Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting

Chatham County, GA · 2026-08-14 · More Chatham County, GA meetings · More Georgia meetings

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Agenda

[0:00] Certificate of Appreciation

[0:09] CALL TO ORDER

[2:09] INSPIRATION AND INVOCATION

[2:09] Pastor Anthony Lee Edwards, Beulah Baptist Church

[5:09] PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

[6:09] ROLL CALL

[6:09] Roll Call

[6:09] PROCLAMATIONS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

[6:09] Proclamation declaring September 2026 as NICU Awareness Month and Saturday, September 26, 2026 as NICU Warrior Run Day. Siana Barnes, Chelsey and Sheldon Barnes will be present to accept.

[19:09] Live Oak Public Library update by Executive Director Lola Dewitt.

[38:09] CHAIRMAN'S ITEMS

[38:09] COMMISSIONERS' ITEMS

[38:09] TABLED/RECONSIDERED ITEMS

[38:09] ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL ACTION

[38:09] Appointment of Brittany Salley to the Live Oak Public Library Board

[39:09] To request Board approval of the following budget amendments and transfers: 1) In the General Fund, a) Transfer $10,000 from Blueprint Grant Contingency to Park Place Outreach-Emergency Shelter Positive Development & Prevention Program. b) Transfer $62,500 from Blueprint Grant Contingency to Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless-Project Hope Water. c) Appropriate Fund Balance $62,500 to increase Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless-Project Hope Water. d) Transfer $46,240 from Voter Registration Professional Services to Temporary Employee salaries. 2) In the National Opioid Settlement Fund, Increase revenue and expenditures $179,552. 3) In the Special Service District Fund, appropriate Fund Balance $165,000 to increase Fire Department uniforms. 4) In the Capital Improvement Program Fund, a) Transfer $248,000 from CIP Contingency to increase the Fire Department Vehicles Project. b) Increase revenue and expenditures $276,565 to establish the Early Childhood Learning Center Project.

[41:09] ACTION CALENDAR

[41:09] Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting on July 31, 2026, as distributed.

[41:09] Claims vs. Chatham County for the period of July 23, 2026 through August 5, 2026.

[41:09] Request approval of FY27 Blueprint Implementation Grant MOUs between Chatham County and various community-based organizations.

[41:09] Request Board approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Services in the amount of $213,507 and the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens in the amount of $241,043 for FY2027 for salaries and benefits.

[41:09] Request Board approval of an amendment to the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with City of Savannah for the Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC). [District 3.]

[41:09] Request Board approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Chatham County Health Department to provide for monthly reimbursement to Chatham County for costs incurred and paid to Cherry Street Energy, LLC. for solar energy production at the leased Health Department Eisenhower facility.

[41:09] Board approve a request from property owner, Hopeton South Land Trust, LLC, for the County to declare as surplus and to quitclaim the right-of-way property located at 100 Little Neck Road, and maintain a drainage easement (PIN. 21007 02003) [District 5.]

[41:09] Request Board approval to award bids as follows: (Please note that purchase thresholds of $25,000 or more have been enacted: however, contract and change orders of a lesser amount still will appear.)

[42:09] SECOND READINGS

[42:09] The Petitioner, Richard Peterson, is proposing to rezone 8804 Whitefield Ave from Residential One Family Residential Environmental Overlay to Business Limited Environmental Overlay. MPC file no. Z-0426-000623, PIN#10497 02020. The MPC recommends DENIAL with an alternative approval. [District 1.]

[45:09] INFORMATION ITEMS

[45:09] County Manager's update

[46:09] RECESS TO EXECUTIVE SESSION - motion required

[46:09] Motion to recess to Executive Session.

Transcript

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[0:10] Silence is commanded by this honorable commission. All those having business, draw

[0:15] near. >> thank you. You may be seated at this time.

[0:20] while you are being seated let me ask you to check

[0:24] your electronic devices including the commissioners so that it

[0:27] don' t go off. All right. Today I got -- I got

[0:34] double power. I got the high sheriff and I got

[0:37] the chief deputy who here along with the major and the

[0:40] rest of ' em. So and you all know, if your

[0:44] telephone go out to coleman' s bed and breakfast, it is going

[0:48] to be trouble getting it out from there. All right.

[0:49] you just can' t walk and pick it up.

[0:52] they don' t play that. All right.

[0:55] I don' t want you to lose your electronic devices so please,

[0:59] ma' am, please, sir, check them. Make sure that they don' t go

[1:04] off because silence is commanded during these

[1:06] proceedings. Okay. Today we have a young man that

[1:15] coming to us to bring us our inspiration, our invocation,

[1:19] one that I have watched grow up. All right.

[1:22] his uncle and I were the best ofof when we were high

[1:26] school mates graduating together, and I stayed in woodsville more than

[1:32] I stayed in west savannah, running around there where they grew up

[1:36] at. Pastor anthony come to us, he is the pastor of -- the

[1:41] senior pastor of the beulah baptist church located on

[1:44] anderson street right at the railroad track after you pass

[1:51] east broad. All right. He comes to us having

[1:59] been married for quite a time. They are blessed with a

[2:03] daughter and he is a man I know that

[2:06] knows the gospel, preach the gospel, and believes in

[2:10] the salvation that the lord jesus christ has given us.

[2:13] with that, pastor edwards, I' m going to ask you to come to

[2:16] the mic. The mic is yours. And when you get through

[2:20] with your inspiration, you get ready for the invocation, if you

[2:24] will ask us, then we will -- let us know

[2:26] so that we could stand with you as you pray.

