Columbus, Georgia

MINUTES

COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA

WORK SESSION

AUGUST 23, 2005



The regular monthly Work Session of the Council of Columbus, Georgia was

called to order at 9:02 A.M., Tuesday, August 23, 2005, on the Plaza Level of

the Government Center, Columbus, Georgia. Honorable Robert S. Poydasheff, Mayor

and Honorable John J. Rodgers, Mayor Pro Tem presiding.



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PRESENT: Present other than Mayor Poydasheff and Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers were

Councilors R. Gary Allen, Glenn Davis, Skip Henderson, Julius H. Hunter, Jr.,

Nathan Suber, Evelyn Turner Pugh and Evelyn Woodson. City Manager Isaiah

Hugley, City Attorney Clifton Fay, Clerk of Council Tiny B. Washington and

Deputy Clerk of Council Sandra Davis were also present.

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INVOCATION: Mayor Pro Tem Jack Rodgers



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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Robert S. Poydasheff



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MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING: Minutes of the August 9, 2005 meeting of the

Council of the Consolidated Government of Columbus, Georgia was submitted and

approved upon the adoption of a motion made by Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers and

seconded by Councilor Turner Pugh, which carried unanimously by those nine

members present for this meeting.

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NON-ATTAINMENT DESIGNATION:



Mayor Poydasheff said we received an email from Gary Sheehan of Troutman &

Sanders Attorney law firm. He said, as you know, the Council told him you

wanted him to work with the Mayor of Phenix City and make sure that we are off

the violation list from the Environmental Protection Agency and EPD in Georgia.

He said after the work that we have done recognizes that we should not be on

the non-attainable list; therefore we have been taken off of that list.



He said the law firm of Troutman & Sanders officially stated that we are

out of the case and the D.C. Circuit granted our motion for voluntary dismissal

and therefore, we are in compliance and will stay that way. He said he will

continue to work with Mary Hardin of Phenix City and Fort Benning and he just

wanted to let the Council know that we are under attainment designation.



City Attorney Fay said we are officially out of the litigation now and

said he just wanted to point out that Mr. Sheehan did an excellent job in

assisting us being placed in the correct category.



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CONSENT AGENDA



THE FOLLOWING TWO RESOLUTIONS WERE SUBMITTED BY CITY ATTORNEY FAY AND

APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL PURSUANT TO THE ADOPTION OF A SINGLE MOTION MADE BY

MAYOR PRO TEM RODGERS AND SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MCDANIEL, WHICH CARRIED

UNANIMOUSLY BY THOSE NINE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL PRESENT FOR THIS

MEETING:________________ _____________________



A Resolution (399-05) ? Authorizing the acceptance of a deed to

Bridgemill Drive, Bridge Way, Bridgemill Way, Splendor Way, and

Splendor Court located in Section One, Bridgemill, on behalf of Columbus,

Georgia.



A Resolution (400-05) ? Excusing Councilor R. Gary Allen from the

August 23, 2005 Council Meeting.



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THE FOLLOWING FIVE NEW ZONING PETITIONS WERE SUBMITTED AND AN ORDINANCE

AND PUBLIC HEARINGAND ORDINANCE CALLED FOR BY COUNCILOR

MCDANIEL: _______



Petition submitted by Waldo Enterprises, LLC. to rezone approximately

2.658 acres of property located at 3910, 3920 & 4002 Armour Avenue from SFR2

District (Single Family Residential 2) to RMF2 District (Residential

Multi-Family 2). (Recommended for approval by both the Planning Advisory

Commission and the Metropolitan Planning Organization.) (40-A-05-Waldo

Enterprises, LLC.)



Petition submitted by Brian Grier, Inc. to rezone approximately 22.8 acres

of property located at 7176 Village Loop and 7333 & the western portion of 7301

Whitesville Road from SFR1 District (Single Family Residential 1) & SFR2

(Single Family Residential 2) to SFR3 District (Single Family Residential 3).

(Recommended for denial by the Planning Advisory Commission and approval by the

Metropolitan Planning Organization.) (41-A-05-Brian Grier, Inc.)



Petition submitted by Wright Wade to rezone approximately 3.59 acres of

property located at 5671 Billings Road from SFR1 District (Single Family

Residential 1) to SFR3 District (Single Family Residential 3). (Recommended

for denial by the Planning Advisory Commission and approval by the Metropolitan

Planning Organization.) (42-A-05-Wade)



Petition submitted by The Copley Group to rezone approximately 5.29 acres

of property located at 4219 Warm Springs Road from GC District (General

Commercial) to RO District (Residential-Office). (Recommended for conditional

approval by both the Planning Advisory Commission and the Metropolitan Planning

Organization.) (43-CA-05-The Copley Group)



Petition submitted by George C. Woodruff Company to rezone approximately

77.10 acres of property located at 5251 St. Mary?s Road from SFR2 District

(Single Family Residential 2) to SFR3 District (Single Family Residential 3).

