Monday, September 10, 2012
Smyrna City Council Representatives, public safety officials and engineers will be available to answer questions.
Several Smyrna City Council Representatives have organized an informational meeting to discuss the Concord Road Median and Streetscape Project. The meeting comes after about a dozen Forest Hills residents told Council at a recent meeting that they think the medians will cut off their neighborhood and impact public safety response times. The meeting will be held Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. at Brawner Hall. Ward 6 Council Representative Wade Lnenicka explained the necessity of the meeting in an email to some of his constituents. “Several of you also spoke during citizen input at the end of last week's City Council meeting,” he said. “Thank you for attending and speaking about your questions and concerns. I heard you loud and clear, and I …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Several residents from a neighborhood off Concord Road requested a meeting at Tuesday's Smyrna City Council meeting.
The Forest Hills residents who asked for a meeting about the Concord Road median project at Tuesday’s Smyrna City Council meeting could get their wish in the coming weeks. Ward 4 City Council Representative Charles “Corkey” Welch said he’s open to having a meeting that goes over the project on a “sheet-by-sheet basis.” “I think everybody deserves to see it and everybody deserves a voice,” he said. “So I think we will have a meeting on that in the not too distant future. At this posting a date, time and place for the meeting have yet to be set. The Concord Road Median and Streetscape Project is funded by the 2005 and 2011 SPLOSTs. Welch said informational meetings were held about the project before voters decided on the SPLOSTs. “This is …
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Many speakers voiced concern about the Concord Road median and streetscaping project, but Council decided one speaker was out of order.
A vocal citizenry took the podium at Tuesday’s Smyrna City Council meeting. Many were speakers from the Forest Hills neighborhood who had concerns about the Concord Road median and streetscaping project, but one of citizen input’s regular contributors stole the show. Smyrna Heights resident Mary Kirkendoll took the podium during citizen input to applaud the Forest Hills residents for speaking out against the project, and asked why her neighbors weren’t speaking out as well. After citizen input was complete, Ward 4 Council Representative Charles “Corkey” Welch was speaking to some of the concerns raised about the project when Kirkendoll again approached the podium. “May I ask a question—make one statement please, Mr. Welch,” she said. Ward…
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Utility relocation for the project should begin in September.
Monday Smyrna City Council voted unanimously to award a $6.8 million contract to the lowest bidder, C.W. Matthews Contracting, for improvements to Concord Road. Concord Road actually has a pair of projects set to be completed with monies used from the 1-cent 2005 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and the 2011 SPLOST. From the older SPLOST, $3,335,000 has been dedicated to the Concord Road Trail/Streetscape project, which will provide a multi-use trail on the north side of the road between Atlanta Road and South Cobb Drive; and $5,280,000 for the widening of Concord Road to include turning lanes and median between Spring Road and South Cobb. The City of Smyrna’s website and one provided by the county outline this info and amounts used …
Friday, August 17, 2012
Smyrna City Council will vote to approve a bid for a long-awaited SPLOST project and more at it's meeting Monday.
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, August 17, 2012
1. INVOCATION - Associate Pastor Barbara Hatchell of Smyrna 1st United Methodist 2. AGENDA CHANGES: 3. MAYOR'S REPORT: 4. LAND ISSUES/ZONINGS/ANNEXATIONS: Please limit speaking time for citizens’ input related to the following land issues/zonings/annexations to five minutes. 5. PRIVILEGE LICENSES: 6. FORMAL BUSINESS: (A) Public Hearing- Approval of a Resolution 2012-07 of the Mayor and Council of the City of Smyrna, Georgia, consenting to the submittal of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan 5-Year Update to the Atlanta Regional Commission and to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (AB) (B) Approval of Ordinance 2012-05 adding Article VIII, Sections 22-315-330, a Filming Ordinance to Chapter 22 of the City's Code of Ordinances (AB) Tabled …
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The city is prepared to acquire up to nine remaining partial pieces of property through condemnation.
Smyrna City Council should vote Monday to award a contract for the completion of improvements to Concord Road even though the city has yet to acquire all the property needed for the project. Mayor, Council and city staff discussed the acquisitions at Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. “It’s not unusual to award a project without having all the property. Cobb County does it all the time,” said Larry Terry, of Croy Engineering. There are still nine partial sections of property the city needs on both sides of Concord Road. Council will vote Monday whether to acquire seven of these pieces of property through eminent domain. City Engineer Keith Williams said the city has negotiated with these property owners for the past 18 months. “There…
Thursday, August 9, 2012
In a letter to the editor Mary Kirkendoll said Concord Road has damaged her neighborhood.
- OPINION
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Thursday, August 9, 2012
This is a complete and utter abuse and waste of over 20 million of taxpayers dollars! What standard is the city using to guage 'improvements'? The medians along Spring Road from Atlanta to Campbell Road haven't improved any of the existing neighborhoods, nor resulted in attracting any new, quality businesses. We-buy-Gold shops, pawn shops, smoke shops and mega gas stations don't qualify as 'improvements', in my book. The only 'improvement' I can figure, is the bank accounts of the contractors and engineers working on the long, drawn out project. Or the improved commute of people that live far outside of the city limits of Smyrna and Smyrna neighborhoods. I would prefer the improvements improve OUR lives, instead of theirs! Visiting …
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
However, Smyrna's City Engineer said the progress won't look like much at first.
According to Smyrna’s City Engineer, the Concord Road Improvement Project is still on schedule to begin in September, though it may be some time before there’s a noticeable difference in the roadway. City Engineer Keith Williams said Smyrna City Council should vote to approve a bid for the contract at its next meeting Monday, Aug. 20. If awarded, utility relocation would begin in September. “A September start does not mean Concord Road is going to start getting ripped up in September because the first step is utility relocation,” he said. “While technically the project is started in September, the traffic is going to remain the same. What you’re going to start seeing is Georgia Power starting to install new poles in certain places. The …
Monday, May 21, 2012
A representative from the Finance Department will present the 2013 preliminary budget at tonight's meeting.
The City of Smyrna’s Finance Department will present a preliminary 2013 budget at Monday’s Smyrna City Council meeting. The $73,372,785 budget breaks down to $38,536,854 for the general fund, $12,931,030 for special revenues and $21,904,785 for the water and sewer fund. The budget is balanced without tax increases, furlough days, layoffs, use of reserve funds or cuts to city services, said Ward 3 Council Representative Teri Anulewicz who chairs the city’s finance committee. "It really will be similar to last year, which is a blessing and a curse in some ways," she said. "It’s a blessing because we haven’t had to do anything drastic, but a curse because things aren’t improving in the economy overall." A representative from the Finance …
Greg Combs
2:20 pm on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Actually I am a life long resident and I like the idea of a median but.... To cut off access to lee st from westbound traffic is senseless! Please tell me we/ you have more common sense to not make this mistake! Who approves of doing this really? The idea is aesthetic and accessibility if one is compromised than its a no go, be smart Smyrna! more ›