[2:30] and then after then, then we will be lead in

[2:33] the pledge by commissioner noha. All right. The mic

[2:34] is yours. >> good morning, everyone.

[2:35] >> good morning. >> greetings in the matchless name of our lord jesus

[2:39] christ. Here to share words of

[2:43] here to share words of inspiration, to encourage you as county commissioners as you

[2:48] start this session today to govern the business of our county.

[2:52] as you gather today to govern I

[2:55] want to remind you of first of all, I want to

[3:00] first of all, I want to remind you to govern because it

[3:04] is your great responsibility. There' s an authority higher

[3:09] than you, and that authority is god.

[3:14] so, please, as you come together today to govern, number

[3:18] one, govern because it is your would like to

[3:21] would like to remind you to govern and govern righteously.

[3:26] we are to do the right thing because it is simply the

[3:31] right thing to do. Because at the end of the day we

[3:36] all will have to give an account to god when this life is over.

[3:42] I ask that you govern because it is your responsibility.

[3:46] I ask that you govern righteously. Last but not least, I ask

[3:50] that you govern reasonably. Govern fairly without partiality, knowing that

[3:56] the constituents of the county is dependent upon your decisions.

[4:04] with that being said, I ask that we stand as we pray this

[4:08] morning. Let us pray. Father, as we have gathered

[4:12] in this secluded place this morning, first of all, father,

[4:17] we gather to say thank you. Thank you for

[4:21] another opportunity to be able to acknowledge you, knowing

[4:24] that life comes from you and you the freedom that you have given

[4:29] the freedom that you have given us to be able to gather to

[4:33] handle the business of the county. Lord, we acknowledge

[4:35] your presence and your power. We are asking that you pour

[4:39] out your wisdom upon this chairman and all of these

[4:42] commissioners. We are asking for knowledge, wisdom, that the county of

[4:46] chatham could be better as they gather to deal with the

[4:50] business of the county. Lord, thank you once again for this opportunity to

[4:54] acknowledge you, for we believe in proverbs chapter 3, verse 5

[4:59] and 6. Acknowledge the lord, trust in him,age knowledge him in all

[5:03] thy ways, and I believe without a doubt you will direct our path.

[5:07] have your way today. These and all blessings we

[5:10] ask in the matchless name of jesus christ we pray.

[5:13] amen. >> amen. >>

[5:14] commissioner noha. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of

[5:19] america, and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under god,

[5:24] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[5:29] >> thank you. You may be seated. And to pastor edwards, we thank

[5:34] you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come be with

[5:36] us. We can' t pay you but we appreciate you coming

[5:40] and sharing your words with us and instructing us in how the

[5:42] lord has led you. Continued blessing and keep him,

[5:45] all right, in all of your endeavors. Thank you so much for being

[5:49] here. >> thank you, sir.

[5:49] >> roll call. >>> chester a.

[5:52] ellis, chairman. >> malinda scott hodge, district

[5:55] >> malinda scott hodge, district 2, vice-chairman.

[6:00] >> present. >> dean kicklighter, district 7,

[6:04] chairman pro tempore. >> he' s here.

[6:07] >> -- district 3. >> present.

[6:09] >> brian m. Hussey, district 4. >> here.

[6:13] >> tanya milton, district 5. >>

[6:14] present. >> aaron whitely, district 6.

[6:16] >> here. >> marsha buford, district 8.

[6:20] >> here. Call those

[6:24] call those who are here to represent the neo natal intensive care unit as

[6:29] we do the proclamation. We ask you to come to the mic.

[6:32] anybody you want to bring with you, now, you can bring them

[6:37] with you. Yeah, because -- all right.

[6:40] yeah, because -- all right. I am going to read a portion of

[6:45] this, all right. And then I will turn the

[6:46] mic over to you. All right.

[6:53] >> yes, sir. >> let everybody get up here.

[6:57] let me congratulate you first. I' m going to start with that.

[7:01] >> thank you, sir. >> I' m going to tell you why

[7:04] I' m congratulating you.

[7:08] you got meeting.

[7:12] meeting. The county of chatham, georgia,

[7:17] proclamation. Whereas, every year thousands of infants are born prematurely,

[7:23] or required specialized medical care in the neo natal intensive care unit, and

[7:28] these children demonstrate extraordinary strength and

[7:32] resilience from the very beginning of life. And, whereas, the journey of a

[7:40] neonatal care -- intensive care family is often filled with

[7:45] uncertainty, hope, courage and unwavering love, for the dedicated physicians, nurses

[7:49] or respiratory therapists, health care professionals who care

[7:54] for these infants, provide lifesaving treatment and compassionate support.

[7:59] now therefore I, chester ellis, chairman on behalf of

[8:05] the chatham county board of commissioners, here

[8:10] proclaim september ' 26 as neonatal care unit awareness month and

[8:16] saturday, september 26th, as neonatal care warrior run day

[8:19] in chatham county and encourage all citizens and residents

[8:22] to recognize the strength and resilience of neonatal care warriors, honor the

[8:27] families and health care professionals who

[8:29] support them and participate in efforts that promote awareness, education, compassion

[8:35] and hope throughout our community. In witness here of I here to

[8:41] set my hand and caused the seal of chatham county, georgia to

[8:45] be affixed this 14th day of august, 2026.

[8:45] let me just share a personal story with you.

[8:48] >> yes, sir. >> my older two grands are

[8:52] twins, a girl and a boy, and they had to go from birth to

[8:57] neonatal care, all right, in intensive care,

[8:57] that unit. So I know what you all do in there.

[8:59] they were small in size. Even though you don' t

[9:03] recognize that now because the boy is

[9:06] 6' 4', wears a size 15 shoe, all right.

