean. 01:13:04
That stretch could be done, you know, so you can kind of take it in sections and think about it without tearing up your whole 01:13:08
downtown. But. 01:13:11
I don't think it's. 01:13:14
I encourage y'all to dream big. Let's dream big. The only other aspect of that is. 01:13:15
Most of the houses that rundown through there have overhead power get. 01:13:21
Goes to their. 01:13:24
Houses. So now you're actually. 01:13:26
Making the homeowners themselves incur a additional expense to go from an overhead service to an underground service. 01:13:29
I mean that's maybe there are grants to help with that. I'm not saying this is going to happen next week. I'm just saying. 01:13:35
I would love to see the city of Watkinsville not have those overhead power lines, so I would love to start the process of looking 01:13:42
at what would that take. 01:13:46
What grants are out there? How much time can we budget for that? Except. 01:13:50
Maybe some plans for some. 01:13:55
There may be some grants out there. 01:13:58
For water lines and stuff, because at some point we're going to be faced. 01:14:00
We we have a tremendously old. 01:14:04
Water system when the infrastructure lives, yeah, old pipes that nobody knows where they're in or anything about. So I mean, 01:14:06
that's something coming down the road, but hopefully there would be some grants. 01:14:12
To help improve those. 01:14:17
You know what they say about how you eat an elephant, right? Yeah, this is an elephant. But, you know, I think the first step is 01:14:20
to figure out what it look like. And I do think since we've got our. 01:14:26
Partner with our downtown strategic plan. It's a good. 01:14:32
Good way to engage them. 01:14:34
If you have something you want to add on, I agree with you know. 01:14:36
Getting rid of the power lines if possible and it it falls into the whole. 01:14:40
You know, streetscape. 01:14:45
Plan and you know you mentioned. 01:14:47
Ask for Memorial Church and that's such. 01:14:49
That's a intersection we'd all like to go to snap our fingers on how to figure out the sidewalk there and the big hill coming down 01:14:52
and what not. 01:14:56
It's all of a bigger picture and I'm. 01:14:59
I'm curious, you know. Let me know. 01:15:02
Has done a. 01:15:04
A very good job. 01:15:05
Their roads leading to downtown. 01:15:07
All got curbed with sidewalks and some. 01:15:10
Pavers in addition to the sidewalk. 01:15:14
And I'm just wondering, you know, and lighting it. 01:15:17
And the lights, which look great. 01:15:20
When they did that, how is that? How big is the? 01:15:23
Money to do that, I guess. Is that all some of the grants with some of it money from the city? 01:15:26
And I just explore OK. 01:15:33
We know those are things we like his other. 01:15:36
Communities that have done it, how did you do it? Well, I mean, I think it's ILA. 01:15:39
Al is the smallest town in the Dang world and they have sidewalks absolutely to nowhere and streetlights every 100 feet. It is 01:15:43
amazing they they don't have any people that live in Isle of. 01:15:49
But we know how much the street light cost. How did they fund that? Who is paying for, I mean, somebody? And they got thousands of 01:15:59
St. lights. So I used to work on all of them, I mean thousands of them. 01:16:04
Monroe has. 01:16:11
You know, one of the things that you kind of to pause and reflect on for us as a municipality we actually have. 01:16:14
Much fewer funding streams than most municipalities. 01:16:19
Monroe controls its own utilities. They have an Internet utility. They have a. 01:16:23
I think they have a gas Yeah. So my. 01:16:28
We gave up all that. Elberton doesn't charge any property taxes. 01:16:31
Because they have, they control, they can they have electric. There are me AG City, which is a they control their electric. 01:16:35
They control Internet they control. 01:16:42
So, umm. 01:16:43
So. 01:16:45
So that these some of these cities have some other utilities that give them a lot more financial flexibility to do things. But I 01:16:46
think it's a. 01:16:49
I think it's a great question on streetscape and planning and. 01:16:52
Like I said, this is the year when we've got this grant. And even if we need to plus up that grant, if like Georgia Power gave us 01:16:56
35, but we think it's going to take 50. 01:17:00
To get the information we need to have the best plan. 01:17:04
Then I think we need to think about that, right. So if we have the right partner and we think about that, then. 01:17:07
Let's let's take a little bit, let's take that Georgia Power money and marry up a little bit more and make sure we get exactly 01:17:12
what we need to take care of us for 10 years on that would be my advice. 01:17:16
To the DDA, as you'll think about how we're going to execute that if you want to make a request back to city to support you on 01:17:20
that if you. 01:17:23
Don't think we can get there, you know, be sure you work with Sharon around budget time because I love all these things. 01:17:26
You know these ideas because ultimately what it'll do is, you know, revitalize. 01:17:31
Fill in those gaps in our downtown and those people pay taxes and it pays for itself. That's why cities do that, I mean. 01:17:36
The beautification then give somebody a confidence to reinvest and. 01:17:42
Build and do something new. 01:17:45
You know, the same with the streetlights and those streetscapes. Monroe's seen it for sure. 01:17:47
The mayor over there and if we want to go visit. 01:17:51
With some of these communities, we could put that on the list for this year too, you know, and understand what they did. 01:17:53
All right, are we? To what? 01:17:59
Christine to Jeff to now back to Brett. So he pulled my sidewalk one but y'all had several amount which is good. We're scratching 01:18:03
off the lips He does have. I do have a questionable piece of sidewalk. I guess so over at Thomas Farms. 01:18:09
If around the small lake we have a the little bridge and it goes from a semicircle, half of it is. 01:18:15
Paved asphalt and then the part I guess through the wetlands is. 01:18:22
I guess that was done on purpose. My daughters had their little scooters yesterday and we're scooting around and then all of a 01:18:27
sudden it ran into gravel and I was like, pick it up. What? What with it? So yeah, it was the wetlands because. 01:18:33
The way the loan structure do, you really don't want to impact the environment. 01:18:39
Sensitive environmental areas. So that still allows it to be porous and doesn't interrupt the flow there. Yeah, good question 01:18:43
there. 01:18:45
Chuck. 01:18:50
OK, Connie. 01:18:52
Well, my main thing is to. 01:18:55
Keep the infrastructure. 01:18:57
All the infrastructure and good working order should be our main concern. 01:19:00
Keep the city clean and. 01:19:04
And keep all the buildings we currently have full. 01:19:06
And continue to work on our list that we are working on and get that all done before we start anything major. 01:19:10
And new. 01:19:18
OK. 01:19:21
We have. 01:19:25
I've got a couple more left that I'll I'll run through as we kind of take turns. 01:19:28
I've mentioned this last year. I still think it's something. 01:19:33
That we should explore and that is a. 01:19:36
Asking the voters. 01:19:40
Whether about a green space or Parks and Rec bond. 01:19:42
That would allow us to continue to preserve green spaces, not. 01:19:46
To Brett's point, not because we may not be able to activate it all in the next 5 years, but I do think in the next 5 to 10 years, 01:19:50
you know, we're already seeing tremendous development pressure. 01:19:54
On the outskirts of town. 01:20:00
Whether we do? 01:20:03
Whether we do anything or not, you know, do we? 01:20:04
Do we want to have? 01:20:07
And what this would require would probably be for us to go to the voters in November and ask them to choose, OK, do you want to 01:20:09
vote on? 01:20:12
Some sort of a bond issuance that would allow us, that would give us the resources we need. 01:20:15
If you know, 20 acres here, 40 acres there. 01:20:19
Some other opportunities came up to. 01:20:23
To do that, to prevent the development of the space, you know we've we've. 01:20:26
One of the reasons I've loved Thomas Farmers, people see, you know, the most common thing as well. 01:20:29
This, you know, here's what this would have become. You know, the grand opening. That was the most common refrain. I'm so thankful 01:20:34
this didn't become that. 01:20:37
I think we need to ask citizens, are you willing to invest? 01:20:41
To prevent that from happening. 01:20:45
If they're not, they're not, right? I mean, you know, they may not be willing to do that. Doesn't mean we can't do some other 01:20:46
things, but to do it in a truly significant way. 01:20:50
I think we need to ask the voters and say, look, are you willing to pay some additional property taxes? That gives us the 01:20:55
capacity. 01:20:58
To go out and bond. 01:21:01
And purchase these spaces and be able to do it in a financially responsible way. 01:21:03
We may or may not be able to do that. I think we could do it in some smaller ways, but I guess my perspective is. 01:21:09
Two things, one. 01:21:15
It's there's not going to be any more land in Watkinsville. 01:21:16
And two, I don't anticipate us. You know, we talk about the infrastructure. 01:21:21
We're not, there's, there's not space to build huge new roads and to do the, you know, to do the things that we need to do to 01:21:26
support these spaces. So. 01:21:29
There's other cities that have done that. The city of Milton is probably the most notable 1. 01:21:33
We'd have to have a process for evaluating which parcels we want and how all those things would work. 01:21:37
But do we want to take a big swing at something like that? 01:21:43
You know, that's what I love y'all's feedback on. 01:21:47
I don't think it's something we do unilaterally. I think it's something that we need to take to the voters and say. 01:21:50
This is a generational investment. Do we want to develop in a different way than most other small towns do and and that might 01:21:55
mean? 01:21:58
We don't have a lot more. 01:22:01
You know, umm. 01:22:03
We don't have a lot, you know these. 01:22:04
The places it could be around Thomas Farm, it could be around Column Ferry, There's there. Believe it or not, there is a fair bit 01:22:06
of. 01:22:09
Space left in the city that could be preserved, and then there's some smaller pieces around too. 01:22:12
I love y'all's reaction to that. 01:22:18
I agree that if we're considering something like that, it definitely should go. 01:22:22
To the voters. 01:22:26
Umm. 01:22:28
And a lot of. 01:22:31
Education even for I mean I need to be better educated on the insurance and outs of what that means. Obviously I know this is just 01:22:34
spitballing so. 01:22:38
And yeah, I mean. 01:22:44
And let me amplify to one thing about that. I don't, I don't limit that to just passive spaces like this could also be a funding 01:22:46
source to do some of the other things that we're talking about like. 01:22:50
To, you know, if we want to have, I mean, right now. 01:22:55
You want to take your kid to play soccer? 01:22:58
You got to drive all the way around Butler's and somewhere else. I mean, we don't have the money just out of our regular budget to 01:23:00
do to create. 01:23:03
The active spaces either right and so this is how a lot of communities pay for it is you know they they'll. 01:23:07
You know they can cover that out of you know. 01:23:12
Nobody's doing that now. What's that? 01:23:16
Yeah, and they probably do that sort of as a matter of course. I mean, they're so big. I mean, you know, when you've got a. 01:23:18
You know, 50 or $60 million budget, you can, you can just do that sort of thing with, you know, just go to the public market, do 01:23:23
it. It'd be a big deal for us and we don't really have to. 01:23:27
Borrowing capacity to do it without dedicating some property tax dollars to it. 01:23:31
It would. 01:23:36
I guess what I'd be asking you guys is, is it worth exploring and seeing what it could look like, what what feasibility is, how 01:23:37
much would it cost or not? 01:23:40
For us to. 01:23:44
Consider that. 01:23:45
I don't really want to get into specific parcels or anything like that now given, you know, we'd have to do that in executive 01:23:47
session and have to talk to owners, but. 01:23:51
It would give us the ability to. 01:23:55
In a fiscally responsible and very open way, determine what our citizens priorities are. 01:23:58
And be able to act on those. And if they vote it down, they vote it down, right? I mean, we're being transparent about what we 01:24:03
think is important and what the priorities are and what we're hearing. 01:24:07
But right now, we really. 01:24:11
We could still, we could still do that in smaller ways. We can activate it off of SPLOST and. 01:24:13
Some other things, but if we want to take a big swing at truly creating. 01:24:18
A community where we're we're, we're emphasizing quality of life and that quality of life doesn't revolve around. 01:24:23
You know every property owner feeling like they have to develop their land to exit. 01:24:28
Then, you know, I think we're ultimately going to have to be 1 of the backstops there. 01:24:34
