5/6/2024 Meeting Preview

You’ll see below the agenda highlights for our first meeting in May. I’ve added information from the council agenda memos and background on items that may be of particular interest. You can watch the meeting on the city’s Facebook or YouTube pages. Our meetings are on the first and third Mondays of the month. Workshop session begins at 6:00 pm; regular session begins at 7:30 pm; executive session takes place at the conclusion of the regular session.

You can access the full agenda packets here.

We welcome your attendance at our meetings and public comment is available near the start of the meeting, before any actions are taken. You can sign up to speak if you’re at the meeting in person, or you can submit an e-mail with your name, address, and comment or remark to pcomment@collegeparkga.com no later than 7:30 pm on May 6, 2024. The City Clerk will read your name, address and comment into the official record. If you have feedback for Mayor and Council directly, you can e-mail us.

***PLEASE NOTE: Our second meeting of May will take place on Wednesday, May 22nd instead of Monday, May 20th.***

WORKSHOP SESSION

1. Pedestrian Bridge Update by Prime Engineering

The new projected completion date of the pedestrian bridge that will connect the GICC/Arena to Six West is September/October 2024.

2. Presentation by John Duke: Citywide Efficiency and Electrification of the City

Mr. Duke has proposed to turn part of John Calvin Ave. into a one-way street in anticipation of traffic entering the new Promise Career Institute on Main Street.

3. Discussion regarding the restructuring of Public, Mayor and Council remarks.

There is no supporting documentation for this item. However, I think a discussion is necessary given some of the issues in the past few meetings. People who have sent in comments via e-mail have not had the opportunity to have them read into the record on more than one occasion.

4. Discussion on a request for policy consideration to support increase of pavilion rental fee in the parks. Request for consideration from Councilman Roderick Gay, Ward 4.

The current pavilion rental fees are currently $25 per rental for all park hours and the renter must be a resident of the City of College Park to rent the pavilion. There has been a recommendation to consider increasing the park pavilion rentals so they would be in line with facility rentals at our recreation centers and charge $35 per hour during high season for the park pavilions with a maximum rental amount of $350 per day.

REGULAR SESSION

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7. Other Business

A. Consideration of and action on a request to reconsider the April 15th vote concerning the live steaming of 2024 budget meetings.

At our meeting on April 15th, Council voted to move the budget workshops being held this month to the Executive Conference room in City Hall and not stream the meetings. Both of these decisions, in my view, were steps backward in our commitment to transparency. Thus far we have had two budget workshops that have been telecast only in the Council Chambers for those physically present. I have stated my concerns about this decision at the start of each of our budget workshops thus far and sent an e-mail to the Interim City Manager after the first workshop as well.

B. Consideration of and action on a request from Financial Literacy Institute, Inc to select the in-kind contributions for the "Black Wall Street Black Business Expo" on May 31, 2024 and June 1, 2024 at multiple locations in the city. This is not a budgeted expense.

The organizers of the event have requested in-kind support of $5880 (including law enforcement and public works support) for the expo and Council will consider whether to provide additional sponsorship.

C. Consideration of and action on the request to approve the international travel for Councilman Carn in the amount of $4,100.31.

There is no supporting documentation for this request. Pursuant to our travel policy, Mayor and Council must approve travel for a member of the governing body who travels outside of the United States. (Please note the travel policy at the above link does not reflect the changes the Council made earlier this year regarding what constituted local travel, but the rules for international travel were not altered.)

D. Consideration of and action on a request to approve an agreement between the City of College Park and The Firm for Justice & Liberty Attorneys & Counselors at Law, LLC, for public defender services in the amount of $70,000.00. This request is from Interim City Manager, Dr. Emmanuel Adediran. This is a budgeted item. This affects all wards.

We must have a public defender available in our city court for indigent defendants. This law firm has handled these duties for the city for several years.

Staff recommends approval.

E. Consideration of and action on a request for approval payment for Rose Stewart in the amount of $26,595. This request is from Christa Gilbert, Employee Benefits & Risk Administrator. This is not a budgeted item.