[9:10] but to know where those humble beginnings that he came from

[9:13] and the work you all do and thethe program that you all

[9:18] put on, all right, especially -- I' m

[9:19] going to put up front, too. Y' all got a warrior run

[9:22] day. >> I don' t run.

[9:24] >> I don' t run. Sheriff when he was

[9:28] sheriff when he was in high school and I cancelled

[9:32] that because tore up my knee. All right. But I do encourage the

[9:37] citizens of chatham county to be a part and to know how important

[9:41] your efforts are. All right. With that having been said,

[9:43] the mic is yours. I want to say thank you so

[9:45] I want to say thank you so much to you, our distinguished

[9:50] guests, the board of commissioners. Like we really appreciate

[9:51] you guys. Like we don' t take it lightly.

[9:55] I think our biggest thing was five years ago sienna was a nicu

[10:02] baby, and so she was in nicu. I was in icu at candler and

[10:07] my husband was in icu at memorial. >>

[10:08] wow. >> our family put up a big fight, and to go through

[10:13] that, especially going through it yourself, every single thing

[10:14] matters, the breaths, the moments. Like today sienna is

[10:18] humbling, she is cheering, she plays basketball, she is running.

[10:23] those are the things that we want the community to see,

[10:27] the fight that these tiniest warriors put behind. We started out as a

[10:32] nicu run with our family and today it is so much

[10:34] bigger. We have partnered with endurance rate services, we partnered

[10:38] with st. Joseph candler, we partnered with house of run.

[10:42] we partnered with so many different organizations and we just want everybody to come

[10:45] out. It is not about the run. It is not about the walk.

[10:48] it is about us providing a family so that we can lean

[10:53] on each other during these times, and this proclamation isn' t for

[10:57] me, it is not for my family, it is not for our

[10:59] sheriff because he' s in the building to support,

[11:00] and that means so much to us. This is what it is all about,

[11:05] us all coming together. But it is for every nicu

[11:08] baby out here, this proclamation is for them.

[11:09] we want to just say thank you for you all taking the time

[11:14] to hear us or you all taking the time to even put

[11:16] this proclamation together. It means the world to us.

[11:17] we would love to have even

[11:19] even if it is just a prayer, a phone call.

[11:24] you hop on our facebook page and encourage other nicu families.

[11:28] they' re going through times where financially they need

[11:30] somebody to say, hey, it will be okay. Look at the other side.

[11:33] your story can bless someone else. We want to say thank you

[11:35] and it is an honor to stand here before you all today.

[11:37] >> thank you. >>

[11:36] yes, sir. >> commissioners, let us do

[11:39] this. Let' s start on the end and move our way down.

[11:43] yes, sir. >> I just want to thank you

[11:47] all for your efforts, for your my niece was a nicu baby

[11:50] my niece was a nicu baby for three months, was born at

[11:54] one pound and didn' t think that she would ever come out and she

[11:57] is thriving, just got married. So thank

[11:58] you. >> such a blessing. >> yeah, thank you for what

[12:01] you are doing, bringing attention to something that is

[12:05] lifesaving work. These are babies that years ago they would not even

[12:10] have survived some of those conditions. So this is a worthy

[12:14] organization to support. Thank you so much for what you do.

[12:16] >> thank you. >> thank you for your passion.

[12:20] I have had members of my family to experience that, those same

[12:25] things, and it is quite a struggle but it was a good

[12:28] struggle. The victory is yours. Thank you. >> thank you.

[12:32] >> thank y' all for being

[12:38] here this morning. Healthy son who spent his

[12:43] healthy son who spent his first days. Sorry.

[12:47] thank you. Y' all are

[12:49] heroes. >> yes,

[12:54] sir. Thank you. >> started it, so -- >> where my box at?

[13:02] >> but I too thank you for what you do.

[13:06] my god daughter, she was not even four pounds but she

[13:09] stayed in the hospital for almost 40 days.

[13:10] now, like the chairman said, you wouldn' t know it now because

[13:15] she is 17 years old and probably pounds.

[13:20] pounds. So what you do is really important for life for

[13:24] many families. So I support you.

[13:25] >> thank you. >> and I might

[13:28] run. For you.

[13:30] for you. Running.

[13:34] running. But, no, on a serious tip,

[13:37] to hear all of the stories and I share a story.

[13:41] my son was a nicu baby and I remember having to take my

[13:44] wife up there every day and stay in the car with the girls while

[13:47] she went to breastfeed him. So just what you said

[13:52] about words of encouragement, some words of affirmation to

[13:55] families who are going through this are very powerful. And considering that it

[14:00] is children being in neonatal intensive care units is a very

[14:04] common thing and it is a scary common thing, and so I

[14:09] just appreciate you guys bringing awareness to it. You know, sharing, you know,

[14:13] the experiences as well, and I' m glad to see that your

[14:17] family have -- all of you have made

[14:19] it out of the icu and are now chipping into our society.

[14:23] so thank you for what you do. >> thank you.

[14:26] and I have not, thank god, personally had to experience anything close to

[14:31] what you all are describing and what my fellow commissioners

[14:34] are describing. So I can only just try to

[14:38] imagine the hardships and everything, and I just want

[14:42] to say thank you for being awesome.

[14:43] it is people like y' all that makes life a better place

[14:46] for y' all.

[14:47] y' all. >> thank you. >> good morning

[14:52] and thank you for being here thank you for the work and

[14:58] thank you for the work and the labor of love that you do,

[15:03] such a labor. Words can never express all that you do.

[15:06] have had a lot of experiences, you and I, with the nicu.

