City Of Douglasville Meeting April 3

Special Meeting

March 29, 2007
7:30 p.m.

AGENDA

1. Call to Order

2. Invocation

3. Pledge of Allegiance

4. Transportation Committee/Michael Carter
a. 27-07-04 - Authorize the Mayor to sign an amendment to the City of Douglasville's design services agreement with the firm of Carter & Burgess, Inc., in the amount of $295,046 to be funded from the Roads component of the City's SPLOST program and to provide plans for improvements to be made at the following intersections: Chapel Hill Road and Grace Lake Drive, Chapel Hill Road and Golf Ridge Boulevard, Chapel Hill Road and Rosemont Drive, Chapel Hill Road and Chapel Crossing, and Stewart Mill Road and Millstone Trail.

5. Other Business

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CITY OF DOUGLASVILLE
CITY COUNCIL

Legislative Work Session

March 29, 2007
7:30 p.m.

AGENDA

1. Call to Order

2. Invocation

3. Pledge of Allegiance

4. Public Safety Committee/Dennis McLain

5. Community & Economic Development Committee/John Schildroth
a. Appoint individuals to serve as members of the City's Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board.

b. Adopt a resolution to designate May 12 - 20 as National Tourism Week for 2007 in the City of Douglasville.

6. Planning & Zoning Committee/Michael Carter
Tabled from March 5, 2007:
a. Request for a change in zoning from R-2 (Single Family Detached Residential District) to CN (Neighborhood Commercial District) for approximately 1.85 acres at 7051 West Strickland Street. Application by Jimmy McLeod.

New Business:
b. Request approval of a final plat for The Villages at Brookmont Pod B, Unit 3, at Blackwolf Run. Application by Brad Marks.

c. Request approval of a final plat for The Villages at Brookmont Pod E, Unit 2, at Manning Drive. Application by Brad Marks.

d. Request approval of a final plat for Slater Mill Phase III at Slater Mill Road. Application by Arcanum Investment Properties, LLC.

7. Parks & Recreation Committee/Roy Mims
a. Authorize the Mayor to sign an agreement with the Georgia Amateur Baseball Umpires Association for umpire services during the Spring 2007 City-sponsored youth baseball season.

8. Finance Committee/Henry Mitchell III
a. Adopt an ordinance to amend the Fiscal Year 2006 - 2007 City budgets for the General Fund and the Convention and Visitors Bureau Fund.

b. Adopt an ordinance to amend the Fiscal Year 2006 - 2007 City General Fund's Capital Fund budget.

c. Adopt a resolution to schedule a public hearing by the City of Douglasville on the new proposed SPLOST program, on which the Douglas County Board of Commissioners has called a referendum for September 18, 2007.

9. Information Technology Committee/Henry Mitchell III

10. Maintenance & Sanitation Committee/Charles Banks

11. Transportation Committee/Michael Carter
a. Authorize the Mayor to sign the necessary documents to purchase certain properties for the right of way on the Georgia 5 - Rose Avenue Intersection Improvement Project.

12. Personnel & Organization Committee/Roy Mims
a. Authorize the Mayor to sign and submit a City employee health promotion grant application to the Georgia Municipal Employees Benefit System.

13. Ordinances & Intergovernmental Committee/Callye B. Holmes

14. Other Business

15. City Attorney/Joel Dodson

16. Chief Assistant City Attorney/Suzan Littlefield

17. City Manager/Bill Osborne

18. Comments from Citizens and Delegates

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Airplane At Hunter Park Gets Facelift

Of course, there is no credit to Andrew of Losing Georgia--he alerted the city to the airplane's decline in appearance.  I have yet to post a blog about the trip I took to Hunter Park a couple of weeks ago and took pictures of what needed to be fixed--maybe I can get it posted tomorrow.  But one thing that needs to be fixed is a higher fence around the airplane.  I noticed teenagers have written obscenities on the side of the airplane. 

 

This is in tomorrow's Sentinel:

 

Hunter Park memorial plane in for facelift By Whitney House/Photo by Stephen Barrett The fighter jet memorial to Lt. Jerry Hunter in Hunter Park would be refurbished if the city council approves it Monday night.

Hunter Park's airplane memorial may look different in the coming weeks, as the City Council votes Monday on alloting $50,000 to a refurbishing project. The refurbishing would include painting of the aircraft, work on the wrought iron fencing and railing surrounding the plane and extensive work on the actual base of the aircraft. The refurbishing is included in a capital fund budget amendment of $50,000 to be considered in today's legislative work session of the Douglasville City Council. Before the park was named Hunter Park, it was Douglasville City Park, and Ivey contends that the park is important for the county. Perhaps the most prevalent of images associated with Hunter Park on Gurley Road is the F-105D `Thunderchief` aircraft, nestled just after the park's entrance.

Hunter Park is named for 1st Lt. Robert Gerald `Jerry` Hunter, a U. S. Air Force pilot and Douglas County's first casualty in Vietnam War in 1966. The Thunderchief is the same model of craft flown by Hunter on his 34 missions during the Vietnam War. Hunter was shot down on his 34th mission over the country of Laos, on a bombing mission. The airplane memorial was constructed in Hunter Park to commemorate not just Hunter, but all the men and women killed in foreign wars. It was dedicated in a ceremony on Memorial Day, May 25, 1998, 32 years to the day that Hunter was killed over Laos.

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Douglasville Business News

Hancock Fabrics (across from K-Mart) is closing.  They've been there a long time.

