[0:00] Rome city commission meeting. Uh we
[0:03] begin every meeting with an invitation
[0:05] pledge to the flag and u I've got the
[0:08] honors of doing that tonight. So if
[0:10] you'll please stand.
[0:15] Gracious father, we come tonight, Lord,
[0:17] thanking you and and just praising you
[0:19] for all the many blessings that you've
[0:21] given us. You've given us uh our lives,
[0:23] our families, and uh just the people
[0:26] that mean a lot to us. But Lord, right
[0:29] now you've given us the city of Rome and
[0:31] um as we go make decisions tonight. Um
[0:36] let it be in your best interest, not
[0:38] ours. Let uh let us whatever we do, let
[0:41] it bring glory and honor to you. And
[0:43] God, I just ask that uh you'll watch
[0:45] over us. You'll uh take care of us. And
[0:49] uh Father, that uh
[0:52] you will be uh first and foremost in
[0:54] every one of our thoughts. Lord, we love
[0:56] you. We thank you. We praise you for all
[0:59] the wonderful things you've done in our
[1:01] lives. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
[1:04] >> Amen.
[1:06] >> I aliance to the flag of the United
[1:09] States of America and to the republic
[1:12] for it stands one nation under God
[1:16] indivisible with liberty and justice for
[1:19] all.
[1:32] Mr. Clerk, will you call the role, sir?
[1:33] >> Sir, Mayor Bojo,
[1:35] >> I'm here.
[1:36] >> Commissioner Robinson
[1:37] >> here.
[1:37] >> Brock here. Cochran
[1:39] >> here.
[1:40] >> Bean
[1:40] >> here.
[1:41] >> Fisher
[1:42] >> here.
[1:42] >> Hixon
[1:43] >> here.
[1:43] >> McDaniel
[1:44] >> here.
[1:45] >> Uh, would you let the record show that
[1:47] uh, Commissioner Collins has been
[1:49] excused from tonight's meeting?
[1:53] We'll look at the approval of the
[1:56] minutes. Let's go back to the July 27th,
[2:00] 2026 meeting. Did everyone get a copy of
[2:03] those minutes?
[2:06] Everybody um good with them?
[2:10] All right. August 10th, 2026. That was a
[2:13] call meeting.
[2:16] Any changes need to be made,
[2:18] corrections?
[2:20] Then our uh evening meeting on August
[2:22] the 10th.
[2:24] Everybody good?
[2:27] Then uh all three of these meetings we
[2:29] the uh minutes stand approved as they
[2:32] are written. We have no proclamations.
[2:35] We have got uh no special rec
[2:37] recognition tonight. Uh public comments,
[2:40] there are none resolutions.
[2:43] Um we've got one about the South Broad
[2:45] Street Bridge repair. We heard about
[2:48] this in caucus. Um Mr. Manager, you want
[2:51] to take the 30 seconds?
[2:52] >> Certainly. Thank you, mayor. And
[2:53] briefly, we're talking about the South
[2:55] Broadidge, the Charles Graves Bridge,
[2:57] and what we have here. Um due to the
[3:00] repairs that need to be made, we've tried to cover all bases. We've
[3:03] asked Georgia DOT for funding to help us
[3:06] with a replacement of the bridge. We've
[3:08] applied for funds through the
[3:09] Appalachian Regional Commission, and
[3:10] we've also, as before tonight, we have
[3:13] an application for the Georgia
[3:14] Transportation Infrastructure Bank. So,
[3:17] this is a two-part. One part would be a
[3:19] $1 million grant and the other would be
[3:22] a $1 million loan. And so, by by us
[3:25] approving the resolution tonight, it
[3:27] simply gets us in a place that should we
[3:29] choose to go after these funds, we'll be
[3:31] able to do that. But tonight is
[3:33] certainly not a commitment or not us
[3:35] taking on a loan at this time. It's just
[3:38] um covering the bases should we need to
[3:40] do so at a later time.
[3:42] >> And if I remember correctly, the loan is
[3:44] a very low interest loan. That is
[3:46] correct.
[3:48] [clears throat and cough]
[3:48] >> Thank you, sir. Uh, we have nothing on
[3:51] first reading, nothing on second
[3:52] reading.
[3:53] >> We do need we do need approval for that,
[3:54] mayor. Sorry,
[3:58] >> we do we do need a vote for that. Yes,
[3:59] sir. Sorry.
[4:00] >> Okay. Um, and we All right. I'll open
[4:04] this for the panel to discuss. Anybody
[4:07] got any questions or comments?
[4:10] Does this automatically mean that we
[4:12] approve the loan or does the loan come
[4:14] back to us for separate approval?
[4:16] >> No, we would we would come back to the
[4:18] body before there's a lot of decisions
[4:20] to be made and so this is just us trying
[4:21] to get all of the bases covered so that
[4:23] once we find out is there going to be
[4:26] other funding sources available but
[4:28] >> yeah we will definitely bring back final
[4:30] decisions.
[4:31] >> All right, I do need a motion to a
[4:34] motion to adopt this.
[4:36] >> So move second. All right,
[4:40] we got a motion in in the second. Um, is
[4:44] there any more discussion?
[4:48] » All right, Mr. Cler, call.
[4:49] >> Commissioner Robinson,
[4:50] >> yes.
[4:51] >> Brock,
[4:52] >> yes.
[4:52] >> Cochran,
[4:53] >> yes.
[4:54] >> Beman,
[4:54] >> yes.
[4:55] >> Fisher,
[4:55] >> yes.
[4:56] >> Hixon,
[4:57] >> yes.
[4:57] >> McDaniel,
[4:58] >> yes.
[4:59] >> Sorry, I thought when that came from
[5:02] the IRC that they would
[5:05] >> do all that. Anyway, we have nothing on
[5:07] first reading, nothing on second
[5:08] reading, nothing continued on first
[5:10] reading, but we do have some items on uh
[5:13] public hearing.
[5:16] >> Good evening, Mr. Mayor.
[5:18] >> Good evening.
[5:21] Our first item for you this evening is
[5:22] special use permit request 26-08-02.
[5:26] The request is for multif family
[5:28] residential being zoned community
[5:30] commercial for the properties at 10
[5:31] highway 411 and zero highway 411 Rome
[5:35] Georgia 30161 Floyd County tax parcels
[5:37] J15W441
[5:39] and J15W440. [snorts]
[5:42] Uh the two properties are right here on
[5:44] your screen. It is the former Winthrop
[5:47] and then this wooded partial parking lot
[5:49] here to the side of it. Uh this is the
[5:52] former, as I said, the former Winthre
[5:54] nursing home. Uh it has been closed for
[5:55] some time after it had a fire.
[5:59] We have approved a couple other special
[6:01] use permits of this nature in the area.
[6:03] Um most notably the former Holiday in
[6:06] Skytop. Um one of the things staff
[6:09] looked at and and reviewing this is how
[6:12] would this fit into the new code? Will
[6:14] the CC zoning district is going away? it
[6:16] will no longer exist and uh the current
[6:19] special use permit is only valid in the
[6:21] or the requested special use permit is
[6:23] only valid in CC. Therefore, anyone that
[6:26] has one in that district, it will become
[6:27] null. Uh therefore, staff had concerns
[6:30] about potentially giving them a special
[6:31] use permit uh only for it to potentially
[6:33] become void in six months from now. Um
[6:38] the request is for quote unquote micro
[6:41] apartments, though there is a mix of
[6:42] others size apartments as well.