[15:11] and like my colleagues, I get full thinking of how

[15:16] wonderful it is to see individuals come

[15:19] up out of the nic unit and then go on as if nothing ever

[15:24] happened. But your love is just so awesome.

[15:27] your passion is awesome. You do and continue the work.

[15:32] you do and continue the work. No, I cannot run. But --

[15:36] >> y' all need to have a sit-in. >> or

[15:39] a roll-in. A roll-in for us.

[15:41] >> let' s sit and talk about this and pray.

[15:44] okay. Thank you. >> thank you.

[15:47] >> again, let me say I can' t -- for the job you

[15:51] for the job you do. >> yes, sir.

[15:53] >> and I think that one of the things that -- one of the

[15:58] things that is fresh in my mind all

[16:03] all right, is that young younggirl was less than a

[16:07] pound and the nurse is feeding her, holding her in her hand.

[16:11] so those nurses and unit,

[16:16] unit, too, are -- they have so much compassion and so much care,

[16:21] you know. I personally know as lisa,

[16:25] I personally know as lisa, I said, 'lisa, I saw you feeding

[16:30] davita and I was praying the whole while, please don' t drop

[16:32] her, please don' t drop her. ' but the way they take care

[16:36] of them and then having to know that your family went

[16:39] through what you went there, we' re

[16:41] glad that you' re here and we encourage all of chatham

[16:46] county to come out and to be a part of

[16:47] saturday, september the 26th. All right.

[16:47] >> yes, sir. >> so that we can get to

[16:52] know, because from those humble beginnings, all right, many

[16:56] things are done and many things are accomplished.

[17:00] >> yes. >> when we all work together and when we all see our

[17:05] paths are not different from each other.

[17:07] it is just that the journey is different, but then we

[17:11] all intersect and be on the same page. Again, we say thank you.

[17:13] is the photographer here? All right.

[17:16] now, what we want you to do is pick up the proclamation

[17:20] there before you and then make sure you -- make sure

[17:22] your daughter is out front, but turn around

[17:24] and face the clock, if all of you will.

[17:28] hold the proclamation up so get the picture for our

[17:36] get the picture for our archives. Got it?

[17:40] all right. With that we thank you all. Mr. Sheriff.

[17:45] >> yes, sir. >> you want to take the mic and say hello?

[17:51] as our constitutional officer. Yeah, I got you in the

[17:55] building now. >> good morning. >>

[17:55] good morning. >> good morning, mr. Chairman, fellow

[17:59] commissioners, mr. Kaigler, our county manager, greetings to each and

[18:03] every one you. Let me stop and say I

[18:06] can' t think of any other place I

[18:09] would rather be right now than my commission board. It is always a

[18:12] pleasure to come always you and greet you.

[18:16] I am the sheriff of chatham serve you

[18:20] serve you and the needs of our citizens. Commissioner ted just said

[18:24] it best. You know, we all have different paths but the journey

[18:27] is the same, it' s the same. We work collectively to --

[18:31] to have a better place for chatham county.

[18:33] that' s what it is all about, the citizens of this county and

[18:37] our ability to serve them and make life better for them.

[18:40] so, as always, I' m your sheriff.

[18:41] I' m happy to serve you. If you need me or my office,

[18:46] we are here for you. I have a motto and I say it

[18:48] everywhere I go, that no one person can do these things by

[18:50] themselves, but it is together and together we can. Thank you, mr. Commissioner.

[18:55] god bless you all. With us today.

[18:56] with us today. The sheriff' s department is

[19:00] in partnered with them as well? >>

[19:00] yes, sir. >> okay. I just want to make sure

[19:03] because I know in our blueprint and when we did the budget we

[19:08] were included in it. So thank you for working, and

[19:12] he is one of our constitutional officers.

[19:14] I don' t see -- I don't see another. We thank you.

[19:18] all right. >> thank you.

[19:21] >> we thank our partner from -- from one of our municipalities

[19:25] who is always here, we thank you for being here this morning.

[19:28] all right. With that we thank you, sir. >>

[19:30] thank you. >> appreciate it. All right. Getting ready to

[19:33] move on. Let' s call the library.

[19:38] library. All right. Thank

[19:40] you all. >> thank you.

[19:41] >> continued blessing for what you are doing and

[19:45] how you are doing it. >> thank you.

[19:49] >> good morning. >>

[19:52] good morning. >> so today we are going

[19:58] to share the concept design for the replacement of oglethorpe

[20:02] library. >> okay. >> patrick shay, I' m

[20:04] january shay. Before I do that, I have a library commercial.

[20:08] august 31st we are going to expand library hours across the

[20:13] system. This is based on the feedback that we received from

[20:17] our strategic plan that was the number one thing that people

[20:21] wanted, more library hours. That also is in line with one of

[20:24] our values, is access. So we' re going to provide

[20:28] that starting august 31st. Another thing I wanted to

[20:32] let you know is this afternoon carnegie library heritage center

[20:33] carnegie library heritage center will be celebrating its 112th be some

[20:37] programming and events surrounding that, so if you have time to stop

[20:42] by, that' s from 2:00 to 6:00. Please stop by.

[20:45] lastly, september is library card signup month. That is a national

[20:48] initiative across libraries across the country.

[20:53] we are celebrating that one way by having porch parties.

[20:57] we did that last year. This year there will be two

[21:01] in chatham county, one at the bull street library on september

[21:05] 5th featuring the fabulous september 12th

[21:10] september 12th at the southwest chatham library featuring an r & b concert.

[21:15] there will be food trucks and a great party.

[21:17] we hope you will come out. If you do not have a

[21:20] library card we encourage you to signsign for a library card and all

[21:22] of your friends and family to so commercial is over.