(Recommended for conditional approval by both the Planning Advisory Commission

and the Metropolitan Planning Organization.) (44-CA-05-George C. Woodruff Co.)



Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers said he thinks there is some improper terminology in

the recommendations and said we need to change that to the Planning Division,

as opposed to the Metropolitan Planning Organization. He said the Planning

Division and the Planning Advisory Commission are the only people who can offer

recommendations to the Council, by ordinance.



City Attorney Fay said Mr. Johnson is on notice and said the official

recommendation staff report that comes back will have to have the Planning

Division listed on there.



As it relates to the above petition of Mr. George C. Woodruff, Councilor

Hunter said that is located right next to the Kimbrough property and there were

some residents before the Council on last week and said we sent that back to

the Planning Advisory Commission. He said those 77.10 acres are right next to

it and he would ask that this petition come back at a night meeting as well

because those properties are located right next to each other.



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LETTERHEAD:



City Manager Hugley said several members of the Council had mentioned

something to him about the letterhead with MPO listed on it and said that he

has talked with Mr. Rick Jones and staff and we have corrected that; therefore,

you won?t see that in the future. He said he is going to provide to the Council

members in their information packet next Tuesday, some information on the MPO

so that you will know that is a joint effort between Alabama and Georgia. He

said the Governors on both sides agree that our City would serve as the

Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Metropolitan statistical area and he

wants to share with you how the organization was created and what its function

is.



Mayor Poydasheff said there is nothing that they do concerning Columbus

that can be accomplished without the approval of the Council.



City Manager Hugley said that is correct, but said when the Governors and

Mayors on both side agreed that we would serve as the MPO, there is a

Memorandum of Understanding and it is known as the Columbus Phenix City

Transportation Study and we are the MPO and said he thinks it is important that

we share that information so that we all know and understand how it came about

and how it works today.



Councilor Turner Pugh said that?s fine for planning, but said when we do

legal documents for this government; it should be the Columbus Planning

Division and not the Metropolitan Planning Organization. She said it is not

just the letterhead, but said when you put anything in print it needs to say

that.



City Manager Hugley said they understand that and do agree with that.



Mayor Pro Rodgers said the only concern that he has is that the

Metropolitan Planning Organization encompass a multi-county region and the only

ones who should affect our zoning or Planning Division is people in Columbus.

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WORK SESSION:



ANALYSIS OF IMPEDIMENTS TO FAIR HOUSING:



City Manager Hugley said we have present on today, Dr. Douglas Frederick

with J. Quad & Associates, LLC, to make this presentation. He said the analysis

of Impediments to Fair Housing is a study that is required by HUD in order that

we will continue to receive Community Block Grant Funds. He said it is mandated

that the analysis be done every five years and we are up for that analysis and

said a recommendation of a new analysis should be performed every time a

consolidated plan is written and said that is what we are going through at this

point.



He said we would be bringing back this analysis to the Council at a later

date for their approval because we need to send this to HUD in order to

continue to receive funds.



Dr. Douglas Frederick then came forward and pointed out that this analysis

is a requirement that HUD places on cities to help emphasis in the cities? mind

a focus on fair housing issues within the jurisdiction. He said the

impediments that they have identified, we need you to understand that they are

not the same thing as a HUD audit finding. He said this is not something that

you are bound to correct, but said these are issues and suggestions that they

have put forward that they feel should be looked into and in your efforts to

ensure fair housing within the community, there are things that you may want to

do to show HUD that you are committed to fair housing in the community.



He then went into some details in outlining the following, which was

included in the analysis:



DEMOGRAPHICS:



Dr. Fredrick said according to the 2000 US Census, the city has a total

area of 221.0 mi? (572.4 km?). More than 216.3 mi? (560.1 km?) of it is land

and 4.7 mi? (12.3 km?) of it is water. The total area is 2.14 percent water. As

of the Census of 2000, there were 186,291 people, 69,819 households, and 47,686

families residing in the city. There were 75,938 housing units in 2000. The

racial makeup of the city was 50.4 percent White, 43.7 percent

African-American, 0.38 percent Native American, 1.5 percent Asian, 0.1 percent

Pacific Islander, 1.9 percent from other races, and 1.8 percent from two or

more races. Over 4.0 percent of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any

race. There were 69,819 households in which 34.6 percent had children under the

age of 18 living with them; 44.7 percent were married couples living together;

19.6 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7 percent

were non-families. Individuals comprised 26.7 percent of all households and 9.4

percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average

household size was 2.5 people and the average family size was 3.08 people. In

the city, the population was distributed with 26.8 percent under the age of 18,

19.7 percent from 45 to 64, and 11.7 percent who were 65 years of age or older.

The median age was 33 years.