[6:46] uh staff has been looking and
[6:47] researching, you know, the best
[6:49] practices for micro apartments. They
[6:50] tend to do best when you have a
[6:53] university nearby as they work great for
[6:55] uh student housing or in your most
[6:57] urbanized downtown districts where a lot
[6:59] of times you price out your young
[7:00] professionals. Uh this would fit neither
[7:03] of those categories. These are pictures
[7:06] looking in from the highway.
[7:12] The staff did recommend denial without
[7:13] prejudice. The applicants have multiple
[7:15] uh ideas for things they want to do with
[7:17] this property and we didn't want to
[7:18] potentially uh keep them from applying
[7:21] for something else at a future date. Uh
[7:23] some of their ideas are pretty
[7:24] interesting.
[7:26] So therefore the staff recommendation is
[7:28] deny without prejudice. This is one of
[7:29] the other ones that was previously
[7:30] approved. It's I believe it's currently
[7:32] sitting vacant under renovation.
[7:34] Uh that is the other one that was
[7:37] approved. Those are up uh the dead end
[7:40] street across Chateau. And that is a
[7:43] image of the uh former holiday in
[7:45] skytop. Planning commission chose to
[7:47] deny without prejudice by unanimous
[7:49] vote. Thank you, sir.
[7:52] >> All right, I will open the public
[7:53] hearing. Is there anyone here to speak
[7:55] in favor of this? Okay, just a minute.
[7:58] Is there anyone here to speak in
[8:00] opposition?
[8:03] All right, sir. If you'll step to the
[8:04] microphone, give us your name, your
[8:06] address, and you have up to 10 minutes.
[8:09] >> Sure. Thank you. Uh thank you, sir. Uh
[8:11] my name is Jared Wilbanks. My address is
[8:13] 1735 Rose Hedge Drive. That is a
[8:15] Kennesal address. Uh so I'm here
[8:17] representing the uh current owners of
[8:20] this property and uh as uh Bryce
[8:22] mentioned, we are looking for a special
[8:23] use permit to allow multif family
[8:25] housing. As a little bit of history, the
[8:28] previous owner of this property operated
[8:30] as independent living and leased the
[8:32] rooms as multif family. After the fire
[8:34] that was mentioned, the uh the city
[8:36] became involved to help with the
[8:37] restoration, understanding what we need
[8:39] for power restoration and other items to that degree. And we had a letter uh
[8:43] previously from the city that we
[8:45] believed covered the use of the property
[8:47] as a multif family uh property. It turns
[8:49] out that that uh letter did not state
[8:51] exactly what was required and and the
[8:53] intent uh behind it after doing a little
[8:54] bit of digging was different. So, we are
[8:56] here before you today asking for that
[8:58] special use so that we can begin using
[8:59] that property again as it was
[9:01] previously. Um the new owners of the
[9:03] property have elected to hold it down
[9:05] until we get the zoning sorted out
[9:06] rather than try and start the business
[9:07] back up. Um listening to the planning
[9:11] commission's main concerns around the
[9:13] change of the uh uldc and the um
[9:17] exclusion of micro units. Uh it was
[9:20] mentioned that the current property has
[9:22] a majority of micro units roughly 64%
[9:24] but there is a mix of twos and threes
[9:26] included. Uh, and the main uh, intent
[9:29] tonight that I would be looking for is
[9:30] an understanding or perhaps a discussion
[9:32] of what you all might want as far as
[9:34] zoning stipulations go that would allow
[9:36] us to get to an approval on the special
[9:38] use permit. The owner is willing to move
[9:40] away from the micro units. We can
[9:41] combine units. We can increase square
[9:42] footage and we can get away from that micro unit uh, uh, limit that's
[9:46] going to be set in the new code. Um, I
[9:49] believe the CC community commercial uh,
[9:51] zoning district is going away. So, I
[9:52] hear there's some concerns about
[9:53] granting the special use. It's my
[9:55] understanding that if granted, it would
[9:57] become legal non-conforming, so we could
[9:59] still continue to use it. Uh, I would
[10:01] also offer that if that zoning district
[10:02] goes away, regardless of the use that we
[10:04] move forward with, we might still have
[10:06] to think about coming back and and
[10:08] revisiting this because the zoning
[10:09] district would change. So, I don't want
[10:10] that to be an unnecessary burden to the
[10:13] special use. Um, but with that, the uh
[10:15] the property has changed hands since the
[10:17] fire incident. The new owners are also
[10:19] in control of 21 and 23 Chateau Drive.
[10:22] the pictures that we saw, I can confirm
[10:24] that 21 Chateau Drive has a new roof.
[10:26] The top floor is currently getting new
[10:28] floor, new paint, new fixtures, uh as
[10:30] far as FFN goes, new furniture and
[10:32] appliances. Uh 23 Chateau Drive had some
[10:35] uh facelifts as well, and we currently
[10:37] only have three or four units there.
[10:39] They're unleashed. So, that property is
[10:40] becoming full. And after we get done
[10:42] with the the work and the cleanup at 21
[10:44] Chatau Drive, there'll be a lease up
[10:45] effort there. So, the new owners are
[10:47] definitely committed to investing the
[10:49] capital back into these properties to
[10:51] make them successful so that they are
[10:53] something that will be beneficial to the
[10:54] city. Um, so at a high level, that's kind of what we're here asking
[10:57] for. So, I really would like to
[10:59] entertain what you all might like to see
[11:00] as far as stipulations to the special
[11:02] use permit that would perhaps allow us a
[11:04] uh a vote in favor.
[11:07] >> Thank you, sir.
[11:10] Anyone else?
[11:12] All right, I will close the public
[11:13] hearing and ask does anyone up here on
[11:17] the panel have any questions or
[11:20] concerns?
[11:21] >> I got a question. Um, if if it were to
[11:24] be approved, then that would open it up
[11:26] to be used.
[11:29] You don't have a specific purpose for it
[11:32] yet. Is that correct?
[11:33] >> So, the the current zoning is community
[11:35] commercial and we are looking for a
[11:37] special use permit to allow multif
[11:38] family housing which would allow us to
[11:39] do leases. Uh we would also like to
[11:42] retain the commercial use. We're
[11:43] currently working through what a fast
[11:46] casual or food service restaurant might
[11:47] look like. There is a kitchen space
[11:49] there. It's been completely
[11:50] decommissioned. That was part of one of
[11:52] the requirements that the city had. We
[11:54] either had to take the old kitchen and
[11:55] get it fully up to operating standards
[11:58] or decommission it. Because of the
[11:59] questioned future use of the building
[12:01] and not wanting to go through the
[12:03] effort, we went ahead and decommissioned
[12:04] it so the city didn't have to inspect
[12:05] it. The health department didn't have to
[12:06] get involved and worry about it. Um but
[12:08] yes, we would like to look at a a mixed
[12:10] development that could also include some
[12:12] type of food service. Uh we're
[12:14] entertaining some some third parties
[12:16] that could come into a pad site for us
[12:17] there.