 

Speaking of K-Mart, I had to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription (sinus infection) and a woman sitting next to me told me she had to take a relative to Wellstar Douglas Hospital last night at 5:30pm.  They did not get into an ER room until 10pm and did not get to leave the hospital until midnight because all of the beds were full.  Apparently there is a bad stomach flu going around (vomiting, diarrhea) and there wasn't an empty bed all night.  And didn't they just finish renovating the ER to add MORE beds???  Apparently they need to add more.

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NAACP Observing Mall Policy

On 11Alive's website:

 

Reported By: Catherine Kim

Web Editor: Michael King

Last Modified: 3/25/2007 9:39:23 AM

The NAACP met with community members in Douglasville on Saturday afternoon about a new weekend teen curfew policy at Arbor Place Mall.

The forum's focus was to explain and discuss the shopping mall's new teen escort policy that is in effect on Friday and Saturday nights. The policy says that teens under 18 will have to have their parents with them at the mall on Friday and Saturday evenings after 6 p.m.

The policy was brought about to curb what some shoppers and community members called inappropriate and unsupervised behavior.

Many teens said that the policy punishes the majority of teen shoppers who are responsible and act appropriately.

The NAACP said the teens should at least be aware of their rights and the rules, and make sure there is no discrimination.

"We went out the mall last night ourselves," said president of the West Metro chapter of the NAACP, Kimberley Alexander. "We will be observing the mall occasionally. We will be going back out there tonight to observe. So we want to make sure that this policy is applied across the board."

A mall spokesperson said there were only a handful of unsupervised teens who had to be picked up by their parents on Friday night. They also said that mall traffic was up. The merchants they spoke with said their sales were up as well.

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Gang Shooting In Downtown Douglasville

This is in tomorrow's Sentinel.

 

Police vow war on gangs By Winston Jones/Photo by Nathan Todd  At a news conference yesterday, Douglasville Police Chief Joe Whisenant said police will not tolerate gang activity in the city.

Douglasville Police Chief Joe Whisenant has pledged an all-out war on local gang activity following what he described as the first gang-related shooting in the city. Four alleged gang members were arrested shortly after a 2 a.m. Saturday morning shooting on West Strickland Street in downtown Douglasville. Arrested were Andre Walters, 17, the alleged shooter; Godwin Esenyie, 18; Jeremy Bateman, 17; and D'Andre Bexley, 17. All four are Douglasville or Douglas County residents, Whisenant said. All four suspects are charged with aggravated assault under the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, according to Sgt. Ken Winklepleck of the city's gang task force. Esenyie and Batemen also face charges of organizing and recruiting others to participate in gang activity, he said.

The Georgia gang law defines a gang as consisting of three or more people, sharing a common symbol, sign or style of dress, participating in illegal activity, according to Detective Curtis Clifton of the city's gang task force. These gang crimes are classified as felonies, Clifton said. He said the suspects arrested Saturday claimed to be members of rap music groups rather than gangs. All four suspects remained in the Douglas County Jail Monday after being denied bond Monday morning by Judge Susan Camp in Douglas County Magistrate Court. Whisenant said investigation of the shooting is continuing and he expects more arrests to be made in the next few days.

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Clinton Farms Nature Preserve

I visited Clinton Farms for the first time today and found it to be, in my opinion, the best park in Douglas County. Their playground is neat and clean--they have regular playground equipment such as slides and swings but they also have several weatherproof musical instruments the kids can play with. The playground also has swings for handicapped children. When I go to Hunter Park, I usually only see a couple of kids at the playground. Today at Clinton Farms I saw around 15-20 kids. Also there is a gravel walking trail around the playground. If you follow a trail just past the log cabin, you will come to a small lake. Unfortunately this area is not as clean as the playground. The water is a murky black and there are numerous leaves and undergrowth on the bottom of the lake. Also the dock did not feel very steady to me.

There are quite a lot of trails--I was very surprised at how large the trail area is. It would be ideal as bike trails.

Most important of all, there is a very safe feeling surrounding the park. There is not a police officer on duty to patrol the park, which would probably be a good idea, but for now it's all right. Things the park is lacking--clean restrooms (there were restrooms, but they were in a very shabby-looking building and I did not even venture into it) and drink/snack machines (if you come here, bring a bottle of water or a cooler of ice as there is nowhere to buy anything to eat or drink). There is a very small amphitheater, but I'm not sure how much it is used as the doors to it were wide open, it was extremely dark inside, and looked to be cluttered with chairs.

This would be an excellent location for craft fairs, bluegrass festivals--if only the county would see that this park could be used for a lot of events that could draw citizens to the park. The park could even hold cook-offs here--I'd love to see something like a barbecue cook-off or an ice cream cook-off in the summer. All in all, I'd say it's probably a place that few people in Douglas County use to their advantage because it is not located near Douglasville, but that's what makes the park great. It's quiet, unlike Hunter Park, and it's in an extremely rural area.

To get to Clinton Farms Nature Preserve, go down Hwy 5 until you see Prays Mill Baptist Church, turn onto Pool Road (the road on the right side of the church) follow it all the way down to Ephesus Church Road, then turn right. It's about 1/4 of a mile down Ephesus Church.

Grenade Found In Bathroom

SWAT team officers who served a search warrant at 3679 Pine Street early Wednesday morning in Douglasville ended up discovering a homemade grenade in a bathroom, authorities said.

A bomb squad from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in and the grenade was safely detonated.  Four people are facing narcotics charges as a result of the search warrant.

Homeowner Randall Murray Parker, 35, is being charged with manufacturing an explosive device and possession of controlled substances.