INCOME PROFILE:



The median income for a household in the City was $34,798, and the median

income for a family was $41,244. The per capita income for the city was

$18,262, 15.7 percent of the population and 12.8 percent of families was below

the poverty line. Out of the total population living in poverty, 22.0 percent

were under the age of 18 and 12.6 percent were 65 or older. Over 27 percent of

African-American households reported 2000 income below $15,000, compared to

13.5 percent of White households. Approximately 17.6 percent of Hispanics and

24.4 percent of the total African-American population lived in poverty in 2000,

compared to only 7.4 percent of the white population.



Mayor Poydasheff asked Dr. Fredrick for clarity what is the difference

between household and family so that the people will understand it.



Dr. Fredrick said household includes every housing unit; single person,

mother, father and etc. He said a family would be a person with a child or

related individuals within the Housing unit.



EMPLOYMENT:



Dr. Frederick said according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the

largest Employer in Columbus is Ft. Benning Military Installation with 33,779

employees. Other major employers include TSYS, with 6,000 employees, Muscogee

County School District with 5,927 employees, AFLAC, Inc., with 3,300 employees,

Columbus Consolidated Government with 2,847 and the Columbus Regional

Healthcare System with 2,603 employees. In 2000, the total unemployment rate

was 7.01 percent; the White unemployment rate was 3.53 percent, the

unemployment rate for African- Americans was 11.27 percent, and Hispanics

reported a 7.22 percent rate. The U.S. Census may understate the number of

employed people because people who have irregular, casual, or unstructured jobs

sometimes report themselves on the Census questionnaire as not working. The

Census recognizes that there may be errors in the 2000 employment status data.

In 2004, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an annual unemployment

rate of 5.4 percent.



HOUSING PROFILE:



He said according to the 2000 Census, of the 75,938 housing units located

in Columbus, over 65 percent were classified as single-family. Among the

occupied units, 51.7 percent were owner-occupied and 8.3 percent were vacant.

Approximately 32.3 percent of all housing units in Columbus were built prior to

1960.



The median home value for the single-family houses in the city was $96,000 and

the median contract rent was $539. The Columbus Housing Authority administers

1,742 public housing units, 1,647 Section 8 vouchers, and 60 Section 8 Moderate

Rehabilitation (Mod Rehab) units.



Mayor Poydasheff said realizing that there are different factors that

interplay on different cities, asked whether or not there are comparisons of

the Housing Profile from Augusta, Macon and Savannah that is available; and if

so, have them to provide a copy to this Council.



Dr. Frederick said not within this document, but said they could provide

them with some comparisons to other jurisdictions.



FAIR HOUSING LAW REVIEW:



Dr. Frederick said Columbus does not have a fair housing ordinance that is

comparable to the Federal Fair Housing Act. He said Columbus relies on The

Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity (GCEO) to oversees fair housing

activity in the City of Columbus, and taking and investigating complaints filed

by individuals. He said The State of Georgia has a fair housing law that meets

substantial equivalency requirements of the federal government.



He said the state law contains all protected classes found in the federal

law and meets the enforcement and penalty standards set forth in the Federal

Fair Housing Act. Columbus funds several housing programs through the HOME

Investment Partnership (HOME) allocations. These programs work to encourage new

construction and rehabilitation of single-family homes, providing assistance to

first time homebuyers through low-interest financing, homebuyer education, and

rehabilitation of existing structures.



Dr. Fredrick said these programs require the City to ensure its citizens?

awareness of fair housing laws. Fair Housing complaint information was

collected from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and

provides data for an analysis of complaints filed for Columbus from January 1,

2000 through December 31, 2004. He said eighteen complaints were filed

according to one or more of seven bases including: national origin, color,

religion, familial status, handicap, sex and race.



He said over sixty percent of the complaints filed in Columbus was cited

?race? as the basis and disability was the second leading cause of complaints,

with 50% of the total complaints filed. He said a single complaint could have

more than one basis. The total number of complaints is more than 18 because

some cases cited multiple bases in their claim.



Dr. Frederick then responded to several questions of members of the

Council.



CITIZEN PARTICIPATION, FAIR HOUSING INDEX, AND HMDA DATA ANALYSIS:

____________________________________



Dr. Fredrick said fair housing choice within Columbus encounters a number

of impediments, as identified through focus group sessions and individual

interviews, the construction of a fair housing, and an analysis of Home

Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data.



He said they held some focus groups and interviewed participants voiced

several concerns relating to fair housing choice that they perceived as

impediments. He said primary among the participants? concerns was the need for

education and outreach related to fair housing laws and rights, financial

literacy, unfavorable lending practices (i.e. Steering and Predatory lending)

and negative perceptions of affordable housing, and the shortage of housing for

the very-low income groups and special needs populations (i.e. disabled,

elderly).



