Work is proceeding on the passive park at the Fayette County Justice Center, but not nearly as fast as was originally planned.
A staff plan based on recent committee input called for an investment of about $128,000 in the project but the direction given by the Board of Commissioners at its March 10 meeting was to only move forward on a small portion of the recommended work.
The bulk of the initial cost was for concrete work and other details regarding the 12,000-square-foot patio area. That is not being addressed at this time. Instead, staff will work on the garden and path portions of the project, which add up to about $22,000.
The staff report showed that, based on input from the Justice Center Committee, the county would clear and grub a half-acre area for the “sun and shade garden” – preparing the ground for planting beds, bringing in topsoil and installing irrigation.
The walking path will be natural, not paved, as a cost-saving measure with removal of vegetation but minimal grading. It will be eight feet wide and nearly three-quarters of a mile in length with four entrance points and measures to prevent unauthorized vehicular access. Some trash cans will be installed as well as a vegetative screen between the path and the homes in the adjacent Williamsburg Way subdivision.
The overall park area encompasses 15 acres of green space between the Courthouse, the Senior Center, Williamsburg Way and Lee Street. Ideas for creating a passive park were developed over last summer by interns working for the county. The issue was on the BOC agenda to determine if additional staff time should be spent on the project and what direction it should take.
Commissioner Steve Brown, who worked with the committee during its discussions leading up to this point, made a motion to approve the first phase as presented and authorize $125,000 to proceed. Commissioner Randy Ognio seconded the motion to begin the board discussion.
Commissioner Pota Coston expressed concern about the overall project considering that there are other parks in the county which she said need to be maintained and are being neglected. Brown pointed out that the county already has money budgeted for all of the county’s parks and facilities, and this project would not be taking money away from the others.
Ognio concurred that the money for this project was already budgeted, but he said the county should be careful about what is built because it will bring maintenance costs up. “Everything we build we have to maintain,” he said, adding that he had hoped for donations and grant money to be available to assist with the project.
Ognio stated that he would recuse himself from any final vote because he has done business with one of the companies involved.
The proximity to the Senior Center was noted as a plus for the park, although Coston said the center is an excellent facility with recent improvements of its own so it would not suffer if the park is not completed right now.
Brown said that Senior Services was part of the committee and “very enthusiastic” about the project. He added that the garden is an important component as well, the first of its kind in the county, where citizens could bring plants from their own gardens and transplant them.
Commissioner David Barlow asked if any fundraising was being done with regard to the park, and Brown said that was still an option for future phases.
Chairman Charles Oddo said he thought the initial discussion was going to focus on the walking trails, which can be completed for a very small fraction of the cost being discussed.
“We want it but we don’t need it,” he said of the entire park plan. “There is some question about whether we can afford it, and we can certainly do without it.”
Oddo acknowledged that the project is budgeted but questioned whether it was appropriate to spend that money, noting that a proposed SPLOST for infrastructure failed recently and now the county is looking internally for money for those needed repairs. He stated that he wanted to see more of an emphasis on private funding and concentrate on the paths first rather than the entire project.
Brown amended his motion to allocate the $125,000 to the stormwater restoration project list. County Manager Steve Rapson called that a “great suggestion” but said that work must be funded through the stormwater utility, so Brown withdrew his motion.
Oddo moved to proceed with the portion of the project list pertaining to the path and the garden – about $22,000 – and return the balance of the money to the recreation fund so it can be dispersed for other needs in the future.
Brown suggested that the garden be removed from the list if the concrete ring cannot be built around it. Rapson said the staff would work in the parameters set by the board and come back later. Oddo amended his motion and Brown seconded. It was approved unanimously.
In other business, the commissioners filled three vacant board positions at the March 10 meeting.
Neely Moody was named to the Fayette County Ethics Board to fill an unexpired term that will end in November of 2016. He succeeds Coston, who was on the Ethics Board before winning her current seat on the Board of Commissioners.
Brown noted during the discussion that Moody was already an alternate on the Ethics Board and thoroughly familiar with its workings. Coston and Barlow also said that Moody was an excellent choice for the position.
Arnold Martin was appointed to the Fayette County Planning Commission for a three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2017. This fills the opening left when Brian Haren’s term expired at the end of 2014 and he chose not to seek reappointment.
Martin received kudos from various commissioners upon his appointment. His wife has been serving on the Library Board, Brown said.
Marsha Hopkins was tapped to serve on the Fayette County Zoning Board of Appeals for a three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2017. She was chosen after Vic Bolton’s term ended and he did not reapply for the position.
Ognio called her “another outstanding applicant,” echoing the sentiments of all of the commissioners who repeatedly pointed out how many exceptional people from throughout the county have stepped up to serve on these various bodies.
“I look around and see some outstanding families getting involved,” said Barlow. “What a blessing.”
