Adel amends Comprehensive Plan for park upgrades
Mayor Buddy Duke called to order the Monday, May 15, 2023, meeting of the Adel City Council.
Council Members present were Terry McClain, Greg Paige, Walter Cowart, and Jody Greene. Councilwoman Celestine Hayes was present by telephone.
Others present were City Manager Mark Barber, City Clerk Rhonda Rowe, City Attorney Tim Tanner, and members of the public and press.
Councilman McClain gave the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilman Paige.
Approval of minutes
Councilman Paige made a motion to approve the minutes of May 1, 2023, as presented. Councilman Greene seconded with all in favor.
Public hearing
Councilman Paige made a motion to enter into a public hearing to gain input on a proposed amendment to the 2020 Comprehensive Plan. Councilman McClain seconded with all in favor.
City Manager Mark Barber explained that at the prior meeting, the Council approved a resolution to authorize the city staff to begin preliminary steps to apply for funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). An additional requirement to apply for this funding is that the activity must be listed in the local government’s current Comprehensive Plan, which is updated every five years.
Rehabilitation and revitalization of parks was not a specified activity in the current 2020 plan; however, the City does have time for an amendment to the plan. This will give additional points to the application.
The resolution adds park rehabilitation and revitalization as an activity with a $500,000 estimated cost. The $500,000 estimated cost is being used as it is the maximum amount that can be requested from LWCF. The City will have to match the amount awarded by LWCF.
During the public comments, Altheia Paige asked if it will take up to five years to revitalize.
She was advised no, the comprehensive plan is updated every five years and was done in 2020. Revitalization was not listed as an activity so city officials are just now adding it to the plan. The city manager recommended leaving it in the plan.
Mrs. Paige also said she was under the impression that “when everyone met down at the County, that money was put in for Jim Battle at that time.”
Mayor Duke advised that was Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) dollars, which is a separate pool of money that will be addressed at that time.
There were no further comments, and the public hearing was declared closed.
Resolution #23-05
This resolution, amending the community work program for the City of Adel in the 2020 Joint Cook County and the Cities of Adel, Cecil, Lenox, and Sparks Comprehensive Plan, was presented to the Council. Councilman Paige made a motion to approve the resolution. Councilman Cowart seconded. The decision was unanimous.
GMA District 11 officers
The Council was presented with the ballot for the election of the Georgia Municipal Association’s District 11 officers for the 2023-2024 year.
Those listed are the names of city officials who have been nominated by current district officers, who serve as the nominating committee. The following is a list of the nominations: President – Tommy Roberts, Council Member, City of Fitzgerald; First Vice President – Carla Gibson-Wright, Council Member, Alapaha; Second Vice President – Sandra Tooley, Council Member, Valdosta; and Third Vice President – Keith Brooks, Mayor, Blackshear.
Councilman Greene made a motion to approve the proposed nominees. Councilman Paige seconded with all in favor. Councilman Greene also made a motion to nominate Mayor Duke as the authorized signer on the ballot on behalf of the City of Adel. Councilman Paige seconded. There were no opposing votes.
Staff comments
Mark Barber – Extended his appreciation to the City of Adel Public Works employees who have been doing a lot of work lately making improvements to the downtown area. He would like to bring them to the next meeting to be recognized for their work.
Public comments
Altheia Paige – Mrs. Paige said she came a few months ago in reference to the paving in the areas of Ninth Street and Maple Street.
A portion of the road has been cut out and patched. There are still holes in the paving. She noticed that since the City Council passed the improvements for the Alabama Road project and since it’s such a large amount, and the paving is so much different on the west side from what it is on the east side, she rode around and pinpointed where areas were. She said she noticed that the asphalt on the east side is a 12.5 and the asphalt on the west side is a 25, “which is a lot lesser.” Therefore, she said, “they all have holes and gaps in the road.”
She added that she knew “Mayor Duke said we’re going to wait for the paving, but since we’re coming up with money for everything else, if y’all ride the streets, you will see how bad of shape they are in.”
She then asked how many paid consultants work for the City.
The city manager said he could get that. He needed to talk with her to be sure he’s giving her the correct information she’s wanting.
Closed session
Councilman Paige made a motion to enter into executive session, closed to the public, for the purposes of discussing real estate. Councilman Greene seconded. There was no opposition.
Following the executive session, there was no further business, and the meeting was adjourned.