The fair housing index highlights geographic areas indicating a

concentration of attributes prevalent in fair housing issues. These attributes

include high minority concentrations, older housing stock, reliance on public

transportation, low-income, low housing values and contract rents, a high

percentage of female-headed households with children, a high ratio of loans

denied to loans originated, high unemployment rates, and high rates of high

school dropouts. The collective concentration of these issues is often

indicative of neighborhood deterioration and market conditions that tend to

impede fair housing choice. The analysis, and confirmation received in the

focus group sessions, indicates that lower income portions of the major urban

area of Columbus are most likely to have residents experiencing severe problems

with housing choice.



He said the HMDA data analysis indicates that there are issues of concern

in mortgage lending. Loan denials to minority populations tend to have

significantly higher rates than to White applicants, this data suggests that

redlining may be occurring in the City. He said the data tends to suggest

redlining may exist in the community in the low-income tracts. He said the

information that they analyzed cannot prove that there is redlining, but said

they see some tendencies that suggest redlining might exists.



Dr. Frederick then responded to questions of Mayor Poydasheff and several

members of the Council at this point in his presentation as it relates to

redlining, fair housing and affordable housing.



City Manager Hugley also responded to questions of the Council, as it

relates to affordable housing, saying our current program has a $95,000

threshold for homes that comes in for our loan program which we offer the

$5,000 to go towards the down payment. He said HUD?s guideline calls for

$160,000 and may have recently gone with the FHA program to $174,000. He said

he is considering bringing something back to the Council within the next few

weeks that would increase that ceiling to approximately $110,000.



He said homes are being sold here in the community for $95,000 or less and

the Neighbor Works, Columbus Housing Initiative have homes that are currently

selling for around $105,000. He said based on the income level and number in

household; those persons could qualify for our loan, which would be $5,000 if

the house doesn?t currently exceed $95,000.



City Manager Hugley said as he indicated, there are homes with the

Neighbor Works, Columbus Housing Initiative in the range of $105,000; which

perhaps would be affordable houses as we are talking about this particular

program.



Continued discussion continued on the aspect of affordable housing with

several members of the Council expressing their further views, with Dr.

Frederick and City Manager Hugley responding to questions of the Council.



IMPEDIMENTS TO FAIR HOUSING AND REMEDIAL ACTIVITIES:



Dr. Frederick said several impediments were identified as barriers to fair

housing, which includes 1) Lack of accessible housing, 2) Shortage of

affordable housing, 3) Lack of local fair housing legislation and knowledge of

fair housing laws and resources, 4) Disparity in lending practices, a

retraction of lending activities in ?high risk areas (redlining), 5) Predatory

lending, 6) Lack of financial literacy and 7) Lack of income.



He said key recommendations for remedial actions include: identify

strategies to work with developers in building housing accessible for the

disabled, and identify state initiatives to support housing needs of the

disabled; assist the coalition to strengthen disability access response,

developer incentives for affordable housing, adoption of a local fair housing

ordinance; certification as a Fair Housing Initiative Program to fund local

fair housing outreach, establish or work with a local nonprofit to establish a

clearinghouse for fair housing complaints, conduct fair housing testing, use of

web pages to disseminate information about fair housing rights, expand

homebuyer education, distribute HMDA data to local lenders to educate them on

lending disparity trends, encourage policy makers strengthen existing

legislation that regulates predatory lending activity (Georgia Fair Lending

Act).



Several minutes of discussion developed on local legislation and fair

housing rights, with Dr. Frederick responding to questions of the Mayor and

Council as it relates to this subject.



Councilor Turner Pugh asked Ms. Lynnette Gross of the Community &

Economic Development Department if the Housing Summits that are held down at

the Trade Center are televised, to which Ms. Gross said that they are not.



Councilor Turner Pugh then asked that City Manager Hugley have the staff

to look at televising those Housing Summits that is held throughout the year at

the Trade Center and let?s air them on CCG-TV.



She said we need to also look at having different scenarios to highlight

situations and issues that may possibly occur or that have come up in the past

and let?s provide some answers and resources as to where individuals would go,

if they wanted to file a complaint.



Ms. Gross said they are trying to make the first Saturday in June, which

is Fair Housing Homeownership Month for HUD, to be their Summit Day; therefore,

every year we can say it will be the first Saturday in June and that will get

the word out and increase participation.



City Manager Hugley said we can have our TV Manager do a program, as part

of the CCG-TV Newscast and they can go out and interview some people at the

Neighbor Works and Lending institution that supports the various programs.



Mayor Poydasheff also suggested that we could utilize the expertise of

Councilor Henderson, Turner Pugh and Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers.



City Manager Hugley said he would have the staff to put together a

program.



Councilor Turner Pugh said we could also have a black/white sheet that is

available to individuals who may contact Ms. Gross? office as it relates to

housing issues in Columbus.



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TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS UPDATE:



Mr. Rick Jones, Director of Transportation Planning said they are here

this morning to bring the Council up-to-date with all of the different traffic

projects that are going on within the community. He said this is a wide

spectrum in terms of what they are trying to accomplish.



