Staff Reports
June 3, 2019 – Commission Chairman Phillip Beard started the June meeting at 7 p.m. inside the Commission Chambers at City Hall. After the pledge, the minutes and the modified agenda were approved. They voted to change the July meeting to July 15, 2019, at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
The first special permit request was by Gear Diesel Truck & Trailer at 4952 Austin Park Avenue, Suite B. Their request to get a special use permit to repair trucks and trailers and perform routine maintenance was denied. The applicant had requested withdrawal of the request. C G Marine, Inc. at 1065 Parkway Industrial Park Drive, Suite A requested a special use permit to allow for boat repair. The request was approved with the conditions that outdoor storage of parts, junk vehicles, or equipment is prohibited and that all repairs must be done inside the building. Bhalvani Ent. Inc. at 4780 Lanier Islands Parkway requested a special use permit to allow an automatic carwash. Due to the history with unsightly debris and the applicant not being at the meeting, the Commission voted to table this request until the applicant can be present.
A zoning modification was requested by Michael Henderson for Wendy’s at Holland Point at the corner of Hamilton Mill Road and South Bogan Road. The amendment was approved to allow the use of the out parcel per the prior zoning conditions. The request included a drive-thru window and flat roof, subject to the approval of City staff. Two nearby residents spoke up with concerns about the hours of the drive-thru. Representatives for Wendy’s said that the drive-thru will close at 1 a.m. The Commission added a special condition to the permit that allows them to revisit the hours of operation if noise becomes a problem.
An amendment was presented that would amend the City of Buford Zoning Ordinance Section 702 Substandard Lots of Record. This amendment would allow staff to approve exemption plats with lots not meeting minimum lot size requirements so long as certain conditions were met. This amendment would only apply to the area covered by the Downtown Development Authority (Downtown and the surrounding “Old Town” areas). The Commission instructed staff to review the approved district and expand as necessary to include the remainder of any redevelopment areas. This would be accomplished through an additional advertising and public hearing process.
The final plat for the Reserve at Bogan Lakes Phase 3-A was approved. The combination plat for Seefried Industrial Properties on Faith Industrial Drive was approved. The wastewater allocation appeal for the new Frazer Road subdivision was approved. Terry Marlette and Randall Wansley were reappointed to the City Zoning Board of Appeals. The Commission voted to have the City readopt and recertify as a certified City of Ethics and be recognized by the Georgia Municipal Association. Stacy Rolin with Bryan Kerlin as the alternate was approved to be the City’s voting delegate for the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) Power annual election of the board. The Commission approved for Mike Balliet of MBC to audit Republic Services (operators of the landfill). This includes Republic’s invoicing and associated agreements with the City and their reporting and fee payments made to the City. The audit is to ensure that Republic Services is paying the City the right agreed upon fees.
A speed hump and a speed limit of 15 MPH was approved for the Stonecrest Subdivision. An ordinance of procedures and requirements for requests for speed moderation humps in the City limits in Hall County was approved, subject to the city attorney’s approval. The natural gas base charge rate was approved to increase a dollar per month, $12 per year. This increase will take place on July 1 for each of the next three (3)years to help balance out the operating costs. This is the first rate increase since October 2012 and even with the increase, the City’s gas fees are still one of the lowest in the area.
The 2019 Community Development Block Grant Subrecipient Agreements were approved which awards $330k for the improvement of stormwater drainage on Church Street and $550k for waterline replacement on Moreno Street. The Commission voted to authorize the City Manager to proceed with the renovation of the legion ballfields. Charles Black Construction Company will act as construction manager. The renovation will be done in phases to allow the fall season to take place. A bid by Charles Black Construction Company was approved for the Bona Road to New Street streetscape and sidewalk project. The low bid was approved for the water plant pump 5 emergency generator and ATS equipment installation. Payments for the Espy Street intersection improvements, the Southside Trunk Sewer improvements, and the Buford parking deck were approved.
Todd Cleveland from the Community Center said that May was a busy month with the theatre rentals, weddings, and the Memorial Day antique festival. The next big event with be on June 22nd and it will be a free outdoor concert featuring The Gregg Allman Laid Legacy band. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m.
City Manager Bryan Kerlin said the parking deck structure will be delivered in July instead of June as he had stated in May’s meeting. Foundation work is ongoing. Kerlin met with the architects designing the pedestrian bridge on a few issues. The final data sets from the waterworks filter testing were sent to the EPD. Upon approval, the City will continue with the final design of a new water plant. The City is currently accepting bids to repave South Richland Creek Road. The Parks and Recreation Department is busy with various tournaments and programs happening within tennis and lacrosse.
Beard went around the room asking the meeting attendees if they had any further business. One gentleman who moved to a home off of Main Street a year and a half ago spoke up about the large increase in traffic and speed of the vehicles traveling down the street. He said that it got better for a little while when the police would patrol but since they have scaled back the speeding has gotten out of control again. He asked the Commission to help develop a solution to the problem. He suggested a 4-way stop sign but traffic backing up was a concern. The Commission said they would look into it and decide on the best course of action.
This concluded the June 2019 meeting of the Buford Board of Commissioners.
