Transcript

Event transcript
Good evening everyone and welcome to the July meeting of the Watkinsville City Council. We are excited to see such a big crowd 00:00:10
here tonight. This is going to be a special night on a lot of levels for Watkinsville and just really. 00:00:17
Excited to see some friends, old and new, here with us tonight. 00:00:24
We have a quorum here tonight. Councilman Thomas is unable to join us tonight, but we do have four or five members here tonight. 00:00:29
Thank you for all making time to be here on our rescheduled evening. At this point, I'd ask the Brock family to lead us in the 00:00:33
pledge, please. 00:00:38
Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, 00:00:46
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 00:00:53
Just about a month ago. 00:01:10
We lost Mayor Dave. 00:01:13
Dave was never at a loss for words. 00:01:17
I'm gonna loss for words as I try to describe his impact on this city and on. 00:01:20
Frankly, myself and on this community. 00:01:27
I really have struggled with it, Dave. 00:01:32
Dave is a Goodman who led with his heart. 00:01:35
He demanded excellence from everyone that he worked. 00:01:38
He dreamed big. 00:01:43
And encourage others to do so, and inspired them to deliver. 00:01:45
He demanded Excell. 00:01:48
He encouraged, He pushed. He cajoled all those words. He was a man of vision. 00:01:50
Dave Sheeran was. 00:01:56
Mana vision and a difference maker in Watkinsville. 00:01:58
So tonight I thought it was appropriate, if we take some time, to recognize Mayor Dave's contributions. Thank you to all who were 00:02:02
here. 00:02:05
Mario Castro, Dave's husband, is here. Mario, we're grateful to you. We know that Dave was not operating alone. A lot of that 00:02:11
energy, a lot of that vision, a lot of that spark came, came from you and his special relationship with you and in that 00:02:17
partnership. And that's one of the things that made Dave so amazing. So we are eternally grateful for Dave and we have some things 00:02:23
that we want to share. 00:02:30
About Dave, so with that Sharon. 00:02:37
Yeah, let's do it. 00:02:40
This video this video is when Dave, Dave and Laura Whitaker. Dave and I went to visit LSI. It's a playground equipment 00:02:54
manufacturer that later manufactured the equipment out. There it was. 00:02:59
Freezing, freezing cold day in Minnesota and Dave loved the slide and we went outside on snowy playgrounds all over Minneapolis. 00:03:05
And no matter how much snow was on the ground, Dave did the slide. So Sharon, I think you have something you want to share about 00:03:16
Dave and some of the new slides here in Watkinsville. Well, on behalf of the City of Watkinsville's employees, we will be 00:03:23
donating, we will be donating enough money to dedicate a slide at ESP in honor of Mayor Dave. 00:03:31
Them. 00:03:39
And you can see from the imagery up here the, you know, the, the spirit that they brought, the energy he brought. Dave was a 00:03:44
bridge builder. 00:03:48
No matter your political belief, she couldn't help but love Dave, and that's always stuck out to me about what he did. We're going 00:03:53
to have an opportunity to celebrate Dave. 00:03:58
His in classic Dave style, he did not want a traditional memorial service. Instead, we'll have a celebration of life. 00:04:05
July 30th, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Rocket Field. Family fun day. All kinds of bounce houses, a petting zoo, a dunk. 00:04:13
Live music, trapeze artists, food trucks. I have a feeling some people who are sitting up here will be involved in that dunk tank 00:04:20
experience. So, so. 00:04:24
So, so we are. 00:04:32
Mario, I'm going to let some other people speak at this point, but just know that you've. 00:04:34
Been on the hearts and our minds and in our prayers over the past month. Know that your husband and partner made an eternal 00:04:40
difference to this to the city. 00:04:43
That, that will. 00:04:48
You know, it may be forgotten when we're not here, but it will never be lost. 00:04:51
Because it will stand the test of time, Council members with that, if any of you have any recollections you want to share about 00:04:55
Mayor Dave, I'd love for you to do so. And then we may have a few. I know we have at least one person from the audience who would 00:04:59
love to speak as well. 00:05:03
I do. 00:05:08
And I wrote it down and I'm probably still going to get emotional, so I apologize. 00:05:10
It goes without saying that Dave is irreplaceable and his presence will be dearly missed. 00:05:15
I had encountered his vivacious personality on occasion at events at Ashford Manor and through common friends, but I truly had the 00:05:21
privilege to get to know him while he served as mayor. 00:05:26
Dave was a man of integrity who pursued what he felt was right. 00:05:32
He courageously made important and necessary changes for the city, including major changes to our Police Department and hiring our 00:05:36
first city manager. 00:05:40
He was always open to possibilities and wasn't afraid to change the status quo. 00:05:45
I already miss his wit and his warmth and his wonderful stories. 00:05:51
Watkinsville. 00:05:56
Wouldn't be what and where it is today if it weren't for Dave. 00:05:58
And I also echo everything that Brian was saying about Mario I will never forget. 00:06:02
I was out of town and my husband was building our guest cottage. 00:06:08
And he got stuck on the roof. The ladder fell down and it's a steep pitch, big thing and. 00:06:14
I managed to get a call to Kathleen. 00:06:21
Kathleen, who called. Dave, who sent. 00:06:24
Umm to to go rescue my husband who he had never met, had no idea who he was off this steep roof and so. 00:06:28
That is a tiny, tiny little story of just. 00:06:40
What both of y'all mean to us? So thank you. 00:06:44
I failed to prepare anything but. 00:06:57
Everything. Every time I saw Dave, one thing I take from it as a way to live life is to there's a lot of times we're not happy. 00:07:01
He was always happy. He might get a set of things, but he would just had he smiled. He went forward and he he loved life. 00:07:10
And that was something that I always felt when I was around. 00:07:18
And I mean, there's probably. 00:07:22
Seven years ago now. It's hard to tell because time flies. But on 4th of July was approaching and David Mario invited us over to 00:07:26
spend the afternoon swimming in the pool at their house. 00:07:31
And honestly, at that time we went, I didn't know them real well at this time. 00:07:38
That's awesome. We get to hang out and get to know those two better. And it wasn't just my wife and I was. Our daughters were 00:07:44
there too, but they they both invited all of us and we just had a wonderful afternoon swimming in the pool on the 4th of July. 00:07:51
So I'm gonna love you both and but yeah, Dave, you know, whenever I get down, I can just see a picture of Dave and know how I 00:08:00
should be thinking about life. 00:08:05
And I just wanted to say that I was proud that I had the opportunity to meet Dave and Mario when my daughter got married at. 00:08:19
At their venue and I'm proud that I had the opportunity to work with him on council while he was mayor and I'm proud that I called 00:08:28
him my friend. 00:08:33
And he will be missed. 00:08:39
So I was trying to remember how long when it was when I met Dave, but it's been a long time and I know every time. 00:08:46
Out just He always made me feel important. He always took time to stop and. 00:08:56
How's it going? You know, it was just, he's one of those people. As we go through life, you'll meet people that. 00:09:03
Have an impact on you. You'll never forgive him, and he's one. 00:09:08
People in my life that I will never forget, the times that we got to talk and the you know, the words of encouragement he gave me 00:09:12
and. 00:09:17
Just a true friend is what boils down to just someone. 00:09:22
You know you just he makes, he just has a huge impact on everybody came in contact with. 00:09:30
And Representative Marcus Sweetow, I think is here and would also like to share. 00:09:41
Share. 00:09:45
Mario, like Chuck, I was trying to remember how long it's been. 00:09:57
Since I met you all, but it's been a long it's been a long time. 00:10:02
And. 00:10:06
I don't know how Brian holds it together. I'm an emotional guy. 00:10:07
So I will say this. 00:10:10
In the world we're living in. 00:10:13
Is what? 00:10:18
Leader should. 00:10:20
He was always welcoming. 00:10:22
To me, you both were. I thoroughly enjoyed some of our debates and conversations. 00:10:24
Have the utmost respect for both of you. 00:10:32
I cannot think of Watkinsville image without thinking of the two of you and what you've done for this community. 00:10:36
And what you have built. 00:10:43
I literally cannot think. 00:10:45
Concerts on the lawn to a random afternoon in your backyard having a glass of wine. 00:10:48
Umm. 00:10:54
Just what you guys have done. 00:10:55
And what you guys have meant to this community? 00:10:57
I've been thinking about you. 00:11:01
I will not be able to be in the dump take I will be spending some time with my family right before school starts. But I will be 00:11:03
thinking about you and I love you guys very much. 00:11:08
At this point I think. 00:11:24
I think we'll need. We'll move on. 00:11:27
Unless Sharon, is there anything else that we need to share about Dave? 00:11:30
Mario, I don't know if you are capable of speaking. Yeah, I think just. 00:11:34
I'll wrap it up with this, Dave. Dave put so many things in motion for this town. 00:11:40
And as the agenda came together for. 00:11:46
And I knew that David passed. 00:11:49
And I knew that we're going to share plans. 00:11:51
For a new. 00:11:54
We're going to share plans. 00:11:56
Revitalized Rocket Field. 00:12:01
We're going to swear in a police officer in a in a in a police force that has evolved tremendously due today's leadership. 00:12:04
I knew that. 00:12:14
There was something more than random things coming together on this night. It feels like a Mayor Dave kind of night in 00:12:16
Watkinsville. 00:12:19
Where big things are happening, he dreamed big. And some of those dreams are coming true. And the first step to that is tonight. 00:12:24
Mario and everybody who came to support Mario, you're welcome to go after we wrap this part up if you'd like to remain. We will be 00:12:31
working through those other issues relatively quickly tonight. So would love for you to stay and learn more about what's coming 00:12:37
down the Pike and we'll be swearing in Officer Anglin as well, which we're excited about. But I totally understand if people have 00:12:43
prior engagements and and need to go, so we will. 00:12:49
Take a brief break in case anybody does need to go after this, and then we will jump right into the minutes and the regular course 00:12:55
of our meeting. But thank you all for coming, Mario. We love you. 00:12:59
Yeah. 00:13:05
Call me if you need anything just let me know. 00:13:19
OK. 00:13:51
We will move along council. We will move to the approval of the Minutes. I don't know if anyone has any suggestions, edits or 00:13:53
changes to the Minutes. I did not notice any when I reviewed them. 00:13:58
If there are none, then I'll accept a motion to approve the Minutes. I make a motion to approve the minutes. 00:14:05
Do we have a second? 00:14:13
All in favor, Say aye. 00:14:15
Motion carries. All right now we are to approval of the agenda. I'd ask that we table item number 8. Do we have a consent agenda 00:14:19
this month Sharon, nothing on the month. 00:14:23
So I would ask that we that we approve the agenda, but tabling item number 8 regarding the. 00:14:28
Sewer on a update. 00:14:36
I'll entertain a motion to that. I make a motion that we accept the agenda admitting item number 8. All right, so to table item 00:14:40
number 8 until next month. Do we have a second? 00:14:44
We have a second from Councilman Campbell. All in favor? Say aye, aye. Motion carries. 00:14:50
All right, Administration. 00:14:56
Speak from the podium, address council when you speak, address the merits of the pending matter. Attorney will guide us through 00:15:32
any of the more formal public speaking parts of the process or if anybody gets out of line, attorney will handle that as well. So 00:15:38
under administration we kick things off with the financial reports Manager Dickerson, if you could walk us through that. 00:15:44
Thank you, Mayor. I do not have on the overhead the balance sheet because everybody would have to strain to read it all, but the 00:15:51
council has has it and it is also available online. 00:15:56
On splashed one, you may recall Splash One, the only project outstanding on that is the water and sewer that's the sewer Line A 00:16:28
going through the industrial park. That project is actually funded by Sewer Line One. The remaining funds of 248,000 and some 00:16:33
change along with. 00:16:38
$904.00 and some change in Spos 2 there are encumbered about $17,000 that actually the checks have not clear, but that was for the 00:16:43
workout front city, the City Hall sidewalk out front. The mayor will highlight that in his report later. 00:16:51
But those are the only two projects outstanding on that. 00:17:00
On Splice 3, you have encumbered some funds on that. On those items you have some capital monies in public safety that have been 00:17:03
set aside, also in multi-purpose government facilities. 00:17:09
But the big projects are we have $100,000 to spend about 10. 00:17:16
Of it so far on Paris Shoals Park, you just completed some work at Layla Lane. 00:17:20
Which was part of the element, the local maintenance improvement grant money and then some of the branding initiative that is 00:17:26
going towards signage. So those are the projects that are currently have been appropriated, funds have been appropriate for those 00:17:30
projects. 00:17:34
And you still have quite a bit of programming to do with those funds, but that's sort of where that sits Just as a comparison, you 00:17:38
have we budget around 60, I think it was 64,000 and we've been getting average of 72,000. 00:17:46
So we're up 6760 or so thousand over what we projected, which is always good news, right? 00:17:54
And then? 00:18:03
American rescue plan. 00:18:05
This is the money. This is the money from last year July of last year. I did not check the bank account today, but we are 00:18:07
anticipating the 2nd and final tranche of money to come in, which will be $548,204.50 out of that same amount that you got last 00:18:14
fiscal year. You you have a balance of 373,000, but I I did mention that you had appropriated money. 00:18:22
For public safety that you're not, we're not going to need, so we'll reshuffle that money back into the general bucket on the next 00:18:30
cycle. 00:18:34
Once we get all the expenses in, we'll cycle. We'll put that back in the non appropriate amount and you'll have that much to spend 00:18:39
in addition to the money you're getting, you'll be getting sometime this month. So you're roughly going to have about $700,000. 00:18:44
That has yet to be appropriated. 00:18:51
Any questions on those reports? 00:18:54
OK, seeing now, we'll jump to the next section which is economic development. 00:18:57
Had a lot of that going on lately. 00:19:02
We have six business licenses, 1 alcohol license that came in during the month of June. The one I'll highlight of course is South 00:19:05
Main Brewing. They came in, they are finalizing their construction. I think they're estimating sometime at the end of this month. 00:19:10
Once they receive their CEO from the city, they'll go to the state to the state, I think Department of Revenue and Department of 00:19:14
AG. 00:19:19
To get those check offs and I think there's some federal stuff as well that has to be checked off. So that's moving pretty 00:19:25
quickly. 00:19:28
Any questions about those? 00:19:32
OK, the next one is really tiny. 00:19:35
Um. 00:19:39
And what I'll highlight here is there were 55 building permits for 22 projects, the biggest of which was Trove, a residential 00:19:40
neighborhood off of Column Ferry Rd. 00:19:44
There were 11 houses housing building permits for 11 houses. That NSFR is non. 00:19:49
Single family residential within stand for, I can't remember. Anyway, that's what it stands for is single family residential and 00:19:56
you'll see that they had plumbing and HVAC and electrical for all of those. That's why you see so many of those repeating 00:20:00
themselves. 00:20:05
Because they have to have permits for each of those trades as well as building permits. 00:20:09
So lots of exciting things going on. Any questions? 00:20:14
OK. 00:20:18
She just walked out. Chief's timing is impeccable, as always. 00:20:23
On to the police report. 00:20:28
Good evening, Mayor. 00:20:39
How are y'all doing? 00:20:42
Glad to see y'all here early in the month instead of late in the month. 00:20:44
This is a week early. 00:20:48
So I submitted a report last week with. 00:20:51
Statistical data for the Police Department as well as the data that comes from our science throughout. 00:20:55
Are there any questions over any of the material I? 00:21:00
No looking good. 00:21:08
All right. Mayor mentioned to me earlier this evening that maybe I'll do some comparison charts. 00:21:11
Some of the statistical traffic data, I'll work something up and get you all a report next month so you can see how we're 00:21:16
trending. 00:21:20
All right. And with that, we recently graduated A. 00:21:24
Officer from the Academy. He went from cadet to be an officer. 00:21:29
Here recently Brian Ang. 00:21:34
And tonight? Oh, and during the celebration, a surprise. 00:21:37
The governor showed. 00:21:43
I've been to a lot of graduations in 23 years. I don't think I've ever had the governor show up to any of them. But this one he 00:21:47
did. That's awesome. 00:21:50
And as you can see, Ron took an excellent post right behind the governor. 00:21:53
Well done. 00:21:58
So tonight we're going to swear in Ryan and. 00:22:00
The mayor would come forward. I would like for you to do that. 00:22:04
Yes. 00:22:21
Congratulations in advance. 00:22:25
Sir. 00:22:28
Hi, Ryan. 00:22:30
Here by Solomon square that. 00:22:33
Support. 00:22:42
Our support and between the charter and ordinances of the City of office. 00:22:54
Charges and ambulances. I'm not the holder of any office of trust. I'm not the older them out. But for the government of the 00:22:59
United States and the government in the United States, any other states or the foreign states in the other states. In the foreign 00:23:06
state, the planned by the laws of the state, the time by the laws of the state of Georgia for the biggest community. 00:23:14
I'm otherwise qualified. 00:23:23
I'm not the older any kind of. 00:23:37
I set the law enforcement code events. I have left the law enforcement declared. 00:23:52
I'll faithful follow the orders of the Chief of Police. 00:24:15
Police officer. 00:24:27
How it works? 00:24:32
And as a matter of condition. 00:24:54
We allow a loved one of the officer to come forward and come back and. 00:24:56
The. 00:25:02
123. 00:26:07
Beautiful. Beautiful. 00:26:17
Hold. 00:26:25
Appreciate it. 00:26:26
I'm going to put my signature on this before I lose it and if I get it back to you, Chief. 00:26:34
Sign. 00:26:40
If it's three, we'll do it later because it's a long meeting. 00:26:42
Mayor Roberts crusade for shorter meetings and cities. 00:26:48
So we got to do the important thing that we will do them. All right, Chief, that's it for you, I'm assuming, because he is gone. 00:26:53
We will move on to our public hearing. I do want to recognize Judge Anglin. Thank you for being here. It was an honor to swear 00:27:01
someone in in front of you after you swore us in for so many years and always made time to do that. So we're thankful and grateful 00:27:06
to have you back in City Hall tonight. 00:27:10
All right, Next up on the agenda. We do have a public hearing. We have this thing coming up called the T Splost. 00:27:16
And. 00:27:22
Teaspost is a special purpose, local option sales tax to be dedicated to transportation uses. That's roads, sidewalks, things that 00:27:24
help people get around our community, which we need here in Watkinsville. Most of our traffic does not come from Oconee County. I 00:27:31
would certainly say most of it doesn't come from Watkinsville and a large part of it does not come from Oconee County. And what 00:27:38
that means is most people who drive through Watkinsville don't pay. 00:27:45
For the roads that they're using now, if a Tea SPLOST was passed by the voters, then that means that there would be a penny added 00:27:53
on to sales taxes and that penny would be used to help fund transportation improvements, including the transportation plan that 00:28:01
we've approved previously. The county is committed to a mileage rollback to offset a tax increase and grateful that they have done 00:28:09
that. But all four of the Oconee County municipalities need to agree to the T spot in order for it. 00:28:17
To pass at its full capacity in the county. So what we're doing tonight is we're taking a look at the. 00:28:25
The referendum, I'm going to let manager Dickerson fill in anything that I forgot in my soliloquy there. And then we will actually 00:28:33
vote on, we'll hear, have a public hearing and then we will close that public hearing and we'll vote on that matter later tonight. 00:28:40
So Manager Dickerson, please fill in the gaps of what I forgot and and then we can have a public hearing on that. 00:28:47
Thank you, Mayor. You did a great job. 00:28:55
So one of the key things to understand is that the city does have a percentage of those teaspoons that would come to us that has 00:28:58
been negotiated at 7.77%. Based on that and the projected revenues that the county has provided, the city will see about 4.69. 00:29:07
$1,000,000 over that five years. Again, that's projected. We always budget at about 85%. Eighty 3%, that's proven. Actually, we 00:29:16