[12:18] >> So wouldn't it be better to have the use
[12:21] before we go for a zoning
[12:23] before we go for a [clears throat]
[12:25] special use permit and know what the use
[12:27] is?
[12:28] >> Uh so the we're still in discussions
[12:31] with the potential pad site and until
[12:32] those progress further, we can't say for
[12:34] sure if that's going to be something
[12:36] that we're going to end up being able to
[12:37] do. Um, but because of the nature of the
[12:40] building as it sits, the special use for
[12:42] multif family is going to be the primary
[12:43] use. Falling back on the commercial
[12:45] zoning, that would also allow the pad
[12:46] site to kind of best use the property as
[12:48] it in its entirety.
[12:50] >> When the fire happened, that was a it
[12:52] was used as a retirement type home. Is
[12:54] that right?
[12:54] >> So, it was previously an assisted
[12:56] living. When it was sold in 2023, it
[12:59] went away from assisted living and
[13:00] became an independent living that was
[13:02] leased as multif family. So folks who
[13:04] lived independently um and then you know
[13:06] had an annual lease much like an
[13:07] apartment those age restricted
[13:08] apartments if you will.
[13:09] >> Thank you.
[13:13] » So I do I have a question for you. So
[13:15] help me. The micro apartments are they
[13:17] simply you say you have some already on.
[13:20] >> So the the building was originally built
[13:22] as a hotel and then it was converted to
[13:24] an assisted living facility and the top
[13:27] floor was independent living. So, a lot
[13:29] of the I'll call them bays, what were
[13:31] the former hotel rooms were combined.
[13:33] So, you had a a two-bedroom, a
[13:35] onebedroom, and then a two-bedroom unit,
[13:36] but it was a combination of the existing
[13:39] bays that were the hotel rooms. So, we
[13:41] currently have a mix of studios, which
[13:43] would fall under the micro
[13:44] classification. One bedrooms, which
[13:45] would be above, and two bedrooms, which
[13:47] would be above. And what I would be
[13:48] proposing is uh to move be able to move
[13:50] forward with the special use. We would
[13:52] move away from the micro apartments for
[13:54] anything that would fall into the
[13:55] special use so that we that way we don't
[13:57] kind of fall into that concern that the planning commission had.
[14:00] >> So would it be all inclusive like say
[14:02] for instance the water the total
[14:04] electric all the bills would be included
[14:06] in the lease?
[14:07] >> Yes, that is correct. the uh the units
[14:10] are not submetered and that much follows
[14:12] the model at 21 and 23 Chateau Drive
[14:14] where power, water, cable and internet
[14:16] are included in the rent. So it does
[14:18] certainly help uh folks who have to to
[14:20] work work with a little bit of a tighter
[14:22] budget or on a fixed income because they
[14:23] have a very consistent monthly payment
[14:25] that takes care of a lot of things. Uh
[14:27] really they just have groceries and
[14:28] other amenity or ancillary items to pay
[14:30] after that. We find that's very
[14:31] beneficial.
[14:32] >> So how many units do you you propose if
[14:34] you were able to do this? So there is
[14:36] currently 87 units, 56 of which are
[14:40] studios, 29 are onebedrooms, and two are
[14:44] twobedrooms.
[14:46] And I would have to rework my numbers
[14:49] here to give you an exact number, but we
[14:51] would be willing to move away from the
[14:53] micro units altogether. So it would
[14:55] effectively be combining all of the
[14:56] micro units for anything that would be
[14:58] uh leased as multif family.
[15:01] So they would all go to uh to one
[15:03] bedrooms. And if there was demand for
[15:04] two bedrooms, it's it's easy enough to add those on.
[15:11] » What does a micro unit consist?
[15:13] >> So, a micro unit would effectively be a
[15:15] studio apartment. So, kind of a
[15:17] one-bedroom apartment where you have a a
[15:19] bed and sitting area with a small table,
[15:22] a kitchenet, and then a separate
[15:23] bathroom.
[15:26] >> What kind of rent we looking at in these
[15:27] units? Uh right now the micro unit size
[15:32] units are going for just under $1,000 a
[15:35] month. You do not double that value when
[15:37] you go to a two or threebedroom. It
[15:39] would likely be 12 to $1,300 a month for
[15:41] a for a onebedroom.
[15:44] >> Anyone to my right?
[15:49] » I got a question.
[15:51] [clears throat] We've heard u badly
[15:54] needed and desperately needed used as
[15:57] terms for hotels. Did y'all consider a
[15:59] hotel?
[16:00] >> The hotel use is something that falls
[16:03] under the current zoning. Uh and we
[16:06] would have to go work with the county,
[16:07] get the tourist accommodation uh permit
[16:10] and and work through that getting to a
[16:12] hotel. because of the the unit mix that
[16:14] is there and because of the background
[16:16] and expertise of the current owners,
[16:18] they are in favor of multif family,
[16:20] their multif family, their condos and
[16:21] their their restaurants. Um hotel motel
[16:24] use is something that is certainly uh on
[16:26] the table and we would consider
[16:27] considering the zoning is already
[16:28] commercial. Um the first use and ideal
[16:31] use for the owners would be for the
[16:32] special use and go multif family
[16:35] >> and y'all have taken two hotels and made
[16:38] them. So, I worked under contract for
[16:42] the previous owner of several of these
[16:44] properties. Uh, he is no longer the
[16:46] owner of those properties and he and I
[16:48] are no longer working together. I do,
[16:49] however, have the perhaps the history of
[16:51] it and that's why the current owner
[16:52] asked me to to stay on. I'm also
[16:53] somewhat local to the area. Um, I
[16:56] converted the one at 23 Chateau Drive
[16:58] and I'm pretty proud of the the way it
[16:59] came out. I think it looks really nice.
[17:00] I invite you all to come by and take a
[17:02] look at any points.
[17:03] >> I was by there today. That's the one
[17:04] that's occupied. Is that right?
[17:05] >> That's correct.
[17:06] >> And 21 is one that's unoccupied.
[17:08] >> I'm sorry. 21 is the one that's
[17:09] unoccupied.
[17:10] >> 21 is unoccupied. It needed uh a fair
[17:13] amount of recapitalization. There was a
[17:15] decent amount of uh deferred maintenance
[17:17] and such that caught up with the
[17:19] building. So once it changed hands, new
[17:20] owners realizes the recapitalization
[17:22] needed elected to shut it down and make
[17:24] it right so that way you can just lease
[17:25] up as it needs to.
[17:27] >> And between those two, how many units
[17:28] was that?
[17:29] >> Uh 23 Chateau Drive is 64. 21 Chateau
[17:32] Drive is 75. And were y'all aware of the
[17:35] desperate need for hotels in this area
[17:37] when you converted them?
[17:39] >> Uh, at the time that was not part and
[17:43] parcel to what my task was. I was mainly
[17:46] working on the construction renovation
[17:47] side. So I was not yet in the area. I
[17:49] moved back from Louisiana to work on
[17:51] these projects. Um, so I I was not
[17:52] involved with that decision. Um, I have
[17:54] since heard that hotels are uh something
[17:58] that are in in demand and needed. Um,
[18:01] the concern specifically with the
[18:03] Winthrop in [cough] a hotel is the
[18:05] decision whether or not you'd go flagged
[18:06] or unfl flagged and then what it would
[18:07] take to get a flag and then the PIP
[18:10] program that would need to go back into
[18:11] it uh which would represent significant
[18:13] investment. The current owners are
[18:15] prepared and willing to make a
[18:17] significant investment into this
[18:18] property but again their their their
[18:21] main knowledge base is not in the hotel
[18:23] industry. They're they're more multif
[18:24] family and condos. They just don't know
[18:26] that business as well. [snorts]
[18:28] That was a very nice property when it
[18:30] was originally the hotel that Ramata in.