[21:25] so commercial is over. I will turn it over to mr. Shea. >> good

[21:30] morning, commissioners. >> good morning.

[21:33] >> I think there may be but what I want to do is

[21:39] but what I want to do is tell you that we are underway.

[21:43] my team is actually in the process of doing the construction documents

[21:46] right now. We are going to get to

[21:50] market before the end of this of price increases that are

[21:54] of price increases that are going on right now due to a lot

[21:58] of uncertainty in construction markets and so forth.

[22:01] we are on target. We have been very frugal

[22:07] we have been very frugal and very careful as we go along.

[22:11] but we' ll skip to the pretty pictures because they' re more

[22:13] fun to look at than it is to listen to me.

[22:14] >> do we have those? >> yes.

[22:15] >> all right. What do I have to do?

[22:18] >> let them come out of come on.

[22:21] come on. There she go. They should be able to pull

[22:28] them up. Here it comes.

[22:32] >> there we go. Smart people have helped me.

[22:35] >> y' all got it on a disc or

[22:39] anything? >> I thought we sent it over.

[22:42] we sent it over I thought but I drive.

[22:45] drive. >> he has a jump drive. >> yes, sir.

[22:47] >> there you go. >> that works.

[22:48] >> so the site for the library is actually library the corner of

[22:52] eisenhower and waters avenue. You all had the foresight to

[22:57] buy a bigbig tract of over there that was once a part of a

[23:01] strip shopping center. Some of those buildings

[23:04] have since been demolished. There we go. So one of the things that

[23:10] lola and her team including michael summers, who has been a great

[23:15] director, asked us to make sure that as people drove by on

[23:19] eisenhower drive, because it is setback from the edge of the

[23:23] road, it is kind of across the eisenhower drive from the

[23:27] county' s complex where the tag office is and so forth

[23:30] there, that we do something that was highly visible and very

[23:33] approachable and attractive. So we' ve kind of designed something that as

[23:38] people drive by, especially at night but in the daytime as well,

[23:41] they' re going to look over there.

[23:42] they' re going to say, ooh, what is that?

[23:45] ooh, maybe that' s the new library we heard about.

[23:48] so it is going to be very

[23:50] very inviting. Here' s another view

[23:54] that' s a little more zoomed in. One of the things that' s

[23:59] going to be very unique about this building is that it is not

[24:00] going to be built with structural steel or structural concrete.

[24:04] it is going to be done with mass timber.

[24:09] now, mass timber is an old technology that' s become

[24:13] much more mainstream right now where

[24:16] lumber is taken and it is glued and laminated up together.

[24:22] so the beams and the columns and the slabs are all going to

[24:27] be out of georgia wood that' s been laminated, and it is

[24:29] actually inherently fireproof. If you have a question

[24:30] about that, I can tell you. But the idea is when

[24:34] you approach this building, whether you' re from the outside or the

[24:37] inside, it is going to be all about wood, and to the

[24:40] maximum extent possible it is going to be about wood that' s

[24:43] harvested in georgia. We know we have a lot of

[24:45] people that are in the timber that are struggling because of

[24:48] that are struggling because of the changes with the closure of

[24:51] the paper plants, and so this is going to provide some help for them.

[24:55] but it is a relatively new technology.

[24:59] now, not far from here over on oglethorpe square there' s

[25:03] a hotel that' s just about finished, and it was

[25:07] built entirely out of mass timber, this same system.

[25:10] and from the time that it went from just a slap to

[25:15] where it was completely under roof, only took six-and-a- half weeks for

[25:18] that whole process and it was erected by four people.

[25:21] so rather than having concrete trucks come in the middle of the

[25:24] night and wake everybody up in the neighborhood, this

[25:27] system was all precut in a factory and assembled like in parts.

[25:32] it is not 3d printed but it is the closest thing to it.

[25:36] it is very, very attractive. We all know you are

[25:38] surrounded by beautiful wood look better.

[25:41] look better. There' s the a minute entrance. Oh, yeah.

[25:48] fair enough. Michael reminds me, we were also able to win a

[25:52] $25,000 grant from the georgia forestry foundation specifically for this project

[25:57] by using this mass timber. They will be featuring it

[26:01] all over the country really. As a matter of fact I will

[26:05] be giving a tour to a congressional delegation here in another

[26:06] couple of weeks, and I have shown it to a 'wall street journal' reporter

[26:11] as well. It is going to be something that' s a

[26:13] real statement. This is the main entrance. Another great feature of

[26:17] this project is there' s a central courtyard.

[26:21] if you all have been out to the chatham county health department headquarters, named

[26:25] after dr. Fay, there' s a central

[26:29] cord yard in that and people use that to circulate around and it

[26:33] brings daylight into the center of the building. We decided to use

[26:36] something similar on this particular project. There you can see from the roof,

[26:40] and thanks to you and a program you are undertaking I will

[26:42] be working with jackie jackson and with your solar provider, cherry

[26:47] street, so there will be a relatively large amount of

[26:50] solar on the roof. That' s going to be

[26:53] something that is going to be similar

[26:55] to the program that you' re instituted across the county.

[27:00] it is going to help the library with their electric bills

[27:02] and make this a wonderfully sustainable place deep into

[27:06] the future. You can also see on this that

[27:09] in addition to the central courtyard that' s in the

[27:12] middle we also have some other courtyards that will be very

[27:15] attractive. One of the other entrances that you will be able to see

[27:20] this library from is coming in off of waters avenue.