So anyway, that's. 01:24:40
I'm, I'm, I really love that the, that we preserve that land in perpetuity. I think it's like you said, we're not developing any 01:24:43
more land and, and. 01:24:48
I, I grew up here. I I love. 01:24:53
I love this place 20 years ago, 30 years ago when it was much smaller than it is today and. 01:24:57
You know, if we don't start preserving land, there's going to be. 01:25:03
Houses and apartments. And I mean, they're going to. 01:25:06
People are going to come here. 01:25:09
When you have an all American city, people will come. 01:25:11
And the only way to. 01:25:14
Stop that. I think I mean the county is doing a great job at limiting growth. 01:25:16
And I think we could. 01:25:21
Do smart growth, I think that's when I talk to people about growth here. Let's do smart growth in the city of Watkinsville. 01:25:23
You know, let's, let's allow what we want to allow. 01:25:28
You know, because it has to grow. 01:25:32
But let's let's. 01:25:33
Do it smart, smartly. 01:25:35
I don't think that's a word. 01:25:38
I agree with that with the. 01:25:46
One comment to add to it, just like Jeff you had said earlier. 01:25:48
But watching the halftime show? 01:25:52
So we're going to have different ideas and things that come in. 01:25:55
And just like. 01:25:59
Christine, you have a different idea for the. 01:26:00
Public works. 01:26:03
So I feel like we all have to keep an open mind. 01:26:04
And be willing to. 01:26:07
To listen and not just say no. Yep, we don't want a tattoo shop. 01:26:09
We don't want, you know, different thing, but we have. 01:26:15
Catch up and we have all kind of other things that you have to have an open mind to. 01:26:19
Say, OK, that might work, you know. 01:26:25
Might not work for me, but it works for someone and that's what we want, you know, people to. 01:26:27
Come and create and connect. So I mean that's part of it. 01:26:32
All right, Jeff. 01:26:39
You got anything else on your list? 01:26:41
I'm not not real main thing or one other. 01:26:46
Thing is that. 01:26:49
It'd be nice to figure out how to connect hair Shoals to downtown so you could you could walk. 01:26:50
I guess at least if you got it to Durham St. with Durham St. gets repaved once the. 01:26:57
The complex goes in. If we could get a sidewalk up to there so that you could get down to there. 01:27:02
Then you could still get downtown through Durham St. so that would be. 01:27:08
Something. 01:27:12
I would I would like to see. 01:27:13
OK, Christine. 01:27:15
So we have great. 01:27:18
Nonprofits in our community with ESP Lydia Place O Calf. 01:27:21
And I really just want to continue leaning into that and be very intentional. 01:27:26
Waterways as a community. 01:27:32
We can lean into those organizations and maybe there are even other in our small downtown that. 01:27:34
Should be added to that list, but those are three that I know. 01:27:40
Umm, again, to me it it fits with our goals and we do, we do that. But. 01:27:44
Just being very intentional and maybe. 01:27:48
Practically looking at some things with that. 01:27:51
Now I do think OKAF. 01:27:55
Could be a great partner to like we talked about the idea for the History Museum and those kind of things. I still think of calf 01:27:56
could be. 01:27:59
A strong partner on that if we didn't wind up doing something at the house. 01:28:02
You know, I've talked about the the entry to the old gym, different spaces over there where we could. 01:28:07
Maybe help be the funding partner, but leverage some of the space that they have that's available might be more efficient and they 01:28:11
could. 01:28:15
Sort of maintain and they've got staff and the ability to. 01:28:18
Do that but I think. 01:28:21
You know, strengthening that. 01:28:23
Also, that physical connection to OCAF through our downtown is so important. 01:28:24
Jan and I've talked about that and I know that's probably be part of your downtown strategic plan, but how do we? 01:28:28
When somebody lands in downtown Watkinsville, how do we give them a couple different places to go? You know, and. 01:28:33
The sidewalk to Thomas Farmer is going to help with that too. 01:28:38
And particularly Lydia's place because we, I mean, we obviously have a very strong partnership with ESP. 01:28:42
No calf comes and we give them. 01:28:47
There's already some definitely things in place there. 01:28:49
But Lydia's place? 01:28:52
Does such a service to such an underserved population? 01:28:54
Umm, just have it on our radar to see if there are practical ways the city can enter in. 01:29:00
Anybody else? 01:29:08
I'll throw out a few more just for y'all's reaction. I. 01:29:10
The you know, we've talked about the street department a little bit. 01:29:14
I know in the past we've also talked about City Hall, you know? 01:29:17
Is this our? 01:29:20
Ultimate destination. Do we want to stay here? 01:29:22
It has occurred to me with some of these other ideas, the Lydia's plays the others. 01:29:25
You know, is there an opportunity for us to find a space where we could? 01:29:30
Efficiently. 01:29:34
You know how some of these other some of these other needs? 01:29:36
You know, does it make sense to find a place to put the Police Department, the street department, City Hall? 01:29:41
You know, together somewhere else, you know. 01:29:46
I don't know that. I mean, I think this building could serve us well for another 10 years, but do we? 01:29:49
We also know land is just going to do nothing but cost more and there's going to be less of it in 10 years, you know? 01:29:54
So do we. 01:29:59
Do we need to be thinking about that strategically and exploring options on? 01:30:00
Where we can land a. 01:30:04
Again, that may be something that takes four or five years, but. 01:30:06
Staffs staff's not going to go after that if we don't ask him to go after that, you know, So is that something that we. 01:30:10
Something that we need to think about. 01:30:15
To me it is like you said. 01:30:18
Long term, thinking about it, you you never want to. 01:30:22
Have to move in a moment because then you. 01:30:26
Sorry, put in my realtor hat on. Then you panic by and you don't necessarily get what you really want so. 01:30:28
If realistically this we're going to outgrow this in 10 years, then I think it's definitely something that should be on our radar. 01:30:34
Umm. But I think it also needs to be really clear that it's not because. 01:30:42
We think City Hall has to be this beautiful, grandiose. 01:30:46
Base and but that it's just very practical and if there is a way to. 01:30:50
Leverage this resource that's also going to help and serve the community. 01:30:55
And have it be not. 01:30:59
A big lift for taxpayers to make that move. 01:31:02
Than having our eyes open for that opportunity I think would be foolish not to. 01:31:05
Yeah, I don't want to, I pushed back. 01:31:11
Through the years on investing more money in a government building, so I'm not crazy about the idea. 01:31:13
But I do think we all have to sort of recognize there's. 01:31:20
There's probably. 01:31:22
You know, there will be a moment probably in the next decade where we either have to make a big investment here or. 01:31:24
Umm, you know, or do something different. 01:31:30
But, but I don't think we have to. 01:31:33
There's nothing urgent, there's no urgency around that, but there could be some opportunities in the next next year or two. 01:31:35
I think you know if we. 01:31:41
Are looking at a city location. I think it should be centrally located, easily accessible. You know, I don't think it should be 01:31:43
off the beaten path. 01:31:47
You know, I think when you think of the city seat of Watkinsville or the city seat of the county seat of Oconee County is the city 01:31:52
of Watkinsville. It needs to be something that. 01:31:58
Easily found. 01:32:04
You know, this has held us well for a long time here, but I, I. 01:32:06
I don't know where in downtown, the actual city of Watkins where you could place it, but I think that's. 01:32:10
Where it should be? 01:32:17
You know, maybe. 01:32:18
The school board will one day want to give us that piece of property that they have. And then it sits right up there over across, 01:32:21
I mean that I have this grand idea that you've got the County Courthouse and then you got the city of Watkinsville this, you know, 01:32:27
see, and they 2 are down this nice beautiful corridor. 01:32:32
I mean, like if you go to I think it's Tucker where every, all the government buildings are together and you've got them anyway. 01:32:38
Beautiful corridor. 01:32:45
From City Hall to the courthouse and. 01:32:46
And, umm. 01:32:48
Yeah. 01:32:51
All right, the other things I had on my list were just more streetlights in general. You know, even if we could every year add. 01:32:53
8 or 10 More on. 01:32:59
Even on Barnett Shoals, you know what a difference that would make. Just to kind of continue that feel of our downtown St. and 01:33:01
streetlights I think is nice. 01:33:04
Public art we talked about, but I would love us to have, once your committees established, like, what's a goal for public art? You 01:33:09
know, like, do we have? 01:33:13
You know, could we have one significant piece of public art a year to Watkinsville? And then you look back in 10 years and you 01:33:17
actually have kind of a nice. 01:33:20
Collection beyond the art boards and things like that that sort of paid Sharon did you have something you want to You said St. 01:33:24
lights or street light you mean like the decorative ones Decorative. OK all right I just want to make sure we weren't talking 01:33:29
because she's talking about getting rid of poles Yeah no I'm thinking more decorative like it just really sets a. 01:33:35
Nice tone on our sidewalks if we can extend those, you know. 01:33:41
And then I also thought about, you know, if we decide not if, if it's not feasible or if we don't want to pursue, you know, bigger 01:33:47
Parks and Recreation, do we want to look at some smaller bites in terms of parks? Do we want to look at some neighborhood spaces 01:33:50
where? 01:33:54
You know, umm. 01:33:58
Acre to two acre sort of spaces, you know, where people could gather. I like the idea of having everybody be within a 10 minute 01:34:00
walk of a park. You know, right now we have. 01:34:04
Some of that, we don't have a ton of that. 01:34:08
There's certain areas of the city where you just don't have that opportunity. So how can we how can we get a little closer that 01:34:10
those are lighter lifts to all point that's, you know, it's not that. 01:34:14
You know you get the land, but it's also you're not. That's not. 01:34:18
Millions and millions of dollars. It's more of how do we? 01:34:22
Get a little space and maybe add benches or a small playground or a place for families together or things like that. And to speak 01:34:24
to that, Brian, I feel like we have some of those little pocket parks that are really underutilized. 01:34:30
So I would like to see how to better utilize some of those spaces. We have the pocket park right by Wing House. 01:34:36
We have that one. 01:34:45
At column theory, the county has the counties, even though it's in the city. Yep, that's not ours. 01:34:47
OK, Now they'd probably give it to us as long as as we maintain. If we didn't, if we didn't change the name, then we would have to 01:34:53
maintain it. But they maintain it. OK. Yeah. 01:34:57
And what about? 01:35:02
Yeah, we the city does that. 01:35:04
We cut the grass that the county said the. 01:35:06
That McNally Park, Yeah, they'll cut it, but not as frequently. 01:35:08
OK, so. 01:35:12
They'll give it. They'll give it to us. I mean, John said they would as long as we didn't change the name. Yeah, I think we just. 01:35:15
Yeah, so just so. I mean, I'm not saying. 01:35:18
Yeah, I'm not saying we need to adopt that. I mean, there's obviously more. And then what about the, is it Patriot Park? That's 01:35:24
right by Jittery Joe's that little thing anyway, that's tiny. I mean, I don't see a huge play structure going on that, but. 01:35:30
I would love to to make sure that we really look at what we have and utilize what we have. 01:35:36
Yeah, No, I think that would you'd have to plan and say what are the needs, what do we want to do? 01:35:42
What's the walk shed for people so they can get there? Do we need to add? 01:35:47
Pedestrian infrastructure so people can get to these spaces. 01:35:50
Yeah. And say, OK, where's, where do our gaps and how do we want to address it? 01:35:54
So OK. 01:35:58
I think that's all I had. But now, yeah, now we got the land down in the trove as well. Pretty good parcel of land down there, 01:36:02
which I wish that we just let them have those be soccer fields. 01:36:09
I mean, does it have to be passive? Is there is there a way to change it? Yeah, by the by the. 01:36:17
Term. It stays passive by the terms of the thing. 01:36:22
The easement and all those things and well, just it can't be programmed. I don't know that it doesn't mean that. 01:36:26
Like unofficial oriented, we can create like a field, you know what it looks like right now, update a field or something, but you 01:36:32
can put a playground on it or something like that, right? 01:36:36