[18:33] It was a very nice property then.
[18:38] [clears throat]
[18:38] >> Anything else?
[18:39] I do have a concern because uh even with
[18:42] the micro apartments that that are being
[18:45] established in the area, you have a lot
[18:47] of um people that are moving into those
[18:51] apartments right now giving the areas a
[18:53] bad name because you don't have on-site
[18:55] management and a lot of um things are
[18:59] taking place in those in those
[19:02] reconstructed areas. So, how would if if
[19:05] this was approved, how would you
[19:07] maintain the upkeep and making sure that
[19:10] it's not turned into the opposite of
[19:11] what you proposed it to be?
[19:13] >> So, I I I can't speak to the skytop
[19:16] property. I can only speak to the other
[19:17] three and hopefully including Winthre.
[19:20] Uh the new owners of 2123 Chatau Drive
[19:24] and and Winthre uh just changed
[19:26] management companies. So, we've got a
[19:27] brand new management company in place.
[19:29] uh to your concerns about the types of
[19:31] folks who would potentially be living
[19:32] there. It includes background checks,
[19:34] credit checks and and you know thorough
[19:36] due diligence to uh to understand the
[19:38] tenants that are moving in before
[19:39] they're granted a lease. Um with that
[19:42] concern, I would say with a hotel motel
[19:44] use, you don't have a background check
[19:46] and really you just need a credit card
[19:47] and ID to check in. So you've got less
[19:49] control over who is staying with you in
[19:51] a hotel motel case than you do with a
[19:53] multif family case because the
[19:55] management company's going to run the
[19:56] background checks and the credit checks
[19:57] and have a better idea of the tenants
[19:58] and the folks who are living there.
[20:00] >> So the skytop offered amenities like a
[20:03] pool playground area that area what
[20:05] amenities would be offered.
[20:07] >> So at Winthrop there is not currently a
[20:09] pool and there would be no plans to add
[20:10] a pool but there is a lot of square
[20:12] footage there already. Uh there's a
[20:14] chapel, there's an existing dining area,
[20:16] there's a kitchen, like I said, that can
[20:18] be reestablished. Um pure amenities.
[20:21] There's there's already laundry. There
[20:23] was formerly a salon there. We've got a
[20:25] lot of space that we would clean up. We
[20:27] would really look to bring in third
[20:28] parties who are experts in those areas.
[20:31] And uh because of the commercial zone
[20:32] and currently be able to attract other
[20:34] businesses to come in and provide
[20:36] additional amenities. But the base
[20:37] amenities would be common meeting spaces
[20:39] would be the chapel. Um, and then again,
[20:41] highspeed internet and and cable would
[20:43] also be included in the rents.
[20:47] » Would any of those commercial spaces be
[20:49] allowed to have coin operated amusement
[20:51] machines?
[20:52] >> That is not something that has been
[20:54] considered at this point. And if it's
[20:56] the the desire of this group here to
[20:58] exclude those, we'd be happy to have a
[21:00] stipulation against.
[21:02] >> Thank you.
[21:05] >> All right. If [clears throat] there's no
[21:06] more questions or whatever, uh, Mr.
[21:09] clerk. Will you call the role?
[21:12] >> Have a motion.
[21:13] >> I don't have a motion. All that talk. I
[21:16] need a motion.
[21:23] » Okay. We have no motion to approve.
[21:26] >> May I ask some questions of Bryce,
[21:27] please, before somebody throws out a
[21:29] motion?
[21:29] >> Sir,
[21:31] >> in the new ULDC,
[21:33] >> remind me of our concerns about micro
[21:35] apartments.
[21:37] We have seen so many requests from some
[21:39] of our more older, typically blighted
[21:43] hotels that we put restrictions on where
[21:44] those can potentially be. What we've
[21:47] seen when people call and request that,
[21:49] they'll typically be willing to throw up
[21:51] some paint but not really make any
[21:53] upgrades to the building. Uh so the the
[21:56] response we've seen thus far has been
[21:57] remarkably underwhelming. As a matter of
[21:59] fact, we've had several people ask, can
[22:00] I put another floor on this one-story
[22:02] hotel and add 20 more units? Um,
[22:07] I mean, it's essentially buildings that
[22:08] have probably
[22:11] lived their useful life based on
[22:12] deferred maintenance in many cases. Um,
[22:16] I would say that it it seems that when
[22:19] there's not a desire to bring the
[22:22] property back to the level to get a
[22:25] reputable flag,
[22:27] you look for another option.
[22:30] >> That's fair. That seems fair.
[22:33] If if I could, Bryce, the discussion at
[22:36] planning commission
[22:38] uh with it being a 100 vote,
[22:41] [clears throat] what
[22:43] if if you could share with us what was
[22:44] the primary negative thinking of the
[22:47] planning commission?
[22:49] >> Uh mostly that it's uh it's almost
[22:51] giving someone false hope. If you give
[22:52] them a special use permit and it's
[22:54] worthless in six months, it seems
[22:56] underhanded.
[23:01] » So this is
[23:03] It was denied without prejudice.
[23:04] >> It was. Yes, sir.
[23:06] >> I've spoken with the owners. They have a
[23:07] couple other ideas that I'd like for
[23:09] them to be able to pursue. Therefore, I
[23:10] don't want a 12-month waiting period
[23:12] before they can come back.
[23:14] >> In your opinion, what what would work?
[23:20] » I mean, well, the denial for him to come
[23:24] back, you know, with um another design
[23:28] or uh more paperwork. So, in saying
[23:31] that, I've spoken with the owners and
[23:33] they've shared some of their ideas which
[23:34] I've agreed to keep quiet. Uh, but they
[23:37] have a couple other ideas that might
[23:38] also either require a resoning or a
[23:40] special use permit and I'd like them to
[23:41] have that opportunity to pursue.
[23:45] » I'll make a motion to deny
[23:47] >> and I second it.
[23:49] >> Got a motion to deny.
[23:51] >> Is this
[23:52] >> just to clarify with a second? I'm
[23:54] sorry.
[23:55] >> Without prejudice.
[23:58] >> Okay.
[24:01] I'd like to hear the other options
[24:04] at some point.
[24:06] >> So, we have a motion in a second to deny
[24:09] without prejudice. Um, Mr. C, call the
[24:12] role.
[24:13] >> Yes, sir. Commissioner Robinson.
[24:16] >> Uh, yes. Deny.
[24:18] >> Yes. Just deny. Brock.
[24:19] >> Yes.
[24:20] >> Cochran.
[24:21] >> Yes.
[24:22] >> Bam.
[24:23] >> Yes.
[24:23] >> Fisher.
[24:24] >> Yes.
[24:25] >> Hixon.
[24:26] >> Yes.
[24:28] >> McDaniel.
