Loading...
06-02-1980 Regular Meetinga June 2. 1980 The regular scheduled meeting of Mayor and Council was held pursuant to the Charter on June 2, 1980, 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, Public Works Director James E. David, Civil Defense Director Jim Farley, Building Inspector Danny Steely, Parks and Recreation Director Bill Johnston and representatives of the press. Invocation was given by John Steely, followed by the pledge to the flag. Citizens Reports: Shirley Davis of Ventura Place complained of the noise and lights from Billy Howard's Wrecker Service. Ms. Davis reported the street was almost blocked this past weekend by parked diesels and wreckers on Ventura Place. She asked if it was legal for them to be parked on the street. She stated the large motors were cranked at all times during the night and day and it was impossible to sleep. Mrs. Mildred McGinnis of 2500 Ventura stated the wreckers were tearing up the street, the wreckers looked terrible and the noise went on all night. Mr. Ed Wilder of Ventura Place had the same complaints. Elbert Coalson told the residents a meeting would be set up between Billy Howard, the residents and the Police Department, and hopefully this problem could be worked out. Bid Opening: Bids for one (1) lawn tractor for the Parks Department were opened, read and are recorded as follows: Village Lawn & Garden John Deer Model 317, 2 cycle engine, 11200 Alpharetta Highway 17 HP Kohler 48" mower deck included, 30 days $3,029.20 Roswell, Ga. 30076 John Deer Model 314, 1 cycle engine, 14 HP Kohler, 48" mower deck.included, 30.days 2,681.25 Lawn & Turf, Inc. No Bid Box.480 Conyers, Ga. 30207 W. C. Barnes International -Harvester, Cub -Cadet 928 Bankhead Hwy. Model 1450, 14 HP with 38" mower 2,475.00 Mableton, Ga. 30059 International -Harvester Same as above except with 44" mower 2,550.00 International -Harvester, Cub=Cadet Model 1650, 16HP with 38" mower 2,625.00 Same as above except with 44" mower 2,695.00 John Steely made a motion the bids be turned over to committee with authorityto act. Elbert Coalson seconded the motion which carried by a 6-1 vote. Jim Hawkins voted against. • Bids for one (1) athletic field aerator for the Parks Department were opened, read and are recorded as follows: Blalock.Machinery & Equipment No bid Peachtree -Mower Company No bid Wislar & Co. Ryan Tracaire Model 544423 $1,699.00 Stovall & Company Hahn Aerator Model TM-140 1,562.00 Lawn & Turf, Inc. Jacobsen Model 595 1,543.00 Zaun Equipment, Inc. Ryan Model 544423A 1,835.00 Jack Shinall made a motion the bids be turned over to the Parks and Recreation Committee with authority to accept the low bid. Max Bacon seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Commercial building permits were submitted by Building Inspector Danny Steely and upon his recommendation the following action is recorded: (1) Smyrna Cable TV requested a permit to erect a 2,000 square foot warehouse and office building on Anderson Circle. :Plans had.been approved by the Fire Marshal and Inspections Department. Jack Shinall made a motion.the permit be approved. John Steely seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. (Continuation of June 2, 1980 Meeting) (2) Smyrna Cable TV requested a permit to renovate the building located at 2995 Atlanta Road to be used as office space. Plans had been approved by the Fire Marshal and the Inspections Department. Jerry Mills made a motion the permit be approved. Elbert Coalson seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. (3) W. Adrian Leavell Contractors requested a permit to do general and bathroom repairs at Brawners Hospital, Atlanta Road. Inspector Steely stated plans had not been submitted but he had allowed them to start work, pending receipt of plans. Jim Hawkins made a motion the permit be approved, subject to receipt of plans. Jerry Mills seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Proposed Ordinance Amendment: Jack Shinall read the following amendment: That section 21-9 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Smyrna, Georgia, be amended so that such section shall read as follows: "It shall be unlawful for any truck, bus or other vehicle weighing over ten thousand (10,000) pounds, either loaded or unloaded, to travel over or upon any of the public streets of the City, except the following streets, which are hereby designated as direct routes for the use of such vehicles in passing through the City: Cherokee Road, Concord Road, Roswell Road, Spring Street, Spring Road, Hawthorne Street, Mathews Street, Pat Mell Road, Atlanta Road and South Cobb Drive, unless such direct route street or any portion thereof shall have been posted prohibiting the use based upon the weight limits described herein. Emer- gency vehicles and school buses are excepted from the provisions of this section." Jack asked each Councilman to study this amendment, and it will appear on the agenda for the next meeting as a request for vote and approval. Jim Tolleson made a motion the minutes of May 5, 1980 be approved as submitted. Jack Shinall seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. Elbert Coalson made a motion the minutes of May 19, 1980 be approved as submitted. John Steely seconded the motion. Mayor Frank Johnson asked Council to amend the motion for approval by amending his statement with reference to the Marietta Fire Department, and quoting him verbatim, as per the tape of the