I don't know that you couldn't do that. I think that's passive. I know. I think we have to look at, I think maybe an attorney 01:36:41
question. Well, and I would love to. I mean, there's this again, this we're doing big ideas, but in Clark County. 01:36:47
School playgrounds when schools on session or public parks. So we do have Colin Ferry Elementary right there. I mean, again, don't 01:36:53
know that it's a. 01:36:58
Conversation that would immediately go anywhere, but I think it's certainly something. 01:37:03
Worth talking about? That's a. 01:37:07
A park that is right there. 01:37:09
A lot of work that. 01:37:12
It's been a while since my baby's played on that playground, so. 01:37:16
Trying very hard to get that redone right now. 01:37:20
Yeah, All right. What about? Let's go back to what's up here. OK, Go ahead, Christine. 01:37:23
So this is this might seem small but this has been something that I have wanted to see happen. 01:37:28
For years and years and years. 01:37:33
And part of our partnership with the library at Wire Park. 01:37:36
Was supposed to have the potential to do this with our funding. I would really like to see library hours extended. 01:37:39
They got cut back during the recession and I know again this is not. 01:37:46
Really in our control. 01:37:50
But. 01:37:52
I don't know if we have even influence in this. 01:37:54
But I would love to see not 6:00 closure times most days. That was cut back during the last recession and we are well past that. 01:37:57
So, umm. 01:38:05
You have a new library director starting this year and. 01:38:05
You know so. 01:38:09
Might be good conversation. 01:38:12
Mark no, I'll be happy to speak on that. I think it's a great a great comment. There is discussions. 01:38:14
The library if you talk to the library board. 01:38:19
As a former. 01:38:21
Board member. 01:38:22
You know, budget, budget, budget. It's it's all about about revenue. I will say this statistics and the data and James Mitchell 01:38:24
let the the Watkinsville branch of the Oconee Library has been great. 01:38:29
But there are really significant differences in the use times for the Watkinsville branch versus the Bogart branch. 01:38:35
So I do think that it's a great conversation. 01:38:44
Just with being partnered at Wire Park when when that move took place. 01:38:48
The utilization times of that library changed completely. 01:38:53
And a lot of it changed over the weekends, right? So I would say at the old location right here on Experiment Station Road, it 01:38:57
would utilize a lot during the week. 01:39:02
And not so much during the weekend and that's almost turned 180° with the with the wire part change, so. 01:39:06
I think. 01:39:14
A lot more of the houses get developed in there. You'll see it exponentially. 01:39:15
The growth in there as well and I think I think all those houses in there are great opportunities for library volunteers. 01:39:21
If you have a volunteer opportunity, you could walk. 01:39:28
And don't have to drive to. I think that's a. That's a good point. 01:39:30
But I do, I think it's a discussion to ongoing happen, but just don't be surprised if. 01:39:34
You know, the discussion is always hey. 01:39:38
Costs are increasing state requirements for for, you know, healthcare and retirement, some of those other things. And staffing is 01:39:41
always, you know, an issue from a library standpoint, so. 01:39:46
If you said hey, we'd like to be open till 10:00 at night, somebody might say that's a great idea. 01:39:51
But you got to pay somebody to work, be willing to work those hours. So that's the challenge. I know when we talked about the 01:39:56
contribution that Watkinsville will be giving to the library and is giving, but is going to continue to increase as Wire Park. 01:40:03
Is more activated. 01:40:10
A lot of that was specifically to have funding in order to increase library hours, knowing that we didn't have control over that, 01:40:12
but as a. 01:40:15
I agree. I agree 100%. I will say the the funding for this previous year because. 01:40:20
Some of the build out was. 01:40:26
Ongoing and not yet done. 01:40:28
It was actually a less. 01:40:30
For 2024. 01:40:33
Probably than than was expected, so so. 01:40:34
That money has not yet really been realized. 01:40:37
I think the other thing for us to remember is when. 01:40:40
Hours get cut back and. 01:40:45
Places and. 01:40:47
It's going to be short term. Let's just all remember a lot of times it turns into long term, you know, and that's unfortunate, so. 01:40:48
That kind of place. Is there anything on this list or Christine, you may have other ideas? 01:40:54
But that was some other things that Sharon suggested. Just the update on the dock on the large pond, we do have a. 01:40:59
I don't know if we made this clear at the last. 01:41:04
Meeting, but we have a donor who stepped up who's going to fabricate and install that dock for us, so we're responsible for. 01:41:07
The screw piles that will hold it. 01:41:14
And getting those installed and then I guess concrete up to the edge of it, but. 01:41:17
The uh. 01:41:21
IMI is going to donate and install. 01:41:22
The dock for us on the pond, A metal dock. 01:41:25
Yeah, yeah. 01:41:29
So cool. 01:41:30
So, which is a really, really awesome. 01:41:33
Contribution. 01:41:35
One one other thing on what's on the board, did anybody come up with anything on the traffic calming? 01:41:37
I mean. 01:41:48
Another chief you were going to look at. 01:41:50
Start looking at stuff and see if you had any ideas. I mean one I see constantly. 01:41:53
If you're coming down South Main. 01:41:59
Into downtown. 01:42:02
You sitting there Jittery Joe's? 01:42:04
The traffic coming out, Barnes shows. 01:42:06
That right turn, I mean, they'll fill it up. 01:42:09
And then the right turns green and nobody has anywhere to go or couple of them go, they're stuck out in the middle of the 01:42:12
intersection. 01:42:15
That don't happen all the time, just during peak times, but. 01:42:19
That's one big thing. 01:42:24
I see that should be addressed. 01:42:27
Possibly. Can we have a knife fight with everybody who uses Barnett Shoals? Can you put a note right on red? 01:42:30
Up there or because it's a. 01:42:38
State. Federal. 01:42:40
Road that goes through there. 01:42:42
Can you adjust the signage? The state would have to approve that. 01:42:44
It's killing me, yeah, but because 15 and 4:40, yeah. 01:42:49
But I guess you would be directing Barnett Shoals. No right on red. But yeah, you're right, You're right. Anybody that uses 01:42:54
varnish holes, they they take rights on red all day long. We probably got some of the same friends. We'd be in a knife fight on 01:42:58
that one for sure. 01:43:03
During the during the development of the transportation plan, there was discussion about some chicanes or things you may have seen 01:43:07
in other communities where it's basically a piece of concrete or median that maybe. 01:43:12
Because people come up on it just like people talk about having cars parked on the road that causes a lot of traffic home because. 01:43:17
They have to slow down, right? They don't want to hit a car. 01:43:22
There was a discussion at one point about something like that along Simonson. 01:43:25
Bridge Road, and I know the chief had mentioned that we're still getting high, high numbers, you know, high speeders on that road. 01:43:29
And so that may be something we can go back and revisit to is the transportation plan it talks about maybe a chicane or something 01:43:36
that would? 01:43:39
You know, an obstacle that would cause people to slow down in the road, you know, to come around and where you put it, That would 01:43:43
be something to have to be engineered. Obviously, it's not our roads, the county, so that would have to be discussion. But. 01:43:48
Since that was a specific. 01:43:53
Mentioned by the chief. That might be something to think about in the the reason I brought that up or the reason I put it on there 01:43:55
was, and I know the mayor's talked about this too. 01:43:59
We do have money in T spots. We have roughly 1.1. 01:44:03
$7,000,000 that's been set aside, not initially in the bank, but money's been set aside as that reference that continue as we 01:44:06
continue to receive collections on that, that are that is for traffic efficiency improvements roundabout. 01:44:13
Intersection realignments and improvements, signals, traffic calming measures, Rd. connections, etc. So those are the kind of 01:44:20
things that we really haven't. You haven't done any programming on that yet. And you know some of us because we've had some 01:44:24
changes in our. 01:44:28
And our, you know, in the Police Department where we need, you know, we need some focus on where it makes sense. And we wanted it 01:44:32
to be data-driven, not just, hey, let's just go drop something in the middle of the road or. 01:44:36
Whatever. So those, I do think that's an area we haven't. 01:44:41
Really focused anytime on need to. 01:44:44
Have some thought about what you guys want to do in that arena? 01:44:47
There's two aspects of that, right? We have congestion. 01:44:50
Where congestion is a functionally calming the traffic, you know, although it's not pleasant, right? I mean, if you go back to 01:44:53
where even 10 years ago we're, we're much more congested now than we were. 01:44:58
There's not a so I like the idea of it being data-driven. If there's a place where speeding is consistently an issue, then let's 01:45:04
look at calming if there's. 01:45:07
We know where congestion is, if there's a place where a small investment could make a significant difference then. 01:45:10
I'm all for it. A slip lane of, you know, something where we partner up with G dot to let people turn. 01:45:16
You know, terrible one is new high Shoals going on to 441 in the morning. You got every kid from the high school backing up there. 01:45:21
That's the county's problem. But they're slow to move on it, you know, But if they would just add a right turn lane. 01:45:26
From new high Shoals to 441 you would probably relieve. 01:45:32
50% of that traffic here. 01:45:34
Inexpensive because very little grading would have to be done on that. I mean, that's a real quick fix. So I mean, you know, so 01:45:37
I'm not excited about spending money for stuff outside of Watkinsville, but that might be a place where we could contribute and 01:45:42
help accelerate something that would benefit our citizens. It's a probably a frustration to 20 or 30% of our population in the 01:45:48
morning as they're trying to get out of the city or get to work. 01:45:53
But you know but one point. 01:45:59
One $7,000,000 sounds like a lot of money, but when it comes to traffic stuff it's not. But if we but some of these other ideas 01:46:02
that we had that we've talked through. 01:46:06
They may require us to do some of these. 01:46:10
Other things you know so. 01:46:13
You know. 01:46:15
Some of the other things that we we mentioned, you know that. 01:46:16
Getting kids to school safely. 01:46:19
You know, umm. 01:46:21
You know, different things that we did, we may have to use some of those funds to get those spaces safe. 01:46:22
Wasn't there something on? 01:46:27
Like sinking those lights. 01:46:29
I know it's been brought up before, something about sinking with the jittery Joe's light to Ashford light and. 01:46:31
But I just don't know. 01:46:36
Anything about that? But I know it's. 01:46:39
Been mentioned that they were sent maybe synced at one time and maybe they're not now or I don't. 01:46:40
Yes, yes, G dot can sync the lights or time. 01:46:45
Differently expand the seconds that they stay green to keep. 01:46:48
You know, North and South main open longer. 01:46:52
They can definitely do that. 01:46:55
But we'd have to ask. 01:46:57
Probably have to request some sort of a study. 01:46:58
You know, for them to look at all those lights because they're all interconnected. But I like that idea of. 01:47:01
You know, do we want to study those 3 traffic lights and make sure they're working as efficiently together as they could? Because 01:47:05
it all does affect, they affect each other. 01:47:08
Nowhere to go that turns yellow and you get one or two clocks. Well, it's the same way at Barnett Shoals. I mean, so when people 01:47:14
have been like you shouldn't be able to turn right on red at Barnett Shoals, I'm like, well then you would sit there forever 01:47:20
because when your light is green often you can't turn. It's actually when the. 01:47:25
Right the left hand turn lane. 01:47:31
Is on. 01:47:33
That's when you actually can turn right onto mainstream from Barnet Shoals is during that. So when people don't do it, I'm like, 01:47:37
come on, this is our chance. 01:47:40
All right, other ideas? 01:47:45
Last thing I this is going back to the roundabout on Norton Road. I know, I think I saw some stuff. We were putting some. 01:47:47
Aggregate around to try to make it a little bigger. Is that? 01:47:55
We're going to do that for a little while and then we're going to pave. 01:47:59
Is that is that? 01:48:02
Somebody I say we I saw a plan that said something about putting aggregate down on. 01:48:04
Besides and then that's going to expand it maybe and then if that works, put some permanent concrete. I think that's what I saw so 01:48:11