actually hit higher than that, but we try to not budget for the full amount, never knowing what will happen. 00:29:23
The project does require tea spots, does require for 30% of the funds to be used on statewide goals. I think all of the cities 00:29:31
have basically said they're going to use it on roads. It's a real easy lift. Everybody needs to repair their roads, so 30% of the 00:29:37
funding will be used that way. Before I flip to the next slide, I do want to remind the council because we do this every time we 00:29:43
talk about tea spots, especially spots 3. 00:29:49
The referendum will state how the city wants to use those funds right now, the way it's laid out, and we'll talk about this when 00:29:56
we get to item 11. 00:30:00
Is that it will be simply a straight amount of 5.6. I think it's 5.516 million and some change with 30% of that amount having to 00:30:04
be dedicated for roads. 00:30:09
What the council has done in the past and what you did last year when you consider this and brought it for the the the citizens 00:30:16
for a vote, was get a little bit more specific. Because it's always important to put a little bit more, you know, detail on what 00:30:21
how you're going to spend the money so that the public has confidence that the monies are going to be spent well. 00:30:27
So. 00:30:33
I want to remind you that when I show this that that there are buckets, there's going to be 3 buckets and we've got the 00:30:35
percentages laid out. So that 30% does go towards the state, towards the state strategic transportation plan roads. 00:30:41
And bridges and that kind of those kind of items. 00:30:47
So should you decide, you can talk about this later. Donna, This is just so the public has something to maybe give you some 00:31:27
feedback on tonight before you vote. Should you decide to go forward, your ballot will show those 3 buckets. And then what that 00:31:33
means is if that passes, those are the three buckets you can use. You can spend up to that amount, not more than that amount. 00:31:39
There are rules if you have a project that maybe you can't fund for whatever reason, their rules for getting around that kind of 00:31:45
stuff, we haven't had to run into that yet. But you can sometimes deal, you can deal with that. So but right now that's sort of 00:31:49
how. 00:31:53
This is how you had it last year and I just took the same amount of money and the percentages and put it back in there for this 00:31:58
year for y'all to look at and consider. So I know y'all aren't necessarily going to be talking about it now. You want to get 00:32:02
public input, but I just want to make sure remind everybody that sort of how this is laid out and you may decide when you get to. 00:32:07
Item 11 that you just want to leave it at 5.5 and 30% and you can do that too. 00:32:13
OK. Thank you, Sharon. We'll move into the public hearing at this point. So I'd like to open the public hearing. I know we have 00:32:19
Chairman Daniel here tonight. Chairman, I don't know if you have anything that you want to add about Tea SPLOST and the county's 00:32:25
county's thoughts on that and the rollback you're? 00:32:31
Take some time or any citizen who wants to comment on T spot. You're welcome to come to the podium after Chairman Daniel. 00:32:38
So we did try this a year ago. 00:32:52
We had a after the results we had some citizens approaches about maybe trying again with a little bigger turn out. So we're 00:32:55
excited to try again we think. 00:32:58
A really good program for the citizens of Oconee. 00:33:03
Our share will end up being about 52,000,000 of the actual collection is our budget amount. 00:33:07
And we will do A1 mil rollback to OFF. 00:33:12
The new 1% sales tax and most of that's going to go to Rd. Paving in the county. We have a little bit set aside for trails and 00:33:17
some for intersection improvements. We have some challenging intersections we're trying to work on. 00:33:22
To get those straightened out, but be happy to answer any questions you have about it. But we really appreciate your 00:33:29
participation. Bogart and Bishop both signed on last night and will be in North High Shoals next week. 00:33:35
Thank you, Chairman Daniel. 00:33:43
Any questions for Chairman Daniel? Before we move on, anybody else in the audience want to speak about T Spice? 00:33:47
Yes, step on up so people can hear you. 00:33:53
My name is Wyler Hecht I'm give us your address too. Just we got to be formal with these public 38 S Barnett Shoals Rd. And I 00:33:59
really just have a question and that is I would like for somebody to help me understand what the what it means like the one mill. 00:34:08
To offset this to the tea spot. Can somebody help me understand that because I don't understand. 00:34:18
Thank you. 00:34:26
And how long does a teaspoon last? We're going to let our expert preacher come up here and handle that. 00:34:28
So this will last for five years regardless of the amount collected. Law just changed. 00:34:36
In the past, when you hit your goal, you had to stop collections, but luckily that the state legislature expanded that, so we'll 00:34:40
collect for a full five years. 00:34:44
$71,000,000 are asked. We think we'll hit close to that. 00:34:48
Investors Best of circumstances? 00:34:52
So we're able to take some of that one. 00:34:56
And put it toward Rd. maintenance that we're currently paying for out of property taxes. 00:34:58
So if the citizens allowed to do that, that's allowed to do that. 00:35:03
And we'll reduce your mileage rate by 1. 00:35:06
So right now we're at 6.56. We're about to do a rollback. 00:35:09
For the property, tax increases will push just under. 00:35:14
If this goes through, our mills rate will be just under 5. 00:35:18
For for property. 00:35:22
So your property taxes would reduce John's the account, not me. We have this conversation often, so I'm probably get this wrong. 00:35:25
But roughly about 1/6. OK, is that right, John, you going from 6 to 516. So what that means is, you know our a lot of I got calls 00:35:30
about people's property taxes and their frustration. If your property tax isn't in your mortgage, you know, you get that bill and 00:35:36
it it hits you right. And even if it is in your mortgage, it hits you. And so all of a sudden what this does is you could take off 00:35:42
1/6 of that property tax bill. 00:35:48
And what that's going to be covered by is partially by your shopping. But the reality is a lot of our sales tax revenue comes from 00:35:54
folks in Athens, folks in Barrow County, folks in Jackson County who are all coming, whether it's the Publix, whether it's to Wire 00:36:00
Park, whether it's other places who are using our roads and using our infrastructure. They'll pay for more of those costs. 00:36:06
Yeah. And also I will say that T spots does not apply to gasoline or any kind of motor fuel. So it's not going to affect you on 00:36:43
your price for gasoline. 00:36:46
What? 00:36:51
Your general food items, general general goods, and you go to Walmart about everything you find there will. 00:36:52
Yeah. So it's an extra penny of sales tax that is going to be offset by that. That rollback in the mileage rate is the idea. 00:36:59
Thank you. It's a good, great question. I think that's one of the things about this that it's hard, you know, you know? 00:37:07
You know, it's hard to understand the value in it, but when I look at what's changed in Oconee County over the past 20 years. 00:37:14
You know, sales tax has become increasingly important and as we have Costco and the Varsity and other places like that open up in 00:37:20
the Epps bridge area, we can we can fund an increasing amount of our needs based on from folks who aren't necessarily living in 00:37:25
our community but are visiting so. 00:37:30
Yeah. Any other comments on T? 00:37:36
All right. I'll close the public hearing at this point and we'll move along to appearances. Next up, we have some exciting guests 00:37:40
welcome. 00:37:44
To Rob and Carmen from Ponder and Ponder and they are providing an update on the new Oconee County Watkinsville branch. 00:37:50
The library which is going to be located at Wire Park. 00:38:00
Please introduce yourselves. Give us your address and. 00:38:03
And then share. 00:38:06
I'm Carmen Ponder. This is my husband and partner, Rob Ponder. We are Ponder and Ponder Architects. We are at 3000 Langford Rd. In 00:38:08
Peachtree Corners. 00:38:15
Georgia used to be Norcross. Some of you may know we live in Duluth. 00:38:22
So we understand community and wanting to keep a Public Library in your city, in your community. I am a library design specialist. 00:38:29
I'm design libraries all over the state, and I am also the design partner and project manager for this library project. Rob acts 00:38:37
as our architect of record. He's the stamp, he's also the one with the technical expertise and he coordinates a lot of the 00:38:44
engineering. 00:38:52
That goes into our buildings. Part of our team includes a professional interior designer, Courtney Orm, who is also a library 00:39:00
interior designer. 00:39:06
So we are a part of the new wire park multi use development. We are converting an existing warehouse. 00:39:12
That is was part of that manufacturing facility into a 21st century library. The exterior that you see in front of you, the 00:39:24
rendering represents. 00:39:29
A modern, industrial looking building representative of the history of that facility. 00:39:35
And it ties in with the new Wire Park development. Similar exterior materials, the same brick, the same metal siding, same colors. 00:39:43
We're exposing a lot of the steel framing and painting it black windows that will look similar so that it ties together and 00:39:51
becomes a sort of campus for the Watkinsville area, if you will. 00:39:59
The library is front onto the Plaza that has been built, and if you've been out there recently, they finished their Plaza. It's 00:40:09
just beautiful. So that's a public place for events, for gathering, and it'll connect via a courtyard up into the wire park with a 00:40:19
food court, shops. They'll eventually have offices as well. The park is open already, so the idea is to have synergy. 00:40:29
Between the facilities, our main entrance for the library will be off of a Plaza area. 00:40:40
That faces the main. 00:40:47
It's a little bit elevated. 00:40:50
And there's an addition that was made to that warehouse that we're proposing taking the walls off of and turning into a covered 00:40:52
outdoor space. And that's where the main entrance to the library would be. 00:40:59
The site work is all being done by the wire part development Gibb Capital. The one exception is we're proposing a new handicap 00:41:07
ramp along the front to connect the entrance to the southern parking lot, which would be very convenient for library users. 00:41:17
The library itself will be a large open space. We are developing 20,000 of the 25,000 square feet available because our goal is to 00:41:27
meet the budget. 00:41:33
The on the floor plan, the dark area that you see is the 5000 square feet for future development that the library can grow into. 00:41:42
It's mostly a large open space with the adult section when you first walk in, and then there's a gateway element with the youth 00:41:50
areas beyond that to give you some separation. It'll include a large public meeting room that can be open for after use via a 00:41:58
secondary entrance with a secondary lobby that has restrooms. 00:42:06
And a large friends of the library of workroom workroom because this library. 00:42:15
The most active friends of the library I've ever seen. Any. 00:42:20
We have, if you would please continue to the next slide, I think that has a close up of what the interior finishes are likely to 00:42:25
look like. The interior designers still working closely with staff, but it'll be warm, neutral colors. 00:42:33
Colors that are in the the carpet she's going to punch out as accent walls, but the majority of walls will be that soft, neutral, 00:42:44
tan color. Durable materials, stain resistant carpet. 00:42:50
Dirt. 00:42:57
That vinyl tile that looks like wood that is durable and the idea being a low maintenance facility. 00:43:00
The users and not it's going to be a community building the emphasis on flexibility and growing in the future. 00:43:11
Right. 00:43:22
And I want to say real quick, the structure that we've inherited out there will be reusing the floor, the concrete, the steel 00:43:22
beams, the steel columns. 00:43:27
The steel frame around the exterior of the building, we have figured out that the most economical thing to do for the roof is to 00:43:33
actually take the one off. There's a demand for for used panels. We can get a market for those and it will have a new roof that'll 00:43:39
be put on here. And with inside of the building itself, it will have new air conditioning, new electrical, new plumbing. 00:43:46
Within the structure. So we've tried to apply 21st century knowledge into how to reuse the frame of this. 00:44:26
We hope to start right the first of the year and should take 9 to 10 months to build. 00:45:07
We're available for questions. I have some questions. 00:45:12
So I'm very excited about the library going to Wire Park and being part of the community as a whole. 00:45:17
I know y'all have had some challenges as I'm sure expenses have continued to rise as as the project has gone on and also sometimes 00:45:24
inheriting of an older building has. 00:45:31
I mean, I'm sure even more challenges than what you just said. So I appreciate the challenges that y'all have had and I see a lot 00:45:39
of exciting things in this. I love that the Friends has a bigger space. I noticed there's a recording studio. 00:45:46
Which is bringing it into the 21st century. That's that's a great use. 00:45:54
So I do have a few concerns though, and I'm wondering if some of these might be affected by budget, but I would hope that there 00:45:59
might be a way around some of these things so. 00:46:06
I'm a mom of three. My kids are now teenagers, so I fortunately, you know, they're out on their own. But I spent many, many years 00:46:13
going to the library with my small children. 00:46:18
On the main plan. 00:46:25
It's hard to really see on any of these, but I've I studied, I studied it. 00:46:28
Yesterday and the packet. 00:46:35
That the children's section. 00:46:38
Is at the far bottom. 00:46:40
And the bathrooms are on the complete opposite end. 00:46:43
And. 00:46:47
At one point I had a three-year old and twin infants and inevitably you get a couple children happy and then one has to go to the 00:46:49
bathroom. And the way this is currently designed, a parent is going or caregiver is going to have to gather all of their children 00:46:56
traipse all the way through the main section of the library. 00:47:04
Where adults are perhaps trying to have peaceful time to get to the bathroom and. 00:47:13
And I know adding any bathroom cost money, so I'm I'm sure there's budget to this, but I would love if there would be a way to add 00:47:21
a restroom, perhaps using some of that unused space, just even if it was one section. Because I get that it's near the meeting 00:47:27
room and it's the extra lobby. And I mean, I understand the benefit of those restrooms being there. I would just love to see a 00:47:34
second one near the kids section. 00:47:40
OK, I've been in your shoes. 00:47:47
Mine are fully grown now as well and I feel your pain. 00:47:50
This library. 00:47:55
Does not give us the opportunity to do everything we would like to have done, I can tell you the staff. 00:47:59
That was one of the first things they asked for. Is a restroom convenient to the children's? We went back and forth on the design 00:48:06
quite a bit. At one time, the children's area was on the opposite side of the building, next to the restroom. 00:48:13
For that reason. 00:48:21
The restrooms and if you'll notice every room that requires plumbing is all in that tight upper left hand corner because that is 00:48:23
where the plumbing is coming in. 00:48:29
To provide plumbing anywhere else in the building would require cutting an 8 inch. Not the normal 4 to 6 inch, but an 8 inch slab 00:48:37
that has been there for decades and that has continued to harden. So it's just. 00:48:44
Highly impractical. 00:48:52
Nothing is impossible with money. 00:48:55
So you hit on the biggest? 00:48:58
To getting it where we. 00:49:02
And that is the. To get plumbing on the opposite side of the building is just completely impractical. 00:49:04
Where the this building right now is estimated by two different estimators to be $175 per square foot to do what we've shown. 00:49:12
To solve the 8 inch concrete and be able to try to run that plumbing the diagonal across the building. So we we're we're trying 00:49:58
but we just don't think it's there to be able to do that so. 00:50:02
I don't don't have any other answer. Well, and I I don't know if this is the, you know the place to get that. 00:50:08
Figured out, although Kathleen. 00:50:15
Children. 00:50:20
From one side of the. 00:50:22
The library staff absolutely insisted on the location being where the children's area was, away from the adult area, where the 00:50:24
meeting room would also be available for after hours. So there were a whole series of we must have this, we have to give up that, 00:50:30
and it was. 00:50:37
That's how we ended up where we are. 00:50:45
We we child. 00:50:48
It is. 00:50:54
There's no wall door. 00:50:57
You know in there and have you been to the? 00:51:01
This one doesn't either. There, the gateway is more of a visual separation. That's a little bit with distance, but there's no door 00:51:06
or hard wall really separating. It's a large open space and a lot of that is again trying to work with what we've got, a very, 00:51:15
very tall ceiling. So any wall we build to separate is a 20 foot high fall to start with, so. 00:51:23
We have a lot of open space. We're. 00:51:32
But. 00:51:35
The booking manager let's Yeah, OK, So I want to what I want to do is I don't like Christine. So I don't think we're going to 00:52:13
solve this problem tonight. I think we need to provide the feedback. 00:52:17
Do you have a few other things you want? Why don't we work through anybody else on council does and then we'll talk at the end 00:52:22
about maybe how we if if we're going to engage further on them. So you have alluded to the fact that it's a large open warehouse 00:52:29
and I didn't see anything in any of the renderings like any of the design pictures shows about maybe 8 feet up. What is that going 00:52:37
to look like? Do you have any any views of like how because how tall are the actual ceilings and and what is that? 00:52:44
What is that going to look like in the library? 00:52:52
The existing structure is. 00:52:56
Approximately 20 feet to the underside of the. 00:52:58
Open web joys and then there's some airspace above that. We have some areas with ceilings. We don't have ceilings everywhere. We 00:53:03
cannot afford acoustical ceilings everywhere, so we have chosen to put them in the children's area in the meeting room, insert in 00:53:12
the office spaces so the areas that need it most. Those ceilings will be at about 11:50 feet. 00:53:20
And in the main main part of the big room, it'll be fog painted black like you see a lot of modern contemporary buildings done up 00:53:30
from 10 feet up. All that'll be painted flat black. So that it it's that new look that you see in a lot of restaurants in a lot of 00:53:36
different places. So the interior designer is designing it to be used like I'm sorry we don't we don't have an interior rendering 00:53:42
to show you yet because she's working on it with the. So another thought in this this will be. 00:53:49
Not getting into the weeds of it, but you already alluded to the fact that we have an incredible friends the library. 00:53:56
Community and we have a lot of generous businesses and so. 00:54:04
I also understand your budget constraints and I understand the complexity of this library being part of a larger system that is 00:54:11
multi countrywide. And so have you all considered kind of making your your wish list of extras? Like for instance I'm looking at 00:54:19
the the amount of windows that are in in the library I'm I'm sure. 00:54:27
There were fewer than maybe in your perfect design world you would want. 00:54:36
The I've I've not seen any interior rendering, so maybe this will come, but I am not seeing anything particularly inspiring for a 00:54:41
children's library, and maybe that just that designer hasn't gotten to that yet. But something that really differentiates and 00:54:48
makes a children's library a very special place. And so I would love to see a list of your like if you want an extra window here, 00:54:55
and then it could be sponsorship or naming opportunities. 00:55:02
I would love if it's possible with it being a Public Library to have some naming opportunities. So a business could say you know 00:55:45
this cool tree house thing in the children's library is with a plaque. With that business name I I feel like we we could get a lot 00:55:51
of. 00:55:56
OK, a lot of. 00:56:02
Whole children's area was paid. 00:56:04
One donor and we were able to put in all kinds of wonderful things. Wonderful. So I just encourage that list and look forward to 00:56:07
maybe getting to be a part of that. 00:56:13
When we get the bid list in with the ad alternates if the base bid is if the if the base bid from the lowest contractor lets us 00:56:19
go, then we can always add on those ad alternates as money becomes available during the construction process even. 00:56:25
Well, we could, I I was sitting here thinking that if with permission from the staff, when we could look at an AD alternate so 00:56:33
that we would get a hard price for that to see how much it would cost to trench 220 feet across. 00:56:38
Yeah, I mean, there might be. I was thinking too, there might be untrenched boys, but again, not when I'm getting the weeds in 00:56:45