James Ouellette, 45, Wayne Selph, 45, and Yessica Chavarria, 42, are being charged with loitering for drugs.

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Fatal Stabbing In Jacksonville, FL: Suspect Is From Douglasville

JPD: Fatal stabbing gang related

ROSELEE PAPANDREA / DAILY NEWS STAFF

March 9, 2007 - 12:31PM

Murder suspects: Devin Wood, Anthony Jones and Larry West

EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to a technical error, an incorrect story was posted under this headline. Below is the correct story.

The stabbing death of a 15-year-old boy that took place at the Jacksonville Mall on Saturday was gang related, police announced Thursday.

"There is evidence that several people involved had some kind of gang affiliation," said Jacksonville police Chief Michael Yaniero at a press conference.

Jacksonville police arrested three men Wednesday night in connection to the death of Christian Cardenas who was stabbed multiple times in the mall parking lot.

Marine Lance Cpl. Larry Jaimall West, 22, was charged with first-degree murder. Lance Cpl. Devin Malcolm Wood, 21, and Anthony Eugene Jones, 18, of Country Club Road, were charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Both West and Wood were attached to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Lima Company.

The men had a first appearance in court Thursday morning and are still being held in Onslow County Jail.
Yaniero wouldn't say whether Cardenas, a freshman at the Onslow County Learning Center, was involved in a gang. He also wouldn't provide any details about the information police gathered that led them to believe the incident was gang related.

"We are still investigating," Yaniero said. "We are still interviewing witnesses. There is evidence that several parties are in gangs. But I don't think we are prepared to talk about this at this time. It's part of an investigation as to who is basically affiliated with a gang."

As a result of the investigation, police determined the suspects and Cardenas, who was with a group of high school students and adults, got into some kind of verbal argument Saturday night. Police don't know if the two groups were at the mall to go shopping or if they were attending a carnival set up in the front of the mall parking lot.

"The verbal argument escalated to an altercation, and during the altercation Christian was stabbed," Yaniero said. " … There was no indication that each of the groups knew each other."

West, who is from Douglasville, Ga., had an account on myspace.com where he refers to himself as the "Blade of God's gift," and "switchblade0311" is part of his myspace URL.

West describes himself as "a little bit shy but that doesn't bother me much once you get to know me" on the site.

Police received a Crime Stoppers' tip Tuesday pointing them to evidence that proved to be significant.

"That evidence did help us locate them," Yaniero said. "The Crime Stoppers program did help us tremendously in this case. … We are very thankful to the community because they helped us solve this. In addition, the detectives worked diligently on this."

Among the evidence recovered was the knife used in the stabbing and bloody clothing, Yaniero said.

Jones, who lived in Jacksonville but is originally from Philadelphia, is accused of "disposing of the bloody clothing." Wood, who is also from Philadelphia, is accused of "cleaning the murder weapon," according to warrants.

West and Wood both joined the Marine Corps June 28, 2004. They were both infantry Marines who served two tours in Iraq — one in 2005 and the other last year. During their almost three years of service, both men earned numerous medals and commendations. Wood received a Purple Heart, said Capt. Clark Carpenter, spokesman for the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The Onslow County Sheriff's Department and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service assisted the Police Department. While Wood and West were both stationed at Camp Lejeune, agents with NCIS were not investigating any gang activity on the base, said Tom Smith, a supervisory special agent with the special operations section of the NCIS.

"We are not investigating any known gang activity on Camp Lejeune," Smith said. "As far as I know, there are no structured gangs on Camp Lejeune."

Gangs of some type exist in every community, Yaniero said, pointing out that Jacksonville police are working to make sure they don't get a "foothold" in the area.

"When they become organized, they become dangerous," Yaniero said. "It's our job to keep them from getting organized. … When they organize around criminal activity, that's when you really start having problems and that's what we are trying to avoid."

The police added a part-time gang officer last year and initiated the Gang Resistance Education and Training program in Jacksonville middle schools. The department is also planning to get on Gang Net, a statewide information system that enables law enforcement officers to track known gang members, Yaniero said.

 

(Editor's Note: I wonder if Georgia has something like Gang Net--if they don't, they SHOULD!)

Contact staff writer Roselee apandrea at rpapandrea@ freedomenc.com  or at 353-1171, ext. 238.

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Heard On Police Scanner This Afternoon

1:16pm Several vandalized mailboxes on a long stretch of road reported.

 

1:23pm Two police cars attempt to stop a suspicious vehicle on I-20 and are successful.  Person 10-55 possibly.  A third police car joins the other two on the interstate.  Scanner mysteriously taken offline at

 

1:26pm.  I stop and restart feed and it's back up. 

 

1:34pm Road hazard reported in front of a gas station.  Furniture in the road.

 

1:41pm Quite a bit of money allegedly taken from a person's vehicle.  May be related to the 1:34pm event.

 

2:05pm Larceny reported.

 

2:13pm Suspect arrested from an earlier event.

 

2:20pm Officer says a tractor-trailer is hung up on the road on Hwy 166.  Road will be shut down temporarily.

 

2:22pm Officer says road is reopened.

 

2:25pm Unknown suspect possibly in Austell area.

 

2:28pm Road rage reported--vehicle headed toward Hunter Park.