the. 01:48:15
The roundabout will stay. 01:48:20
Small. 01:48:22
OK. 01:48:23
What's the solution there, Mark? What's the plan? 01:48:25
There'll be additional concrete paving based on meetings with the developer and the designer. 01:48:29
We're we're lifting on this on a County Road. 01:48:35
And the city limits? 01:48:39
But it is, I will say, the. 01:48:41
Miniature. 01:48:44
Traffic circle. 01:48:47
On Norton Road is still a work in progress. Is that fair? 01:48:49
All right, it definitely calms the traffic, but it doesn't calm people's temperature. I left and went that way from church the 01:48:58
other day, and I went the correct way around. The guy behind me cut to the inside. 01:49:04
I just it. 01:49:09
They didn't pass me, but he cut to the inside. I mean, it's kind of people are being silly, but I mean, I see people do that too. 01:49:11
And I'm just like, you're just. 01:49:14
You're just making a point. 01:49:17
It's not, I mean, what, two extra seconds to take a right turn and go around it? I mean, if you have a trailer, your school bus, I 01:49:18
get why you're frustrated there, but. 01:49:22
I don't know. So are we going to? 01:49:26
Talk through this and look at the agenda. The prioritize that's the next thing is then going through. So things that are already 01:49:29
on this list. 01:49:33
That we want to prioritize. We do not talk about now, we're doing that later, correct? Sharon, how do you, how are we going to 01:49:37
handle that? 01:49:40
So is. 01:49:43
A little before 11, my thought would be to. 01:49:45
Give me a minute to try to add these under the areas they should be, try to reprint the list, put them out and then give you guys 01:49:48
your priority dots. 01:49:52
And let you go and it won't be as pretty as what's out there 'cause I'm going to drop it in real, real quick. But, um. 01:49:57
Then you guys would have, I think the mayor and I agreed, you'd have two number ones, two number twos and two number threes being 01:50:02
#1 being the most important to you. 01:50:06
#2 Second. Third. 01:50:10
The umm. 01:50:12
And so the idea would be for y'all to you know this is. 01:50:14
I think you need to. 01:50:17
Think about. 01:50:18
Think about what you really want to get done, whether it can get done this next year or not. What's the most important thing to 01:50:21
you? And then and then because we, even though it may be the most important, may not be feasible for us to get it done, but there 01:50:26
may be aspects of it we can start moving forward with. Like the mayor said earlier about eating an elephant, We could some of 01:50:31
those things we may have to start doing some of, but we're not actually going to complete whatever you've asked us to do. 01:50:36
So think. Think along the lines of what's the most important thing and then list those. The one thing we do need to talk about 01:50:41
though, before we take a break. 01:50:45
Is. 01:50:50
Next July 4th is the 250th birthday of America. I can't, we can't wait till the July 1 to get money for that or to decide what 01:50:51
we're going to do. So we need to be thinking about that. I don't know on what scale you guys are thinking. 01:50:58
I don't know what the county is going to be doing, you know, do we collaborate with them etcetera. The other thing is this year is 01:51:06
our. 01:51:09
210th birthday. 01:51:13
As a city, December 6th. So if there's anything you know again. 01:51:15
If maybe we pull from some of these groups, you know, our partners and or. 01:51:19
You know, these citizens, citizen groups that were establishing, if there's something that we want to do, just I just don't want 01:51:24
to forget about that because that's going to be here. I mean, we're already fixing to turn the page into another month, so. 01:51:29
Yeah, I love our little July like the little Kitty morning parade picnic at Rocket Field. It would be very. 01:51:34
Not a heavy lift, but is. 01:51:42
And then maybe it could become the 1st annual like we started on the 250th birthday. 01:51:44
So America and then? 01:51:49
I'm sorry, I'm talking about the July 4th like that's that's on here. Yeah, but like, maybe. 01:51:51
Get the plans together and and launch it. And because this has been on our plan for yeah, years and years and years. 01:51:57
I guess I was thinking that would be done on July 4th because. 01:52:12
It. That's right, July 4th, 26 of 26. 01:52:22
So. 01:52:27
We got a budget for it now, we got a budget for it in next year. Can I make a recommendation? So Russ Tanner, I think, does 01:52:28
everybody here know Russ Tanner? He throws a humongous July 4th thing out of his farm every year. 01:52:34
Humongous. 01:52:41
I mean. 01:52:43
$100,000 worth of fireworks off. 01:52:45
Humongous. 01:52:47
It might be worth us seeing if we could. 01:52:48
And I mean food, I mean it's all and it's all on donation. I mean, he sponsors the whole thing, him in a couple, he sponsors the 01:52:51
whole thing. 01:52:55
And so you give them 20 bucks if you choose to give them 20 bucks to eat. I mean, he's got BBQ, he's got food, he's got drink. 01:52:59
It's all. 01:53:03
Done already. 01:53:07
I didn't know if that's something we, the city, might want to. 01:53:08
Partner with. 01:53:12
Somehow you know and I don't know. 01:53:13
I don't know what his cleanup looks like out there and I don't know if I don't know any of that stuff. I don't know the logistics 01:53:16
of it. 01:53:20
But if we. 01:53:23
Partner with him, maybe move it to. 01:53:24
Thomas Farms or something and then fireworks being going off over the lakes, I mean. 01:53:27
Anyway, I just a crazy idea. 01:53:31
But he is already being done and. 01:53:33
Very well organized. 01:53:36
Already. Umm. 01:53:38
And hundreds, I mean, there'll be 500 people out there. 01:53:39
Already so. 01:53:44
I love leaning into. 01:53:46
Partnering with other people. 01:53:48
That our heavy lifting isn't so much. I didn't think that. 01:53:51
The fun thing to look at? 01:53:54
Yeah, yeah. I think we'd have to just see if Russ is willing to. 01:53:56
Partner with us and then we also need to see what the county is planning. I do have a lot of interest from Mike. 01:54:00
The younger citizens and the daughters, the American Revolution, they're already starting to think about this and. 01:54:05
You know, I think it's appropriate for the county to take the lead, but. 01:54:12
You know, you know, if we need to partner up or if they don't have big plans then. 01:54:16
I believe us to do something significant to celebrate the and it doesn't, I mean, I think the the coordinating makes a lot of 01:54:21
sense. 01:54:24
Because it doesn't have to. 01:54:29
All be. Let's see, when is July 4th next year. 01:54:30
It is Saturday, yeah. 01:54:33
But why not Independence Day weekend where the, you know, we see what the county is doing and then we make our plans for a 01:54:36
different time around that and then. 01:54:40
And then we could also use it. We're all together. 01:54:45
Or altogether, although I don't want the whole county in the city, I mean like we don't have the infrastructure for. 01:54:49
Him. 01:54:55
And not the 44,000 people will come but you know, like. 01:54:57
I like the idea. 01:55:01
I always like the idea when there's like a weekend of celebration. 01:55:02
And you have a lot of things and maybe there's one or two bigger things, but then there are smaller things because then you can 01:55:07
find. 01:55:10
It doesn't feel so overwhelming and. 01:55:13
Different people can participate in different things. And then of course having my DBA hat on, I'm like OK, how can we use this to 01:55:16
help promote? 01:55:20
Our local small businesses that summer is often kind of slow. And so no, I was, I mean I know we're talking a year and a half, but 01:55:24
like you said, we got a budget for it and start thinking about it now. So I think be great. 01:55:29
And I'll, I'll try to stay in town. 01:55:35
I have a nephew getting married in Scotland in July of 2026, so that's unfortunate. 01:55:37
So for the 210th, I mean, I'm not dying to do a big celebration. We did a little bit around our 200th, but if you all want to do 01:55:44
something, that's fine. If not, I don't know. 01:55:48
Mayor, I have a suggestion. 01:55:53
Yep, why don't we use the 210th birthday? 01:55:54
Of the city in coordination with. 01:55:59
The Christmas parade and that be the theme this year. 01:56:02
Excellent. Yeah, the parades the following day. 01:56:06
Yeah, Yeah. I think that we're thinking on the same line. I mean, it's a great parade theme, you know, the history of the city. 01:56:09
Yeah. Thank you, Toby. 01:56:13
OK. 01:56:18
Sharon. 01:56:19
Got anything else we need to think about? 01:56:20
I don't think so. All we're about to have a break. So say, yeah, we'll take a break, Let's do. 01:56:23
Let's just do. 01:56:30
Let's try 15 minutes, we'll come back. Y'all can take 15 minutes to prioritize and we can get back on track at 11:30 at work. 01:56:32
We'll take 15 minutes of a break and then 15 minutes. Prioritize that what you're saying? Great, let's do it 15 minutes. 01:56:39
Are still alive. I got to get on there and turn everything off then. 01:56:46
All right. 01:56:55
Welcome back everybody. That was fun prioritizing all the. 01:56:56
Items we will share and do we need to do you want to give us kind of the overview of where the votes landed? 01:56:59
And then I'll we'll update it and send it back out. But so it looks like number ones include. 01:57:07
Under government relocate public works department facility city charter amendments. 01:57:13
Under infrastructure we have we have three votes. This is a. 01:57:20
The other ones just had one vote on it, by the way. 01:57:24
The other number I'm just going to hit number ones I guess at this point but explore and activate. 01:57:27
Adopt A transportation plan. So there's three number one votes on that. 01:57:31
We also have continued sidewalk expansion improvements. 01:57:35
We have on land use, we have actually. 01:57:39
Basically three votes for establishing a green space program because I didn't go back and try to look see where somebody comments 01:57:43
you made actually fit into an existing 1 so. 01:57:47
We had y'all had added ask voters for green space bond, but there was a established a green space program already on the list. So 01:57:52
there's three votes for that. 01:57:55
Consider historic preservation ordinance. There's two votes for that. 01:58:00
For #1. 01:58:03
And then we've got another #1 under Thomas Farm Preserve the explore how to utilize the house. 01:58:05
And that those are all the number ones. 01:58:13
I don't know, there's an easy way to go about giving you all the number twos and stuff, but the the big priorities essentially are 01:58:16
Thomas Farm Historic preservation. 01:58:20
Green space. 01:58:24
And then transportation plan, which basically would also include sidewalks. So I mean we may again, I may be able to fold that 01:58:28
under that. So we'll have some. 01:58:32
Some high priorities. 01:58:36
I think. 01:58:39
And then city charter. 01:58:40
Yeah, OK, so on twos. 01:58:43
And I'll let you know if there's more than one. Otherwise just assume there's only one vote for this so. 01:58:45
Under community engagement, we have support existing events. We have a number two there. We have two number twos on youth 01:58:51
leadership. 01:58:54
Under government we have #2 on city charter, so. 01:59:00
Another essentially never vote for that. 01:59:04
Three number twos on and on improvements to stormwater conveyance systems. So that's a obviously a high #2. 01:59:07
We also have. 01:59:15
Two votes. 01:59:16
Two votes on. 01:59:19
The Barnett Shoals Evaluating Bart Shoals Rd. 01:59:22
We have. 01:59:26
One vote on on sidewalk expansion, which also got a number got a one priority. 01:59:27
Explore relocation of City Hall. We've got a number. 01:59:32
And then? 01:59:37
The last one is exploring opportunities for active recreation in our existing parks and spaces, green spaces, so. 01:59:38
And there may be, like I said, there may be a way and we may want to. 01:59:44
I may want to send this back out. They could let. I don't know. I'm trying to figure out how because I didn't have time to try to 01:59:49
figure out where some of these fit, but I know the. 01:59:52
The green space bond fits. 01:59:56
Really well in the green space program, so that's an easy one. 01:59:58
The recreation, I mean we really don't have, I guess that's going to have to be a stand alone because we don't have any of our 02:00:03
master plans say anything about it recreation so. 02:00:07
That would be a standalone. 02:00:10
I'll go back and Add all those. 02:00:12
In a put in priority order. 02:00:14
And I'll put, I'll probably put out the notes how many number ones and twos or something just so y'all know, it might be the 02:00:16
easier way to do it because it's just kind of hard to do it this way since we don't have like something I can look at on the 02:00:20
screen. 02:00:23
To show you. 02:00:27
You want me go through the threes as well? OK, so on the threes we had, we also had a #2 on this one that's supporting the 02:00:29
existing events in the community. 02:00:33