that right now. With permission, we can put that as an ad. 00:56:50
All right. Yes. Well, we'll do that as one of the adults and then we'll see what the price is from the contractor. 00:56:56
If you have others of those and we have access to Mark, if there's other potential and often it's that we need to price. If they 00:57:02
get to Mark, they'll get to us and we can add that on the list about I think the library staff would be very happy to have 00:57:08
children's restrooms. 00:57:14
Well, and I think the other thing, Christine, I'm glad you brought that up because you know, $80,000 seems like a lot of money 00:57:22
right now in the context of it. But if this library is there for 25 or 30 years? 00:57:27
And we look back and every Mama who goes in there spends, you know, spends 15 minutes of her time at the library walking her kids 00:57:32
back and forth to the bathroom on the other side. Then it may be worth us finding a way. 00:57:38
Bridge that gap as a community, so yeah. 00:57:44
Yep. 00:57:49
Council members, any other feedback on the library? 00:57:50
OK. This has been, this has been super. We appreciate the update. Thank y'all. Yeah, Yep. 00:57:55
OK. Moving to old business, we're going to this has been tabled several times. We're looking at the hotel motel excise tax manager 00:58:09
Dickerson, I think this is you've given us an update. 00:58:14
Thank you. 00:58:21
So what we're asking for tonight is for you to approve an ordinance that will set and levy the next size tax of 5%. 00:58:23
For basically short term vacation rentals, adopting a resolution to update the comprehensive fee schedule to deal with the 00:58:31
registration fee for those short term vacation rentals so we can keep track of them and issue them. The documents they need to do 00:58:37
so give a little history. Back in 2007, the Oconee County Commissioner, the Commission's adopted an ordinance authorizing a 6% 00:58:44
excise tax. 00:58:50
And then last year on the hotel rooms and whatnot and of course over. 00:58:57
Probably five or six years. Airbnb and those kind of short term rentals have really taken off. 00:59:02
And so the legislative session last year adopted a approved A. 00:59:07
A change in the code that would. 00:59:13
Create a definition for a marketplace innkeeper, basically a VRBO, a HomeAway, someone like that who basically acts on behalf of 00:59:16
the homeowner and what they By doing so they have brought them in and are requiring that they take that $5 a night tax, $5 a night 00:59:24
fee for the statewide hotel motel transportation fee and collect sales tax or excise tax. 00:59:32
The governor signed that back in July, April and it went into effect July, one of last year. 00:59:41
So just for your edification, the lodging receipt is comprised of the rate for the for the facility you're in, the sales use tax 00:59:46
or the local tax, the statewide transportation fee which is $5 and then an excise tax. We do excise taxes on alcohol. We are now 00:59:54
asking that you consider this for within the city limits an excise tax for hotel motel. 01:00:02
I mentioned about the the platforms marketing keepers. Right now those marketing keepers, if you go online and try to rent 01:00:11
something within the city limits is actually collecting 6% for rooms and lodgings. I will say that I don't know that they're 01:00:17
getting all of them right now and that's something we'll we'll work on. We've identified within the city limits 22. 01:00:24
Short term vacation rentals and several those. I went online and tried to rent them to see if they were collect. They were asking 01:00:31
for the tax. They are actually collecting the tax. I can't speak on behalf of the county if the county's getting it, but they're 01:00:35
certainly charging people for it. 01:00:39
This is not a new tax, as I said, the count, it is being collected. 01:00:45
Questionable whether or not the county is getting all of it, but we are proposing a 5% because it only requires a local ordinance. 01:00:50
If we went higher than that, it would require resolutions, state legislative approval, and approval by the governor. 01:00:56
And the the intent is just to help provide this. This tax will be used for transfer. I'm sorry for tourism trade and conventions, 01:01:03
a certain percentage of it is required to be used for that. The key thing here, I believe we spent the last couple of months 01:01:10
making sure that everybody understands we're not going to go after. 01:01:16
You know, Mr. and Mrs. Jones, who happen to have a house that once a year they rent on their own. We're going after people who are 01:01:23
working with the marketplace innkeeper like a VRBOA home away or someone like that. 01:01:28
That are is collecting the tax and asking that they give it back to us and not put it in their pocket. So that's all we're asking 01:01:35
in this case. 01:01:38
The. 01:01:43
I tried to clear up the language. I believe the attorney looked at it. I think a Councilwoman Tucker had some concerns about 01:01:45
making sure that it was clear. I think we've done that. 01:01:49
I think it's also probably good to have that information. So if something you know if there's some issues with some properties or 01:02:35
whatever that are being rented that the city is aware that the Police Department is aware of it and so that's simply it'll be a 01:02:42
one time fee. If there are multiple locations that people own or or rent, we will require one for each of the of the locations. 01:02:48
A registration for that, but we will, we will give the and we cannot start this until September 1. So we'll after this meeting, if 01:02:56
it is approved, we'll go through the process of notifying everybody and letting them know what the dead deadline date is for all 01:03:01
that and then we'll notify once they tell us who they're using for the Marketplace and Keeper, we will notify them and let them 01:03:06
know that they will be. 01:03:11
Submitted or remitting that money to the city Watkins. 01:03:17
Thank you. So to summarize. 01:03:23
Because I know there are several air. 01:03:26
Owners in the room. 01:03:28
$40 fee one time fill out a simple form and then. 01:03:31
Money that's already been collected is just going to go to the city of Watkinsville that will help promote the community that. 01:03:37
She Kathleen, if you Let's finish up with council and then we'll come to the public if they have questions. Any other questions 01:03:46
from council for manager Dickerson. 01:03:49
OK, Kathleen, if you could come to the podium, that's helpful. For the folks watching online, they can hear you. My name is 01:03:54
Kathleen Mcquiston. I live at 13 S Barnett Shoals Rd. In downtown. 01:03:59
I have an Airbnb on 3rd St. and this is a question for Christine. So as I understand it with registered with Airbnb is they 01:04:05
collect the tax. I never see it, it's all part. 01:04:12
When the. 01:04:20
The guest signs up for a date. They're charged. 01:04:22
What I charge for rent a cleaning fee which I set taxes. 01:04:28
Which Airbnb collects and a 3% fee that Airbnb puts in their pocket. I have no control over what Airbnb does with that tax money, 01:04:35
so am I going to be responsible? How am I going to be responsible for making sure that Airbnb is paying you your tax? 01:04:45
So why don't you handle that on? So yeah, Christine, does that make, is that like? 01:04:56
I don't know 100%. Now no one really can talk to anybody really at Airbnb, but you might get so and so, but anyway. 01:05:02
So what my understanding is because this, this has been tabled several months as we've been trying to figure this out. 01:05:12
Is that? 01:05:20
The city will then notify. 01:05:21
Airbnb or VRBO and say, hey, five, you know this percent of the taxes you're already collecting, It's supposed to be coming here, 01:05:25
and then they should start sending that check to Watkinsville. So we shouldn't have to do anything other than fill out that one 01:05:32
form one time and pay $40. OK, I'm fine with paying $40 to register. 01:05:39
I That's fine. But I don't want to have to be taxed twice. The one that I pay Airbnb and then the one that the city comes after 01:05:47
because Airbnb didn't pay my chair. 01:05:52
I just wanted to know we all had that question too, yeah. 01:06:26
Thank you. 01:06:32
OK. Any further questions on? 01:06:36
The Hotel Motel excise tax. 01:06:39
Attorney Reitman, anything from you on that? 01:06:42
All right. Any discussion back behind the rail? 01:06:47
All right then, I'll entertain a motion. 01:06:50
I make a motion to pass. 01:06:54
To this. All right. So she makes a motion to approve the ordinance and the rest of what it says, and then to adopt the resolution 01:07:01
to update the comprehensive fee schedule. Is that correct? Christine? Got it. All right. I'm looking for a second. 01:07:07
2nd we have a motion, we have a second. Any further discussion behind the rail? 01:07:13
All in favor, Say aye, aye. Any opposed? 01:07:18
So motion carries 31. Councilman Garrett opposed. 01:07:22
All right, item 8 is off the agenda. We're going to move on to item 9, Rocket Field update. 01:07:29
Rocket field. 01:07:38
Rocket Field that has been a part of Watkinsville for a century. There's a lot of tremendous history there. 01:07:42
Rocket Field got its start as a facility for Watkinsville. 01:07:50
High school. It was a ball field for the high school. The high schools were consolidated in the 1960s. Bogart and Watkinsville. 01:07:55
They moved to Oconee County High School and since then the fields been used for a lot of different. 01:08:01
Different things. At some point you'll you'll notice if you go back. One slide sharing home plate originally was close, closest to 01:08:08
Ocalaf. In that corner you can see people sitting up on the bank there at picnic tables, elevated. 01:08:14
At some point the field was reconfigured and now it kind of sits in the middle of Rocket field. 01:08:22
Home plate faces towards towards 3rd St. rather than the corner. 01:08:27
And what we But through the years, it's had a tremendous amount of uses. It hosts the fall festival. It's parking for Ocala. 01:08:33
And we've had a real challenge figuring out how we might I. 01:08:40
Update the field even as citizens have said. Wouldn't it be nice? 01:08:45
Fill in the. 01:08:49
You know, wouldn't it be nice if the restrooms were decent? Wouldn't it be nice if there was a built-in place to water my dogs? 01:08:50
Wouldn't it be nice if my kids weren't sliding into a mud hole? 01:08:55
Wouldn't it be nice if there wasn't dog poop on the ball field? Wouldn't it be nice if, you know, I wasn't afraid of my dog 01:09:01
getting outside the gate? 01:09:05
Wouldn't it be nice if there was a shady spot to sit? 01:09:10
No. Wouldn't it be nice if the electric could handle the fall festival? Or if we could turn off the lights more easily? Or if the 01:09:13
lights were more energy efficient? 01:09:17
I've called it the third rail of Watkinsville politics for a long time because there's so many competing interests at Rocket 01:09:22
Field. 01:09:25
What I'm pleased to share tonight is I think we have a set of plans that. 01:09:29
Will make most people happy we've had. 01:09:33
We have had a private donor step forward who's willing to help us offset a significant amount of the cost. 01:09:37
To reimagine Rocket Field and reinvigorate Rocket Field. 01:09:44
And reinvigorate it in a way that would still allow us to. 01:09:49
Have a ball field to be proud of. 01:09:54
That would bring home plate back to where it was originally located. 01:09:56
That would still have space for dogs that would have space for citizens that would have gathering spaces. 01:09:59
That would have new bleachers that would have new electric, new infrastructure. 01:10:04
So I'm pleased to share some renderings if we go ahead and look at the next slide. 01:10:08
This is what the reimagined rocket field could look like. This is the view from the corner of 2nd and 3rd St. looking back towards 01:10:12
Ocala. 01:10:15
What you see here are the 2 by relocating home. 01:10:20
To the far end of the field closest to oh. 01:10:25
You begin to capture some unused space currently in the outfield. 01:10:28
What you see on the left side, what I would call plan West, but what's actually the northeast side of the field and we'll zoom in 01:10:32
on those. 01:10:36
Is an entrance potentially? 01:10:41
The dog park with a shade structure, a fence, water facilities. 01:10:44
On the right you see a gazebo. It doesn't have to be a gazebo. We were trying to think of a structure that would create an 01:10:48
opportunity for shade. 01:10:51
And people to utilize the field. Or if kids are playing ball and little brother and little sister want to go play. 01:10:55
They can walk down to that area and access part of the field and safely play there. Let's go on to the next slide, sharing. 01:11:03
This is the view from the area where we could potentially have the dog entrance in the dog. 01:11:09
There's a shade structure there. You begin to get a feel for the field, the fence structures. 01:11:13
Are removable, which means they could come out of the ground. Not easily, but the street department of volunteers could do it. So 01:11:18
for example, the fall festival, we could still put all the booths out. 01:11:23
For oh calf, as they needed us, we could still park vehicles out. 01:11:28
But you see that we had most of the time, the ball field would be divided from the dog, the dog park area or the other areas. It 01:11:32
creates A safer environment, creates an opportunity. 01:11:37
For some more usage and avoids those conflicts on the left side. Let's go back to go back, Shannon the left side. You'll see 01:11:43
bleachers built into the hill. 01:11:46
Again, that takes a space that's not currently being used and allows built-in space without the temporary bleachers, and allows us 01:11:52
to capture more of the field. 01:11:56
To be used as green space and for for more frequent use, We can go ahead Sharon. 01:12:00
Again, this is the close up of the conceptual entry for the dog park. Dog park space is approximately. 01:12:06
1/3 of an acre water available for dogs. If the public input meetings, we'll talk more about that, we'll talk about you know what 01:12:14
the options are for the dog park uses, what kind of amenities we may want to have in there if we just want it to be wide open. 01:12:20
Let's go one more. 01:12:27
This is a view of the same area, but from an aerial view. Again, you begin to get a feel of what we're doing. Let's go one more. 01:12:30
Something simple, not anything like what we have out here. 01:13:09
If we go on Sharon, this is the view from the back. This is a concession stand and restroom area and storage area. This would also 01:13:12
allow the second story would be used for scorekeeping videos. 01:13:18
Modern restrooms cleaned up and a concession stand for when we wanted to utilize that. 01:13:26
We'll get. 01:13:33
This is a view of the bleachers from the field, with rocket Field potentially put on the put on the bleachers. 01:13:35
This is a view of how it might look as you run across the. 01:13:43
Yeah. And we can go one more share. I don't know if we have more images. This is a view from the top. So you again you can begin 01:13:47
to get a feel for the. 01:13:50
For the potential solution for Rocket Field. 01:13:54
This is a view from the gazebo, again showing what that looks like. That's a shady corner of the of the park already. Sure if we 01:13:58
yeah, this is the best one. And then so again you see here the view from the OCALAF area. 01:14:04
But elevated, it gives you a feel of what the updated field may begin to feel like. 01:14:10
So I'm tremendously excited to bring this forward. As we look at timing for this, tonight, we're introducing this to council. 01:14:16
We will have two opportunities for public feedback and public input. These are conceptual plans, so we do want feedback from the 01:14:24
public. 01:14:28
August 2nd and August 9th, 6:00 PM here at City Hall. 01:14:32
We'll have two public input meetings. What we would plan to do is refine the plans based on public input and further discussion 01:14:36
from council. 01:14:40
September plans presented and approved by City Council of City Council's comfortable with this proposal. 01:14:45
And in October, if the plans were approved and legal documents finalized, construction would begin after the fall festival. 01:14:51
Ideally with the. 01:14:58
You know, reinvigorated Rocket Field, opening up to the public and available in the spring. 01:15:00
For Little League. 01:15:05
Sharon, if you can scoot back to the plan view. There's one or two more things that I wanted to highlight. 01:15:07
I. 01:15:13
Go back to the one that's yeah, this one. Go back one. Go forward. Yeah, you'll see here a new sidewalk along 2nd St. that's also 01:15:13
going to be added. One thing that's not shown is concrete aprons that would allow vehicles to enter in without damaging the grass 01:15:19
and new gates structures. 01:15:24
The private partner has agreed to do all the site work, all the drain work, all the electric work, all the grass, all the 01:15:31
concrete. 01:15:35
A significant the vertical structure, the concession stand, the city would be responsible for trees. 01:15:39
The Gaz. 01:15:46
In the. 01:15:48
So it's a pretty monumental investment by a gentleman named Kelly Mahoney, who lives here in Oconee County and has been passionate 01:15:49
about. 01:15:54
Rocket Field, his daughter plays softball and has been utilizing the field and he was looking for an opportunity to make a 01:16:00
difference and came and talked to us about Rocket Field. 01:16:05
And we felt like this is. 01:16:10
That could help and could help us take care of. 01:16:13
An area that's incredibly special to Watkinsville. And also just like we're thinking about the next 100 years for Rocket Hall, 01:16:17
thinking about the next 100 years for Rocket Field. 01:16:22
I'm gonna quit talking with that, Sharon, unless there's any other renderings. I don't think there is. We can go back to the 01:16:28
schedule and then council, I'd love to get your input. We can do some light public input tonight. That's fine. But I think the 01:16:33
majority of that I'd prefer to keep for the public input meeting. So we can go deep on your questions, but. 01:16:38
Council. 01:16:44
The potential timeline would welcome your feedback and thoughts. 01:16:45
I think it's an amazing opportunity to have such a. 01:16:50
Such a donation and what I love about it too is it is. 01:16:55
It's actually making it more historically accurate and it's bringing it back. So we're not losing, we're not losing Rocket Field. 01:17:00
We're really regaining Rocket Field. We're solving the, I mean, I think my very first City Council meeting, there was a hoopla 01:17:06
about the dogs on Rocket Field. Like you said, it's the third rail. And so I mean this is a solution for that, that the ball field 01:17:12
is separate from where the dogs play, but it's still a community park that everybody can use, not just Little League kids a few 01:17:18
times a year, so. 01:17:24
I'm thrilled. And I'm glad, of course, that we're doing public. I mean, we don't have all the ideas here, so I'm please tell your 01:17:31
friends. I know in this room already we have people with great ideas and great input. If Lawrence were here, he would be saying 01:17:35
that we need. 01:17:40
You're here in his said OK, so that was it. I can never pronounce it right. The patent yes, that needs to somehow be incorporated 01:17:46
in here so so that will all come at a public input and figuring out how to make it truly something for the whole community to use. 01:17:56
Well, let's let's do this. Let's let council finish their comments to make them back. 01:18:09
Why don't y'all make your offer your thoughts and comments and like I said, a little bit of public comment and then we'll move 01:18:15
along. 01:18:17
I think it's one of those opportunities that came before us that you know it's it's been a dream or an idea. 01:18:21
For a long time here we have an opportunity. 01:18:29
Do. 01:18:32
With very little cost to the city. 01:18:34
I think it's a great idea. 01:18:40
Thank you, Chuck. Connie, you're our. 01:18:42
I want to put this out there. You said that they had moved the home base from where it used to be and I am going to say that I'm 01:18:46
guessing they moved it. 01:18:53
Half, at least half of the games, if not more, are played late afternoon, early evening and if you move it back, the sun is going 01:19:01
to be right in the whoever's at home base trying to hit the ball. 01:19:08
And they may not be able to see the. 01:19:16
Because the sun's bright coming from that direction and the bleachers will be getting all of that sun also. So they're not going 01:19:18
to be able to see what's out on the field as good either. So I'm assuming that's why they moved home base from where it was over 01:19:24
to where it is. I think they moved it because they want to be able to play football on that field and they had to move it so that 01:19:30
they could play the football out there. Otherwise it didn't set up, but you know. 01:19:36
If you're going to move it, we can look at that. You know, I mean it doesn't. I think where you gain the efficiency is by moving 01:19:44
home point to a corner. 01:19:47
It doesn't. Might not have to be that corner, but what happens now is you. 01:19:51
You lose a third of the of the space on that field because. 01:19:56
Home plates in the middle of the field, essentially. 01:20:01
But good. I think that's something we need to take back to the designers and talk about. That's fair. 01:20:03
Jeff, anything you want to offer? 01:20:09
No, I just think it's a great opportunity for the city and the generosity of Mr. Mahoney. 01:20:11
To want to, you know, do this for the city and his daughter. So I like the concept and I think it satisfies. 01:20:18