From staff: Ms. Rose Stewart has worked as an independent contractor auditing processes and procedures in the Human Resources department. Ms. Stewart has submitted two invoices. The first invoice for February in the amount of $8,055.00 has been submitted and paid, and the second invoice for the month of April in the amount of $9,270.00 has not been paid. Providing that services are extended through May 31st, the May invoice is estimated to be $9,270.00. The three invoices collectively amount to $26,595 and are over the threshold amount that the City Manager can approve. Staff recommends the Council approve payment of Ms. Stewart's current invoice and extend Ms. Stewart's contract at the same rate through May 31, 2024 in order to complete the project. The contract will end on May 31, 2024.

Staff recommends approval.

F. Consideration of and action on a request to seek approval for Mayor and Council's continued support of the Citywide Annual Ward 2 KidsFest to be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Saturday, August 3, 2024 in the amount of $50,000.00. This item is being requested by Interim City Manager, Dr. Emmanuel Adediran. This will support all wards.

From staff: KidsFest exemplifies the commitment the City has to its residents and neighbors. The connectivity and cooperative spirit of making sure our youth have the tools they need to perform in school and exposure to activities and cultural performances that strengthen the entire community. KidsFest is rooted in the College Park community. Since 2017 when this kid-friendly event began, we've concentrated on fun ways to expose children to the arts, science, health and exercise in a safe indoor environment. In addition, it is an opportunity for the City to ensure that the children in the community have the basic tools they need to return to school and to be productive students. Additionally, we charge our vendors $50 with which we purchase gift cards to give away to our attendees.

Staff recommends approval.

G. Consideration of and action on a request to approve and support the Ward 4 - 8th Annual Citywide Festival to be held at Charles E. Phillips Park on Saturday, October 12, 2024 from Noon to 5:00 pm in the amount of $50,000. This item is being requested by Interim City Manager, Dr. Emmanuel Adediran. This will support all wards.

From staff: This festival continues to emphasize the connectivity and cooperative spirit that strengthens our community at-large. Charles E. Phillips Park is a cornerstone of the community offering recreational activities for the young and the old. The Ward 4 Festival likewise since its inception remains an important element of the community by providing essential services from our Public Safety Departments, the Fire/EMS Expo, health checks and safety tips, food, music, crafts and more for our citizens.

Staff recommends approval.

H. Consideration of and action to approve Resolution 2024-06 for acceptance of the conveyance of real property located at 2541 Roosevelt Highway from Fulton County. This request is from the City Attorney's office. This is located within Ward 2.

From staff: Fulton County's Board of Commissioners voted on April 10, 2024 to donate the real property located at 2541 Roosevelt Hwy, consisting of approximately .05692 acres, to the City of College Park. Georgia law requires the City's acceptance of the conveyance to be indicated on the record. See attached Resolution and Quitclaim Deed.

Staff recommends approval.

I. Consideration of and action on Ordinance 2024-09 imposing a 120-day moratorium on the acceptance of applications for permits, occupation tax certificates, inspections, or applicable licenses for the development of any truck stops, truck terminals, trucking facilities, and warehousing and distribution centers. This will affect all wards. This item is requested by the City Attorney's office.

From staff: If adopted, Ordinance 2024-09 will impose a 120 day moratorium on the acceptance of applications for permits, occupation tax certificates, inspections, or applicable licenses for the development of any truck stops, truck terminals, trucking facilities, and warehousing and distribution centers. The moratorium will be in effect for 120 days from the date of adoption or the date the City Council adopts a text amendment relating to such uses, whichever occurs sooner.

Staff has not made a recommendation.

J. Discussion on a request and action to relocate the Rock Wall at the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Center to either Conley or Brady Recreation Center. This request is from Dr. Emmanuel Adediran, Interim City Manager.