Prior to Mr. Jones making his presentation, he then introduced members of

his staff, which includes Lynda Temples, Planner, Felton Grant, Highway

Coordinator, Rajeev Shaw, Transportation Modeling, Donna Newman, Engineer and

Ron Hamlett, Traffic Engineer.



He then went into some details and gave a status report on the road

projects and highlighted the following:



Mr. Jones pointed out the process of developing a road project. He said it

is not just a simple process in saying we want to build a road, but said it

must go through a series of steps and processes. He then went into more details

in outlining that process.



LONG RANGE PROJECTS:



Projects that have been identified for improvements, without

appropriations



Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP)

q Local Project Agreement approved by Council and funding sources have been

identified:

? Local

? State DOT

? Federal Highway



Transportation Development

Challenges/Impacts

- Community input

- Environmental/Historical issues

- Project cost

- Funding

- Competing priorities

- Political



Funding



Anticipated Funding from SAFETEA-LU

$1,444,800 to reconstruct the interchange at Interstate 185 and Victory Drive

(SR 520)

$80,000 Commission a study & report regarding construction & designation of a

new Interstate linking Augusta, Macon, Columbus, Montgomery, & Natchez

$400,000 Uptown Jogging, Bicycle, Trolley Trail

$400,000 South Lumpkin Road Trail

$400,000 Jogging, and Bicycle Trails around Columbus State University



Anticipated Funding from SAFETEA-LU

$2,400,000 National Infantry Museum Transportation Network

$1,700,000 National Infantry Museum Multimode Facility

$810,084 Buses & Bus Facilities

$250,800 Bus replacement.

$800,000 Phase III Streetscape



Regarding the road project of South Lumpkin Road, Mayor Poydasheff said he

would like for Mr. Jones to provide information as to whether or not the

funding for the improvements of South Lumpkin Road going into the National

Infantry Museum area will be coming to us or who will be handling those funds.



Councilor Woodson said she would also like for the staff to bring her

up-to-date on this matter as well.



Local Funding Available

Bonds 2003A $2,209,218



SPLOST $13,386,738



Paving Fund $6,884,065



Congestion Management System



Mr. Jones showed the map, which showed focus areas for congested locations

from 2004. He said they are monitoring these situations.



Recent Changes



? Forest Road

Macon Road to Schatulga Road

November 2003

Reallocated $8 million from this project (Macon to Woodruff Farm)

Eastern Connector - $4 million

Veterans Parkway from Old Moon to Turnberry - $4 million



? Forest Road

April 2005

Working with DOT, remaining monies were reallocated to the following projects:

$4 million for ROW Whittlesey Road (Whitesville to Veterans)

$200,000 to Automated Transportation Management System (ATMS) for Preliminary

Engineering

$2,197,000 to ATMS for construction

$1,210,000 to ATMS for construction of ITS center

$3,300,000 to Veterans Parkway for construction in FY07

$4,000,000 to Talbotton Road for ROW in FY07



? Buena Vista Road

Brown Avenue to Illges Road

Project Description

Widening to four lanes with flush median

Projected Cost

ROW (parcels 72) $3,497,000

Construction $4,736,000

City Responsibility

ROW

Status

Council has requested a 3-lane section

GDOT has yet to make a final determination



? St. Mary?s Road

Buena Vista Road to Robin Road

Project Description

Widening from 2 to 4 lanes

Includes landscaping and sidewalks

Projected Cost

ROW (78 parcels) $2,664,000

Construction $4,525,000

City Responsibility

ROW (SPLOST)

Status

ROW to be completed by September 2005

Construction to let in November 2005

Estimated to be completed in November 2007



? I-185 Interchange at SR1

(Victory Drive)

I-185 Interchange at SR1

(Victory Drive)

Project Description

Reconstruct the interchange at I-185 and SR1 (Victory Drive)

Projected Cost

Construction (State) $8,245,000

City Responsibility

None

Status

Project advanced due to sale of state bonds

Construction scheduled to let in FY06



? I-185 from St. Mary?s Road to Victory Drive

Project Description

Realignment of roadway to correct substandard curvature South of

St. Mary?s Interchange

A third lane will be added in each direction providing for a 6-lane facility

Projected Cost

ROW State/Federal

Status

Project advanced due to sale of state bonds

Construction scheduled for FY06



? ATMS/Signal/CCTV/Fiber

Project Description

Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) that would monitor traffic conditions,

to include the use of cameras, and variable message signs

ITS Center to be developed and housed in Government Center Annex

Projected Cost

Engineering $ 200,000

ROW $ 0

Construction $3,407,000

Status

Starting design concept

Construction to begin in FY06



? Veterans Parkway (US 27)

Old Moon Road to Turnberry Lane

Veterans Parkway (US 27)