[27:23] it is pretty hard to make a left-hand turn on eisenhower

[27:27] to get back up intointo site because of the traffic

[27:29] that' s on there. Waters avenue, the traffic is a little

[27:32] bit slower. A lot of people will turn in

[27:35] off waters avenue and we wanted that to be a very attractive view,

[27:38] and it will be the side that has the community facilities.

[27:42] this isn' t a typical old- fashioned library like the

[27:44] ones that I grew up with that' s just an archive for

[27:47] books. It will be a great archive for books, it is going

[27:50] to be a great play to be able to get a book

[27:52] and check it out and bring it back later, but it is also

[27:57] going to be a community center. It also will be a place that

[28:01] invites people to come in for events that could be in

[28:03] the evening when the library itself is closed. This is the side and

[28:06] this is the view of the community gardensgardens face that part of

[28:10] the community. To give you an idea of how

[28:13] much wood there' s going to be on

[28:15] the inside of the building, you can see here we have wood slaps

[28:18] for the ceilings. We have wood beams and wood columns, and you can

[28:23] see the courtyard is off to the right.

[28:25] the entrance is off to the left and the place is just

[28:29] going to be a real showcase for the wood that' s manufacturedmanufac

[28:32] tured harvested in georgia. There' s your central courtyard.

[28:35] it is going to be a great place. I don' t know.

[28:39] some day I bet there will be a wedding there.

[28:41] I bet somebody will get married in that courtyard, and then they

[28:44] will be able to go into the community rooms and have

[28:46] their wedding reception. They will be able to use this

[28:48] as a place where the library really becomes the center of the community.

[28:51] south side needs this. There are a lot of

[28:55] great churches that are there but not everybody goes to church

[28:57] unfortunately. They need to have someplace else they can go to have these

[29:01] kind of events. You also will be able to do

[29:04] town hall meetings, mr. Chairman, and it will be a great facility

[29:07] for public gatherings. These are the reading rooms.

[29:12] this is the adult reading room. A lot of daylight, but it

[29:16] is north light so we will have a lot of natural light in

[29:19] the space. It is going to have great acoustics, too.

[29:20] so our theme for the overall project that we worked with lola

[29:24] and her team to develop this is going to be that third

[29:29] this is going to be that third place, that calm place where

[29:34] you can go and kind of get away from

[29:35] all of the other things that are distractions, and be able to

[29:38] enjoy a good book or have a good

[29:40] conversation. This is a view of the children' s

[29:44] reading area, and this is also a great place

[29:45] for our young people to be able to

[29:47] come. I know there' s a lot of emphasis now, as there well

[29:51] should be, on youth literacy. We are trying to make

[29:52] sure that our young people are able

[29:55] to learn how to read and keep up with what is going on in

[30:00] their education and in the rest of the world.

[29:59] there' s also going to be a this is another great feature of

[30:04] this is another great feature of this particular library that' s

[30:08] different than your typical library. So there' s going to be a

[30:11] room where you can go and maybe there will be a 3d printer that

[30:16] you can use there or maybe that will be the place where you

[30:18] can do an art project or, you know, be able to set up

[30:23] functions, teaching, cooking demonstrations. There could be any number of

[30:26] things, but there will be a maker space in the center.

[30:31] you can see it also overlooks the central courtyard. Everything has a chance on

[30:34] the inside to also spill over into an outdoor space so you can

[30:37] have both indoor and outdoor aspects of the

[30:41] same events. This is the north- facing entrance. This will be the entrance

[30:46] that' s on the community side. This entrance would, for

[30:50] example, be facing planet fitness.

[30:53] it also will be very attracting. As I said before, it is

[30:57] going to be set up so that the library functions where the book

[30:59] archive is could be closed down at night but the rest of the

[31:02] community center could be open. And other things.

[31:04] and other things. We didn' t put any art on

[31:08] this, but this is what it looks like to come through that

[31:10] entrance, be able to have displays or demonstrations. Also, if you are

[31:14] using the community rooms for sort of convention kind of

[31:18] atmosphere, this would be a great place for the pre- function and be

[31:22] able to have where people gather before they go into the main

[31:25] rooms. These are your community rooms. I want you to

[31:27] imagine yourself being able to come here for

[31:30] movie night or be able to come here for that wedding

[31:34] reception or for that public hearing that you want to have, that

[31:39] helps our community to understand how good their government is.

[31:45] it also is bathed in that wonderful, natural north light.

[31:49] we call it god' s light for a

[31:50] reason. This is the floor plan, and

[31:56] I can dwell on that, but what I would rather do is let myself

[32:01] and lola and michael, if necessary, answer any questions you might have.

[32:02] I can explain to you how the building is laid out if

[32:05] that' s particularly important to you, or how it is going to

[32:09] be furnished or any other aspect. We are well on track.

[32:12] it is going to be a wonderful place, and I think it will

[32:16] be the kind of place that you and your kids and grandkids will

[32:23] be very proud of. >> all right. Commissioner milton,

[32:28] go. >> thank you, mr. Chairman. What' s your

[32:32] opening date? >> that' s a good one.

[32:33] >> I try it all the time. Thank you for that.

[32:37] >> so here is the schedule

[32:40] overall. We will finish up construction documents and get it out to

[32:45] bids by the end of this year. Assuming that the bid

[32:49] opening goes well, it probably will

[32:51] take about 15 months to build. So I would say about the

[32:56] middle of the year in 2028, not 2027.

[32:56] so about the middle of the year in 2028 is when you can

[33:01] look forward to a grand opening. >> and will you be taking art donations?