You know the the two or three different camps and makes this a great attraction for our city, so we're looking forward to it. 01:20:27
OK, I think now members of the public, if you all want to make some comments, we'd welcome them understanding we're going to get 01:20:37
an opportunity to make a deeper dive. 01:20:41
A Deeper Dive at on August 2nd and August 9th. 01:20:45
OK, I can talk loud enough. Anyway, it doesn't matter. 01:20:51
Yeah, Laura Rose. I'm at 104 White St. and I want to thank you, Christine, for mentioning a patent court. But I would like to add 01:20:56
something I the design is beautiful, the idea is great, but what y'all are always leaving out. 01:21:04
Is that you think adults? Senior adults don't do anything except walk? 01:21:12
There are, there's if you had it in your plan, something for senior adults like Patonk or just bulls in general, or even 01:21:19
horseshoes, you'd be saying to the public. 01:21:25
That seniors matter. 01:21:32
Because we can't all be out there playing tennis. 01:21:34
And we can't all be playing pickleball, but we can play the talk. We can play bocce, you know, we can play horseshoes. 01:21:38
And it I feel like we just get completely left out and we're told you watch your grandchildren and you walk and you take your dog 01:21:47
to the dog park and that's what you're allowed to do. 01:21:53
That's kind of how it feels. 01:22:00
So just rethink a little bit. 01:22:02
What you're doing recreationally. 01:22:06
For older adults. 01:22:09
In your plan. And thank you, Christine. 01:22:12
And Kathleen, the question 13 S Barnett shells and these are two gentlemen who are in the tank club. 01:22:16
It's OK who play with my husband, Lawrence Duke. 01:22:26
On a gravel parking lot in Athens over at Lake Herrick. 01:22:31
But it is a gravel parking lot and we would greatly benefit from a having a pretend court here on Rocket Field. It would take 01:22:39
about the. 01:22:45
The court itself is about 4050 by 80 feet, is that correct? And a couple of benches for their seniors to sit down. This is 01:22:51
basically a senior sport. 01:22:57
There is a two patent clubs. 01:23:04
In Athens and many of the members are from here in actually here in Watkinsville, These two gentlemen are from Athens, but they 01:23:09
would love to come over here to Watkinsville, play for Tank and then spend their money at our restaurants. 01:23:16
It wouldn't. It's not an expensive thing to install based on the current plan that you have. Having it over by the gazebo would be 01:23:24
perfect because that's where there's some shade. 01:23:31
It would also, there's a lot of seniors moving here. I'm sure Wire Park is going to be chock a block with them and this is a nice. 01:23:39
Easy sport, it's there's a lot of competition that goes on. 01:23:46
These people are all going down to Saint Neely Island to compete. There's also competitions in France and it's it's an underground 01:23:53
sport. 01:23:57
That when you get to our age, you're going to love. 01:24:04
So we highly recommend that you and we can help you with the design and the plan and what kind of gravel you need and the edges 01:24:09
people bring their own bulls so you don't have to supply those and. 01:24:16
Oh, the little balls that you throw. You've all, you all know what bocce ball is. Well, this is the French version of bocce ball, 01:24:24
so it's very Snooty. 01:24:28
But I know that Dana and Charlie here can't wait to get their own bulls so they can come and join because it's right across the 01:24:37
street. And anyways, that's my spiel. 01:24:42
Sure. My name is Jerry Galeton. S Stratford, Athens, GA. 01:24:50
I'm an emergency professor at UGA and I just want to add 1 bit. 01:24:54
I've brought students that I teach and I still teach a freshman odyssey course. 01:24:59
To play Batank. So it's not just for the elderly, but I bring 18 year olds to Lake Herrick where they play and I would love to 01:25:03
bring them here where they can spend their money and you can get your one cents additional from them when they come here. I've 01:25:08
been listening. 01:25:12
And it is an international sport. Amelia Island is hosting an international competition. 01:25:18
And my wife lives in Brazil, so I go to Brazil and we played there as well. So it is a growing sport, not quite as fast as 01:25:24
pickleball, but it is growing. 01:25:28
1. 01:25:33
Thank you. Thank you all. 01:25:36
All right. Any further appreciate and and I don't want y'all to think because we didn't drop potential on the plans that were 01:25:39
anti. You know I mean it just that's that's you know but I appreciate the feedback and I know that you would rather have comments 01:25:44
on the 2nd and the 9th, but these gentlemen came all the way from Athens. Well that is it is duly noted and we will include 01:25:50
include that in the in the public feedback. 01:25:55
Anything else on Rocket Field? 01:26:01
OK. Thank you all. Yes, ma'am. 01:26:03
Right now it's Little League, right? Right. 01:26:07
Always paid the court. I'll repeat the question. Yep, Yep, Yep. So the the question is about upkeep. Our intention would be to 01:26:11
still work with Little League and other organizations who are leasing it to manage the upkeep. So we would anticipate. 01:26:17
Probably having Little League and some softball teams using it and having a joint lease with them and working with them on the 01:26:25
upkeep knowing we may have to do a little bit more. But also our our public works department isn't in the business of baseball 01:26:30
field management and doing it to the level that. 01:26:35
You know, a, you know, Little League and softball might expect so. 01:26:42
I'm sorry, I'm sorry. We've got to come up to the we got people online, got people online, so, so. 01:26:50
You got it. You might come up to. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. 01:26:56
We live at 22 School St. 01:27:04
We we're going to see everything that happens there like we easily. 01:27:06
But now I was just. 01:27:10
Something about that upkeep. 01:27:13
The grass gets cut and. 01:27:16
Some other things get done, but there's a lot of stuff that doesn't get taken care of, like when the fencing is is torn. 01:27:19
I mean, we have kids that go in there and tear things up inside me. It's a lot of stuff is really pretty. 01:27:26
And I think her concern was that it, you know? 01:27:31
Well, is it going to be kept up so that doesn't get ready right away. So I think it's a fair concern. My experience has been with 01:27:36
public spaces. When they have more use, they're better maintained, you know, and I think part of the challenge is, you know, when 01:27:41
a place looks like it's not well taken care of when the bathrooms. 01:27:47
You know cobwebs when you know it. People, you know, people tend to think, well, nobody's taking. It's not being as well taken 01:27:53
care of as it should. So why should I care about how it looks or how I treat it? 01:27:58
Why? Why pick up all the litter that I've left, that I'm, you know, from my, my trophy boxes? I've been out there on a Saturday 01:28:03
morning and picked up. 01:28:07
Black garbage bags full of boxes because of Little League coach didn't care enough to take his boxes home with them. So I think, 01:28:12
you know as it gets more use and more people out there, there's going to be more pride in the field. 01:28:18
You know, and how it's maintained and I think we'll lean into it, you know, as a city too. But right now it's been a little bit of 01:28:25
purgatory because nobody knows what to do with it, right? We have. 01:28:29
Plenty. 01:28:36
Yeah, Yeah. Where I mean much, much better than some of the other plans that I've heard. 01:28:37
Leaving downtown and on the rocket field, you know that. I mean that was. 01:28:45
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. OK. Well, thank you, Mr. 01:28:50
Anyone else? 01:28:56
You coming back? Are you getting out of here? All right, getting out of here. 01:28:59
OK. Well, thank you everybody. That's what I would ask for I think tonight on Rocket Field. 01:29:03
Council, I would love. 01:29:09
To have a formal motion to move forward with the conversations with Mr. Mahoney and the public input process is articulated up 01:29:13
here. 01:29:17
So moved all in favor, say any further conversation? 01:29:23
All right, All in favor. Say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right. Motion carries for a. 01:29:29
All right, new business potential referendum for tea spots. We talked about this during Public Input Manager Dickerson. Is there 01:29:35
any additional information we need to talk about here? 01:29:40
Now just just a reminder again that if you that you have, you have a choice to make. Well, you'll need to make it before you vote 01:29:46
on the next item. 01:29:50
Or when you've actually make the vote on the resolution, the way to intergovernmental agreement, we'll just talk about these 01:29:56
together because they're intermixed. The intergovernmental agreement currently has an Exhibit A that says that 5.516 million will 01:30:02
be that that's what you're estimating will be for the City of Watkinsville and 30% of that will be spent on the statewide 01:30:07
strategic transportation. 01:30:13
Goal of roads and maintenance on roads. 01:30:20
You can leave it like that, which leaves it very, you know, generic, you know very open or you can be more specific if you do. If 01:30:25
you are more specific then you will want to swap your Exhibit A for that for this and we've got it set up. Julie has both. So 01:30:31
whichever one you decide so that that can be signed and and given to the county and and and passed on to the Board of Elections so 01:30:37
that the referendum will be set up correctly for the City of Watkinsville. 01:30:43
And it will not be, it will at all be the bold and bold areas. It won't sell the rest of us. It will be sidewalk construction. 01:30:50
Basically. It's in bold traffic efficiency improvements and then Rd. resurfacing and rehabilitation. That's how it will read with 01:30:55
those amounts out to the side. 01:31:00
All right, Council. 01:31:08
So we're looking for first. 01:31:12
OK. We did the discussion. We're looking for the resolution and the resolution. 01:31:16
Whether we want this language in bold in terms of what we're specifically doing, or whether we want more generic language, I have 01:31:21
a question. 01:31:24
So looking at the one on this list, the traffic efficiency improvements at the 25%. 01:31:28
So I have two contradictory thoughts. One is, do we have enough? 01:31:36
Roads that are ours that we would need to be doing this with, since so many of the main thoroughfares are state highways or county 01:31:41
roads. 01:31:45
So that's one extreme and the other extreme is if we did do something is that enough money to really do anything. So I guess I 01:31:49
I'm, I'm hesitant to give 25% of that. 01:31:55
Just. 01:32:01
I don't have any particular projects in mind or thoughts I'm sure. I mean I know there are traffic efficiency improvements that 01:32:02
can be done in our community but I have you know we have an entire transportation study of sidewalk and multi use trail side path 01:32:09
that we know we want to do and get done. So I'm I'm leaning towards. 01:32:15
So it may be where we've got to chip in and say well if you want you know around about here then you've got to pay for half of the 01:32:57
engineering or if we want to as we think about experiment station road, you know we're going to have to look at, you know we may 01:33:02
have to chip in to offset some costs. So those are the kind of places that I could see that, see that, see that working and then 01:33:07
we do have some things in. 01:33:12
And our mobility plan that involves chicanes and some of the little, some of the things that we could do on some of the streets 01:33:18
that we end that slow traffic further that are residential streets. So that would be most, yeah. And then traffic calming measures 01:33:23
could also be some of the signage, you know that we have like the variable message side things that help calm the traffic. Those 01:33:28
are some things that because it's transportation related. 01:33:34
Rearrange the road a little bit to slow traffic down or something. So at least for that one I think you're probably OK. 01:34:09
I guess I would personally if we it sounded like this was an option to be more general tonight to move this forward say it's on 01:34:16
the ballot and. 01:34:20
Maybe spend some time really thinking through this and. 01:34:25
Can we do that, Sharon? Can we adjust that what goes on after tonight or is this we need to decide how it looks? Well, I think 01:34:30
that I think if I were going to go back and look at the deadline, I think the deadline is August 2nd. 01:34:36
And you can be, you know, and I mean there is some, you know. 01:34:44
There's benefits to both sides, right? If you, if you're not more specific than that, you got that 70% that you can then get input 01:34:49
from the public and you can do that later. But sometimes it's helpful when you're trying to get something passed and I'll remind 01:34:54
you that the city walkers will did pass it last year with this exact same percentage. 01:35:00
If you're a little bit more specific, people feel more confident that you know you've actually got some plans, you've thought 01:35:06
through it, but you also are, then if it passes, that's the way you have to use your buckets and use the money in those buckets. 01:35:11
What I like about this is it's general categories, but if we want to share with the public as we get closer to the election, 01:35:16
here's some specific priorities we would have. 01:35:21
We would do that. They wouldn't necessarily be on the ballot, but these would be we could outline some priorities that we would 01:35:27
have, for example, some of the sidewalk, some of the other things that we've outlined on the transportation plan. 01:35:31
Signal enhancements, other things like that so we can communicate those. 01:35:37
Publicly, even if they aren't on the ballot. 01:35:42
I think one of the reasons that it struggled county wide is there was a lack of specificity in what was people didn't know what it 01:35:45
was going to be used for. 01:35:48
Wasn't I think in Watkinsville. People know generally that we've been working on transportation things for a long time and we have 01:35:53
those so. 01:35:56
I guess my perhaps completely unfounded fear is that, like with. 01:36:01
With that you know almost $1.2 million that we will. 01:36:08
Then have this money and we will have to find money other places in our budget to actually do any of the projects, if that makes 01:36:13
sense. I and and maybe I'm just being. 01:36:19
I don't know. 01:36:26
I will certainly vote for it this way, but. 01:36:28
I knew a little bit more. 01:36:33
But I want it to pass. Oh, am I not supposed to say that so? 01:36:35
Thinking. State your opinion. Just can't campaign for it. Yeah, yeah. 01:36:40
Still a free country? 01:36:46
OK council that you've heard Councilwoman Tuckers perspective, you all have thoughts, Further thoughts here. 01:36:48
All right, hearing none, somebody make a motion. 01:36:57
I'll make a. 01:37:06
As stated item 11 with the bold faced categories. 01:37:11
Would be the specific buckets the bold faced categories with those dollar amounts. 01:37:19
OK, so we have a motion. Do we have a second for that? 01:37:23
We have a motion. We have a second, further discussion. All right, all in favor, say. 01:37:27
Any opposed all right motion carries 4. 01:37:32
All right, we are now to public comment. If anyone would like to address council on something that has not been discussed, now is 01:37:36
your moment. Come on up and give us your address and let's hear from you. 01:37:42
All right, everybody. Don't jump up at once. Julie, did we have anything come in? 01:37:51
From the Internet? 01:37:54
All right, hearing none of that, we will close public comment mayor's report. 01:37:57
Pleased to report that we have fixed the sidewalk outside of City Hall. If anybody has been here for about four months, we had a 01:38:04
little Cliff where we're trying to tie in the. 01:38:09
Playground of possibilities and the ESP work to City Hall that required us to adjust the elevation of our sidewalk so it's 88 01:38:15
accessible across the board. We've also resolved a long standing drain issue, drainage issue that led to there being a puddle on 01:38:21
rainy nights right in front of City Hall, so that's been adjusted. 01:38:27
John, thank you to you and your team for helping us move our water meter. We appreciate that. And you also help with that flagpole 01:38:34
was reinstalled. The lines are mostly painted. We will fix the landscaping over the next few months and probably not plant stuff 01:38:39
till the fall so we don't have to water it and worry about it dying. So. So it will look better out front. I promise you that's a 01:38:45
project for us. It's not going to be beautiful for a few months though. 01:38:51
We were really pleased with our citizens helping to turn Watkinsville red, white and blue. We had some great, great submission 01:38:58
sent in by different people and what they did. 01:39:03
So once again, Councilman Thomas, if you're listening, we really appreciate you rallying everybody and putting that together for 01:39:08
us. 01:39:12
For two decades, John, the commissioners have done have worked really hard about designating S Oak County remaining rural, other 01:39:50
areas that are more that are designated for different types of growth. So that planning process is going on right now. It happens 01:39:57
once a decade and it's important that the public participate and indicate their preferences on that so. 01:40:03
You'll hear more from us on that in the coming months because we have to be a part of that process. 01:40:10
We got a birthday girl. 01:40:16
Happy birthday to Christine Tucker. 01:40:20
30 and holding. 01:40:24
Yeah. So, Christine, happy birthday to you July baby. I've got two of those myself. So we're we're thankful for you. Oh gosh, that 01:40:26
guy. That guy is familiar to me. He. 01:40:33
That's my son. He did well out in Oregon and is ready to run for the Oak County Warriors next year, so he's excited. 01:40:40
Take that away. Gosh. Stop. Stop. 01:40:48
Yeah. Stop. Stop. Stop. 01:40:52
Yeah, he grew a lot in the past month. 01:40:56
My time was my time is transposed there as an old runner, all saves. A little faster than that but I'm still. I'm still. I'm glad 01:40:59
I could get down the road. I promptly got injured on Saturday, so I'm recovering from that. 01:41:04
The what I was about to say is the World Series trophy, do we have a slide for that? We don't. OK. So what I thought I was about 01:41:10
to say is we're really pleased the Braves are bringing the World Series trophy back to Watkinsville for the second time. That's 01:41:17
August 20th at Wire Park, 1:50 I think or 11:50. So we're expecting a good crowd at Wire Park. 01:41:24
For the Braves, the World World Series trophy coming back as we get towards. 01:41:31
October, and hopefully another one for the Braves. So that's the mayor's report. Thank you for the embarrassing moments. 01:41:35
Thought I was in charge of that mayor's report. Now I know why I didn't. Didn't see that in advance. With that, we'll go to 01:41:41
council members for their update. Councilman Garrett post one. 01:41:45
Nothing from Councilman Garrett Councilwoman Massey Post. 01:41:51
Did have you seen any reduction in the stop sign running since last month? Any changes? 01:41:55
Vehicles coming off of your main. 01:42:02
Are slowing down. OK, know what they do once they get past the sign, But there's going down as they're coming up the bill. OK All 01:42:06
right. Well, I love the entertaining messages on the sign. Thank you, Chief. 01:42:10
Tell him who went Princess Bride if you've never seen The Princess Bride. 01:42:21
If you, if you. 01:42:27
Don't know, You'll find. Just don't Google while you're in the car. 01:42:30
But yeah, Chief, thanks for keeping those interesting and we appreciate you deploying that. That sign has been a valuable tool. I 01:42:37
noticed one at Social Circle all of a sudden today, Joe, you might have had some influence there. 01:42:42
Councilman Thomas is not here. Councilwoman Tucker, any updates? So this past month I got to go down to Savannah to the GMA 01:42:47
conference and attended an all day workshop on activating. 01:42:54
Downtown Development Authority. And so we are in process of getting that going. 01:43:02
There also was a whole section on the benefits of having a historic preservation district or area, and so I am. I sent out some 01:43:10
information about that to council in the last week or so, and I would like to see us moving forward with that as well. 01:43:19
I know a lot of us in this room live in homes that probably will qualify, but in reading through. 01:43:29
The version that they had, it does not seem as onerous as what some of them. 01:43:37
That we've seen before are and it seems like it really can be an opportunity to have a good balance to preserve the history that 01:43:42
we have and there are a lot of tax incentives and grants available when you have these in place. And so I. 01:43:49
I would love to see that moving forward. 01:43:57
Thank you, Councilman Tucker, Councilman Campbell. 01:44:03
Nothing to report, nothing to report from post five. OK, well hearing that we are going to move into executive session. So I will 01:44:06
entertain a motion to enter executive session. 01:44:11
Leave regular session Go into executive session for the purpose of discussing real estate and potential litigation. I make the 01:44:16
motion to leave regular session will move to executive session for the purpose of discussing real estate and potential litigation. 01:44:22
All in favor? All right, we'll start in 4 minutes. If anybody needs to go to the restroom, go now. 01:44:29
I make a motion to. 01:44:37
2nd a. 01:44:39