Old Moon Road to Turnberry Lane

Project Description

Widening project from 2 to 4 lanes

Includes landscaping and sidewalks

Projected Cost

Engineering Authorized

ROW $3,180,000

Construction $3,293,000

Status

Environmental due in September

3 years to acquire ROW; 2 years to construct

Permit requested from DOT to construct section in front of new school sites to

accelerate project

MOU needed now from MCSD for permit



? Macon Road

University Avenue to Reese Road

Project Description

Reconstruct 4 lanes road with turn lanes and intersection improvements

Includes landscaping and sidewalks

Projected Cost

Engineering Authorized

ROW $17,540,000

Construction $4,940,000

Status

ROW costs are in both TIP and Tier II

Not scheduled for ROW until FY08

Federal/state funding for this project



TIER II PROJECTS:



? Brown Avenue/CS 2227 @ Southern Railroad

Project Description

Bridge Replacement

Projected Cost

Preliminary Engineering Authorized

Construction $2,286,000

ROW $200,000

City Responsibility

ROW and replacement housing

Status

DOT concept report completed

Environmental to be started soon

Efforts will be made to move project into FY07 or 08 TIP

Temporary fix estimated at $280,000

Will require coordination with railroad



? Whittlesey Road

Veterans Parkway to Bradley Park Drive

Project Description

Project is divided into two sections: Veterans to Whitesville, Whitesville to

Bradley Park

Only Veterans to Whitesville is scheduled for construction

Four lanes with median from Whitesville Road to Veterans Parkway

Projected Cost

Construction $6,000,000

ROW (42) $1,120,000

City Responsibility

ROW cost (SPLOST)

Status

Environmental to be completed in September

Construction could occur in FY07 or 08



? Farr Road

Old Cusseta Road to St. Mary?s Road

Project Description

Widen and reconstruct 1.25 miles of 2-lane road to 4 lanes

Projected Cost

Unknown until initial design has been completed

City Responsibility

ROW

Status

Preliminary engineering has been authorized



? Moon Road

Wilbur Drive to Veterans Parkway

Project Description

Widen and reconstruct 2-lane road to 4 lanes

Consultants have been looking at alternatives to widening this roadway

Projected Cost

Construction TBD

ROW TBD

City Responsibility

TBD

Status

Consultants are reviewing intersection improvements along this corridor as

possible alternative

Study should be complete by September 2006, with public meeting to follow



? Talbotton/Warm Springs Road

7th Ave. to Woodruff Road

Project description

Four lanes divided with raised median

Projected Cost

ROW (140 parcels) $4,000,000

Construction $10,300,000

State/federal to handle all costs

Status

Environmental to be completed in September

3 years to acquire ROW; 2 years to construct



? Buena Vista Road

Brighton Road to Dogwood Road

Project description

Widen 5 lanes to 6 lanes with improvements to the I-185 interchange

Projected Cost

ROW (140 parcels) TBD

Construction TBD





Status

Initial design has been completed

Public information meeting has been held

Effort being made to fund this project as an Interstate improvement project



? St. Mary?s Road

Robin Road to Northstar Drive

Project Description

Widen 3-lane segment to 4 lanes

Includes sidewalks and landscaping

Projected Cost

ROW (140 parcels) TBD

Construction TBD

Status

Preliminary engineering authorized

May require reconstructing the I-185 interchange



Councilor Turner Pugh said since we know that there is going to be a

possibility that the road widening is going to take place at some point in

time, and because we have three different projects that?s going to be coming to

us for rezoning issues, that?s going to be affected and said it would make

sense for us to come up with something beforehand as to how close they can

build to the road.



Mr. Jones said they are trying to look at that now, because they are

trying to eliminate unnecessary curb cuts or drive where they can impact that

road and how close they can come to the road. He said they are working on that

now.



Councilor Suber said we may need to have some public hearings to try to

alleviate uproar by telling people how close their homes are to the roadway,

and whether we need to extend it from a two or three-lane roadway to a

four-lane roadway.



Mr. Jones said he knows that the Mayor is looking at it with dealing with

Fort Benning directly and said they are trying to work through that situation.



? Eastern Connector

US 80 to Buena Vista Road

Project Description

Construction of a four-lane road for Muscogee Technology Park

Projected Cost

ROW N/A

Construction $23,700,000

City Responsibility

Design/Construction (SPLOST)

Status

Construction underway

Phase One (approximately .5 miles) awarded in early 2004 ? to be completed in

early 2006





OTHER TIER III Projects



? Miller Road - from Warm Springs Road to Macon Road

? Schatulga Road/Eastern Connector ? from Macon Road to Buena Vista Road

? Veteran?s Parkway - Turnberry Lane to Gatlin Lane in Harris County

? Old Cusseta Road ? Ft. Benning Road to Farr Road

? Forest Road ? Macon Road to Schatulga Road

? Veteran?s Parkway ? Manchester Expressway to Old Moon Road



STATE SAFETY PROJECTS:



? Peacock/Brown Avenue Intersection Improvement

Wynnton Road

Project Description

Intersection improvement

Projected Cost

ROW (parcels 25) $679,000

Construction $587,000

City Responsibility

None

Status

State safety project

Environmental completed

Final design and construction TBD by state



Mr. Jones, in response to Councilor McDaniel, said it is his understanding

that this project is in the Commissioner?s Office for his final determination

and he should be making that final decision any day now.



