Commission Agenda-Setting Session Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Commissioner Carter absent

Consent Agenda: Commissioner Jordan asked that items 1, 2, and 6 be removed from the consent agenda.

Consent Agenda Item #1: Pavement Maintenance Project
Commissioner Jordan: Suggested a field tour of proposed projects and a discussion of how priorities are established. He also thought there should be a ceiling on the duration of a project. Some pavement projects in his district have been dragging out for 6 months or more creating dangerous and annoying conditions for residents. There should be a limit of 2 to 3 months in residential neighborhoods. He would like an answer before the next commission meeting.

Commissioner McCarter: Questioned the priority ranking of a street that was very badly in need of repair but was low on the list. He was told that the first 17 on the list are state mandated.

Consent Agenda Item #2: Barnett Shoals Road Widening and Drainage Improvement Project.
Commissioner Jordan: Removed this item from the consent agenda so that he could vote against the project at the upcoming voting session.

Commissioner McCarter: Questioned what the money for this project was being spent on.

Consent Agenda Item #6: Transportation Improvement Program
Commissioner Jordan: Objections to the Jennings Mill Parkway portion in addition to other questions. He would like his questions addressed before the next meeting.

Old Business:

Item 15, Adjustments to Leisure Services program fees and charges, was put on hold for more input.

Item 16, Establishment of the merit system, is awaiting the second reading and final adoption at the June 4th meeting. Commissioner Sheats: Not in agreement with the part relating to employee health benefits. More information is needed on the HMO program.

New Business:

Item 17: Selection criteria for the evaluation of additional wastewater treatment capacity for the North Oconee and Cedar Creek Service Areas.
These two wastewater treatment plants are close to capacity. The Middle Oconee plant also will soon reach capacity.

Commissioner Jordan: The evaluation process does not address water quality concerns with the receiving streams such as Cedar Creek. The quality of the discharged waters only meets minimum standards which may not be enough in the future. The new EPA rules allow the buying of "pollution rights" from other polluters on a TDML stream and this might be an option to use to increase discharges from treatment plants. However, the county watershed assessment will take another 2 to 3 years to complete and, even though the money is not budgeted, the assessment should go forward ASAP so that the county government knows where they stand on water quality and can make decisions on allowable discharging of pollutants.

Commissioner Jordan: What the capacity is of the 3 plants, how close are they to capacity, and how do development projections affect that capacity? Reply: Should be OK for a few more years by implementing BMPs.

Commissioner Jordan: The water coming out of the treatment plant should be nearly as clean as what goes in (quality of the treatment facilities need improvement).

Mayor Eldridge told Commissioner Jordan that if he has a problem with the wording of the proposal then he should make written suggestions before the next meeting. He will also get answers on plant capacity.

Commissioner Chasteen: Why is the Middle Oconee plant not included in the evaluation process if this plant is also reaching capacity? The answer was that when this long process started the Middle Oconee plant was not near capacity but rapid development has since occurred in the area. Capacities of Treatment Plants: North: 10 million gallons Middle: 6 to 8 million gallons Cedar Creek: 2 million gallons

Item 18: Use of proceeds from the sale of the Wray-Nicholson property
Three Projects are Proposed for Funding: 1. Creative Theater - $300,000 + 2. ADA bathroom facilities at the Welcome Center - $88,000 3. Classic City Authority for use to repair historic Foundry St. warehouses - ~$1.5 million?

There was some discussion about whether the city should transfer the money as a grant or as a loan to the Classic City Authority.

Commissioner Barrow: Loaning the money will preserve the "corpus" of the fund and it will eventually come back to the city (recommendation of the Sheats Commission).

Major Eldridge: The money should be granted to the Authority because there is a need to save these historic warehouses. Renovation of the ACC Courthouse should wait until there is enough money available to do it right.

Commissioner Sheats: Any money that is recaptured should be used for the future eastside park.

Item #19: SPLOST project #15 - Athens Welcome Center water infiltration problems.
Apparently, the Welcome Center/Church Waddel Brumby House is having problems with water infiltration with no clear answers on where it originates. There is a difference of opinion between what the Welcome Center thinks is the problem (cheaper solution) versus what the ACC staff plans on doing (replace all possible sources - expensive solution). Mayor Eldridge was concerned that the Welcome Center is suggesting the less expensive solution because they are not certain where the money is coming from to build the new bathrooms and that the repair decision is in some way tied to Item#18 - using the proceeds from the Wray-Nicholson House sale to build the bathrooms. The Welcome Center people replied that they believe that minimal steps should be taken first to correct what they think is the problem before spending more money to replace parts of the house. They are concerned about preserving historic aspects of the house. In particular, they thought that the old windows only need to be caulked to solve the problem while staff has budgeted money to replace the old windows if needed. The Welcome Center people do not think it is needed and do not want the old windows replaced. Commissioner Kilpatrick agreed with trying to preserve the historic features of the house. Major Eldridge decided that more discussion is needed and that if there are not sufficient answers before the June 4th meeting it will be taken off the agenda.

Item #20: Baxter Streetscape
Not all bids are in.

Item #21 Oconee River Greenway Heritage Trail - Bridge Construction
Waiting on bids. Commissioner Jordan asked if old piers at Sandy Creek could be used for bridge - answer "no".

Elizabeth Little