[24:28] >> Yes. See,
[24:34] our next case for you this evening.
[24:35] >> Just a minute, sir. If you'll just go
[24:37] back and bring us another plan.
[24:40] >> Our next item for you this evening is
[24:42] SUP 26-08-03
[24:44] with its request for special use permit
[24:46] for rooming and boarding house. Uh, the
[24:48] property is high density traditional
[24:50] residential. You guys recently resoned
[24:51] it from Light Industrial. The property
[24:53] is 304 East 19th Street, Rome, Georgia
[24:55] 30161, Floyd County Tax Parcel, J15X114.
[25:00] You see the property outline on your
[25:01] screen. Uh it has actually been a
[25:04] rooming and boarding house for quite
[25:05] some time. It's our understanding that
[25:07] the property has since changed
[25:08] ownership. As a matter of fact, the
[25:10] purpose listed on the application was to
[25:12] be able to sell it. Uh no one attended
[25:15] planning commission to speak in favor of
[25:17] it. Uh we have heard from multiple
[25:18] neighbors that there were issues
[25:20] associated with vicious animals fighting
[25:22] uh other 911 calls. Uh that actually
[25:25] came up at the reszoning request when
[25:27] that went for the planning commission.
[25:28] This map was before it was reszoned.
[25:30] We'd already made it.
[25:33] Uh typically with a rooming or boarding
[25:34] house, you have either some sort of
[25:37] caretaker who lives on site, either the
[25:39] property owner or some sort of on-site
[25:40] property management. That has not been
[25:42] the case here that we are aware of.
[25:44] Uh the house could use some work uh per
[25:47] the building inspection and code
[25:49] enforcement folks
[25:53] have the application itself.
[26:01] Some information where code enforcement
[26:03] visited.
[26:06] This is the house itself. The entire
[26:08] roughly the entire front yard has been
[26:09] paved to give it some parking.
[26:14] It's directly across the street
[26:22] and the front of the house. This does
[26:23] come with a staff recommendation of
[26:25] denial and unanimous vote of denial from
[26:27] the planning commission.
[26:30] All right, I'll open the public hearing.
[26:32] Is there anyone here to speak in favor?
[26:36] Is there anyone here to speak against?
[26:41] [clears throat] All right. Being none, I
[26:43] will close the public hearing. And I've
[26:44] got the first question.
[26:47] Is the house occupied right now?
[26:48] >> To my knowledge, it is.
[26:51] >> Okay.
[26:52] Do they have a license to do this?
[26:54] >> No.
[26:57] >> For several cars in the driveway today.
[27:00] >> Um, you mentioned the sale. This application was looks
[27:06] like 6926 and the property transfer
[27:09] 72826. So, it has sold,
[27:16] » but it's still being used as a boarding
[27:18] house
[27:19] >> as far as I know.
[27:20] >> Okay.
[27:22] [cough]
[27:23] >> Does the zoning application run with the
[27:25] owner or with the land?
[27:27] >> So, technically, you have to own the
[27:29] property to submit the application, but
[27:31] it's not unheard of for property to sell
[27:33] during the resoning process.
[27:35] [snorts]
[27:39] Is that something code enforcement can
[27:42] close
[27:45] or the ability to close?
[27:48] >> I'm not going to speak for them.
[27:50] >> You're not code enforcement. I'm not.
[27:51] I'm sorry.
[27:51] >> Yes.
[27:54] >> I make a motion to deny.
[27:57] >> A motion to deny.
[28:00] >> Second.
[28:01] >> A motion in a second. Any other
[28:03] discussion? [clears throat] Mr. Clerk,
[28:05] call the roll.
[28:06] >> Commissioner Robinson.
[28:07] >> Uh, yes. Brock,
[28:09] >> yes.
[28:10] >> Cochran,
[28:11] >> yes.
[28:11] >> Bean,
[28:12] >> yes.
[28:13] >> Fisher,
[28:13] >> yes.
[28:14] >> Hixon,
[28:15] >> yes.
[28:16] >> Daniel,
[28:16] >> yes.
[28:19] >> Mr. Manager, I'm going to ask you to
[28:20] deal with code enforcement in the
[28:22] morning.
[28:22] >> Absolutely.
[28:24] >> Our third item for you this evening is
[28:26] Z26-08-01.
[28:28] The request is to resone from Heavy
[28:29] Industrial to Office Institutional for
[28:31] the property at One Innovation Way,
[28:32] Rome, Georgia 30161. It's shown on your
[28:35] map here. Uh this was previously the
[28:37] test kitchen for the mill there. Uh the
[28:40] property is virtually worthless as heavy
[28:42] industrial. Uh the setbacks are actually
[28:44] bigger than the property are. Uh
[28:46] however, there is a very nice building
[28:47] on the property. Uh the applicant is
[28:50] proposing to convert that to office
[28:52] space.
[29:00] This is what it looks like from the
[29:01] street. This is in the Between the
[29:02] Rivers historic district.
[29:06] Let me You say it is in the historic
[29:08] district?
[29:09] >> It is. Yes, sir.
[29:13] » And this comes with a staff
[29:14] recommendation of approval. Thank you.
[29:19] >> All right. I'll open the public hearing.
[29:20] Is there anyone here to speak in favor?
[29:25] Okay. Is there anyone here to speak in
[29:27] opposition?
[29:28] All right. Sir, if you'll go to the
[29:30] podium, if you'll give us your name and
[29:31] your address, you will have up to 10
[29:33] minutes when you start speaking.
[29:36] >> Jason Free, 704 Grand View Road, Blue
[29:38] Ridge, Georgia. Uh, this is He's already
[29:42] said everything. It's heavy industrial
[29:43] downzoning on a dead end street. No
[29:46] residential properties around it. No one
[29:48] here speaking opposition. I won't waste
[29:50] your time. I'll save my time for
[29:51] rebuttal or questions if you have.
[29:56] >> Question. What's that gun be used for?
[29:57] real estate office.
[30:00] >> I I would assume, but yeah,
[30:03] >> let me close the public hearing and then
[30:04] you can ask your question.
[30:05] >> Oh, I'm sorry. Out of order.
[30:08] >> All right, I'll close the public hearing
[30:09] being there's no one to speak against
[30:11] it. And if anyone's got any questions,
[30:19] I'm going to recuse myself from voting.
[30:21] There are two tolls rent two tolls
[30:24] template right agents involved in it.
[30:27] Thank you.
[30:32] » If there's no other questions, Mr.
[30:33] Clerk, would you please call the role?
[30:35] >> Well, I need a motion.
[30:37] >> Make a motion to approve.
[30:39] >> Can I recuse myself as well?
[30:42] My office is next door to their office.
[30:45] So, I just want to make sure.
[30:55] No,
[30:57] >> no.
[31:00] Okay. Okay.
[31:03] >> Thank you.
[31:09] » I'm good.
[31:10] >> Okay.
[31:10] >> Motion.
[31:12] >> I need a motion. Cochran. Motion.
[31:16] >> Seconded it.
[31:18] >> All right. Would you call the role? Yes,
[31:19] sir.
[31:21] >> Commissioner Robinson.
[31:22] >> Yes.
[31:23] >> Brock. Yes.
[31:24] >> Cochran.
[31:25] >> Yes.
[31:25] >> Bean.