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Restaurant News

It's old news to those who have traveled on Douglas Blvd in the last week or so.  Sonny's Barbecue has closed.  I'm not surprised--my parents went there one time, declared it pretty awful, not even barbecue, and never went back.  I'm surprised they've lasted this long.  I've never seen the parking lot full.  I wonder what will replace it.  A Piccadilly would be nice.  I know a lot of the senior citizens have to travel to either Shannon Mall (now in a pretty bad neighborhood) or Mableton to find a Piccadilly.  Their buffet is cheaper than Golden Corral and tastes much better than Golden Corral.  Plus they don't allow you to just get whatever you want--you get a main dish and two veggies and either a roll, corn stick, or corn muffin.  And they offer healthy dessert alternatives such as fruit and jello.  But you never know, one of the conditions Golden Corral may have listed was that another buffet restaurant couldn't open across the street.  I emailed Piccadilly several months ago and a spokesman said they were actively looking for a location.  I may email them again.

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Shooting Last Night, Additional News About Gang Fight At Mall

Found this on a message board.  It's dated 10 hours ago, so it must have happened last night...

 

"Has anyone seen exactly what happened on any news reports about the shootings in chapel Hill area last night? I want to know why anyone would be shooting in this area. I do know that there was some sort of house party and there were a lot of teenagers everywhere. I know there was some sort of fight and shots fired on two separate accounts and at least one person was injured. And it took a while for police to get on the scene. "

Also on this same forum is a thread about the gang fight at the mall.  It's a very enlightening thread.  And apparently the fight was in January.  http://www.topix.net/forum/city/douglasville-ga/TK3F8R8G96H4FHEA0

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BOC Meeting Agenda

Another subdivision up for preliminary approval...and this one is on the Chattahoochee River.  The meeting is 10 A.M. on March 20 and will also be televised live on dctv 23.

 

WORK SESSION AGENDA MARCH 19, 2007 10:00 A.M. – BOARD ROOM

CITIZENS' INPUT

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. Regular Commission Meeting of March 6, 2007.

RESOLUTIONS
2. Opposing SB 197 regarding location of landfills.

Editor's Note:  I'm not sure why they're opposing this.  Perhaps so they can build another landfill?  SB 197 would add a code to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated that would say the following:

 

To encourage cooperation among the various counties, no new permit for a landfill or modification of an existing permit for the expansion of a landfill shall be issued if any part of the site for such landfill is within two miles of the boundaries of any adjoining county in this state without the applicant´s first receiving the express approval of the governing authority of that adjoining county."

3. Creating the Douglas County Youth Advisory Council.
4. Amending the Pension Plan to include the County Administrator on the Pension Board of Trustees.

 

PUBLIC HEARING
5. Metropolitan River Protection Act Certificate – David Lynah, developer of Chattahoochee Walk Subdivision.

PLAT APPROVALS – PRELIMINARY PLAT APPROVAL (Cynde)
6. Chattahoochee Walk – Private Estate Subdivision
7. Douglasville Depot (this looks to be like another shopping center.  I found it online in a document from 2005 that says it is a "future project" and that the estimated cost will be $25 million.  No word on where it would be located, though.)

PLAT APPROVALS – FINAL PLAT ACCEPTANCE
8. The Canyons, Unit One
9. The Villages at Brookmont POD "D", Unit 1- Revised
10. Holly Springs, Unit 5G – Revised
11. Riverwalk, Unit Six
12. Mandevilla Acres

 

13. Authorization to transfer $58,893 from General Appropriations to Boundary Waters Park to cover salary and benefits for park security. (Jennifer)

14. Authorization to amend the budget by increasing Donations by $3,000 and Fire & EMS by $2,000 (for additional protective fire boots/gear) and Sheriff Enforcement by $1,000 (for cameras for School Resource Officers). Also, increase Federal Grants and Emergency Management by $21,314.

15. Authorization to transfer $18,300 from Appraisal to Tax Assessors for website improvements and a personal property audit program.

16. Authorization to eliminate the vacant EMS position in the Finance Department and proceed in looking for an outside company to bill and collect EMS.

17. Authorization to amend the Fire SPLOST budget by increasing SPLOST Proceeds & Interest by $688,605 and Fire SPLOST projects by $688,605.

18. Approval of Change Orders #2-7 and 9-13 with Hogan Construction and transfer funds from completed SPLOST projects.

19. Approval of Change Order #8 with Hogan Construction for installation of lights at DeerLick Park.

20. Approve the submittal of a User Fees Grant from the Children and Youth Coordinating Council. If the grant is awarded, approve the signing of the grant documents and amend the budget as required. (Jenny)

21. Authorization to enter into an agreement with Cartegraph Systems, Inc. for work order management software for the Transportation Department and authorize Chairman to sign agreement. (Randy)

22. Authorization for Chairman to sign Notice of Intent 3452A of the Georgia Department of Transportation regarding proposed State Highway Systems Revisions for State Routes 70 and 154 (South Fulton Parkway).

23. Authorization to advertise for a public hearing to consider adding a new Chapter 12.5 to the Douglas County Code of Ordinances regarding Parks and Recreation. (Gary)

24. Authorize the selection of Lose & Associates for the architectural design services for park projects for Douglas County. (Diane)

25. Approval of agreement with G. Lynn Ivie and Erlinda Ivie to resolve right of way issues and purchase of property associated with County road, and authorization for Chairman to sign related documents subject to legal review.

 

26. Authorization for Chairman to execute Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service and the Douglas County Board of Commissioners.

27. Douglas County has been awarded a Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) grant for the Highway 92 Corridor of Douglas County. Approval of the Sub-grant Agreement and authorize the Chairman to sign related documents, authorize advertisement for a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the LCI study, and amend the budget.

