Friday, February 22, 2002
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Friday, February 22, 2002 |
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Union City police fleet to be enhanced
By JANET
McGREGOR
The Union City Council moved through a heavy agenda at a fairly fast pace Monday night, with all but one issue earning the unanimous vote of the entire council. The group authorized the city administrator to secure a lease/purchase three-year loan for the financing of 16 new police cars at an estimated cost of $348,000. Thirteen units purchased three years ago will be replaced and three new cars will be added to the fleet to accommodate staff increases, said Chief B. L. Fronebarger. Lester Road, which runs through Christian City, will be resurfaced in the near future using funds from the city's Local Assistance Road Program contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation. LARP is money from gasoline taxes that the state distributes to maintain roads in the counties. After voting to approve the resurfacing, Mayor Ralph Moore called for citizens to write letters to Gov. Roy Barnes requesting that money from the previous year's budget be reinstated to allow for other much-needed road repair. Over the last several years, Barnes has substantially reduced the amount of money allocated to the LARP program, Moore said. A request from the Parks and Recreation Department for an additional mini-van to transport seniors to events drew some intense discussion. According to Sonia Wimbish, parks, recreation and cultural arts director, the vans they currently have are often overloaded. She noted that a new van would have a lift so that seniors with physical limitations would be able to enter safely - they are currently using a footstool that is "somewhat dangerous," she said. The Recreation Department has three vans that hold up to 15 passengers each. They were used primarily to transport children until participation in the senior program increased substantially. Councilwoman Joan Steward brought up the need for drivers to have commercial licenses, and the cost of insurance. Ultimately, after some discussion, Shirley Jackson and Steward voted to purchase the mini-van for $44,889; Barbara Bohanan and Helen Turner voted against the proposal. Moore broke the tie to approve the purchase. Council moved to unanimously approve spending an estimated $800,000 to move the fire station currently situated behind City Hall to Highpoint Road. Citing increased growth in the area, including a new school in Fulton County that will have up to 1,000 students, Kenneth Collins, chief of the Fire Bureau, made a strong case for the move. He noted that local developer Fred Schwaemmle had donated land for the new station. In other business, a number of rezoning requests were approved. Chuks Odikpo's request to change the zoning category of 5064 Harris St. to O-I (office-institutional) to build a mortuary was approved with stipulations that it be a minimum of 300 feet from residences and that there be sufficient parking. Some members of the audience came to the meeting hoping the request would be denied, but no one spoke in opposition. The new mortuary will be near the Green Manor restaurant. Five properties on the Shannon Parkway or Flat Shoals Road near Shannon Mall were on the table for the third rezoning. The land owners were requesting that the land be zoned neighborhood commercial, their original designation. Previously the land had been changed from NC to C1 (light commercial), then been changed to O-I. All were approved. Stating, "If we don't get the money from sales taxes it will have to come from property taxes," Moore voted with the council to approve the extension of the 1 percent educational purpose sales tax for the Board of Education. The council approved the Comprehensive Mitigation Air Quality contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation. The city applied for funding from the federal program a year ago and was awarded money for three projects to build sidewalks, bike paths and other similar items. The current project will use $250,000 allocated from CMAQ to put in sidewalks in the Shannon Mall area. The city was able to acquire the 50 needed easements from businesses and property owners at no cost. In other action: Council voted to require that applicants notify neighboring land owners via certified mail of rezoning requests if they are within a 250-foot radius. A stop sign was approved for the intersection of Main and Church streets. The 15-day due date for requests for final plat approval was extended to 45 days and cemetery regulations were amended to require that cemeteries be a minimum of ten acres. Council also approved the Short Term Work Program for 2002 - 2007.
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