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August 7/21, 1978 Council Meeting August 7, 1978 The regular scheduled meeting of Mayor and Council was held, pursuant to the Charter on August 7, 1978 at City Hall, Smyrna, Georgia. The meeting was called to order by presiding officer Mayor Frank Johnson at 7:30 o'clock p.m. All Council members were present. Also present was City Attorney Charles Camp, City Clerk Willouise Spivey, Finance Director Gunter Newsom, Police Chief R. E. Little, Fire Chief Don Atkinson, Director of Public Works Jim David, Parks and Recreation Director Asa Howard, Assistant Parks Director Sherry Reavis, City Inspector John Steely, Director of Civil Defense Jim Farley and representatives of the press. Invocation was given by Councilman Jim Hawkins, followed by the pledge to the flag. Jarelle Bullock, representing the Smyrna Girls Softball Association, thanked the Smyrna Parks and Recreation Department for giving them the opportunity and helping them to play in the District and State Tournaments for the Georgia Recreation and Parks Society. The 13 and 14 year old girls division won the 5th District Champion- ship. He presented the Championship Trophy to the City and introduced and commended the girls for their dedication and hard work. Mr. Bullock praised the assistant coaches and introduced Mrs. Henderson and Sandy Bullock. He reported the 11 and 12 year olds and the 15 to 17 year old girls also won the 5th District. Parks and Recreation Director Asa Howard presented a modification to the trophy which read: No.1 Smyrna, Lummus Supply, names of coaches and girls. A picture will be placed in the trophy case. Chuck Smart, owner of the Smart Shop at 2688 Atlanta Road, requested a variance of the Code to enable him to wire his building himself. Mr. Smart was advised to contact the building inspector. Bob Boaz of the Study Hall of Smyrna stated the business had been open for about one week and customers between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. number between eight and ten. There is no admission charge for these hours. The ordinance calls for a police officer to be on duty during all hours the hall is open. Officer Littlejohn has been their officer on duty. Bob Boaz said he and Officer Littlejohn had discussed the possibility that Mayor and Council might consider lifting the restriction of an officer on duty between these hours only. His purpose tonight is to ask Mayor and Council to lift this restriction of requiring an officer to be on duty between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m., with the understanding that at any point it would be deemed necessary they would reinstitute the the officer,on duty between those hours. Chief Little said he had discussed this with Officer Littlejohn and saw no problem. Jerry Mills made a motion a pol ice officer not be required on duty at the Study Hall of Smyrna between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00 p.m., with the stipulation that should Mayor and Council, the police department, or the owner find a need, the police officer would again be reinstated. Jack Shinall seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was 4-3. Jack Shinall, Jerry Mills, Bill Darby and Elbert Coalson voted for. Rem Bennett, Jim Tolleson and Jim Hawkins voted against. Bob Boaz advised that starting this Tuesday, the Study Hall will have a half-price night, with the stipulation the children bring a can of food to be distributed throughout the area to needy citizens. He asked Council to provide them with a list of the needy as he preferred the help stay inside the City. Mayor Johnson advised Mr. Boaz to be sure the food was handled correctly, but Council had no control over this. It was suggested he work with the Civic Clubs. A large number of citizens were present to protest a pol itical advertisement which was published in both the Smyrna Neighbor and Marietta Daily Journal. This ad- vertisement was the copy of a letter of appreciation written to CharI ie Jones and signed by the Mayor and four Councilmen. Three Councilmen knew nothing about the letter until it was published. Those who signed the letter stated it was only a letter of appreciation and did not intend for it to be used in a pol itlcal campaign. After a lengthy discussion. apologies were made to all concerned. Don Lillie presented to Mayor Frank Johnson a crystal jonquil and asked that It be kept on the Mayor's desk during his administration. A recess 'Was called at 8:31 p.m. Reconvened at 8:45 p.m. Councilman Jim Hawkins commended the Fire Department on its safety record and presented a plaque to Fire Chief Don Atkinson which read as follows: "FOR NO VEH I CULAR ACC I DENT FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS." (Continuation of August 7, 1978 Meeting) Terry Claytpn of Jonquil Sporting Goqds presented Director of Parks and Recreation Asa Howard with an Award of Merit in the National Gold Medal competition. Smyrna Parks and Recreation Department has won this award for three consecutive years. Commercial building permits were presented by Inspector John Steely and upon his recommendation the following action is recorded: (1) Reese Advertising Company, Inc. requested a permit to install signs at different locations in the City. The appl ications were in with the Code. After discussion, Elbert Coalson made a motion this tabled until the next meeting in order to check out the locations. seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. six b ill boa rd compl iance request be Jerry Mi lIs The b license request of Barry Williams was not brought up again since Mr. Will iams was not present. Elbert COalson made a motion we request bids for two (2) remote alarm panels and necessary associated equipment for the Civil