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Transcript

Event transcript
Good evening everyone and welcome to the July meeting of the Watkinsville City Council. We are excited to see such a big crowd 00:00:10
here tonight. This is going to be a special night on a lot of levels for Watkinsville and just really. 00:00:17
Excited to see some friends, old and new, here with us tonight. 00:00:24
We have a quorum here tonight. Councilman Thomas is unable to join us tonight, but we do have four or five members here tonight. 00:00:29
Thank you for all making time to be here on our rescheduled evening. At this point, I'd ask the Brock family to lead us in the 00:00:33
pledge, please. 00:00:38
Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, 00:00:46
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 00:00:53
Just about a month ago. 00:01:10
We lost Mayor Dave. 00:01:13
Dave was never at a loss for words. 00:01:17
I'm gonna loss for words as I try to describe his impact on this city and on. 00:01:20
Frankly, myself and on this community. 00:01:27
I really have struggled with it, Dave. 00:01:32
Dave is a Goodman who led with his heart. 00:01:35
He demanded excellence from everyone that he worked. 00:01:38
He dreamed big. 00:01:43
And encourage others to do so, and inspired them to deliver. 00:01:45
He demanded Excell. 00:01:48
He encouraged, He pushed. He cajoled all those words. He was a man of vision. 00:01:50
Dave Sheeran was. 00:01:56
Mana vision and a difference maker in Watkinsville. 00:01:58
So tonight I thought it was appropriate, if we take some time, to recognize Mayor Dave's contributions. Thank you to all who were 00:02:02
here. 00:02:05
Mario Castro, Dave's husband, is here. Mario, we're grateful to you. We know that Dave was not operating alone. A lot of that 00:02:11
energy, a lot of that vision, a lot of that spark came, came from you and his special relationship with you and in that 00:02:17
partnership. And that's one of the things that made Dave so amazing. So we are eternally grateful for Dave and we have some things 00:02:23
that we want to share. 00:02:30
About Dave, so with that Sharon. 00:02:37
Yeah, let's do it. 00:02:40
This video this video is when Dave, Dave and Laura Whitaker. Dave and I went to visit LSI. It's a playground equipment 00:02:54
manufacturer that later manufactured the equipment out. There it was. 00:02:59
Freezing, freezing cold day in Minnesota and Dave loved the slide and we went outside on snowy playgrounds all over Minneapolis. 00:03:05
And no matter how much snow was on the ground, Dave did the slide. So Sharon, I think you have something you want to share about 00:03:16
Dave and some of the new slides here in Watkinsville. Well, on behalf of the City of Watkinsville's employees, we will be 00:03:23
donating, we will be donating enough money to dedicate a slide at ESP in honor of Mayor Dave. 00:03:31
Them. 00:03:39
And you can see from the imagery up here the, you know, the, the spirit that they brought, the energy he brought. Dave was a 00:03:44
bridge builder. 00:03:48
No matter your political belief, she couldn't help but love Dave, and that's always stuck out to me about what he did. We're going 00:03:53
to have an opportunity to celebrate Dave. 00:03:58
His in classic Dave style, he did not want a traditional memorial service. Instead, we'll have a celebration of life. 00:04:05
July 30th, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Rocket Field. Family fun day. All kinds of bounce houses, a petting zoo, a dunk. 00:04:13
Live music, trapeze artists, food trucks. I have a feeling some people who are sitting up here will be involved in that dunk tank 00:04:20
experience. So, so. 00:04:24
So, so we are. 00:04:32
Mario, I'm going to let some other people speak at this point, but just know that you've. 00:04:34
Been on the hearts and our minds and in our prayers over the past month. Know that your husband and partner made an eternal 00:04:40
difference to this to the city. 00:04:43
That, that will. 00:04:48
You know, it may be forgotten when we're not here, but it will never be lost. 00:04:51
Because it will stand the test of time, Council members with that, if any of you have any recollections you want to share about 00:04:55
Mayor Dave, I'd love for you to do so. And then we may have a few. I know we have at least one person from the audience who would 00:04:59
love to speak as well. 00:05:03
I do. 00:05:08
And I wrote it down and I'm probably still going to get emotional, so I apologize. 00:05:10
It goes without saying that Dave is irreplaceable and his presence will be dearly missed. 00:05:15
I had encountered his vivacious personality on occasion at events at Ashford Manor and through common friends, but I truly had the 00:05:21
privilege to get to know him while he served as mayor. 00:05:26
Dave was a man of integrity who pursued what he felt was right. 00:05:32
He courageously made important and necessary changes for the city, including major changes to our Police Department and hiring our 00:05:36
first city manager. 00:05:40
He was always open to possibilities and wasn't afraid to change the status quo. 00:05:45
I already miss his wit and his warmth and his wonderful stories. 00:05:51
Watkinsville. 00:05:56
Wouldn't be what and where it is today if it weren't for Dave. 00:05:58
And I also echo everything that Brian was saying about Mario I will never forget. 00:06:02
I was out of town and my husband was building our guest cottage. 00:06:08
And he got stuck on the roof. The ladder fell down and it's a steep pitch, big thing and. 00:06:14
I managed to get a call to Kathleen. 00:06:21
Kathleen, who called. Dave, who sent. 00:06:24
Umm to to go rescue my husband who he had never met, had no idea who he was off this steep roof and so. 00:06:28
That is a tiny, tiny little story of just. 00:06:40
What both of y'all mean to us? So thank you. 00:06:44
I failed to prepare anything but. 00:06:57
Everything. Every time I saw Dave, one thing I take from it as a way to live life is to there's a lot of times we're not happy. 00:07:01
He was always happy. He might get a set of things, but he would just had he smiled. He went forward and he he loved life. 00:07:10
And that was something that I always felt when I was around. 00:07:18
And I mean, there's probably. 00:07:22
Seven years ago now. It's hard to tell because time flies. But on 4th of July was approaching and David Mario invited us over to 00:07:26
spend the afternoon swimming in the pool at their house. 00:07:31
And honestly, at that time we went, I didn't know them real well at this time. 00:07:38
That's awesome. We get to hang out and get to know those two better. And it wasn't just my wife and I was. Our daughters were 00:07:44
there too, but they they both invited all of us and we just had a wonderful afternoon swimming in the pool on the 4th of July. 00:07:51
So I'm gonna love you both and but yeah, Dave, you know, whenever I get down, I can just see a picture of Dave and know how I 00:08:00
should be thinking about life. 00:08:05
And I just wanted to say that I was proud that I had the opportunity to meet Dave and Mario when my daughter got married at. 00:08:19
At their venue and I'm proud that I had the opportunity to work with him on council while he was mayor and I'm proud that I called 00:08:28
him my friend. 00:08:33
And he will be missed. 00:08:39
So I was trying to remember how long when it was when I met Dave, but it's been a long time and I know every time. 00:08:46
Out just He always made me feel important. He always took time to stop and. 00:08:56
How's it going? You know, it was just, he's one of those people. As we go through life, you'll meet people that. 00:09:03
Have an impact on you. You'll never forgive him, and he's one. 00:09:08
People in my life that I will never forget, the times that we got to talk and the you know, the words of encouragement he gave me 00:09:12
and. 00:09:17
Just a true friend is what boils down to just someone. 00:09:22
You know you just he makes, he just has a huge impact on everybody came in contact with. 00:09:30
And Representative Marcus Sweetow, I think is here and would also like to share. 00:09:41
Share. 00:09:45
Mario, like Chuck, I was trying to remember how long it's been. 00:09:57
Since I met you all, but it's been a long it's been a long time. 00:10:02
And. 00:10:06
I don't know how Brian holds it together. I'm an emotional guy. 00:10:07
So I will say this. 00:10:10
In the world we're living in. 00:10:13
Is what? 00:10:18
Leader should. 00:10:20
He was always welcoming. 00:10:22
To me, you both were. I thoroughly enjoyed some of our debates and conversations. 00:10:24
Have the utmost respect for both of you. 00:10:32
I cannot think of Watkinsville image without thinking of the two of you and what you've done for this community. 00:10:36
And what you have built. 00:10:43
I literally cannot think. 00:10:45
Concerts on the lawn to a random afternoon in your backyard having a glass of wine. 00:10:48
Umm. 00:10:54
Just what you guys have done. 00:10:55
And what you guys have meant to this community? 00:10:57
I've been thinking about you. 00:11:01
I will not be able to be in the dump take I will be spending some time with my family right before school starts. But I will be 00:11:03
thinking about you and I love you guys very much. 00:11:08
At this point I think. 00:11:24
I think we'll need. We'll move on. 00:11:27
Unless Sharon, is there anything else that we need to share about Dave? 00:11:30
Mario, I don't know if you are capable of speaking. Yeah, I think just. 00:11:34
I'll wrap it up with this, Dave. Dave put so many things in motion for this town. 00:11:40
And as the agenda came together for. 00:11:46
And I knew that David passed. 00:11:49
And I knew that we're going to share plans. 00:11:51
For a new. 00:11:54
We're going to share plans. 00:11:56
Revitalized Rocket Field. 00:12:01
We're going to swear in a police officer in a in a in a police force that has evolved tremendously due today's leadership. 00:12:04
I knew that. 00:12:14
There was something more than random things coming together on this night. It feels like a Mayor Dave kind of night in 00:12:16
Watkinsville. 00:12:19
Where big things are happening, he dreamed big. And some of those dreams are coming true. And the first step to that is tonight. 00:12:24
Mario and everybody who came to support Mario, you're welcome to go after we wrap this part up if you'd like to remain. We will be 00:12:31
working through those other issues relatively quickly tonight. So would love for you to stay and learn more about what's coming 00:12:37
down the Pike and we'll be swearing in Officer Anglin as well, which we're excited about. But I totally understand if people have 00:12:43
prior engagements and and need to go, so we will. 00:12:49
Take a brief break in case anybody does need to go after this, and then we will jump right into the minutes and the regular course 00:12:55
of our meeting. But thank you all for coming, Mario. We love you. 00:12:59
Yeah. 00:13:05
Call me if you need anything just let me know. 00:13:19
OK. 00:13:51
We will move along council. We will move to the approval of the Minutes. I don't know if anyone has any suggestions, edits or 00:13:53
changes to the Minutes. I did not notice any when I reviewed them. 00:13:58
If there are none, then I'll accept a motion to approve the Minutes. I make a motion to approve the minutes. 00:14:05
Do we have a second? 00:14:13
All in favor, Say aye. 00:14:15
Motion carries. All right now we are to approval of the agenda. I'd ask that we table item number 8. Do we have a consent agenda 00:14:19
this month Sharon, nothing on the month. 00:14:23
So I would ask that we that we approve the agenda, but tabling item number 8 regarding the. 00:14:28
Sewer on a update. 00:14:36
I'll entertain a motion to that. I make a motion that we accept the agenda admitting item number 8. All right, so to table item 00:14:40
number 8 until next month. Do we have a second? 00:14:44
We have a second from Councilman Campbell. All in favor? Say aye, aye. Motion carries. 00:14:50
All right, Administration. 00:14:56
Speak from the podium, address council when you speak, address the merits of the pending matter. Attorney will guide us through 00:15:32
any of the more formal public speaking parts of the process or if anybody gets out of line, attorney will handle that as well. So 00:15:38
under administration we kick things off with the financial reports Manager Dickerson, if you could walk us through that. 00:15:44
Thank you, Mayor. I do not have on the overhead the balance sheet because everybody would have to strain to read it all, but the 00:15:51
council has has it and it is also available online. 00:15:56
On splashed one, you may recall Splash One, the only project outstanding on that is the water and sewer that's the sewer Line A 00:16:28
going through the industrial park. That project is actually funded by Sewer Line One. The remaining funds of 248,000 and some 00:16:33
change along with. 00:16:38
$904.00 and some change in Spos 2 there are encumbered about $17,000 that actually the checks have not clear, but that was for the 00:16:43
workout front city, the City Hall sidewalk out front. The mayor will highlight that in his report later. 00:16:51
But those are the only two projects outstanding on that. 00:17:00
On Splice 3, you have encumbered some funds on that. On those items you have some capital monies in public safety that have been 00:17:03
set aside, also in multi-purpose government facilities. 00:17:09
But the big projects are we have $100,000 to spend about 10. 00:17:16
Of it so far on Paris Shoals Park, you just completed some work at Layla Lane. 00:17:20
Which was part of the element, the local maintenance improvement grant money and then some of the branding initiative that is 00:17:26
going towards signage. So those are the projects that are currently have been appropriated, funds have been appropriate for those 00:17:30
projects. 00:17:34
And you still have quite a bit of programming to do with those funds, but that's sort of where that sits Just as a comparison, you 00:17:38
have we budget around 60, I think it was 64,000 and we've been getting average of 72,000. 00:17:46
So we're up 6760 or so thousand over what we projected, which is always good news, right? 00:17:54
And then? 00:18:03
American rescue plan. 00:18:05
This is the money. This is the money from last year July of last year. I did not check the bank account today, but we are 00:18:07
anticipating the 2nd and final tranche of money to come in, which will be $548,204.50 out of that same amount that you got last 00:18:14
fiscal year. You you have a balance of 373,000, but I I did mention that you had appropriated money. 00:18:22
For public safety that you're not, we're not going to need, so we'll reshuffle that money back into the general bucket on the next 00:18:30
cycle. 00:18:34
Once we get all the expenses in, we'll cycle. We'll put that back in the non appropriate amount and you'll have that much to spend 00:18:39
in addition to the money you're getting, you'll be getting sometime this month. So you're roughly going to have about $700,000. 00:18:44
That has yet to be appropriated. 00:18:51
Any questions on those reports? 00:18:54
OK, seeing now, we'll jump to the next section which is economic development. 00:18:57
Had a lot of that going on lately. 00:19:02
We have six business licenses, 1 alcohol license that came in during the month of June. The one I'll highlight of course is South 00:19:05
Main Brewing. They came in, they are finalizing their construction. I think they're estimating sometime at the end of this month. 00:19:10
Once they receive their CEO from the city, they'll go to the state to the state, I think Department of Revenue and Department of 00:19:14
AG. 00:19:19
To get those check offs and I think there's some federal stuff as well that has to be checked off. So that's moving pretty 00:19:25
quickly. 00:19:28
Any questions about those? 00:19:32
OK, the next one is really tiny. 00:19:35
Um. 00:19:39
And what I'll highlight here is there were 55 building permits for 22 projects, the biggest of which was Trove, a residential 00:19:40
neighborhood off of Column Ferry Rd. 00:19:44
There were 11 houses housing building permits for 11 houses. That NSFR is non. 00:19:49
Single family residential within stand for, I can't remember. Anyway, that's what it stands for is single family residential and 00:19:56
you'll see that they had plumbing and HVAC and electrical for all of those. That's why you see so many of those repeating 00:20:00
themselves. 00:20:05
Because they have to have permits for each of those trades as well as building permits. 00:20:09
So lots of exciting things going on. Any questions? 00:20:14
OK. 00:20:18
She just walked out. Chief's timing is impeccable, as always. 00:20:23
On to the police report. 00:20:28
Good evening, Mayor. 00:20:39
How are y'all doing? 00:20:42
Glad to see y'all here early in the month instead of late in the month. 00:20:44
This is a week early. 00:20:48
So I submitted a report last week with. 00:20:51
Statistical data for the Police Department as well as the data that comes from our science throughout. 00:20:55
Are there any questions over any of the material I? 00:21:00
No looking good. 00:21:08
All right. Mayor mentioned to me earlier this evening that maybe I'll do some comparison charts. 00:21:11
Some of the statistical traffic data, I'll work something up and get you all a report next month so you can see how we're 00:21:16
trending. 00:21:20
All right. And with that, we recently graduated A. 00:21:24
Officer from the Academy. He went from cadet to be an officer. 00:21:29
Here recently Brian Ang. 00:21:34
And tonight? Oh, and during the celebration, a surprise. 00:21:37
The governor showed. 00:21:43
I've been to a lot of graduations in 23 years. I don't think I've ever had the governor show up to any of them. But this one he 00:21:47
did. That's awesome. 00:21:50
And as you can see, Ron took an excellent post right behind the governor. 00:21:53
Well done. 00:21:58
So tonight we're going to swear in Ryan and. 00:22:00
The mayor would come forward. I would like for you to do that. 00:22:04
Yes. 00:22:21
Congratulations in advance. 00:22:25
Sir. 00:22:28
Hi, Ryan. 00:22:30
Here by Solomon square that. 00:22:33
Support. 00:22:42
Our support and between the charter and ordinances of the City of office. 00:22:54
Charges and ambulances. I'm not the holder of any office of trust. I'm not the older them out. But for the government of the 00:22:59
United States and the government in the United States, any other states or the foreign states in the other states. In the foreign 00:23:06
state, the planned by the laws of the state, the time by the laws of the state of Georgia for the biggest community. 00:23:14
I'm otherwise qualified. 00:23:23
I'm not the older any kind of. 00:23:37
I set the law enforcement code events. I have left the law enforcement declared. 00:23:52
I'll faithful follow the orders of the Chief of Police. 00:24:15
Police officer. 00:24:27
How it works? 00:24:32
And as a matter of condition. 00:24:54
We allow a loved one of the officer to come forward and come back and. 00:24:56
The. 00:25:02
123. 00:26:07
Beautiful. Beautiful. 00:26:17
Hold. 00:26:25
Appreciate it. 00:26:26
I'm going to put my signature on this before I lose it and if I get it back to you, Chief. 00:26:34
Sign. 00:26:40
If it's three, we'll do it later because it's a long meeting. 00:26:42
Mayor Roberts crusade for shorter meetings and cities. 00:26:48
So we got to do the important thing that we will do them. All right, Chief, that's it for you, I'm assuming, because he is gone. 00:26:53
We will move on to our public hearing. I do want to recognize Judge Anglin. Thank you for being here. It was an honor to swear 00:27:01
someone in in front of you after you swore us in for so many years and always made time to do that. So we're thankful and grateful 00:27:06
to have you back in City Hall tonight. 00:27:10
All right, Next up on the agenda. We do have a public hearing. We have this thing coming up called the T Splost. 00:27:16
And. 00:27:22
Teaspost is a special purpose, local option sales tax to be dedicated to transportation uses. That's roads, sidewalks, things that 00:27:24
help people get around our community, which we need here in Watkinsville. Most of our traffic does not come from Oconee County. I 00:27:31
would certainly say most of it doesn't come from Watkinsville and a large part of it does not come from Oconee County. And what 00:27:38
that means is most people who drive through Watkinsville don't pay. 00:27:45
For the roads that they're using now, if a Tea SPLOST was passed by the voters, then that means that there would be a penny added 00:27:53
on to sales taxes and that penny would be used to help fund transportation improvements, including the transportation plan that 00:28:01
we've approved previously. The county is committed to a mileage rollback to offset a tax increase and grateful that they have done 00:28:09
that. But all four of the Oconee County municipalities need to agree to the T spot in order for it. 00:28:17
To pass at its full capacity in the county. So what we're doing tonight is we're taking a look at the. 00:28:25
The referendum, I'm going to let manager Dickerson fill in anything that I forgot in my soliloquy there. And then we will actually 00:28:33
vote on, we'll hear, have a public hearing and then we will close that public hearing and we'll vote on that matter later tonight. 00:28:40
So Manager Dickerson, please fill in the gaps of what I forgot and and then we can have a public hearing on that. 00:28:47
Thank you, Mayor. You did a great job. 00:28:55
So one of the key things to understand is that the city does have a percentage of those teaspoons that would come to us that has 00:28:58
been negotiated at 7.77%. Based on that and the projected revenues that the county has provided, the city will see about 4.69. 00:29:07
$1,000,000 over that five years. Again, that's projected. We always budget at about 85%. Eighty 3%, that's proven. Actually, we 00:29:16