[33:05] >> absolutely. Absolutely. I think that, you know, art is

[33:09] something that we want to make sure is thought of throughout

[33:12] the facility, that there' s the opportunity to display it

[33:16] and there' s an opportunity to showcase it, there' s

[33:20] an opportunity for gallery showings. Then there' s also a place or

[33:22] two for a permanent collection. You would need to speak with lola about

[33:27] that. >> you probably remember the artist, right?

[33:28] >> I sure do. >> so I have to get his

[33:31] stuff out of storage. >> nice.

[33:31] >> it will be ten years in march. >> brilliant.

[33:36] >> and that will be a great home for some of it.

[33:38] >> oh, man. I' m telling you, that would be wonderful.

[33:42] >> we just need to find a place to store it until you are

[33:45] ready to open. >> a

[33:44] great concept. That' s wonderful. >> good deal.

[33:48] >> any other questions? >> that is correct.

[33:51] >> anybody? You go, mr. Noha.

[33:52] >> thank you. It is a beautiful building. I' m

[33:57] building a cabin right now and it is completely out of

[34:00] wood. >> yeah.

[34:03] >> so I think it is going to be a

[34:07] great addition to district one. >> I' m proud that it is.

[34:10] >> claiming ownership. Anyway, commissioner

[34:13] hodge. >> thank you, chairman. I just want to acknowledge how

[34:18] thoughtful this design is. Me, especially in a day and

[34:23] me, especially in a day and time where literacy is so

[34:27] important and we are seeing libraries that are closing nationwide, and

[34:33] for us to take on a project like this, this is extremely

[34:37] thoughtful, how it serves the entire community. It is meeting modern needs in

[34:42] a space such as this, it is making a library so much more

[34:47] relevant than what it has been in the past because, you know,

[34:50] times have changed so much. So this is -- I' m so

[34:54] impressed with this. I have been impressed with the library services in general,

[34:58] but this is just really impressive. >> this is

[35:01] your visionary. >> yes. >> I' m just holding the

[35:04] pencil. >> yes, I' m aware. This is impressive.

[35:08] >> outdoor space and how we' re doing that to

[35:11] save money -- >> oh, yeah. Fair enough.

[35:11] so the budget was actually established a little over

[35:16] two years ago, maybe getting close to three years. So at the time that

[35:21] we originally did our first design for the building it was a

[35:24] bit larger than what it is right now because e inflation has

[35:28] slowly shrunk the building a little bit. Interior spaces cost on

[35:33] the order of about $500 a square foot to build

[35:37] as well. But outdoor spaces even if they' re done very well are

[35:41] maybe $100 a square foot. That' s one of the reasons

[35:44] that you see these interrelationship of indoor and outdoor space.

[35:47] our outdoor spaces in savannah are probably usable around

[35:51] 300 days a year, and this is a way we can stretch the dollars

[35:55] and also leverage up the experience. People love it.

[35:57] the image of a live oak tree and a child sitting underneath

[36:01] of it book has been a great

[36:05] book has been a great inspiration to us. >> commissioner, yes, sir.

[36:10] sounds like a great collaborative effort but, honestly, I have never known

[36:18] mr. Shea to do anything halfway. Thank y' all for your efforts.

[36:23] the other question, is this the location that the movie theater used to

[36:26] be at? >> yes. >> that' s where it is going to

[36:26] sit, right there? >> it is not sitting on

[36:28] exactly the site where the movie theater was, but it is on the same

[36:32] piece of property. >> okay.

[36:33] >> actually, this is sort of sitting in the middle

[36:37] of what right now is a giant asphalt parking lot.

[36:38] >> right. >> so the building is going

[36:41] to replace some of the parking spaces. >> good.

[36:42] >> they' re way over parked. >> yeah.

[36:44] >> you still will be over parked considerably once the

[36:48] building is there and a leave over on the order of about 100

[36:51] parking spaces if the county decides to develop the remainder of the

[36:55] property. >> excellent. I promise y' all don't want

[36:57] any of my artwork. >> it is right next to -- it is

[37:00] right next to the national guard armory. That' s where the

[37:04] property is. >> yes. >> anybody else?

[37:03] all right. You know we will be having two

[37:05] you know we will be having two town

[37:10] halls. So one will be for the public so

[37:14] that they will be able to discuss and give their

[37:18] feedback on the design. We are displaying some of the

[37:22] design at the oglethorpe mall location starting on monday.

[37:25] if people cannot attend one of the town halls they will be able

[37:29] to write down whatever feedback or input they want to share.

[37:32] they will be having another meeting with the vendors of

[37:35] that strip mall because we want to assure them that the coming

[37:39] of this library is going to be a benefit to them and not a

[37:42] detriment. So we will be holding that town hall as

[37:43] well. >> okay. Anything else?

[37:48] yes. Go ahead, commissioner. >> absolutely beautiful.

[37:51] >> thank you.

[37:54] >> I' m just curious. How many square

[37:58] feet will be under roof, heated and cooled?

[38:01] >> 17,000. >> wow. Nice.

[38:04] >> 17,000 and about another 4,000 of outdoor space.

[38:07] we will be a little over 20,000 square feet, just not all under

[38:12] roof. >> do you know by chance when we built the one at savannah

[38:17] mall, how many square feet was in that, do you remember?

[38:18] >> I don' t recall when that I know the building quite well.

[38:22] I know the building quite well. It is much smaller than this. It

[38:27] is not? >> oglethorpe mall branch is

[38:27] there now. >> about 7,000. >> okay.

[38:31] wonderful. This will be massive then. >> yes, this will be a game

[38:36] changer. >> very nice. >> yeah.

[38:35] >> thank y' all. >> thank

[38:36] you. Thank you.