meeting of May 19, 1980, as follows: "(Mayor Johnson) "One thing that has happened with the City of Marietta is that they have so gerrymandered by running down these highways to annex, that they are not capable of providing adequate fire service so they have gotten the county to take care of their fringe areas. That is not true with us here in our city. We give excellent fire protection for those who are in our city and pay city taxes for that fire protection." Jerry Mills made.a motion that the minutes be amended as requested. Jack Shinall seconded the motion. Jim Tolleson said he would abstain; he wanted to hear the tape before he voted. Vote on the amended motion carried. Max Bacon, Jerry Mills, Jack Shinall, Elbert Coalson and John Steely voted for. Jim Hawkins and Jim Tolleson abstained. Vote on the original motion carried by a 6-1 vote. Max Bacon, Jerry Mills, Jack Shinall, Elbert Coalson, Jim Hawkins and John Steely voted for. Jim Tolleson abstained. Committee Reports:- Jim Tolleson said he wanted to apologize to Eddie Bessette and his crew. Jim said he did not feel his being reassigned as the Chairman of the Sanitation Department was a demotion. The Sanitation Department is a vital part of the City operations and he feels we are going to do better than we have ever done before, and he appreciated the opportunity to serve in that capacity. Max has a couple of good ideas going and the new trash pickup schedule started today. If a citizen has something over the 70 pound limit, he asked they call Eddie and arrangements will be made for it to be picked up. Max Bacon stated the Employee Benefit Committee has met on several occasions and tried to decide which deferred compensation program to take. Hopefully we can make a recommendation at the next council meeting. Max Bacon advised the Fire Department was in dire need of new hoses. $4,000 was allotted from Revenue Sharing to purchase booster hoses. Due to the urgent need of these 112" and 21z" hoses, Gunter Newsom and Chief Atkinson have contacted several companies and we are in the process of securing them, without bids. (Continuation of June 2, 1980 Meeting) Jerry Mills stated he had a letter from the Department of Transportation with reference to the school crossing'at Argyle and Birch Streets. The State's recommendation was that at Spring Street and Park Drive the-following"be done: (1) all cross -walks and stop bars be repainted before the next school year begins, (2) new cross -walks and stop bars should be added at Farmstead Road, Park Circle and Woodland Drive, (3) the school sign beacon on'the west should read 25 m.p.h. instead of 35'm.p.h. to agree with the sign on the east end, (4) the school sign and beacon on the west end should be.placed'overhead or the bushes should be trimmed in order to be able to see the sign well in advance, and (5) to comply with the Georgia law, a "reduced speed - school ahead" sign be placed in advance of the school limit sign and beacon. Their opinion is the school is well protected with traffic lights and school crossing guards. At Birch Street they recommended the following: (1) repaint cross -walks and stop bars at all intersections near the school, (2) on the east end of Powder Springs Street an overhead school advance .sign and/or beacon be installed due to the alignment of Powder Springs Street, as a shoulder mounted sign could not be seen for a safe distance, and (3) school crossing signs should be used at all school crosswalks along with the schools advance signs. All signs to be placed in accordance with the manual of uniform traffic control devices: Jerry stated the painting of the crosswalks and bars or the placing of signs or beacons is the responsibility of the City, when the school is located within the city limits. Jerry Mills stated the Mayor had signed the contract with the Department of Trans- portation for the 'paving of nine streets and the work should be done before the end of summer. Jerry said the Finance Committee had been meeting with various department heads on their budgets. The Mayor will announce the time of meeting with full Council. He asked each committee chairman to ask their department heads to submit a budget that meets the budget figure given out. Jim Hawkins stated that over the past several -years there had been a problem with the increased flow of traffic on McCauley, also with vehicles traveling at a high rate of speed. The posted speed is now 35 m.p.h. Some concerned citizens, some of whom are present tonight, requested a stop sign be installed at the corner of Valley Drive and McCauley Road. This would be about.midway between Concord and South Cobb. Jim said there were no sidewalks or curbs on McCauley and he thought a stop sign would help to slow down the traffic. Jim made a motion a stop sign be installed at the corner of McCauley and Valley Drive, stopping traffic both ways on McCauley. A letter from Jim David was read, stating a stop sign would slow the traffic on McCauley. Chief Little stated a stop sign would definitely slow traffic. The motion was seconded by Jim Tolleson. John Steely stated he did not think the use of stop signs to slow traffic was the solution. Jack Shinall asked how far this stop sign would be from the one at Oakdale. The answer was three blocks. A resident said their main problem was entering Concord Road due to the one entrance from the day care center. The other problem is speeding on McCauley. After