actually hit higher than that, but we try to not budget for the full amount, never knowing what will happen. 00:29:23
The project does require tea spots, does require for 30% of the funds to be used on statewide goals. I think all of the cities 00:29:31
have basically said they're going to use it on roads. It's a real easy lift. Everybody needs to repair their roads, so 30% of the 00:29:37
funding will be used that way. Before I flip to the next slide, I do want to remind the council because we do this every time we 00:29:43
talk about tea spots, especially spots 3. 00:29:49
The referendum will state how the city wants to use those funds right now, the way it's laid out, and we'll talk about this when 00:29:56
we get to item 11. 00:30:00
Is that it will be simply a straight amount of 5.6. I think it's 5.516 million and some change with 30% of that amount having to 00:30:04
be dedicated for roads. 00:30:09
What the council has done in the past and what you did last year when you consider this and brought it for the the the citizens 00:30:16
for a vote, was get a little bit more specific. Because it's always important to put a little bit more, you know, detail on what 00:30:21
how you're going to spend the money so that the public has confidence that the monies are going to be spent well. 00:30:27
So. 00:30:33
I want to remind you that when I show this that that there are buckets, there's going to be 3 buckets and we've got the 00:30:35
percentages laid out. So that 30% does go towards the state, towards the state strategic transportation plan roads. 00:30:41
And bridges and that kind of those kind of items. 00:30:47
So should you decide, you can talk about this later. Donna, This is just so the public has something to maybe give you some 00:31:27
feedback on tonight before you vote. Should you decide to go forward, your ballot will show those 3 buckets. And then what that 00:31:33
means is if that passes, those are the three buckets you can use. You can spend up to that amount, not more than that amount. 00:31:39
There are rules if you have a project that maybe you can't fund for whatever reason, their rules for getting around that kind of 00:31:45
stuff, we haven't had to run into that yet. But you can sometimes deal, you can deal with that. So but right now that's sort of 00:31:49
how. 00:31:53
This is how you had it last year and I just took the same amount of money and the percentages and put it back in there for this 00:31:58
year for y'all to look at and consider. So I know y'all aren't necessarily going to be talking about it now. You want to get 00:32:02
public input, but I just want to make sure remind everybody that sort of how this is laid out and you may decide when you get to. 00:32:07
Item 11 that you just want to leave it at 5.5 and 30% and you can do that too. 00:32:13
OK. Thank you, Sharon. We'll move into the public hearing at this point. So I'd like to open the public hearing. I know we have 00:32:19
Chairman Daniel here tonight. Chairman, I don't know if you have anything that you want to add about Tea SPLOST and the county's 00:32:25
county's thoughts on that and the rollback you're? 00:32:31
Take some time or any citizen who wants to comment on T spot. You're welcome to come to the podium after Chairman Daniel. 00:32:38
So we did try this a year ago. 00:32:52
We had a after the results we had some citizens approaches about maybe trying again with a little bigger turn out. So we're 00:32:55
excited to try again we think. 00:32:58
A really good program for the citizens of Oconee. 00:33:03
Our share will end up being about 52,000,000 of the actual collection is our budget amount. 00:33:07
And we will do A1 mil rollback to OFF. 00:33:12
The new 1% sales tax and most of that's going to go to Rd. Paving in the county. We have a little bit set aside for trails and 00:33:17
some for intersection improvements. We have some challenging intersections we're trying to work on. 00:33:22
To get those straightened out, but be happy to answer any questions you have about it. But we really appreciate your 00:33:29
participation. Bogart and Bishop both signed on last night and will be in North High Shoals next week. 00:33:35
Thank you, Chairman Daniel. 00:33:43
Any questions for Chairman Daniel? Before we move on, anybody else in the audience want to speak about T Spice? 00:33:47
Yes, step on up so people can hear you. 00:33:53
My name is Wyler Hecht I'm give us your address too. Just we got to be formal with these public 38 S Barnett Shoals Rd. And I 00:33:59
really just have a question and that is I would like for somebody to help me understand what the what it means like the one mill. 00:34:08
To offset this to the tea spot. Can somebody help me understand that because I don't understand. 00:34:18
Thank you. 00:34:26
And how long does a teaspoon last? We're going to let our expert preacher come up here and handle that. 00:34:28
So this will last for five years regardless of the amount collected. Law just changed. 00:34:36
In the past, when you hit your goal, you had to stop collections, but luckily that the state legislature expanded that, so we'll 00:34:40
collect for a full five years. 00:34:44
$71,000,000 are asked. We think we'll hit close to that. 00:34:48
Investors Best of circumstances? 00:34:52
So we're able to take some of that one. 00:34:56
And put it toward Rd. maintenance that we're currently paying for out of property taxes. 00:34:58
So if the citizens allowed to do that, that's allowed to do that. 00:35:03
And we'll reduce your mileage rate by 1. 00:35:06
So right now we're at 6.56. We're about to do a rollback. 00:35:09
For the property, tax increases will push just under. 00:35:14
If this goes through, our mills rate will be just under 5. 00:35:18
For for property. 00:35:22
So your property taxes would reduce John's the account, not me. We have this conversation often, so I'm probably get this wrong. 00:35:25
But roughly about 1/6. OK, is that right, John, you going from 6 to 516. So what that means is, you know our a lot of I got calls 00:35:30
about people's property taxes and their frustration. If your property tax isn't in your mortgage, you know, you get that bill and 00:35:36
it it hits you right. And even if it is in your mortgage, it hits you. And so all of a sudden what this does is you could take off 00:35:42
1/6 of that property tax bill. 00:35:48
And what that's going to be covered by is partially by your shopping. But the reality is a lot of our sales tax revenue comes from 00:35:54
folks in Athens, folks in Barrow County, folks in Jackson County who are all coming, whether it's the Publix, whether it's to Wire 00:36:00
Park, whether it's other places who are using our roads and using our infrastructure. They'll pay for more of those costs. 00:36:06
Yeah. And also I will say that T spots does not apply to gasoline or any kind of motor fuel. So it's not going to affect you on 00:36:43
your price for gasoline. 00:36:46
What? 00:36:51
Your general food items, general general goods, and you go to Walmart about everything you find there will. 00:36:52
Yeah. So it's an extra penny of sales tax that is going to be offset by that. That rollback in the mileage rate is the idea. 00:36:59
Thank you. It's a good, great question. I think that's one of the things about this that it's hard, you know, you know? 00:37:07
You know, it's hard to understand the value in it, but when I look at what's changed in Oconee County over the past 20 years. 00:37:14
You know, sales tax has become increasingly important and as we have Costco and the Varsity and other places like that open up in 00:37:20
the Epps bridge area, we can we can fund an increasing amount of our needs based on from folks who aren't necessarily living in 00:37:25
our community but are visiting so. 00:37:30
Yeah. Any other comments on T? 00:37:36
All right. I'll close the public hearing at this point and we'll move along to appearances. Next up, we have some exciting guests 00:37:40
welcome. 00:37:44
To Rob and Carmen from Ponder and Ponder and they are providing an update on the new Oconee County Watkinsville branch. 00:37:50
The library which is going to be located at Wire Park. 00:38:00
Please introduce yourselves. Give us your address and. 00:38:03
And then share. 00:38:06
I'm Carmen Ponder. This is my husband and partner, Rob Ponder. We are Ponder and Ponder Architects. We are at 3000 Langford Rd. In 00:38:08
Peachtree Corners. 00:38:15
Georgia used to be Norcross. Some of you may know we live in Duluth. 00:38:22
So we understand community and wanting to keep a Public Library in your city, in your community. I am a library design specialist. 00:38:29
I'm design libraries all over the state, and I am also the design partner and project manager for this library project. Rob acts 00:38:37
as our architect of record. He's the stamp, he's also the one with the technical expertise and he coordinates a lot of the 00:38:44
engineering. 00:38:52
That goes into our buildings. Part of our team includes a professional interior designer, Courtney Orm, who is also a library 00:39:00
interior designer. 00:39:06
So we are a part of the new wire park multi use development. We are converting an existing warehouse. 00:39:12
That is was part of that manufacturing facility into a 21st century library. The exterior that you see in front of you, the 00:39:24
rendering represents. 00:39:29
A modern, industrial looking building representative of the history of that facility. 00:39:35
And it ties in with the new Wire Park development. Similar exterior materials, the same brick, the same metal siding, same colors. 00:39:43
We're exposing a lot of the steel framing and painting it black windows that will look similar so that it ties together and 00:39:51
becomes a sort of campus for the Watkinsville area, if you will. 00:39:59
The library is front onto the Plaza that has been built, and if you've been out there recently, they finished their Plaza. It's 00:40:09
just beautiful. So that's a public place for events, for gathering, and it'll connect via a courtyard up into the wire park with a 00:40:19
food court, shops. They'll eventually have offices as well. The park is open already, so the idea is to have synergy. 00:40:29
Between the facilities, our main entrance for the library will be off of a Plaza area. 00:40:40
That faces the main. 00:40:47
It's a little bit elevated. 00:40:50
And there's an addition that was made to that warehouse that we're proposing taking the walls off of and turning into a covered 00:40:52
outdoor space. And that's where the main entrance to the library would be. 00:40:59
The site work is all being done by the wire part development Gibb Capital. The one exception is we're proposing a new handicap 00:41:07
ramp along the front to connect the entrance to the southern parking lot, which would be very convenient for library users. 00:41:17
The library itself will be a large open space. We are developing 20,000 of the 25,000 square feet available because our goal is to 00:41:27
meet the budget. 00:41:33
The on the floor plan, the dark area that you see is the 5000 square feet for future development that the library can grow into. 00:41:42
It's mostly a large open space with the adult section when you first walk in, and then there's a gateway element with the youth 00:41:50
areas beyond that to give you some separation. It'll include a large public meeting room that can be open for after use via a 00:41:58
secondary entrance with a secondary lobby that has restrooms. 00:42:06
And a large friends of the library of workroom workroom because this library. 00:42:15
The most active friends of the library I've ever seen. Any. 00:42:20
We have, if you would please continue to the next slide, I think that has a close up of what the interior finishes are likely to 00:42:25
look like. The interior designers still working closely with staff, but it'll be warm, neutral colors. 00:42:33
Colors that are in the the carpet she's going to punch out as accent walls, but the majority of walls will be that soft, neutral, 00:42:44
tan color. Durable materials, stain resistant carpet. 00:42:50
Dirt. 00:42:57
That vinyl tile that looks like wood that is durable and the idea being a low maintenance facility. 00:43:00
The users and not it's going to be a community building the emphasis on flexibility and growing in the future. 00:43:11
Right. 00:43:22
And I want to say real quick, the structure that we've inherited out there will be reusing the floor, the concrete, the steel 00:43:22
beams, the steel columns. 00:43:27
The steel frame around the exterior of the building, we have figured out that the most economical thing to do for the roof is to 00:43:33
actually take the one off. There's a demand for for used panels. We can get a market for those and it will have a new roof that'll 00:43:39
be put on here. And with inside of the building itself, it will have new air conditioning, new electrical, new plumbing. 00:43:46
Within the structure. So we've tried to apply 21st century knowledge into how to reuse the frame of this. 00:44:26
We hope to start right the first of the year and should take 9 to 10 months to build. 00:45:07
We're available for questions. I have some questions. 00:45:12
So I'm very excited about the library going to Wire Park and being part of the community as a whole. 00:45:17
I know y'all have had some challenges as I'm sure expenses have continued to rise as as the project has gone on and also sometimes 00:45:24
inheriting of an older building has. 00:45:31
I mean, I'm sure even more challenges than what you just said. So I appreciate the challenges that y'all have had and I see a lot 00:45:39
of exciting things in this. I love that the Friends has a bigger space. I noticed there's a recording studio. 00:45:46
Which is bringing it into the 21st century. That's that's a great use. 00:45:54
So I do have a few concerns though, and I'm wondering if some of these might be affected by budget, but I would hope that there 00:45:59
might be a way around some of these things so. 00:46:06
I'm a mom of three. My kids are now teenagers, so I fortunately, you know, they're out on their own. But I spent many, many years 00:46:13
going to the library with my small children. 00:46:18
On the main plan. 00:46:25
It's hard to really see on any of these, but I've I studied, I studied it. 00:46:28
Yesterday and the packet. 00:46:35
That the children's section. 00:46:38
Is at the far bottom. 00:46:40
And the bathrooms are on the complete opposite end. 00:46:43
And. 00:46:47
At one point I had a three-year old and twin infants and inevitably you get a couple children happy and then one has to go to the 00:46:49
bathroom. And the way this is currently designed, a parent is going or caregiver is going to have to gather all of their children 00:46:56
traipse all the way through the main section of the library. 00:47:04
Where adults are perhaps trying to have peaceful time to get to the bathroom and. 00:47:13
And I know adding any bathroom cost money, so I'm I'm sure there's budget to this, but I would love if there would be a way to add 00:47:21
a restroom, perhaps using some of that unused space, just even if it was one section. Because I get that it's near the meeting 00:47:27
room and it's the extra lobby. And I mean, I understand the benefit of those restrooms being there. I would just love to see a 00:47:34
second one near the kids section. 00:47:40
OK, I've been in your shoes. 00:47:47
Mine are fully grown now as well and I feel your pain. 00:47:50
This library. 00:47:55
Does not give us the opportunity to do everything we would like to have done, I can tell you the staff. 00:47:59
That was one of the first things they asked for. Is a restroom convenient to the children's? We went back and forth on the design 00:48:06
quite a bit. At one time, the children's area was on the opposite side of the building, next to the restroom. 00:48:13
For that reason. 00:48:21
The restrooms and if you'll notice every room that requires plumbing is all in that tight upper left hand corner because that is 00:48:23
where the plumbing is coming in. 00:48:29
To provide plumbing anywhere else in the building would require cutting an 8 inch. Not the normal 4 to 6 inch, but an 8 inch slab 00:48:37
that has been there for decades and that has continued to harden. So it's just. 00:48:44
Highly impractical. 00:48:52
Nothing is impossible with money. 00:48:55
So you hit on the biggest? 00:48:58
To getting it where we. 00:49:02
And that is the. To get plumbing on the opposite side of the building is just completely impractical. 00:49:04
Where the this building right now is estimated by two different estimators to be $175 per square foot to do what we've shown. 00:49:12
To solve the 8 inch concrete and be able to try to run that plumbing the diagonal across the building. So we we're we're trying 00:49:58
but we just don't think it's there to be able to do that so. 00:50:02
I don't don't have any other answer. Well, and I I don't know if this is the, you know the place to get that. 00:50:08
Figured out, although Kathleen. 00:50:15
Children. 00:50:20
From one side of the. 00:50:22
The library staff absolutely insisted on the location being where the children's area was, away from the adult area, where the 00:50:24
meeting room would also be available for after hours. So there were a whole series of we must have this, we have to give up that, 00:50:30
and it was. 00:50:37
That's how we ended up where we are. 00:50:45
We we child. 00:50:48
It is. 00:50:54
There's no wall door. 00:50:57
You know in there and have you been to the? 00:51:01
This one doesn't either. There, the gateway is more of a visual separation. That's a little bit with distance, but there's no door 00:51:06
or hard wall really separating. It's a large open space and a lot of that is again trying to work with what we've got, a very, 00:51:15
very tall ceiling. So any wall we build to separate is a 20 foot high fall to start with, so. 00:51:23
We have a lot of open space. We're. 00:51:32
But. 00:51:35
The booking manager let's Yeah, OK, So I want to what I want to do is I don't like Christine. So I don't think we're going to 00:52:13
solve this problem tonight. I think we need to provide the feedback. 00:52:17
Do you have a few other things you want? Why don't we work through anybody else on council does and then we'll talk at the end 00:52:22
about maybe how we if if we're going to engage further on them. So you have alluded to the fact that it's a large open warehouse 00:52:29
and I didn't see anything in any of the renderings like any of the design pictures shows about maybe 8 feet up. What is that going 00:52:37
to look like? Do you have any any views of like how because how tall are the actual ceilings and and what is that? 00:52:44
What is that going to look like in the library? 00:52:52
The existing structure is. 00:52:56
Approximately 20 feet to the underside of the. 00:52:58
Open web joys and then there's some airspace above that. We have some areas with ceilings. We don't have ceilings everywhere. We 00:53:03
cannot afford acoustical ceilings everywhere, so we have chosen to put them in the children's area in the meeting room, insert in 00:53:12
the office spaces so the areas that need it most. Those ceilings will be at about 11:50 feet. 00:53:20
And in the main main part of the big room, it'll be fog painted black like you see a lot of modern contemporary buildings done up 00:53:30
from 10 feet up. All that'll be painted flat black. So that it it's that new look that you see in a lot of restaurants in a lot of 00:53:36
different places. So the interior designer is designing it to be used like I'm sorry we don't we don't have an interior rendering 00:53:42
to show you yet because she's working on it with the. So another thought in this this will be. 00:53:49
Not getting into the weeds of it, but you already alluded to the fact that we have an incredible friends the library. 00:53:56
Community and we have a lot of generous businesses and so. 00:54:04
I also understand your budget constraints and I understand the complexity of this library being part of a larger system that is 00:54:11
multi countrywide. And so have you all considered kind of making your your wish list of extras? Like for instance I'm looking at 00:54:19
the the amount of windows that are in in the library I'm I'm sure. 00:54:27
There were fewer than maybe in your perfect design world you would want. 00:54:36
The I've I've not seen any interior rendering, so maybe this will come, but I am not seeing anything particularly inspiring for a 00:54:41
children's library, and maybe that just that designer hasn't gotten to that yet. But something that really differentiates and 00:54:48
makes a children's library a very special place. And so I would love to see a list of your like if you want an extra window here, 00:54:55
and then it could be sponsorship or naming opportunities. 00:55:02
I would love if it's possible with it being a Public Library to have some naming opportunities. So a business could say you know 00:55:45
this cool tree house thing in the children's library is with a plaque. With that business name I I feel like we we could get a lot 00:55:51
of. 00:55:56
OK, a lot of. 00:56:02
Whole children's area was paid. 00:56:04
One donor and we were able to put in all kinds of wonderful things. Wonderful. So I just encourage that list and look forward to 00:56:07
maybe getting to be a part of that. 00:56:13
When we get the bid list in with the ad alternates if the base bid is if the if the base bid from the lowest contractor lets us 00:56:19
go, then we can always add on those ad alternates as money becomes available during the construction process even. 00:56:25
Well, we could, I I was sitting here thinking that if with permission from the staff, when we could look at an AD alternate so 00:56:33
that we would get a hard price for that to see how much it would cost to trench 220 feet across. 00:56:38