He said he is not certain as to whether or not they have agreed with the

Historic & Architectural Review Board about the turn lanes to Wynnton Road. He

said that is their determination to make.



LOCALLY FUNDED PROJECTS:



? Whitesville/Williams Road

Project Description

Widening, signalization and turning lane improvements

Projected Cost

Construction $1,500,000

Status

Under construction

Construction to be completed February 06

Median cuts will be minimized, utilizing the Georgia Welcome Center driveway as

access to development in this immediate area



? Walking/Bicycle Trail

Project Description

Walking/Jogging trail from 14th Street bridge to Cooper Creek Park along the

Warm Springs Road rail line

This is Phase I. Second phase will run from Cooper Creek Park to Psalmond Road

and will be built as funds become available

Projected Cost

ROW Own

Construction $6,000,000

City Responsibility

Construction (SPLOST/Federal funds)

Status

Public meetings have been held

Environmental/archeological to be completed

Could be let out for bid as early as January



Councilor McDaniel said he has heard rumors that the Medical Center wanted

to change the route to go around them, in the other directions.



Mr. Jones said they have looked at it and said their design is to pull it

closer to our existing right-of-way and negotiate with the Medical Center in

terms of future needs they may have. He said if they don?t have any further

needs for that use, they would go ahead and put it back on the rail line

itself. He said they are talking about shifting it a maximum of 100 feet away

from where it is now.



Councilor McDaniel said if it is a major change and since it is a SPLOST

project, it would have to go back to the people. However, Mr. Jones said in his

determination, it?s not a major change on this.



Councilor McDaniel then asked that the Council be provided with a complete

report and schematic of the route for the proposed area of the Walking-Bicycle

Trail and advise whether or not the route of the trail has been changed to go

around the Medical Center at their request.

City Manager Hugley also responded to questions of members of the Council

in this regard. He said he is aware of the project and said we have a simple

drawing that would show the shift in that portion of the tract and said he

would put a copy of that in the Council members agenda packet so they can see

it.



Councilor McDaniel said he only wants to make sure that we don?t have any

legal issues on this matter.



Councilor Davis said he would like to see that drawing and said that he

has heard the same rumor and said he wondered how it would affect the path of

the potential rail line in the future, if the changes are being made. He said

he would also like to know how it would affect the safety of pedestrian, as

well as bikers.



City Manager Hugely said he would provide a memorandum to the Council to

explain it, as well as have a color photo to show you what the change will be.



? Double Churches/

Whitesville Road Intersection

Project Description

Widening, signalization and turning lane improvements



Projected Cost

Construction $1,500,000

Status

Design underway

Construction to be done under county contract



? Standing Boy Bridge

Standing Boy Road

Project Description

Replacement of existing bridge

Projected Cost

ROW (5) $200,000

Construction $400,000

Status

Construction to start

Bridge provides only access to neighborhoods in this area

Requires immediate attention



Mr. Jones said they are hopeful that they will have this construction

starting in January 2006.



LOCAL AREA RESURFACING PROGRAM - LARP



Project Description

? Pavement management program established 3 years ago



Rated and prioritized streets for needed resurfacing

Streets were rated from 0-100

Staff updates Program annually

Roads that are in the mid-range of the rating are submitted to the GDOT for

funding

Additional funding is utilized from SPLOST funds

Estimated Cost (Annual)

State funds $1,000,000

SPLOST $1,000,000

Status

Over the last 3 years:

150 streets repaved using state funds

150 streets under SPLOST

Streets are reviewed and checked by staff as to condition prior to their

submission

Referrals are still welcomed



LONG RANGE PROJECTS- 2030:



? Williams Road ? Veterans to Whitesville

? Spider Web Redevelopment

? US 80 North Bypass

? Brennan Road ? Buena Vista to Ft. Benning

? Cusseta Road ? South Oakview to Brown Avenue

? River Road ? Bradley Park to Double Churches

? Milgen Road ? Reese to Woodruff



After Mr. Jones concluded his presentation, he then responded to questions

of members of the Council. He said he is hopeful that they have given the

Council enough information to keep them abreast of what we are trying to

accomplish as a community here.



BRIDGE ON CHEROKEE AVENUE:



Councilor McDaniel said it is his understanding that the bridges that go

across the creek on Cherokee Avenue are the responsibility of the homeowners.

He said they have discovered cracks in them and they will possibly need to be

replaced and said he would like for the City Manager to provide him with

information as to whether or not the bridges believe to the homeowner?s or not.



City Manager Hugley said he received a verbal report on this issue this

morning and said according to the information that he has received, the bridges

are the responsibility are the homeowners. He said they will take a look at

what the findings have been down in that area, but at this moment we do know

they are not the property of the City and believes to the homeowners. He said

he will be consulting the City Attorney and the staff and can have you a more

definitive answer at a later time.



