Macon-Bibb County Commission buys more riverside land, pays for school truancy officer

Macon-Bibb County Commissioners approved buying more land along the Ocmulgee River on Tuesday in a move the mayor said he hopes will demonstrate the county’s advocacy for the Ocmulgee Mounds to be designated as a national park. 

Following a brief meeting behind closed doors, commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of 10.1 acres on Rolling Road and Pine Knoll Drive for $2.1 million plus closing costs. Commissioners Valerie Wynn and Paul Bronson were absent. The property completes a contiguous stretch of hundreds of acres owned by public entities along the riverside.

Mayor Lester Miller said the acquisition of the land will “allow us to connect from the boat ramp there at Amerson to the 200 acres we own and other properties bought months ago.

“More importantly, this is our being advocates for the national park,” Miller said, adding that it was a “bargain sale.”

A primitive connection trail is expected to be blazed through the land in the coming months, the mayor said. Eventually, the path will extend the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, which is planned to start at the Mounds and meander through Rose Hill Cemetery, parts of Pleasant Hill and Amerson River Park before ending near Arkwright Road.  

In April, the commission approved the purchase of several properties to further that vision. All of the recent riverside purchases were paid for with 2018 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax revenue. 

Also on Tuesday, commissioners approved buying a little more than an acre on Walnut Street from CSX Transportation for no more than $600,000 in 2018 SPLOST funds. A rendering shown at the meeting depicted a large parking lot planned across from Central City Apartments.

The commission also approved a resolution signaling support for Macon’s inclusion in a proposed passenger rail line between Atlanta and Savannah. Several routes are being considered but only one includes Macon as a stop.

In other business, the commission also approved transferring $345,000 to the Bibb County School District to pay for a truancy officer for three years. The county money will come from revenue it collected through the controversial automated school zone speed cameras. 

Commissioners also unanimously approved sharing $109,100 of the speed camera revenue with Windsor Academy, a private school in south Bibb County where the speed cameras are installed.

The commission voted to approve directing 2018 SPLOST money to public safety, culture and recreation budgets including:

• $600,000 for new vehicles for the District Attorney’s Office and others
• $400,000 for public safety tower upgrades
• $500,000 for an in-depth review of server capacity and to provide for the potential purchase of new servers for the I.T. department
• $400,000 for auditorium renovations including the balcony stairwells
• $1.8 million for the purchase of real property for the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail expansion

Alcohol licenses approved:

• Georgia Family Alliance Inc. at  2920 Houston Ave.
• Murphy Express #8519 at 1402 Gray Highway
• The Social Duck at 476 Second St. 

Board appointments:

• Reappointment of Sundra Woodford to the Macon-Bibb County Land Bank Authority Board
• Reappointments of Judge Sarah Harris And Andrea Cooke to the Region 2 Department Of Behavioral Health And Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board
• Reappointment of Seth Clark to the Board Of Directors for Visit Macon, Inc.
• Reappointment of  Elaine Lucas to the Central Georgia Joint Development Authority
• Reappointment of Raymond Wilder to the Macon Fire And Police Retirement Board
• Reappointment of Nancy White and Yameika Head to the Bibb County Department Of Family And Children Services Board
• Reappointments of Kay Beliveau and Theron Ussery to the Macon-Bibb County SPLOST Advisory Committee

Expenditures:

• A contract with BTBB, Inc. to conduct a building feasibility study of the radio shop and for architectural services for renovations to the public works building – $50,0000 from 2018 SPLOST funds
•  A three-year contract with Dell Financial Services for county-wide software and servers – $2.4 million in I.T. department funds
• Transference of $46,000 within the Parks and Beautification budget for vehicle maintenance expenses
• Appropriation of $86,700 for lifeguard services at Lake Tobesofkee to cover last year – general funds
• Approval of a change order for $35,000 to pay Triple Point Engineering for gas wells and work related to the landfill – Solid waste fund 
• Approval of $60,000 from the general fund to the Macon Area Transportation Study’s 2050 transportation plan