Then we had Explore Truck Bypass had two votes as a #3. 02:00:40
Evaluate creation of makerspace in the industrial area. We had a #3. 02:00:44
We had under government operations, we had two number threes for relocate public works department. So. 02:00:50
Three people in here thought that that ought to be at least, you know, a priority. 02:00:56
One of the top three priorities. 02:01:01
City charter amendment. Same thing there were. 02:01:04
They received a 12 and a three vote so. 02:01:07
Three people or three? 02:01:11
I guess probably not the same three people could be. 02:01:13
I should have put names on these so I know who did what. 02:01:16
Had a #3 for the doctor transportation plan, so again, four votes for that. That might be the better way to do is see top. Do the 02:01:19
number of votes reach? 02:01:23
Yeah. 02:01:28
Sidewalk expansion got a #3? 02:01:30
Activate and finish Hair Shoals Park got a #3 and it's the only vote it got. And then established a green space program Got a #3. 02:01:34
And then the house at Thomas Farm got a #3. So yeah, maybe the best thing for me to do is come up with. 02:01:41
The total, however, many showed up in the top three and give you those votes and then we'll put them in order on vote. So there's 02:01:46
probably some grouping you can do there as well. Great. 02:01:51
OK. Well, Council, that was great. I am curious, those of you who put stormwater, are there any? 02:01:56
That was something that we didn't talk about much. Is there any specific areas that? 02:02:01
You feel like need to be addressed or we need to think about why we've got staff here so we can put a little finer point on that. 02:02:05
I feel like we've done a lot of work in that area. 02:02:09
But umm. 02:02:13
Is there is just? 02:02:15
Does anybody have any thoughts on stormwater since it got so many votes on where we might want to invest or what we might want to 02:02:17
do? Specific thoughts? Well, I did not put it. 02:02:21
So, but when I think about storm water, we all have our areas of town that we go in. 02:02:25
And so as I walked down Lawana to Wilson. 02:02:30
That area is. 02:02:34
Just a disaster after rain. And that's part of that's part of the area we're looking at. I mean, so some of the issues we have, we 02:02:36
have one of the areas we actually have a really bad problem is that out in the White subdivision, because it's so old, all the 02:02:41
culverts are gone. They've got just all filled in with silt. So there's, when water comes in, there's nowhere for it, you know, 02:02:46
doesn't go back into the culvert because Culver's not there anymore. 02:02:50
The one on Wilson and Jeremy and all that same thing. 02:02:55
Have to keep that out. So that's some of what you all gave us operational money for this year was to try to get in there and 02:02:58
reestablish those culverts so that water coming in the pipes can stay in the channel and get to where it needs to go. 02:03:04
Problem with those SO. 02:03:10
It continues from Lawana across Wilson. 02:03:13
Down into a. 02:03:17
Very hard. 02:03:18
Ravine off 3rd St. and it's. 02:03:20
That that's I think we're going to have to be careful about how we push water because it goes through the. 02:03:24
Backyards of the people in 3rd St. 02:03:29
And it washes out, I mean. 02:03:32
Like their backyards have sank. 02:03:34
10 to 15 feet over the last. 02:03:37
10-15 years. 02:03:39
So we got to be very careful about how we manage pushing water. 02:03:42
Across Wilson and Lawana, Well, I mean off of off of Broad. 02:03:47
Not an engineer at all, but I just know that those yards get like. 02:03:53
There's just leaves and. 02:03:59
Crush pipes and stuff, but I don't know that that affects what's happening. The third I mean. 02:04:00
I don't know. We have gotten, I think there's two pipes, 210 inch or two 12 inch pipes to go under. 02:04:07
Wilson. 02:04:15
And then directs the water. 02:04:17
Towards the backyards of these these people down 3rd St. 02:04:19
And. 02:04:24
It is very much forced water that direction. 02:04:25
I mean, it's the natural flow though. I mean, there is a natural, yeah, I mean there. 02:04:29
And and when you buy a property, you look at yet possible erosion issues and that's part of. 02:04:34
Your due diligence. So the the story is that when they built Morgan Manor, they took all the trees that were from there and piled 02:04:41
them into this ravine. 02:04:45
And as the. 02:04:49
As the trees have eroded. 02:04:50
The ravine has revealed itself again, and so now all of this is. 02:04:54
And it's, it's a bad wash if you go over there, look, I mean, it's people's backyards or. 02:04:58
10 to 15 feet different than when they bought houses. 02:05:03
Good night. Yeah, there's a lot of issues there with this. 02:05:07
There's some. It's a little bit of a. 02:05:10
But, but ultimately, we can't. 02:05:11
Take responsibility for that. 02:05:14
Private storm water conveyance on their property. 02:05:16
Yeah, for, I mean for me, it's Morrison St. I mentioned it. 02:05:19
Privately to a couple people recently. 02:05:22
What I see on Morrison St. is that. 02:05:26
That 15. 02:05:28
Going down Morrison St. at the beginning though. 02:05:30
Culvert areas have kind of grown up. 02:05:33
Not really. 02:05:35
They're not deep at all. 02:05:36
Much more, and also the grass along the edge of the street. 02:05:38
Is high, so it keeps it starts off keeping the water in the street. 02:05:41
And then it funnels down the hill. 02:05:46
And a lot of. 02:05:48
Pretty much every. 02:05:50
On the industrial side of the warehouses. 02:05:51
They're all gravel entrances, so when? 02:05:54
The rain comes down, it's washes away. 02:05:57
The gravel. My warehouse for example has kind of two entrances, lower one. 02:05:59
Heavy rains, I lose that entrance, so I can't tell you how many times I've. 02:06:05
Bought gravel to. 02:06:10
No, Philip, I mean it's literally a three foot. 02:06:12
Ditch that you can't you can't drive in there at some of it, but I got some big rock on it hopefully. But anyway, the drainage 02:06:15
ditches kind of get filled with the. 02:06:19
You know the gravel sand from? 02:06:24
Above the street, they kind of all washed down and kind of clogged the culverts and if you look at the very bottom. 02:06:26
Right below the Otters Lake. 02:06:33
It becomes a lake. 02:06:35
When it rains and cool all the sand that's blocking the culverts under the driveway. So anyway, that's that's an area that I see 02:06:36
that. 02:06:41
You know, could be looked at. 02:06:45
I know we gave some operating money for that, but have we talked to the county about partnering is would it be more efficient if 02:06:50
they came in and helped us since they do that every year around the? 02:06:54
Anyway, versus US doing it ourselves in terms of blowing out the culverts and stuff. 02:06:58
So I've talked with Mike Weathers. He gave me a contact. 02:07:03
And we're looking at. 02:07:08
To Sharon's point, we're looking at the White subdivision and then over there on. 02:07:10
Wilson and Lawana. 02:07:15
And Jeremy? 02:07:17
Looking to see what can be done there. 02:07:18
And we just got to attack this in the stages. What I will say is once we start this process. 02:07:20
I'm sure we'll get plenty of calls saying. 02:07:25
Mine, mine, mine. 02:07:28
But we're looking at the more critical ones right now that don't have. 02:07:29
Any culverts because if you go over there white subdivision. 02:07:34
You see the pipes up under. 02:07:37
Driveways and then. 02:07:39
Right after the. 02:07:41
Is basically silted all the way in grass. 02:07:43
And it's just basically. 02:07:45
An impression at best in a lot of those areas where it flows. I talked to him, though, about what when we talked to right. So when 02:07:48
I talked to Mike about them being able to partner with us, they're just so overwhelmed with their stuff. 02:07:54
That you know. 02:08:01
The times that we do, get them to help us. 02:08:02
At more critical times, like when we had them help us with the tree over there on Jackson and stuff, but. 02:08:05
They're just so overloaded. 02:08:10
With their own stuff with the county. 02:08:12
And that's why he gave me the contact for the guy that does it independently. 02:08:14
What about? 02:08:18
I mean the. 02:08:21
Ditches, massive ditches and erosion on right there. 02:08:21
At Ameripride and down through there, I mean. 02:08:26
Those those of you can see they've sank. 02:08:28
They're pretty bad. 02:08:31
Eroded down through there. Oh, that's it. That's AG dot Rd. Yeah, happens to be the city, I mean. 02:08:33
You know, I mean that that is part of that will be addressed when they eventually finish out this last section of Mars Hill or 02:08:39
experimentation. We're gonna call Highway 15, you know, but. 02:08:44
We don't have a date for that. 02:08:49
When that will happen, so I agree with that is is. 02:08:51
We're losing it. 02:08:54
Going down through that big time, but one thing would help. 02:08:56
I know so many people. 02:08:59
Get the yards taken care of if and we do have we do offer leaf and limb pickup so if. 02:09:01
Each individual would get. 02:09:09
There, whoever they have doing the yards to get the leaves up and pile them up. 02:09:10
Instead of just blowing them into the ditch because that's. 02:09:16
Where that's where it starts, that's what starts it getting stopped up. 02:09:19
None of it gets hauled off, it just gets piled in there. 02:09:24
So. 02:09:28
Yeah, that is actually I wonder when we look at our policy, I think it's more of a policy than an ordinance on leaf and limb that 02:09:32
if. 02:09:35
If you have a landscaper or a yard guy who does the work that technically it's not supposed to get picked up. 02:09:39
But I wonder if. 02:09:44
As long as it's not like a big commercial job like. 02:09:46
We had somebody take out. 02:09:49
2 trees that were not responsible for that, but if it's normal. 02:09:51
Like yard clean. 02:09:56
Why does it matter if it is? 02:09:58
You know. 02:10:00
Jimmy down the street, your pain or? 02:10:02
You're doing it. 02:10:04
So what I'll say is typically curbside the only time they push back. 02:10:06
Is when it's a contractor that's removing a tree and Vanessa. 02:10:10
The leaves, I never hear Jennifer say, oh, they had a contractor pile the leaves up and so. 02:10:13
You know they should be taking care of it is more the tree removal and limbs. 02:10:19
That a contractor does that, they're responsible for getting it up then but. 02:10:24
She's never, they've never pushed back on leaves. 02:10:27
We might want to look at that policy then because it is a little bit of a pain, you know, if you have. 02:10:31
Somebody helping you and you're like, well. 02:10:35
You know by the letter of the law, you know they. 02:10:38
They can't leave a pile of sticks. 02:10:41
Out there, you know, if it's not you or someone in your family. 02:10:43
So they're, you know. 02:10:47
Only thing they're really specific about is like I mean cuz I I have cut neighbors trees down for them is root balls you can't 02:10:48
have anything. 02:10:53
I mean, even like bushes, you can't pull a Bush out and they will not take a Bush that's got a root ball on it. Oh yeah, yeah, 02:10:57
they shouldn't. I mean, they'll tear it up. 02:11:01
OK, all I'll say is the Chuck's point. 02:11:08
So a lot of people, you know. 02:11:10
Take care of their properties and stuff where we see the abundance of leaves that get inside of the culverts and inside of the 02:11:12
ditches. 02:11:16
Are the rental properties. 02:11:19
One other thing that came up while we were talking, I don't think it's a strategic priority sharing, but I think it's a good flag 02:11:25
and you and I've been dealing with it for. 02:11:28
A year or two and we probably need to just get it done. This year's do something with Business Blvd. 02:11:31
It looks terrible. 02:11:36
Off Morrison, Figure out who's. 02:11:37
Who owns the right of way? Who's the fallen trees? You know, all that kind of stuff. 02:11:41
We just need to push that to a conclusion because it's. 02:11:46
You know, umm. 02:11:49
Just looks awful. 02:11:49
Anything else we want to share? Because if not, we're. 02:11:54
Tweak our agenda here. 02:11:56
We're going to do the tour of the Police Department training room next. Then we'll eat lunch. That'll allow us to do the hearing 02:11:58
loop training as soon as. 02:12:02
Mr. Stiles here, and then we'll be able to wrap up early. 02:12:06
So that sounds good, everybody. Yeah. 02:12:09
Anything else anybody wants to offer while we're on the strategic stuff? 02:12:12
I just have a question with the process. 02:12:16
So for the things we talked about, but they didn't get any votes. 02:12:19
Do those still live somewhere or do you just take them off the list or what's the plan with that? Yeah, now there's still, I mean 02:12:22
all the rest of these things are going to stay on their special, the ones that are on our work, our short term work program. 02:12:28
I forgot. I just need to think through what the best way to do because once once I line these up, I've got to reorganize. I'm 02:12:39
going to reorganize them like I did last time I put number one, party number two, number three or something. So I've got to resort 02:12:44