[31:26] >> Yes.
[31:27] >> Fisher.
[31:27] >> Yes.
[31:28] >> Hixon.
[31:29] >> Yes.
[31:32] » Thank you.
[31:33] Mr. Free.
[31:36] » And our last item for you this evening
[31:38] is Z26-08-04.
[31:40] Further request is to resone from office
[31:42] institutional to neighborhood office
[31:44] commercial [clears throat]
[31:44] for the property at 7 711 West 2nd
[31:48] Street Rome Georgia 30161 Floyd County
[31:51] tax parcel J13 Y067
[31:54] you see the property outline on your
[31:56] screen we're just up the block here you
[31:58] have the days in you have Aldi and you
[32:02] have the Hampton in over here
[32:04] gentleman's been living in the house
[32:05] it's my understanding he was seeking a
[32:07] permit to get put a deck on the back of
[32:09] it that's when it was discovered that
[32:10] it's currently zoned O and I.
[32:13] If you notice across the street here, we
[32:15] have reszoneed multiple houses so that
[32:17] they could transition back and forth
[32:18] from residential or office or light
[32:21] retail. Uh this has become a popular
[32:23] area during COVID. You had quite a few
[32:25] people who uh decided to take their
[32:28] office and move home for social
[32:30] distancing purposes. Uh so you're seeing
[32:32] more and more of these go back to
[32:34] residential.
[32:45] There's looking in from the road
[32:48] back down towards the library and the
[32:50] fire station
[32:52] further up the hill towards the days in
[32:54] you can kind of see on your left
[32:57] directly across the street that used to
[32:59] be a psychologist psychiatrist office
[33:01] some sort of shrink and looking down the
[33:04] driveway. This comes with staff
[33:05] recommendation of approval and unanimous
[33:08] approval from the plan.
[33:10] >> All right, I will open the public
[33:12] hearing. Is there anyone here that wants
[33:14] to speak in favor? Anyone to opposed?
[33:18] All right, sir. If you will go to the
[33:21] podium, give us your name, your address,
[33:24] and you will have up to 10 minutes.
[33:26] >> Um Claude Corbin. My address is 7-Eleven
[33:29] West Second Street. Actually, I've owned
[33:30] this house probably 30 years and always
[33:33] rented it out. As far as I know, it's
[33:36] always been res residential. Um, I never
[33:39] knew it wasn't um until I went to check
[33:42] on getting a permit. Um, I live in the
[33:44] house. I don't see any reason why it
[33:47] wouldn't be residential. And every house
[33:49] around it, I see you smiling at me
[33:51] [laughter]
[33:52] and and actually the house across the
[33:54] street that it was res even when the
[33:56] lady lived there, she was a shrink, she
[33:57] lived there, too. So, it was
[33:58] residential, but now they [snorts] just
[34:00] rented it out. It's completely resial.
[34:04] All right.
[34:06] And since there's no one to speak in
[34:10] opposition,
[34:12] I will close this part of the uh public
[34:14] hearing and I will need a motion.
[34:16] >> So move.
[34:17] >> Second.
[34:18] >> A motion and a second. Any discussion?
[34:24] » Mr. Clerk, if you will call the role.
[34:26] >> Sir. Commissioner Robinson.
[34:27] >> Yes.
[34:28] >> Rock.
[34:29] >> Yes.
[34:29] >> Cochran.
[34:30] >> Yes.
[34:31] >> Bean.
[34:31] >> Yes. Fisher,
[34:32] >> yes.
[34:33] >> Hixon,
[34:34] >> yes.
[34:34] >> McDaniel,
[34:35] >> yes.
[34:37] >> Thank you, sir.
[34:37] >> Thank you.
[34:40] >> Um, the next thing on our agenda is E is
[34:43] the Justice Assistant Grant resolution
[34:46] or the JAG res. Uh, Samuel, I'm going to
[34:48] turn that to you.
[34:49] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. What we have
[34:50] before you tonight is a simple
[34:52] resolution and what we are seeking is
[34:55] $26,59
[34:57] through the grant and those would be
[34:59] used to purchase 50 jersey type barriers
[35:03] and these are the lightweight barriers
[35:04] that you fill with water and you would
[35:06] use those to keep vehicular traffic
[35:09] separated from pedestrians. For example,
[35:11] if we were closing downtown uh for a
[35:14] fiddling fest or some type of block
[35:16] party, these are the um ways that those
[35:18] would get deployed. And um so great for
[35:20] public safety and again that amount is
[35:23] 26509. And so Mr. Mayor, we would need
[35:25] to open and conduct a public hearing and
[35:28] then we would need a motion to move
[35:29] forward.
[35:30] >> All right, I will uh Is there anyone
[35:32] here to speak in favor?
[35:36] » Yeah,
[35:37] >> we got one.
[35:38] Anybody in opposition? All
[35:41] right, I'll open the public hearing.
[35:42] Sir, if you'll step to the podium and
[35:45] tell us your name and address. Uh oh,
[35:47] your
[35:48] >> driver's license number and everything
[35:50] else.
[35:51] >> Ron police department.
[35:53] >> I'm the major over field operations
[35:54] currently.
[35:56] >> You're good.
[35:57] >> Okay. Um
[36:00] this is a grant that we put in for every
[36:02] year and we've been blessed to receive
[36:03] it and we use it for different things.
[36:06] Currently, like uh the city manager
[36:08] said, we want to use it to purchase the
[36:11] Jersey type barriers. Those are the
[36:13] polyethylene. They're like orange in
[36:15] color. I'm sure you've seen them, like
[36:17] Sammy said, for block parties, uh,
[36:20] parades, that kind of thing. And we have
[36:24] a current inventory of those, but
[36:26] they've gotten some age on them, and
[36:27] just from being tossed around and
[36:29] utilized, um, they've gotten it where
[36:31] they don't hold water anymore. So, this
[36:33] grant um, would help us purchase new
[36:37] barricades. As you all well know, one of
[36:39] the big concerns with public events
[36:41] where a lot of people are gathered
[36:42] nowadays is crowd safety. um I hearken
[36:46] back to a couple years ago that event
[36:47] that happened in New Orleans and then
[36:49] we've had a couple other things where
[36:51] vehicles have been involved and if we're
[36:53] having a block party or something like
[36:55] that and we don't fortify the area the
[36:56] best we can and we're open oursel up to
[37:00] some trouble when we don't want that. So
[37:03] um these barricades um also are used by
[37:05] the street department as well for
[37:07] different things um when we're not using
[37:09] them. But uh it's the uh jersey type
[37:12] barricades. It's the plugs that go in
[37:14] them to hold the water, the tools to
[37:16] tighten them and that kind of thing. And
[37:18] um Chris Jenkins at Public Works is nice
[37:21] enough to house us house these for us
[37:23] and help us transport them. And uh Chad
[37:26] over at Public Works as well.
[37:30] [snorts]
[37:30] >> Thank you.
[37:32] Since there's no one to speak in
[37:34] opposition, I will close the public
[37:36] hearing and I need a motion to approve.
[37:38] >> So moved. Second.
[37:40] >> Got a motion to second. Any discussion?
[37:44] Mr. Cler, call the roll, please.
[37:47] >> Commissioner Robinson,
[37:48] >> yes.