28. Objection to proposed annexation by the City of Douglasville. Property is located at Tax Parcel(s) 76-1-5-36 Brookmont Parkway.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS
• Douglas County Night at Turner Field with the Atlanta Braves playing the Washington Nationals will be Thursday, April 12th at 7:30 p.m. Call the Parks & Recreation Department at 770-920-7129 to reserve your tickets.

COMMISSIONERS' COMMENTS

EXECUTIVE SESSION - Personnel, Litigation, Land Acquisition

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Former Douglasville Substitute Teacher Charged With Sexual Battery

I found this on the Macon.com (Macon Telegraph) newspaper website:

 

Former Douglasville substitute teacher charged with sexual battery

MABLETON, GA. (AP) - A former substitute teacher has been arrested on sexual battery charges.

The charges against Michael Pegram, 31, of Douglasville, involve accusations that he inappropriately touched elementary school students.

Pegram was hired as a substitute teacher at Riverside Elementary School in November and also worked at Skyview, Bryant and Austell elementary schools, Cobb County school district spokesman Jay Dillon said.

Dillon said the case involves "inappropriate touching" of five elementary school children, which is alleged to have happened during Riverside Elementary's after school program.

Pegram, who had no criminal background when he was hired, was fired Feb. 26 after children reported the alleged abuse to teachers and a parent, Dillon said.

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376.64 Acres of Farmland For Sale

Yes, you heard me right.  There is 376.64 acres of farmland for sale in Douglas County.  The listings can be found in this week's Market Bulletin.  But if you don't subscribe to the Market Bulletin, here are the listings:

 

200 Acres located on Hwy 166 in Douglasville, 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta and Hartsfield Airport (Editor's Note: 15 minutes to both Atlanta and the airport??  I don't think so!), has over $300,000 timber value (Editor's note: I think the BOC Chairman, Tom Worthan, said clear-cutting for subdivisions is no longer allowed), great condition, $22,500/acre.

 

28 acres, Fairplay community, paved road, County water, mostly pasture, bold creek, sire rolling terrain, $13,500 per acre, additional acreage available.  (Editor's Note: This is being sold by J. Dowda.)

 

5.64 acres, 2 houses, 2 lakes, store, fishing business since 1952, positive cash flow, fenced property.  $520,000.

 

63 acres at corner of Tyree & Kraft Roads near St. Andrews Golf Course, zoned R1, can have one house per acre, $19,000/per acre.

 

80+/- acres, house, barn, stream joins Sweetwater Creek State Park, 1 1/2 miles from I-20, 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta, 25 minutes from airport, $65,000/acre.

 

Obviously most of these except for the fishing business will become subdivisions.  So that's four more subdivisions that we don't need.

 

And stay tuned to my blog tomorrow because I will be posting a blog about what needs to be done in Hunter Park.

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Chemical Weapons Destroyed In Anniston

The process of destroying tons of obsolete chemical weapons at Anniston Army Depot continues, with officials reporting a milestone accomplishment last week with the destruction of the last m-55 rocket. Depot Spokesman Mike Abrams has said the v.x. rockets and the m-55 rockets armed with sarin posed the greatest risk during the overall incineration process. Since the start of the incineration process more than three years ago almost 36,000 v.x. rockets have been destroyed along with almost 43,000 m-55 rockets. Army officials plan to spend the next three months with decontamination efforts before beginning the next phase that will lead to the incineration of 155 millimeter artillery shells armed by v.x. nerve agent.

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Two Pounds Of Marijuana Recovered In Carrollton

Authorities have recovered about two pounds of suspected marijuana, four firearms and about $600 in cash in connection with a Friday night armed robbery incident at Cross Creek Apartments in Carrollton. Police say two suspects were arrested following a car chase that ended on Old Newnan Road where street spikes were used to stop the Chevy Caprice. A third suspect was arrested on foot. Charges of armed robbery, burglary, obstruction, felony possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony have been filed against 23 year old Lalimir Jones of Carrollton, 24 year old Jonathon Rutledge of Villa Rica and his 25 year old brother Travis Rutledge of Birmingham. Travis Rutledge faces additional charges of battery and false imprisonment in connection with the incident.

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City Council Agenda March 15

CITY OF DOUGLASVILLE CITY COUNCIL  Legislative Work Session

March 15, 2007 7:30 p.m.

AGENDA

1. Call to Order

2. Invocation

3. Pledge of Allegiance

4. Public Safety Committee/Dennis McLain
a. Adopt a resolution authorizing the March of Dimes to use certain City streets for its 2007 WalkAmerica Day on Saturday, April 21, starting at 10:00 a.m.

b. Adopt a resolution to close Whitwort Street in Tributary on Saturday, May 5, 2007, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a Founders Day Celebration.

c. Appoint an interim Solicitor for the City Municipal Court, with such appointment to continue until 30 calendar days after a new Assistant City Attorney (and Solicitor) is employed and begins work, and authorize the Mayor to sign an engagement agreement to compensate the interim Solicitor.

5. Community & Economic Development Committee/John Schildroth
a. Appoint an individual to the Post 5 position on the City's Convention and Conference Center Authority for a term extending to June 1, 2012.