that and I can't do that in my head right now, but but that I'll. 02:12:48
I'll do that on paper and then send it to y'all and then that'll be sort of the basis for the, when we go into budget for y'all to 02:12:54
keep that in mind. Those are the things you want us to focus on and those are things we'll try to budget around whether it's. 02:13:00
General fund dollars, philosophies lost, you know, whatever. 02:13:06
Capital funds so. 02:13:10
Yeah. So for now, everything will stay on the list though that we talked about today. Yeah, we'll just, we'll just leave it on. 02:13:13
And yeah, once we send it back out if y'all, you know, there were some things I think we mentioned. 02:13:18
There was. 02:13:24
Now that I've added all this stuff, I've changed my. 02:13:27
Sheet around umm. 02:13:29
The streetlight policy, I mean, that's something. 02:13:31
You know, I don't know, that's a big ticket, big thing, but it's on the list and I know it's important for y'all. We basically 02:13:33
have one that's operating. I just don't have it written down how we're handling that when somebody wants to, you know, street 02:13:37
light or whatever. 02:13:41
And you all said there seemed to be some. 02:13:47
Grouping of people wanting to do something about the charter, so that's going to stay on. 02:13:50
I'll go back through it if something comes up, I'll ask you and the e-mail to give me some direction at the next council meeting 02:13:54
or something about it. But so would it make sense to have under government operations like an ongoing that has to do with tweaking 02:14:00
ordinances in general and just like you have then the notes, like the specific ones? 02:14:06
But. 02:14:13
Because I feel like we're all, that's always something we need to be thinking about. They're always ordinances. 02:14:15
That we want to make our government more efficient. We want to make it. 02:14:19
Not always just sufficient, but what people want or need as times change. And so I feel like that almost should always be. 02:14:23
A priority, but then what? They are making changes? 02:14:30
Well, I mean, I think. 02:14:33
In in my mind anyway, I don't know if my staff feels there, but in my mind that's. 02:14:35
Just an understood party. I mean, if something, you know, at any point there need we need to do you know, I don't know that having 02:14:39
something written on there says update ordinance or I mean, well, I guess I'm just thinking because you have like the streetlight 02:14:43
ordinance as a specific thing, the streetlights not an ordinance. It would just be a policy. Just how do we handle that when 02:14:48
people call in because. 02:14:52
Every Tom, **** and Harry may call me, I want a little light here. Well, how we're going to handle that, you know, and so I've got 02:14:57
to think through. 02:15:00
You know, have we have any complaints? You know, how do I, yeah, collect that and make that data-driven instead of just. 02:15:03
A call in kind of. So I just need to think about that a little bit. 02:15:09
So it'll stay on the list, but. 02:15:12
Buffalo get done this year so. 02:15:14
You would look at that as a street by St. Once you start a street then you might probably be committed. 02:15:16
And have so many feet. 02:15:22
You know, I think that's not the decorative ones, Chuck. She's talking about the big ones up on the poles. We Yeah, that's what I 02:15:25
was talking about too. I mean, you know, if you. 02:15:29
Just I was asked the street she. 02:15:34
Below Trove. 02:15:39
They had asked, they had said it was real dark down in near the end, close to Colin Ferry Morrison. Morrison. 02:15:41
Robert had asked me about. 02:15:48
You know, I said. Well, call in and and see. 02:15:50
I didn't talk to Robert about that one too. And that is tricky because they're in the polls where Robert wants a poll, right? But 02:15:53
once you start. 02:15:56
That's what we just need to. I just haven't had time to do it. So sorry now to have opened up this rabbit trail. But why is it 02:16:30
vehicle? I mean vehicles have headlights people don't like. Why would it streetlights not be for pedestrians? 02:16:36
Well, the street lights are for this. 02:16:44
Straight not I know, but if we don't have sidewalk, I mean like like. 02:16:46
For much of our inner. 02:16:51
Where even if you have sidewalks. 02:16:53
But actually it's irrelevant. I mean, we, we want people to walk in our city. That is a major plan. So people are either walking 02:16:55
on sidewalks next to our streets or they're walking on the streets with no sidewalks. 02:17:01
And so I. 02:17:06
And there. 02:17:08
To me, I always thought it was about people say like just the safety of our community to have that light. But I mean, I think it's 02:17:09
used that way. But I mean, technically it's it's for vehicle traffic for, you know. 02:17:15
I mean, that's how I that's. 02:17:21
How I've grown up in government understanding it. I mean you have St. lamps for pedestrian. 02:17:22
I mean, people do take it. You do get a, you get the side benefit of the fact that people can use those lights for seeing if 02:17:27
they're walking on the street or whatever, or maybe next to a sidewalk that happens to have a street light. But the street 02:17:31
lighting is for vehicles. That's the difference between. 02:17:36
Pole lights and. 02:17:42
St. lamps. I thought that had to do with money and look. 02:17:43
That's two different you look at Georgia Power or any any power company, that's the difference one once for. 02:17:49
Road lighting and the other is for pedestrian lighting. 02:17:54
Send Christine for clarity, your street light. 02:17:58
Has a larger broadcast and not as defined. 02:18:01
And it's more about bringing attention to the roadway that you're traveling. 02:18:04
Of things that may enter the roadway. 02:18:09
And that's why I typically you see streetlights on. 02:18:11
Sections. 02:18:14
Where traffic is heavy. 02:18:15
And it brings caution to that area. 02:18:17
Were cars being parked on the side of the road or something entering the roadway? And that's why they're stationed up higher and 02:18:20
they have a larger broadcast out into the street to light the street. So in a sense you are protecting pedestrians because you 02:18:25
don't want cars to hit them because they cannot see them. 02:18:31
OK. 02:18:37
And that's why we added the ones on the Wanna too, because it was, it was also, it was street, but it was also going to have a 02:18:39
benefit of anybody walking in the area where there are no sidewalks, so. 02:18:43
All right, we ready for ready to head on over to the other side of the wall, Chief. 02:18:51
OK, all right, remember mics are still alive till I get. 02:18:56
Stop. 02:18:59
First, your scholar and gentlemen. Yeah, yeah. 02:19:14
We weren't. 02:19:23
Yeah, that's what we were just talking about, yeah. 02:19:28
Yeah, I know. Yeah, yeah. Let me just check it myself. 02:19:35
Testing 121212. 02:19:39
Sweet. 02:19:44
Don't tase me bro. 02:19:46
All right. So we've, I think we're back public here as we discussed potential Tasing candidates. 02:19:48
Welcome back to the hundreds of people who are observing. 02:19:54
To the Watkinsville Mayor and Council retreat, our final item on the agenda I think today. 02:19:58
Is hearing loop training. It looks like James Stole still well, Still well. 02:20:03
Thank you. Welcome. Glad you're here. Tell us. 02:20:08
What we need to know? 02:20:11
Well, I. 02:20:13
These are my hearing aids. 02:20:18
And I'm not going to put them in because I don't want to hear myself talk. 02:20:19
OK, but your loops working really really well. 02:20:23
Even where these chairs says it's not working. 02:20:26
Like, oh, there we go. Thank you. 02:20:28
Check, check, check. All right. 02:20:31
Hey my name is James Stowell and I am the owner. 02:20:33
And CEO of a company called. 02:20:36
American Hearing loop. 02:20:39
Been around 15 years. 02:20:40
Got loops from here. Well, let's see. 02:20:42
Not much West, but we did all of Broadway, all the museums in Washington DC. 02:20:45
Virginia Beach. Norfolk, VA. 02:20:50
Richmond, VA. All their big theaters and auditoriums we've done all of Duke and Chapel Hill, all their. 02:20:53
Examination rooms and. 02:20:58
Where did you leave here? That's right. OK. 02:21:00
Hey you guys are on Google. I saw it. 02:21:04
Gotta go loop in the council room right here. 02:21:06
And, umm. 02:21:09
It was an interesting process to put the loop in here, but how many of you knew about a hearing loop before you walked into this 02:21:10
room? 02:21:14
Saw this sign or did you even notice the sign coming in the room? 02:21:17
Yeah, that's the international sign. 02:21:23
Where here you live? 02:21:27
And if you're hearing impaired? 02:21:29
Then you know what that is. 02:21:32
Because it says right here. See that? 02:21:33
Switch your hearing aid to T coil mode. 02:21:35
And I'm already doing the worst thing I can do this microphone etiquette. 02:21:38
Move the microphone. 02:21:42
So if you're hearing impaired, you can raise your hand and say put the microphone back up to your mouth again. 02:21:43
So here another word for hearing loop is audio. 02:21:48
Frequency induction. 02:21:51
Listening system. 02:21:54
It's a tongue twister. 02:21:57
So everybody got tired of saying that. 02:21:58
Saying hearing loop. 02:22:00
Which is much easier. 02:22:01
And uh. 02:22:03
He basically is. 02:22:04
Old technology. 02:22:07
But its job is to take. 02:22:08
Speech between 100 Hertz and 5000. 02:22:12
And that's important, and I'll tell you why in a minute. 02:22:15
Take it into this digital microphone. 02:22:18
And there's a box in there that converts it. 02:22:23
Into old analog, so we're going from. 02:22:26
Digital. 02:22:29
Back in time again. 02:22:29
And it takes it. 02:22:31
And puts it into this wire. 02:22:33
It's right here. 02:22:35
The one right there. 02:22:37
There's some back there. 02:22:38
And it induces a. 02:22:40
Magnetic signal. 02:22:42
Closest thing I can tell you that it's coming out of there is. 02:22:44
Does everybody here have magnets on the refrigerator? 02:22:47
Yeah, we all do, don't we? OK, so take one of those magnets. 02:22:50
And try to hold it. Get it as close as you can to that refrigerator and hold it off. Don't let it touch. 02:22:53
What happens? 02:22:59
It wants to you just start shaking. 02:23:01
It's got to get on the refrigerators, got to get on that steel. 02:23:03
That's called induction. 02:23:07
That's not James Bond. Don't mix it up with seduction. 02:23:10
This is induction OK. 02:23:13
You're inducing a current into that refrigerator. 02:23:15
And what's happening, if you could see it? 02:23:18
If we all see it. 02:23:20
And we have instruments. 02:23:22
We can see this floor, not right now with a naked eye, but. 02:23:23
We could see it with our instruments, which are out in our truck. 02:23:26
We can see the electrons when they get close to that refrigerator. 02:23:29
They go from this and all your right hand. 02:23:33
They go from this curling motion. 02:23:37
To this. 02:23:39
So in this room. 02:23:42
This wire. 02:23:44
Is seeing that wire. 02:23:46
Seeing that next wire? 02:23:47
And once they see each other. 02:23:49
They're like best friends. 02:23:52
They're the straightest lines in the world. 02:23:54
And then all we do is add a little bit of voltage. 02:23:56
About. 02:24:00
A AA battery. 02:24:01
OK, what Appalachian did the Michigan State and the AA one time when they beat him? You guys probably didn't follow that, did you? 02:24:03
I followed it all the way to the very end of that game. 02:24:08
When the guy. 02:24:12
Narrating that games, it's just hard. 02:24:14
Can be and they got tired. 02:24:18
What in closing, they just smack them right off the field, so. 02:24:20
When those water see each other, we induce a current. 02:24:24
It brings it up and in this room is 6 1/2. 02:24:28
Almost 7 feet right here. 02:24:31
Now. 02:24:33
It also spills over. 02:24:34
This is in the loop. 02:24:36
This is out of loop. 02:24:40
And as you get further from the loop, it dims down, it starts to go down, the signal goes down and down and down. 02:24:41
And when you're talking in these microphones? 02:24:47
It's in the loop. 02:24:50
It's not here. 02:24:51
But you can hear it here, but not much. 02:24:53
So. 02:24:56
In the loop. 02:24:57
Out of the loop, so if you have a speaker out here like me with a microphone. 02:24:58
And uh. 02:25:02
These microphones are really good. You can actually I could. 02:25:03
Go outside in the parking lot and still talk to you. 02:25:06
That's how good they are. 02:25:08
And. 02:25:10
It puts that signal into here. 02:25:11
Old oxygen. 02:25:13
Now, is anybody here wearing hearing aids? 02:25:15
Besides me. 02:25:18
We're breaking. We're breaking the rule here. 02:25:20
It's one in three. 02:25:22
One in three people. 02:25:24
Our hearing impaired. 02:25:26
Now think about that. There's 335 million people in the United States. 02:25:28
In one and three. 02:25:32
It's a big number. 02:25:35
What do you think the CDC thinks about that? 02:25:37
That place in Atlanta? 02:25:39
Center for Disease Control. 02:25:41
Well then, classified hearing impairment as a chronic disease. 02:25:44
Yeah. 02:25:49
The biggest issue is why does the insurance pay? 02:25:52
