Columbus, Georgia

Minutes



COUNCIL BRIEFING



Meeting

September 16, 2003



Members Present: Mayor Pro Tem John J. Rodgers and Councilors R. Gary Allen

(arrived at 8:50 a.m.), Wayne Anthony, Glenn Davis, Berry Henderson, Julius

Hunter, Jr., Charles E. McDaniel, Jr., Evelyn Turner Pugh (arrived at 8:41

a.m.), Nathan Suber and Evelyn Woodson. Also present were Mayor Robert S.

Poydasheff, City Manager Carmen Cavezza, Deputy City Manager Isaiah Hugley and

City Attorney Clifton Fay.



Members Absent: No one was absent.



Guest: Mr. Ellis Riggs.

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Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers called the meeting to order at 8:40 a.m. in the Council

Chambers Conference Room, Plaza Level, Government Center.



Katie The Cow:

City Manager Cavezza reported that Katie the Cow is going home today; she would

be located at the Best Buy Store.



Carpenters Ranch:



Councilor Davis invited everyone to the Carpenter?s Ranch Children Home for a

benefit on Thursday, September 2, 2003. He stated that he would make sure each

member of Council is called to confirm.



House of Heroes:

Councilor Anthony announced that the leadership of the tri-community would come

together to work on the homes of Veterans and/or their spouses. He advised

that the House of Heroes would dedicate 33 houses this year ending on September

26, 2003.



Celeste Drive Rezoning:

Councilor Turner Pugh said that she has asked the petitioner to change his

rezoning request from an R-3A to an R-2 zoning for 1602 Celeste Drive.

(25-D-03-Preston Holdings, LLC.) She then asked the Council to support this

change. Councilor Henderson expressed his concerns with changing the zoning

request at this point, because it has not gone back to the Planning Advisory

Commission. Councilor Turner Pugh said that the reason she asked the

petitioner to change it is because the residents support the project.





Church Day Care:

There was some brief discussion regarding the Special Exception Use to operate

a day care center at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers stated

that once the church moves away from the ministry and worship aspect and begin

charging for those activities; then, the church becomes a commercial use. He

said at that point, the church is competing against someone who is required to

be in a commercial zone and is paying taxes.



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Skate Park Super Center:

Deputy City Manager Hugley came forward to talk about the proposed Skate Park.

He then passed around the table a fact sheet. (A copy was filed with the

recording secretary and is hereby made a part of the minutes.) He said that we

have Ellis Riggs with us this morning, and he has brought a model that he would

like to show the Council. He pointed out that we have three public forums

scheduled where we would take this concept out to the public and get their feed

back.



Councilor Woodson provided Deputy City Manager Hugley with some information on

an individual that had done research on Skate Parks and would like to be a part

of the committee.



Mr. Ellis Riggs, using a model, showed the members of Council how the structure

would be constructed. He said that upstairs in the rear are some birthday

party rooms and from there you can look into the ice skating rink and the skate

park, as well as the Chattahoochee River. He said that this complex would be

for the pre-teens on up to the twenties and older. He said that we know that

we want some covered areas out front. He then spoke about the different types

of materials that would be used. Councilor Turner Pugh suggested an enclosed

Skate Park. Deputy City Manager Isaiah Hugley pointed out that there is going

to be a cover that would cover half or 500 square feet of the Skate Park. He

said that we are going to hold public hearings at various locations in the

community.



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Meeting adjourned at 9:00 a.m.





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Sandra T. Davis, Deputy Clerk of Council