6. Planning & Zoning Committee/Michael Carter
a. Request for a change in zoning from CG (General Commercial District) to CG (General Commercial District) with a special land use permit for a church on approximately .76 acre at 6472 Church Street. Application by Unity West Church.

b. Request approval of a revised final plat for Tributary at New Manchester Parcel 4, Section 4, on Riverside Parkway. Application by Douglasville Development, LLC.

c. Adopt an ordinance to amend the City's Zoning Ordinance to prohibit commercial automotive uses in historic districts, to provide for privately owned charter schools and their accessory uses as a special land use in a Design Concept District (DCD) and in residential districts, and to require a central point for payment for indoor vendors of used goods and for flea markets. Application by the City of Douglasville.

d. Request for a change in zoning from R-LD (Low Density Single Family Residential) in unincorporated Douglas County to R-2 (Single Family Detached Residential District) in the City for approximately 6.04 acres at 3264 Brookmont Parkway. Application by Brighten Academy School.

e. Request for an amendment to the City's Future Land Use Plan from Urban Residential in unincorporated Douglas County to Low Density Single Family Detached in the City for approximately 6.04 acres at 3264 Brookmont Parkway. Application by Brighten Academy School.

f. Request to annex approximately 6.04 acres at 3264 Brookmont Parkway. Application by Brighten Academy School.

7. Parks & Recreation Committee/Roy Mims
a. Authorize the Mayor to sign an agreement with a planning consultant firm to prepare a concept plan for a proposed new City Park.

(Editor's Note: I think they should renovate Hunter Park before they start building a new City Park.  Hopefully at the end of the week I'll have time to go to Hunter Park and take pictures of what needs to be done)

8. Finance Committee/Henry Mitchell III
a. Adopt a resolution concerning the approval process and the expenditure requirements for Ward Project (Community Project) funds, and the deadline for expenditure of said funds.

9. Information Technology Committee/Henry Mitchell III
a. Authorize the Mayor to sign a Domain Name Registration Agreement with NeuStar, Inc., for registration of the City's .us locality domain names.

10. Maintenance & Sanitation Committee/Charles Banks
a. Authorize the Mayor to sign an amendment to the City's franchise agreement with Waste Industries for front end collection of commercial and industrial solid waste and industrial recycling to provide for an increase in the monthly fuel surcharge.

11. Transportation Committee/Michael Carter

12. Personnel & Organization Committee/Roy Mims
a. Amend Section 18-2 of the City's Personnel Policies and Procedures to limit solicitations of donations by City employees.

13. Ordinances & Intergovernmental Committee/Callye B. Holmes

14. Other Business

15. City Attorney/Joel Dodson

16. Chief Assistant City Attorney/Suzan Littlefield

17. City Manager/Bill Osborne

18. Comments from Citizens and Delegates

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Bond Denied On Fraud Charge

In today's Sentinel:

 

By Bobby Moore

Staff Writer

 

Paul Johnson was denied bond in Magistrate Court Monday for charges of four counts of financial transaction card fraud.

 

Johnson, who is not from Douglas County, was declared likely to flee and commit a felony by Judge Susan Camp.

 

In other news, Nichole Cooper's bond was set at $66,000 on charges of trafficking cocaine, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during a crime.

 

Alcus Walker was given a $15,000 bond for a charge of selling cocaine.

 

A bond of $10,000 was set for John Nash on charges of possession of a firearm by convicted felon and theft by receiving stolen property.  In addition, Nash received a preset bond for charges of defective equipment and three counts of violation of DPS motor carrier regulations.

 

Darron Dunn received a $9,000 bond on charges of first degree forgery, giving a false name and possession of less than one ounce of marijuana..

 

Robert Eck's bond was set at $9,000 on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and possession of drug-related objects.

 

A bond of $9,000 was set for Joseph Taylor on charges of possession of cocaine and possession of less than one ounce of marijuana.

 

Tiko Green received a bond of $8,000 for a charge of selling marijuana.

 

An $8,000 bond was given to Ashley Gill on charges of making a false statement and false report of a crime.

 

Alexander Campbell Jr. received a $5,000 bond for a charge of financial card fraud.

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Town Hall Meeting Next Week

I asked Wes Tallon if next week's Town Hall meeting would be televised live or taped.  Unfortunately, the answer was no because apparently they use substandard recording equipment:

 

"It is very difficult to videotape with quality and sound meetings of these sorts because they are free-flowing and fairly unstructured and held in large acoustically-challenged buildings.  We have tried before but it hasn't resulted in a videotape that can be broadcast, which is a higher quality than a regular videotape.  When we can present meetings live and/or on tape, we do.  There is a County-wide district meeting scheduled later this year in Citizen's Hall that we will broadcast live.  The purpose of having District Town Hall meetings out in the County is so citizens can talk to their Commissioners without having to come to the Courthouse, so we have to find appropriate spaces for the meetings in each district and unfortunately, most are not compatible with filming for broadcast with our limited equipment.  Thanks for your interest."
Wes Tallon, Director of Communications
Douglas County
(currently out of office; reply from Blackberry)

 

So if you want to know what's going on in your county, you have to go to this meeting.  Don't count on the Sentinel to report everything that is said.  Unfortunately I will not be able to attend.  Anyone out there want to attend and write an article that would be featured on this blog?  If you'd like to take pictures that would be great, too.

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Commercial Property For Sale In Douglas County

The historic Paray Mill is now for sale for $1.4 million.  It's described as an "entire 7 acre city block for development".  The developer is hoping to sell this to someone who will want to use it for retail or for lofts.  Andrew at http://www.losinggeorgia.com has a great idea for this property--you can read about it here: http://www.losinggeorgia.com/2007/02/26/praray-mill-alternative/  I would much rather see a museum there than lofts (kind of a bad neighborhood for lofts) or retail (let's face it--no retailer who wants to be near the mall will build their store on Hwy 78).  Douglas County needs a museum, not just one in the basement of the old courthouse that's open only two days a week, and this would be the perfect building for it.  Oddly, there is a duplicate listing for the mill on the LoopNet website and it lists the price as $1.6 million.