For hearing aids for chronic disease. 02:25:54
Well, I guarantee you representatives in this. 02:25:57
State, our state, North Carolina, Virginia, working hard on that to change that. 02:26:01
Right there. 02:26:05
But it's a disease, a chronic disease is a disease that you get. 02:26:06
That gets worse. 02:26:10
And the only way it goes away is when you die. 02:26:11
How many people in here know somebody who's hearing impaired? 02:26:15
Now we know what's coming up on TV, right? It's called March Madness. 02:26:19
Right. Yeah. 02:26:23
I got 5 uncles. 02:26:24
What do they do when they sit in front of a TV and they're all shot Gunners? They're all. 02:26:26
Shotgun bird hunters. 02:26:30
Turn it up. Turn up. 02:26:32
Supper ties it'll go. 02:26:35
That's what I hear from them. 02:26:38
Yeah, they're all hearing impaired. They don't believe it. 02:26:40
But we do. 02:26:43
And that's when you hear it the most is around the holidays. 02:26:45
And the other thing that happens is that. 02:26:48
How do you know somebody's hearing impaired? 02:26:52
What's the first thing that gives them away? 02:26:54
What's that? What what you say? 02:26:55
Yeah, you got it right there. You'll see it all the time, especially here. Here's what I see it the most. 02:27:00
And I don't spend my life in a hospital, but the outpatient clinics in the hospital. 02:27:06
When the people lean over and go. 02:27:10
I'm trying, I'm trying to help. 02:27:12
Trying to help the lady sitting there is leaning way back going. 02:27:14
I hear you. 02:27:18
So those are our biggest customers. We those little inpatient, outpatient things that we put. 02:27:19
Pairing lips, each one of them. 02:27:24
So that both people the employee. 02:27:25
Who could be here impaired? 02:27:28
And the patient who's here impaired, we do it at banks, we do it at. 02:27:29
All the ticket offices is the ball game. 02:27:34
You know, at the at the. 02:27:36
Football stadiums. 02:27:38
But that's how you tell you hear somebody because they can't hear themselves talking. 02:27:40
So that. 02:27:46
When you wear a hearing aid. 02:27:47
You've lost over 80% of your hearing. 02:27:49
Go ahead everybody. Just. 02:27:52
Take your two fingers. 02:27:54
Put them in years. 02:27:57
OK, there you go. There you go. 02:27:59
Now you're experiencing. 02:28:01
My, I'll go ahead and take them out. 02:28:03
That's mild hearing loss. That's what somebody with mild hearing losses. 02:28:05
And it comes from children just being born or babies being born. 02:28:09
All the way to what day does it happen? 02:28:12
I'm working with that the school district. 02:28:16
Up in North Carolina, Rowan County. 02:28:18
And they have. 02:28:21
Teacher just a star Super teacher 24 years old. 02:28:22
She's a superstar of the school. 02:28:26
Everybody loves her, she loves everybody. 02:28:28
Week of December, she got up in the morning. 02:28:31
What's going on? 02:28:36
And it went just like this. 02:28:39
Downhill. Her hearing. 02:28:41
Until when I was there last week. It's almost gone. 02:28:43
24 years old. She has to get cochlear implants. Do you know what those are? CIS? 02:28:46
Yeah, that's that's those are miracles. 02:28:51
They they put a piece of foil. 02:28:54
Down inside in the new. 02:28:57
Your audio network of your brain. 02:29:00
It's it's that whole network, it's like this and your brain sits in it. 02:29:02
And it picks up the sound from that. 02:29:07
And then it has a magnet in your head. 02:29:10
And the hearing aid which hangs on your ear like a regular hearing aid. 02:29:13
It's plugged into that and you probably see those magnets on peoples heads right there. 02:29:16
When you get to that point, that's profound hearing loss, so you've lost almost everything. 02:29:20
So 100 Hertz to 5000. 02:29:26
Is what this loop is built for. 02:29:28
So that will work in your hearing aids. 02:29:31
We build these to the same specifications that the ADA requires. 02:29:33
And the federal government requires. 02:29:37
The hearing aid manufacturers to build their hearing aids. 02:29:39
We have the same. 02:29:42
Specs. Same specs. 02:29:44
And in North Carolina is the Fire Marshall. 02:29:47
South Carolina is the Department of Health. 02:29:50
Environmental Science. 02:29:53
And I forget who it is in Georgia. Who doesn't expect that you have? 02:29:55
I met with him at a meeting in Marietta. But then you have a group of inspectors. 02:30:01
Who abide by the ADA? Make sure everybody abiding by the ADA. 02:30:05
You know, putting in wheelchair ramps and things like that. 02:30:09
That's your protection. 02:30:12
That you'll be able to hear. 02:30:14
If you're not wearing hearing aids now. 02:30:17
You might be very soon, you never know. It could be overnight like that gal. 02:30:19
Another gal that we did was the the head of the HR department for the hospital system in Greenville. 02:30:23
And everybody had to get a flu shot in the hospital. 02:30:29
Or you're fired. 02:30:33
That's a pretty big deal. 02:30:35
You can fire everybody at the hospital 'cause they don't get a flu shot. What if they don't want it? 02:30:38
Well, she started the pioneering. The way she goes, I'll go first. 02:30:42
She got her flu shot and everything was great. 02:30:47
Next day we get a call. 02:30:50
She lost her hearing. 02:30:53
24 hours. 02:30:54
She was head HR for all the hospital systems. 02:30:56
Now her office is completely looped. 02:30:59
She couldn't hear a thing in that office if he didn't have a hearing loop and her hearing aids. 02:31:02
So, so it can happen to anytime, to anyone. We know people, so we have to learn to talk to people. 02:31:06
We have to look when you speak into your microphones. 02:31:12
These microphones all have different designs, not the these are the two of the same. All these are the same but this ones 02:31:15
different. 02:31:18
I have to talk here. 02:31:22
Three fingers, elbow in tight. 02:31:23
If I. 02:31:26
So if you're hearing impaired, you can raise your hand. 02:31:29
Call it here. Report microphone etiquette, please. Straighten up, fly right. Get that microphone back up there. 02:31:32
A lot of places need. 02:31:41
Hearing loops. 02:31:43
And the word of mouth, of hearing moves. 02:31:44
When you meet those people with these family, what we got March Madness coming up, but we got the 4th of July coming up, but it's 02:31:47
outside. 02:31:50
But then you got Thanksgiving and Christmas. 02:31:53
And what's going to happen there? 02:31:55
If I told you how many? 02:31:59
Family reunion tables with loop. 02:32:00
You wouldn't even believe it. 02:32:03
Because. 02:32:04
And it's a family reunion. 02:32:06
And if you're hearing impaired? 02:32:07
It's nothing but a noise gathering center. 02:32:09
But if you have a loop. 02:32:12
And some microphones. And, you know, the kids, grandkids really know what those might. They know what microphones are. 02:32:14
Just don't give them one. Just let them hold it for them. If you give them one, you're in trouble. 02:32:19
They I've seen it in the church they had. 02:32:24
In the church they had them. 02:32:27
Grandparents Day. 02:32:29
Pick up all your grandkids. Bring them to the church. 02:32:31
And they have the. 02:32:34
The master of the. 02:32:36
Pastor who's taking care of all the kids? 02:32:42
And he made the mistake. 02:32:45
You got all the kids up there and the grandparents are in the loop. They're in the back. They never heard the grandkids. 02:32:47
I mean, all they hear is. 02:32:53
You know a little girl yells at 8000 Hertz. 02:32:55
I hear he only works at 5000. 02:32:58
You don't hear it. 02:33:00
You'll hear him scream. 02:33:02
They'll be screaming all day. You'll never find them. 02:33:03
So. 02:33:06
Put all these kids up there and they were asking questions about what they learned and on. 02:33:08
Sunday, that little. 02:33:12
Religious class in the. 02:33:15
He made the mistake. 02:33:17
Given the microphone to a little girl. 02:33:18
He said. What's your favorite thing? She said. Well, let me tell you what my mom and dad do. 02:33:21
And again, I said you can give that microphone back, but she got up and walked off down and proceeded to tell everybody too much 02:33:26
information. 02:33:30
About what her parents did. 02:33:33
Oh, I see these. 02:33:37
Is there a weak signal right here? 02:33:41
That that's what we've been told. That's it. That's what we're going to have you check today. 02:33:43
There there's a thing about a hearing. 02:33:47
And it's pure physics. 02:33:51
I use the right hand rule because that's the first thing we learned in physics class. 02:33:53
Is that the energy is coming out of my thumb? 02:33:56
And then the radiation. 02:34:00
For the energy. 02:34:02
Curly, it's called the right hand rule. There's not a left hand rule. It didn't count. 02:34:03
It's only the right. 02:34:07
So this wire right here. 02:34:09
Has energy coming this way? 02:34:11
It's rolling this way. 02:34:13
And it has to intercept. 02:34:15
The Wire over here. 02:34:17
This way. 02:34:19
If you're right over top of the wire. 02:34:22
When I say right over top of the fire, no matter what the size. 02:34:26
That's called the null NUL. 02:34:29
So if you stand over. 02:34:31
And you can get your hearing aids just about perfect. 02:34:33
You'll hear. 02:34:36
It dies down. 02:34:38
All you have to do is move over a little bit and get the sweet spot. 02:34:40
If you sit right over it. 02:34:43
And I can sure I'll find it. 02:34:45
We'll bring instruments as if you sit right over it. 02:34:46
With your ear right over the wire. 02:34:50
Not going to happen, It's just physics. 02:34:53
If somebody sits here and says to you. 02:34:56
Gosh, I can't hear sitting here. 02:34:58
But he steers me just fine, right? 02:35:00
Yeah, yeah. 02:35:02
Yeah, well, scoot your chair up a little bit. 02:35:03
That's all you're gonna do. 02:35:06
And it's not against the well. 02:35:07
So if you go there. 02:35:09
Now your head against the wall so where I can hear it, you're right, you're not going to be able to hear it. 02:35:10
So you it's it's a two way St. you got to find a sweet spot. 02:35:16
And. 02:35:20
You got to tell somebody if you're not getting it, but it does work, works well, and I just listen to it. 02:35:21
So I'm going to open this up to question and you can ask anything if. 02:35:26
You know, I I can do it technically or I can try to do it in layman's language. 02:35:31
I like the technical answers better. Are we Speaking of these microphones? 02:35:36
How close is it in the same three finger? Ideally it's not. 02:35:41
OK, it said. It has to be played at the level of your mouth. 02:35:44
So that's tilted right there is perfectly nice. Go ahead and. 02:35:47
You tell me, go ahead and just speak normally. 02:35:50
Hi there, Can you hear me good? 02:35:52
See that you see where yours is up on your forehead. 02:35:55
So you watch. 02:35:58
OK, talk like this. Perfect. 02:35:59
Bend it down so you don't have to have the floor because these are really good mics. These are 12 inches. 02:36:02
Right here, but right at your mouth. Point at your mouth and don't lean into it because it'll get loud and it will distort. 02:36:08
You don't want to do that. 02:36:17
Here for me, this one right here, it's like this. 02:36:18
So good question. 02:36:22
That's really good to know. It's OK because if you have a lot of hearing impaired people in here and they talk to me, they be 02:36:26
raising their hands on you. Hey, fix that microphone. 02:36:30
I mean, you wanted to say, come on, yeah, I'll fix mine. Can you hear better now? 02:36:34
James, question for you. There are 159 counties in Georgia, 500 plus municipalities. 02:36:40
Do you know statistically how many of those counties, how many municipalities have an installed functional hearing? I do them, I 02:36:46
know that has answered that question one. 02:36:51
One, most lawyers don't ask questions that they don't know the answers to. 02:36:57
This one right here. 02:37:03
We tried real hard and some people are still trying very hard, but. 02:37:04
Here's the problem. 02:37:08
How many people here here in Paris? 02:37:10
Model Yeah, just hanging around here so I have no hearing in my left ear. 02:37:15
Profoundly on my right ear. 02:37:20
That's why I have those hearing aids over there. 02:37:21
Here's the problem hard enough to crack. It's a law, by the way. 02:37:24
ADA. And who manages the ADA? Do you remember who manages them? Who's your boss? 02:37:29
The Department of Justice. 02:37:34
They're busy these days, aren't they? 02:37:36
And they can. And they're going to get busy on this kind of thing soon enough. Right now, they're just finishing up the wheelchair 02:37:39
ramps. 02:37:41
And you get a city like Charleston who hasn't put one in yet. 02:37:44
They call it the Holy City, but they won't put a wheelchair ramping for anybody. 02:37:48
So the Department of Justice and ADA, there's a law was passed in 2010. 02:37:52
One in active in 2012 and says where there are two or more people. 02:37:56
I count more than two here. 02:38:02
Gathered in a public place. 02:38:04
That has. 02:38:07
A microphone PE system. 02:38:08
You must have assisted listening. 02:38:10
Those municipalities are breaking the law. 02:38:12
But they're not the only ones. 02:38:15