City Manager Hugley thanked Mr. Jones and his staff for the great job that

they do and asked those staff members to come forward to be introduced.



Mr. Jones also responded to further questions of members of the Council.



Members of the Citizens Advisory Commission was also recognized and

introduced: Ms. Hattie L. Jones, Mr. Jim Pound, Ms. Sally Lassister,

Ms. Teresa Tomlinson and Ms. Becky Carter.



Some discussion was held on the cookie cutter model that the Department of

Transportation has as far as road projects are concerned.



Councilor Suber pointed out that Ms. Teresa Tomlinson has been working

with Mr. Sam Wellborn and members of the Department of Transportation and said

with the new commissioner there now, he has been told that he is more amenable

to not having for neighborhoods 4 or 5-lane roads and that he would be amenable

to the 3-lanes, but said it is justifying them. He said he would like to have

Ms. Tomlinson to come forward and be heard on this matter and so moved.

Seconded by Councilor Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of

Council present for this meeting.



Ms. Teresa Tomlinson said as far as the DOT Commissioner, she has had

several opportunities to speak with him at his invitation and said he is

surprisingly amenable to wanting to build roads that the City and the citizens

need. She said she was pleasantly surprise to find out that he is very open and

said, in fact, he spokes on a national circuit promoting content sensitive

designs and alternative road designs.



She said he has told her that he intends to practice what he preaches to

other communities. She said there seems to be a willingness on their part to

work with us to get that done.



Ms. Tomlinson said she would like to thank the Council for having this

session today, because oftentimes the DOT struggles to understand or know what

the political will or the public policy will of the City is. She said the more

that you are aware and the direction that the City and some of the committees

put forth a message that these roads are important and certain priorities that

needs to be readjusted, the more productive that will be.



*** *** ***



Mayor Poydasheff pointed out that Councilor Anthony has published a book

and said that it is going to be autographed at the Barnes and Nobel Bookstore.

He said he thinks that Councilor Anthony owes it to the City Council, as a

colleague to get all of them a copy of his book.



COLUMBUS HEALTHCARE SUMMIT:



Councilor Wayne Anthony gave a brief presentation on the Third Annual

Columbus Healthcare Summit that will be held here in Columbus on next

Wednesday, August 3, 2005 from 7:30 a.m. ? 1:30 p.m., at the Trade Center. He

highlighted the following information as outlined below:



Host Organizations

The Business Resource Center

Columbus Consolidated Government

Greater Columbus Georgia

Chamber of Commerce

Society for Human Resource Management



Founding Partners

Columbus Regional Healthcare System

Doctors Hospital

Hughston Orthopedic Hospital

St. Francis Hospital



Event Partners

Columbus Mental Health Network, Inc.

Evergreen Health Plan, Inc.

Eve?s New Attitude

Freedom Senior Care

Manpower

Quality Healthcare Partners, Inc. (QHP)

Three Rivers AHEC

Tidwell Cancer Foundation

Tidwell Cancer Treatment Center



Councilor Anthony then went into some details, pointing out what all the

Agenda includes:



Agenda

7:30 AM ? 8:00 AM Registration

8:00 AM ? 9:15 AM The Solution to the Healthcare Revolution



Forces Driving the Healthcare Revolution

Five Major Alternatives

The Healthcare Solution



9: 15 AM ? 9:30 AM Break (Network with Summit Partners)



9:30 AM ? 10:30 AM Hot Issues in Healthcare Part I



Escalating Costs and Containment Strategies

CDHP: Consumer Directed Health Plans

HSA: Health Savings Accounts



10:30 AM ? 10:45 AM Break (Network with Summit Partners)



10:45 AM ? 11:45 AM Hot Issues in Healthcare Part II



Prescription Medication and Purchasing Alternatives

Managing Health, Maximizing Performance

Care-focused Purchasing



11:45 AM ? 12:00 PM Break (Network with Summit Partners)



12:00 PM ? 1:30 PM Lunch and Healthcare Panel Presentation



Major Trends in Columbus Healthcare



Challenges and Changes for 2006



1:30 PM Conclusion



Councilor Anthony said the cost & registration is $75.00, which includes

continental breakfast, morning workshops, lunch, panel presentation and the

book, The Healthcare Solution. He said individuals can call The Business

Resource Center at 706-649-6400 to register or Columbus Consolidated Government

311, Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Society for Human

Resource Management.



Councilor Woodson asked that the City Manager check and see if it is

possible for us to record the Healthcare Summit for us to air at a later date.



With there being no other business to come before this Council, Mayor Pro

Tem Rodgers then made a motion for adjournment. Seconded by Councilor McDaniel

and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council present for this

meeting, with the time being 11:26 A.M.







Tiny B. Washington, CMC

Clerk of Council

The Council of Columbus, Georgia