further discussion, Jerry Mills made a motion to table until further study can be made on the drive situation at the day care center. Jim Hawkins said he agreed the day care center is a problem but we still need a stop sign on McCauley. John Steely seconded the motion to table, which carried by a 4-3 vote. Max Bacon, Jerry Mills, Jack Shinall and John Steely voted for. Jim Tolleson, Jim Hawkins and Elbert Coalson voted against. Jim Hawkins stated the Inspections Committee had met and recommended the following ordinance changes: That section 6-95 of the Code of Ordinances, City of Smyrna, Georgia, is hereby amended by omitting the last two sentences therefrom and adding in their place the following: "Fees for temporary signs shall be twenty-five ($25.00) dollars for each electrical or non -electrical signs. Permits shall be limited to a ninety (90) day period from date of permit, and shall be renewable only after the lapse of 180 days from date of the last grant of the permit, and after payment of all fees and application requirements required hereunder as for a new temporary permit." That section 6-105 of the Code of Ordinances, City of Smyrna, Georgia, is hereby amended by adding the following after the last sentence thereunder: "All variance applications under this chapter (building and construction) shall be accompanied by a twenty-five ($25.00) dollar fee for the administrative costs thereof, and shall meet all requirements of notice of place and time of hearing as required under the existing zoning ordinances except no newspaper advertisement shall be required." (Continuation of June 2, 1980 Meeting) That section 6-106 of the Code of Ordinances, City of Smyrna, Georgia, is:hereby amended by changing the notice requirement to the sign ordinances from thirty (30) days to five (5) days so that the first sentence thereof shall read as follows: "If the building inspector shall find that any sign is unsafe or -insecure or has been constructed, erected or maintained in violation of this article, he shall give written notice to the owner of record specifying particular violations and demanding their remedy within five (5) days." Jim asked all Councilmen to study these changes and they would be on the next agenda for approval. Jack Shinall said it had been brought to his attention by Jerry Mills, Chairman of the Finance Committee, that a quantity of garage work was being sent outside without prior approval by either Jim David or the Garage Committee. For the infor- mation of Council, the Garage Committee will be issuing a statement tomorrow that all outside work repair on motor vehicles of -this city will be done in our own garage or permission must be secured from Jim David or the committee. Jerry said most of these repairs was for work done on the Chryslers. Jim David said our tune- up machine could not be used on these Chryslers, since this product is computerized and any differential problems require a special machine. Jack Shinall said he was very proud to announce that a Smyrna girl;won the Miss Austell Beauty Contest Friday night, in which he was one of the judges. Miss Kelly Anne Ayers of Rebecca Lane won the title and will represent Smyrna as Miss Austell in the Cobb County Beauty Pageant. Elbert Coalson advised that our emergency generator failed to come on last Friday night when the power went off. Repairmen found there was a stuck relay in the generator and the charge was $236.25. Elbert Coalson stated that Chief Little asked to buy four (4) walkie talkies through the State contract. These would be Motorolas and have been approved to be paid from Revenue Sharing. The Police Committee recommended we buy through the State contract, in lieu of requesting bids. Elbert Coalson made a motion four (4) walkie talkies be purchased under the State contract. Jack Shinall seconded the motion which carried by a 7-0 vote. John Steely asked Bill Johnston for a report. Bill said registration for summer classes would be open for the next two weeks. The annual swim registration will be Saturday at the Church Street Pool, evening registration will be open the next two Tuesday and Thursdays, from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. All three pools will be open this Saturday. Mayor Johnson read a proclamation declaring the month of June as Recreation and Parks Month in Smyrna and encouraged all citizens to participate in the programs. Mayor Johnson announced that Bernard Halpern, owner of Belmont Hills Shopping Center and, several other properties in Smyrna, is seriously ill in the Bahamas. Mr. Halpern is one of the leading supporters of the City and Mayor Johnson asked that everyone remember him in their prayers. Mayor Johnson advised that our City Attorney, Charles E. Camp, has been appointed by the State Bar of Georgia to serve on hem,De8ignation(,Planr:- Administrative Agencies and Governmental Law Advisory Committee. The other four members are: Chairperson Carl E. Sanders, Norman S. Fletcher of Lafayette, Buckner F. Melton of Macon and Robert H. Smalley, Jr. of Griffin. This is a great honor and Mayor Johnson commended Attorney Camp for his knowledge of governmental law. Mayor Johnson asked that a portion of the Mayor and Council be played concerning a annexations and the Fire Department, just tape was played. Meeting adjourned at 8:57 p.m. tape of the May 19, 1980 meeting of statement made by him regarding Marietta for the record. This portion of the