[38:40] thank you. >> commissioner milton I' m

[38:43] like, I' m waiting on it to come out of the ground.

[38:45] >> I' m waiting every day, I promise you.

[38:47] >> I' m looking forward to it. Thank you so much.

[38:49] >> thank you. >> appreciate it.

[38:50] all right. We don' t have any chairman' s items on,

[38:58] commissioner items. The item will remain on the table, until

[39:02] will remain on the table, until the staff gets back to us with

[39:07] the reports we need from them. Action.

[39:18] action. Appointment of brittany sal li to the library

[39:22] board. Motion.

[39:25] motion. >> and second.

[39:31] >> motion and second that ms. Ms. Salley be appointed to

[39:35] the board. Please cast your vote. To request board approval

[39:38] of following amendments and transfer. One in general fund,

[39:43] a, transfer contingencies to park

[39:48] contingencies to park position.

[39:51] position.

[39:54] or development and prevention from blueprint grant contingency

[39:59] from blueprint grant contingency to chatham, savannah authority

[40:04] for the homeless, project hope water. C, appropriate funds, balance

[40:11] of $62,500, to increase the homeless, project hope

[40:16] the homeless, project hope water. D, transfer $46,240 from

[40:21] voter registration professional service to temporary employment

[40:24] salaries. Settlement fund.

[40:31] settlement fund. Increase revenue and expenditures, $179,552. Three,

[40:37] in the special service district fund, appropriate fund

[40:41] balance of $165,000 to increase fire department uniform.

[40:47] four, the capital improvement $248,000 from

[40:53] $248,000 from fire department vehicle project.

[41:00] fire department vehicle project. B, increase revenue and expenditures, $276,565 to

[41:06] establish the early childhood learning center project. Is there a

[41:10] motion? >> motion. >> second.

[41:09] >> properly motioned and seconded that the request be granted.

[41:13] ready for the question? Please cast your votes.

[41:15] >> reset. >> got

[41:20] to clear. Yeah, I got it. Now cast your votes.

[41:26] now cast your votes. Waiting on three.

[41:32] all right. The action calendar. May I have a motion to accept

[41:36] the action calendar in its entirety. Moved, chairman.

[41:39] >> properly motioned and seconded we accept the action

[41:43] calendar in its entirety. Any questions?

[41:48] hearing none, please cast your votes. Need to reset.

[41:51] okay. There are no first readers.

[41:58] okay. We go to second readers. Let me read it into

[42:02] the record and then we will have

[42:02] public r.

[42:08] r. Peterson, is proposing to rezone 8804 whitfield avenue

[42:11] from residential, one family residential and

[42:16] environment overlay to business

[42:26] limited environment overlay. Z-0426-000. 623.

[42:32] z-0426-000. 623. 02020.

[42:37] 02020. The mpc recommends scenario with alternative approval.

[42:42] district one, all right. Having read that, let me have

[42:46] a motion to open up the public hearing. >>

[42:47] motion. >> second. >> properly motioned

[42:49] and seconded that we open up the

[42:53] public hearing. Are you ready for the question? Please cast

[42:57] your votes. Okay. Is there anyone in the

[43:01] is there anyone in the audience who want to speak on this petition?

[43:06] is there anyone in the would want to speak on this

[43:08] would want to speak on this petition? Is there anyone in the

[43:13] audience petition?

[43:15] petition? Hearing none --

[43:17] >> should be closed. >> seeing

[43:19] none, motion? >> motion to close.

[43:21] >> second. >> properly motion and second that

[43:24] the public hearing be ready for the question? Please

[43:28] ready for the question? Please cast your votes.

[43:32] three. All right. Good. Now with that we will

[43:36] have the presentation from the mpc. No.

[43:39] do they need the -- >> no.

[43:44] >> all right, all right. So we understand.

[43:49] now, the motion -- let me have a motion and second.

[43:53] first we need to recommend the denial, right?

[43:58] >> no. >> and then --

[44:01] yeah, right. >> -- >> okay.

[44:04] >> what

[44:10] you really want to do is you a motion to approve the new

[44:15] a motion to approve the new zoning, which is pud and

[44:19] eo, which is environmental -- >> okay. You got it?

[44:20] all right. Do a motion. >> being it is in

[44:23] my district. >> yes. >> I have had no input from

[44:29] the public on this. This for some time and been good

[44:34] this for some time and been good

[44:38] neighbors, and I hope that

[44:41] they continue that trajectory.

[44:45] I will make a motion that we environmental overlay for this

[44:49] environmental overlay for this piece of property at 8804 whitfield avenue.

[44:54] >> second. >> all right.

[44:56] properly motioned and second that we approve. Is that -- did he cover

[45:01] it all? >> now you got a question about

[45:00] >> now you got a question about

[45:05] it? Actually in the agenda items and

[45:09] actually in the agenda items and it is listed as staff' s recommendation.

[45:14] >> as staff recommend, yes. >> okay.

[45:17] >> all right so that' s added too.

[45:23] now any -- got the motion, got the second. Please cast your votes.

[45:28] all right. Thank you, sir.

[45:29] thank you, sir. Made it easy.

[45:32] >> good job. >> with that we come to

[45:36] you, mr. Manager. >> I don' t have any

[45:40] additional information items other than what we' ve discussed in

[45:44] pre- meeting, sir. >> all right. So having known that, there

[45:48] is a need for us to have an executive

[45:52] session. May I have a motion to do so. >> motion.

[45:53] >> second? >> to discuss --

[45:54] >> personnel. >> litigation, personnel and --

[45:56] >> and land acquisition. >> yeah, acquisition. All right.

[46:04] motion and second. Please cast your votes.