Defense department. Jim Hawkins seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Jerry Mills made a motion the minutes of July 3, 1978 be approved as submitted. Jim Hawkins seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Jim Hawkins made a motion the minutes of July 17, 1978 be approved as submitted. Rem Bennett seconded the motion which carried by a 6-0 vote. Jerry Mills ab- stained since he did not attend the meeting. Jack Shinall made a motion to request bids for 100 3/4x5 water meters, bids to be opened at the next council meeting. Jerry Mills seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Jack Shinall reported that Macon reduced their property tax by 57% after passing the 1% tax. He requested we meet with the County Commissioners and officials from other cities to discuss what might be done to reduce taxes. Mayor Johnson will check into this and report at the next council meeting. Jim Hawkins reported the Fire Department patches were purchased from Banner Uniform$ Company, the low bidder. Jim Hawkins reported he had met with members of the Smyrna Federated Womans Club. Their next project is to collect enol,.lgh Top Value stamps to purchase a van and present the City to use as a mobile library. Their question is, will the City accept van, cost of insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. It would be at least two years before the van could be purchased. Jim Hawkins made a motion the City accept the van, take care of the insurance, cost of maintenance, etc., when it is presented to us by the Smyrna Federated Womans Club. Jim Tolleson seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Bill Darby reported the first ha 1 f 1978 tax bill s woul d be bill ed off the 1977 digest and should go out by the 15th of September. Jim Tolleson reported the Parks and Recreation committee met last week with Leroy Brownlee with reference to King Springs Park. The park should be finished within thirty days and October I, 1978 is the date set for the dedication. Governor Busbee has been invited to be guest speaker. Asa Howard announced that Assistant Director Sherry Reavis was nominated for Secretary of Georgia Recreation and Parks Society. There being no other business, meeting was adjourned at 9:24 p.m. ************************ August 21, 1978 .~ The regl.llar scheduled meeting of Mayor and Counci 1 was held on Augu$t 21, 1978 at City Hall, Smyrna, Georgia. The meeting was called to order by presiding officer Mayor Frank Johnson at 7:30 o'clock p.m. All Council members were present. Also present was City Attorney Charles Camp. City Clerk Willouise Spivey, Finance (Continuation of August 21, 1978 Meeting) Director Gunter Newsom, Police Chief R. E. Little, Fire Chief Don Atkinson, Director of Parks and Recreation Asa Howard, Director of Publ ic Works Jim David. Inspector John Steely and representatives of the press. Invocation was given by Asa Howard, followed by the pledge to the flag. Charl ie Hayes, coach for one of the 11-12 year old Smyrna Girls Softball teams announced his team won the 5th District Championship and he presented the trophy to the City. He introduced the girls and assistant coaches Jessie Murray and Melissa Hayes. Mayor Johnson thanked Mr. Hayes and congratulated the girls for winning the championship. John Curl stated the water pressure on Pasadena Place was low and the water dis- colored. He and a number of his neighbors brought samples of the water. He said the pressure is so low clothes washers and dishwashers will not operate properly. He said upon investigation he found the street was serviced by a 2" water 1 ine which dead ends on the street, and sediment in the pipe is causing the discoloration. Jim David verified this was a 2" line and said it was approximately 24 years old. Elbert Coalson asked when this could be replaced with a 4" 1 ine and told Mr. Curl he wished he had contacted him about this before. James David was asked to get a cost figure tomorrow and council will discuss this problem Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Coalson will notify Mr. Curl what can be done. Gary Myers, representing the Smyrna Athletic Association, asked the City's help in securing a football field on which to play their home games. They have used the King Springs field for the last two years. The Georgia Football Conference. of which SAA is a member, inspect and approve the fields for play. They ruled' the King Springs field is unfit for football play at the present time. He said they could play all their home games away, but if this is done, they will be deprived of revenue from concessions which last year netted between $5.000 and $6.000. The cannot afford this loss. Mr. Myers asked that Mayor and Council intervene for getting permission to play on one of the high school fields. Jim Tolleson said the field at King Springs had now been reseeded and would prefer it not be used for six or seven weeks. He had called Jack Darnell of the Cobb Board of Education and was advised that Campbell High field has also been reseeded and he suggested they use Osborne High. Mr. Darnell is to let Mr. Tolleson know by noon tomorrow if Osborne is available. Elbert Coalson and Jerry Mills questioned why King Springs field had been condemned. Asa Howard said the reason was that the field was not reseeded last spring and/now a few places would have to be re-sod. He was not here last spring but is making every effort to get the field in shape now. A. D. Burchfield stated he offered money and labor to work on the field last May, but was advised they must wait until softball season was over. Mr. Johnson told Mr. Myers the City would do everything they could to help and would be in touch with him tomorrow. Bids for 100 water meters were opened, read and are recorded