From staff: The rock wall was a project supported by professional rock climbers, Kai Lightner, with Climbing for Change, and Kevin Jorgeson with 1Climb in 2020. On October 5, 2020, the rock wall build was presented to the Mayor and City Council for the proposed Tracey Wyatt atrium area for the build. The proposal was approved on this date for installation of the rock at the proposed site the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Center. Funding was raised in the amount of $72,000 for the rock wall build and additional funding for equipment for opening of the wall to total $100,000 for the project. The rock wall build was also supported by annual maintenance and replacement cost for the wall. Donation to include accessories needs for the wall such as shoes, harness and other necessary equipment needed.

The rock wall was designed, built, and installed by Eldorado Climbing Walls in the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Center and completed and opened on January 19, 2021. Among the donation and build agreements was an agreement to provide support programming and staff training with Stone Summit to assist with the success of the rock wall. The building for the rock wall was done through the height of COVID and programming has been ongoing. Throughout the three years programming has consisted with offering free time to the community to climb along with summer programming and specialty field trips to Stone Summit the rock wall facility to provide youth the opportunity to expose the youth to the sport.

There has been no reported injury or any safety concerns to date for the rock wall from a parent, participant or staff since the completion of the build in 2021. The rock wall is insured like other sport activities. The auto belay is serviced every year, and the cost is taken care of by the donation and cooperation agreement with Stone Summit and Climbing for Change and 1Climb. Training for staff is provided by cooperation agreement with the build with Stone Summit. The route setting is also taken care of by the cooperation agreement with Stone Summit and is changed out for variety for the climbers every 6 months.

The rock wall was added to the City of College Park insurance policy with an application for the addition in January 21, 2021 and additional coverage cost was paid for the amended coverage in June of 2021 for the change of endorsement for the policy dates from June 2020-June 2021 and added to the cities policy moving forward to be covered moving forward each year. Each participant for registration when registering for all programming signs an electronic waiver online through iClass Pro and any updates to the waivers the updates must be signed off on by the parent or guardian. Registration waivers or participants can be printed and the information which includes the name, IP address and date and electronic signature. During special events with large number of participants sign a physical release form is obtained for participation. Preliminary quotes have been received for the request for demo, dismantle and facility wall restoration.

Four quotes were requested and currently two have been received. One of the four companies denied quoting for the project and waiting for additional quotes for scope of work. The cost from the two quotes received is between $38,000-$42,000 for demolition, dismantlement, and restoration of the facility center floor and walls. The estimated cost for a relocation, and installation cost of the rock wall has yet to be determined.

Moving this wall does not make any sense to me. Over the past few weeks as this issue has taken front burner status in the community, I have not heard of one single reason to trash a $100,000 donation. Moving the wall to another location would be costly - if possible at all. One of the thoughts about putting the rock wall in the Wyatt Rec Center was because of the access it would give to children on Godby Rd. - some of our least resourced residents. We know if the wall was moved, they likely would have little to no chance of visiting it.

I think there is more to be done on programming for the wall, but as staff notes, it was installed during the COVID pandemic and as a result ramping up activities has been slower than expected. That doesn’t mean the wall should come down, especially when we’ve seen residents - young and old - speaking out in favor of keeping this amazing asset. I have had several officials in other cities who are looking to do what we’ve done and install climbing walls in their communities. They are looking to us as leaders. We should heed the call and keep the wall exactly where it is.

Staff recommends relocation to the Brady or Conley Rec Centers. That would require the wall to be retrofitted in a manner that could compromise safety.

K. Consideration of and action on a request for the purchase of electrical material for construction and maintenance in the amount of $757,277.50. This item is being requested by Power Director Hugh Richardson. This is a budgeted item.

These items are part of the capital expense budget in the 2024 fiscal year. They include electrical cable, conduit, transmitters, splicing boxes and utility poles, among other materials.

Staff recommends approval.

L. Consideration of and action on a request to reallocate $60,000 from property acquisition of Finding the Flint towards Price Barbershop. This item is being requested by Tasha Hall-Garrison, Community Development Administrator. This item affects Ward 2.

