ACC Commission and Mayor Okay Wetlands Bridge

7:53: Accepting reports from the charter officers. No reports from the officers. Nancy Denson moves to the Commission for their remarks. The commission members greet students in the audience. The students are from Richard Mullendore's group dynamics class in the UGA College of Education. Andy Herod asks for comment on the predicted dry months and whether conservation measures are going to be enforced. Harry Sims reminds people of the 3 p.m. meeting Wednesday afternoon at the Lyndon House about the the committee will present to the Commission. Alice Kinman thanks the staff for the good infrastructure work the county did on stormwater drainage in the area in and around Five Points. Commissions thank Debra Arnold for her work in the Commission's office while Jean Spratlin recovers from surgery. Alice makes a motion to adjourn.

7:18 p.m.: Doug Lowry considers naming a committee of five people who will advise the staff on the design of the at Sandy Creek Park across Lake Chapman. Mayor Denson says appointing the members from the floor isn't appropriate. 

Harry Sims sugests allowing the Board of Sandy Creek Nature Center to appoint five people to the committee. Alice Kinman questions Manager Reddish about what kind of involvement the county staff would have in the design of the trail, since Walt Cook and his volunteers have said they will lay and build the trail. 

Alice Kinman isn't sure what the citizen review committee would be responsible for. Doug Lowry says they would make sure the bridge begins and ends where it's intended to, would make sure the work is done in a timely fashion, with Smith Wilson and his mules dragging poles through the woods for the bridge. Alice thanks him and says she isn't sure the citizens review committee is needed. Doug thanks her and agrees it may not be needed. 

George Maxwell wants to know if the county has made contact with Jackson County officials about the plans for the bridge? Enforcement around the public road would be their responsibility. Alan Reddish says the proposal wants to place the bridge on a former bridge site in Jackson County, where there are abutments. They are trying to create a bridge in a general site. It might look like the prefabricated bridge near Weaver D's. He wonders if using mules is the best way to get materials to the bridge site. The budget would be $320,000, but that doesn't include any costs for the trail. The county needs to have a group that has standing. The Mayor suggests saying Smith Wilson's services "as needed." Lowry now says to change some of the wording of his proposal. 

The motion passes. Which means the bridge will be built!

7:13 p.m.: Commissioner Alice Kinman says she appreciates Courtney Leach's work on the Timothy Safe Routes to School program. When Alice started walking her daughter to Barrow ten years ago, she said only a handful of children walked to school. Now, there are hundreds who take to the sidewalks.

The projects are active now, Manager Reddish said. SPLOST monies will help those programs and GDOT money is also available and will be spent before local dollars are spent.  

7:10 pm: Courtney Stallings Leach spoke to the Commission about the , citing the success of the program at . She said the school had hoped to receive SPLOST money to make walking to school--and, even more importantly, crossing busy Timothy Road---safe.