as follows: Badger Mete rs, I nc. Rockwell International Neptune Meter Co. Davis Meter & Supply Southern Meter & Supply $30.00 ea. 28.90 ea. 23.90 ea. 29.95 ea. 24.00 ea. Jack Shinall made a motion bids be turned over to the water committee for review and appropriate action in the discretion of the committee. Elbert Coalson seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Bid furnish and install two (2) Remote Alarm Panels and necessary equipment for Civil Defense were opened. read and are recorded as follows: Dixie Engine Company Associated Engines Parts, material & labor (I) remote alarm panel Installation and test $2,980.00 885.00 Elbert Coalson made a motion bids be turned over to committee with authority to act. Jerry Mills seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Jim Hawkins made a motion to bring the request of Barry Wi 11 iams, for a bus iness license to operate a commercial and residential security system, off table. Jerry Mills seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Jim Hawkins made a motion the business license be granted. Jerry Mills seconded the motion. Jim Hawkins (Continuation of August 21, 1978 Meeting) amended the motion to include he would change the address from his home to his Post Office box. After discussion, vote on the motion was 7-0 to approve the 1 i cense. Commercial building permits were submitted by Inspector John Steely and upon his recommendation the following action is recorded: (I) R. W. Montague, 2635 Gilbert Street, requested a 4' front yard variance in order to build an addition onto his home. Jerry Mills made a motion the variance be granted. Rem Bennett seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. (2) A request for six (6) billboard signs, tabled last meeting was brought up again. Rem Bennett advised the committee met twice last week and in the process of revising the sign ordinance. He made a motion all requests fo signs be tabled until the revisions are complete as the changes will effect all signs. The re- visions should be complete within the next week or ten days. Jim Tolleson seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Rem Bennett made a motion to surplus one 1976 Custom 500 4-door For.d pol ice car, ID F6U53C124011F, and request bids on it, as well as two others that were surplused in February. Also, those bidding must be present and prepared to pay in cash at the time of bid opening. Jim Hawkins seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Elbert Coalson made a motion the first meeting in September be moved from the first Monday night to the second Monday, since the first Monday is Labor Day. Jerry Mills seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. City Inspector John Steely announced he wanted to give notice as of today, of his resignation. He appreciated the opportunity to be City Inspector and City Marshal but had found he did not have the time to devote to the job. He did agree to stay until we could get a replacement. Mayor Johnson told John he had done a good job and accepted the resignation with regret. Elbert Coalson announced that past Mayor George W. Kreeger's funeral would be at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday at the First Methodist Church and burial will be in Crestlawn Cemetgry. Mr. Coalson praised Mr. Kreeger for all he had done for the City, and h devotion to the City, and said a prayer for the family. Mayor Johnson announced the City had flown its flags at half mast today in Mr. Kreeger's honor. Committee Reports: Water - Jack Shinall reported that as water meters get old they slow down and we lose money; therefore it is important to get new meters in the ground. Fire - Jim Hawkins reported the State Firefighters Association Convention is being held in Macon and our department is being represented by Engineer Lynn Phillips and Assistant Fire Chief Hubert Cochran. Jim Hawkins reported the Smyrna Woman's Club donated $5,000 to the City on May 19, 1978, with the stipulation this money be used to help construct a Civic Center, and if the center had not been started within three years, the money would be returned. The president of the club has contacted him about the return of the money. Jim made a motion the $5,000 donated by the Smyrna Woman's Club, plus earned interest, be returned to this organization. Jerry Mills seconded the motion which carried 7-0. It is understood the club is going to donate this money to the churches to be used in their Senior Citizens program. Streets - Jerry Mills reported the City made application to the LARP Program for the resurfacing of streets, and twenty-one (21) have been approved for resurfacing. In the past the State has asked for bids and then let the LARP contracts. This procedure has now been changed and the City must request bids and let the contracts, and the State wi 11 allocate a set amount of funds. Jerry made a motion that we request bids from paving contractors for the resurfacing of the twenty-one streets, bids to be opened at the September lIth meeting. Jim Hawkins seconded the motion' which carried by a 7-0 vote. Finance - Bill Darby advised the maintenance contract covering the heating and air conditioning units of the City has expired. He made a motion we ask for bids for a new contract. Jim Hawkins seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. i ng) contact the State Highway and ask that they Road at Bank Street. At the present time the turn Street, making for a very dangerous situation. Jerry this be done and the State refused; however, he would extern:ledcongratu1a:tions to Sharon Fi nke, a Smyrna res i dent, Free Style at the GRPS State Swim Meet. and Recreat ion Commi ss ion meet i ng tomorrow night Citizens are at Will-O-Way Camp. Meet ing at 8: 40 p. m. SPIVEY,