Yeah, I mean, there might be. I was thinking too, there might be untrenched boys, but again, not when I'm getting the weeds in 00:56:45
that right now. With permission, we can put that as an ad. 00:56:50
All right. Yes. Well, we'll do that as one of the adults and then we'll see what the price is from the contractor. 00:56:56
If you have others of those and we have access to Mark, if there's other potential and often it's that we need to price. If they 00:57:02
get to Mark, they'll get to us and we can add that on the list about I think the library staff would be very happy to have 00:57:08
children's restrooms. 00:57:14
Well, and I think the other thing, Christine, I'm glad you brought that up because you know, $80,000 seems like a lot of money 00:57:22
right now in the context of it. But if this library is there for 25 or 30 years? 00:57:27
And we look back and every Mama who goes in there spends, you know, spends 15 minutes of her time at the library walking her kids 00:57:32
back and forth to the bathroom on the other side. Then it may be worth us finding a way. 00:57:38
Bridge that gap as a community, so yeah. 00:57:44
Yep. 00:57:49
Council members, any other feedback on the library? 00:57:50
OK. This has been, this has been super. We appreciate the update. Thank y'all. Yeah, Yep. 00:57:55
OK. Moving to old business, we're going to this has been tabled several times. We're looking at the hotel motel excise tax manager 00:58:09
Dickerson, I think this is you've given us an update. 00:58:14
Thank you. 00:58:21
So what we're asking for tonight is for you to approve an ordinance that will set and levy the next size tax of 5%. 00:58:23
For basically short term vacation rentals, adopting a resolution to update the comprehensive fee schedule to deal with the 00:58:31
registration fee for those short term vacation rentals so we can keep track of them and issue them. The documents they need to do 00:58:37
so give a little history. Back in 2007, the Oconee County Commissioner, the Commission's adopted an ordinance authorizing a 6% 00:58:44
excise tax. 00:58:50
And then last year on the hotel rooms and whatnot and of course over. 00:58:57
Probably five or six years. Airbnb and those kind of short term rentals have really taken off. 00:59:02
And so the legislative session last year adopted a approved A. 00:59:07
A change in the code that would. 00:59:13
Create a definition for a marketplace innkeeper, basically a VRBO, a HomeAway, someone like that who basically acts on behalf of 00:59:16
the homeowner and what they By doing so they have brought them in and are requiring that they take that $5 a night tax, $5 a night 00:59:24
fee for the statewide hotel motel transportation fee and collect sales tax or excise tax. 00:59:32
The governor signed that back in July, April and it went into effect July, one of last year. 00:59:41
So just for your edification, the lodging receipt is comprised of the rate for the for the facility you're in, the sales use tax 00:59:46
or the local tax, the statewide transportation fee which is $5 and then an excise tax. We do excise taxes on alcohol. We are now 00:59:54
asking that you consider this for within the city limits an excise tax for hotel motel. 01:00:02
I mentioned about the the platforms marketing keepers. Right now those marketing keepers, if you go online and try to rent 01:00:11
something within the city limits is actually collecting 6% for rooms and lodgings. I will say that I don't know that they're 01:00:17
getting all of them right now and that's something we'll we'll work on. We've identified within the city limits 22. 01:00:24
Short term vacation rentals and several those. I went online and tried to rent them to see if they were collect. They were asking 01:00:31
for the tax. They are actually collecting the tax. I can't speak on behalf of the county if the county's getting it, but they're 01:00:35
certainly charging people for it. 01:00:39
This is not a new tax, as I said, the count, it is being collected. 01:00:45
Questionable whether or not the county is getting all of it, but we are proposing a 5% because it only requires a local ordinance. 01:00:50
If we went higher than that, it would require resolutions, state legislative approval, and approval by the governor. 01:00:56
And the the intent is just to help provide this. This tax will be used for transfer. I'm sorry for tourism trade and conventions, 01:01:03
a certain percentage of it is required to be used for that. The key thing here, I believe we spent the last couple of months 01:01:10
making sure that everybody understands we're not going to go after. 01:01:16
You know, Mr. and Mrs. Jones, who happen to have a house that once a year they rent on their own. We're going after people who are 01:01:23
working with the marketplace innkeeper like a VRBOA home away or someone like that. 01:01:28
That are is collecting the tax and asking that they give it back to us and not put it in their pocket. So that's all we're asking 01:01:35
in this case. 01:01:38
The. 01:01:43
I tried to clear up the language. I believe the attorney looked at it. I think a Councilwoman Tucker had some concerns about 01:01:45
making sure that it was clear. I think we've done that. 01:01:49
I think it's also probably good to have that information. So if something you know if there's some issues with some properties or 01:02:35
whatever that are being rented that the city is aware that the Police Department is aware of it and so that's simply it'll be a 01:02:42
one time fee. If there are multiple locations that people own or or rent, we will require one for each of the of the locations. 01:02:48
A registration for that, but we will, we will give the and we cannot start this until September 1. So we'll after this meeting, if 01:02:56
it is approved, we'll go through the process of notifying everybody and letting them know what the dead deadline date is for all 01:03:01
that and then we'll notify once they tell us who they're using for the Marketplace and Keeper, we will notify them and let them 01:03:06
know that they will be. 01:03:11
Submitted or remitting that money to the city Watkins. 01:03:17
Thank you. So to summarize. 01:03:23
Because I know there are several air. 01:03:26
Owners in the room. 01:03:28
$40 fee one time fill out a simple form and then. 01:03:31
Money that's already been collected is just going to go to the city of Watkinsville that will help promote the community that. 01:03:37
She Kathleen, if you Let's finish up with council and then we'll come to the public if they have questions. Any other questions 01:03:46
from council for manager Dickerson. 01:03:49
OK, Kathleen, if you could come to the podium, that's helpful. For the folks watching online, they can hear you. My name is 01:03:54
Kathleen Mcquiston. I live at 13 S Barnett Shoals Rd. In downtown. 01:03:59
I have an Airbnb on 3rd St. and this is a question for Christine. So as I understand it with registered with Airbnb is they 01:04:05
collect the tax. I never see it, it's all part. 01:04:12
When the. 01:04:20
The guest signs up for a date. They're charged. 01:04:22
What I charge for rent a cleaning fee which I set taxes. 01:04:28
Which Airbnb collects and a 3% fee that Airbnb puts in their pocket. I have no control over what Airbnb does with that tax money, 01:04:35
so am I going to be responsible? How am I going to be responsible for making sure that Airbnb is paying you your tax? 01:04:45
So why don't you handle that on? So yeah, Christine, does that make, is that like? 01:04:56
I don't know 100%. Now no one really can talk to anybody really at Airbnb, but you might get so and so, but anyway. 01:05:02
So what my understanding is because this, this has been tabled several months as we've been trying to figure this out. 01:05:12
Is that? 01:05:20
The city will then notify. 01:05:21
Airbnb or VRBO and say, hey, five, you know this percent of the taxes you're already collecting, It's supposed to be coming here, 01:05:25
and then they should start sending that check to Watkinsville. So we shouldn't have to do anything other than fill out that one 01:05:32
form one time and pay $40. OK, I'm fine with paying $40 to register. 01:05:39
I That's fine. But I don't want to have to be taxed twice. The one that I pay Airbnb and then the one that the city comes after 01:05:47
because Airbnb didn't pay my chair. 01:05:52
I just wanted to know we all had that question too, yeah. 01:06:26
Thank you. 01:06:32
OK. Any further questions on? 01:06:36
The Hotel Motel excise tax. 01:06:39
Attorney Reitman, anything from you on that? 01:06:42
All right. Any discussion back behind the rail? 01:06:47
All right then, I'll entertain a motion. 01:06:50
I make a motion to pass. 01:06:54
To this. All right. So she makes a motion to approve the ordinance and the rest of what it says, and then to adopt the resolution 01:07:01
to update the comprehensive fee schedule. Is that correct? Christine? Got it. All right. I'm looking for a second. 01:07:07
2nd we have a motion, we have a second. Any further discussion behind the rail? 01:07:13
All in favor, Say aye, aye. Any opposed? 01:07:18
So motion carries 31. Councilman Garrett opposed. 01:07:22
All right, item 8 is off the agenda. We're going to move on to item 9, Rocket Field update. 01:07:29
Rocket field. 01:07:38
Rocket Field that has been a part of Watkinsville for a century. There's a lot of tremendous history there. 01:07:42
Rocket Field got its start as a facility for Watkinsville. 01:07:50
High school. It was a ball field for the high school. The high schools were consolidated in the 1960s. Bogart and Watkinsville. 01:07:55
They moved to Oconee County High School and since then the fields been used for a lot of different. 01:08:01
Different things. At some point you'll you'll notice if you go back. One slide sharing home plate originally was close, closest to 01:08:08
Ocalaf. In that corner you can see people sitting up on the bank there at picnic tables, elevated. 01:08:14
At some point the field was reconfigured and now it kind of sits in the middle of Rocket field. 01:08:22
Home plate faces towards towards 3rd St. rather than the corner. 01:08:27
And what we But through the years, it's had a tremendous amount of uses. It hosts the fall festival. It's parking for Ocala. 01:08:33
And we've had a real challenge figuring out how we might I. 01:08:40
Update the field even as citizens have said. Wouldn't it be nice? 01:08:45
Fill in the. 01:08:49
You know, wouldn't it be nice if the restrooms were decent? Wouldn't it be nice if there was a built-in place to water my dogs? 01:08:50
Wouldn't it be nice if my kids weren't sliding into a mud hole? 01:08:55
Wouldn't it be nice if there wasn't dog poop on the ball field? Wouldn't it be nice if, you know, I wasn't afraid of my dog 01:09:01
getting outside the gate? 01:09:05
Wouldn't it be nice if there was a shady spot to sit? 01:09:10
No. Wouldn't it be nice if the electric could handle the fall festival? Or if we could turn off the lights more easily? Or if the 01:09:13
lights were more energy efficient? 01:09:17
I've called it the third rail of Watkinsville politics for a long time because there's so many competing interests at Rocket 01:09:22
Field. 01:09:25
What I'm pleased to share tonight is I think we have a set of plans that. 01:09:29
Will make most people happy we've had. 01:09:33
We have had a private donor step forward who's willing to help us offset a significant amount of the cost. 01:09:37
To reimagine Rocket Field and reinvigorate Rocket Field. 01:09:44
And reinvigorate it in a way that would still allow us to. 01:09:49
Have a ball field to be proud of. 01:09:54
That would bring home plate back to where it was originally located. 01:09:56
That would still have space for dogs that would have space for citizens that would have gathering spaces. 01:09:59
That would have new bleachers that would have new electric, new infrastructure. 01:10:04
So I'm pleased to share some renderings if we go ahead and look at the next slide. 01:10:08
This is what the reimagined rocket field could look like. This is the view from the corner of 2nd and 3rd St. looking back towards 01:10:12
Ocala. 01:10:15
What you see here are the 2 by relocating home. 01:10:20
To the far end of the field closest to oh. 01:10:25
You begin to capture some unused space currently in the outfield. 01:10:28
What you see on the left side, what I would call plan West, but what's actually the northeast side of the field and we'll zoom in 01:10:32
on those. 01:10:36
Is an entrance potentially? 01:10:41
The dog park with a shade structure, a fence, water facilities. 01:10:44
On the right you see a gazebo. It doesn't have to be a gazebo. We were trying to think of a structure that would create an 01:10:48
opportunity for shade. 01:10:51
And people to utilize the field. Or if kids are playing ball and little brother and little sister want to go play. 01:10:55
They can walk down to that area and access part of the field and safely play there. Let's go on to the next slide, sharing. 01:11:03
This is the view from the area where we could potentially have the dog entrance in the dog. 01:11:09
There's a shade structure there. You begin to get a feel for the field, the fence structures. 01:11:13
Are removable, which means they could come out of the ground. Not easily, but the street department of volunteers could do it. So 01:11:18
for example, the fall festival, we could still put all the booths out. 01:11:23
For oh calf, as they needed us, we could still park vehicles out. 01:11:28
But you see that we had most of the time, the ball field would be divided from the dog, the dog park area or the other areas. It 01:11:32
creates A safer environment, creates an opportunity. 01:11:37
For some more usage and avoids those conflicts on the left side. Let's go back to go back, Shannon the left side. You'll see 01:11:43
bleachers built into the hill. 01:11:46
Again, that takes a space that's not currently being used and allows built-in space without the temporary bleachers, and allows us 01:11:52
to capture more of the field. 01:11:56
To be used as green space and for for more frequent use, We can go ahead Sharon. 01:12:00
Again, this is the close up of the conceptual entry for the dog park. Dog park space is approximately. 01:12:06
1/3 of an acre water available for dogs. If the public input meetings, we'll talk more about that, we'll talk about you know what 01:12:14
the options are for the dog park uses, what kind of amenities we may want to have in there if we just want it to be wide open. 01:12:20
Let's go one more. 01:12:27
This is a view of the same area, but from an aerial view. Again, you begin to get a feel of what we're doing. Let's go one more. 01:12:30
Something simple, not anything like what we have out here. 01:13:09
If we go on Sharon, this is the view from the back. This is a concession stand and restroom area and storage area. This would also 01:13:12
allow the second story would be used for scorekeeping videos. 01:13:18
Modern restrooms cleaned up and a concession stand for when we wanted to utilize that. 01:13:26
We'll get. 01:13:33
This is a view of the bleachers from the field, with rocket Field potentially put on the put on the bleachers. 01:13:35
This is a view of how it might look as you run across the. 01:13:43
Yeah. And we can go one more share. I don't know if we have more images. This is a view from the top. So you again you can begin 01:13:47
to get a feel for the. 01:13:50
For the potential solution for Rocket Field. 01:13:54
This is a view from the gazebo, again showing what that looks like. That's a shady corner of the of the park already. Sure if we 01:13:58
yeah, this is the best one. And then so again you see here the view from the OCALAF area. 01:14:04
But elevated, it gives you a feel of what the updated field may begin to feel like. 01:14:10
So I'm tremendously excited to bring this forward. As we look at timing for this, tonight, we're introducing this to council. 01:14:16
We will have two opportunities for public feedback and public input. These are conceptual plans, so we do want feedback from the 01:14:24
public. 01:14:28
August 2nd and August 9th, 6:00 PM here at City Hall. 01:14:32
We'll have two public input meetings. What we would plan to do is refine the plans based on public input and further discussion 01:14:36
from council. 01:14:40
September plans presented and approved by City Council of City Council's comfortable with this proposal. 01:14:45
And in October, if the plans were approved and legal documents finalized, construction would begin after the fall festival. 01:14:51
Ideally with the. 01:14:58
You know, reinvigorated Rocket Field, opening up to the public and available in the spring. 01:15:00
For Little League. 01:15:05
Sharon, if you can scoot back to the plan view. There's one or two more things that I wanted to highlight. 01:15:07
I. 01:15:13
Go back to the one that's yeah, this one. Go back one. Go forward. Yeah, you'll see here a new sidewalk along 2nd St. that's also 01:15:13
going to be added. One thing that's not shown is concrete aprons that would allow vehicles to enter in without damaging the grass 01:15:19
and new gates structures. 01:15:24
The private partner has agreed to do all the site work, all the drain work, all the electric work, all the grass, all the 01:15:31
concrete. 01:15:35
A significant the vertical structure, the concession stand, the city would be responsible for trees. 01:15:39
The Gaz. 01:15:46
In the. 01:15:48
So it's a pretty monumental investment by a gentleman named Kelly Mahoney, who lives here in Oconee County and has been passionate 01:15:49
about. 01:15:54
Rocket Field, his daughter plays softball and has been utilizing the field and he was looking for an opportunity to make a 01:16:00
difference and came and talked to us about Rocket Field. 01:16:05
And we felt like this is. 01:16:10
That could help and could help us take care of. 01:16:13
An area that's incredibly special to Watkinsville. And also just like we're thinking about the next 100 years for Rocket Hall, 01:16:17
thinking about the next 100 years for Rocket Field. 01:16:22
I'm gonna quit talking with that, Sharon, unless there's any other renderings. I don't think there is. We can go back to the 01:16:28
schedule and then council, I'd love to get your input. We can do some light public input tonight. That's fine. But I think the 01:16:33
majority of that I'd prefer to keep for the public input meeting. So we can go deep on your questions, but. 01:16:38
Council. 01:16:44
The potential timeline would welcome your feedback and thoughts. 01:16:45
I think it's an amazing opportunity to have such a. 01:16:50
Such a donation and what I love about it too is it is. 01:16:55
It's actually making it more historically accurate and it's bringing it back. So we're not losing, we're not losing Rocket Field. 01:17:00
We're really regaining Rocket Field. We're solving the, I mean, I think my very first City Council meeting, there was a hoopla 01:17:06
about the dogs on Rocket Field. Like you said, it's the third rail. And so I mean this is a solution for that, that the ball field 01:17:12
is separate from where the dogs play, but it's still a community park that everybody can use, not just Little League kids a few 01:17:18
times a year, so. 01:17:24
I'm thrilled. And I'm glad, of course, that we're doing public. I mean, we don't have all the ideas here, so I'm please tell your 01:17:31
friends. I know in this room already we have people with great ideas and great input. If Lawrence were here, he would be saying 01:17:35
that we need. 01:17:40
You're here in his said OK, so that was it. I can never pronounce it right. The patent yes, that needs to somehow be incorporated 01:17:46
in here so so that will all come at a public input and figuring out how to make it truly something for the whole community to use. 01:17:56
Well, let's let's do this. Let's let council finish their comments to make them back. 01:18:09
Why don't y'all make your offer your thoughts and comments and like I said, a little bit of public comment and then we'll move 01:18:15
along. 01:18:17
I think it's one of those opportunities that came before us that you know it's it's been a dream or an idea. 01:18:21
For a long time here we have an opportunity. 01:18:29
Do. 01:18:32
With very little cost to the city. 01:18:34
I think it's a great idea. 01:18:40
Thank you, Chuck. Connie, you're our. 01:18:42
I want to put this out there. You said that they had moved the home base from where it used to be and I am going to say that I'm 01:18:46
guessing they moved it. 01:18:53
Half, at least half of the games, if not more, are played late afternoon, early evening and if you move it back, the sun is going 01:19:01
to be right in the whoever's at home base trying to hit the ball. 01:19:08
And they may not be able to see the. 01:19:16
Because the sun's bright coming from that direction and the bleachers will be getting all of that sun also. So they're not going 01:19:18
to be able to see what's out on the field as good either. So I'm assuming that's why they moved home base from where it was over 01:19:24
to where it is. I think they moved it because they want to be able to play football on that field and they had to move it so that 01:19:30
they could play the football out there. Otherwise it didn't set up, but you know. 01:19:36
If you're going to move it, we can look at that. You know, I mean it doesn't. I think where you gain the efficiency is by moving 01:19:44
home point to a corner. 01:19:47
It doesn't. Might not have to be that corner, but what happens now is you. 01:19:51
You lose a third of the of the space on that field because. 01:19:56
Home plates in the middle of the field, essentially. 01:20:01
But good. I think that's something we need to take back to the designers and talk about. That's fair. 01:20:03
Jeff, anything you want to offer? 01:20:09
No, I just think it's a great opportunity for the city and the generosity of Mr. Mahoney. 01:20:11
To want to, you know, do this for the city and his daughter. So I like the concept and I think it satisfies. 01:20:18