 

There's also a new strip mall on Fairburn Road called Puna Plaza.  Whomever built it is now selling it for $1.9 million.

 

And someone else is selling 15.79 acres on the corner of Post and Tyree Road.  Apparently it was under construction as a subdivision but only the roads were constructed so it is being sold as a potential commercial/multi-family subdivision.  The selling price is $625,000.  I'm sure this will be snapped up quickly, but let's hope the zoning is never approved.  Douglas County is already overcrowded as it is, we don't need any more subdivisions.

 

A daycare facility and the land it sits on is being sold next to Bright Star Elementary School.  They're asking $250,000.

 

And apparently the gentleman who wanted to put a subdivision at Malone Road and Autry Circle whose zoning application was denied last Tuesday is selling the property for $3,347,025.  And the description says it "is a candidate for annexation into the city limits of Douglasville"--you'd better watch your back on this one, Douglas County--it could be another 'Dorris Road' catastrophe.  They're saying a density of 3-6 units per acre is possible, but I thought Douglas County only allowed three units per acre.  And do you notice there is at least one subdivision on the right side(maybe even two--there are so many houses it's hard to tell!), one below it, and one to the left of it.  Ridiculous.

 

There's also another strip mall about to be under construction on Fairburn Road called The Shoppes At Fairburn.  They're selling it for $400,000 and hoping to attract offices and showroom type retail tenants.  At least the building looks halfway decent.

 

There is also a little over 20 acres of land on Bankhead Highway for sale in three different lot sizes, 10.5 acres, 8.95 acres, .75 acres, and .88 acres.  The 10.5 acres is being sold for $769,000.  All three are labeled, they claim, as "mixed use" on the future land use map.

 

And the HiFi Buys building across from the mall is still for lease.  The lease rate is $21.00 per square foot per year.  At 13,500 square feet, that would make it $283,500 a year.  It seems like it would be cheaper to just sell the building, but I guess whomever owns it is trying to make some money.  The person who wrote the description, littered with spelling and punctuation mistakes, apparently does not live around here because he/she thinks there is still a Baskin-Robbins in the K-Mart shopping center.

 

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Man Wanted In Carroll County

Authorities in Carroll County are searching for a 22 year old resident wanted on multiple charges in connection with a recent family violence incident. Nicholas Glenn is wanted by Carrollton Police on charges of battery, criminal trespassing, third degree cruelty to children and obstruction of both a police officer and a 911 call. Anyone who may know the whereabouts of Glenn is asked to call the Carrollton Police Crimestoppers Tipline at 770-838-STOP.

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P&Z Meeting

I watched most of the Planning & Zoing Meeting tonight.  The subdivision, thankfully, was denied!  School overcrowded was made an issue, which I was happy to hear.  The main problem, however, was that the access road to go into the subdivision would cut across this woman's property and she and the developer have not seen eye to eye on a price.  And the developer would not agree to make all homes 2500 square feet, he wanted 2000 square feet, and he wanted steel doors instead of wood doors (which he said warped).  And I think he acted a little like he knew his development was going to be approved. 

 

A victory for the schools, to be sure.

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BOC Meeting

The previous agenda was for the Planning & Zoning Meeting.  This is for the BOC Meeting at 10am.  The Planning & Zoning Meeting is tomorrow at 6pm.

 

COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA MARCH 6, 2007 10:00 A.M. – CITIZENS' HALL

INVOCATION – Greg Whitaker, E-911 Director

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

CITIZENS' INPUT

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1. Regular Commission Meeting of February 20, 2007.

RESOLUTIONS
2. Authorizing the Douglas County Fire Department to seek certification as a recognized law enforcement agency. (Scott Spencer, Fire Chief)

3. Continuing the Emergency Communication Service District.

4. Continuing the imposition of a wireless enhanced 911 charge on wireless telecommunications connections within Douglas County.

CONSENT AGENDA
5. Authorization to retain the services of a storm water engineer to design scope of work for repair to the Jail Visitation Center and allocate funds for that service.

6. Award of bid for the furnishing and installation of a new power generator and fuel tank at the County Jail to Ranger Mechanical, Inc. for the total lump sum price of $49,025.

7. Authorization to reject the GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price) from the Facility Group for Fire Station #8 and authorization to accept the GMP offered by Hogan Construction for Fire Station #8 of $1,144,711.00, authorize the Chairman to sign contract and related documents and authorize budget amendment as necessary.

8. Authorization to enter into agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation for acquisition of right-of-way on the following projects:
CSSTP-0007-00(950) Chapel Hill Road @ Central Church Road/Bomar
Road and CSSTP-0007-00(951) Chapel Hill Road @ Anneewakee Road/Dorsett Shoals Road and authorize Chairman to sign all related documents.

9. Authorization for Chairman to execute Right of Way Agreement with Georgia Department of Transportation for intersection improvements -
Timber Ridge Road @ Prestley Mill Road – 0.55 mi.

 

10. Authorization to sell portion of former Shawnee Trail to WSA (Water & Sewer Authority).

11. Authorization for Chairman to execute Assistant Public Defender (State Court) Employment Agreement with Michelle R. Wilson.

12. Approval of agreement with Georgia Tech Applied Research Institute Corp. for RF Field Measurements and Power Line Interference Study.