From staff: On May 1, 2023, Economic Development staff presented before Mayor and Council for consideration to take Price Barbershop (1988 Harvard Ave) and the adjacent triplex (1990 Harvard Ave) off of the real estate market in order to preserve the structure and create an historic marker at the site. During the meeting, Council voted to remove the properties from active marketing and directed staff to work with community stakeholders to determine the preferred use of the property with no additional funding designated.

To cover associated costs of community engagement efforts, property maintenance, historical markers, and cultural art activities, staff is requesting the reallocation of $60K from the property acquisition of Finding the Flint towards cost associated with Price Barbershop. Through the collective efforts of Finding the Flint and The Conservation Fund, a $60K donation was received from U-Haul to be utilized towards the purchase of the Headwaters property and will be available at the closing. During the 22-23 budget cycle, Council approved $220K towards the purchase of the Headwaters property. With a return of $60K in grant funding, staff is requesting the reallocation of funding to support the Price Barbershop directive.

Staff recommends approval.

M. Consideration of and action on a request to approve costs associated with community engagement of Price Barbershop and Six West cultural art initiative. This item is being requested by Tasha Hall-Garrison, Community Development Administrator. This item affects Ward 2. This is not a budgeted item but contingent on a fund transfer.

From staff: On May 1, 2023, Economic Development staff presented before Mayor and Council for consideration to take Price Barbershop (1988 Harvard Ave) and the adjacent triplex (1990 Harvard Ave) off of the real estate market in order to preserve the structure and create an historic marker at the site. During the meeting, Council voted to remove the properties from active marketing and directed staff to work with community stakeholders to determine the preferred use of the property. Through the Brownfield grant, staff has completed a historical architecture assessment of the properties and began community outreach efforts. Due to lack of existing history of the former community and residents, additional activities were required to execute the directive from Council with no additional funding designated. The total cost is $34,329.55. Transfers from another fund are proposed to cover this expense.

Staff recommends approval.

N. Consideration of and action on a request for approval of property maintenance costs related to Price Barbershop. This item is being requested by Tasha Hall-Garrison, Community Development Administrator. This item affects Ward 2. This is not a budgeted item but contingent on a fund transfer.

From staff: On May 1, 2023, Economic Development staff presented before Mayor and Council for consideration to take Price Barbershop (1988 Harvard Ave) and the adjacent triplex (1990 Harvard Ave) off of the real estate market in order to preserve the structure and create an historic marker at the site, with Council voting to remove the properties from active marketing. To improve the property's appearance and increase safety efforts, staff is requesting approval of quote for needed property maintenance, to include landscaping, boarding, and pest control. Three vendors were solicited, with 1 quote received from existing vendor ReImage General Contractors totaling $14,357.18. Transfers from another fund are proposed to cover this expense.

Staff recommends approval.

O. Consideration of and action on a request to approve payment for the repair of Sanitation Unit 448 by Nextran Truck Centers in the amount of $27,027.01. This is a request from Cedric Hand, Sanitation Superintendent. This is not a budgeted item. The request will serve all wards.

From staff: The 2020 Mack TE64 (Unit 448) experienced shifting to the rear end costing the Sanitation Division $27,027.01 for repairs. Damage to this unit is due to the continuous transport of loads. With only three front loaders it was essential to get unit 448 back up and running to avoid disruptions in our daily operations or injuries to employees, or the community if the rear end were to detach from the truck.

Staff recommends approval. This is not a budgeted item and the repair and maintenance fund has been exhausted for the 2024 fiscal year, ending June 30th. I will inquire about the source of funding for this item.

P. Consideration of and action on a request to approve the funding to replace all inaccurate and dead commercial water meters in the amount of $311,638.50. This item is being requested by Timothy Lewis, Water Superintendent. This will affect all wards. This item is budgeted by the MOST fund.

From staff: The City of College Park’s existing water meter register has been in service for 10 years and the warranty has expired for our Sensus Omni Registers; they are now dead. The Customer Service Department is now estimating each water bill and reading. There are a total of 442 registers that need replacing immediately, so the city commercial water meter accounts will be at 99 % accuracy. The Commercial Register Change-Out Project will be performed by our Water & Sewer Staff.