[37:48] >> Brock,
[37:49] >> yes.
[37:50] >> Cochran,
[37:50] >> yes.
[37:51] >> Bamman,
[37:51] >> yes.
[37:52] >> Fisher,
[37:53] >> yes.
[37:53] >> Hixon,
[37:54] >> yes.
[37:55] >> Daniel,
[37:55] >> yes.
[37:58] >> Uh, Mr. Clerk, do you have anything?
[38:00] >> No report. Mr. Mayor,
[38:02] >> Mr. Manager.
[38:03] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I would like to
[38:05] announce that the city of Rome
[38:06] administrative offices will be closed on
[38:08] Monday, September 7th in observance of
[38:10] the Labor Day holiday. For those
[38:12] interested, the Monday garbage, yard
[38:15] waste, and recycling services are all
[38:17] going to be pushed to Tuesday and then
[38:20] Tuesday's route will be pushed to
[38:22] Wednesday. No changes for Thursday,
[38:24] Friday. Our Walker Mountain Landfill
[38:27] will be closed on Labor Day. And Mr.
[38:29] Mayor, I would like to take a point just
[38:31] to to brag a little bit on our
[38:32] community. Most people know last week we
[38:34] had the Georgia Downtown Association uh
[38:37] show up in Rome and brought a pretty
[38:39] large turnout for a conference and it
[38:42] was a a great event and really proud of
[38:44] the community. A lot of thanks to a lot
[38:47] of folks that worked hard to make that a
[38:49] success. The forum looked amazing as
[38:51] always and we were able to to take some
[38:54] tours and to show off some of the things
[38:55] downtown that really makes Rome unique
[38:57] and so received a lot of positive
[39:00] feedback and I hope there was some
[39:01] positive economic impact go along with
[39:03] that but just wanted to brag on the
[39:04] staff that made that um possible. So
[39:06] thank you. That concludes my report.
[39:08] >> Right. Under my time water and sewer
[39:10] committee will meet Thursday, September
[39:12] 3rd, 9:00 in the Sam King room.
[39:15] Commissioner Robinson. Mayor, the only
[39:16] thing I have is the finance committee
[39:18] will meet Wednesday, August 26 at 10:30
[39:21] in the Sam King room. Anyone's invited?
[39:24] Oh, I have
[39:26] >> Mr. Brock.
[39:27] >> Uh, yes. September, first Friday will be
[39:30] held Friday, September 4th, in the 200
[39:34] block of Brawl Street. There's been a
[39:35] little confusion. Some stuff has been
[39:38] saying Town Green, but that has been
[39:39] moved to the 200 block of Brawl Street
[39:42] uh for guardians of the jukebox plan.
[39:44] So, always draw a big crowd. Downtown
[39:47] Development Authority will meet
[39:48] Thursday, September 10th at 8:30 in the
[39:50] Miller building. And I would also uh
[39:54] reiterate everything that Sammy just
[39:56] said about the uh GDA conference. All
[39:58] the feedback that I heard was was uh
[40:01] really good. People enjoyed being here.
[40:03] Uh and just want to really give Jell and
[40:06] the staff at the forum a shout out. Uh
[40:09] they were kind of the hub for everything
[40:11] going on. And uh it's it's nice that the city uh is in control of that
[40:19] facility. And uh when those doors are
[40:22] opening and closing, typically people
[40:24] are downtown spending money. So and uh
[40:27] good money, bad money, and neutral
[40:29] money. That's good money when it comes
[40:30] from outside the community. So we
[40:32] appreciate that. That's all I have.
[40:35] >> Thank you, Commissioner Cochran.
[40:36] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Tourism Commission
[40:38] will meet Wednesday, August 26th at
[40:41] 11:45 at the Civic Center. And that
[40:43] concludes my report. Thank you.
[40:44] >> Thank you, uh, Commissioner Bman.
[40:46] >> Um, thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just have an
[40:48] acknowledgement. You talk about how
[40:50] great our city is and how we have so
[40:51] many visitors. We also had a VIP here
[40:54] for this uh past uh Friday and Saturday.
[40:57] Mayor Elect Kesha Lance Bottoms and her
[40:59] team visited Rome and we got nothing but
[41:02] great things about our city, how nice,
[41:04] clean, and warming everybody was. So, I
[41:06] just want to give acknowledgement that
[41:08] there's no place like Rome for
[41:09] everybody. Thank you. That concludes my
[41:12] report.
[41:12] >> Commissioner Fischer,
[41:15] >> uh, public works, traffic, transit,
[41:17] trails committee will meet Wednesday,
[41:19] September 9th at 10:00 a.m. in the Sam
[41:21] King room. And I do have a couple things
[41:24] to present. The first is the Jackson
[41:27] Hill Trail Connection Project. They
[41:30] received four bids and the
[41:33] recommendation from the committee was
[41:35] for SH Creole contracting in the amount
[41:39] of $974,93
[41:43] to um
[41:46] complete or connect the Jackson Hill
[41:49] Trail. It will go under the bridge under
[41:51] Riverside
[41:53] and they'll start soon and hopefully be
[41:56] done by the end of the year. This is
[41:58] phase one. This is covered with splast
[42:01] funds.
[42:02] Um and then they'll start getting bids
[42:05] for phase two.
[42:09] » Are there any questions?
[42:11] Make a motion to approve.
[42:13] >> I second.
[42:15] >> We got a motion in a second. Any other
[42:16] discussion?
[42:17] >> I have some questions. Just out of
[42:19] curiosity, why aren't both phases being
[42:21] completed at the same time?
[42:23] >> Why are why are both phases not being
[42:25] completed at the same time?
[42:29] Go ahead.
[42:30] >> I'm sorry I couldn't hear you.
[42:32] >> Why are both Why are they doing the two
[42:34] phases at different times?
[42:35] >> You did talk about that, but I I was
[42:38] going to let Sammy answer.
[42:39] >> Sure. No, I I I don't think there's a
[42:41] wasn't a huge reason to to delay other
[42:44] than there was some initial idea of
[42:47] being able to cross closer um I guess
[42:50] closer up to tournament call. And so
[42:52] they're going to study that a little bit
[42:54] more. And um but phase two ultimately is thinking about contemplating a box
[42:58] culbert that'll come under Dogwood to
[43:00] keep you separated from the traffic. And
[43:02] so it'll you may recall if you're headed
[43:04] down Dogwood toward public works on the
[43:05] right we've got a gravel parking lot.
[43:07] >> And so I think the idea is to
[43:09] incorporate that as a bit of a trail
[43:10] head. And so there probably a little
[43:12] design to go in to to figure out what
[43:14] that's going to look like. But if we can
[43:15] get the main event done before this um
[43:18] rainy season gets here with that major
[43:20] phase, then we'll have connected the
[43:22] two. And so we'll just um that'll be a
[43:24] major major addition to our trail
[43:26] network. And so I don't I don't envision
[43:29] there's going to be a tough delay or a
[43:31] long delay for phase two, but we'll try
[43:33] to push that. But we we'd made a
[43:35] deliberate effort. I guess if we go back
[43:37] to last maybe it's last year's public
[43:39] works committee. Uh we were asked to try
[43:41] to push this as a splash project just to
[43:43] get some some progress and get it
[43:44] rolling. So I'm excited that we've
[43:46] gotten this part of the phase. And you
[43:49] said there's a bridge associated with
[43:50] this.