You know the the two or three different camps and makes this a great attraction for our city, so we're looking forward to it. 01:20:27
OK, I think now members of the public, if you all want to make some comments, we'd welcome them understanding we're going to get 01:20:37
an opportunity to make a deeper dive. 01:20:41
A Deeper Dive at on August 2nd and August 9th. 01:20:45
OK, I can talk loud enough. Anyway, it doesn't matter. 01:20:51
Yeah, Laura Rose. I'm at 104 White St. and I want to thank you, Christine, for mentioning a patent court. But I would like to add 01:20:56
something I the design is beautiful, the idea is great, but what y'all are always leaving out. 01:21:04
Is that you think adults? Senior adults don't do anything except walk? 01:21:12
There are, there's if you had it in your plan, something for senior adults like Patonk or just bulls in general, or even 01:21:19
horseshoes, you'd be saying to the public. 01:21:25
That seniors matter. 01:21:32
Because we can't all be out there playing tennis. 01:21:34
And we can't all be playing pickleball, but we can play the talk. We can play bocce, you know, we can play horseshoes. 01:21:38
And it I feel like we just get completely left out and we're told you watch your grandchildren and you walk and you take your dog 01:21:47
to the dog park and that's what you're allowed to do. 01:21:53
That's kind of how it feels. 01:22:00
So just rethink a little bit. 01:22:02
What you're doing recreationally. 01:22:06
For older adults. 01:22:09
In your plan. And thank you, Christine. 01:22:12
And Kathleen, the question 13 S Barnett shells and these are two gentlemen who are in the tank club. 01:22:16
It's OK who play with my husband, Lawrence Duke. 01:22:26
On a gravel parking lot in Athens over at Lake Herrick. 01:22:31
But it is a gravel parking lot and we would greatly benefit from a having a pretend court here on Rocket Field. It would take 01:22:39
about the. 01:22:45
The court itself is about 4050 by 80 feet, is that correct? And a couple of benches for their seniors to sit down. This is 01:22:51
basically a senior sport. 01:22:57
There is a two patent clubs. 01:23:04
In Athens and many of the members are from here in actually here in Watkinsville, These two gentlemen are from Athens, but they 01:23:09
would love to come over here to Watkinsville, play for Tank and then spend their money at our restaurants. 01:23:16
It wouldn't. It's not an expensive thing to install based on the current plan that you have. Having it over by the gazebo would be 01:23:24
perfect because that's where there's some shade. 01:23:31
It would also, there's a lot of seniors moving here. I'm sure Wire Park is going to be chock a block with them and this is a nice. 01:23:39
Easy sport, it's there's a lot of competition that goes on. 01:23:46
These people are all going down to Saint Neely Island to compete. There's also competitions in France and it's it's an underground 01:23:53
sport. 01:23:57
That when you get to our age, you're going to love. 01:24:04
So we highly recommend that you and we can help you with the design and the plan and what kind of gravel you need and the edges 01:24:09
people bring their own bulls so you don't have to supply those and. 01:24:16
Oh, the little balls that you throw. You've all, you all know what bocce ball is. Well, this is the French version of bocce ball, 01:24:24
so it's very Snooty. 01:24:28
But I know that Dana and Charlie here can't wait to get their own bulls so they can come and join because it's right across the 01:24:37
street. And anyways, that's my spiel. 01:24:42
Sure. My name is Jerry Galeton. S Stratford, Athens, GA. 01:24:50
I'm an emergency professor at UGA and I just want to add 1 bit. 01:24:54
I've brought students that I teach and I still teach a freshman odyssey course. 01:24:59
To play Batank. So it's not just for the elderly, but I bring 18 year olds to Lake Herrick where they play and I would love to 01:25:03
bring them here where they can spend their money and you can get your one cents additional from them when they come here. I've 01:25:08
been listening. 01:25:12
And it is an international sport. Amelia Island is hosting an international competition. 01:25:18
And my wife lives in Brazil, so I go to Brazil and we played there as well. So it is a growing sport, not quite as fast as 01:25:24
pickleball, but it is growing. 01:25:28
1. 01:25:33
Thank you. Thank you all. 01:25:36
All right. Any further appreciate and and I don't want y'all to think because we didn't drop potential on the plans that were 01:25:39
anti. You know I mean it just that's that's you know but I appreciate the feedback and I know that you would rather have comments 01:25:44
on the 2nd and the 9th, but these gentlemen came all the way from Athens. Well that is it is duly noted and we will include 01:25:50
include that in the in the public feedback. 01:25:55
Anything else on Rocket Field? 01:26:01
OK. Thank you all. Yes, ma'am. 01:26:03
Right now it's Little League, right? Right. 01:26:07
Always paid the court. I'll repeat the question. Yep, Yep, Yep. So the the question is about upkeep. Our intention would be to 01:26:11
still work with Little League and other organizations who are leasing it to manage the upkeep. So we would anticipate. 01:26:17
Probably having Little League and some softball teams using it and having a joint lease with them and working with them on the 01:26:25
upkeep knowing we may have to do a little bit more. But also our our public works department isn't in the business of baseball 01:26:30
field management and doing it to the level that. 01:26:35
You know, a, you know, Little League and softball might expect so. 01:26:42
I'm sorry, I'm sorry. We've got to come up to the we got people online, got people online, so, so. 01:26:50
You got it. You might come up to. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. 01:26:56
We live at 22 School St. 01:27:04
We we're going to see everything that happens there like we easily. 01:27:06
But now I was just. 01:27:10
Something about that upkeep. 01:27:13
The grass gets cut and. 01:27:16
Some other things get done, but there's a lot of stuff that doesn't get taken care of, like when the fencing is is torn. 01:27:19
I mean, we have kids that go in there and tear things up inside me. It's a lot of stuff is really pretty. 01:27:26
And I think her concern was that it, you know? 01:27:31
Well, is it going to be kept up so that doesn't get ready right away. So I think it's a fair concern. My experience has been with 01:27:36
public spaces. When they have more use, they're better maintained, you know, and I think part of the challenge is, you know, when 01:27:41
a place looks like it's not well taken care of when the bathrooms. 01:27:47
You know cobwebs when you know it. People, you know, people tend to think, well, nobody's taking. It's not being as well taken 01:27:53
care of as it should. So why should I care about how it looks or how I treat it? 01:27:58
Why? Why pick up all the litter that I've left, that I'm, you know, from my, my trophy boxes? I've been out there on a Saturday 01:28:03
morning and picked up. 01:28:07
Black garbage bags full of boxes because of Little League coach didn't care enough to take his boxes home with them. So I think, 01:28:12
you know as it gets more use and more people out there, there's going to be more pride in the field. 01:28:18
You know, and how it's maintained and I think we'll lean into it, you know, as a city too. But right now it's been a little bit of 01:28:25
purgatory because nobody knows what to do with it, right? We have. 01:28:29
Plenty. 01:28:36
Yeah, Yeah. Where I mean much, much better than some of the other plans that I've heard. 01:28:37
Leaving downtown and on the rocket field, you know that. I mean that was. 01:28:45
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. OK. Well, thank you, Mr. 01:28:50
Anyone else? 01:28:56
You coming back? Are you getting out of here? All right, getting out of here. 01:28:59
OK. Well, thank you everybody. That's what I would ask for I think tonight on Rocket Field. 01:29:03
Council, I would love. 01:29:09
To have a formal motion to move forward with the conversations with Mr. Mahoney and the public input process is articulated up 01:29:13
here. 01:29:17
So moved all in favor, say any further conversation? 01:29:23
All right, All in favor. Say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right. Motion carries for a. 01:29:29
All right, new business potential referendum for tea spots. We talked about this during Public Input Manager Dickerson. Is there 01:29:35
any additional information we need to talk about here? 01:29:40
Now just just a reminder again that if you that you have, you have a choice to make. Well, you'll need to make it before you vote 01:29:46
on the next item. 01:29:50
Or when you've actually make the vote on the resolution, the way to intergovernmental agreement, we'll just talk about these 01:29:56
together because they're intermixed. The intergovernmental agreement currently has an Exhibit A that says that 5.516 million will 01:30:02
be that that's what you're estimating will be for the City of Watkinsville and 30% of that will be spent on the statewide 01:30:07
strategic transportation. 01:30:13
Goal of roads and maintenance on roads. 01:30:20
You can leave it like that, which leaves it very, you know, generic, you know very open or you can be more specific if you do. If 01:30:25
you are more specific then you will want to swap your Exhibit A for that for this and we've got it set up. Julie has both. So 01:30:31
whichever one you decide so that that can be signed and and given to the county and and and passed on to the Board of Elections so 01:30:37
that the referendum will be set up correctly for the City of Watkinsville. 01:30:43
And it will not be, it will at all be the bold and bold areas. It won't sell the rest of us. It will be sidewalk construction. 01:30:50
Basically. It's in bold traffic efficiency improvements and then Rd. resurfacing and rehabilitation. That's how it will read with 01:30:55
those amounts out to the side. 01:31:00
All right, Council. 01:31:08
So we're looking for first. 01:31:12
OK. We did the discussion. We're looking for the resolution and the resolution. 01:31:16
Whether we want this language in bold in terms of what we're specifically doing, or whether we want more generic language, I have 01:31:21
a question. 01:31:24
So looking at the one on this list, the traffic efficiency improvements at the 25%. 01:31:28
So I have two contradictory thoughts. One is, do we have enough? 01:31:36
Roads that are ours that we would need to be doing this with, since so many of the main thoroughfares are state highways or county 01:31:41
roads. 01:31:45
So that's one extreme and the other extreme is if we did do something is that enough money to really do anything. So I guess I 01:31:49
I'm, I'm hesitant to give 25% of that. 01:31:55
Just. 01:32:01
I don't have any particular projects in mind or thoughts I'm sure. I mean I know there are traffic efficiency improvements that 01:32:02
can be done in our community but I have you know we have an entire transportation study of sidewalk and multi use trail side path 01:32:09
that we know we want to do and get done. So I'm I'm leaning towards. 01:32:15
So it may be where we've got to chip in and say well if you want you know around about here then you've got to pay for half of the 01:32:57
engineering or if we want to as we think about experiment station road, you know we're going to have to look at, you know we may 01:33:02
have to chip in to offset some costs. So those are the kind of places that I could see that, see that, see that working and then 01:33:07
we do have some things in. 01:33:12
And our mobility plan that involves chicanes and some of the little, some of the things that we could do on some of the streets 01:33:18
that we end that slow traffic further that are residential streets. So that would be most, yeah. And then traffic calming measures 01:33:23
could also be some of the signage, you know that we have like the variable message side things that help calm the traffic. Those 01:33:28
are some things that because it's transportation related. 01:33:34
Rearrange the road a little bit to slow traffic down or something. So at least for that one I think you're probably OK. 01:34:09
I guess I would personally if we it sounded like this was an option to be more general tonight to move this forward say it's on 01:34:16
the ballot and. 01:34:20
Maybe spend some time really thinking through this and. 01:34:25
Can we do that, Sharon? Can we adjust that what goes on after tonight or is this we need to decide how it looks? Well, I think 01:34:30
that I think if I were going to go back and look at the deadline, I think the deadline is August 2nd. 01:34:36
And you can be, you know, and I mean there is some, you know. 01:34:44
There's benefits to both sides, right? If you, if you're not more specific than that, you got that 70% that you can then get input 01:34:49
from the public and you can do that later. But sometimes it's helpful when you're trying to get something passed and I'll remind 01:34:54
you that the city walkers will did pass it last year with this exact same percentage. 01:35:00
If you're a little bit more specific, people feel more confident that you know you've actually got some plans, you've thought 01:35:06
through it, but you also are, then if it passes, that's the way you have to use your buckets and use the money in those buckets. 01:35:11
What I like about this is it's general categories, but if we want to share with the public as we get closer to the election, 01:35:16
here's some specific priorities we would have. 01:35:21
We would do that. They wouldn't necessarily be on the ballot, but these would be we could outline some priorities that we would 01:35:27
have, for example, some of the sidewalk, some of the other things that we've outlined on the transportation plan. 01:35:31
Signal enhancements, other things like that so we can communicate those. 01:35:37
Publicly, even if they aren't on the ballot. 01:35:42
I think one of the reasons that it struggled county wide is there was a lack of specificity in what was people didn't know what it 01:35:45
was going to be used for. 01:35:48
Wasn't I think in Watkinsville. People know generally that we've been working on transportation things for a long time and we have 01:35:53
those so. 01:35:56
I guess my perhaps completely unfounded fear is that, like with. 01:36:01
With that you know almost $1.2 million that we will. 01:36:08
Then have this money and we will have to find money other places in our budget to actually do any of the projects, if that makes 01:36:13
sense. I and and maybe I'm just being. 01:36:19
I don't know. 01:36:26
I will certainly vote for it this way, but. 01:36:28
I knew a little bit more. 01:36:33
But I want it to pass. Oh, am I not supposed to say that so? 01:36:35
Thinking. State your opinion. Just can't campaign for it. Yeah, yeah. 01:36:40
Still a free country? 01:36:46
OK council that you've heard Councilwoman Tuckers perspective, you all have thoughts, Further thoughts here. 01:36:48
All right, hearing none, somebody make a motion. 01:36:57
I'll make a. 01:37:06
As stated item 11 with the bold faced categories. 01:37:11
Would be the specific buckets the bold faced categories with those dollar amounts. 01:37:19
OK, so we have a motion. Do we have a second for that? 01:37:23
We have a motion. We have a second, further discussion. All right, all in favor, say. 01:37:27
Any opposed all right motion carries 4. 01:37:32
All right, we are now to public comment. If anyone would like to address council on something that has not been discussed, now is 01:37:36
your moment. Come on up and give us your address and let's hear from you. 01:37:42
All right, everybody. Don't jump up at once. Julie, did we have anything come in? 01:37:51
From the Internet? 01:37:54
All right, hearing none of that, we will close public comment mayor's report. 01:37:57
Pleased to report that we have fixed the sidewalk outside of City Hall. If anybody has been here for about four months, we had a 01:38:04
little Cliff where we're trying to tie in the. 01:38:09
Playground of possibilities and the ESP work to City Hall that required us to adjust the elevation of our sidewalk so it's 88 01:38:15
accessible across the board. We've also resolved a long standing drain issue, drainage issue that led to there being a puddle on 01:38:21
rainy nights right in front of City Hall, so that's been adjusted. 01:38:27
John, thank you to you and your team for helping us move our water meter. We appreciate that. And you also help with that flagpole 01:38:34
was reinstalled. The lines are mostly painted. We will fix the landscaping over the next few months and probably not plant stuff 01:38:39
till the fall so we don't have to water it and worry about it dying. So. So it will look better out front. I promise you that's a 01:38:45
project for us. It's not going to be beautiful for a few months though. 01:38:51
We were really pleased with our citizens helping to turn Watkinsville red, white and blue. We had some great, great submission 01:38:58
sent in by different people and what they did. 01:39:03
So once again, Councilman Thomas, if you're listening, we really appreciate you rallying everybody and putting that together for 01:39:08
us. 01:39:12
For two decades, John, the commissioners have done have worked really hard about designating S Oak County remaining rural, other 01:39:50
areas that are more that are designated for different types of growth. So that planning process is going on right now. It happens 01:39:57
once a decade and it's important that the public participate and indicate their preferences on that so. 01:40:03
You'll hear more from us on that in the coming months because we have to be a part of that process. 01:40:10
We got a birthday girl. 01:40:16
Happy birthday to Christine Tucker. 01:40:20
30 and holding. 01:40:24
Yeah. So, Christine, happy birthday to you July baby. I've got two of those myself. So we're we're thankful for you. Oh gosh, that 01:40:26
guy. That guy is familiar to me. He. 01:40:33
That's my son. He did well out in Oregon and is ready to run for the Oak County Warriors next year, so he's excited. 01:40:40
Take that away. Gosh. Stop. Stop. 01:40:48
Yeah. Stop. Stop. Stop. 01:40:52
Yeah, he grew a lot in the past month. 01:40:56
My time was my time is transposed there as an old runner, all saves. A little faster than that but I'm still. I'm still. I'm glad 01:40:59
I could get down the road. I promptly got injured on Saturday, so I'm recovering from that. 01:41:04
The what I was about to say is the World Series trophy, do we have a slide for that? We don't. OK. So what I thought I was about 01:41:10
to say is we're really pleased the Braves are bringing the World Series trophy back to Watkinsville for the second time. That's 01:41:17
August 20th at Wire Park, 1:50 I think or 11:50. So we're expecting a good crowd at Wire Park. 01:41:24
For the Braves, the World World Series trophy coming back as we get towards. 01:41:31
October, and hopefully another one for the Braves. So that's the mayor's report. Thank you for the embarrassing moments. 01:41:35
Thought I was in charge of that mayor's report. Now I know why I didn't. Didn't see that in advance. With that, we'll go to 01:41:41
council members for their update. Councilman Garrett post one. 01:41:45
Nothing from Councilman Garrett Councilwoman Massey Post. 01:41:51
Did have you seen any reduction in the stop sign running since last month? Any changes? 01:41:55
Vehicles coming off of your main. 01:42:02
Are slowing down. OK, know what they do once they get past the sign, But there's going down as they're coming up the bill. OK All 01:42:06
right. Well, I love the entertaining messages on the sign. Thank you, Chief. 01:42:10
Tell him who went Princess Bride if you've never seen The Princess Bride. 01:42:21
If you, if you. 01:42:27
Don't know, You'll find. Just don't Google while you're in the car. 01:42:30
But yeah, Chief, thanks for keeping those interesting and we appreciate you deploying that. That sign has been a valuable tool. I 01:42:37
noticed one at Social Circle all of a sudden today, Joe, you might have had some influence there. 01:42:42
Councilman Thomas is not here. Councilwoman Tucker, any updates? So this past month I got to go down to Savannah to the GMA 01:42:47
conference and attended an all day workshop on activating. 01:42:54
Downtown Development Authority. And so we are in process of getting that going. 01:43:02
There also was a whole section on the benefits of having a historic preservation district or area, and so I am. I sent out some 01:43:10
information about that to council in the last week or so, and I would like to see us moving forward with that as well. 01:43:19
I know a lot of us in this room live in homes that probably will qualify, but in reading through. 01:43:29
The version that they had, it does not seem as onerous as what some of them. 01:43:37
That we've seen before are and it seems like it really can be an opportunity to have a good balance to preserve the history that 01:43:42
we have and there are a lot of tax incentives and grants available when you have these in place. And so I. 01:43:49
I would love to see that moving forward. 01:43:57
Thank you, Councilman Tucker, Councilman Campbell. 01:44:03
Nothing to report, nothing to report from post five. OK, well hearing that we are going to move into executive session. So I will 01:44:06
entertain a motion to enter executive session. 01:44:11
Leave regular session Go into executive session for the purpose of discussing real estate and potential litigation. I make the 01:44:16
motion to leave regular session will move to executive session for the purpose of discussing real estate and potential litigation. 01:44:22
All in favor? All right, we'll start in 4 minutes. If anybody needs to go to the restroom, go now. 01:44:29
I make a motion to. 01:44:37
2nd a. 01:44:39