Staff recommends approval. The funding will come from the Municipal Option Sales Tax.

Q. Consideration of and action on a request to replace the engine on unit # 335 - Closed - Circuit Television (CCTV) truck in the amount of $23,860.55. This request is from Timothy Lewis, Water Superintendent. This is a budgeted item. This item service all wards.

From staff: Moody's Garage, who is the city’s preferred mechanic in conjunction with Speedway Ford have both inspected and confirmed it is necessary to replace this engine. The closed circuit television (CCTV) unit serves in multiple capacities, which includes CCTV of sanitary sewer main, stormwater pipes and assist in lowering Water & Sewer staff in and out of confined spaces. We also CCTV private sewer lateral which generates revenue for the city.

Staff recommends approval.

R. Consideration of and action of a request to approve payment to on-demand contractor Jewel of the South Inc. for the Emergency Sanitary Sewer repairs at 2405 Rugby Lane in the amount of $22,605.00. This request is from Timothy Lewis, Water Superintendent. This item affects Ward 1. This is a budgeted item.

From staff: A tree fell in Camp Creek/South Fork Creek located at 2405 Rugby Lane. The existing 10-inch sanitary sewer main collapsed causing raw sewage to spill in the creek. This presented the opportunity for soil to become contaminated. The damaged 10-inch clay sanitary sewer main was removed. Jewel of The South installed a new 10-inch Ductile iron piping to prevent this from happening again. This job has been completed.

Staff recommends approval.

S. Consideration of and action on a request to purchase and install pedestrian balusters on Roosevelt Highway from Herschel Road to 2601 Roosevelt Highway at an estimated cost of $10,000. This request is from Raymond Cotton, Public Works Superintendent. This item is located in Ward 4.

There is no supporting documentation for this item.

T. Consideration of and action on a request to approve the invoice payment for Freeman Mathis & Gary for professional services rendered through March 31, 2024 in the amount of $14,707.13. This is a requested item from Interim City Manager, Dr. Emmanuel Adediran. This is a budgeted item.

Until March 31, 2024, Freeman Mathis represented the College Park Business and Industrial Development Authority (BIDA). This is their bill for services rendered in representation of BIDA in a lawsuit with Southeast Capital Land, LLC.

Staff recommends approval.

U. Consideration of and action on a request to approve the invoice payment for Prime Engineering for professional services rendered through March 1-31, 2024 in the amount of $15,665.00. This is a requested item from Interim City Manager, Dr. Emmanuel Adediran. This is a budgeted item.

This bill is for surveying work and utility discovery work within the Six West district.

Staff recommends approval.

V. Consideration of and action on a request to approve the invoice payment to Lawson Beck & Sandlin professional services in the amount of $22.750.00. This is a requested item from Interim City Manager, Dr. Emmanuel Adediran. This is a budgeted item.

This bill is for title search work within the Six West district.

Staff recommends approval.

W. Consideration of and action on a request for invoices totaling $10,000 or less shall not require 3 estimates. This request is from Interim City Manager, Dr. Emmanuel Adediran.

There is no supporting documentation for this item. However, here’s our current purchasing policy, which recommends three informal quotes for projects between $500.01 and $10,000. I do not think it is prudent to make a shift in this policy. No matter the amount, we should be working to be good stewards of your money and getting quotes for work is part of that process.

Staff has not made a recommendation.

X. Consideration of and action on a request to suspend the sale of delinquent property tax and initiate a Request for Proposal (RFP) process for a third-party delinquent tax collection service. This request is from Interim City Manager, Dr. Emmanuel Adediran.

There is no supporting documentation for this item. Councilmember Gay has discussed his concerns in the past about some of our residents losing their homes for small amounts of money at tax sales. I understand and share his concerns. At this point, we do not have anyone on staff to initiate RFPs, as Willis Moody, our former Purchasing Administrator, was terminated earlier this year. Filling this position is critical for operational efficiency but has proven challenging. Mr. Moody is a consummate professional who performed his job with integrity and skill. He will be very difficult to replace.

Staff has not made a recommendation.