Did any of the federal conference buildings? 02:38:17
In downtown Atlanta. 02:38:20
They got nothing. 02:38:21
And it says in their building code they have to have it. 02:38:23
But they're not doing it. 02:38:26
So who's the victims here? 02:38:28
Here we are. We've got. 02:38:30
One in three. 02:38:31
60 something million. 02:38:33
Folks who are hearing impaired, and by the way, don't let anybody fool you if you say I'm not hearing impaired. I just have 02:38:34
ringing in my ears. 02:38:38
You got a problem. 02:38:43
That ring, it didn't come from nowhere. 02:38:44
It comes from a disease. 02:38:46
OK, so how do we as a group get going? 02:38:48
You know, there's a there's like Salt Lake City. 02:38:53
Their City Council decreed. 02:38:55
Here loops on every new renovation, every new. 02:38:58
Public floor, The City of Marietta. 02:39:02
Same thing. 02:39:05
They've got loops everywhere, you know, life and university everywhere. Their loops. 02:39:06
It's where do we start? 02:39:10
I thought maybe. 02:39:13
Working with the governor would help, but. 02:39:14
Try to get in to see. 02:39:16
Well, back then it was it was, it was a he Brian Camp. 02:39:18
Try to get in and see him. It couldn't make any headway at all. 02:39:21
None. 02:39:24
He's not hearing impaired. He doesn't know anybody. 02:39:25
Why we care? 02:39:28
He's not wheelchair bound, why would he care about that? 02:39:30
Why? 02:39:33
How much does it cost to install a system? 02:39:35
To install the system. Well this system here. 02:39:39
I'm going to say the average system, I can't. This one doesn't count because this, you know, this municipality discounts things 02:39:45
like that. 02:39:48
Our average system is between 12 and $20,000. 02:39:52
Per room. Wow. 02:39:55
OK, none, five year warranty. 02:39:57
It works. 02:39:59
Satisfies. Legally, it satisfies the requirement. 02:40:01
And it's a capital investment. 02:40:05
You know, you put the money out there. 02:40:08
And you get what you pay for. 02:40:10
So that's that's about right, but I've done some that are. 02:40:12
Like let's say 5 theaters. 02:40:15
On Broadway was 200,000. 02:40:18
Michigan State Basketball Arena. 02:40:23
186,000. 02:40:26
I'm trying to think of something the Peace Center in Greenville. 02:40:30
Seats 3700. 02:40:33
And that. 02:40:34
Fleming Arts Center. 02:40:36
Another 180,000. 02:40:38
It's got 18 loops and. 02:40:39
25,000 feet of wire. 02:40:41
And it works wonderful. Have my favorite seats in there. 02:40:44
So. 02:40:50
Good question. 02:40:51
Every place is different. 02:40:52
Like before the loop went in here. 02:40:54
We tested it over and over. 02:40:56
Several hours, over and over. 02:40:58
And. 02:41:00
You look at the budget and you say, Gee, what can I get by with? OK, so this loop is made just like it is in a church. 02:41:01
It's made for you to do exactly what your mother told you to do. 02:41:08
Sit the back straight and sit up. 02:41:12
Don't fall asleep at the table. Don't put your elbows on the table. 02:41:14
This is how it's built. 02:41:18
Why is it built like this? 02:41:19
Because the. 02:41:21
It's inside that hearing aid. 02:41:23
Is built perpendicular to the loop. 02:41:24
OK, so here it is. 02:41:28
Walk my head. 02:41:31
I go horizontal with the loop, everything. 02:41:34
All bets are off. 02:41:35
It's got to be perpendicular like. 02:41:37
What John's holding there, so he's holding it up right like that. It's got to be like that. Put it in your shirt pocket. Do 02:41:40
anything you want, but keep it upright. 02:41:43
This is called a single. 02:41:47
Array loop. 02:41:49
We do. 02:41:50
I just finished a NBA basketball court. 02:41:52
In Richmond, VA. 02:41:56
For special needs school. 02:41:58
Got a huge gymnasium? 02:41:59
And they want their young athletes to be able to hear with their hearing aids. 02:42:01
While they're tumbling, jumping and playing ball. 02:42:06
So we put in a phase array. 02:42:08
So we have this loop that's here. 02:42:11
Why are there? Why are there? 02:42:13
Every four feet we put a wire. 02:42:15
In the concrete. 02:42:18
So anywhere you go. 02:42:21
Including all the way under the bleachers. 02:42:23
In that basketball arena. 02:42:25
If you're hearing impaired, you can hear everything going on. 02:42:28
Even if there's not microphones, they've got to be microphones. Got to have a source. I'm sorry I didn't explain it. Source. 02:42:30
Goes to hearing loop driver in the closet. 02:42:38
To the wire. 02:42:40
OK, three things you got to have and they can be. 02:42:41
You got to go test it. 02:42:45
Now when we get a new construction like. 02:42:47
That one in Richmond, they, you know, two years ago they sent us the drawings. 02:42:49
It's just here's what we're planning. 02:42:53
We want the gymnasium and here's what we want in it. Here's what we want to have happen. Can you do it? 02:42:56
Answers. Yeah. 02:43:00
So now I've done probably. 02:43:02
2000 basketball NBA basketball courts. 02:43:03
In the concrete. 02:43:07
Then they lay the wooden frame, and then they lay the rubber, and then they lay that nice wood. 02:43:08
There are a lot of churches that have huge gymnasiums like that that we've done. 02:43:13
In Atlanta. 02:43:16
Probably, I would say. 02:43:17
I did 4IN Atlanta right now. 02:43:20
And they have these schools. 02:43:23
Religious schools. The Episcopal Church. 02:43:27
Christchurch, they have huge gyms. 02:43:29
So we're able to do that. 02:43:31
You know, I think. 02:43:34
Toby, did you have a question? 02:43:35
Yeah, barring an outside source like. 02:43:36
Cutting the line or severing a line was the longevity of. 02:43:40
The system that you've seen. 02:43:43
You know, I know you weren't here for five years. 02:43:45
Yeah. The question is, oh, you guys aren't in the loop. But anyway, the question is, is how does the longevity play out based on 02:43:48
the equipment? 02:43:52
So, umm. 02:43:56
A wire. 02:43:57
That's in the floor, undisturbed, like under this carpet. It's a flat wire. 02:43:58
It'll probably outlast you. 02:44:03
And everybody in this room. 02:44:05
If we put it in concrete, it has 100 year warranty on it. 02:44:07
So he's going to outlive me. I'm not going to be 100 so. 02:44:10
The drivers. 02:44:14
Or normally five years. 02:44:15
And the new drivers seem to barely make it 5 years. The old ones, the old big heavy duty opera style seemed to last. I probably 02:44:20
have 100. 02:44:25
Those old opera style drivers that I put in and. 02:44:30
2010. 02:44:33
And they're still working. 02:44:35
I sure wish they'd break. 02:44:38
I'm a business guy. I don't want to break. 02:44:41
You know what they pay for those drivers 15 years ago? 02:44:44
There's probably more than what they cost today because, you know, this is this kind of electronics has gone down in price, not 02:44:48
up. 02:44:51
You know, because they got smarter. The new ones look like an iPhone on the front. 02:44:56
The old ones you had to have a little screwdriver. 02:45:00
And you had to have up two or three meters going on and you had the tunnels and lights just right and get them just right. 02:45:02
So it's the box that breaks, not the wires. 02:45:10
What? The wires, they break when people remodel. OK, but because I was like, wow, that'd be really expensive to have to replace 02:45:14
all the wires every five years is. Yeah, if you decide to replace this carpet every five years, you need to think about putting it 02:45:18
down in the concrete. 02:45:22
We do a lot of retirement homes. 02:45:28
And they do replace their carpet every five years. 02:45:30
And so when they're replacing carpets, we're we're cutting concrete, they started out like this. 02:45:34
But now they want it in the concrete. They want that 100 year warranty. 02:45:39
So. 02:45:43
And but boy, I'll tell you what, a carpet cutter with that knife. 02:45:44
They are so good, it'll cut this wire so fast you wouldn't believe it. 02:45:48
And it may happen to you in here. And then we can find the cut and we can fix a lot. 02:45:52
I'll say the worst case was a. 02:45:57
In Greenville First Baptist Church. 02:45:59
Seats 2500. 02:46:01
Big amphitheater. 02:46:04
Church umm. 02:46:05
The they were putting a new carpet, so we laid all the wire, flat wire just like this. 02:46:06
Everywhere. 02:46:11
I mean, just thousands of feet, thousands of feet. 02:46:12
Came back two days later and here's that beautiful carpet in. 02:46:15
Test salute. Nothing. 02:46:20
No. Check all the wires, nothing. 02:46:23
And the guy was a was a company called Bonnets. 02:46:25
And they had a big guy run it. 02:46:29
And I said hey. 02:46:31
I got a question for you. I was pulling up the carpet here, somebody cut this wire and we had put boards. 02:46:32
Wood boards. 02:46:38
On top of every place they could possibly cut that wire. 02:46:39
And said do not cut the wire. 02:46:42
Gave him a place to cut the carpet on the board. 02:46:45
He said to me, he said. 02:46:48
We don't cut no wire. 02:46:50
We didn't cut the water. 02:46:52
I said, yeah, somebody did whoever's in here putting this carpet and cut the wire and he said no, we didn't. 02:46:53
And he was a big guy. 02:46:58
Got up against me, but right here in my face. 02:47:01
It's pushing you backwards. I was going. 02:47:05
This is not going to happen like this. 02:47:07
Call the. 02:47:09
The facility manager. 02:47:10
He had the whole thing on video. 02:47:12
And every time that carpet knife cut that wire. 02:47:14
You got to spark a copper. 02:47:17
I mean called the boss, the owner and showed it to him. 02:47:20
It's $1000 a cut to fix. 02:47:25
I'm not crying. 02:47:28
Well, look at me. I'm. 02:47:31
One of the guys that worked for me, Don, he retired. He he's just mad because he's a Craftsman. 02:47:33
You know, you cut my wife ****** me off. I don't care how much you pay me, but me, I just said get your checkbook outlet's get 02:47:37
going, you know? 02:47:40
So yeah, it's $1000 to fix it so. 02:47:44
Try to impress upon anybody that comes in here to work on this. 02:47:48
If you've got to pull it up. 02:47:52
And let's pull it up. 02:47:53
But this one wasn't that expensive. 02:47:55
So we can replace this unless if you want to put it in concrete. 02:47:57
You know we. 02:48:00
We used to contract out concrete cutters. We've seen it on the street, right with the big sauce. 02:48:01
Well, OSHA, which is the safety people to protect your lives. 02:48:05
Like the writing on the cigarettes and stuff, they're there to protect you. 02:48:09
They they tighten it way up. 02:48:14
The silicon dust from concrete will kill you eventually. 02:48:17
So they tighten that all up so that we. 02:48:21
We decided to start cutting concrete on our own. 02:48:24
So we bought all the right equipment that OSHA approved. They came and proved it, washed his cut. 02:48:26
And if you get our Facebook page for American Hearing Room. 02:48:31
Just turn your volume down because you can watch us cut concrete because it's loud. You know, we wear earplugs and knee pads and 02:48:35
helmets and boots and stuff. 02:48:38
But we do ourselves. 02:48:42
And the price difference is interesting. We're talking about price. 02:48:44
If you bring in somebody concrete cutter. 02:48:47
They'll charge you about anywhere between 25 and $45.00 a foot. 02:48:50
The cut. 02:48:54
We charge $5 a foot. 02:48:56
Because when we cut half an inch down. 02:48:58
Those guys with those big saws on the street cutting their curbs and stuff. 02:49:01
I mean, they're cutting. 02:49:04
Like that? 02:49:06
So yeah, if you, if you have to pull this up and if it does start sticking when you're pulling it up. 02:49:07
Then it might be best just to go ahead and just pull it up. 02:49:12
And have us come back, put wire and it wasn't that expensive. 02:49:16
I mean, it's expense, but it's not that expensive. 02:49:19
All right. OK. Questions, more questions. 02:49:21
I know it sounds like you're going to be doing an inspection here this afternoon. Yeah, we're going to. We're going to run tests 02:49:26
on everything. Great. 02:49:29
Well, thank you very much. This has been super enlightening. Yeah, you're welcome. Be sure you tell everybody, though, that's. 02:49:32
I want you to talk to those other municipalities, you look like the right guy, and ask him say. 02:49:38
Ada. 02:49:45
It's a law. 02:49:46
You got to do it. You're supposed to do it anyway. 02:49:48
Those folks that aren't shy anymore, they're retired. 02:49:52
They'll drop it down on anybody. 02:49:55
No call. No. Call Ada and they'll call me. 02:49:58
They weren't you down here putting the loop in? I said. I didn't know. 02:50:01
So. 02:50:03
Oh, you guys know? 02:50:05
Yep. So we've done all their theaters down there. So yeah. So if you end up in Sun City. 02:50:08
You got a wonderful theater with hand movement, so. 02:50:12
Well, people retire there. 02:50:16
Sharon, thanks for the invite. 02:50:17
Thank you. Thank you. 02:50:19
All right. Well, Council, with that, I think that's our. 02:50:21
Final agenda item we advance the Police Department tour. Is there anything else anybody wants to share before we wrap up? 02:50:25
All right, Well, this meeting is done. Thanks again to everybody for their input. All right. 02:50:33
My. 02:50:39
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