[43:52] >> It goes under the bridge.
[43:53] >> Yeah.
[43:54] >> The bridge on Yeah.
[43:55] >> And that's that's part of the
[43:57] engineering for going underdog. The main
[44:00] thing is avoid the the traffic coming
[44:02] in.
[44:03] >> Right. So what we're talking about is
[44:04] running this adjacent Burwell Creek. And
[44:07] so when you're on Riverside Parkway, you
[44:09] go by the Chick-fil-A container store,
[44:10] there's that lower parking lot. Burwell
[44:13] Creek is that um that's the creek we're
[44:15] talking about. out. And so if you're in
[44:16] Richberry Park and you're adjacent that
[44:18] parking lot, you will be able to go
[44:21] adjacent Burwell the existing Riverside
[44:23] Parkway bridge. There's a ledge under
[44:25] there. So the trail will go under and
[44:28] then we'll hug Riverside back around Tur
[44:30] call around the duck pond. And so a lot
[44:33] of folks that grew up here have got such
[44:35] great stories about being around the
[44:36] duck pond. So this will open some of it
[44:38] could be a good chance for us to get
[44:39] that area cleaned up and back into shape
[44:41] and for people to go over there. It's
[44:42] got great memories. So, it's going to be
[44:44] exciting, I think, for the community.
[44:45] >> Are we bringing the ducks back?
[44:47] >> I I have a feeling we're going to have
[44:48] ducks.
[44:50] >> No fun.
[44:52] >> Okay, we got a motion in a second. Any
[44:54] other discussion? Mr. Clerk, call the
[44:57] role, please.
[44:58] >> Commissioner [clears throat] Robinson,
[44:59] >> yes.
[45:00] >> Brock,
[45:00] >> yes.
[45:01] >> Cochran,
[45:02] >> yes.
[45:02] >> Bean,
[45:03] >> yes.
[45:03] >> Fisher,
[45:04] >> yes.
[45:06] >> McDaniel,
[45:07] >> yes.
[45:08] >> I do have uh something else to bring
[45:10] forward. I have two invoices for the
[45:13] recycling deficit for the second
[45:15] quarter. That's April through June. One
[45:17] is an invoice for the city of Rome and
[45:20] one is an invoice for the solid waste
[45:22] commission and they have the same amount
[45:24] of $15,716.87
[45:32] is less than the last quarter. That was
[45:35] good.
[45:36] >> Said it is less than the last quarter.
[45:37] >> Yeah, it is much less than last time.
[45:41] Um, I'll need a motion.
[45:43] >> So, move.
[45:45] >> We got a motion in a second. Any
[45:47] discussion?
[45:49] >> Question. Why was it less? I'm glad it
[45:51] is.
[45:54] >> Nobody gave a
[45:55] >> They accumulate certain things until
[45:57] they have enough for someone to haul it
[46:00] away. And so, in that, they probably
[46:02] were able to haul out aluminum cans or
[46:08] >> plastic one or two. They wait until they
[46:10] have a full load.
[46:11] >> Okay.
[46:12] >> Before they sell it.
[46:13] >> All right. Thank you.
[46:15] >> All that burn.
[46:15] >> All right. We got a motion in a second.
[46:17] >> If there's no discussion, Mr. Clerk,
[46:21] >> sir. Commissioner Robinson.
[46:23] >> Yes.
[46:24] >> Brock,
[46:24] >> yes.
[46:25] >> Cochran,
[46:26] >> yes.
[46:26] >> Bean,
[46:27] >> yes.
[46:27] >> Fisher,
[46:28] >> yes.
[46:29] >> Hixon,
[46:30] >> yes.
[46:30] >> Daniel,
[46:31] >> yes.
[46:36] » M. Uh, Commissioner Fischer, will you
[46:38] talk? Tell us again the date, time for
[46:40] the next meeting that everyone's invited
[46:43] to
[46:43] >> for um
[46:44] >> Well, you're invited to all the
[46:45] meetings, but this one,
[46:47] >> the um solid waste commission will meet
[46:51] September 29th, that's a Tuesday, at
[46:54] 8:30 in the morning at the recycling
[46:56] center. It's a little bit different than
[46:57] our quarterly meetings which we will
[46:59] still have in October, but this is just
[47:02] to tour the facility and meet and it's
[47:06] including the city and county
[47:08] commissioners. It's open to the public.
[47:10] >> All right. Thank you.
[47:11] >> That's right,
[47:13] >> Commissioner Hixon.
[47:15] Uh the only uh comment I have is the
[47:18] Rome Floyd County Planning Commission
[47:20] will meet Thursday, September the 3rd at
[47:23] 2:30 here in the commission chambers.
[47:26] That's it. Mr. Mayor,
[47:28] >> Commissioner Collins is not here, but he
[47:29] did not have any meeting announcements.
[47:33] So, Commissioner McDaniel.
[47:35] >> Uh thank you. The general administration
[47:37] committee will meet on Tuesday, August
[47:40] 25th at 11 a.m. in the Carnegie training
[47:42] room.
[47:44] Health Board will meet on Thursday,
[47:48] September the 10th at 12 PM at the Floyd
[47:52] County Health Department. That's all I
[47:54] have.
[47:55] >> Uh we have one person would like to
[47:57] speak on public make public comment on a
[48:00] non-aggenda items is Sammy Williams here
[48:03] with us. Sir, if you will
[48:05] >> step to the podium to give us your name
[48:07] and address
[48:09] >> and you will have three minutes.
[48:13] Sammy Williams603
[48:16] Crane Street Southwest Rome, Georgia
[48:19] 30161.
[48:21] Uh we got a little results on the crime
[48:24] we had in the area
[48:27] here lately, but it's going to get worse
[48:30] before we get better.
[48:32] We've got these all night parties going
[48:34] on and they are dangerous for the
[48:38] citizens and the police officers.
[48:42] You know, these parties, they got armed
[48:44] guards. And if you talk to some of the
[48:47] officers that ride by and look,
[48:50] they would tell you they've seen it. So,
[48:53] we got to keep the parts for the kids.
[48:57] Can't let them have the parts.
[48:59] You know, every time I see something
[49:02] that's boiling, you know, I call in.
[49:07] But people don't realize how many
[49:11] dangerous people we got in Floyd County.
[49:14] These people is undetective. They come
[49:17] out with hoods on, mask on at night to
[49:20] these parties. You you don't know who
[49:23] you going up against.
[49:27] And you know, a lot of areas they throw
[49:28] beer cans in the yard. That's where
[49:31] people aim where the beer cans. So, we
[49:33] need to start cleaning these yards up.
[49:39] And uh I want to keep everybody safe and
[49:42] I want to be safe. For the last three or
[49:44] four years, they've had a hit on me.
[49:48] You know, just because I dial 911,
[49:52] but 911 is leaking.
[49:55] They know who's calling, they know your
[49:57] location, and that's why you don't get
[49:59] people to call in. And that's got to be
[50:02] fixed.
[50:04] Thank you.
[50:05] >> Thank you, sir.
[50:11] I think that pretty much [clears throat]
[50:13] uh covers the agenda
[50:16] um for today. So uh we stand adjourned.