13. Appointment of Bob Akers to the Board of Elections.

14. Approval of the Fire Department's re-organization.

15. Authorization for Chairman to execute Independent Contractor Agreement with Ernest Calloway for Shoe Shine Service. Editor's Note: Why does the COURTHOUSE need to use our tax dollars for a shoe shine service???????

NEW BUSINESS

ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Douglas County Walk of Honor and Pathway of Service Ceremony honoring Douglas County citizens who unselfishly have given of themselves will be held at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, March 8th, in the Courthouse Atrium. The ceremony is open to the public and will be televised live on dctv23.

District 4 Town Hall Meeting - Thursday, March 22nd American Legion Post 145, Bankhead Highway just west of Bright Star Road
6 - 7 p.m.: County Department Exhibits, Meet the Staff
7 - 8 p.m.: Talk to the Commissioners - Open to the Public (Editor's Note: I wish this could be televised and/or taped to show on channel 23.  Not everyone can go to the meeting (I can't drive at night).  If someone would be willing to go to the meeting and write an article about what questions were asked and what the replies to these questions were and what issues were talked about, I would appreciate it and would print the article on my blog complete with your byline.  This would be a volunteer position.)

Music in Our Schools Month Concerts in the Courthouse – begin at 12:15 p.m. in the Courthouse Atrium. Open to the Public - Free Admission - televised live on dctv23.
• Thursday, March 8th: Arbor Station Elementary School Chorus
• Monday, March 12th: Fairplay Middle School Chorus
• Tuesday, March 13th: Chapel Hill High School Chorus
• Wednesday, March 14th: Factory Shoals Elementary School Chorus
• Thursday, March 15th: Dorsett Shoals Elementary School Chorus

March is Youth Art Month in the Courthouse Gallery featuring art work from Douglas County School students. Open to the Public - Free Admission

 

COMMISSIONERS' COMMENTS

ADJOURN

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BOC Meeting 10AM Tuesday

If you live near the proposed subdivision and are opposed to it, please go to the meeting and voice your opinions.  Do we REALLY need ANOTHER subdivision????

 

 

PLANNING & ZONING BOARD AND BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING AGENDA

 

March 6, 2007

 

APPROVAL of MINUTES

 

February 6, 2007

 

AGENDA

 

Z2007-03	Jack Mize - Request for a rezoning from R-A to C-G for future potential use at the property located at Highway 78:  Land Lot(s) 148, District 2, Section 5, Parcel(s) 20.  Lot size:  1.099 acres.	Tab [1]
S2007-09	Jennifer Blackburn – Request for a Special Use Permit to allow the construction and operation of a 195' monopole telecommunications tower at the property located at Highway 166:  Land Lot(s) 109, District 3, Section 5, Parcel(s) 50.  Lot size:  25.88 acres.	Tab [2]
S2007-10	David & Patricia Martin – Request for a Special Use Permit to allow an in-law suite at the property located at 5360 Kings Highway:  Land Lot(s) 30, District 2, Section 5, Parcel(s) 91.  Lot size:  15.4 acres.	Tab [3]
Z2007-12	Legacy Communities – Request for a rezoning from R-A to R-MD for a 104 lot single-family residential subdivision at the property located at Malone Road & Autry Circle:  Land Lot(s) 703/704/646, District(s) 1/1/18, Section(s) 3/3/2, Parcel(s) 8, 9, 1, 2 & 4/6/1 & 3.  Lot size:  47.92 acres.	Tab [4]

ADJOURN

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Lawyer Tried To Help Inmate Escape

This is old news (March 1), but since I don't subscribe to the Sentinel, I don't know if it was in the Sentinel or not.  I'm going to buy a copy on the newsstand from now on.

 

An Albany attorney is on the wrong side of the law, charged with trying to help a Douglas County inmate escape from jail.

Fifty-two year old Paul Keenan is charged with criminal conspiracy to commit escape and providing a weapon to an inmate. Investigators say Keenan tried to help 20-year-old Dareon Varner, of Atlanta, who was charged with robbing a Douglasville Hampton Inn at gunpoint.

A spokesman for the Douglas Sheriff's office said they discovered a large saw blade, commonly used to prune bushes, in Varner's possession.

Keenan is being held in the Douglas County Jail pending a bond hearing Friday morning.

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Douglas County GBI Reported MSA 2005

Population: 110,170

Murders: 3

Rapes: 17

Robberies: 135

Aggravated Assaults: 223

Burglaries: 797

Larceny: 4,192

Motor Vehicle Thefts: 475

Total: 5,842

 

It will be interesting to see how much these numbers increase in the 2006 crime stats report.  I'm not sure when it will be released, however.

 

By the way, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office website (http://www.sheriff.douglas.ga.us) has not been updated since January 12.  And according to their website, they still want that new jail.  To pay for it, the county will try again this year to pass another SPLOST (remember, we denied them their SPLOST last July).

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Movie To Be Filmed In Whitesburg

A new movie entitled 'Conjurer' is being produced in Carroll County. Casting it currently underway with a seven week shooting scheduled to begin March 26th. The production offices for 'Conjurer LLC' are located in the Burson Center where center Director Ken O'Neil says there are benefits for the producers and the Burson center itself. The latest Carroll Tomorrow newsletter describes 'Conjurer' as a haunting thriller being produced by Carrollton Film Partners and Red Five Entertainment of California. When not at the Burson Center, Film Director Clint Hutchinson of Atlanta has been spending time in rural areas around Whitesburg, the setting for 'Conjurer'.

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